Five Ways To Prepare
Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy (Zachor et yom HaShabbat l'kadsho - Exodus 20:8). This commandment alludes to all the positive mitzvot of Shabbat, such as reciting kiddush,…
It Was Bashert
Bashert, which in Yiddish means “predestined,” is most commonly applied to the concept of one’s intended soul-mate. This idea that, when dating, one is searching for his/her bashert,…
Purim Drinking
"A person should drink on Purim up to the point where they cannot tell the difference between ‘Blessed is Mordechai' and ‘Cursed is Haman'” (Megillah 7a). What does the Talmud mean by…
The Sabbath of Remembering
This Shabbat is Shabbat Parashat Zachor, the Sabbath of Remembering. The Torah portion that is read as the Maftir (additional) portion after the conclusion of the regular weekly Torah…
Aishet Chayil and Esther
On Friday nights it is customary to sing a selection of verses from the final chapter of the Book of Proverbs (31:10-31) known as Aishet Chayil, A Woman of Valor. At this time of year…
Where Are You Shopping?
If you spent the day frantically shopping at Saks, Bloomingdales or Neiman Marcus* (to name a few), you've witnessed the amazing legacy of the 19th century influx of German Jews to…
Terror at the Olympics
On July 27, 1996, the world was startled when a pipe bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia. The bomb killed one person directly, another indirectly (heart attack)…
The Soviet Yeshiva
If one were to create a list of the great European learning centers, Moscow would probably not be on it. After the establishment of the Soviet Communist regime, Jewish life was…
Titanic Fate
The sinking of the HMS Titanic is one of history’s great tragedies. When the ocean liner that had boasted of being unsinkable hit an iceberg and sank, twice as many people died as…