Rabbi Shmuel Salant
On the 29th of Av, 1909, Rabbi Shmuel Salant, Jerusalem’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, for almost 70 years, passed away. Rabbi Shmuel was born in 1816 in Bialystok, then part of Czarist Russia.…
Extraordinary Role Models
Learn about great pious men and women, so their lives can serve as a model for us, even if many years later. Distinguished rabbis who lead their community are often known for their…
An Interesting Philologist
Language is considered to be one of the unique characteristics of humankind. Lazarus (Eliezer Solomon) Geiger believed that there was a great deal to learn about humanity from studying…
National Bow Tie Day
Today is Bow Tie Day, which is celebrated annually on August 28th. The bow tie originated in the 17th century with Croatian soldiers who wore them as part of their uniforms in the…
What Goes Around, Comes Around
Is there any truth to the popular statement, “What goes around, comes around?” It is a pithy phrase that is all too often suggested (somewhat viciously) after a person falls on hard…
Using A Live Virus
Mention the polio vaccine and most people think of Jonas Salk. The fact is, however, that the polio vaccine used today is actually based on the work of another Jewish physician, Albert…
Re’eh 5784-2024
“Adding or Subtracting” (updated and revised from Re’eh 5766-2006) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Re’eh is a rich and colorful parasha, that contains 55 mitzvot--17 positive and 38…
Minsk, Pinsk and Dvinsk
Dvinsk, also known as Daugavpils or Duenaburg, is Latvia’s second largest city, situated 140 miles southeast of Riga, Latvia’s capital. Dvinsk became a Jewish center in the Baltics…
Different Yet Valid Approaches
Study the history of both the Mitnagdic (non-Chassidic) and the Chassidic world to better appreciate two different approaches to worshipping God. In the 5th Mishna in the fifth chapter of…
Kindness to Animals
Animals are among the most important “educational tools” that God provided to humanity in order to teach them to be “givers.” While animals can’t communicate with the same ability as…