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…
Setting the Seder Table
Before beginning the Seder, it is important to make certain that everything necessary is available. No Seder table is complete without the following: 1) Three Unbroken Matzot (Kosher for…
Yiddishisms
On November 18, 2013, NASA launched an atmospheric probe to Mars, which initiated the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission. Its mission was to gather data to determine why…
The Littlest Mountain
When the Israelites were gathered at Mount Sinai, God gave them the Torah.Scholars and academics have spent lifetimes debating the exact location of Mount Sinai. The Sinai peninsula is…
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…
Beauty and the Bess
On December 14, 2014, one of the most talked-about American Jews from the 1940s passed away. Bess Myerson, born in the Bronx on July 16, 1924, became the first and only Jewish “Miss…
Israel’s Beloved Ofra
If one mentions the name Ofra Haza to Israelis of a certain age, you will likely see a smile followed by a look of sadness. Ofra was the darling of Israel, with a voice from the heavens,…
The Kindness of Meah She’arim
On trips to Israel, many travel to the quaint Jerusalem neighborhood known as Meah She’arim. Meah She’arim is home of the Yerushalmi “ultra-Orthodox” community who seek insularity and…
Rejoice in Reverence: Play the Lottery
It would be the height of irreverence if one were to come to synagogue on Yom Kippur dressed in a light-hearted or comedic costume. Imagine chanting the deeply inspiring and…
Splitting the Atom
When asked to name a theoretical physicist, the first name to come to many young Americans would be “Sheldon Cooper,” the fictional lead character on the long-running hit show, “Big Bang…