Opening England
Menashe ben Israel (Manoel Dias Soeiro, 1604 -1657), whose family fled Portugal after the Lisbon auto-de-fe of 1603, was raised in Amsterdam where he received a full Jewish education and…
One from David, One from Joseph
The belief in an ultimate redeemer, referred to as Moshiach (Messiah), is a central tenet of Jewish faith. But, almost all of the details about the coming of Moshiach and the Messianic…
Bereshith 5767-2006
"Pardes--the Four Levels of Understanding Torah" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The Talmud in Chagiga 14b, tells the story of four great scholars, Ben Azai, Ben Zoma, Acher, and Rabbi Akiva,…
The Tosafot Commentaries
One of the most fascinating aspects of Jewish study are the layer upon layer of enlightening and edifying commentaries that can be found when studying texts of the Torah or the Talmud. Of…
Acher: The Sage Turned Apostate
Our Rabbis taught (Chagigah 14b): Four men entered the ‘orchard’ (pardes, a metaphor for Heaven), namely, Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Acher, and Rabbi Akiva. The Talmud informs us of their fate.…
Rashi and The Tosafot Commentaries
One of the most fascinating aspects of Jewish study are the layer upon layer of enlightening and edifying commentaries that can be found when studying texts of the Torah or the Talmud. Of…
Rashi and The Tosafot Commentaries
One of the most fascinating aspects of Jewish study are the layer-upon-layer of enlightening and edifying commentaries that can be found when studying texts of the Torah or the Talmud. Of…
An Unholy Act with the Best Intentions
There are many stories in the Torah that might be deemed “too adult,” and are generally glossed over in Hebrew school. But, like every narrative in the Bible, these stories have…
The Emperor’s Nephew
“A man should always complete the Torah portion together [at the same time] with the congregation, [reading] twice the Hebrew text and once the [Aramaic] Targum... [if he does so,] his…
Judaism,Holiday Resources,Lag Ba’Omer,HolidaysLiteracy,Judaism
Lag Ba’Omer
Lag Ba'Omer33rd of the Omer Table of Contents Lag Ba’Omer Rabbi Akiva – Hero and Martyr Rabbi Shimon…