Written for Their Sons
Imagine traveling forward 500 years in time and discovering multitudes of people studying something you had written for your child. Imagine walking into a bookstore and finding multiple…
Extended Isru Chag
Today is Isru Chag, the name given to the day that follows the 3 Pilgrimage festivals (Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot). Usually the main ritual manifestation on the day of Isru Chag is…
Attend Synagogue to hear the Special Torah Reading
Since the Torah can only be read in the presence of a minyan (quorum), make sure to go to synagogue in order to hear this special Torah reading.
Heighten Your Gladness
Find ways to increase your joy during the festive month of Adar.
The Tenth of Tevet
And it was in the ninth year of [King Zeddekiah’s] reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth (day) of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, came, he and all his legions, upon…
A Ten-Light Chanukah Menorah?
In a summary of the Chanukah customs of Persian Jewry (Shlomo Tal edition, 1981, pg. 189-190), three options are offered regarding how to kindle the Chanukah lights. First, the common…
Jewish Persistence
Learn about Jewish institutions, events and practices the evil Nazis tried to stop, but, despite the Nazi actions, continue to thrive decades after the Third Reich has been destroyed.
Raising the Intensity for the Day of Judgment
As we begin to recite Selichot prayers (either late at night or early in the morning) the week prior to Rosh Hashana and during the Aseret Y’mei Teshuva (Ten Days of Repentance), we must…
Potential Energy
Parashat Ki Tavo begins by juxtaposing two important agricultural laws. First (Deuteronomy 26:1-11), the Torah instructs the Israelites to bring bikkurim, the first fruits from among the…
The Great Jewish Tenor
There was a time, in the first half of the 20th century, when chazanut (cantorial/synagogue music) was the rage in the American Jewish community. In fact, there were celebrity chazanim…