When Adar Begins

The month of the second Adar begins today as this year on the Jewish calendar is a leap year. About Adar, the twelfth month of the Jewish calendar year (in non-leap years), the Talmud…

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Pekudei 5782-2022

“The Lesson of the Basin: ‘Don’t Judge a Basin by its Cooper’” (updated and revised from Pekudei 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Pekudei, opens with…

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A Comedic Original

“I once wanted to be an atheist, but I gave it up. They don’t have any holidays.” Henry “Henny” Youngman (originally Yungman) was the king of the one-liners and was one of the first…

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The Founder of the House of Rothschild

The name Rothschild echoes with a sense of wealth and fame. The House of Rothschild was one of the most powerful financial forces in 19th century Europe, and several members of the family…

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Humble Bee

February 22nd has been declared “Be Humble Day,” a “holiday” that most likely originated from the online greeting card industry. Nevertheless, a day dedicated to the importance of being…

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Vayakhel 5782-2022

“Defining True Generosity” (updated and revised from Vayakhel 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayakhel, we learn, once again, of building…

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Paying For Gold

The most infamous sin of the Jewish people was the sin of the Golden Calf: When God presented the People of Israel with the Ten Commandments, the people were overwhelmed at hearing the…

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Shabbat Inspires

NJOP reached out to a diverse group of Jewish people and asked them to tell us what it is about Shabbat that keeps drawing them back to celebrate each week. View all of the videos below.…

The Jew Who Played for Germany

It is impossible to imagine what the thoughts of Rudi Victor Ball were when high ranking Nazi officials asked him to rejoin his German ice hockey teammates and play for Germany in the…

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Dancing on Ice

Competing for artistic and athletic mastery on ice has been part of the fun of winter long before the Winter Olympics, and Jews have often taken part in the joy of ice skating. In fact,…

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