Chol Hamoed
Most holidays in Western society last for a single day, which is often extended into the weekend. And while most people are aware that Chanukah is celebrated for 8 days, many people are…
Chol Hamoed
Most holidays in Western society last for a single day, which is often extended into the weekend. And while most people are aware that Chanukah is celebrated for 8 days, many people are…
Just a Half Shekel
This Shabbat is Parashat Shekalim (shekels). The Torah portion that speaks of Shekalim (Exodus 30:11-16) is read as the Maftir portion after the regular…
The House of Assembly
Did you know that the Greek word 'synagogue' is actually a translation of the Hebrew term Beit K'nesset (English = House of Assembly). The 'assembly' referred to is…
Just a Half Shekel
This Shabbat is Parashat Shekalim (shekels). The Torah portion that speaks of Shekalim (Exodus 30:11-16) is read as the Maftir portion after the regular…
Community Ties
It is a commonly stated idea that, with the expansion of the world of social media, the idea of community has changed. Where once people turned to communal organizations for drawing them…
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi), whose yahrtzeit is on Lag Ba’omer, was one the five students who began studying with Rabbi Akiva after the horrible plague that…
The Four Mitzvot of Purim
This year, Purim will be celebrated on Sunday, March 16th (beginning Saturday evening, March 15th, after sunset). Four mitzvot are associated with the holiday: Megillah Reading - Book of…
Vanity of Vanities
Most people are unknowingly familiar with the third chapter of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) because of the 1962 hit song by The Byrds: "To everything - turn, turn, turn/There is a…
It’s The Hebrew Alphabet
Aleph - Bet - Gimmel - Daled - Hey...it’s the Hebrew alphabet! According to the Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition, each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet has its own…