Birthday of the World
According to Jewish tradition, this Friday night, when Rosh Hashana begins, the world will be 5784 years old. This claim easily stirs up sharp debate. How, it is often asked, can one say…
For The Sins We Committed
One of the main steps in the process of teshuva (repentance) is for penitents to confess their sins and verbalize their errors. In so doing, those who seek forgiveness for committing a…
Vanity of Vanities
Most people are unknowingly familiar with the beginning of the third chapter of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) because of the 1965 hit song by The Byrds: “To everything – turn, turn, turn/There…
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, literally the Night of Crystal, but generally translated as the Night of Broken Glass, was a tragic turning point in the fate of Germany’s Jewish community. The…
Jewish Work in Diabetes
Today is World Diabetes Day. Not so long ago, diabetes was often thought of as a “Jewish disease.” This was before doctors and scientists understood genetics. The idea of diabetes as a…
The Thanksgiving Synagogue Service
While Thanksgiving is most certainly an American festival of gratitude, its founders prominently articulated its religious underpinnings, which ultimately traces to a source in Judaism.…
The Messiah – A Jewish Concept
Because the concept of a Messiah* (Moshiach in Hebrew) is not overtly mentioned in the five books of the Torah, it is often overlooked as one of the tenets of the Jewish faith. But the…
Hardened Hearts of a Leader
Upon the death of North Korea’s Kim Jong-Il twelve years ago, the press rehashed what was known about the repressive regime, certainly causing many to wonder how any leader could cause…
Winter 2024 Hebrew Reading Classes on Zoom
Hebrew Crash Courses on ZoomJoin NJOP for four great Hebrew classes on Zoom!
Live Long And Prosper
Every “Trekkie” knows that Spock’s Vulcan salutation is accompanied by a strange hand gesture. What many don’t realize is that Leonard Nimoy who played Spock, borrowed this symbol from…