The Blessings of the Amidah: Rebuilding Jerusalem
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The fourteenth blessing begins a new focus on the time of redemption, beginning with the restoration…
Special For Chanukah: The Chanukah Blessings
On the first night of Chanukah, one light is placed on the far right of the menorah. Each succeeding night, one light is added to the left of the previous night's candle(s). The newest…
Yoma 35b
...A sensuous person will be asked, "What stopped you from learning Torah?" "What should I have done?" he will excuse himself. "I love life - it is full of pleasure and beauty. I was…
The Morning Blessings-Blessing #9: Standing Tall
Every morning, a set of 15 blessings is recited to express our thanks to God for all the things that we, as healthy human beings, are capable of doing. Ba’ruch Ah’tah Ah’doh’nai…
The Blessings of the Amidah: Ingathering of Exiles
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The tenth blessing focuses on the redemption of the Jewish people and ending the diaspora. T’kah…
A Friendly Emperor
On November 17, in the year 331 C.E., Flavius Claudius Julianus was born. He was the son of the half-brother of Constantine, the first Roman Emperor to recognize Christianity as the state…
The Blessings of the Amidah: Understanding
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The fourth blessing recognizes God as the source of our own ability to understand the world. Ah’tah…
The Miracles of the Temple
The Jewish liturgy is filled with reminders of how we should mourn the loss of the Holy Temple, with prayers asking God to return the Holy Temple to us. While it is common knowledge, from…
Curses Turned To Blessings
“How glorious are your tents, Jacob, your dwellings, Israel. As valleys stretched out, as gardens by the river-side; as aloes planted by God, as cedars beside the waters” (Numbers…
Challah Is Taken
The Hebrew word "challah" does not actually mean bread, but rather refers to the tithe of the bread that was given as a gift to the ancient priests (Numbers 15:20). Exactly when the term…