Is Today Rosh Hashana?
A quick perusal of the Jewish calendar will note that today, the first of the Hebrew month of Shevat, always falls two weeks prior to Tu b’Shevat, the beginning of the end of the winter,…
The Disputation of Paris
The month of June in the year 1240 C.E. was not a good time for the Jews of Europe. The trouble began with a Jewish apostate named Nicholas Donin. Wanting, perhaps, to prove his loyalty…
Perhaps I Was Wrong
The third book of the Torah, Vayikra/Leviticus, focusses on the sacrificial rites that were an integral part of Jewish life until the destruction of the Holy Temples. For many Jews of…
Finding Settlement
It is often suggested that America is a litigious society, meaning that people are quick to take each other to court. Whether this is good or bad for society is debatable. But, one cannot…
Here’s To The Positive
In Pirkei Avot/Ethics of the Fathers, Rabbi Joshua is quoted saying, “An evil eye (ayin harah), the evil inclination (yetzer harah) and hatred of other people (sinat habree’ot) remove a…
This One and This One
Within the spectrum of Jewish law there are sometimes two seemingly incompatible opinions that are both correct. How can one rabbi permit something that another rabbi prohibits? The…
Radio Man
The World Day of Radio, that is held annually on February 13th, was approved by the 26th General Conference of UNESCO on November 3, 2011. Its goal is to emphasize the importance of radio…
Chmielnicki Pogroms
Unfortunately, no one can argue with the statement that Jewish history is filled with tragedy. Few of these tragedies, excluding the Holocaust, were as devastating and catastrophic for…
Perhaps I Was Wrong
The third book of the Torah, Vayikra/Leviticus, focuses on the sacrificial rites that were an integral part of Jewish life until the destruction of the Holy Temples. For many Jews of…
The Disputation of Paris
The month of June in the year 1240 C.E. was not a good time for the Jews of Europe. The trouble began with a Jewish apostate named Nicholas Donin. Wanting, perhaps, to prove his loyalty…