Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi), whose yahrtzeit is on Lag Ba’omer, was one the five survivors of the plague that took the lives of 24,000…
Tisha B’Av is Tomorrow*
The saddest day on the Jewish calendar, the ninth of Av, is tomorrow.* (*)This year the 9th of Av is Shabbat so the fast is observed from sundown Saturday until nightfall on Sunday.…
Elegies (Kinnot)
An elegy is defined as a mournful poem or a lament. In Hebrew, an elegy is known as a kinna. On Tisha b’Av, when the Jewish people mourn the destruction of both the First and Second…
It Happened In Argentina
Aside from the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem, many tragic events in Jewish history are associated with Tisha b’Av (technically the 9th of Av, but some of the…
The Buttonwood Jews
On the 17th of May, 1792, 24 businessmen met under a buttonwood (sycamore) tree and made an agreement to deal only with one another and to set a .25% commission rate on all transactions.…
Said At The End
The deathbed confession is a classic cinematic moment. It is often at this dramatic climax that past evils are revealed, forgiveness is granted and tears are shed. Hopefully, most people…
Italkim, the Italian Liturgy
It is believed by many, that the first Jews to have traveled to the land now known as Italy came to Rome as ambassadors sent by Judah Maccabee (of Chanukah fame). Certainly it was not…
The Three Weeks
“When Av enters, we must lessen our rejoicing,” declare the Talmudic sages in Ta’anit 26b. In truth, however, this period of "sadness" begins on the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz…
King David’s Day
According to tradition, King David was born and died on Shavuot. To try and summarize the life of King David in a 300 word Treat would be impossible. In the annals of Jewish history,…
The Tribe of Menashe
As descendants of the original 12 sons of Israel, the lives and personalities of the descendants of Jacob significantly impacted on the history and behavior of the future tribe members…