The Great Don
Few people in Jewish history understood the “wheel of fortune*” as well as Don Isaac Abrabanel (Lisbon, 1437 - Venice, 1508). Born into a prominent, wealthy Portugese family, Don Isaac…
Will I Forgive You for What!?
An ancient Jewish proverb declares: “Loose tongues are worse than wicked hands.” Truth is, people do the most damage to each other with their mouths. Things done with our hands, such as…
Zodiac
Horoscopes are fun to read, especially when they tell you that you are about to get rich or find sudden fame. While telling the future through one’s horoscope is not part of Judaism, this…
The Second Temple
When the Babylonians exiled the Jews and destroyed the First Temple, Jeremiah the Prophet promised that the exile would only last 70 years. The return of the Jews, however, was not a…
The Building of Solomon’s Temple
The 17th of Cheshvan marks the day on which King Solomon declared the work on the Holy Temple (Beit Hamikdash) to be complete. By then, Solomon had been king for eleven years, and the…
The Rabbi of Pressburg
Rabbi Moses Sofer (1762-1839) received his honorific title, Chatam Sofer (Seal of the Scribe), posthumously, after the publication of his acclaimed halachic (Jewish legal) rulings in a…
The Fast Of Gedaliah (Tzom Gedaliah)
The Fast of Gedaliah is observed to commemorate the murder of Gedaliah the son of Achikam, which is described in the last chapter of the Second Book of Kings. This murder resulted in…
Remembering the Akeidah
In neither of the two Torah references to the holiday of Rosh Hashana (Leviticus 23:23-25, Numbers 29:1), is there a specific mention of the shofar,…
New Years x 4
We are about to celebrate the New Year on the Gregorian Calendar. But, did you know that the Jewish calendar actually has FOUR New Years! 1) The first of Nissan, the month in which…
Will I Forgive You for What!?
An ancient Jewish proverb declares: “Loose tongues are worse than wicked hands.” Truth is, people do the most damage to each other with their mouths. Things done with our hands, such as…