Breaking The Glass
No respectable film-maker would record a Jewish wedding scene without including the dramatic moment of the breaking of the glass, followed by the joyous shouts of "Mazal Tov!" A moment of…
Paschal Lamb – A Unique Commandment
While most Jews have attended a Passover Seder, no Jew in the last 1,900 plus years has tasted a Paschal lamb (“Korban Pesach”), the animal offering associated with Passover that shares…
Send Them On Their Way
Hachnassat Orchim, welcoming guests, is one of the better known mitzvot. For many, this is also one of the easiest. After all, who doesn’t enjoy having people over, acting as host and…
Malchut-Kingship
The seventh and final week of Sefirat Ha’Omer, the counting of the days between Passover and Shavuot, is dedicated to the Sephirah of Malchut - Kingship. (For an explanation of the…
The House of Assembly
Did you know that the Greek word 'synagogue' is actually a translation of the Hebrew term Beit K'nesset (English = House of Assembly). The 'assembly' referred to is the minyan (quorum of…
The Morning Blessings-Blessing #7: Clothing
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…
Fear Your Mother?
"Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12) is the fifth of the Ten Commandments. It is at the very heart of Judaism and is a mitzvah that straddles the twin aspects of Judaism:…
An Act of True Kindness
Death is one of the unquestionable facts of life. Yet, most people would admit being uncomfortable with the idea of being in a room with a dead body. Seeing a corpse is a “too close”…
Paschal Lamb – A Unique Commandment
While most Jews have attended a Passover Seder, no Jew in the last 1,900 years has tasted a Paschal lamb (“Korban Pesach”), the animal offering associated with Passover that shares the…
Burying The Dead
An unusually large body of Jewish law is concerned with interpersonal relationships, teaching how to properly respect each person, since all of humankind is created b’tzelem Eh-lokim, in…