Rebuilding A World
There are many dramatic stories of the great struggles involved in rebuilding the Jewish people after the Holocaust. Any collection of such stories would be remiss if it did not mention…
Where Are You Shopping?
If you spent the day frantically shopping at Saks, Bloomingdales or Neiman Marcus* (to name a few), you've witnessed the amazing legacy of the 19th century influx of German Jews to…
Two Jews and the 501 Blues
Most people own at least one pair of jeans, if not several. The original, and most widely known, brand of jeans are the Levi 501 Blues, named after the company founded by Levi Strauss.…
For Your Jewish Mother
If one were to believe the jokes, Jewish mothers enjoy nothing more than nagging their children to eat, encouraging grown children to get married, and bragging about the children’s…
Abraham Ibn Ezra
Biblical scholars study his Torah commentaries, poets read his verse, grammarians look to his linguistic work and a lunar crater is named in his honor. Meet Rabbi Abraham ben Meir Ibn…
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the Father of Modern Hebrew
The official language of Israel is Hebrew, but until the end of the 19th century almost no one spoke Hebrew colloquially. Lashon Hakodesh, the holy tongue, was used only for prayer and…
Her Name Was Sarai
The Midrash states that Sarai (later called Sarah), the mother of the Jewish people, was known in her youth as Yiska (Jessica), because all who saw her wished to gaze at her beauty. But…
The Baal Shem Tov
Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov (literally Master of the Good Name, often referred to as the BESHT), was born in 1698, in Okop (Ukraine). While there is little record…
Baron Edmond James de Rothschild
Although he came from a prominent banking family and was employed in the family bank, Baron Edmond James de Rothschild (August 19, 1845 - November 2, 1934) was best known for his love of…
Vayeishev 5765-2004
"A Personality Profile of Joseph" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Vayeishev, we encounter the twelve tribes of Israel in their early stages of development,…