Chanukah Holiday
The Hanukkah/ Chanuka (take your pick) holiday is likely the most mysterious on the Jewish calendar. Why celebrate finding a bottle of oil at all? And even if you’re going …
The Hanukkah/ Chanuka (take your pick) holiday is likely the most mysterious on the Jewish calendar. Why celebrate finding a bottle of oil at all? And even if you’re going …
Here’s a phone message that’s guaranteed to get a return call: “This is (Ploni) calling from the White House Chief of Staff’s office. Please call back when you have a …
The ideal Bar / Bat Mitzvah gift should have the following qualities: 1) It should be something the child will use for the rest of their life or at least …
Genesis 2:18 says, “It is not good for humanity to be alone.” We are designed to long for loving companionship, to cling to each other and become “one flesh” (Genesis …
If you’re totally clueless about Jewish dating customs, rent the DVDs of 1971’s “Fiddler on the Roof” and 1996’s, “The Mirror Has Two Faces“. “Fiddler”, set at the end of …
Just One Mississippi Redneck’s Jew Of The Metaphysical, Kaballah, Jerry Falwell, Physics, Tolerance, Forgiveness, Life, Liberty, And Justice For All I am not an expert or authority on religion, new …
The following commentary on “Parashah Bo” (Exodus 10:1-13:16) deals with the last three of the Ten Plagues. For the first seven plagues, see commentary on “Parashah Va’era”. “ADONAI said to …
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord” The Jewish people have always taken this phrase very seriously. While there are not typically choirs found in a Jewish service – only …
Death is when our souls leave most of the constraints of the physical world and gradually become closer and closer to G-d for an infinity of time. Each step of …
The Maggid of Dubno, Rabbi Yaakov (Jacob) Kranz, was born circa 1740 and died in 1804. He was a major figure on the European Jewish scene. He was a contemporary …
Traditional Hanukkah recipes and menus The Jewish festival of Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucids. The Maccabees entered the Temple to light the menorah (branched candelabra) …
As a twenty-something living in a society whose twists and turns down the path of peace and prosperity are full of missteps and miscalculations, to me being Jewish means Tikkun …
Our world today is a better place due to contributions that have been made by people in all ethnic, religious, and cultural groups. The Jewish people are one of the …
Some thoughts on the Torah portion Mi-Keytz. The portion begins with the phrase Va-yehi mi-keytz shnosayim yomim u-Far’oh choleym, “And it happened at the end of two years that Pharaoh …
The Jewish dietary laws are known as the laws of Kashrut. These originate from the Torah or the five books of Moses, but some have been elucidated in the Talmud. …
Comic, But Not Funny: The One Comic Portion in the Chumash Comedy? In the Chumash? Somehow, we do not think of comedy when we think of Chumash or of the …
Antisemitism, like any form of prejudice, is alive and ‘well’ in the USA. Being raised Jewish in the 60’s I encountered this disturbing phenomenon first hand. Things have progressed from …
“O Jerusalem of gold, of brass and of light, For all your songs I will be your harp.” Traditional Hebrew song “Zionism” is an emotionally loaded word, and like other …
They stared after her as she made her way carefully through a crowd of rambunctious children dashing to and fro in the tiny courtyard sandwiched between somewhat shabby apartment buildings. …
There has been much debate over what is Judaism’s most central and important Mitzvah (Commandment). There are some very good arguments for any of a dozen different Mitzvoth. The following …
When Is Re-Immersion Required? External Body and Hair In Halakha1 there is a distinction between the external parts and hair of a woman’s body and her internal parts and areas …
Judaism is often misunderstood as a religion. All people born to a Jewish mother are considered Jewish. The central belief is that there is one God, and only one God. …
During my own conversion into the world of Judaism, I realized that very little guidance was available to those hoping to convert. I found myself bewildered by books explaining Jewish …
Hasidic Judaism is known in Jewish lore as being the movement that brought joy back to the religion. It was founded by Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer in the 18th century …
Sunset tonight begins the 9th day of the month of Av (Tisha B’Av) on the Hebrew calendar. This day is said to be the lowest of all days in the …
Joshua is an unsavory character, and even the old Talmudic scholars tended to gloss over him as if embarrassed by his brutality. There is little of the prophecy, and none …
The United States is predominantly Christian. 95% of Americans celebrate Christmas, and half of those Americans identify Christmas as a strongly religious holiday. Nearly all Americans who celebrate Christmas engage …
World Religions Report – Judaism The history of Judaism spans centuries of time and has been filled with triumph, pain, and a sense of continuous wandering as people who have …
The Festival of Succoth (Sukkot) is also known as the ‘Festival of Booths’, ‘Feast of Tabernacles’, ‘Festival of the Harvest’ or as it is commonly referred to, the Jewish Thanksgiving. …
The Passover ONCE a year on the Biblical date of Nisan 14, Passover night, Jehovah’s dedicated people gather together in all parts of the earth in harmony with Jesus’ command: …
How is Judaism in the Middle East different from Judaism in the rest of the world? It may surprise Americans and Europeans, who have only tangential contact with Judaism. It …
Maimonides, was a Sephardi Jew who lived during the time after the Golden Age of Jewry, when Jews were under persecution from not only the revival of tradition philosophy {this …