The Torah introduces the laws of the sacrificial services of Yom Kippur by noting that G-d relayed them to Moses after the...

Edmund Burke (1729-1797), the father of contemporary conservatism, purportedly said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is...

In this essay we will explore the different words for gehinnom (commonly translated as “hell” or “purgatory”). The Talmud (Eruvin 19a)...

The Torah commands us to count the days and weeks from Passover until Shavuot (Lev. 23:15-16). Interestingly, the Torah portion which...

The common word for a tombstone in spoken Hebrew is a matzeivah (literally, “monument”), and, indeed, when Yaakov buried his wife Rachel,...

The end of Leviticus speaks about different forms of redemption in the legal sense. It mentions the rights — or even commandments — of...

The Torah says, “A judge you shall not curse and a prince/king in your nation shall you not curse” (Ex. 22:27). This passage forbids...

When detailing the laws of the Nazirite, the Torah forbids him from cutting his hair by stating, “A razor (taar) shall not pass over his...

A Crown is a Crown Malbim defines these three words by explaining the differences in their physical properties. He explains that an...

The Torah relates that not long after the Jews left Mount Sinai, the erev rav — who were the “mixed-multitudes” of Egyptians that joined...

The Torah mentions a special prayer which Moshe would say when the Ark of the Covenant would begin to travel (we say this prayer when...

Spy versus Spy Conventional linguists trace the origins of the English word “tourist” to the Old French word tourner (“to turn”)....

The Land Down Under When relating the story of Korach and his household being miraculously swallowed into the ground, the Torah (Numbers...

Afraid of Fright or Ready to Fight The social sciences like psychology and sociology seek to quantify man’s reactions to various types of...

The Torah says, “A judge shall you not curse and a prince/king in your nation shall you not curse” (Ex. 22:27). This passage forbids...

United We Fast The prophet Zechariah (Zech. 9:19) foretells of a time when the four fast days will be turned into holidays days of joy...

This week’s installment features two words which are not only synonyms, but also homonyms. The word mateh sometimes means “tribe” (almost...

Twin Cities: Zion and Jerusalem Many of us never stopped to think about the names Zion and Jerusalem. We may have always assumed that the...

The Number Eleven R. Yonah ibn Janach (990–1055) explains that ashtei-asar is a contraction of the words al (“on”) and shtei-asar...

“Listen O heavens, and I will speak, and the earth shall hear the words of my mouth…” (Deut. 32:1). These are the opening words of a...