Holidays

Olives and Oil During these days of Chanuka, everybody is talking about the miracle of the Menorah and the jug of shemen zayit zach (pure...

Article abstract: In the Torah portion Miketz, the word "חכם" (wise) appears for the first time in Scripture - used by Pharaoh to...

Playing with Fire When telling of the future downfall of the descendants of Esau, the prophet Ovadiah (Obadiah 1:18) refers to the House...

Article abstract for Parashat Terumah: This week's Parashah acutely delineates the makeup and measurements of the Tabernacle and its...

This week ushers in the month of Adar in all its glory. Like all the months of the Jewish calendar, the name Adar is derived from the...

When Esav found out that the blessing from his father Yitzchak had been given to Yaakov, Esav “cried out a great and bitter cry” (Genesis...

This Shabbat we read Parshat HaChodesh, the last of four special Torah readings before Pesach. Parshat HaChodesh establishes Nissan as...

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

This week's Torah portion discusses the highly unusual opportunity to fulfil a biblical precept -the Passover offering- who's...

Shelach: Pardon Me? לע“נשלמהבנימיןבןרפאלתנצב“ה Three words are used to generally describe forgiveness and atonement: סליחה, מחילה, כפרה....

Long before the fidget spinner became the world’s favorite pastime, Jewish children played with spinning tops on the holiday of Chanuka....

Chanukahחַנֻכָּה Chinuch and Chanukah, Walking with Hashem חִנוּךְ: beginning חַנוֹךְ: Chanoch חִנוּךְ: education חַנֻכָּה: Chanukah...

Throughout the Yom Kippur services we repeatedly confess our sins and beg for forgiveness. In doing so, we mimic the confessionals of...

The fifth plague that G-d had wrought upon the Egyptians is known as dever. In English this word is commonly translated as “pestilence”,...

The Mishnah teaches that on Rosh Hashana all the inhabitants of the world pass before G-d like the animals of a corral, and G-d passes...

Sukkot: Gog’s Impervious Roof Versus Israel’s Flimsy Thatched Sukkah (The following is in the main an adaptation of Rabbi S. R. Hirsch’s...