Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) Guide for the Perplexed, 2014
Sukkot is a universal holiday, inviting all peoples to come on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Undying
Daughters and sons were washed away: many drifted, some drowned. Each child that left the woman dealt her a fresh salvo of pain.
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) Guide for the Perplexed, 2018
Sukkot Sameach!
Let us Dream of a Shining Am Yisrael as We Light the Chanukah Candles
We as Jews make sure to dream, but also help others dream! We care about the light, but we also care to shine for others!
Yom Yerushalayim
Today the 28 day of the month of Iyar in 1967- the world changed for every Jew on the face of planet Earth.
The Lost Torah Scroll
Simchat Torah sameach!
A Bleak Rosh Hashana
Historically, some would fast on Rosh Hashana, intensifying the solemnity of standing in judgment before the Divine. Though this minhag has largely faded, this day remains one of muted joy, filled with reverence and gravity.
Chometz v. Matzoh
Pesach is the birthday celebration of the emergence of our people into the international arena
The Debased Origins of Baseless Hate
The elites – the Kohanim in the Beit HaMikdash and too many others – in their zealous self-righteousness, religious coercion, and insensitivity to the way they were being perceived by others, contributed to a terrible culture of animosity and hatred.
Why Do We Light With Olive Oil?
For the Greeks, everything that was externally beautiful was good; to the Jew, everything that is inwardly good is beautiful.
A Miraculous Tree Of Life
My father and his brother Paul survived inside a hollow tree, in the extremely cold Polish winter. How?
Yeru and Shalem – Yerushalayim
Yerushalayim was and always will be a city of unity — but unity of what? What do “Yeru” and “Shalem” each represent?
The Four Cups: Moscato Or Merlot?
Rashi, the Rif, and some Ge’onim go even further than the Rambam in their attitude towards mevushal wine; they maintain that it is not even full-fledged wine, and one should make a shehakol – not a hagafen – before drinking it.
The Baal Neilah
The fast ended, but no soldier rushed to eat; they sat contemplating the intensity of their prayers.
Weekly World Wide Havdalah to be Introduced Online
Havdalah.com will be streaming an inspiring/live/MUSICAL/global Havdalah(NOT to fulfill obligation)
Seder Customs From Around The World
The house is clean. The last bit of chametz has been burned. What happens next?
Yoram Ettinger: Shavuot Guide for the Perplexed
Shavuot is the holiday of the Torah, which impacted the US Constitution in particular and the state of Western morality, liberty, and democracy in general. Shavuot is celebrated by decorating homes and houses of worship with Land of Israel-related fruit, vegetables, herb and flowers, demonstrating the indigenous connection between the Torah of Israel, the People of Israel, and the Land of Israel.
Yom Kippur: Guide for the Perplexed
Yom Kippur’s focus on forgiveness highlights humility, fallibility, soul-searching faith, compassion, thoughtfulness, being considerate, accepting responsibility and magnanimity.
‘Shmurah Matzah’: For the Seder or All of Pesach?
The Shulchan Aruch does not even mention the opinion of the Rif and Rambam and states explicitly that the requirement of guarding applies only to the matzah used for the Seder.
When Bubbles Burst
The universal lesson of Chanukah through the prism of fluted glass
The Art of Ignoring – So Safe, So Repulsive, So Dangerous
As one that has trained and followed rabbis throughout their careers, I can generally say that rabbis gain detractors not so much because of their sermons, vision, lectures or the like, but rather when they fail to return phone calls, when they avoid bikur cholim, and when they fail to respond to emails. One can deal with refusal, disagreements, debates and the answer 'no', but how should one deal with being totally and utterly ignored?!
The Machine Matzah Controversy: A History – Rabbis, Matzah, and Invention
The Ksav Sofer also dismissed the square matzah concern by stating, In the merit of the four-cornered matzos, may Hashem redeem us from the four corners of the earth.
Rabbi Sacks (zt’l): A 6th Chanukah Message: THE LIGHT of WAR and THE...
Jewish law rules that if we can only light one candle – the Shabbat light takes precedence, because in Judaism the greatest military victory takes second place to peace in the home.
Sukkot-‘Hodu’ L’Hashem
What is the nostalgia for? The answer comes with Succot.
Rav Sacks (zt”l) Reflects on Tu BiShvat
If we continue to live as though God had only commanded us to subdue the Earth, we must be prepared for our children to inherit a seriously degraded planet, with the future of human civilisation put into question.
Shavou’ot (Pentecost): Guide for the Perplexed, 2017
Chag Sameach-Happy Shavuout!
Chanukah Scheduling Conflicts: The Time Frame For Lighting Menorah
Nowadays, however - thanks to artificial light - most peoples' workday or school day extends well beyond twilight during Chanukah... Must one leave work or school early to light Chanukah candles on time?
Preparing For Rosh Hashana: The Art Of Listening
The act of listening is a two-way street. There is the speaker – trying to communicate an emotion or problem – and the listener. What is the role of the listener?
GOP Offers Netanyahu the Presidency
After his astounding speech in Congress, the GOP has been working behind the scenes to get Israeli PM Netanyahu to run for President of the U.S.A.
Pesach: Fear, Discomfort and Growth
What shall we be free of this Pesach? It is the holiday of Freedom, isn’t it?