Judaism 101 Archives - The Jewish Press

Inside Purim: Insights On Purim And The Megillah

Judaism 101 Aryeh Pinchas Strickoff

These are excerpts from the sefer Inside Purim, which contains additional answers to the following questions and much more.

Inside Purim: Even More Fascinating And Intriguing Insights On Purim And The Megillah

Judaism 101 Aryeh Pinchas Strickoff

These are excerpts from the sefer “Inside Purim” which contains additional answers to the following questions and much more.

Ahavas Yisroel and Compassion for Fellow Jews

Judaism 101 Rabbi Gil Frieman

Do you really care about your fellow Jew? Take the following test to see if your Ahavas Yisroel Quotient is on par with requirements established by Chazal.

Yoram Ettinger: Purim Guide for the Perplexed 2012

Judaism 101 Yoram Ettinger

Purim is the holiday of contradictions and tenacity-driven-optimism: Grief replaced by joy; Esther's concealment replaced by the disclosure of her national/religious identity; Haman's intended genocide of the Jews replaced by redemption; Haman replaced by Mordechai; national and personal pessimism replaced by optimism.

Why Do We Read The Megillah?

Judaism 101 Rabbi Raphael Fuchs

On Purim we read Megillas Esther twice, once by night and once by day. It is uncertain what the nature of the obligation is.

A True Commitment

Judaism 101 Rabbi Dani Staum

In the vernacular of our sages and in our prayers, Pesach is titled, “Z’man chayrusaynu- Time of our freedom.” Although we did attain freedom at the time of our redemption from Egypt, titling the holiday as such doesn’t seem to encapsulate the root of the holiday’s greatness.

The Ultimate Title Match

Judaism 101 Rabbi Michoel Gros

Pesach is the time of redemption and salvation, which can often come from the most unexpected sources. Such is the story of a boxing title fight in Yankee Stadium that launched a young boy from Russia on a journey to discover his Jewish heritage in Israel.

Daily Midot Program

Judaism 101 Rabbi Tzvi Miller

Our Mission: When it comes to Chesed the Jewish people are at the front of the line. We’ve tackled Chesed and everyone is aware of the unbelievable work and generosity that we are involved in. Now it’s time to take on a new, more difficult challenge: Middot (character trait).

A Very Bad Hair Day

Judaism 101 Penina Scheiner

Tina was in my kindergarten class last year. Each day Tina’s hair flew all around her. It would tumble into her eyes and she would bat at it periodically throughout the day just to see. Sometimes I’d use whatever hair accessory I had at hand - even just a rubber band - to put Tina’s hair out of her face.

Cold Soup

Judaism 101 Rabbi Manis Friedman

If you ask someone coming out of church on a Sunday, "Do you believe in G-d?" the worshipper will be shocked. "What type of question is that? Of course I do!"

My Pleasant Dreams – 851 Of Them

Judaism 101 Dov Shurin

Prior to the Knesset vote on the Regulation Law, which was defeated on June 6, I visited the protest tent where people were on a hunger strike and I realized we are again going through what we went through in the days before the destruction of Gush Katif.

A Revolutionary Rabbinic Idea For Organ Donations

Judaism 101 Hillel Fendel

JERUSALEM – A leading Orthodox rabbi in Israel has a revolutionary proposal for the harvesting of organs from a clinically dead patient. At present, his proposal not only has no support from other rabbis, it is also against Israeli law – but he is not fazed.

The Torah Source For Covering One’s Hair

Judaism 101 Breindy Reiss

We recently layned Parshas Naso which contains the Biblical source for the obligation of a married woman to cover her hair. An eesha sotah is a woman whose husband suspects her of having acted immorally. The Torah commands the Kohein to take various steps to demonstrate that the sotah has deviated from the modest and loyal path of most married Jewish women (Rashi 5:15-27). Among the procedures, the pasuk clearly states: “ufora es rosh haisha…” and he shall uncover the hair of the head of the woman (5:18).

The Soul of the Stranger

Judaism 101 Rabbi Aharon Frazer

From elected officials to people in the street, from the highly educated secular upper class to yeshiva students to the working poor, numerous Israelis seem to share a lexicon and intellectual framework which denigrates and dehumanizes Africans, belittles their suffering, and trivialized their plight.

The Home-Run Hitter

Judaism 101 Rabbi Michoel Gros

Twenty-five years ago, when kiruv was still a relatively new concept, a group of four young rabbis left Ner Yisrael with families in tow to head down south to Atlanta, Georgia. Rabbi David Silverman was one of those pioneers who founded the Atlanta Scholars Kollel. He is a powerhouse of kiruv – his charisma, sincerity and broad knowledge have helped him inspire thousands of Jews, including this writer.

The Voice of a Child

Judaism 101 Rhona Lewis

Children should be seen and not heard. It was a maxim that I heard many times throughout my childhood and which caused me a fair amount of frustration. When, I often wondered, would I cross that invisible line and move out of the periphery to which I was assigned, into the arena of adulthood and be given the chance to express an opinion that people would listen to?

New Tehillim Aims To Add Meaning To Rote Ritual

Judaism 101 Elliot Resnick

“Presentation is very important. Judaism is not necessarily appealing to a lot of people and you want to make it as attractive as possible,” said Rabbi Chaim Miller, founder of the Kol Menachem publishing house.

From Center Field To Center Stage: The Journeys Of NFLer Alan Veingrad

Judaism 101 Rabbi Michoel Gros

In 1992 the Dallas Cowboys won Super Bowl XXVII. Among the members of the team was a young Jewish man named Alan Veingrad. Alan, now Shlomo, became frum several years later and found a much more significant calling: as an in-demand speaker he captivates Jewish and non-Jewish audiences around the world with lessons from his football days and from his teshuva journey.