יום רביעי, י״ב תשרי תשפ״זWednesday, September 23, 2026
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Make your website festive for the holidays with some simple graphic enhancements.
By Sheni Leumi
Linguistics for the next round of fighting.
By Meir Indor
The same government that caved to the media and the Schalit Task Force by releasing 1,027 terrorists from prison last year has caved yet again—this time despite the fact that Hamas violated red lines by shooting missiles at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
By Meir Indor
Terrorism cannot be contained, only destroyed.
By Tzvi Fishman
Strolling around Tel Aviv and seeing how the words of our Prophets have come to pass in our generation, is as much of a spiritual experience as spending a day in the holy city of Tzfat.
Avigdor Liberman's new and very creative YouTube video highlighting his party's achievements over the past 4 years.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
For Appearance’s Sake ‘Moving Forward At The Word Of G-d’ (Shabbos 31a)
A new exhibit at the Library of Congress is celebrating 100 years of Hebraica with its new exhibit, “Words Like Sapphires”.
A leisurely Shabbat stroll around town recently turned a calming experience into a rather upsetting one, as graffiti sprayed on quite a few buildings in my neighborhood defaced the beautiful Jerusalem stone with the words; “Dabru Ivrit/Speak Hebrew”!
By Tzvi Fishman
Did you have trouble reading the Hebrew? That’s exactly my point. Some readers say that I’m a crazy fanatic when I say that Diaspora Jews suffer from schizophrenia when it comes to their Jewish identity. For example, even though they are Jewish, many don’t know more than a few simple words in Hebrew. After all, Hebrew is the language of the Jewish People, not English, or German, or Russian, or Yiddish.
Recently, on this stage we have dealt with the increasing tension between the Sunnis and the Shi'ites in the Middle East. The coalitions, which are hostile to each other, reflect this inter-ethnic tension: on one side is the Shi'ite coalition that comprises Iran, Iraq and Hizb'Allah, which support the bloody, Shi'a-aligned Alawite regime, and on the other side is the Sunni coalition whose members are Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as a few other countries who offer background support, principally Jordan and Egypt. The war of Gog the Shi'ite against Magog the Sunni has been in progress since March 2011 on the soil of Assyria, modern Syria. Today we will focus on the Turkish-Kurdish-Egyptian triangle.
I knew I wasn’t supposed to do it. They specifically warned us not to, and you don’t mess with the army. But how could I not? I peeked over my shoulder and saw the olive drab back of the supervisor. Good. I dropped the paper into the box along with the chocolate spread and watched it continue down the conveyer belt. A minute later the box was sealed. No sirens went off, no soldiers rappelled down the walls of the warehouse, fixing their guns on me. I exhaled. And then laughed. My note was just one of several that had snuck their way into the food packages that day. And the IDF had no clue…
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Pomp And Circumstance ‘Endeavor to See the King’ (Berachos 58a)
Yom Kippur is observed on the tenth day of the Jewish month of Tishrey, whose astrological sign is Libra (♎). Libra symbolizes key themes of Yom Kippur: scales, justice, balance, truth, symmetry, sensitivity and optimism. Libra is ruled by the planet Venus (Noga, נגה, in Hebrew), which reflects divine light and love of the other person. The numerical value of Venus, נגה, is 58 just like the numerical value of אזן, which is the Hebrew root of “balance” and “scale.”
Allah Islam, an extraordinary four-part television series currently unfolding on Israel's Channel 10 deals in a unique and extremely effective way with the mutual interaction of European society and Islamic immigrants.
Let’s face it: this is not going to be an ordinary year. We are praying very seriously this year because we are praying for our lives. Yes, I know: every year we pray for our lives. But how many feel it? This year, whether we want to or not, I think we are beginning to feel it.
Chabad Chayil-Highland Lakes Jewish Center has completed the first week of afternoon Hebrew school.
By JTA
Israeli actress Orly Weinerman reportedly has urged Tony Blair to help save the life of her “discreet” lover, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. On Monday, Weinerman posted on her Facebook page in Hebrew, “for a long time I have had trouble falling asleep at night, revealing my anxiety among good friends and between the living room walls. But now, with injustice displayed proudly on the world stage, I call for you to lend me a hand and prevent another victim of hatred, prejudice and moral corruption. Orly.”
The Hashava Company, established by the Israeli Knesset to locate heirs of Holocaust victims entitled to assets currently held in Israel, is set to embark on a campaign in the United States and Canada to find rightful heirs of more than 60,000 unclaimed Holocaust assets.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
A Vicious Cycle ‘Many Different Kinds Were Set Before Him’ (Berachos 41a)
Last month’s column sketched the life of Reverend Myer Isaacs, concentrating primarily on his efforts to preserve and foster Orthodoxy in New York City, where he served as the spiritual leader of Congregation Shaaray Tefila from its founding in 1845 to his passing in 1879. Reverend Isaacs’s sphere of influence was not limited to New York. His efforts encompassed a broad range of activities throughout America designed to strengthen Orthodoxy in its battle against the Reform movement.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
It would be reasonable to assume that a language that contains the verb “to command” must also contain the verb “to obey.” The one implies the other, just as the concept of a question implies the possibility of an answer. We would, however, be wrong. There are 613 commandments in the Torah, but there is no word in biblical Hebrew that means “to obey.” When Hebrew was revived as a language of everyday speech in the nineteenth century, a word, letsayet, had to be borrowed from Aramaic. Until then there was no Hebrew word for “to obey.”
By Anav Silverman, Tazpit News Agency
According to Dr. Eldad Pardo, a senior researcher at IMPACT-SE, (Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education) and a teacher at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, hateful language against Israel is characteristic of the themes taught in Palestinian Authority school textbooks. “Jewish holy places in Israel are not recognized. They are presented as Muslim holy sites taken over by Jews. There is no recognition of Jewish people as a nation. Israelis are depicted as criminals and thieves.”
By JTA
A 500-year-old Sephardi women’s prayer book is being reissued in Hebrew.
By dvora
China assaults the senses with a cacophony of sounds and colorful sights amid its teeming masses. As we arrived for a month’s trip in October the noxious smog of vehicle-packed Beijing assailed our nostrils. But the past still dwells in the shadows of the modernized capital. At dusk a row of elderly stooped men shuffled along the road beneath our apartment in Mao-style uniforms. We would see the same gray men plodding by in the morning.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Kerias Shema Twice At Night? ‘When One Reads Shema’ (Berachos 8b)
By JTA
French Olympic swimmer Fabien Gilot said the Hebrew tattoo on his left arm is a tribute to his late grandmother’s husband, a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz. Gilot, who is not Jewish, said the tattoo is dedicated to his family and honors Max Goldschmidt, who has been a large influence in the Olympic champion’s life. The […]
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Sorrow And Joy ‘Proclaim Your Troubles So That Your Friends Pray For You’ (Niddah 66a)
By JTA
A Hebrew charter school in Bergen County, N.J., will not open as expected because the state said it failed to provide some needed documents. Shalom Academy, according to a letter written Monday by Acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf to the school's founder, Raphael Bachrach, did not provide a certificate of occupancy for educational use and […]
By Fern Sidman
In Unbroken Spirit: A Heroic Story of Faith, Courage and Survival (Gefen Publishing), the newly released English translation of his memoir, internationally renowned former Soviet refusenik Rabbi Yosef Mendelevich tells a compelling story of struggle and victory. He spoke to The Jewish Press during his recent U.S. book tour.
The thing about S. was that he pushed his soldiers to find the best in themselves and he did it in a way that inspired them to want to reach down and find more. He inspired Shmulik with his dedication and his love of Israel. This is the land he defends and he treats his soldiers as his sons.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Can’t Have It Both Ways ‘A Minor Who Reaches Maturity’ (Niddah 46a)
These are members of the American Colony, a Christian community in Jerusalem founded by immigrants from the United States and Sweden. The image is part of a Library of Congress online presentation titled "The American Colony in Jerusalem, 1870-2006." This presentation features selected documents from the American Colony in Jerusalem Collection. The full collection in […]
No one who boycotts Israel wants a specific demand met, what they want is an excuse for unleashing that overpowering hatred that Wagner tried to rationalize by claiming that Jews were incapable of creating true music and that the left rationalizes by claiming that the Jewish State is starving babies. The elaborate explanations are not the content, they are the context, they make the hatred, which is the end, seem like it is only the means to a noble end.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Rebirth Of Sorts ‘Immersing Contaminated, Emerging Pure’ (Niddah 42a)
There is, in Israel, a built-in respect for the elderly. But Anthony Cordesman, who gave Professor Yehezkel Dror a prolonged scolding for interrupting him, is apparently unfamiliar with Israeli society. Yes, interrupting someone is bad manners, even rude - and while it isn't loved in Israel, it's just something that happens and we take it in stride. You cut back in, you talk, you communicate. What you never do is embarrass the other person, especially if he's older than you.
By Shalom Bear
A missing sentence in an Ha'aretz translation is all that stands between Eli Yishai being a racist, and those he's quoting.
Israel’s lacrosse team – which did not exist just two years ago – is dazzling the world of sports, defeating Slovakia and France in recent matches to stand 2-0 in its first-ever European Championships. On Thursday, Israel defeated number 17 ranked Slovakia 11-8, and then number 27 ranked France in a drenching rain on Friday. […]
Shoshana Bluth’s telephone number is a help hotline for mothers and wives of Israeli soldiers – a hotline of faith, emunah in Hebrew.
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is quite an accomplished personality. The author of over 60 books, Rabbi Steinsaltz has also translated the entire Talmud into Hebrew, a project he started in 1965 at the age of 28 and took 45 years to complete. To date, over two million copies of the Steinsaltz Talmud – in Hebrew, English, French, and Russian – have been sold. No wonder Time magazine once dubbed him a “once-in-a-millennium scholar.”
Moments after hearing Ashkenazi and an impressive panel of individuals speak, hundreds of people began moving to a hallway and the next session. I walked in one direction, greeted two friends, and then suddenly found myself a few feet away from Gabi Ashkenazi. You have a split second to decide – talk to him or don’t. Say something, or not. In a session where everyone else spoke English, he understood all the discussions, but chose to speak in Hebrew. I did the same.
There is an appropriate response to Walker's bigotry. The publisher who sought to publish Walker's book in Hebrew should simply go ahead and do it—without her permission and over her objection. Walker could then sue for copyright infringement, and the issue would be squarely posed: can copyright laws, which are designed to encourage the promotion of literature, be used to censor writings and prevent certain people from accessing it, based upon the language they read.
The author of “The Color Purple,” refused to authorize a Hebrew translation of her prize-winning work, citing what she called Israel’s “apartheid state.” She added: "It is my hope that the non-violent BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement, of which I am part, will have enough of an impact on Israeli civilian society to change the situation."
Parents often bring children into my office when they are already failing several subjects in school. These students are dejected, frustrated and often depressed. They believe that because of their past performance, they will never succeed in school. It is not strange that constant effort and subsequent failure have taught these students to believe that failure is their only option.
Today (Thursday) in Kfar Manda, an Israeli Arab village in the lower Galilee, Israeli Arabs lost their cool, and had an all out rumble with the illegal African migrants who have been occupying the town after too much noise was erupting from an apartment of Sudanese.
Early Monday morning, ten pieces of hate graffiti in Hebrew were discovered in the open campus of Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, a prominent segment of it scrawled across the walls of the Warsaw Ghetto Square monument.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
A Shabbos Treat ‘Snow Is Neither Food Nor Drink’ (Niddah 17a)
Epigraphy scholar Christopher Rollston examined four contenders for the oldest Hebrew inscription – the Qeiyafa Ostracon, Gezer Calendar, Tel Zayit Abecedary and Izbet Zayit Abecedary – to explore the interplay between early Hebrew script and language.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Somewhat Lacking ‘A Deaf Woman, An Imbecile…’ (Niddah 13b)
Archaeologists working at the Biblical site of Tel Gezer discovered a boundary stone inscribed with both Greek and Hebrew text dating to the period of conflict between the Seleucids and the Maccabees.
Boys on a Hill Overlooking Havat Gilad, May 28 2012. Havat Gilad (Gilad Farm) is an Israeli outpost in Samaria. It was established in 2002, in memory of Gilad Zar, security coordinator of the Shomron Regional Council, who was shot and killed in 2001. This small village is on a list of outposts that Israel's […]
Discovered in a Roman-era excavation near the city of Silves, Portugal by archaeologists from the German Friedrich Schiller University Jena, the discovery predates the previous oldest evidence of Jews in Iberia by nearly a century.
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.
By dvora
Rivkah Bloch grew up in Telz (Telsiai), a historic township and renowned Torah center in north-west Lithuania. In 1939 the Jews of Telz numbered about 2,800, some 28 percent of the population. Rivkah’s paternal grandfather Reb Yosef Leib Bloch, (1849-1930) zt”l, also known as Maharil Bloch, was a distinguished personality and a prominent scholar and educator. Besides his position as town rabbi, he headed the great Yeshivah of Telz that his father-in-law Rav Eliezer Gordon, zt”l had founded. Its student body numbered around 400 students in 1900.
By Tibbi Singer
I admit, I like a bizarre news story like the next gal. So I definitely had to click to read this item from the AP: "Police say a man named Joseph Glynn Farley was arrested in a Southeast Texas city for riding his unicycle in the nude, distracting drivers and creating a hazard." Right away, […]
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Guarding the Temple Even Today! ‘Kohanim Were Stationed in Three Places’ (Tamid 25b)
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Kishka ‘Their Consumers Are Not Human!’ (Me’ilah 20b)
By Tibbi Singer
It's Iyar 11, the yahrzeit of Methuselah at the 969 years of age (according to one opinion). I suppose on this day Jewish geezers go down to the park and pass judgment on the pigeons (You call that pecking?). It's also the yahrzeit, in 1884, of Judah Philip Benjamin, the second Jewish senator in U.S. history (from Louisiana), who also served in the cabinet of President Jefferson Davis (yes, yes, they lost).
By JTA
A Hebrew-language charter school was approved in Washington, DC, and is scheduled to open for the 2013-14 term. An Arabic-language charter school also under review was not approved by the charter school board. The Sela school, originally named the Washington DC Hebrew Language Public Charter School, was one of four new charter schools approved Monday […]
I would like to see the vandals who desecrated Ammunition Hill and thereby spat on Jewish sovereignty banished to a place where it doesn’t exist. They have made their statement, let them live by it.
By Tibbi Singer
If you're an American Jew looking for an Independence Day recipe, Ha'aretz in English is a safe place for you. You'll find there a discussion of the perfect hamburger, as befits the national holiday of outdoors barbecuing. But click over to the same paper's Hebrew language website, and you'll discover an additional component, besides beef: goat cheese.
“May I please have the water?” my older sister asked from across the table. I passed the heavy container of Poland Spring water across the table to her.
It’s fascinating to realize that the People of Israel growing into a mighty nation in Egypt was a reward for the heroism of the Hebrew midwives.
11-year old Avi was just awarded a trip to visit his cousins in Detroit – because he didn’t get into trouble in school or fight with his siblings for one week. The prize his parents originally had in mind was a new speed bike, but when that failed to motivate him sufficiently, they searched for a more appealing incentive.
By Tibbi Singer
Christie’s New York will unveil "a rare and splendid example of Renaissance Judaica," an illuminated manuscript Machzor. With more than 400 pages, this manuscript, printed on vellum (calf's skin) is a festival prayer book written in Hebrew, created in Tuscany, and probably Florence, circa 1490. It is being offered at auction for the first time, at a value estimated between $540,000 and 800,000.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
A Bride And Groom On Their Wedding Day ‘Except For The Day After Yom Kippur’ (Kerisos 25a)
During Pesach we experience liberation from slavery, followed by the dramatic encounter with Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea. Then we trek through the desert to the great moment at Har Sinai.
In the land of Midyan there lived a pagan priest, Yisro, who was greatly respected by his people. He worshiped idols of stone and wood and so did his countrymen.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Beware Of The Fruit! ‘A Mis’asek Is Excluded’ (Kerisos 19a)
Question: In the Torah’s description of the ten plagues Hashem inflicted upon Egypt, we find the Hebrew preposition “beit” [meaning “in” or “with”] only in connection with the plague of locust: "Neteh yadcha al eretz Mitzrayim ba'arbeh." Why is this so? And why do most of the commentators on Chumash ignore this question. Menachem (Via E-Mail)
By Yoni Glatt
This past week I saw a video preview of an upcoming iPod app that excited and inspired me to the point of near tears. It was for RustyBrick’s jaw-dropping ArtScroll Schottenstein Talmud app. Unfortunately that app won’t be out for another few months (but take the time to check out the preview at www.rustybrick.com), yet I realized after months of writing this column that I had yet to give the due attention to RustyBrick’s Siddur app.
The worldwide diabetes epidemic and its related precursor, obesity, are the fastest growing public health menaces of the 21st century.
Purim is the one Yom Tov all Jews can celebrate. Special knowledge is not required and the demands of its observance are easy enough.
Twitter users who share short thoughts and follow their favorite Israelis in the Hebrew language can now enjoy a full range of services, thanks to Twitter’s new Hebrew menus.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
The Rambam That Engendered Fifty Novella ‘He Says to His Maidservant: You Are Free’ (Temura 25b)
Many of the most fascinating posts I come across are based on sources in Hebrew. These stories would fascinate you, yet I simply do not have the time to translate them all for you...
Why is Purim eternal? I would suggest that Purim is the prototype of the End of Exile, and as such will remain forever linked to the Era of Mashiach that will occur after the Final Redemption. Therefore, Purim will be part of that entire period at the culmination of history.
Thanks to her efforts, domestic violence is now on the national Jewish agenda. But the Rebbetzin didn’t simply raise awareness; she opened safe houses across the country, trained volunteers to provide emotional, physical and financial support and always made herself available for comfort, advice, and direction.
Asperger’s Syndrome was first described in the 1940s by Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger, who noticed that he had many patients who were deficient in social and communicative skills even though they had normal language development and cognitive abilities. Professionals still debate as to whether Asperger’s Syndrome is “high-functioning autism” or whether it is its own disorder completely. Regardless, in 1994, Asperger’s Syndrome was added to The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as a separate disorder from autism.
Question: Since my daughter in high school started researching the topic of shemot for her school newspaper, I have become more and more confused. Does shemot only include items, such as books and sheets of papers, with Hashem’s name on them? Or does it even include items containing Torah concepts or even just Hebrew letters? For example, how do you advise I dispose of The Jewish Press? Finally, concerning Hashem’s name, must the name be spelled out fully in Hebrew to constitute shemot? What if it is in English in abbreviated form – “G-d,” for example? Shlomo Newfield (Via E-Mail)
Recent polls show yet again that the vast majority of Israeli society is traditional, holds from its religious faith and shies away from coercion. Thus, hasn’t the time come for our national leadership to express the desires of the large Jewish majority?
Does shemot only include items, such as books and sheets of papers, with Hashem’s name on them? Or does it even include items containing Torah concepts or even just Hebrew letters?
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Too Little, Too Late? ‘Break Down the Door and Enter…’ (Arachin 31b)
Question: Since my daughter in high school started researching the topic of shemot for her school newspaper, I have become more and more confused. Does shemot only include items, such as books and sheets of papers, with Hashem’s name on them? Or does it even include items containing Torah concepts or even just Hebrew letters? For example, how do you advise I dispose of The Jewish Press? Finally, concerning Hashem’s name, must the name be spelled out fully in Hebrew to constitute shemot? What if it is in English in abbreviated form – “G-d,” for example? Shlomo Newfield (Via E-Mail)
By dvora
Recently, I discovered a frum website, www.jewish-e-books.com, that allows one to download hundreds of Jewish books – both in English and Hebrew. Having written a sefer myself, I was able to get it put on their website.
“Oh. I was just thinking about you. How was your day?” Ruti’s mother asked her the minute she walked through the door. “Fine, Mommy.”
Tu B’Shevat is not just “another day.” It’s the Rosh Hashanah for trees, one of four roshei hashanah that occur in the Jewish calendar year (Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1).
'Anonymous Palestine' claims responsibility in tweet.
By Rachel Weiss
Shemos B’nei Yisroel began last week’s parsha – these are the names of the children of Yisroel.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
When a Dead Ewe Gave Birth to a Live Lamb ‘We Do Not Wait For Her To Give Birth’ (Arachin 7a)
Arab-Israeli conflict intensifies on the web.
The message reportedly said that Netanyahu "will be a victim just like Rabin."
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Lulav or Shofar on Shabbos ‘It Refers To Tithing In Our Days’ (Bechoros 61a)
Peeking her head into her daughter’s preschool classroom, Shayna heard Morah Esther singing a melodic song while the children clapped their hands and stomped their feet.
September 18, 2026 
