International Women’s Day in Azerbaijan is about revering mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters because they are holy, as he puts it.
Learn about the very first commandment in the Torah and how within it we can find the secrets to living a life of constant renewal and rebirth today on The Soul of Israel with Rabbi's Shlomo Katz and Ari Abramowitz.
On Shabbat we will read of two events that took place on the first of Nisan.
By JNi.Media
The mention of both the sun and the moon led the three researchers to the conclusion that the text refers to a solar eclipse, during which the moon moves between the sun and the earth, blocking the sunlight.
They had to use a magnifying glass to read the letters.
By Aryeh Savir, Tazpit News Agency
Tensions are continuing to rise and violent incidents are increasing in the Old City of Jerusalem, the latest taking place Tuesday night.
I disagree with continuing to make an issue of it.
By JoeSettler
There's no question that many of the backers of the Women of the Wall see the obliteration of Torah Judaism in public places in Israel as their ultimate goal.
Women of the Wall plan their monthly Rosh Chodesh prayers at the Kotel the second day of the month, with a Torah scroll. It’s okay to make up rules as they go along, so long as the Orthodox don’t make the rules.
Sharansky says the Western Wall is long enough for women to have their own minyan and Torah reading. The Women of the Wall leader accepts the compromise. Will the Rabbinate big enough to agree?
By Rachel Weiss
Our Jewish calendar is based on the lunar year, and Rosh Chodesh, literally the head of the month, occurs when the moon renews itself. It is a holiday — in that we daven mussaf, just like on Shabbos and Yomim Tovim, we do not conduct fasts, and the pious among our people eat a special seudah. Traditionally, women do not sew on Rosh Chodesh and refrain from performing heavy-duty tasks.
The auction at Christie’s in Paris this May 11 of a Tuscan Mahzor, created and illuminated in the 1490’s, will be an extraordinary event. This rare example of illuminated Jewish art has not been seen publically in over 500 years and, aside from tantalizing internal suggestions, lacks conclusive identification of the scribe and illuminators. Because the gold-tooled goatskin binding was made about 50 years after the manuscript and has a different coat of arms than those found in the machzor, it is assumed that this prayerbook may have quickly changed hands.
Question: I understand that at a minyan, the chazzan is required to repeat Shmoneh Esreh out loud so that people who may not know how to daven can fulfill their obligation to daven with the chazzan’s repetition. What, however, should the chazzan do when he reaches kedushah and Modim? I hear some chazzanim say every word of kedushah out loud and some only say the last part of the middle two phrases out loud. As far as the congregation is concerned, I hear some congregants say every word of kedushah and some say only the last part. Finally, some chazzanim and congregants say Modim during chazaras hashatz out loud and some say it quietly. What is the source for these various practices? A Devoted Reader (Via E-Mail)
One of my favorite places when I was growing up in Boston was the used bookstore on Beacon and St. Mary’s streets. Boston Book Annex could play a used bookshop on television; it was dimly lit and cavernous, crawling with cats, and packed with a dizzying array of books, many of which sold three for a dollar. But used bookstores of this sort, however picturesque and inviting, are a relatively modern phenomena. In the Middle Ages, for example, I would never have been able to afford even a single used book unless I had been born into an aristocratic family. (Full disclosure, I was not.)
By Sandy Eller
Against all odds, the spark of Judaism continues to burn brightly in the Amazon as two members of the Brazilian city of Porto Velho underwent a bris milah performed by a renowned Argentian mohel just days after Rosh Chodesh Adar.
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.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Temple Management 101 ‘The Rest Were Given To The Craftsmen As Wages’ (Kerisos 6a)
By Rachel Weiss
Just last week we experienced the crowning point of the month of Adar by commemorating the extraordinary events that unfolded in the ancient Persian Empire. We read the scroll of Esther, enjoyed a hearty feast, and traded gifts of goodies with each other.
Vol. LXIII No. 3 5772 New York City CANDLE LIGHTING TIME January 20, 2012 – 25 Teves 5772 4:38 p.m. NYC E.S.T. Sabbath Ends: 5:48 p.m. NYC E.S.T. Weekly Reading: Va’era Weekly Haftara: Koh Amar Hashem (Ezekiel 28:25-29:21) Daf Yomi: Arachin 7 Mishna Yomit: Sukkah 4:4-5 Halacha Yomit: Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayyim 3:7-9 Rambam Yomi: […]