A Jewish Table vs. Achashverosh’s Table If you are like me, sometimes you neglect to sing zemirot and include a dvar Torah at Shabbat and
On Beitza 19a, Rava encounters a group of talmidei chachamim, namely the “rabbanan devei Rav,” interpreting a troublesome brayta detailing a dispute between a tanna
Parashat Ha’azinu The haftarah that we read this Shabbat is one that is not read every year, but only when there is a Shabbat between
Beitzah 12a Of the 39 melachot that are prohibited on Shabbat, some, which relate to the preparation of food and to other matters of physical
Moshe Rabbeinu was a man beyond comparison. He took care of Bnei Yisrael and many times put their needs before his. Using the 13 attributes
What does a speaker do when he wants to get the attention of an audience that’s not so interested? A few years ago, New Jersey
Jewish holidays celebrate framing moments of national destiny. Pesach recalls our liberation from Egypt while Shavuot re-dramatizes our selection at Sinai. By contrast, the holiday
A father set out one day to teach his young daughter a powerful lesson. When she woke up in the morning he took her in
The commandment to sit in the sukkah is rather unusual. We fulfill the mitzvah of “You shall live in the sukkah for seven days” (Vayikra
Judaism has two major week-long holidays, but one goes largely unobserved in the Diaspora. While the Passover Seder has become a touchstone of Jewish identity,
The word לולב never appears in Tanach. It is a word from rabbinic Hebrew. But what is its origin? Most scholars believe it derives from
The poor aravah branch, lowest on the arba minim totem pole: unfairly contrasted with the magnificent esrog, the tall and stately lulav, and the fragrant
