Regarding the wicked son, the Haggadah tells us: “hakheh (הקהה) et shinav.” What does that expression mean? There are two issues: What is its literal
A widespread custom of firstborns fasting on the 14th of Nisan is not referred to in the mishna or either Talmud. Nor is it mentioned
When I came across Rabbi Haim Jachter’s fascinating book: “Bridging Traditions: Demystifying Differences Between Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews,” (2021), I learned that Sephardim have the
The Tachanun chapter in Rabbi Jachter’s “Bridging Traditions” (2021) inspired me to better understand the origin of this prayer. Before I read Rabbi Jachter’s book,
I wrote about this last year, but I am writing about it again as I have more sources to share. First, let us discuss the
We all know this root אמן. It appears dozens of times in Tanach in words like אמונה and נאמן. It has meanings related to “trust,
The Suez Canal is an artificial waterway, flowing north-south that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. This waterway substantially reduces the sailing distance
The precise meaning of this word is relevant to us in our daily prayers. (The word is also very much in the news these days.)
We have all recited these six verses numerous times before Birkat Hamazon. About two years ago, I came across a new interpretation of two of
Verse 28:4 names six of the eight items of clothing of the high priests. Verse 28:5 describes materials that are used to make the above
Exodus 22:17 commands that one is not allowed to let a מכשפה live. But what precisely is a מכשפה and what is the meaning of
In 2013 Peter Salovey became the president of Yale University. It turns out that he is a distant cousin of Rabbi J.B. Soloveitchik z”l. Recently
