Tikun Olam and Aleinu
It is routinely taken for granted that the concept of tikun olam is integral to Aleinu. It turns out that this is probably not the
It is routinely taken for granted that the concept of tikun olam is integral to Aleinu. It turns out that this is probably not the
During the haftarah reading of parshat Va’era, we are all jarred when this king’s name is read with that middle “R.” What is going on
This phrase is used as a description of God at Psalms 68:5. From here, it made its way into the Baruch Kel Elyon song. But
Part II In a previous column, I discussed the issue of how this psalm entered the daily Shacharit. Just to review, it first appears, for
We are all used to reciting this prayer (Psalm 30) around the time of Baruch She’amar. The recital of Baruch She’amar in daily Shacharit is
This prayer begins with a statement that God places “chevlei sheina” on our eyes. But what exactly does this term mean? In our printed siddurim,
I had always wondered what view of dreams was reflected in biblical Hebrew. My initial thought was that Ḥ-L-M might have derived from Ḥ-L-H (sick).
My daughter’s recent engagement led me to thinking about these words. The biblical word chatan means both son-in-law and bridegroom. But most scholars believe that
These words appear many times in the Torah. Since they often appear in the same sentence, it is appropriate to address them together. As to
One of my favorite examples of wordplay in Tanach is at Gen. 18:23, where Avraham is negotiating with God about the destruction of Sodom. Avraham
Did you ever wonder which words in Tanach are not Hebrew but are Egyptian? Others have been wondering as well! In 1953, the classic article
“The Pentateuch and Haftorahs” of Rabbi Dr. J.H. Hertz is one of the most important works of the Jewish religion in the 20th century. To