When I started the research for this article, I intended to survey the various traditional understandings of the plague. Along the way, I discovered a

There is a special term for words that appear only one time in Tanach. They are called “hapax legomena.” (This is Greek for “once said.”)

Did you ever wonder where the Hebrew word machar (m,ch,r), tomorrow, comes from? Well, if you stare at it, you will realize that it may

The forbidden fruit in Gan Eden is typically depicted as an apple in modern Western art and in millions of cartoons. But where does this

I have decided to give you all a break from the difficult task of reading my transliterations of Hebrew words. I will do something easier

In order to understand this word in the Birkat Hamazon of Shabbat, we must first survey the root Ch-L-Tz. We are all familiar with this

In a previous column, I wrote about the history of the Balfour Declaration. As a side point, it is interesting to discuss a calendar issue

Reviewing: “Abba Eban: A Biography,” by Asaf Siniver (2015), Hardcover, 464 pages: Overlook Press. ISBN-10: 1468309331 Abba Eban’s life and the history of Israel in

It is time to tackle this all-important word. There are two issues involved: 1) what is the meaning of the root PLL? and 2) what

As part of the Sukkot hoshanot, we recite the request Ani Ve-Ho Hoshiah Na. This phrase originates in a statement by R. Judah at Mishnah

This might seem like an easy question but it is actually a very challenging one. Why? Neither the noun mechila nor the verb MChL appear