The Gemara (Yevamot 61b) explains that, tragically, in the times of Rabbi Akiva, approximately 24,000 of his students died of a plague during the period

1. We were not alone in using the word “cohein” for a priest or leader. This word had this meaning in other religions and societies

When I lived in Eretz Yisrael, every year on the morning after Lag B’Omer, my apartment in Yerushalayim smelled like smoke from all the bonfires

Toward the end of this week’s parsha, we read about the “mekalel”—the person who cursed Hashem, and whom Hashem determined his punishment to be the

I just returned from the Gush Etzion cemetery having attended a very unusual Yom Hazikaron ceremony. It was a discouraging but also triumphant experience. Let

This week’s parshiyot, Acharei Mot and Kedoshim, teach us the power of Hashem’s forgiveness. In the beginning of the parsha, Aharon is told to bring

As the COVID-19 situation continues, we are charting new territory. Many are coping with loss and others are trying to heal. Some are home all

Most of us have missed the weekly Torah readings since March 21 (Vayakhel-Pekudei), some even from March 7 (Tetzaveh). When the time comes to return

Parshiyot Acharei Mot-Kedoshim The Book of Vayikra revolves around “Mikdash,” i.e., both the eventual Beit Hamikdash and the already completed Mishkan, beginning with the laws

There is a kibbutz just north of the Gaza strip called “Yad Mordechai.” It fought valiantly during the War of Independence, and its tenacious fighting

No matter where Yidden find themselves throughout the world, the coronavirus is upending their lives in unprecedented ways. The way our religious life and family

I. Pesach, Prayer And Bentching In the current phase of the coronavirus pandemic, all shuls around the world are closed and nearly every Jew globally