Pioneers of the Periphery: Olim of the South Got that pioneering spirit? You’re invited to help build Israel’s periphery by planting roots in southern soil with Nefesh B’Nefesh.
Shabbos – A Day With Hashem: Shabbos and Chanukah: It Is Good to Praise Hashem!
Posted on: December 6th, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101If you ask ten people what the main focus of Chanukah is, nine would probably answer, “lighting the menorah.” While that is certainly an integral part of the chag, the Gemara (Shabbos 21b) tells us, “The next year they established these days as a Yom Tov, l’hodos u’lihalel – to thank and praise.” What an eye opener! There is more to Chanukah than lighting the menorah, playing dreidel and eating latkes? Yes! These are days established primarily to thank and praise Hashem!
Posted on: November 5th, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101Children should be seen and not heard. It was a maxim that I heard many times throughout my childhood and which caused me a fair amount of frustration. When, I often wondered, would I cross that invisible line and move out of the periphery to which I was assigned, into the arena of adulthood and be given the chance to express an opinion that people would listen to?
Posted on: November 2nd, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101When we put away our sukkak and machzorim over a month ago, many of us let out a sigh wishing that these wonderful days of simcha and closeness to Hashem would never end. But in truth Hashem does not want it to be Yom Tov all year long. He wants us to take what we received during those special days and integrate it into our daily life. It sounds nice, but how are we supposed to do that? The answer is through Shabbos! This wonderful day, which comes every week, has the ability to lift us once again to those same spiritual heights and help us recharge our batteries for the coming week.
Posted on: October 18th, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101Twenty-five years ago, when kiruv was still a relatively new concept, a group of four young rabbis left Ner Yisrael with families in tow to head down south to Atlanta, Georgia. Rabbi David Silverman was one of those pioneers who founded the Atlanta Scholars Kollel. He is a powerhouse of kiruv – his charisma, sincerity and broad knowledge have helped him inspire thousands of Jews, including this writer.
Posted on: July 1st, 2012
InDepth → AnalysisFrom elected officials to people in the street, from the highly educated secular upper class to yeshiva students to the working poor, numerous Israelis seem to share a lexicon and intellectual framework which denigrates and dehumanizes Africans, belittles their suffering, and trivialized their plight.
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The Torah Source For Covering One’s Hair
Posted on: June 28th, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101We recently layned Parshas Naso which contains the Biblical source for the obligation of a married woman to cover her hair. An eesha sotah is a woman whose husband suspects her of having acted immorally. The Torah commands the Kohein to take various steps to demonstrate that the sotah has deviated from the modest and loyal path of most married Jewish women (Rashi 5:15-27). Among the procedures, the pasuk clearly states: “ufora es rosh haisha…” and he shall uncover the hair of the head of the woman (5:18).
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A Revolutionary Rabbinic Idea For Organ Donations
Posted on: June 28th, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101JERUSALEM – A leading Orthodox rabbi in Israel has a revolutionary proposal for the harvesting of organs from a clinically dead patient. At present, his proposal not only has no support from other rabbis, it is also against Israeli law – but he is not fazed.
My Pleasant Dreams – 851 Of Them
Posted on: June 21st, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101Prior to the Knesset vote on the Regulation Law, which was defeated on June 6, I visited the protest tent where people were on a hunger strike and I realized we are again going through what we went through in the days before the destruction of Gush Katif.
Posted on: June 7th, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101If you ask someone coming out of church on a Sunday, "Do you believe in G-d?" the worshipper will be shocked. "What type of question is that? Of course I do!"
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The Revelation On Mount Sinai – A Strengthening In Faith Forever
Posted on: May 24th, 2012
Judaism → HolidaysThere is a tradition from the Vilna Gaon that Milchemes Gog and Magog at the time of Moshiach will last only 12 minutes. In that short amount of time 1/3 of the world will be destroyed, 1/3 severely wounded and 1/3 will survive. Until recently this was incomprehensible - how could such destruction happen so quickly?
Posted on: May 17th, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101Tina was in my kindergarten class last year. Each day Tina’s hair flew all around her. It would tumble into her eyes and she would bat at it periodically throughout the day just to see. Sometimes I’d use whatever hair accessory I had at hand - even just a rubber band - to put Tina’s hair out of her face.
Posted on: April 30th, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101Our Mission: When it comes to Chesed the Jewish people are at the front of the line. We’ve tackled Chesed and everyone is aware of the unbelievable work and generosity that we are involved in. Now it’s time to take on a new, more difficult challenge: Middot (character trait).
Posted on: April 17th, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101Pesach is the time of redemption and salvation, which can often come from the most unexpected sources. Such is the story of a boxing title fight in Yankee Stadium that launched a young boy from Russia on a journey to discover his Jewish heritage in Israel.
Posted on: April 5th, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101In the vernacular of our sages and in our prayers, Pesach is titled, “Z’man chayrusaynu- Time of our freedom.” Although we did attain freedom at the time of our redemption from Egypt, titling the holiday as such doesn’t seem to encapsulate the root of the holiday’s greatness.
Posted on: March 7th, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101On Purim we read Megillas Esther twice, once by night and once by day. It is uncertain what the nature of the obligation is.
Yoram Ettinger: Purim Guide for the Perplexed 2012
Posted on: March 7th, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101Purim is the holiday of contradictions and tenacity-driven-optimism: Grief replaced by joy; Esther's concealment replaced by the disclosure of her national/religious identity; Haman's intended genocide of the Jews replaced by redemption; Haman replaced by Mordechai; national and personal pessimism replaced by optimism.
Ahavas Yisroel and Compassion for Fellow Jews
Posted on: March 1st, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101Do you really care about your fellow Jew? Take the following test to see if your Ahavas Yisroel Quotient is on par with requirements established by Chazal.
Inside Purim: Even More Fascinating And Intriguing Insights On Purim And The Megillah
Posted on: March 1st, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101These are excerpts from the sefer “Inside Purim” which contains additional answers to the following questions and much more.
Inside Purim: Insights On Purim And The Megillah
Posted on: February 24th, 2012
Judaism → Judaism 101These are excerpts from the sefer Inside Purim, which contains additional answers to the following questions and much more.
Posted on: December 20th, 2011
Judaism → Judaism 101The following general overview of Chanukah laws - Chag Sameach!
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Yishai and Widen on Violence in the Middle East