By Rabbi Jessica Shafrin
• Published July 22, 2024
“A person is given three names: one that their parents call them, one their fellows call them, and one that they acquire with their deeds.” (Midrash Tanhuma, Va-yakhel)
The naming process is unique to each individual and culture, yet names...
This story was first published on My Jewish Learning.
With the arrival of Shavuot next week, Jewish wedding season swings into high gear, and rabbis like myself will find ourselves quite busy. Truth be told, while a rabbi’s efforts are highly visible...
Aaron Abramson’s American upbringing is apparent when he speaks Hebrew, the language he learned as a teenager after his hippie parents decided to move the family from Seattle to Israel and become religiously Orthodox.
His subsequent army service...
By David Zvi Kalman, The Forward
• Published May 29, 2024
This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward's free email newsletters delivered to your inbox.
On Sunday, thousands of Haredi Jews will gather on Mount Meron. They will sing, they will dance, and they will give 3-year-old...
By Rabbi Mark L. Shook, Rabbi Emeritus, Congregation Temple Israel
• Published May 2, 2024
This week’s parasha is acharei mot, and is found in chapters 16-18 of Leviticus - Sefer Vayikra. Following upon the sudden death of Aaron’s two sons, a detailed account of the proper procedures for the purification of the Mishkan is given. The wilderness...
Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content Officer
• Published April 3, 2024
Have you ever thought "What does it mean to be Jewish?" For some of us, just seeking answers to questions about our own Judaism, often raises more questions.
Searching to provide a bit of clarity is what the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning...
Women’s History Month and the holiday of Purim both occur in March this year. Coincidence? Or perhaps a rich opportunity to reflect upon the bravery and determination of the heroine in the story of Purim, Queen Esther?
Esther, chosen from a beauty...
How often do you mention God in your everyday speech? Maybe more often than you might think. God shows up frequently in our rote phrases.
“God bless you,” after we sneeze.
“Baruch HaShem,” “Blessed is the Name,” as an answer to “How...
By Maharat Rori Picker Neiss
• Published December 21, 2023
Were I to be the director of the film version of our biblical stories, a moment in this week’s Torah portion would certainly be one that I would design as a climax.
We open with a speech by Judah, the longest oration in the Book of Genesis, as he...
Rabbi Lane Steinger, Rabbi Emeritus, Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Community
• Published October 23, 2023
About a week before a Shabbat or Yom Tov, I peruse the Torah Portion for that particular occasion. Generally, I focus on one or two parts of the Parashah, into which I delve more deeply. When Shabbat Lekh L’kha approaches, I go over the Portion from...
Avital Kadosh, Special To The Jewish Light
• Published September 18, 2023
As Yom Kippur quickly approaches, I am struck by the meaning behind the rituals and customs that surround our holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Chief among them: fasting for 25 hours. The Torah commands us to abstain from eating and drinking between...
BY RABBI DR. ZEV FARBER
• Published September 7, 2023
When the first draft of Deuteronomy was penned in the seventh century, Judah was an independent power again after a century of Assyrian rule. Optimism reigned. This is why the easily predictable but totally unexpected destruction of Jerusalem by the...
