Bil’am, and the lessons he learned from his donkey
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
This week's Parasha is really unusual. We are not watching the same movie we were watching last week: the events of the...
The Exquisite Historical Precision Of The Biblical Account
שלשה דברים לא שינו ישראל במצרים, שמותם ומלבושם ולשונם
Many archaeologists and scholars have spoken out against the objections of Biblical criticism and dedicated themselves to...
Absence Of Evidence Is Not Evidence Of Absence
לא ראינו אינה ראיה
HISTORY AND IDENTITY
One of the most important principles of Judaism is the belief in the authenticity of the Tora, the Hebrew Bible. We...
What does it mean to be Jewish?
ועתה, אם-שמוע תשמעו בקולי, ושמרתם, את-בריתי - והייתם לי סגולה מכל-העמים, כי לי כל-הארץ-. ואתם תהיו-לי ממלכת כוהנים, וגוי קדוש
"And now if you are...
Recommended classic Jewish books
Goral laHASHEM, by Rabbi Yehuda Alqalai (Hebrew, 1857)Petach 'enayim, by Rabbi Benzion Frizzi (Hebrew, )Jewish Religion Ethically Presented, by Rabbi Hayim Pereira Mendes (English...
What Is The First Commandment Teaching Us?
I am HaShem your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery Exodus 20: 1
COMMANDMENT OR PREAMBLE?
The first commandment...
Portions for the Seder
WINE: We drink 4 cups throughout the Seder, reclining on the left. The minimum quantity of wine per cup is rebi'it, approximately 3 oz. per...
Slavery, Mud and Straws
"And embittered the life the hardest works, mud and the bricks ..."
Exodus 1:14
PAYBACK TIME
For several decades, from the time of...
37 Years Without a Grave
In 1982, during the first Lebanon War, the young sergeant Zachary Baumel z"l, fell together with his brothers in arms who operated the same...
ESTHER 9:26. What does “Purim” mean?
על כן קראו לימים האלה פורים על שם הפור
When Haman decided to eliminate the Jewish people, he “casted lots” to determine what day would...
ESTHER 2:16 The Four Missing Years in The Megila
וַתִּלָּקַח אֶסְתֵּר אֶל-הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, אֶל-בֵּית מַלְכוּתוֹ, בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָעֲשִׂירִי, הוּא-חֹדֶשׁ טֵבֵת--בִּשְׁנַת-שֶׁבַע, לְמַלְכוּתוֹ
The first words of the book of Esther mentions a date: The third year...
ESTHER 1:4. King Achashverosh and King Solomon
אחשורוש … בא לישב על כסא שלמה ולא הניחוהו
The first thing that the book of Esther reports is about a party (mishte) that King...
ESTHER 9:20: One Book and Two Stories
"ויכתב מרדכי - היא המגילה הזאת כמות שהיא"
We still have some time before Purim, and especially this year, 5779, that we have two months...
Egypt and the Zoo. By Shemuel Bitton
The most important event in Jewish history is the Exodus, the freedom from Egypt. We mention it during the Shema Israel, during Kiddush, during...
Rabbi Ya’aqob Castro (1525-1612) and the Jewish community of Egypt
FROM SEPHARAD TO EGYPT
Rabbi Ya’aqob Castro was a Tora scholar, a rabbinical judge, an author and a leading lawmaker (poseq) in the Cairo Jewish...
Shalom Bayit and the Essential Difference
והאדם ידע את חוה אשתו
Genesis 4: 1
Harmony between husband and wife is the fundamental basis of a Jewish home. In the Jewish family, men...
Rabbi Yosef of Terani (1569-1639) and the Philanthropists of Constantinople
LIFE IN ERETS ISRAEL in THE 16th CENTURY
Rabbi Yosef of Terani (or "Miterani" רבי יוסף מטראני) was born in Safed, Israel, in 1569. He...
Rabbi Abraham Azulay (1570-1643) and the Sultan’s Sword in Hebron
From FES to HEBRON
Rabbi Abraham Azulay (also “Azulai) was born in the city of Fes, Morocco, in 1570. The city of Fes was a...
Rabbi Ya’aqob Kholi (1689-1732) and the book that changed the Sephardic...
Rabbi Ya'aqob Kholi (many pronounce his surname incorrectly: Culi or Koli, etc.) was born in Yerushalayim in 1689. His father was Ribbi Makhir Kholi,...
Rabbi Hayim Vital (1543-1620) and the Dilemma of the True Cabalists
HIS FAMILY
Rabbi Hayim Vital was born in the city of Tsefat (Safed, Israel) in 1543. His father was Ribbi Yosef Vital, an expert scribe...
