PESAH, why do we eat Matsa?
We explained yesterday that one of the three positive Biblical Mitsvot of Pesah is to eat Matsa. Now, why do we eat...
PESAH, less than a month away
Pesah is less than a month away. The first night will be celebrated B'H Monday April 14th, 2014. Pesah's laws and customs are...
ESTHER 3:6. Megalomania
ויבז בעיניו לשלוח יד במרדכי לבדו
The villain of the story of Purim is Haman ben Hamedata, a descendant of Amaleq. King Ahashverosh appointed Haman...
ESTHER 3:8, Credit, an old Jewish innovation
ישנו עם אחד מפוזר ומפורד בין העמים בכל מדינות מלכותךAs we explained yesterday, the Jews were deported from Israel in 586 BCE. ...
AMIDA (berakha 16) Please, listen (or ignore) my prayer
This is the sixteenth and last berakha of the section called 'requests' (baqashot).
In this berakha we ask HaShem to listen to our prayers, to...
AMIDA (Berakha 15) Praying for the real Messiah
This berakha ends the section of "National Requests", the six blessings in which we pray God for our gueula (=redemption) which is actually our...
AMIDA (berakha 14), Yerushalayim, a city and its soul
תשכון בתוך ירושלים עירך
In this blessing we ask HaShem 1. to restore His Presence in Yerushalayim. and 2. to reestablish the Throne of David....
AMIDA (berakha 13) Take care of those who take care of...
על הצדיקים ועל החסידים
In this blessing we ask haShem to protect and help the righteous and pious. Those who are committed to pursuing kindness,...
AMIDA (Berakha 12) Religious and Political Betrayal
למינים ולמלשינים אל תהי תקווה
The 'amida was composed around the Fifth Century BCE. Originally, the 'amida was known as the shemona 'esre (=eighteen) prayer, because it...
AMIDA (Berakha 11) All you need is love
השיבה שופטינו כבראשונה
Previously, we explained the blessing teqa' beshofar gadol "Make sound the Shofar... that will announce our redemption... and bring us back to the Land...
