Rabbi David Messer Leon (1470-1526)
Rabbi David ben Yehuda Messer-Leon (דוד מיסיר-ליאון) was born in Venice, Italy, 1470. He was educated at Naples in the school of his father...
AMIDA (Berakha 01). God, our protector
The 'amida consists of nineteen blessings, or short prayers which end with a blessing. The first blessing of the Amida is called "Abot", which...
AMIDA: God, open my lips….
ה' שפתי תפתח ופי יגיד תהִלתך
Before we begin the 'amida, we recite a very special verse from the book of Psalms, (51:15) "God, open...
Rabbi Ya’aqob Berab (1474-1546) and the renewal of Rabbinic ordination
Rabbi Ya'aqob Berab was born in the town of Maqueda, near Toledo, Spain, in 1474. His teacher was the celebrated rabbi Isaac Abohab, Gaon...
AMIDA: The basic 3.6.6.1.3 structure
The 'amida is the most important prayer. It was composed by anshe keneset hagedola, the Men of the Great Assembly during the Fifth century...
AMIDA: The after effects of the ‘Amida
Last week we explained that prayer, particularly the 'amida, requires kavana, the proper state of mind. When praying the 'amida we don't allow mundane...
TEFILA: The basics of the ‘amida
The 'amida or Shemona-Esre --also called by our Rabbis "Tefila"-- is the most important prayer. It is said every day, three times a day,...
Maimonides, ‘aboda zara, 11:11: The healing powers of words.
Last week we explained the idea of the hober, a wizard or enchanter who uses spells to invoke supernatural effects (seethis). By "spells" we mean...
SHABBAT: Removing snow on Shabbat
In most Israeli cities snow is not very common. This year, however, there were large amounts of snow, especially in Yerushalayim, and many rabbis referred...
Rabbi Ya’aqob Sasportas (1610-1698)
Rabbi Ya'aqob Sasportas was born in Oran, Algeria, in 1610. A prodigious child, at the age of eighteen he was elected as the Dayan ...










