zekher lahurban: Remembering His house in our homes
As we have explained yesterday, the Rabbis enacted a number of ordinances in order to remind us of the destruction of the Holy Temple....
Eve of the 9 of Ab: preparing ourselves for 24 hours...
Tish'a beAb, our national day of mourning, begins tonight Monday July 15th. In NYC the fast begins at 8:16pm and ends at 8:45pm (some communities...
9 of Ab: avoiding happiness on a day of mourning
Tish'a be-Ab is the Jewish National Day of Mourning. This year, it will be observed from Monday night July 15th until Tuesday night July...
9 of Ab: Reaching a state of grief
Tish'a be-Ab is the Jewish National Day of Mourning. This year, it will be observed from Monday night July 15th until Tuesday night July...
What happened on Tish’a be-Ab?
Tish'a be-Ab is the Jewish National Day of Mourning. On Tish'a be-Ab every Jew must feel as if he or she is in mourning...
Abstaining from meat during the nine days
"Once the month of Ab begins (=today) we minimize our happiness" mishenikhnas Ab, mema'atim besimha. These days are dedicated to prepare ourselves for mourning...
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: One God vs. Moral relativism
The second Mitzva of the Ten Commandments says:
"You shalt not have any other gods besides Me."
All other nations and civilizations in antiquity, conceived the...
Rabbi Israel Moshe Hazan (1808-1863)
Rabbi Israel Moshe Hazan was born in Smyrne, Turkey. His parents emigrated to Jerusalem when he was three years old. There, he studied in...
TEHILIM, # 1. The pursuit of happiness
Understanding Tehilim is the Jewish secret to build one's character. Tehilim teaches us many important life lessons. Let us see , for example, the...
Maimonides on ‘aboda zara: Unintentional idolatry
Last week we explained that according to Maimonides the origins of idol worshipping were related to a mistake in the identification of "God's agents"...
