Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh mi-Modena (Venice 1571–1648)
Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh (Leon) mi-Modena was born in Venice in 1571.
A prodigious child, he studied Bible, Hebrew language, poetry, letter writing, voice, music, dancing,...
Shema Israel. Pasuq 2. “You shall love HaShem your God”
The words of the Shema Israel are so important that we say them three times a day, every day of our lives.
The first thing...
Practical Monotheism
The following lines are quotes from the book " The Jewish religion ethically presented" written by Rabbi Hayim (Henry) Pereira Mendes in New York, 1904.
"You shalt not...
Organ donation cards
In the previous weeks (see here), I explained the opinions of the Rabbis regarding living organ donation, and the differences on opinion over the...
Shema Israel, word by word
And you shall love, HaShem your God, with all your heart... (Debarim 6:5)Loving, in the Hebrew mind, is voluntary. Otherwise, it would not have...
Pidyon haBen: The ceremony
Pidyon haBen is the ceremony by which the father redeems his first born son from the Cohen. The Pidyon takes place after 30 days...
Organ donation: the heart or the brain?
As we explained last week, the issue of cadaveric organ donation in Jewish Law depends directly on the criteria applied to define death. First of...
God is one. Understanding monotheism.
The second principle of our faith is that God is One. Last week we explained that monotheism, is not just an arithmetic reduction of...
Rabbi Abraham de Sola (London 1825- NY 1882)
Abraham de Sola (1825-1882) was a Canadian Rabbi, an orientalist and a scientist.
De Sola was recognized as one of the most influential leaders of...
Barukh Shem Kebod Malkhuto le’Olam va’Ed
After we say the first pasuq "HaShem is our God, HaShem is one", we read a sentence which is not part of the Biblical...
