Moses Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon – known as RAMBAM ) was one of the greatest authorities on Torah Law. He lived in the 12th century and is best known for his master work the “Mishneh Torah” which is an encyclopedia of the 613 Commandments of the Torah and how Read more
It is a custom when visiting a Jewish cemetery to leave small memorial stones at the grave of a loved one. Throughout the centuries the tradition of leaving a pebble or small memorial stones on the monument or the grave has become part of the act of remembrance. In ancient Read more
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“See, this day I set before you blessing and curse:” (Deuteronomy 11:26) WAR UPDATE 41 There have been a lot of “reality checks” this past week here in Israel. Each one seemed to upturn conventional wisdom. 1. PREEMPTIVE STRIKE IN LEBANON Many experts said we had to “finish” with Hamas Read more
Early in the war, IDF Soldiers prayed at the 6th century synagogue in Gaza. (The Synagogue was being used before the Islamic invasion 636 by Caliph Omar who had a dome built on the ruins of King Solomon’s Temple Mount) A while ago I took this photo of the mosaic Read more
If you look closely at the modern Israeli 10 Agorot coin, you’ll notice something strange. It has an engraving of an irregular-shaped ancient coin on it. That ancient coin was minted by Mattathias Antigonus (Matityahu), the last King of the Hasmonean Dynasty. As you may know, the Maccabees who defeated Read more
The period between Passover and Shavuot is the time period when we count the days of the “Omer” – Sefirat HaOmer. However the period also carries with it several customs related to mourning. The Talmud (Yevamot 62b) explains that 33 day mourning period during these weeks is to commemorate Rabbi Read more
Holocaust Remembrance Day Story As I listened to the siren go off this morning at 10am bringing the entire country of Israel to a minute of silence for Holocaust Remembrance Day, I thought about my family members who were incinerated by the Nazis… and those who miraculously escaped. Today is Read more
At no time of the Jewish year is the synagogue as “wild” as during the Megillah (Book of Esther) reading: Every time Haman’s name is read, the congregation erupts in a deafening chorus of groggers (noisemakers), clanging pots, and sirens. Some write Haman’s name on the bottom of their shoes Read more
There are 304,805 Hebrew letters in the Chumash – 5 Books of Moses. That’s about 90,000 words or the length of a medium-sized novel. It tells us the story of human civilization and Jewish history for its first 2,000 years in a very concise book. That’s a big undertaking. Yet Read more