Aleppo Falls- Tragic images of families leaving Aleppo are a reminder that “Never Again” remains an unfilled longing. As Elie Wiesel taught, “… True, we are often too weak to stop injustices; but the least we can do is to protest against them. True, we are too poor to eliminate hunger; but in feeding one…
Did you ever consider the Jewish origins of New Year’s? For Jews the eighth day after the birth of a son is brit milah, the festive welcome into covenant and community. The Jewish origin of New Year’s celebration often goes unnoticed, but it is there. Although Christians differ on the date of Christmas, so that for Orthodox Christians the date is January…
“The Right to be Different” Sages of the Talmud asked Mai Hanukkah? What is Hanukkah? It is a surprising question. For the question, arising in the context of a discussion on Shabbat wicks, occurred well over a hundred years after the Maccabee’s successful revolt. In response, the rabbis introduce the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days. In more contemporaneous accounts of…
Va’Yishlach What does it mean to be “the children of Israel,” as in Congregation B’nai Israel? In this week’s Torah reading, an angel blesses Jacob with that new name. Jacob, Ya’akov, means circumventer. As his name conveys, he has acted with deception in obtaining the first-born blessing from his blind father instead of Esau, the first-born twin. Now on the night before…
Torah: What is the origin and meaning of the word Jew? It comes from Judah, the largest tribe during the Second Temple. Our name conveys qualities of who we are as a people. Leah, Judah’s mother, felt neglected by her husband, who was also married to her younger, more beloved sister, Rachel. Leah’s named her first three sons to fill in a…