by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on July 5, 2016
The holiday of Shavuot is generally assumed to commemorate the giving of the Torah, which occurred on the sixth of Sivan. In the Torah, however, Shavuot is only described as an agricultural holiday and occurs not on any particular calendrical date, but at the culmination of seven weeks from the beginning of the harvest season that occurs on the second day of Pesach.…
by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on July 5, 2016
To read this hebrew article, click here.…
by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on July 5, 2016
To read this Hebrew article, click here.…
by Rabbi Avi Weiss
Posted on July 5, 2016
God has blessed Toby and me with three wonderful children: Dena, Elana and Dov. We were also blessed with a fourth child born between Elana and Dov. His name was Yitzchak Rafael. It will be 40 years ago this coming December that Yitzchak Rafael came into this world. …
by Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot
Posted on July 5, 2016
From a purely halakhic point of view, we generally regard Chanuka and Purim as equal in status. Both festivals are de-rabanan (rabbinically mandated), and the issue of “pirsum ha-nes” (publicizing the miracle) is central to both of them. This trend of thought finds expression in the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah.…
by Rabbi Avi Weiss
Posted on July 5, 2016
May women read the Megillah for other women, and for that matter, may women read the Megillah for men? This was originally written for the Torah U-Maddah Journal in 1999. Click here to read the full piece.…
by Rabbi Avi Weiss
Posted on July 5, 2016
Please enjoy this recording of a High Holidays Sermon that Rav Avi gave in California last month. Click here for the PDF source sheet. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4…
by Rabbi Avi Weiss
Posted on May 25, 2016
The literal approach to the Haggadah’s four children is straightforward. On four different occasions, the Torah describes questions asked by children about Passover. Based on the language of the question, the author of the Haggadah labels each of them. One questioner is described as wise, the second rebellious, the third simple, and the fourth not even knowing how to ask.…
by Rabbi Avi Weiss
Posted on May 25, 2016
Survivors of the Shoah encounter the experience through what can be called “pure memory.” Their relationship to the event is direct, with very little intervening. As we move further away from the Shoah, and we who were not there seek to remember, symbols may be required to help us.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on May 5, 2016
Acharei-Mot details the special avodah, the sacrificial rites, that the High Priest performed on Yom Kippur to affect atonement for the Jewish people. However, as the Vilna Gaon noted in Kol Eliyahu, the Torah only introduces the connection to Yom Kippur at the very end of the lengthy description of this special avodah.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on April 21, 2016
A major part of what makes the Seder evening so powerful is the way in which the symbolic mitzvot—reclining, dipping, drinking four cups of wine, eating the marror and the matzah—bring the Pesach story to life and how the story, in turn, gives depth and meaning to these mitzvot and rituals.…
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