Posts Tagged: Jewish tradition
Jewish Table Manners
After fasting, the Jewish calendar quickly turns to feasting. And in true Jewish math, the ratio is one day of fasting for eight days of...
Get to Know Your Four Species
You may only know them from Hebrew school or synagogue, but the Four Species of Sukkot—etrog, lulav, hadassim, and aravot—are all very interesting plants in...
Iranian Man Steals Sukkot Etrog in London
A 23 year old Iranian man admitted to stealing an etrog from a specialty Sukkot store, after being arrested by police in Northwest London. Ali Kerman-Shali...
Thoughts From the UK’s Chief Rabbi on Yom Kippur 5773
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the supreme moment of Jewish time, a day of fasting and prayer, introspection and self-judgement. At...
The New Israel Fund, Jewish Values and Atonement
In its September newsletter, the New Israel Fund (NIF) urged Israelis to examine their behavior ("cheshbon nefesh"), declaring "We have been telling you for some...
The Shadow of a Great Rock: A Literary Appreciation of the King James Bible (REVIEW)
The Shadow of a Great Rock: A Literary Appreciation of the King James Bible, by Harold Bloom (New Haven: Yale University Press. 2011) Anniversaries generate...
What is More Virtuous? Paying Taxes or Giving Charity?
David Axelrod was manhandled across cyberspace for tweeting an attack against Republican donors Sheldon and Miriam Adelson on the morning of September 11th. Let's be...
Laugh a Little, it’s Good for You
As we prepare for the Days of Awe, it is easy to focus on tears and fears and not the joy that the holiday...
Elul: The Month of Return
During the Hebrew month of Elul, we blow the shofar every morning in synagogue. This ritual coheres with a general principle of Jewish law, namely...
Letting Go of Hate
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies...
Saving and Educating Jews are Acts of Holiness
In the book 'Defiance' (which was later made into a Hollywood film staring Liev Schreiber), the wife of a partisan says following World War II:...
Competition in the Name of Excellence is Divine
"May the One who causes His Name to dwell in this house cause love and brotherhood, peace and camaraderie to dwell among you." — BT Brakhot 12a...
Kickstarting a Healthy Marriage With an Abundance of Blessings
There's been a lot of discussion this past year about marriage--what it is and what it means to different people. Since my son, Avichai,...
eBay User Mistakenly Sells Chai Necklace as “Vintage Navajo Moose” (PHOTO)
The user has a 99.8% positive feedback rating on eBay, but "alwaysbelisting" mistook a Chai pendant for a "Unique Vintage Navajo Moose". Sold on August 8th...
