Tag: song

The ideal drashah (sermon) combines science and art. There is the scientific component, where the darshan embodies deep and authentic Jewish scholarship: breadth of knowledge, methodology, and faithfulness to tradition. Equally significant are the artistic elements of the drashah: eloquence, presentation, and a penetrating understanding of one's intended audience.

There are dozens of English-translated siddurim on bookshelves these days. Surely, you may think, we don't need another one. But before you make up your mind, consider that the new one that has just come out is translated by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi of the United Kingdom. Rabbi Sacks, who also wrote a commentary and introduction, has been a consistently brilliant source of insight into Jewish philosophy, Chumash, and other topics.

I collect cookbooks the way other people collect coins, shot glasses, or miniature teaspoons.

I collect cookbooks the way other people collect coins, shot glasses, or miniature teaspoons.

As Jews, we are all cognizant of the Torah dictum to "honor our father and mother," yet in our self-centered and fast-paced society, we often neglect to make time to fulfill this important mitzvah.

Of the writing of baseball books there is no end. Of the writing of good baseball books there is not nearly enough. For every The Glory of Their Times or Ball Four or The Boys of Summer or Baseball’s Great Experiment, there are hundreds and hundreds of instantly forgettable hack jobs, clip jobs and ghost jobs.

The Israeli Labor Party recently selected Ehud Barak, who had been prime minister from 1999 to 2001, to serve as its party chief and contender for prime minister in the next election, probably in 2008.

Although Passover is no longer around the corner (11 months and counting until next year's cleaning craze), Had Gadya remains a timeless song of Jewish persecution and triumph over generation after generation of anti-Semitism.

When Rachel Factor was searching for a title for her new show, the words "not even normal" kept popping into her head.

Barry Frydlender's nearly life-sized photograph Shirat Hayam depicts the August 2005 dismantling of the 16-family Gaza seaside settlement Shirat Hayam under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan.

In honor of Chanukah, a time of joy, I have been delving into the realm of Jewish music.

With Pesach swiftly approaching, many are hyper-aware of all the cleaning and cooking implied in the festival.

The new face of Jewish pop music wears a black hat and jacket and a long beard.

In the late 1960's, well after the Six Day War, a whine-filled "peace song" titled Shir Hashalom became popular among Israel's teeny-boppers. At the...

Precedent-Setting PresidentLast week President George W. Bush made more explicit than ever before his belief that the war Israel faces against Arab Islamic terrorism...

Had Gadya, the playful, threatening and ultimately reassuring song that ends many Seder evenings among Ashkenazi Jews, has a long history in the Haggada.

QUESTION: I recently read your Daf Yomi column (JP, June 13, 2003), where you cited the Chikrei Lev's comments regarding the standard of 'Sinai' in Torah study, that is, having extensive knowledge of the Torah. He stated that this is not as important today because the Mishna has been recorded.My question is: Was the Mishna not recorded in Rashi's time? Commenting on the first verse in Parashat Bechukotai, Rashi notes (based on Sifra) that "Im bechukotai tele'chu" means "shetih'yu amelim baTorah." In yeshiva I was taught that this means that one must toil with much effort to learn and understand Torah. If so, how can one not be expected to have an extensive knowledge and yet be amel baTorah?Zvi Kirschner(Via E-Mail)