What are the Three Weeks & Tisha B’Av?
The Jewish national period of mourning.
Yafo And The Zionist Colonies: Rabbi Naftali Hertz Halevi And The Siddur HaGra
The siddur originally came out in two volumes, numbering a total of 330 pages. Despite Rabbi Halevi’s desire to produce a complete siddur, he ultimately only managed to cover weekdays and Shabbat (alongside berachos).
The Home-Run Hitter
Twenty-five years ago, when kiruv was still a relatively new concept, a group of four young rabbis left Ner Yisrael with families in tow to head down south to Atlanta, Georgia. Rabbi David Silverman was one of those pioneers who founded the Atlanta Scholars Kollel. He is a powerhouse of kiruv – his charisma, sincerity and broad knowledge have helped him inspire thousands of Jews, including this writer.
From Riches To Rags
Throughout his month in Israel, Kalman realized he had found his home, in the beis medrash and in Eretz Yisrael.
Ahavas Yisroel and Compassion for Fellow Jews
Do you really care about your fellow Jew? Take the following test to see if your Ahavas Yisroel Quotient is on par with requirements established by Chazal.
God For President!
To which kingdom do we belong? Which government are we loyal to? By what criteria do we allocate our fealty?
The Artscroll Siddur ‘According To The Customs Of Eretz Yisrael’
Artscroll-Mesorah is one of the largest publishing houses in the Jewish world, and despite its strongly conservative character, it enjoys increasing popularity – including in nationally minded Israeli communities.
The Genizah Journey: Where Does Your Shaimos Go After You Drop It Off?
Genizah is not overseen by any national rabbinic authority in the United States, and it is a tradition practiced not only in the Orthodox world but by other streams of Judaism as well.
From Center Field To Center Stage: The Journeys Of NFLer Alan Veingrad
In 1992 the Dallas Cowboys won Super Bowl XXVII. Among the members of the team was a young Jewish man named Alan Veingrad. Alan, now Shlomo, became frum several years later and found a much more significant calling: as an in-demand speaker he captivates Jewish and non-Jewish audiences around the world with lessons from his football days and from his teshuva journey.
From Russia To Hebrew Via Yiddish: The Shivchei Ge’ulim Siddur
The different target audiences led to the siddurim being printed in two versions: while the siddurim for olim from the Soviet Union contained the Israeli national prayers, those sent through various clandestine paths to Soviet Jews themselves contained no elements which might anger the Soviet authorities.
Off The Derech (Part III)
It was obvious I was in the wrong place with the wrong people and I needed to get out of there.
Yoram Ettinger: Purim Guide for the Perplexed 2012
Purim is the holiday of contradictions and tenacity-driven-optimism: Grief replaced by joy; Esther's concealment replaced by the disclosure of her national/religious identity; Haman's intended genocide of the Jews replaced by redemption; Haman replaced by Mordechai; national and personal pessimism replaced by optimism.
The Rebirth Of The Yerach Ben Yomo: The Ishei Yisrael Siddur
Nowadays, stressing the shva na is an accepted and fairly common element in many siddurim. But when Ishei Yisrael appeared, it wasn’t common at all.
The Soul of the Stranger
From elected officials to people in the street, from the highly educated secular upper class to yeshiva students to the working poor, numerous Israelis seem to share a lexicon and intellectual framework which denigrates and dehumanizes Africans, belittles their suffering, and trivialized their plight.
Four For Four: Part II – Out Of The Hot Tub And Into...
Here I am with everything. All of my facilities. Youth. Strength. Looks. Money. Degree of talent. Family. Health. And after all of that and more, I think I'm miserable? It can't be. Something's got to change.
Oral Matters: The Rechovot Hanahar Siddur
The name Rechovot Hanahar (Streets of the River), derived from its mention in Bereishit 36:31, was interpreted by Kabbalah as referring among other things to the period before Creation, and was also tied to names such as Nahar Shalom – one of the famous books by the Rashash himself.
National Prayers In Meah Shearim: The Beit Tefilah – Har Tziyon Siddur
As a siddur meant for both religious Zionists and non-Zionist charedim, and much like siddurim of previous generations, the original Beis Tefilah also did not include the national prayers – those said every Shabbat and those said on Israel’s Independence Day, Memorial Day, and Jerusalem Day.
And Study Of Prayer Above All: The Avi Chai Siddur
As has been noted elsewhere, Shlomo Tal originally sought to produce Rinat Yisrael based on nusach Sfard so as to unite people who had different traditions, but he found himself ultimately also producing siddurim for Ashkenazim and Mizrachi-Sefardi Jews.
The Religious Connection of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel
Though demography was not an exact science, Jews may have numbered several million in the early Roman Empire. For more than a century before...
Our Yom HaAtzmaut Chassid
his is not the standard look for someone who attends our shul even if just passing through, especially since there are other shuls on the block that may be considered a better fit. I'll be honest that if someone comes in looking like this, it's usually to collect tzedakah.
How Vayichan Brought Together Speakers From Across The Globe – And Across The Spectrum...
Rav Taragin doesn’t want to distract from the purpose of the program, whose essence is joining members of Klal Yisrael together.
The Teshuva Journey: Four For Four (Part One)
The four Stern children reported that the religious observances felt like just that: observances of a culture with little relevance to their modern lives.
Israeli Rabbi Forms After-School Program For Americans
Rabbi Samson will teach a special 32-session course designed for bar mitzvah boys that will provide an overview on the 613 mitzvot, with a concentration on the daily mitzvot such as prayer and those related to Shabbat. A parallel course for bat mitzvah girls will also be offered.
Inside Purim: Insights On Purim And The Megillah
These are excerpts from the sefer Inside Purim, which contains additional answers to the following questions and much more.
Longing For The Background Music
At many points in his life, he intended to go in one direction, until Hashem pushed him back on the road to return.
Pickles And Prayers: The Tikkun Meir Siddur
In an effort to beat his competitors – both in the print and book sales business – Chinsky joined others in 1901 to found the Hebrew Publishing Company, the largest and oldest Jewish New York-based publishing house.
Torah Live’s Mezuzah Presentation – A New Approach To An Ancient Mitzvah
Nowadays, Jewish parents and educators must ask themselves how they can present Torah and mitzvot in a way that speaks to this generation. To many youth today, Judaism’s rich heritage seems outdated, irrelevant and boring.
Why Do We Read The Megillah?
On Purim we read Megillas Esther twice, once by night and once by day. It is uncertain what the nature of the obligation is.
A True Commitment
In the vernacular of our sages and in our prayers, Pesach is titled, “Z’man chayrusaynu- Time of our freedom.” Although we did attain freedom at the time of our redemption from Egypt, titling the holiday as such doesn’t seem to encapsulate the root of the holiday’s greatness.
The Lonely Bride: Four Out Of Four (Part VI)
Even though her dreams for a perfect wedding had been shattered by her brothers’ boycott, she never resented them or their decision.
