by Drew Kaplan, Rabbinical Student At this time of year, inevitably, one turns to the famous rabbinic teaching in order to find out about the origin of Hanukkah. Upon inquiring as to what the etiological event was which established this holiday to be celebrated by Jews year in and year out, the Talmud responds that […]
by Rabbi Yonatan Neril View printable version l View source sheet l View Energy study and discussion guide The miracle of the Hanukkah lights is well-known. After the Hasmonian Jews defeated the Syrian Greeks, they sought to rededicate the Temple in Jerusalem and light the Menorah. However, only one small vessel of oil was found, with enough […]
by The Pilzno Rebbe, Rav Yehoshua Gerzi of Eretz Yisrael. To my dear friends, imagine for a moment being in sync and balanced with the world around us, feeling physically well, emotionally content, mentally fulfilled, and spiritually sound. For the majority of us, we remember a time when all four of these elements were […]
by Ellen Cohn Each day, beginning on the evening of the second day of Pesach, extending the 49 days to Shavuot, we recite, “Today is the ___ day of the Omer.” Shavuot literally translates as “weeks,” and echoes our counting and preparations during those “seven complete weeks.” However, the meaning of Omer, representing both […]
by Rabbi Yonatan Neril View a printable version of the article. Our actions are deeply connected to the environment that we see around us. Our current period of “counting the Omer” offers an opportunity for strengthening and refining our character. As we will explore, this process also contains within it meaningful ways to address, […]
