“וְיִשְׂרָאֵל אָהַב אֶת יוֹסֵף מִכׇּל בָּנָיו כִּי בֶן זְקֻנִים הוּא לוֹ וְעָשָׂה לוֹ כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים” And Yisrael (Yaakov) loved Yosef more than all his sons because he was a son […]
Judaism 101
Explore deep Jewish concepts like free will, the soul, and Divine Providence—made approachable.
Unnecessary Precautions In this week’s Torah reading, Yaakov (Jacob) prepared to meet his brother Eisav (Esau). Yaakov was returning to his homeland, where Eisav lived, after being away for many […]
And Sit There The verse in this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Vayishlach, says (35:1), “And God said to Yaakov (Jacob), “Get up and go up to Beit-El and sit there, […]
Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz I sometimes find myself committing aveirot (sins) that serve no real purpose for me, such as gossiping about people. I understand why I desire physical pleasures, but what is driving me […]
One of the hardest of the Ten Commandments is the direction that we not be jealous. Not killing, not stealing, not worshiping idols? I think most of us feel pretty […]
Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz Every year, as we light our menorah, my children express their disappointment that our little flames seem so insignificant next to all the […]
Power Prayers On each day of Chanukah, we recite the full Hallel during Shacharit prayers. This beautiful tefillah, often sung, is a heartfelt expression of praise and gratitude to Hashem […]
How? On the first night of Chanukah, one candle is lit. Each night after that, one candle is added to the menorah so that by the eighth night, eight candles […]
Who’s Who? Jewish Year/Secular Year Event 0/3760 BCE Creation of the World 2448/1312 BCE Hashem takes the Jews out of Egypt and gives them the Torah at Har Sinai 2928/832 […]
Chanukah is a joyful eight-day holiday celebrated in early winter, usually in December. It commemorates events that took place nearly 2,200 years ago! Back then, the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple) […]
