Hoshanah Rabbah, the seventh day of Sukkot is a semi-holiday in its own right. Still counted among the days of Hol Hamoed (intermediate days of the festival), this day’s name means “the great hoshanah ...

The Hebrew word for life is a popular symbol and toast — and is linked to the number 18. Chai (חי) is the Hebrew word for life. The word, consisting of two Hebrew letters —chet (ח) and yud (י)— is a ...

Miriam's instinctive song of praise tells us something important about calling out to God.

The desert peak upon which the Hebrew Bible says God gave the Torah to Moses. Mount Sinai is the desert peak upon which the Hebrew Bible says God gave the Torah to Moses and the Israelites. In the ...

Piroshki are a popular Russian pastry of filled buns that are either baked or fried. Most piroshki are made with a soft yeasted dough that is enriched with egg, but some piroshki are made with a ...

While the offense was once punishable by death, Jews do not enforce the rules anymore. Blasphemy means reviling God. In Hebrew it is known as birkat hashem, literally “blessing [euphemism for cursing] ...

Herod's rule accomplished a political and social revolution. The following article is reprinted with permission from A Historical Atlas of the Jewish People edited by Eli Barnavi and published by ...

What sacrifice is, where it comes from, and what it can mean for us today. What are sacrifices? “Sacrifice” means giving up something for someone else. In general, there are three kinds of sacrifice: ...

Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Bazeh. This phrase is the basis of the notion of communal responsibility in Jewish law. If one Jew sees another Jew at the verge of sinning, he has an obligation to step in and ...

On being a mensch — an upstanding member of society — and leading an ethical life. In the old days, proverbially, a boy would begin his bar mitzvah speech with the words, “Today I am a man.” What does ...

The dramatic story, known in Hebrew as the Akedah, has perplexed many generations of commentators. The Binding of Isaac, known in Hebrew as the Akedah, is one of the best known — and most troubling — ...

The preeminent sage of first century Palestine whose name is on Jewish campus organizations worldwide. Hillel (also known as Hillel the Elder) is one of the best-known sages of the Talmud. He lived ...