Recent Publications
November 24, 2024
**Noah (נח) / Noah**
**Noah (נח) / Noah** (Genesis 6:9 – 11:32) This week's Torah portion is called "נח" (Noah) – the Hebrew name for the well-known biblical figure Noah. The remarkable story of the Flood is familiar to…
November 11, 2024
Bereshit (בראשית) / In the Beginning
**Bereshit (בראשית) / In the Beginning** (Genesis 1:1-6:8) The first weekly Torah portion is called בראשית (Bereshit), which means "in the beginning." These are the opening words of the Torah:…
Simchat Torah
Oct 23, 2024
Simchat Torah means "rejoicing of the Torah." Most likely of medieval origins, this holiday is observed by Jewish people on the last day of Sukkot. The overall theme of Simchat Torah is the foundational role of the Torah in Jewish religious life,…
SUKKOT
Oct 17, 2024
Each year on the 15th Day of Tishri, the weeklong Sukkot celebrations begin. These celebrations -- also known as the Feast of Booths, Harvest Festival, or Feast of Tabernacles -- begin five days after Yom Kippur, transitioning from one of the most…
Yom Kippur
Oct 10, 2024
Yom Kippur -- also known as Yom Ha-Kippurim, Shabbat Shabbaton, Sabbath of Solemn Rest, Sabbath of Sabbaths, or the Day of Atonement -- is the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. It occurs on Tishri 10, which is the tenth day of the seventh month on…
Fast of Gedaliah
Sep 30, 2024
A little-known fast traditionally occurs on the 3rd of Tishrei, the day after Rosh Hashanah (unless that day happens to fall on a Shabbat, in which case it is delayed until Sunday): Tzom Gedaliah, or the Fast of Gedaliah. Zechariah 8:19 describes…
Rosh Hashanah
Sep 25, 2024
Rosh Hashanah, translated as "head of the year" or "first of the year," is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. It occurs on the first and second days of Tishri, commencing Yamim Nora’im (the High Holidays). This is a day dedicated to prayer, to…
Shofars
Sep 18, 2024
"In this month (the seventh month of Tishrei), you shall amend your deeds. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: 'If you will amend your deeds, I shall become unto you like a horn (shofar). As the horn takes in the breath at one end and sends…
Teshuvah
Sep 10, 2024
Teshuvah ("returning") is the Jewish concept of repentance and returning to the path of righteousness after one has deviated, or returning to an original state of status quo prior to a transgression occurring. This concept applies whether one has…
Selichot
Sep 05, 2024
“O Lord, hear our voice in the morning; in the morning, we set them before You with hopeful expectation. Hear our voice." Originating as prayers for public fast days (e.g., the six days before Rosh Hashanah), Selichot (“apologies” or “forgiveness”)…
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Upcoming Holidays in 2024
Shavuot
Evening of Tue, Jun 11
Evening of Thu, Jun 13
Rosh Hashanah
Evening of Wed, Oct 2
Evening of Fri, Oct 4
Yom Kippur
Evening of Fri, Oct 11
Evening of Sat, Oct 12
Editor's Choice
Looking for Shalom in all the Wrong Places
How fascinating that shalom, far from meaning just “peace” (as commonly understood and translated), means so much more: “full, complete, safe, and secure.” Contrast this to what the world offers: the…
The Two Witnesses
What makes the church in need of Israel? What makes Israel in need of the church? The law of Moses requires the testimony of at least two witnesses to make the story believable (Deuteronomy 17:6). In…
From Contempt for the Law of God to the Holocaust
The first step in recognizing the effect of Christian theology behind the extent of the Holocaust is, of course, to learn about the history of ecclesiastical hatred and contempt for the Jews and…