The Hava Nagila ("let us rejoice") is the first modern Jewish folk song in the Hebrew language, composed to celebrate the British victory over the…

From the beginning, when the poem-now-song was first penned, Hatikvah, now the national anthem of Israel, has been controversial, complex, emotional,…

Jerusalem of Gold (in Hebrew, Yerushalayim Shel Zahav) is the beloved unofficial national anthem of Israel. The song is probably the most famous…

With a basis in scripture ranging from Miriam’s dance in the Red Sea to the expressive poetry of Psalms, the Jewish people have since the beginning…

Mi Shebeirach is a traditional Hebrew prayer for healing, prayed publicly on behalf of another person who is ill. It starts with calling upon the God…

Throughout history, there have been various moral codes of medical ethics outlined by the Code of Hammurabi, Egyptian medical dictations on papyrus,…

Efrat, a nonpartisan, nonprofit pregnancy center founded by Herschel Feigenbaum, a Holocaust survivor who passionately believed that “children are…

Yom HaShoah Ve-Hagevurah, often shortened to Yom HaShoah as it is observed globally by the Jewish people, or Holocaust Remembrance Day as it is known…

Teshuvah ("returning") is the Jewish concept of repentance and returning to the path of righteousness after one has deviated, or returning to an…

As one of the oldest and most universally recognized symbols of Judaism, a menorah (“lamp” in Hebrew, “menorot” in the plural, and usually refers to…

Simchat Torah ("rejoicing of the Torah"), most likely of medieval origins, is observed by the Jewish people on the last day of Sukkot. The overall…

Most everyone in the world knows that the Jewish people play with dreidels during Chanukah. Dreidel is a Yiddish term, with “drei” meaning turn;…

Set in the land of the Persian city of Shushan, located in modern-day Iran, the story of Purim (“Festival of Lots,” as derived from the ancient…

Many are familiar with the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah (occurring on Tishri 1 and 2) and Yom Kippur (occurring on Tishri 10), but fewer are…

On the 25th of Kislev are the days of Chanukah, which are eight. These were appointed a Festival with Hallel [prayers of praise] and thanksgiving.…

Avinu Malkeinu ("Our Father, Our King") is an ancient litany recited daily during Aseret Y’mei Teshuva, or the Ten Days of Awe (with an exception on…

One of the events that is traditionally commemorated during the Shavuot celebration is the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Strictly speaking, it…

As one of the most popular Chanukah hymns and most well-known Jewish melodies, Ma’oz Tzur (“strong rock of my salvation” in English, with the name…

“Rejoice on this day... celebrate by singing praises to God from the book of Psalms, and not God forbid by lightheaded frivolity.” -Rabbi Shneur…

Tikkun Olam is a Jewish phrase found in the Mishnah, a collection of rabbinic teachings and oral Jewish traditions dating back to the writings of…

The Yiddish (“Jewish”) language, derived from medieval west High German but also intermingled with Hebrew, Aramaic, and different Slavic and Romance…

The Star of David (also known as the Shield of David or Magen David) is an internationally recognized emblem of both Israel and the Jewish people,…

The end of January and early February tend to be a beautiful time in Israel, with a kaleidoscope of pink and white blossoms peppering the otherwise…

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) emerged from various pre-existing Jewish armed organizations and played a pivotal role in several significant…

Israel’s Iron Dome (or Kippat Barzel in Hebrew), a land-based all-weather mobile air defense system, was designed to intercept and destroy a range of…

Oseh Shalom is both a song and a prayer that encapsulates the Jewish longing for peace, acknowledging God as the source of the blessings of peace and…

The Hezbollah (“Party of God” or “Party of Allah” in Arabic) terrorist organization is a byproduct of the 1975 Lebanese civil war, which erupted…

The conflict between Israel and Gaza has a deep, complex history partially rooted in religion. This article will not seek to unpack all of that but…

Hamas, an Arabic acronym for Harakat al-Muqawmah al-Islamiyyah (“zeal,” “strength” or “bravery” in Arabic or “Islamic Resistance Movement” in…

In January of 2023, two members of Israel’s parliament, known as the Knesset, introduced a bill that would outlaw sharing the love of Jesus (Yeshua…

"Today’s slavery flourishes precisely because slaves are kept invisible, without the ability to make their voices heard. As the voices of the…

Thanks to the prevalence of the Christmas story and nativity scenes, even non-Bible scholars are familiar with the general story of the three wise…

Tekhelet is an azure-sapphire-midnight blue, fade-resistant dye mentioned approximately 49 times in the Tanakh, believed to be God’s chosen color for…

"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the entire Torah; all the rest is commentary” (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a).

Shalom Aleichem ("Peace Be Upon You") is not only a traditional beloved greeting and message of farewell among the Jewish people when they meet…

Shehecheyanu ("that we are alive") is a generic Jewish blessing said in addition to regular blessings as the Jewish people express gratitude to God…

It is considered a mitzvah to recite Hallel (“praise” in English) in the synagogues on certain festive Jewish holidays. Hallel is a sacred communal…

"Guard our coming and our going; grant us life and peace, now and always. (Siddur Sim Shalom, p. 33) (ufros aleinu sukat sh’lomecha) "Spread over us…

Shema Yisrael ("Hear, O Israel), or the Shema, is the most famous and influential of the Jewish prayers and is central to the Jewish faith. The…

For now, the winter has passed, and the rains are over and gone. The blossoms have appeared on the land. The time for pruning has come. Song of Songs…

Though nations around the world may and do choose to honor their own national versions of Holocaust remembrance on different days throughout the…

Challah bread, translated from the Hebrew as referring to a cake, loaf, or morsel of bread, is a well-known food served at the weekly Shabbat as well…

Charoset, a traditional dish served during the Passover Seder, offers a delightful range of flavors. Generally sweet, sometimes more savory, and…

Neither bagels nor lox originated in the Big Apple, or in America, for that matter. Yet the combination of bagels and lox was somewhat accidental and…

Havdalah is a beautiful multi-sensory ceremony and one of the most ancient blessings in Jewish religious life that symbolically marks the end of…

As zikaron le-ma’asei v’reishit ("a memorial to Creation"), Kiddush ("sanctification" or "separation") is a beautiful Shabbat benediction and one of…

Lecha Dodi (“Come my Friend”) is a well-known eight-stanza hymn of mystical origins that is commonly sung at Friday night synagogue services to usher…