By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz High school was difficult for me. Not only was I an awkward teen but there was also a group of guys who, unbeknownst to me, had decided amongst themselves that they would make my life miserable. They would take...
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz The Torah lists many holidays, but Mother’s Day is not one of them. Because the Torah commands us to honor our parents, every day is Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day). But if there could be one designated day to...
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Today, the day after Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew New Year), Jews observe a minor fast day from dawn until dusk. This fast day, known as the Fast of Gedaliah, laments the assassination of a righteous governor of the...
On June 29th, 2022, Israel lost a great light last month when Rabbi David Weiss Halivni passed away in Jerusalem at the age of 94. A Professor of Talmud and recognized as a brilliant scholar, he served as the head of the Union for...
There are many days that are auspicious, commemorated for a powerful event that happened on that date, earning them personal or even national significance. Birthdays and national holidays are like this. The same is true for sad days...
The tenth day of the Hebrew month Tevet, which comes one week after the last day of Hanukkah, is a minor fast day. The fast begins at dawn and ending after sundown. The fast is in mourning of the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by...
Rabbi Tuly Weisz discusses the significance of the Fast of the Tenth of Tevet, and why this day holds significance for both Jews and non-Jews. This day commemorates not only the siege around Jerusalem by the Babylonian king...
There a number of fast days on the Jewish calendar. Most famous is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. However, there are other fast days on the Jewish calendar including the 17th of Tamuz, the 9th of Av and Asarah B’Tevet, or the Fast of...
Archaeologists in Israel uncovered evidence from nearly three thousand years ago, proving the existence of Gedaliah, a relatively minor character mentioned in the Bible, whose life is still commemorated till this very day by Jews every...
Chapter 18 of Leviticus is seemingly a list of dos and don'ts, not unlike many of the rules of purity and impurity listed throughout Leviticus. But at closer examination, there is something different about the instructions listed here....
