By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I have always been fascinated by time, perhaps because if I am left to my own devices I can live my life blissfully unaware that time exists. It amazes me that organized events or business meetings happen at all....
Why don’t Jews celebrate New Year’s on January 1st?
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz While the entire world is celebrating, bringing in the new year, Jews are more subdued. Everyone else is flipping their calendars from 2022 to 2023, but the Hebrew calendar is already a quarter of the way through...
Parshat Hachodesh: the New Moon and the Passover Offering
On the Shabbat that falls out on or before the first day of the month of Nissan, a section of the Torah is read in addition to the regular Torah reading. This Torah reading is called Parshat HaChodesh (Exodus 12:1–20), and relates what...
The Blessing of the New Month
The Shabbat which precedes Rosh Chodesh (new month), the beginning of a Hebrew month, is referred to as Shabbat Mevorchim, or the Shabbat when we bless. On this Shabbat a special prayer is recited after the Torah is read but before the...
Weekly Torah Portion: A New Month
This week's Torah portion includes the final three plagues and the beginning of the Exodus. It also includes the instructions for the celebration of the Passover holiday and the procedure for the sacrifice of the lamb. The chapter which...