Shamai Leibowitz, at The Blogs

Mar 17, 2025, 7:30 AM

Could someone earn a commendation for deliberately breaking the holiest object ever created, one that was crafted and inscribed by God Himself? According to a midrash, this is exactly what happened to Moses. In the parsha we read this week,...

Mar 9, 2025, 12:52 PM

The Surprising Hebrew Connections of Ramadan and Iftar

Muslim and Jewish students at Princeton sharing an iftar (credit: Niv Leibowitz)

On March 1, millions of Muslims around the globe ushered in the sacred month of Ramadan, marking the start of a month of fasting, with the fast traditionally broken at sunset during an iftar meal. These two terms have...

Mar 2, 2025, 8:32 AM

When Truth Destroys: The Moral Obligation to Lie

You are ordered—like in the Oscar-nominated documentary No Other Land—to demolish the homes, schools, and wells of Palestinian families in Masafer Yatta, a community in the West Bank that has existed since the early 1900s. The official reason: to clear the...

Feb 13, 2025, 5:17 PM

Plant the tree first, the Messiah can wait!

If you are holding a sapling in your hand and someone says: 'Come quickly, the Messiah is here!', first finish planting the tree and only then go to greet the Messiah. (Avot d'Rabbi Natan 31b) This midrash encourages a focus on the...

Jan 19, 2025, 2:30 PM

Tevet, Palindromes, and the Ceasefire in Gaza

As we anxiously await the implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza, let's reflect on the current Hebrew month of Tevet: This word is a linguistic treat—it’s the only month that forms a palindrome, a word or phrase that reads...

Jan 1, 2025, 9:49 PM

Not a Miracle: The Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty

Today's blogpost is dedicated to the memory of President Jimmy Carter, who died this week at age 100, after a lifetime of service and selfless dedication to fighting discrimination, negotiating peace treaties, and helping humanity. The Rambam’s position on the miracle of...

Dec 20, 2024, 5:29 AM

Why the Ma’oz Tzur author says ‘prepare a slaughter’?

In the Hanukkah song Ma'oz Tzur, arguably the most famous piyyut, or liturgical poem, of all time, the 3rd and 4th line read: לְעֵת תָּכִין מַטְבֵּחַ מִצָּר הַמְנַבֵּחַ .אָז אֶגְמוֹר בְּשִׁיר מִזְמוֹר חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ "When you have prepared a slaughter of the...

Dec 1, 2024, 2:56 PM

What do turkey, giving thanks and India have in common?

Celebrating Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to ponder the Hebrew word for giving thanks – הודו. This word has 3 different meanings: הודו (hodu) - give thanks (the imperative form, talking to a group) הודו (hodu) - India הודו (hodu) - turkey Is there any connection...

Nov 10, 2024, 10:12 AM

Veterans Day: Not a time to waver

Meet the fanciest Torah trop - the Shalshelet. This week we encounter the most elaborate cantillation mark (trop in Yiddish) which appears only 4 times in the Torah. In Ashkenazi leyning, it sounds like a threefold arpeggio – drawing the melody...

Nov 7, 2024, 2:54 PM

Harris Loses to Trump. Q.E.D

My beloved grandmother Savta Greta z”l often liked to use the acronym “Q.E.D.” - an abbreviation of the Latin phrase "quod erat demonstrandum" which means "that which was to be demonstrated" -- signifying the end of a mathematical proof...

About Me

Born in Israel. Served in the army. Studied a bit of aeronautical engineering at the Technion. Completed a law degree at Bar Ilan University. Interned at the Nazareth Public Defender's Office. Received a Master's degree from American University Washington College of Law. Worked as a defense lawyer in traffic law and human rights law. But my true passion is the Hebrew language. For the past 15 years, I have been an adjunct professor of Hebrew at various institutions of higher learning. I am also the Baal Kore at my shul. In this blog, I will explore the evolution of the Hebrew language, and focus on fascinating connections between language, religion and culture.

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