Shamai Leibowitz, at The Blogs

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...

Nov 4, 2024, 11:19 AM

Finally – a prayer for Israel and Gaza

This past year, davening seemed detached from reality. Although many congregations responded to the horrific events of October 7 with extra prayers for the release of the hostages and the safety of Israeli soldiers, they completely ignored the mass killing...

Oct 29, 2024, 11:03 AM

Mohammed is staying home – and Kamala is going home!

I'll get straight to the point, tachles, because time is running out and things are looking bleak for Kamala Harris and the Democrats. In my spare time, I drive for the ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft – enjoying random conversations with people....

Oct 16, 2024, 6:21 AM

How the Wrong Piano Concerto Connects to Sukkot

It was meant to be a routine lunchtime performance. The Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires was set to play Mozart’s Concerto No. 21 alongside the Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra. However, once the orchestra started playing, Maria realized – to her...

Aug 25, 2024, 4:46 PM

‘Shema Yisrael’ is common to both Judaism and Islam

The verse "Shema Yisrael'' is a testimony to God's oneness. The same idea is central to Islam. A linguistic connection shows Judaism and Islam share much in common. This Shabbat we read the second paragraph of the Shema, and last...

Aug 11, 2024, 2:07 PM

‘After This, Nothing Happened’

How Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai and Chief Plenty Coups Make Tisha B'Av Meaningful - guest post by Tirza Leibowitz In 1932, the Native American chief of the Crow nation died. Late in his life, after his people were confined to...

Aug 6, 2024, 10:33 PM

‘Culture Shock’: The Hebrew word for ‘culture’

As the Hebrew language was being revived from its dormant state in the late 19th century, Hebrew writers were borrowing the word ‘culture’ from English and the Slavic languages, albeit with a Polish-Russian flavor: קוּלְטוּרָה (kooltura). Then came Polish-born historian and...

About Me

Shamai Leibowitz grew up in Israel, served in the army, and graduated from Bar Ilan University Law School. He practiced law for several years in Israel, focusing on civil rights and human rights law. He graduated from the Washington College of Law with a Master's Degree in International Legal Studies. His real passion, however, is teaching Hebrew and Jewish culture, and for the past 15 years, he has been an adjunct professor of Hebrew at various institutions of higher learning. In this blog, he will explore the fascinating evolution of the Hebrew language, from Biblical times to Modern Hebrew, and focus on connections between language, religion and cutlure.

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