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Jul 22, 2026, 10:57 AM

Fins and Scales, Hooves and Cud, Part II

Why split hooves and chewing the cud? Why these specific biological criteria? Photo: A male bighorn sheep (ram), a kosher land animal. © Jwanamaker, 2013. Licensed under CC BY 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

What We Still Don't Know About Kashrut In Part I of Fins and Scales, Hooves and Cud, I explored a question that is easy to overlook. If every fish with scales also has fins, why does the Torah mention fins at...

Jul 21, 2026, 6:56 AM

The Courtyard Stands Open: Why Jews Must Teach the Nations Now

In the days when the Temple stood in Jerusalem, a vast Court of the Gentiles welcomed those drawn from the nations. This outer courtyard formed part of Hashem's design. Sincere seekers could bring offerings to any Israelite citizen standing...

Hadassah Chavivah Zeltzer

Jul 9, 2026, 10:09 AM

Thank you to the Times of Israel Blog Posts! For giving me a voice! Tzedeck Z.

Thank you Times of Israel Blog Posts
Design Tzedeck
Elements Canva.com

B"H July 8th 2026 23rd of Tamuz, 5786 To the Times of Israel! Todah Rabah! Thank you so much for giving me a voice and platform this past year to be able to share my feelings, thoughts, essays and ideas. And my art with the...

Shanee B. Michaelson

Jul 9, 2026, 6:54 AM

Mattot-Masei: Moving Forward through Life’s Journey

Another rejection email arrived in my inbox this year, and before I even opened it, I knew its rhythm. A gracious greeting, gratitude for my interest, appreciation for my qualifications, and then the sentence that mattered: We have decided...

Jul 1, 2026, 8:21 PM

A power shirt and a smile

You can't get far these days on goodwill but it goes a long way in the oncology ward of our Jerusalem hospital. Our patient has moved into what they generously call a 'suite', and is basically a bubble-boy for...

Jun 30, 2026, 7:38 PM

Breaking: Major Update on Red Heifer Program and National Training Push

A red heifer calf born last month in the hills of the Galilee has drawn renewed attention to a coordinated national effort to restore ritual purity after two thousand years. Discovered by a team member of the National Red...

Jun 16, 2026, 6:46 PM

A friend stands with you during your battles in life

You are not fighting your battles in life alone. Many people carry heavy burdens including: Stress, Fear, Pressures, Loneliness, Disappointment. You begin to feel that you are carrying the weight of the entire world by yourself. But Torah teaches you something different. You are never alone. Hashem is not distant from...

Bruce D. Forman

Jun 14, 2026, 9:36 PM

Would It Frighten You? What Spielberg’s New Alien Film Gets Backwards

Steven Spielberg's new film, Disclosure Day, opened this past weekend, and every trailer for it circles back to the same question: if proof arrived tomorrow that humanity is not alone in the universe, would it terrify you? It's a good...

Jun 14, 2026, 5:36 PM

Killing in the Name of God

The science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke suggested that killing in the name of God might be a fairly good definition of insanity. Sounds reasonable. If God created the world, then we are all His creations. And the idea that God...

Jun 13, 2026, 12:50 AM

Reading Materials Reflect My Soul and Its Journey

Fern unfolding (author's pic)

These are the books I’m reading and listening to: Anatomy of Exile, by Zeeva Bukai Fighting the Hate: A Handbook for Jews Under Siege, by Melanie Phillips Ghosts of a Holy War: The 1929 Massacre in Palestine That Ignited the Arab-Israeli Conflict,...

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