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Sharona Margolin Halickman

Jun 3, 2026, 9:07 PM

Why were the scouts permitted to take the grapes?

In Parshat Shlach, we read about the 40 days that the scouts checked out the Land of Israel. We don’t know about all of the places that they went to but we do know the following (Bamidbar 13:21-24): They went...

May 31, 2026, 8:55 AM

Reality Gets the Final Vote

What a Talmudic story teaches us about labels, identity, and the danger of categories that become too small. Years ago, while living in Israel, a friend of mine was asked whether he would ever consider dating a non-religious woman. It seemed...

Shanee B. Michaelson

May 26, 2026, 8:48 PM

Naso: Birkat Kohanim in the Hospital

Parashat Naso, where we are this week outside of Israel, contains one of the most tender passages in the Torah: the priestly blessing, the ancient words spoken by the kohanim over the people of Israel. “May God bless you and...

May 13, 2026, 4:15 AM

Applied Perek Shirah: Spiritual Therapy Through the Song of Creation

There are books that a person studies, and there are books that slowly begin studying the person. For me, Perek Shirah became the second kind. At first, it seemed like a small mystical Jewish text — unusual, poetic, almost hidden. A...

Reuven Chaim Klein

May 10, 2026, 12:59 AM

Iyyar is in the Air – ziv & iyyar

As the month of Iyyar comes to a close this week, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss the two names for “the second month” in the Jewish Calendar — Ziv and Iyyar. That month is very special...

May 9, 2026, 12:08 AM

Applied Perek Shirah: Animal Chaplaincy and the Song of Creation

When King David completed the book of Psalms, he believed there could be no creature in the universe capable of praising God more deeply than a human being. Humanity had been given speech, prayer, music, and the ability to...

May 7, 2026, 3:30 PM

Book review – How to Read the Mishnah and Midrash

At age 10, a student will be in 5th grade. In math class, they will start using long division with two-digit divisors, and in language arts, they will write multi-paragraph essays and reports. According to Judah ben Tema in...

Reuven Chaim Klein

May 4, 2026, 12:08 AM

Show Me the Money – mammon, damim, maot, zuzim

Even though back in ancient times, they may not have had all the complex financial instruments that we use nowadays, people were certainly well-aware of the concept of “money,” and its use as legal tender. In this essay, we...

May 1, 2026, 8:52 AM

Soulmateland. Bashertland

My homeland—the place that was waiting for me. A view of Haifa Bay from the Baháʼí Gardens. Photo © Tanya Bassov, 2023. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Homeland Is Not Where You Were Born, and Not Where You Chose to Live — But Where You Belong We are taught a simple formula: homeland is where you were born. It sounds natural, almost unquestionable. Birthplace equals belonging. Geography...

Apr 30, 2026, 11:28 PM

WCF Championships: The Rise of the Kanaani Cat Breed Begins

“Behold My works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are. All that I created, I created for you. Take care not to ruin or destroy My world, for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after...

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