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May 16, 2025, 5:25 PM

Emor: Holy Days

'Above the Clouds' by Taylor Van Riper (2017)

Within the passages of Emor, the Jewish calendar takes shape, G-d laying out a yearly cycle constructed around pillars of holiness, the ’מועדי ה, ‘the fixed times of G-d’ (Leviticus 23:2). These fixed times consist of the festivals of...

May 15, 2025, 1:20 PM

A 'Second Passover' for Edan Alexander

Released hostage Edan Alexander embraces his grandmother at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, May 12, 2025. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Following the release of Edan Alexander on Monday, his grandmother appeared on Israeli television and, with joy and emotion, noted that his freedom came on Pesach Sheni—the "Second Passover." To understand the depth and poignancy of her comment, we...

May 11, 2025, 4:17 PM

My friends, learn Tanach!

My friends, learn Tanach! Baruch Hashem, we live in a generation in which there has been a tremendous resurgence in Torah study. From young to old, many Jews from across the spectrum are beginning to reconnect more to our great...

Micah Ben David Naziri

Apr 24, 2025, 1:23 PM

Zionist Quran: Allah Chose the Children of Israel Over All Nations

The Qur'an acknowledges the historical connection of the Children of Israel to the Land of Israel — Eretz Yisrael. It does not, however, explicitly state that this Land or any land, belongs exclusively to any specific group or nation. The...

Justine Johnston Hemmestad

Apr 23, 2025, 9:50 PM

Hebrew Language in a Time of War

As a tour guide and teacher prior to the war, the Nameless One partnered with a Hebrew learning institution a few years ago to explain the value in learning Hebrew. He said that ‘Egypt’ is literally the Hebrew word for...

Apr 3, 2025, 5:03 PM

Vayikra: The Ultimate Sacrifice—Then and Now

Since the outbreak of the war, Jews in Israel and abroad have made profound sacrifices for the survival and security of the Jewish state and its citizens. This week's parasha—Vayikra—centers on the theme of sacrifices, making its message especially...

Sarah Foxman Favaloro

Mar 11, 2025, 6:05 PM

Purim: Yad Hashem

A Purim mask backdropping a crown hovering over a hand. Meta AI generated image

When searching the Megillah to find Hashem, His concealed presence can be found in so many ways but not directly through His name, but through His divine intervention. The gematria of yad (hand) is 14; the day of Adar,...

Mar 9, 2025, 12:26 AM

Tetzaveh: Illumination

Photo by Marcus Dall Col via Unsplash (2016)

Embroidered with an image of eternal light, Tetzaveh’s opens with the commandment for the Israelites to bring pure olive oil to the Mishkan למאור להעלת נר תמיד, ‘to light the lamp constantly’ (Ex. 27:20). Appearing suddenly, this verse is...

Mar 5, 2025, 9:06 PM

Terumah: The First Synagogue

'Entry of a Synagogue in Jerusalem' by Levi Meir Clancy (2021)

ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. (Ex.25:8) Filled with intricate detail, Terumah introduces us to the Mishkan or the Tabernacle, the precursor to the Bet HaMikdash in which the nomadic...

Feb 21, 2025, 8:07 AM

Mishpatim: Empathy

Photo by Denisse Leon (2018)

Mishpatim opens, in media res, with laws pertaining to how one must keep and treat one’s servants. It is a curious thing to begin with, given the previous parashiot’s overarching emphasis on the theme of freedom. Here, rather than...

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