Many of us find it hard to relate to the Torah portion of Vayikra. It focuses on a practice that is no longer in use today. We learn of various types of sacrifices and how they were to be fulfilled on ...

The prerequisite to understanding any story is answering the question: What is its genre? This might seem like an easy task, but it’s really not. Let’s say that someone gets offended by a joke. The ...

For almost half a century, Jewish students in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, have been learning the intricacies of chanting the Torah from a man who, when he was their age, was running for his life. When ...

The Torah teaches us to revere our mother and father (Lev. 19:3). This mitzvah is embedded within the Holiness Code. In observing it, we achieve holiness, as well as the wholeness of learning from the ...

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but hard words stir up anger” (Proverbs 15: 1). “Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4). RECENTLY, JEWS BEGAN ...

The following are some reflections on various essential pieces of “wisdom literature” found in a portion of the Talmud called the “Ethics of the Fathers” (“Pirke Avot”). “Accept a Torah teacher upon ...

After repeatedly denouncing and prohibiting the creation of statues, portrayals of the human form, or anything resembling idols—on pain of death—God issues an unusual command. In the construction of ...

We brought our kid to Jewish camp two weeks ago. We armed him with all the socks he could need, face masks in his preferred color, and every essential one could need in the wilderness. All we asked ...