It is one of the few mitzvos that encompasses nearly the entire body. Each morning, it wraps around me like an embrace—just me and Hashem, hidden away from the world for a few sacred moments. I kiss ...

It is clear from the halachic literature that Shulamit and Shlomit are two distinct names. In fact, Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrachi (in his responsa §67) explicitly writes that if one wrote the name Shlomit ...

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) occupies a singular place in the history of modern art. Born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania into a prosperous and culturally ambitious family, she became one of the most ...

The sefer was printed in Belvedere, a palatial enclave near Constantinople, within the private residence of the remarkable Doña Reyna Nasi. The press itself was under the meticulous supervision of ...

In the early 1930s, the calm continuity of Albert Einstein’s life in Germany, where he had long taught, published, and engaged in academic pursuits, was shattered by the mounting thunder of ...

American Jews are at a tipping point. Both sides of the political spectrum have pockets of antisemitic extremists, leaving many Jews feeling not just politically homeless, but afraid of what is to ...

Usually when Moshe taught Torah, he first instructed Aharon, then Aharon’ s sons, then the leaders of Israel and only then the general population of Israel. Here, however, when it came to teaching the ...

A vort is a Yiddish word that is generally used in one of two contexts. The first one is a small short thought about the Torah. A longer thought might be called a d’var Torah, but a short idea is ...

The oil to be used for the Menorah had to be clear without sediments. It was taken from the first drop of the olive. The Menorah, symbolizes the light of the Torah. The Torah lights up the world. The ...

In his final years, Menachem Begin’s life was marked by seclusion, declining health, and an increasing retreat from public life. After stepping down as Prime Minister in 1983, he more or less ...

We learn in Parshas Bereishis (1:27) that man was created in the image of Hashem. The intent is to inspire the person with the knowledge that no matter how far he has strayed from the path of Torah, ...

Our Gemara on amud beis uses a prooftext from the story of the destruction of Sodom for a halacha regarding the handful of the Mincha offering that is burned on the altar (Vayikra 2:2). The verse ...