This week, not one but two viciously anti-semitic articles were written in two major New York based news outlets. I heard about the New York Times article first, from Newsweek deputy opinion editor, Batya Ungar-Sargon. Her tweet summed up the article perfectly: Who needs the Daily Stormer when you’ve got the New York Times? An […]
We always focus on the obvious miracles of Chanukah: the miraculous military victory of a small band of fighters against a might army, the fact that the Maccabees found a small jar of oil in the rubble of the Holy Temple and that that oil burned for eight days, when it should have only lasted […]
What’s the purpose of a miracle? There are of course many answers, including those that are specific to the particular miracle in question. For instance, I recently learned how Abarbanel (15th-century Portuguese commentator) explains the purpose of one particular miraculous moment in the Book of Judges. In Judges Chapter 13, a malach appears to the […]
Dear Jew in the City- What’s the significance of the number eight in the Chanukah story? Thank you, Noam Dear Noam – Sometimes I read a question and I have to ask, “What’s this person really asking?” This is one of those times. The reason I don’t take your question at face value is because […]
When you dig into your Thanksgiving turkey this year, remember that it’s not only an American tradition, and an opportunity to express gratitude for our great country, but a mitzvah. Surprised? Let me explain. The Torah, in Leviticus Chapter 7, discusses a “korban todah”—a “thanksgiving sacrifice.” The commentator Rashi explains that a person brought such […]
In discussing the Sukkot holiday, a friend of mine expressed an interest in learning “how to celebrate without a sukkah and make it meaningful.” A quick search informed me that Google has answers to that question, but not ones that spoke to me – at least, not at first glance. I found several pre-pandemic articles […]
