Jews and Darfur: An Open Letter to the Jewish Community

Dear Friends: Let me begin by apologizing in advance for what follows. It is not my intention to lecture anyone about anything. I am no tzaddik, to be sure, and I have no right to preach about righteousness to anyone, let alone members of a community who, in many cases, have a moral compass much truer than mine and whose commitment to Torah puts mine to shame. Having said that, I am unable to keep silent about the subject that follows, so here goes: Over the past few weeks, much discourse (both public... Read more »

Party Planning for a Bar-Mitzvah

A Bar-Mitzvah is the ceremony of a 13-year old boy. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate the coming of age. This religious observance is important for the faith of this group of people. It is vital to plan a Bar-Mitzvah accordingly to the ancient practices and to be a part of this event. An individual could complete this goal with limited or a lot of effort. It is a simple step in ensuring the young man enters adulthood painlessly. It is vital to begin planning this party at... Read more »

The Tales of the Tallit

A tallit (also known as a prayer shawl, especially by Christians) is a rectangle or square cloth with tzitzit (fringes) on each of the four corners and an atarah along the collar. It is worn in obedience to the biblical commandment to wear tzitzit found in Numbers 15:37-41. The passage reads: “The L-RD also spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and... Read more »

Simply Shofars - A Natural Item with a Beautiful Sound

A shofar is a natural instrument made from a ram’s horn (ashkenazi shofar) or an African antelope yemenite shofar). In ancient times, it was blown during religious ceremonies as well as a signal for battle. Today, shofars are blown during the high holiday services, during Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur. Sometimes educators will bring a shofar into school to teach on the ancient traditions, and increasingly more and more Christians are using shofars during their worship times. Besides... Read more »

The Seven Branch Menorah - Symbol of the Jewish Faith

The 7-branch menorah is one of the oldest symbols of the Jewish faith. It is found mostly in temples and synagogues, often up front as an item by itself, and also as a design in stained glass windows, ceilings & wall murals, paintings, sculptures, and more. Interestingly, increasingly some churches also have seven branch menorahs in their sanctuaries to remind them of the menorah that once stood in the Temple in Jerusalem. Although, this should not be such a surprise bearing in mind the menorah’s... Read more »

The Mighty Mezzuzah on the Doorpost

A mezzuzah is a container that holds a kosher parchment, which is then affixed to the doorpost of Jewish homes. In order for the parchment to be kosher, it has to be hand-written by a sopher, a Jewish scribe, and it has to be in perfect condition; this is why the parchment is often more expensive than the mezzuzah case itself! Note, that the parchment is always sold separately - if there is a piece of paper that comes with the mezzuzah, the chances are it is not a kosher parchment! The first line... Read more »

Kippahs - To Wear or Not to Wear!

The kippah is a Jewish head covering generally worn by a religious Jewish man. You may also see it referred to as a yarmulke. In Yiddish, a kippah is referred to as a koppel, and in English, as a skull cap. Wearing kippahs came into practice during medieval times as a way to show respect to God and it is interesting that while for most of the world it is respectful to take your hat or head covering off, in Judaism it is considered respectful to have your head covered! According to the Talmud (Kiddushin... Read more »