admin | October 28, 2020
Photo Credit: Jewish Press I recently acquired a volume of the Rif printed in Venice by Daniel Bomberg in 1521.The Rif is the most significant halachic compendium prior to the Mishneh Torah, and R. Joseph Caro based his Shulchan Aruch on it, Maimonides, and the Rosh.
admin | October 28, 2020
(JTA) I grew up in the Williamsburg and Borough Park neighborhoods of Brooklyn.At my Orthodox Jewish day school, I studied the Torah and Jewish law.Our rabbis, many of whom had been trained in the great Talmudic academies of eastern Europe, always focused on the primary role of choosing life.In Hebrew this is called Pikuach Nefesh. The biblical commandment is derived from Deuteronomy 3:19-20: I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse.
admin | October 28, 2020
By Rabbi Avi Billet This column is reprinted from 2008. Reading the story of the dispersion at the beginning of chapter 11, it is hard to see where the people went wrong
admin | October 28, 2020
At the very heart of our Biblical tradition is this commandment from the Book of Leviticus: You shall not stand idly by the blood of your fellow. (Leviticus 19:16) If we see our sisters or brothers in danger, our job is simple: provide that help, come to their aid, do what is in our power to protect them and save them. In the midst of a global pandemic, we feel the call to protect and promote the health and well-being of others even more urgently.
admin | October 28, 2020
JTA I grew up in the Williamsburg and Borough Park neighborhoods of Brooklyn. At my Orthodox Jewish day school, I studied the Torah and Jewish law
admin | October 28, 2020
A new course taught by Rabbi David Katz at Bnai Sholom Reform Congregation in Albany will look at the effect of gossip and how individuals and society respond to it. On Gossip will be offered four Tuesdays beginning Nov. 3, from 10 to 11 a.m.
admin | October 28, 2020
As the US elections draw near, any number of Doomsday predictions fill the airwaves. In one scenario, Donald Trump is reelected. But even before the final tally is in, massive riots and looting some spontaneous, others pre-planned are launched on American streets.
admin | October 28, 2020
Over the recent holiday I was sitting in the sukkah and pondering the meaning of the Ushpizin, the unusual custom in which we invite Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David to our sukkah. Aside from the pressure this adds to my need to embellish the meal for such illustrious guests, I was confused as to why we actually do this. Then I had an epiphany.Doesnt the Talmud say that the Temples altar stood on land belonging to the tribe of Benjamin giving it the status of being an ushpizkhan of the Divine presence?
admin | October 28, 2020
Each new day seems to bring with it historic good news from the Middle East.Augusts surprise announcement of the United States-brokered Abraham AccordsPeace Agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel was followed amonth later by a similar agreement between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Israel.The two Arab states and Israel signed their respective agreements on the WhiteHouse lawn on Sept. 15, and it has been a flurry of firsts ever since: directcommercial flights, delegation exchanges, embassy applications.
admin | October 28, 2020
By David Rullo Two years after the shooting at the Tree of Life building, Bound in the Bond of Life: Pittsburgh Writers Reflect on the Tree of Life Tragedy collects essays from 24 writers as they attempt to make sense of the Oct. 27, 2018, tragedy. The Pittsburgh journalists, spiritual leaders, historians, writers, poets and academics presented in the collection share their pain, fear, confusion and anger in writings that are scholarly and personal, raw and profound.
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