This Shabbat marks seventy-five years of the passing away of my great [literally] grandfather, and I would like to dedicate this article to him. The rabbinic roots of the Fetaya family can be traced back to Hakham Reuven David Nawi (1770-1821). Hakham Reuven was disciple of Hakham Moshe Haim, the…
Esther: No Makeup The Book of Esther was written for the stage. Each scene is elaborately presented with a description of the setting, the decoration, the protagonists and the dialogue. There are main characters which appear in pairs: King and Queen I, King and Queen II, Queen II and Mordechai,…
Biblical Sources Among the many issues readers have mentioned in their queries were the role of mandatory prayer in schools, the amount of time dedicated daily to prayers, the difficulty of finding meaning, length, repetition, inability to understand the words, and the judgmental approach towards, or the feelings of guilt…
Rosh HaShana “Seder” and symbolic actions On both nights of Rosh HaShana, it is customary to bring to the table special foods, known as Simanim or symbols. These foods include apple and honey, pomegranate, and dates, among others. There is no need to eat them, and they are rather meant…
קִידוּשׁ לְרֹאשׁ הַשָׁנָה Hold a cup of wine and recite the Kiddush: וּבְי֨וֹם שִׂמְחַתְכֶ֥ם וּֽבְמוֹעֲדֵיכֶם֘ וּבְרָאשֵׁ֣י חָדְשֵׁיכֶם֒ וּתְקַעְתֶּ֣ם בַּחֲצֹֽצְרֹ֗ת עַ֚ל עֹ֣לֹתֵיכֶ֔ם וְעַ֖ל זִבְחֵ֣י שַׁלְמֵיכֶ֑ם וְהָי֨וּ לָכֶ֤ם לְזִכָּרוֹן֙ לִפְנֵ֣י אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם אֲנִ֖י יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם: On your festive days and on the new month, you shall sound the horn as you bring your…
A New Commentary on the Book of Ruth Introduction: This commentary focuses on the personal and social message of the book of Ruth, and specifically on the personality or Ruth and her relationships with Naomi. My working assumption is that Naomi was a unique and brave woman, and that Ruth,…
Shemot 2017 Righteous women! Because of their merit, the Israelites were redeemed from Egypt. This beautiful statement, found in the Babylonian Talmud (Sotah 11:2), suggests that women played a pivotal role in the Exodus. We read it and think “well, no one can claim that the Rabbis tried to marginalize…
Rashi on Shemot Genesis and Exodus have each its personality. The former starts with cosmic events and segues into the details of the first Hebrew families, while the latter focuses on the nation as whole, and on its journey from slavery to freedom and to nationhood. Rashi’s commentary, accordingly, wears…
In a famous passage in Exodus, God reveals some of His ways to Moses, who is hidden at the crevice of the rock. This very powerful passage is recited numerous times on Kippur with great enthusiasm. To continue the prayer, skip to the next Hebrew section. If you wish to…
Building the Sukkah The sukkah should be built before the holiday, but it could also be built during Hol HaMoed. A Sukkah built under a tree is kosher, as long as it has enough shade of its own. If the branches are very low and close to the Sukkah’s roof,…