By Rabbi Haim Ovadia The practice of completing the Torah reading every year has evolved in post-Talmudic times, and gained prominence at around the 7th century. Besides the beginning and the ending points of the reading cycle, the sages who refined the system created several anchors which tied the Torah…
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,…
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,…