At the beginning of Parshat Behar, when the Torah describes the laws studied at Mt. Sinai, Rashi asks a question that is well-known by those who study his commentary: What does the topic of shmittah … more

Judy’s off this week (getting ready for Thanksgiving, perhaps), so we’re reprinting her Thanksgiving column from 2012. As a kid, Thanksgiving meant a couple of days off from school, … more

Our parasha contains two pasukim that reiterate the prohibition of avodah zarah (idol worship) and its practices, the commandment to completely destroy all monuments associated with idol worship … more

When Mark Rosenblatt touched down at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on April 5 and powered on his cell phone, he got the surprise of his mobile technology life. Rosenblatt received a text message … more

This year, two days before Rosh Hashona, it will be my dear dad’s 15th yahrzeit. Hard to believe it has been that long already. My dad was a member of the Young Israel-Beth El of Boro Park … more

A Palestinian state in Israel’s backyard, international control over Jerusalem’s Old City, and the mass expulsion of tens of thousands of Jews from Judea and Samaria: Is this the … more

Israel withdrew from Gaza 13 years ago. But on almost every news site, you’ll find the Gaza Strip reported as a territory “occupied” by Israel. Here’s the reality: Israel … more

Recently the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), together with Koren Publishers, released a new prayer book titled Siddur Avodat Halev, the third time the RCA has published a siddur under its … more

Last week’s Kosher Bookworm featured an excerpt from a new book by Rabbi Avi Feiner of Lawrence, “Purim Eternal: Inspiration and Depth” (Mosaica Press, 2019). This week, in an … more

This week we are focusing on an autobiography of Isaac Sturm, titled Filling in the Pieces: A Survival Story of the Holocaust [Gefen Publishing, 2019], timed to the upcoming observance of the Three … more