Don’t Curse the Darkness, Light a Candle
In his essay, “The Legacy of the Maccabees,” Dr. Shaye Cohen writes: “From the perspective of world history and Jewish history, the Hasmonean (Maccabean) revolt was epoch making.
Galilee Diary: Uncertainty Principle
The details of the lunar cycle have been understood for thousands of years.
The Melodies of the Four Questions: Mah Nishtanah Tunes for Passover
Numbers, Stories, and a Long Tradition of Ritual
Parashat Sh'mini —the eighth day; how many of our parashiyot start with a number?
B'haalot'cha: This Passage Is Out of Place
This week’s Torah portion, B’haalot’cha, begins with the instructions for the lifting up of “the lamps,” haneirot, to illuminate the Tabernacle. The initial letter of the word, “lamp,” neir, is nun.
Hanukkah
"Dedication;" the joyous eight-day celebration during which Jews commemorate the victory of the Macabees over the armies of Syria in 165 B.C.E. and the subsequent liberation and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.