Our Sages (Yoma 9) reveal that the Temple was destroyed because of the sin of sinas chinum – “baseless hatred.” The Talmud (Gittin 56) gives an example of the sinas chinum that occurred during that time: A man had a friend named Kamtza and an enemy named Bar Kamtza. He made a party and asked his servant [...]

Parshat Devarim is the beginning of the longest sermon in Jewish history – Moses’ final speech to the Jewish people took 36 days. In this address he reminds them of previous downfalls and prepares them for a new life in the Promised Land, a land he himself was not permitted to enter. I would like [...]

Lashon Hara (Gossip) kills three; the one who said it, the one who listened to it and the one about whom it was said –  Tractate Arachin 15b To Tweet or not to Tweet … that is the (new) question. By now most of you are well aware of what Twitter is and how it [...]

As we read the parsha on a weekly basis and we follow the Jewish people on their journey from slavery to the Promised Land, it is quite breathtaking how often they argue, rebel and refuse to listen to Aaron, Moses and even G-d.  Despite the fact that they are witnessing daily miracles, and are actually being [...]

One of the more well known of Aesop’s fables is the following: An old man on the point of death summoned his sons around him to give them some parting advice. He ordered his servants to bring in a bundle of sticks, and said to his eldest son, “break it.” The son strained and strained, [...]

“You shall make a washstand of copper … for washing, and … Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet … when they enter the Tent of Meeting” – Exodus 30:18-20 The copper washstand used by the Kohanim to wash their hands and feet before serving in the Mishkan was made of a [...]

An archaeologist was digging in the Negev Desert in Israel and came upon a casket containing a well preserved mummy.  After examining it, he called the curator of a prestigious natural-history museum. “I’ve just discovered a 3,000 year-old mummy of a man who died of heart failure!” the excited archaeologist exclaimed. To which the curator replied, [...]

iPhone users can now visit Jewish holiest place from anywhere in the world.  New app called iKotel brings the Western Wall to every Jew in the world. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation has launched an iPhone app that streams live from the Kotel around the clock — except on Shabbat and holidays. The application allows [...]

Build this beautiful jigsaw puzzle of  the Holy Temple – Beit Hamikdash. Look at the screenshots. Universal game good for iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch. Enjoy! Compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad Category: Games Released: December 08, 2010 Publisher: John Jaimovich © JewishApps.net Price: $0.99 (buy app)

Hanukkah is one of the few Jewish holidays not mentioned in the Torah. The story of how Hanukkah came to be is contained in the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees, which are not part of the Jewish canon of the Hebrew Bible. These books tell the story of the Maccabees, a small band of [...]

In this week’s Torah reading we follow the Patriarch Yaakov (Jacob) as he flees Beersheva to avoid a run-in with an enraged and now homicidal twin brother – Eisav (Esau), from whom he has “stolen” their father’s precious blessings. Yaakov leaves his dear parents and goes to stay with a close relative – his uncle [...]

B”H As an exercise in the education of our city-born children, we recently tried a special project with them. Although I groan when I hear people listening to programs like Gardener’s Question Time, and although flowers and plants in our home tend to wither and die very quickly, we thought it would be edifying for [...]

One may not produce incense using the recipe used to make the Ketoret used twice daily in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple). It is forbidden to make ¼, ½ or ¾ or any other ratio of the recipe. If it is made for its aroma, it’s forbidden even if it was not subsequently used. One is [...]

Making sculptures of the human head (with or without the body) is forbidden and is punishable by 39 lashes from Bet Din. Drawing and engravings of heads are permitted. Rings with seals of  human heads: – If the image is engraved, one may own it, but one may not affix a seal with it, since [...]

Upon awakening one should wash ones hands from a cup, alternating between the right and left hand until each hand is washed 3 times. Two reasons are given: – You are starting a new day of serving Hashem; similar to a Cohen who had to wash his hands before serving in the Beit Hamikdash. – [...]