 |
 |
| Terror in Toulouse |
| | The tight-knit Jewish community of Toulouse was thrown into turmoil Monday morning, the peace of the southwestern French city shattered by a gunman's bullets. As police counted shell casings, authorities released the names of the deceased, their lives snuffed out just steps from the Ozar Hatorah high school when a man riding a motorcycle opened fire.
By Joshua Runyan |  |
 |
| | Jewish residents of Paris crammed inside the city's historic Synagogue Nazareth Monday evening in an attempt to put words to their shock and grief following the gunning down of three young children and a father outside Toulouse's Ozar Hatorah high school.
By Tamar Runyan |  |
|
| | While they mourn, we must speak for them. We must let the world know that we are not going anywhere, and our voices will only get louder the more others try to quiet us...
By Sara Esther Crispe | |
|
| Vayikra: Sacrifice and Other Important Lessons |
| | Of men and beasts, bullocks and doves, blood and fat, fire and frankincense, sacrifice and pleasure, conscience and culpability, poverty and property . . .
| |
|
| | Streamed live from Encino, California, study the day's section of the weekly Torah portion, followed by a brief section of Tanya, the foundational text of chassidic philosophy. | |
|
| | Experience your largeness, but at the same time feel your smallness. Talents are gifts endowed to you by G‑d. By Chana Weisberg | |
|
| | Why is the letter aleph in the first word of the Torah portion so much smaller than the other letters? Understand this and more according to the Zohar. By Chaim Miller | |
|
| | Yom Kippur atones for sins between man and his Creator, but it does not atone for wrongdoing against another person. The wronged person must be asked for forgiveness.
By Yitschak Meir Kagan | |
|
| | Moses could have demanded entry into the Tabernacle, but he didn't. He humbly demurred. Ironically, it was only on account of his humility that he was invited to enter the Tabernacle.
By Lazer Gurkow | |
|
| Stop and Smell the Flowers |
| | When I close my eyes, I imagine that it's all a game of tug-of-war. I am the rope that each parent is so desperate to gain. They each pull without compromise, determined to win me over.
By Anonymous | |
|
| | I'm building my spiritual photo album. Hopefully, all the pictures will be high resolution, and all graced with genuine smiles. But perhaps I'm missing out on something . . .
By Naftali Silberberg | |
|
| | Cruises are notorious for nonstop, all-you-can-eat breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks. No wonder the average passenger gains eight pounds on the friendly seas!
By Sara Esther Crispe | |
|
| | For many years, my weekly date with my husband has followed an exact formula. Recently, though, we had a surprise. For the first time in many years, we went on a date that was completely different.
By Chana (Jenny) Weisberg | |
|
| Chassidism Corner |
| | On the 27th of Adar the Rebbe suffered a stroke, and spoke no more. How are we to view this event? What does it demand of us?
By Naftali Silberberg | |
|
| | On occasion during the 1950s, Rabbi Yisroel Gordon served as the Rebbe's driver. He recalls some of the wit and humor that he witnessed. | |
|
| | When the rebbe indicated that he would deliver a chassidic discourse, the students began to sing the introductory melody. But, anxious to hear the discourse, they rushed through it . . .
By Eliyahu Schusterman | |
|
| | The manager raised his voice, "That's not acceptable; it must be there. Look again, look well, and bring it to me, fast!"
By Yerachmiel Tilles | |
|
| | This melody is sung by the chassidim at their gatherings, in moments of deep soul-searching. | |
|
| Let's Get Practical |
| | This Torah portion speaks about the central role that salt played in all of the Temple sacrifices. In this class, we will see how this prominence carries over into many common Jewish practices. By Mendel Kaplan | |
|
| | Walking down the street, you find something. An iPod, a wallet, a lost cat. Finders keepers? Or should you leave it and walk on?
| |
|
| On Being Jewish |
| | I feel sated with pride, although my children haven't done anything unusually brilliant—yet. I wonder: is this the way G‑d feels towards us?
By Rochel Holzkenner | |
|
| | The new moon, small as it may be, represents growth. It may be tiny now, but it will grow nightly in the sky until it becomes full and resplendent.
By Yossy Goldman | |
|
| | What is the source of the Jewish sense of humor in our times? Is it nature or nurture?
By Yeruchem Eilfort | |
|
| | Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs, chief rabbi of the Netherlands, describes the rich history of the Jewish people in his native country from medieval times until the present day. By Binyomin Jacobs | |
|
