Archive for ד׳ בטבת ה׳תשע״ב (December 30, 2011)

Yehuda HaKohen’s Weekly Torah Thoughts: PARSHAT VAYIGASH

“Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt in the region of Goshen; they acquired property in it and they were fruitful and multiplied greatly.” (BEREISHIT 47:27) On this verse, the Kli Yakar comments that the Children of Israel no longer regarded themselves as aliens sojourning in Egypt but rather as permanent residents. He further [...]

Malkah Scarfs Down Doughnuts Online

Become a Legend

One of the themes of Channukah commonly focused on is the idea of dispelling darkness with light. This is physically represented by the central mitzvah of Channukah – lighting the Menorah. Conceptually it is the light of Torah dispelling the darkness of Greek thought and culture. One may make the mistake of oversimplifying things by [...]

Where Have All the Maccabees Gone?

GENIUS.  Thanks to my mother-in-law, Zhenia Fleisher, for cluing me into this. ————————————– AMERICA’S JEWS AND ISRAEL By Gerald Blidstein From Tradition, Vol. 18 No. I, Summer 1979  ”…uphold… ideas long enough, frequently enough, and with inspiration, and some young people are not only going to believe in them, they are going to believe in them [...]

Culture Wars: From the Maccabees to Matisyahu’s Beard

My new article @JewishPress: The war is as fierce today as it ever was. It is a battle for culture and identity and it is the same war the Maccabees fought oh so long ago. While the original Hanukkah victory had a military component, the battle was certainly first and foremost a fight against cultural [...]

Happy Yud Tet Kislev!

What do Jewish life in the Land of Israel and Chassidut have in common?  Find out from Yishai, wishing you a Happy Chassidic New Year!

An American Oleh – a response to Jeffrey Goldberg

This was written by our friend Baruch in response to Jeffrey Goldeberg’s rant against the Israeli ads encouraging ex-patriots living in America to return to Israel:   Dear Brother Jeff, (Can I call You Jeff?)   I have been following your outrage as a result of the widely successful “Anti Diaspora” ad campaign.  As one [...]

Hanukkah’s Coming! Yay!

Hanukkah’s almost here!  Hooray! Hanukkah is the eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem following its successful liberation from powerful Greek occupiers by a fearless Jewish underground militia led by the Maccabee clan. Miraculous events surrounding the emancipation of the Temple from the cruel and idolatrous Greek [...]

Listen to Al Jazeera’s Final Words on the Jewish Sluggish Homecoming