ב"ה
Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah
By the Numbers
Your Questions
Why Circle 7 (or 3) Times on Simchat Torah?
The earliest known source for specifically going around seven times is Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, the Arizal (1534-1572). But he provides no source.
The earliest known source for specifically going around seven times is Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, the Arizal (1534-1572). But he provides no source.
A New Beginning
All my life, I was made to feel different, and if I didn’t play by the rules then I wasn’t a “good,” serious Jew. Is that how I want my son and daughter to feel? Do I have what it takes to connect?
All my life, I was made to feel different, and if I didn’t play by the rules then I wasn’t a “good,” serious Jew. Is that how I want my son and daughter to feel? Do I have what it takes to connect?
How Simchat Torah in Tokyo Touched My Faith
The table was crowded with people I wouldn’t expect to see at a Chassidic gathering.
The table was crowded with people I wouldn’t expect to see at a Chassidic gathering.
Parshah
Moses’ Blessing and Jacob’s Blessing
Parshat V’zot HaBerachah has two focuses: the blessing that Moses bestows on Israel before his death and the account of his death.
Parshat V’zot HaBerachah has two focuses: the blessing that Moses bestows on Israel before his death and the account of his death.
Video
Why the Rebbe Snuck Over the Wartime Border
Rabbi Menachem Teichtel was a refugee student in Vichy France during the war. He recounts just how far the Rebbe was willing to go to uphold a Jewish custom during wartime (circa 1940).
Rabbi Menachem Teichtel was a refugee student in Vichy France during the war. He recounts just how far the Rebbe was willing to go to uphold a Jewish custom during wartime (circa 1940).
Lifestyle
Stuffed Cabbage
Meat and rice, rolled up in cabbage and cooked in a decadent sauce - a Simchat Torah classic. With step-by-step photo instructions.
Meat and rice, rolled up in cabbage and cooked in a decadent sauce - a Simchat Torah classic. With step-by-step photo instructions.
The place of a person does not honor him; rather the person honors his place
— Talmud, Taanit 21a
Print Magazine
For hundreds of years, perhaps since the beginning of Creation, a piece of the world has been waiting for your soul to purify and repair it.
And your soul, from the time it was first emanated and conceived, waited above to descend to this world and carry out that mission.
And your footsteps were guided to reach th...
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