ב"ה

Balak

Your Questions
Who Was Apostomus, Who Burned a Torah Scroll?

The Mishnah tells us that he burned a Torah scroll on 17 Tammuz. Who was he, and why was this so significant?
How to Explain Death to Small Children

What happens when you die? Where do you go? Is it scary?
May One Teach a Wayward Student?

Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Talmud Torah.
By the Numbers
10 Questions: Take the Books of the Bible Quiz

Do you know Genesis from Jeremiah, and Leviticus from Lamentations? Here’s your chance to test your smarts.
Women
Abigail, King David and the Secret of the Black Halo

The black holes that G‑d sends our way are not always easy to avoid.
Why the Jewish People Await Moshiach

There’s a secret reason the Jewish people have always wanted Moshiach, and that reason is very relevant to your life, right here, and right now.
Video
Never Too Young

Long before his bar mitzvah, the Previous Rebbe was already preoccupied with doing acts of kindness. At age eleven he established a free-loan fund, allowing him to help the needy in a dignified manner.
Jews by Choice, Not by Birth

Rifka and Shalom Chilungu share their story of their path to embracing Judaism, their inspiration and challenges, and what it's like to raise their children as a bi-racial couple.
Story
The Man Who Sold His Place In Heaven

“My pockets are practically empty,” the man said. “I only have one coin left.”
Essay
Nothing More Upright Than a Crooked Ladder

The goal is a month or so at this center, then sober living, and then home.
Melachah of the Week
Boneh - Building

Assembling and building a permanent structure is forbidden on Shabbat, and is the av melachah of Boneh.
Lifestyle
Do not judge your fellow until you have stood in his place
— Ethics of the Fathers 2:4
Print Magazine

A sukkah is an embrace. You sit inside and G‑d is hugging you. All of you, from head to toe.

Whatever you do inside your sukkah—sip a beer, chat with a friend, answer your e‑mail, or just sleep soundly—all is transformed into a mitzvah, a secure and timeless connection with the Infinite.

And then, when you leave the suk...