ב"ה

Devarim

By the Numbers
13 Little-Known Jewish Funeral Traditions

The Jewish funeral is rich with customs and traditions ranging from well known to obscure.
9 Questions: Take the 9 Days Quiz

Here is a quick way to make sure you are up to speed on this special period and its significance.
10 Things I Learned From My Friend Itty Ainsworth

Share the love you have with someone who needs it.
Your Questions
Who Authored the Kinot Said on Tisha B'Av?

Some of the authors are well known, some are known by name only, and others are anonymous.
Tisha B’Av That Falls on Shabbat or Sunday
On Shabbat, all public displays of mourning are strictly prohibited. This causes changes in many of the Tisha B’Av laws and customs.
Teaching Self-Control

My ten-year-old is a sweet boy who is usually pleasant and polite. However, he has a habit of calling my daughter names even though he is aware how sensitive she is, and sometimes, when he gets excited, he will grab her around the neck and squeeze her a little too hard.
Parshah
Can You Travel Back in Time? Kind Of…

One of the most powerful tools we humans possess is the ability to rewrite our own past by reframing the story.
Criticism: Constructive or Counter Productive?

What’s the best way to influence people to modify their behavior?
Essay
Make It Real

The vision which we see on Shabbat Chazon is to inspire a change so fundamental that we will turn that vision of the Third Temple into actual physical reality . . .
Colorblindness and the Tragedy of Tisha B’Av

Perhaps we were not just mourning the actual physical destruction of both Temples, but also our inability to imagine the world before this tragedy.
When Is a Jew No Longer Jewish?

A Jew is a Jew, always.
Video
From a Mormon in Utah to a Jew in Wisconsin

Basya Edelstein shares her journey, as someone who grew up as a Mormon in Utah, to discover her place in Judaism.
The Center of Judaism

The verse states: “They shall build me a Temple, and I will dwell within them.” Our sages teach us that “within them” refers to every Jewish heart. Each and every single one of us, and the entire Jewish people, all share the mission of bringing the light of Judaism out to the entire world.
Lifestyle
Our Rebbe revives the dead. What is a corpse? Something cold and unfeeling. Life is movement, warmth, excitement. Is there anything as frozen in self-absorption, as cold and unfeeling as the mind? And when the cold-blooded mind understands, comprehends, and is excited by a G-dly idea - is this not a revival of the dead?
— The disciples of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi
Print Magazine

A Jew entered the Alter Rebbe’s study and said, “Rebbe, I am a simple man. Please explain to me: What is this holiday of Shemini Atzeret?”

The Alter Rebbe held his head in his hands for a moment. Then he answered:

“For a long journey, you might make a concentrate of the food and drink you will need for the way. At every...