Jewish Fasting Laws and Guidelines Jewish law is called halachah, from the Hebrew word holech, to walk. The laws of the Torah shine their light upon every part of our […]
Judaism 101
Explore deep Jewish concepts like free will, the soul, and Divine Providence—made approachable.
The Message Behind the Plague of Snakes An intriguing episode in our parashah raises many questions. The Jews expressed their deep dissatisfaction with the mann (manna), resulting in a deadly […]
There is a Gemara (Talmud) in Ta’anit which has bothered me for many years. In it (23a), Rabbi Yochanan tells us that all his life, Choni HaMa’agal (of “circle-in-the-sand-until-it-rains” fame) […]
The Danger of Machloket In this week’s Torah reading, we are exposed to the awful consequences of machloket—unwarranted fighting. Korach gathered a following and challenged Moshe (Moses) over the appointment […]
A Plague and an Unusual Cure After Korach and his followers were swallowed alive by the earth, a fierce protest erupted against Moshe (Moses) and Aharon (Aaron). “You have killed […]
Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz When my father passed away, he was buried in Jerusalem. I traveled there to be part of the funeral, but when it came time […]
What Is the Meaning of Tzitzit? Tzitzit is a mitzvah (Torah commandment) like no other. Not only is it considered equal to all 613 mitzvot, but each second we wear […]
This week’s Torah reading contains the mitzvah (commandment) of not straying after our eyes (Bamidbar 15:39). The Biur Halachah (1:1) states that this prohibition includes the general pursuit of materialistic […]
Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz When we study Torah and Talmud, we spend so much time analyzing opinions that are not accepted in practice. Why are Talmud debates […]
Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz Why is the Jewish nation divided into twelve shevatim (tribes), something that in time led to division and even war? Wouldn’t it have […]
