Why is the first haircut so significant in Jewish tradition? When a Jewish man receives a haircut, he must be sure not to completely remove his pe’ot (side locks). The […]
Judaism 101
Understand the meaning behind Jewish commandments and how they connect to daily life and purpose.
First Haircut Chalakah or Upsherin1 refers to the Jewish custom of cutting a boy’s hair at his third birthday.2 In many Jewish communities, they refrain from cutting a young boy’s […]
Power Prayers On each day of Chanukah, we recite the full Hallel during Shacharit prayers. This beautiful tefillah, often sung, is a heartfelt expression of praise and gratitude to Hashem […]
How? On the first night of Chanukah, one candle is lit. Each night after that, one candle is added to the menorah so that by the eighth night, eight candles […]
Who’s Who? Jewish Year/Secular Year Event 0/3760 BCE Creation of the World 2448/1312 BCE Hashem takes the Jews out of Egypt and gives them the Torah at Har Sinai 2928/832 […]
Chanukah is a joyful eight-day holiday celebrated in early winter, usually in December. It commemorates events that took place nearly 2,200 years ago! Back then, the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple) […]
The Mishna teaches, ‘Be bold as a leopard… and strong as a lion, to do the will of your Father Who is in Heaven.” Lions and Leopards The Chidushei Harim1 […]
Avraham’s Search for a Burial Plot In this week’s Torah reading, Avraham (Abraham) was searching for a suitable burial plot for his deceased wife, Sara. He took interest in a plot […]
How We Keep Shabbat: This table is a short overview of the 39 melachot (activities prohibited on Shabbat). However, the laws and details of Shabbat are complex and must be […]
What Is Shamor? “שָׁמוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוְּךָ ד’ אֱלֹקיךָ” Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as Hashem your God commanded you. Devarim 5:11 Shamor means […]
