As I sit here writing this piece in Jerusalem, I’m enjoying a brief respite from the near-constant sounds of the new train station being built right outside my window. It […]
Judaism 101
Understand the meaning behind Jewish commandments and how they connect to daily life and purpose.
Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz I’m musically gifted and have always dreamed of using my talent in a meaningful way, such as becoming a professional chazzan. But between family, work, and […]
Food From Heaven—And the Food We Call “Natural” Can we imagine what it would be like to wake up one morning and find our food waiting for us — not […]
A Surprising Mitzvah for a Non-Kosher Animal Among the thousands of species of animals on the planet, the donkey stands apart in a most surprising way. Despite being a non-kosher […]
Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz Can a person be too religious, “too frum,” in their commitment to Torah and mitzvot (Torah commandments)? Rabbi Chaim Mintz responds: What Does […]
Why Didn’t Moshe Perform the First Plagues? The time had come for the Egyptians to be held accountable for the suffering they had inflicted upon the Jewish people. God decreed […]
Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz My family has a tradition to commemorate yahrtzeits (nachalot– anniversaries of death) with a seudah (meal) at a restaurant, together with friends. But it has become very expensive, […]
Yaakov’s Final Blessings and the Language of Animals What does it mean that Yaakov (Jacob) compared some of his sons to animals? In this week’s Torah reading Yaakov calls all […]
My son is soon turning three. What do I need to do to prepare for his first haircut? In order to properly prepare for your son’s Chalakah/Upsherin ceremony, be sure […]
Read Upsherin Part 7: A Jewish Boy’s Introduction To Torah and Upsherin Part 9: The Upsherin Preparation Checklist By Rabbi Mayer Smith Upsherin Part 8 Sources: 1 Even Hasapir volume […]