Going Up in Holiness
Nov 27, 2010 By David Levy | Commentary | Vayeshev | Hanukkah
Next Wednesday night, Hanukkah begins and Jews all over the world will gather around the menorah to light one candle for the first night of Hanukkah. We take it for granted that we light a candle on the first night, two on the second, and so on, but it could have been different.
Read MoreThe True Story of Hanukkah
Dec 4, 2010 By Benjamin D. Sommer | Commentary | Hanukkah
What is Hanukkah really about? There are several answers to a question like this, since the meaning of a holiday or ritual develops and grows over time. I’d like to point out a fascinating tension between two understandings of Hanukkah that becomes clear from examining two popular songs many of us sing after lighting the candles.
Read MoreSeeing the World Around Us
Sep 18, 2010 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Yom Kippur
On Rosh Hashanah our view is panoramic; on Yom Kippur it is myopic. This difference between the two holidays is intentional; the holidays are designed to live in stark contrast. Remarkably, just eight days ago, our focus was totally different than it is now. On Rosh Hashanah, for example, we gaze globally; on Yom Kippur, we exist locally.
Read MoreUshpizin
Oct 2, 2015 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Commentary | Sukkot
Ushpizin, (literally, “guests”) is the tradition of inviting the exalted men and women of the Bible into our sukkot. Each year, since 5772, professional and novice artists including JTS students, faculty, and staff have taken the concept of ushpizin as the centerpiece and inspiration for an art installation in the famed sukkot built each year in the JTS courtyard. Part of the JTS Arts Initiative, the sukkot exhibit is managed under the guidance of Tobi Kahn, JTS artist-in-residence.
Read MoreInnovation in Jewish Tradition
Oct 3, 2009 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Sukkot
I have yet to cave and get a Kindle, but I will be honest and say that it will probably be within a few weeks. From my years of schooling, I have gained an appreciation for, and on some level, a preference for the printed word—that is, a tangible, heavy, dusty, written word. I like holding a book, turning the pages, feeling the weight of the paper—and the Kindle just seems to fall flat. Nonetheless, the idea of browsing The New Republic and Commentary Magazine on one device seems almost a little bit too exciting to pass up.
Read MoreAn Oasis of Freedom and Justice
Jul 28, 2017 By Daniel Nevins | Commentary | Tishah Be'av
“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”
Read MoreThe Laws of Tisha Be’Av
Jul 15, 2013 By Isaac Klein | Tishah Be'av
From: A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice
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