Tzemach – the last battle
The Sea of Galilee laps at our heels so peacefully. It's difficult to imagine that a battle fought here at Tzemach, on the southern edge…
Tshuva/Repentance
Tshuva/Repentance is an important concept in religious thought and practice. Let's face it - as difficult as it may be to stomach, we are just…
Mourning for the Destruction Of…
Today, on the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av, we mark the destruction of the Temples. The destruction of the First Temple, as documented…
Hanukkah Series
Here is a compilation of Hanukkah Series by year: 2021 Series: Hasmonean Rulers Simon Thassi - Founder of a StateJohn Hyrcanus - Push Out, Dig…
Liberal Arts and Sciences
There's an assault these days against the type of liberal arts education I enjoyed at the University of Pittsburgh. I majored in Philosophy because it…
Counting the Days
"Blessed are you, God, our God, King of the world, who has commanded us to count the Omer. Today is the 25th day of the…
Exodus and Hyksos
As we focus on the Exodus narrative during the holiday of Passover, one issue which arises for many is the historical accuracy of the events. …
A Date for Passover
This year the calendar for Passover comes out very unusually. The night for the Passover Seder, the festive meal eaten to commemorate being liberated from…
Bronze to Iron – Creation of Soul
Burial and ideas about the afterlife are topics which have interested me for quite some time. I'm particularly interested in the historical changes which accompany…
Peaceful Transfer of Power
Today, what's on everyone's mind is the transfer of power. How this has happened in the past is a topic which interests me greatly (see…
