How Broad is the Broad Wall?
Today we marked the 10th day of the Hebrew month of Tevet with a fast. According to tradition, on this day the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar…
Dearly Departed on Mt. Carmel
Death is one of the hardest challenges for humanity. One of the attributes which distinguished people from other animals is there care for and respect…
A Great Miracle Happened (W)here – Eleasa
INCOMPLETE WORK This series about the battles of Hanukkah is ending; today is the 8th and last day of the holiday and this will be…
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A Great Miracle Happened (W)here? – Adasa
JEWISH AMERICAN OR AMERICAN JEW? With recent tragedies in Jewish communities around the world, this question of Jewish identity is very current. These same themes…
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A Great Miracle Happened (W)here? – Capharsalma
THE TRAP After the turmoil in the Seleucid government settles down, focus is again returned to Judea. The new emperor, Demetrius I, who lied and…
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A Great Miracle Happened (W)here? – Beit Zecharia
FAILURE AND LOSS The fifth battle, the Battle of Beit Zecharia, is one that Judah Maccabeus does not win. It took place between Beit Tzur…
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A Great Miracle Happened (W)here – Beit Tzur
NATURE ABHORS A VACUUM After the routing in the Battle of Emmaus, Lysias himself comes to wage war against Judah Maccabeus. He also changes tactics…
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A Great Miracle Happened (W)here? – Emmaus
DAVID VS. GOLIATH When we arrive at the third battle, there is a paradigm shift. Josephus and I Maccabees, which gave only a few sentences…
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A Great Miracle Happened (W)here? – Beit Horon Ascent
MAKE ME FAMOUS The second battle of Judah Maccabeus which occurred less than a year after the first battle is spearheaded by an ambitious fellow -…
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A Great Miracle Happened (W)here – A General’s Battle
We celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah by lighting candles for 8 nights. Why 8 nights? Some say because of the miracle of the oil -…
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