Prayer and Religious Articles
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Praying Outside a Synagogue
Can a person pray outside a synagogue? There is a statement in the Talmud that a person's prayer is heard "only" in a synagogue, but this is not intended literally; it means only that prayer in a synagogue is especially…
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Writing Divine Names
What special regulations apply to writing Divine Names in a Torah scroll? The Talmud in Gittin 54b gives several rulings about the writing of Divine Names. More details are given in Soferim 5:6: After dipping his pen, the scribe shouldn't…
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The Shema
What is the Shema? The Shema consists of three Biblical passages (Deut.6:4-9, Deut.11:13-21, and Num.15:37-41) that contain basic principles of Judaism. The first verse, Deut. 6:4, which begins with the Hebrew word "Shema" (Hear!), affirms the unity of G-d.
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L'chah Dodi
What is the origin of the poem "L'chah Dodi"? L'chah Dodi was written by the kabbalist R.Sh'lomoh ha-Levi Alkabetz of Safed in the mid-1500s. Its stanzas begin with the letters of the author's name: SH-L-M-H H-L-V-Y. It was praised by…
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The Torah Scroll
How is the Torah written, stored, and read? The Torah is written on a parchment scroll. It is kept in the synagogue in a cabinet called the Aron Kodesh ("holy ark"). Sections of it are read at the services on…
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Candles
Why do Jews use candles? Candles are lit before Shabbat because the meal should not be eaten in the dark, and to demonstrate that Ex.35:3 means that fire mustn’t be kindled on Shabbat, but a fire lit before Shabbat is…
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The Maftir
What is the Maftir? After finishing the Parashah on Shabbos or Yom Yov, we reread the last few verses. The person who is called to the Torah for this rereading then reads the Haftarah (a portion from the Prophets). The…
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Women and TZITZIS
>Why don’t women wear TZITZIS? According to the Shulchan Aruch (17:2), women are allowed to wear TZITZIS. But the accepted ruling is that TZITZIS are regarded as men’s ornaments, and it is therefore not proper for women to wear them,…
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The Size of a Torah Scroll
How small and how big can a Torah scroll be? The physical size of a Torah scroll can, in theory, vary greatly. The writing must be large enough to be readable by the naked eye, but a Torah could be…