The Calendar and Holidays (incl. Sabbath)
- Chanukah
- Other Holidays and Fasts
- Passover
- Purim
- Rosh HaShanah
- Shavuos
- Sukkos
- The Jewish Calendar
- The Sabbath
- Yom Kippur
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Blessing for New Blossoms
Can the blessing on blossom (said on sight of the first blossom of a fruit tree in Nissan) be said on sight of blossom on a branch which has been removed recently from the tree, or does the blossom need…
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Purim not Being Mentioned in the Torah
Why do we celebrate Purim when it isn’t mentioned in the Torah? Moses was commanded about many holidays, but not about the ones that celebrate events that occurred after his time, such as Chanukah and Purim. Both of these holidays…
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Amalek and the Messiah
I know that one of Moshiach’s (Messiah) tasks is to rid the world of the nation of Amalek. Up until recently I understood this to be a literal killing of a nation who has always been our arch enemy. Recently,…
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Purim for a Mourner
A dear friend lost his father a few months ago. I am aware that he is not to engage in anything celebratory for the following 11 months as part of the mourning customs. What is the story with Purim? Does…
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Habit and Change
I’ve been doing something that I now realize is wrong, but I’ve been doing it so long that it’s become habitual. It’s an uphill battle. I’m working to improve my performance, but I often seem to fall back into my…
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Yehudit
What is the meaning of the name Yehudit? Where is her name found in the bible? Yehudit means a Jewess. It is from the Torah and its male counterpart is Yehudah, which was one of the tribes is Israel, but…
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Plague of Darkness and Egyptian Possessions
During Egyptian plague of darkness did the Jews ransack Egyptian homes for gold/jewelry because G-d had said they would not leave Egypt poor, but rich? Isn’t this stealing? During the plague of darkness the Jews did not ransack the Egyptian…
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Intermarriage of Esther and Achashveirosh
How could Esther marry Achashveirosh, intermarrying with a non Jew? Why was Esther’s agreement to do seen favorably? Esther was in a situation where she had to act in order to save her people. She was not married, so it…