Muffin. The word may elicit visions of a huge chocolate chip filled sweet confection, or a flat disc-shaped yeast-risen dough that must be toasted before eating. Both have interesting …
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By Joni Schockett
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2/14/18
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Among the wisest takes on the very nature of the Purim holiday was that by Rabbi Zechariah Fendel of blessed memory who stated in the introduction to his book, “Purim: Season of Miracles” …
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By Alan Jay Gerber
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2/14/18
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This week’s parsha, Mishpatim, begins with G-d commanding Moses: “And these are the ordinances that you shall set before them.” Rashi comments that G-d instructed Moses not to teach …
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By Rabbi Marc D. Angel
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2/7/18
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The mishpatim are most often viewed as a category of laws the Jewish people theoretically could have formulated on their own. In many instances, Torah contrasts these with the term chukim, as we find …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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2/7/18
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According to the Sefer HaChinukh, there are 53 mitzvot in Parshat Mishpatim. Other than in similarly mitzvah-laden parshas (such as Re’eh, Shoftim, Ki Tetze, and possibly Kedoshim) it is hard …
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By Rabbi Avi Billet
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2/7/18
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February is national chocolate month. While Ashkenazic Jews came to chocolate a bit late, Sephardic Jews enjoyed it for centuries. My grandmothers never used chocolate in …
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By Joni Schockett
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2/7/18
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I had an aunt who was a kindergarten teacher for many years. She once told me about a child who would bite other children. No amount of persuasion seemed to work. Then one day, when he was caught …
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By Rabbi Binny Freedman
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2/7/18
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My apologies for playing hooky the last few weeks. On Jan. 21 at 7:20 am I became a grandmother for the very first time. And yes, it is everything that everyone described it would be.
There was …
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By Judy Joszef
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2/7/18
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Just in time for Purim, Megillat Esther Mesorat HaRav, published by OU Press and Koren Publishers, is a welcome addition to the literature about Megillat Esther. The book contains, alongside the text …
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By Alan Jay Gerber
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2/7/18
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A mistaken belief regarding the Obama administration’s IRS scandal was that it only targeted Tea Party and conservative groups. One of the organizations targeted by the IRS for denial of …
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By Jeff Dunetz
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2/7/18
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