Kosher Bookworm
598 results total, viewing 411 - 420
The word “legacy” should bring to mind all the greatness and grandeur that any human being would desire in anyone of spiritual authority. Legacy bespeaks of the bequeathing of knowledge, a code of conduct, honesty, and integrity to a posterity that we wish for ourselves and our progeny. more
With Chanukah still very much on our minds this week, it has been my want to check out some recent and not so recent writings concerning this loved and popular holiday. Among those most recent anthologies received lately is one containing some of the most incisive writings on Jewish related topics by one of the most astute observers of the contemporary scene, Rabbi Avi Shafran. more
The subject of the life’s journey of Joseph, Yosef Hatzaddik, is the subject of weekly Torah readings till the end of December, which includes the festival of Chanukah. more
Rabbi Aryeh Pinchas Strickoff, author of the recently published work, “Inside Chanukah: Fascinating and Intriguing Insights on Chanukah, Its Miracles, and its History” [Feldheim 2012] perhaps said it best in his perceptive opening preface: “Jewish holidays serve a much loftier purpose than simply marking special moments in time or commemorating historical events, though those functions are no doubt important...." more
One of the results of Hurricane Sandy was the damage or destruction of some of the most valuable ritual items of our faith: Torahs, Tefillin, and Mezuzos. These sacred articles represent some of the most expensive and labor-intensive objects used by us on a daily and weekly basis. Each is vulnerable to climactic changes that can result in serious disruption in ritual observances. more
“In 1959 Shlomo Carlebach released his first album – Haneshoma Loch [Songs of My Soul], -- which was an instant hit [selling 5,000 copies the first week] and completely revolutionized Jewish music. ‘The first record caused a musical furor both in the Jewish and non-Jewish worlds,’ recalls musicologist Velvel Pasternak, the foremost authority on contemporary Jewish music in the United States. ‘Rather than the Eastern European gestalt that had characterized Jewish music up until then and with which American Jewish youth couldn’t identify, Shlomo Carlebach’s music was written in an American idiom. more
Well, it is almost here, Election Day, that is. In just two weeks the nation goes to the polls to elect the next president and the excitement can be felt in just about every social venue, with this column being no exception. more
With the world swirling around us with the turmoil of violence and murder, all at the behest of governments and their terrorist surrogates, it behooves us to take a close look at the biblical saga of the Tower of Babel and its role, in antiquity, as the harbinger of the totalitarian rule that has become commonplace today. This week’s essay will be devoted to reviewing several works that deal with this theme from our religious perspective. more
Rabbi Michael Hattin, the gifted commentator and master teacher of Bible at Pardes Institute in Jerusalem, perhaps expressed this sentiment best when he wrote recently that, “The Torah is the most studied book in human history. It has been intensively studied and commented upon for thousands of years. It seems doubtful at this point that anything new could be added to the accumulated material.” more
With the New Year observances now behind us, we begin to look ahead liturgically by considering, in hindsight, what we now conclude by finishing with the annual cycle of Torah readings. more
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