The Birnbaum Siddur — who among us has never heard of that iconic prayer book? Yes, iconic, inasmuch as it was among the most popular siddurim of the mid-20th century. But who was … more

This week, Priority-1 will host its 23rd annual Motzei Shabbos Tanach shiur on Psalms 46 and 47, with its veteran maggid shiur, Dr. Alex Bruckstein. Psalm 47 should be familiar to most of us as … more

Last week I presented an excellent essay, Achieving Kavana: Praying from the Heart, by Rookie Billet, featured in a new prayerbook, Siddur Avodat Halev (Rabbinical Council of America, 2018). This … more

Recently the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), together with Koren Publishers, released a new prayer book titled Siddur Avodat Halev, the third time the RCA has published a siddur under its … more

This year, the 80th anniversary of the Kristallnacht atrocities, coincided by a week with the Pittsburgh massacre. Each event in its time served to shake our people to the core. This week, an … more

The awesome massacre in Pittsburgh this past weekend casts a pall of irony and horror on the upcoming observance of the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht. Of all the essays that I have read in … more

With the advent of the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, I will dedicate the next two reviews to the history of Holocaust tragedies, as they relate to us and our children. This week I am … more

We should know by now that kavvana, or the use of deep meaning and concentration, has been at the heart of the study of prayer in Jewish law and practice throughout our history. In his study on … more

Rabbi Alex Israel, the author of this week’s essay, teaches Bible at Pardes in Jerusalem and is the director of its Community Education Programs. Born and raised in London, he holds degrees … more

Recently, Dr. Meir Wikler published the fascinating “Behind Closed Doors: Over 45 Years of Helping People Overcome Their Challenges” (Menucha Publishers). The distinguished rabbi and … more