"Maoz Tzur" is a popular Hanukkah song that many Jews sing without fully understanding its meaning or central theme. The song is structured with six stanzas,...

In this article, the author explores the usage of Psalm 24, "Le-David Mizmor," in the Rosh Hashanah tefillah service. Psalm 24 is recited four times througho...

Ruth, a Moabite former princess, converted and joined the Jewish people, ultimately becoming the ancestor of King David. Different interpretations of Ruth's ...

The author discusses the practice of lighting Hanukkah candles in between the prayers of minhah and maariv, as a communal obligation. The author's students a...

The shaking of the lulav during Sukkot is a familiar and important ritual, but few people understand the reasons behind the different directions in which the...

The author discusses the order of prayers in traditional Jewish siddurim, specifically focusing on the opening of the morning prayers. He explains that the S...

The author discusses the role of young children in the Orthodox synagogue in the post-COVID era. They note that many children have not attended regular servi...

The author explores the implications of Jewish liturgy, particularly in relation to the fast of the tenth of Tevet. He argues that the liturgy conveys histor...

The author discusses the concept of tehum shabbat, which determines the range of permitted walking for Jews on Shabbat. The tehum shabbat restricts Jews from...

Rabbi Yaakov Jaffe discusses the prophet Amos's parable in which a famine for the Words of Hashem is described, leading to a thirst for divine teachings. He ...