What Do a Post-Biblical Minor Holiday and the Holiest Day of the Year Have in Common?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 11, 2022 | 15th of Av, Community, Happiness and Joy, Israel, Marriage and Relationships, Ninth of Av, Psalms, Temple, Yom Kippur

The fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Av is a post-biblical holiday. According to Jewish tradition, it is one of the happiest days of the year, as the Mishna states: “Israel had no holidays as joyous as Tu B’Av (the 15th of the Hebrew month of Av) and Yom Kippur...

Women Who Kill – and Women Who Give Life

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 27, 2022 | Korach, Marriage and Relationships, Proverbs

Who are you? This question seems deceptively simple, answered with a quick look at your driver’s license. But it is, in fact, a deeply complex question, one that we spend our entire lives answering and re-answering. A person’s identity is the sum total of all his...

Are Children Worth the Bother?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 15, 2022 | Beha'alotcha, Marriage and Relationships, Parenting

Whenever I get into theological discussions with clergy of any faith, I always make the claim that God created man, and remains involved in our lives, because of our children. Though it may not be the final word in any religious debate, it always draws a few moments...

Why Are There Limitations Regarding Who a Priest Can Marry?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 11, 2022 | Emor, Marriage and Relationships, Purity, Temple

Until the Exodus from Egypt, the patriarchs had an individual relationship with God, bringing sacrifices wherever and whenever they felt the calling. But when God brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt, what had been a clan, a loose conglomeration of individuals,...

The Ritual Bath: A Spiritual Rebirth

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 7, 2022 | Marriage and Relationships, Metzorah, Modesty, Purity, Repentance, Temple

In modern times, we rarely think of the state of our spiritual purity. We can go into a synagogue, travel where we want, handle fruits and vegetables and sit on any chair without thinking about the spiritual ramifications. But in ancient Israel, when the Temple stood,...

The Status of the Menstruant Woman

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 5, 2022 | Chosen Nation, Holiness, Marriage and Relationships, Metzorah, Modesty, Purity

When a woman has her menstrual period she becomes ritually impure. The Torah laws concerning this (referred to as the laws of niddah) are the basis of family purity, one of the most important aspects of the Jews’ status as a holy nation. This Torah portion of...