This week’s parasha begins with the story of Jacob’s trip to Haran and his stop in Bet El on his way. Jacob stops in Bet El to spend the night there, and God appears to him in a dream and promises him that he will return to this land, and that his children would be the...

Our Sages instituted a mitzvah to light candles all eight days of Chanukah, when the Jewish people celebrated and gave thanks to God for helping them defeat the Greeks, liberate Jerusalem, and purify the Holy Temple.  In addition, the oil in the Temple’s menorah burned...

Thursday afternoons we meet to learn Mishnayot together. We’re learning Bava Batra which deals with the responsibilities of property owners. It's fun for us to learn together and to hang out because we have a similar manner of thinking. In honor of being the Chavruta o...

Every week, we meet to pursue a common interest: reading Hebrew literature. We read short stories and books that are well-known in Israel and that are part of Israeli culture. We recently read Mitaken Chalomot by Ori Orbach and are currently reading Hakayitz shel Aviya...

One may brush one’s teeth on Shabbat to clean them and to treat bad breath.

Similarly, mouthwash may be used to freshen one’s breath. However, it is proper to refrain from using toothpaste, the same way we refrain from using bar soap or thick liquid soap.

While it is tru...

The first Sabra in the entire Jewish people built his life in the Promised Land, but not everything went easily for him. After several years of wandering, a difficult test comes in the form of years of famine, which forces Yitzhak to find a creative solution for the ba...

When a person prays in a synagogue with a congregation, his prayer is heard (see Berachot6a).

Even someone who missed praying in a minyan has a mitzvah to pray in the synagogue, since it is a permanent and special place of holiness in where prayer is more accepted.

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‘Yom Tov Sheni’ is equivalent to ‘Yom Tov Rishon’ in all its halachot, for everything the Rabbis instituted, is similar to what the Torah commanded.

Thus, all the prohibitions that apply to ‘Yom Tov Rishon’, including Rabbinical prohibitions, also apply to ‘Yo...