Shabbat the 9th of Av
By Rabbi Dovid Markel Although normative thought would dictate that the Shabbat in which the 9th of Av falls out should be the saddest of the year, the Rebbe-as he was wont to...
Category: HOLIDAYS
Shavuot – Not Just Stories
By Avner Friedmann On Shavuot we relive the experience of the most significant event in all of history; the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The Holy Zohar states,[1] “Woe to those...
Shavuot – What’s the Point?
By Rabbi Dovid Markel The 6th of Sivan commemorates the giving of the Torah to the people of Israel. What is curious though, is that the Talmud (Yuma 28b) states, “Our ancestors were...
Sefira & 28 Nissan
By Rabbi Dovid Markel The verse (Vayikra, 23:15) states: “And you shall count for yourselves, from the morrow of the rest day from the day you bring the omer as a wave offering...
Pesach – Relating the Story
The Power of the Pesach Story
Pesach – Matzah and Chametz
Why Eating Matzah & Nullifying Chametz are limited to the holiday of Pesach.
Shabbos HaGadol – A Great Miracle
By Rabbi Dovid Markel This Shabbos, that which precedes Pesach, is referred to as “Shabbos HaGadol”—The Great Shabbos. While there are various reasons that are postulated as to why this particular Shabbos is...
Rebirth, Equinox and Eclipse
By Rabbi Dovid Markel This Shabbos, in addition to reading the regular parsha, the portion of “HaChodesh,” which describes Nissan as the first month on the Jewish calendar, is read as well. The...
An Overview of Pesach
By Leibel Estrin Nissan Pesach Pesach celebrates the birth of the Jewish nation with the Exodus from Egypt. The Torah calls Pesach z’man cheiruseinu, the “season of our freedom.” Chassidus explains that the...
Purim – I Am and I Don’t Think
By Rabbi Dovid Markel The service of Purim is the reverse of Rene Descartes’ statement “I think therefore I am.” On Purim, we are to be at a point of “Ad dlo yada” –...
