Jewish holidays
A path to Jerusalem in the period of the Second Temple.
Why a new year for trees?
“The Etrog,” newly rendered into English.
The connection between the two isn’t obvious.
Found in the diary of a survivor by Yad Vashem.
Why Sephardi Jews throw coins and candy to close the holiday.
The tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tevet (this year, January 1), is one of the more obscure and poorly understood dates on the. . .
The custom of parents giving their children coins on Hanukkah—known as Hanukkah gelt—is well-known today, but goes almost unmentioned in pre-20th-century sources. It seems that. . .
A traditional prayer for rain, recited on this week’s holiday of Shmini Atzeret, invokes a mysterious angel named Af-Bri. It seems this angel is the. . .
The custom of swinging a chicken over one’s head on the eve of Yom Kippur, slaughtering it, and giving it to a poor family was. . .
How a central prayer of the New Year liturgy reveals the day’s true spirit of awe and fear.
The cornerstone of modern society is the individual. Judaism’s prayers and rituals, especially at this time of year, are designed to fulfill the individual’s abiding. . .