Monthly Archives: abril 2025

The Midrash is a method of interpreting biblical stories that goes beyond their simple meaning. It fills in the gaps in the biblical narrative that are only hinted at in relation to an event. The purpose is to understand difficult … Seguir leyendo →

Both Conservative or Masorti Judaism and Orthodox Judaism consider the observance of halakha as fundamental. Both maintain that Jewish law, halakha, is defined by the Torah, the Mishnah, the Talmud, the codes, and rabbinic responsa. Both believe that the commandments … Seguir leyendo →

Celebrating Purim, like Hanukkah, does not derive from a divine commandment, unlike the festivals mentioned in the Torah, so it is a holiday of more recent origin. Some biblical scholars, such as Hayyim Schauss, maintain that Purim initially arose among … Seguir leyendo →

Josephus ben Mattithiahu was born in Jerusalem in 37 CE, during the Roman occupation of the Land of Israel, and died in Rome at the end of the first century CE. As a young man, he was sent to that … Seguir leyendo →

From the beginning of Rabbinic Judaism until the mid-20th century, all rabbis had been men. This changed with the arrival of liberal movements, which began ordaining women rabbis institutionally since 1972, when the first female Reform rabbi was ordained. Reconstructionist … Seguir leyendo →

The Torah is very clear in its prohibition against eating chametz or mixtures containing chametz, against possessing chametz in our homes, and against removing chametz from our homes during the celebration of the Passover holiday. This is stated in several … Seguir leyendo →

Regina Jonas was born in Berlin in 1902. Her father, a merchant, was probably her first teacher. Her passion for Jewish history, the Bible, and Hebrew was evident from high school, where her classmates remember her talking about becoming a … Seguir leyendo →

In Parasha Beshalach, the Torah tells us that when the Israelites finally reached the Red Sea, they realized that Pharaoh and his army were pursuing them. They were trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the sea. But God told Moses to … Seguir leyendo →

Hanukkah is the Jewish festival that originally commemorated the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 165 BCE, during the Maccabean Revolt against the Greek Seleucid Empire. Chapter 4 of the First Book of Maccabees, which was not included in … Seguir leyendo →

The origin of Modern Orthodox Judaism lies in late 18th and early 19th century Germany, where a group of traditional Jews, who accepted some of the new values ​​of the Enlightenment, defended the classical interpretation of Judaism. Their leaders had … Seguir leyendo →