Author Archives: alreguelajat

The Yizkor service is commemorated four times a year: on Yom Kippur, on Shemini Atzeret, the second-to-last day of Sukkot, on the last day of Pesach, and on the second day of Shavuot. The main purpose is to remember our … Seguir leyendo →

Isaac Abravanel was born in Lisbon in 1437. He was the son of Yehuda Abravanel, treasurer at the court of King Alfonso V of Portugal. He was a student of Yosef Hayim, chief rabbi of Portugal. He studied Talmud and … Seguir leyendo →

1. The formal side. Orthodox and Conservative Jews define being Jewish as being the son of a Jewish mother. Reform Jews accept as Jewish anyone who is the son of a Jewish mother or father. All three accept as Jewish … Seguir leyendo →

Jewish tradition requires women to cover their hair as an act of modesty before men and men to cover their heads as an act of humility and reverence before God, even though there is no explicit commandment in the Torah … Seguir leyendo →

In 1492 the Jews of Spain were expelled by royal decree, and five years later the Jews of Portugal suffered a similar fate. Iberian Judaism had lived in peace with its Muslim and Christian neighbors for hundreds of years. They … Seguir leyendo →

The calendar is a systematized account of the passage of time and is used for the chronological organization of activities. The origin of the Jewish calendar cannot be established with any certainty. In Exodus 12:2 it is written: “This month … Seguir leyendo →

Statutory law refers to laws that are written in codes and that were enacted by a legislative body, such as parliaments, chambers of deputies or senators, or synods of religious people. In this system, judges must adhere to what the … Seguir leyendo →

It is well known that Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews have different customs. Starting with the halacha itself, Sephardic Jews follow the rules set out in the original version of Yosef Caro’s Shulchan Aruch and Ashkenazi Jews follow a version modified … Seguir leyendo →

If we look at any traditional Jewish group, whether today or yesterday, such as the Jews of the shtetl of Europe, the Hasidim of Brooklyn, the Jews of Yemen or Syria, we can see how different they are from one … Seguir leyendo →