Author Archives: alreguelajat

It is written in the Torah that Aaron, of the tribe of Levi, received from God the monopoly of the priesthood. Aaron’s family had the exclusivity and responsibility to make offerings at the altar of God, first in the Tabernacle … Seguir leyendo →

For people in the Middle Ages, the Earth was the center of the universe, religion occupied the central place, and society was organized in feudal monarchies. But when Columbus’s voyages demonstrated that the Earth and the planets revolved around the … Seguir leyendo →

At the beginning of the last century, the smicha, the title of rabbi, was a piece of paper on which was written, in Torah-like font, the certification given by a rabbi to a candidate whom he knew personally, that, in … Seguir leyendo →

Thomas Edison, the great American inventor, developed the incandescent light bulb in 1879. In 1882, he started up the first electricity generating plant in lower Manhattan, serving 85 customers who had a total of 400 light bulbs in their homes. … Seguir leyendo →

“All the vows, all the prohibitions, all the oaths, all the consecrations… that we have promised, or sworn, or consecrated, or forbidden ourselves, from this Yom Kippur until the next Yom Kippur (Ashkenazi version), from the last Yom Kippur until … Seguir leyendo →

Rabbi Haym Soloveitchik was born in Boston in 1937. He is the son of Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik (1903-1993), the «Rob,» who served as director of the rabbinical seminary at Yeshivah University for over 50 years, during which time he … Seguir leyendo →

Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994) was born in the port of Nokolaev, in the Russian Empire. He was the son of Rabbi Levi Yitzhak Schneerson and Chana Yanovsky. He was a direct descendant of the third Lubavitcher Rebbe, Tzemach Tzedek Schneerson. … Seguir leyendo →

The Talmud, in tractate «Shabbat,» lists 39 categories of work that are prohibited on Shabbat. One of them, 39, states that it is forbidden to carry anything from a private domain, such as one’s home, to a public domain, such … Seguir leyendo →

One factor that distinguishes the different religious movements within Judaism is the absolute or relative character each gives to the commandments of the Torah. There are those, on the one hand, who completely resist making any changes, in contrast to … Seguir leyendo →

It is written in Pirkei Avot (Treatise of the Fathers) 1:1: “Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai and transmitted it to Yehoshua. He transmitted it to the elders of the people, who in turn passed it on to the … Seguir leyendo →