Category Archives: Al Reguel Ajat English

Khirbet Qeiyafa is the site of an ancient fortified city overlooking the Elah Valley. The ruins of the fort were discovered in 2007, 30 kilometers west of Jerusalem. Some archaeologists believe it is the biblical city of Shaarayim, but this … Seguir leyendo →

Louis Jacobs (1920-2006) was born in Manchester, England, to a working-class Lithuanian Jewish family. His father made Louis attend synagogue, even though he himself did not. Louis attended secular schools and later entered the Manchester Yeshiva. From there, he went … Seguir leyendo →

Benzion Meir Hai Uziel (1880-1953) was born in Jerusalem into the city’s Sephardic community. By the age of twenty, he was already a teacher in a yeshiva. In 1911, Uziel was appointed Chacham Bashi, chief rabbi of Jaffa. From there, … Seguir leyendo →

Erich Seligmann Fromm (1900-1980) was born in Frankfurt, Germany, to an Orthodox family descended from rabbis. As a young man, he studied Talmud with several teachers, including Rabbi Salman Baruch Rabinkow, a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic group. He studied … Seguir leyendo →

It is common to read in the media the results of surveys conducted by prestigious institutions such as PEW, PRRI, Brandeis University, and others to find out how members of a particular community identify as Jewish. These studies are routinely … Seguir leyendo →

Peretz Smolenskin (1842-1885) was born in Monstriczena, Belarus, to a poor family. He was orphaned by his father and also experienced the kidnapping of his older brother by the army of Tsar Nicholas I, events that marked his childhood. At … Seguir leyendo →

Every morning, during the Shacharit prayer, 14 blessings known as Birkot Hashachar, the morning blessings, are recited. In the version prayed by Orthodox Jews, there is a blessing where men thank God for not having made them women. Orthodox women, … Seguir leyendo →

The minyan is the quorum of ten Jewish adults required to fulfill certain religious obligations. The requirement to have a minyan is not stipulated as such in the Torah. It is a halachic rule established by the rabbis, who deduced … Seguir leyendo →

Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) was born in Warsaw into a distinguished family of Hasidic rabbis. He received his first smicha (rabbinical degree) from an Orthodox yeshivah in Poland and his second from a liberal rabbinical seminary in Germany. He escaped … Seguir leyendo →