Category Archives: Al reguel ajat

It is written in Exodus 19:17: “And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the foot of Mount Sinai.” But in the Gemara, in Shabbat 88a, the rabbis explain it this … Seguir leyendo →

Gerhard Scholem (1897-1982) was born in Berlin to a Jewish family assimilated into German culture. His father, Arthur Scholem, opposed his son’s desire to study Jewish subjects, but thanks to the support of his mother, Betty Hirsch Scholem, he was … Seguir leyendo →

Mordechai Kaplan, one of the great Jewish figures of the 20th century, said that every Jew could express their Judaism through what, in English, are the three «B’s»: belong, behave, and believe. Belonging is the most common way of identifying … Seguir leyendo →

Kalonymus Kalman Szapiro (1889-1943) was born in Grodzisk, Poland, into a family of great rabbis. He was orphaned at the age of 3, and it was his mother, Hannah Berkhaha, who instilled in him a love for his Hasidic roots. … Seguir leyendo →

Tevilat Kelim is the halachah that regulates the immersion of culinary utensils in a mikveh. It originates in the Torah, in Numbers 31, when God commands Moses to wipe out the Midianites, a pagan people who were spreading their idolatry … Seguir leyendo →

It is written in the Talmud, in tractate Eruvin 13B: “Rabbi Abba reported that Shmuel said: For three years, Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagreed. These (Beit Shammai) said: Halacha is in accordance with our opinion, and those (Beit Hillel) … Seguir leyendo →

Shabbetai Tzvi ben Mordechai was born in Smyrna on July 23, 1626, the 9th of Av on the Jewish calendar. He studied Talmud at the Yeshiva of Rabbi Joseph Escapa. He was not drawn to the study of Talmud, but … Seguir leyendo →

Midrash is the way sages explain difficult-to-understand biblical texts. One of the best-known is the Midrash Rabbah, composed of 10 collections, one of which is the Midrash Eicha, or Lamentations. Poem 24R of this midrash, based on Jeremiah 31:15 and … Seguir leyendo →

Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was born in Prague, today the capital of the Czech Republic and then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His parents were middle-class Ashkenazi Jews. His father, Hermann Kafka, emigrated from Ozek, a Czech town with a significant … Seguir leyendo →

Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE) was the king of Macedonia from 336 BCE until his death. During his reign, which lasted only thirteen years, he expanded his empire to include countries as distant as India and Egypt, including the Land … Seguir leyendo →