May you be sealed for a good year, John! 25th September 2012 …Yom Kippur, the holiest and most solemn the Jewish year, begins tonight as…the sun sets. So important is this holy day that even secular Jews observe it by fasting…and refraining from all work, even though they do not keep other Jewish holy days. […]

“What is the Shema?”… Shema ("hear") is the Hebrew word that begins the most important prayer in Judaism., which begins with the command to "Hear." Deuteronomy 6:4"Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone" The whole Shema prayer, which includes verses 4-9, is spoken daily in the Jewish tradition:……"Listen, O Israel! The […]

…Torah scroll Shabbat Shalom John! Welcome to Vayakhel (And He Assembled)-Pekudei (Accounts), this week's Parsha…(Torah Portion). This portion of Torah will be read around the world in synagogues during this…week's Shabbat (Saturday) service. We invite you to read along with us.…Enjoy! … VAYAKHEL (And He Assembled)-PEKUDEI (Accounts)…Exodus 35:1├ö├ç├┤40:38; Numbers 19:1├ö├ç├┤22; Ezekiel 36:16├ö├ç├┤38; I Kings 7:51├ö├ç├┤8:21; […]

“What is the day of Pentecost?” Answer: "Pentecost" is significant in both the Old and the New Testaments. Pentecost is actually the Greek name for a festival known in the Old Testament as the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:9). The Greek word means "fifty" and refers to the fifty days that have elapsed […]

“What is the Jubilee?”……Answer: The word "jubilee"-literally "ram's horn" in Hebrew-is defined in Leviticus 25:9 as the sabbatical year after seven cycles of seven (49) years. The fiftieth year was to be a time of celebration and rejoicing for the Israelites. The ram's horn was blown on the tenth day of the seventh month to […]

“What is the Feast of Weeks?” Answer: Described in Leviticus 23, The Feast of Weeks is the second of the three "solemn feasts" that all Jewish males were required to travel to Jerusalem to attend (Exodus 23:14-17; 34:22-23; Deuteronomy 16:16). This important feast gets its name from the fact that it starts seven full weeks, […]

…A yad (Torah pointer) is used to keep one’s place while reading from the Torah scroll toprotect the parchment and handwritten text. Shabbat Shalom John! Welcome to Ha'azinu (Listen), this week's Parsha (Torah Portion). Please join us as we focus on the Torah portion that will be read in synagogues around the world during this […]