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The Omer and the Spirituality of Seven
Listen to this article now: Seven is considered the number of completion and perfection, those qualities themselves inherently intertwined coming from the same Hebrew root (ש-ל-מ – also the root of “peace”). The Ibn Ezra writes that we see immense significance in seven days (Shabbat), seven months (the seventh month is Tishrei, which hosts Rosh
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Are We Inherently Good or Bad?
In this article, we will examine the question of whether our nature is inherently good, yet we sometimes engage in wrongful actions, or if our inherent inclination is toward the bad, necessitating continuous effort to exchange our natural behaviors for better ones. To sharpen the question a bit more – in order to be a
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Tazria-Metzora: Women Are Inherently Connected to Purity
These two parshiot centre around the theme of tuma and tahara, commonly translated as purity and impurity. The weakness of this translation is that “impurity” suggests the presence of something unfavourable, perhaps unclean – but this is far from the truth. Tuma is the absence of the flow of a life force. This is why
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Shemini: Jewish Women, The Mashgichot of their Households
Parshat Shemini contains many of our kashrut laws: the fish, birds and animals we may and may not eat as well as the prohibition to consume bugs. As Jewish women, we are entrusted with the kashrut level of our homes. We are designated as the Mashgiach, the supervisor: ensuring that no milk splashes onto the
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Where Does the Shemonei Esrei Come From?
Any discussion on Shemonei Esrei would be incomplete without mention of Chana, the beloved wife of Elkana, who lived during Temple times…
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Batya: Facilitator of the Jewish People’s Redemption
The story of Moshe Rabbeinu and, by extension, the geula of the Jewish people from Mitzrayim, is incomplete without Batya. In fact, it started with her…
