Topical Torah Essays and Weekly Parsha

Puirm

The Number of Adar

Feb 16th, 2011 | By

by Rabbi Yisrael Rutman In a New York Times crossword puzzle about a year ago, one of the items was “the sixth month in the Jewish calendar.” The right answer, according to the puzzlermaster, was Adar. If you count the months from Tishrei, the first day of which is Rosh HaShana, also known as the
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The Half-Shekel & The One-Man Band

Nov 6th, 2010 | By

by Rabbi Yisrael Rutman We are used to thinking of a chazan as the educated tenor in the fancy white hat who sings the prayers in the synagogue, especially on the High Holy Days and festivals. Serge Koussevitsky, guys like that. Actually, the term chazan has a very long history, which initially had nothing at
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