Jewish Culture

WHAT'S THE MAGIC WORD?

Though parents may teach their children that the magic words are "please" and "thank you," we have all heard magicians use the word "abracadabra." ...

WHY 'CHILDREN OF ISRAEL?'

Although we generally consider Abraham to be the first Jew, we do not refer to the Jews as "the Children of Abraham" or even "the Children of ...

MISTRANSLATIONS FROM THE ORIGINAL

Father Jerome was a Hebrew scholar who translated the Hebrew Bible into Latin (the Vulgate). However, his translation of Exodus, Chapter 34, ...

PHYSICAL DISABILITY AS A SIGN OF STRENGTH

We are all familiar with the story in Genesis (Ch.32:32) where Jacob wrestles with the angel. During the struggle "the socket of his hip was ...

THE REAL PURPOSE OF PRAYER

Prayer is not just asking for something. There are prayers of thanksgiving; of praising G-d and there are also self-searching and confessional ...

A GOOD BOOK

Stella Suberman's autobiographical account of growing up in a small Tennessee town makes for an absorbing read. Although the town's name and the ...

MANY NAMES FOR THE BIBLE

We all know the word bible, from the Greek word biblos, which was the original name of the Phoenician city from which papyrus was exported. The ...