4 Elul — Holding Onto Hope
It was on this day, in 1907, that the Zionist Congress adopted the song, HaTikvah or “The Hope” as the official Zionist anthem. Today, this song is the national anthem of the state of Israel. As a nation, Israel has been well acquainted with the concept of hope....
Daily Bread — Saturday, September 7, 2024
Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed. (Psalm 2:1) There are some Jewish commentators who believe that Psalm 1 & 2 are one...
3 Elul — Declare the Truth Even If No One Listens
It was on this day, in 1942, that the first news of Nazi mass exterminations reached the outside world. The news came as a result of a group Polish women, exchanged for some German prisoners, arrived in British Palestine. This disturbing news would continue to...
Daily Bread — Friday, September 6, 2024
The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. (Psalm 1:4-5) This statement is made in contrast with the man whose fruit is abundant...
2 Elul — My Commentary On Commentaries
It was on this day, in 1553, that Pope Julius III ordered the confiscation and destruction of the Palestinian and Babylonian Talmuds. Pope Julius felt these works contained derogatory and anti-Christian remarks and should be destroyed. On the other hand, Judaism takes...
Daily Bread — Thursday, September 5, 2024
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:3) The Hebrew word translated as rivers or streams of water comes from a root word that...
1 Elul — Distinguishing The Light From the Darkness
Jewish tradition believes it was on this day that the third biblical plague descended upon Egypt. What make this particular plague so interesting is, after this, God set a division between Israel and Egypt, thus protecting God’s people from the suffering the ensuing...
Daily Bread — Wednesday, September 4, 2024
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:3) In Jewish commentary, there is a notion that the Hebrew word translated as planted...
30 Av — Don’t Settle For Less
It was on this day, in 1943 that, the sixth Zionist Congress convened in Basel, Switzerland. This would be the last Congress presided over by Theodore Herzl, the father of modern Zionism. During this particular Congress, split among delegates developed over a British...
Daily Bread — Tuesday, September 3, 2024
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:3) I've always found it interesting that, in the Bible, men are often likened to trees...
29 Av — Moses and the Messiah
Jewish tradition believes it was on this day that Moses was instructed to hew two stones for the tablets of the law. The first set of tablets, hewn by the finger of God, were broken as a consequence of the Golden Calf incident. Later, Moses was instructed to hew two...
Daily Bread — Monday, September 2, 2024
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2) As we shared in the previous...