News
The Blogs: When Sacred Texts Wound: The Troubling Legacy of Parshat Emor
41+ min ago (767+ words) In practice, this means that a Cohen today may attend only the funerals of immediate relatives'but not that of a married sister, because she is no longer considered part of his primary kin'also perhaps, because she is not a virgin....
The Blogs: Haftarat Parshat Tzav / Shabbat Hagadol: Redemption Begins at Home
1+ mon, 6+ day ago (694+ words) Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander is President and Rosh Ha Yeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone, an Israel-based network of 32 educational and social action programs transforming Jewish life, living and leadership in Israel and across the world. He is the rabbi emeritus…...
The Blogs: "Talk to" rather than "Quote Me" " " vs. " (Parshat Emor)
2+ day, 5+ hour ago (800+ words) The very word " (emor) for which this parsha is named, and which appears twice in the parsha, is unusual. The opening verse says And God said to Moshe, talk "() to the priests the sons of Aharon and tell them, none…...
The Blogs: Haftarat Parshat Emor: A Priesthood Still Becoming
2+ day, 8+ hour ago (691+ words) Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander is President and Rosh Ha Yeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone, an Israel-based network of 32 educational and social action programs transforming Jewish life, living and leadership in Israel and across the world. He is the rabbi emeritus…...
TORAH | What counting the Omer offering teaches us about growth
3+ hour, 32+ min ago (326+ words) We count the Omer in order to emphasize the rise from the mentality of slavery to the enlightenment that we would realize at Sinai....
Book on Exodus is mind-expanding and enjoyable
4+ day, 4+ hour ago (235+ words) By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin in Pikesville, Maryland In Exodus: The Genesis of God's People, Grumet examines the narratives. Rather than presenting a verse-by-verse commentary, he focuses on major themes and evolving events in the narrative. He shows how a…...
Three women sit for Israeli Rabbinate's exam, amid growing recognition for Orthodox Jewish women's religious leadership
12+ hour, 31+ min ago (671+ words) When people picture a rabbi, they may imagine a man standing in front of a congregation in a synagogue. But "rabbi" means much more than that. For example, a rabbi could be a teacher, a nonprofit executive for a Jewish…...
Orthodox Judaism is making space for women's religious leadership " even without traditional ordination
3+ hour, 26+ min ago (627+ words) (THE CONVERSATION) An updated version of this article was published on April 30, 2026. Read it here. When people picture a rabbi, they may imagine a man standing in front of a congregation in a synagogue. But "rabbi" means much more than…...
Despite obstructions, Israeli women sit for rabbinate exams in a historic first
5+ hour, 19+ min ago (726+ words) (RNS) " In a historic breakthrough, three women were allowed to sit for the Israeli rabbinate's competency exams earlier this week. The tests, which drill on a variety of topics in Halacha " traditional Jewish law " were previously only available to men…...
When is Passover in 2026? What the Jewish holiday entails
4+ week, 1+ day ago (504+ words) The Jewish holiday of Passover is almost here. Passover, or "Pesach" in Hebrew, is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the biblical story of Exodus, when the Israelites were liberated from slavery in ancient Egypt by Moses. The holiday falls during…...