My Jewish Learning

My Jewish Learning is the leading independent website and digital community for all things Jewish, from Jewish history to text to ritual to prayer to food and much more. We offer a robust website with thousands of articles answering nearly every possible question about Judaism and Jewish life, a daily newsletter guiding subscribers through interesting facts and must-read news about Jewish life and practice, a daily Talmud essay called "A Daily Dose of Talmud," a weekly Shabbat newsletter, dozens of special emails featuring insights into major Jewish topics, and a robust online community through our social media channels. Articles written with the My Jewish Learning byline are authored and edited by our staff. My Jewish Learning's staff includes leading Jewish scholars and journalists. Rachel Scheinerman, who holds a doctorate in Ancient Judaism from Yale University, is My Jewish Learning's Editor, and Ben Harris, a longtime, award-winning journalist covering Jewish topics, is Managing Editor.


Articles by My Jewish Learning

English Words of Hebrew Origin

From cabal to camel, a list of English words that derive from Hebrew.

Natan Sharansky

A former Soviet dissident, Sharansky spent nine years in prison and became the face of the movement to free Jews living under communism.

How To Research and Construct Your Jewish Family Tree

Eastern European Jewish family research is often shrouded in myths and misunderstandings. Many Jewish family trees only extend two or ...

The Jewish Leap Year Explained

Why the Jewish year sometimes adds an extra month of Adar and how that changes holidays and Torah readings.

Aramaic as a Living Language

From ancient times to the Renaissance period, Jews everywhere from Berlin to Baghdad used Aramaic to record texts and translate ...

What is Purim Katan?

Not to be confused with regular Purim, this minor holiday brings joy in late winter on Jewish leap years.

How the Lion of Judah Became a Jewish Symbol

From menorahs to tombstones, how and why the majestic lion represents the Jewish people.

Is Lab-Grown Meat Kosher?

Cultured or cultivated meat poses a number of novel Jewish legal questions.

Is Abracadabra a Jewish word?

Widely believed to derive from Aramaic, the phrase appears nowhere in classical Jewish sources.

Advanced Level I Hebrew Reading

Designed for those who know their letters and vowels, who can decode and form words or are graduates of the ...