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Judaism and Cats
Ancient Jewish sources are ambivalent about cats, seeing them as somewhere between domestic and wild.
Saving a Life (Pikuach Nefesh)
Most of Jewish law can and should be set aside in order to avoid endangering a person’s health or safety.
Asher Yatzar: Gratitude for the Rhythm of Life
The blessing traditionally recited after using the restroom reimagined as praise for the inner drumbeat sustaining the body.
Ask the Expert: Free-Form Prayer?
Do Jews ever pray like this?
Hanukkah 2024
In 2024, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024 and lasts until sundown on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.
Get ready for hanukkah!
Hannukkah begins in 2024 at sundown on December 25th.
What You Need to Know About the Hanukkah Story
The Maccabean revolt and the miracle of the oil.
How to Play Dreidel
Learn how to play this Hanukkah game with our video and written instructions.
Next Torah Portion
Summary
In this Torah portion, God tells Jacob to return home. Worried that his brother Esau will kill him, Jacob divides his clan into two camps, so at least some will survive in case of a fight. Jacob sleeps alone in the desert and is awoken by an angel who wrestles him through the night. Jacob survives and is blessed by the angel and renamed Israel. Jacob meets his brother and, surprisingly, they embrace. Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, is raped by Shekhem, who then proposes to Jacob that he marry her. Shimeon and Levi brutally murder Shekhem and his clan. Rachel has another child, whom she and Jacob name Benjamin.
Featured Commentary
Parashat Vayishlach: Honoring the Best of Jacob
This Torah portion interperses multiple momentous encounters with the divine realm with a series of fraught incidents between humans.
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Daf Yomi
Bava Batra 166
For the birds.
Bava Batra 165
The local custom.
Bava Batra 164
Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi chastises his son.
STUDY RESOURCES
Recharge Now
Our weekly Shabbat newsletter, Recharge, features a thoughtful, timely essay to enrich your Shabbat. Here are a few of our recent pieces:
God Is In This Place
Turning away from our destination may be how we get where we need to go.
Attitude of Gratitude
How can we cultivate gratitude as a consistent state of being?
Time at My Side
Why I’m letting go of the future and recommitting to the here and now.
MORE from MY JEWISH LEARNING
Jews and Finance
The idea that Jews are good with money is one of the oldest Jewish stereotypes. But it’s undeniable that Jews are well-represented in finance and business.
The Jews of Greece
The oldest Jewish community in Europe traces its history back more than 2,300 years.
Shehechiyanu: A Meditation on this Moment
This blessing, traditionally recited for firsts, can be said anytime — since every moment is new and unprecedented.
How to Talk to God
The Hasidic prayer practice of hitbodedut — talking to God freely in one’s native tongue — helps to build intimacy over time.
Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World
This phrase with kabbalistic roots has come to connote social justice.