The Students of Rabbi Akiva
Is it possible that all 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva’s students committed the exact same sin? Why do we mourn over these students if they didn’t even learn from their rebbe’s most...
Mesorah and Middos
Historically, the period between Pesach and Shavuos was meant to be a period of great joy and anticipation, for our redemption from Egypt was the precursor to the ultimate goal of...
Lag B’Omer: From Honor to Name
Kavod (honor) is from the outside. Shem (name) is from the inside, the essence of the item itself. We can’t know the true shem, only the kavod.
Making the Connecting Knot
Why was the decree against Rabbi Akiva’s students during Sefirah and not during the 3 weeks leading up to Tisha B’Av? What is the connection to Sefirah?
What is Kabbalah? What’s Special about the Zohar?
The 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva who died weren’t the only talmidei chachamim at the time. Why is the emphasis on the fact that they were specifically Rabbi Akiva’s students?
Lag BaOmer: Bows and Arrows
Obviously, bows and arrows are military symbols. In this context, they are doubtless a reminder of the Revolt of the Jewish People, led by Bar Kochba, against the Romans in 135...
Lag B’Omer from Torah Tidbits
Lag BaOmer is an enigmatic semi-holiday, of which the Shulchan Aruch speaks in terms of “a bit of joy”, which grew to a festive day of major proportion in the Chassidic...
Rainbows and Arrows
The Bible makes reference to the “bow of Hashem” appearing in the skies in the time of Noach, after the Great Flood, “I have placed My bow in the clouds and...
Bar Yochai Song for Lag BaOmer
For the Kabbalistically inclined, the following enchanting Shabbat “zemer,” festive song, is shown below. It was composed by Shimon ibn Lavi, who had fled as a child from the Spanish Inquisition,...
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
Before the Cave Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was a student of Rabbi Akiva, who was the spiritual leader of the Bar Kochba Revolt against Rome in 135 CE, which began in...
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- Asarah B'Tevet
- Birchat HaChama
- Chanukah
- Elul
- Fast of Esther
- Fast of Shiva Asar B'Tammuz
- Fast of Tisha B'Av
- Four Shabbatot
- Hoshanah Rabbah
- Lag BaOmer
- Months
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- Pesach Sheini
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- Shmini Atzeret
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- Tu B'Shevat
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- Yom HaAtzmaut
- Yom HaShoah
- Yom Hazikaron
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- Yom Yerushalayim
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