According to most Jewish thinkers, Islam is not idolatry; but authorities have disagreed as to whether it's better to convert or be martyred. Islam presented a challenge to Judaism which it had not ...

“Praised be You, God…who commands us to busy ourselves with words of Torah.” Talmud torah (that is, the study of sacred Jewish texts) is so important in Jewish tradition the daily liturgy begins with ...

A tzedakah box, also known by its Yiddish word, pushke, is a receptacle for collecting money that is designated for charity. The Hebrew word tzedakah comes from the root tzedek, meaning justice.

On today’s daf, the Gemara discusses the consequences for selling a range of products that should not be consumed: The sages taught in a beraita: In a case where one sells meat to another and it was ...

Gabbai (pl. gabbaim) is an Aramaic word that means tax collector, but today a gabbai is someone who assists with the reading of the Torah. In many communities the gabbai is charged with making sure ...

Various reasons are given by the Jewish teachers for the advantage of communal over private prayer. Menahem Meiri [a 13th century Talmudist from Provence] stresses the psychological advantage: ...

A blemish on the study hall. Today’s daf offers us a peek into the fascinating social dynamics of the rabbinic community. Rabbi Tzadok had a firstborn animal. He placed barley in baskets for it, and ...

In this Torah portion, three guests arrive at Abraham and Sarah’s tent. They inform Abraham that God will give the elderly Sarah a child. The prophesy comes true, and they name their son Isaac. God ...

This Chinese parlor game found Jewish enthusiasts in the Catskills. Four women sit around a table, each with a card of various numbers and colors, arranged like a secret code. Tiles are exchanged like ...

Life without amiable companionship was unthinkable to the sages of the Talmud. Life without amiable companionship was unthinkable to the sages of the Talmud. According to one rabbinic story, when the ...

Anti-Jewish violence sweeping the Russian Empire in the late 19th century spurred many Jews to emigrate and organize politically. The word pogrom comes from a Russian word meaning “to destroy, to ...

Most of the rules about meat, including the ban on pork, are stipulated in the Torah. Most of the kosher laws concerning meat derive from two Torah passages: Leviticus 11 (Parashat Shmini) and ...