Category Archives: Misc

1. A Stranger Among Us – An exteriorly tough female New York City copy goes undercover among a group of Hasidic Jews to find murderer. She lives in the home of “the rebbe” and quickly learns to appreciate the Hasidic … Continue reading →

I first began to learn Hebrew in 1994 before the internet was really popular. Even then Borders and Barnes and Noble stores were just starting, so it was hard to find good tutorials. Most courses simply jumped into Hebrew sentences, … Continue reading →

CHAZAL – an acronym for these word “Chachameinu Zichronam Livracha” (our saves of blessed memory). “Chacham” means wise – so “Chachameinu” could literally be translated as “our wise ones”. “ZACHAR” is the verb to remember, thus the root of “Zichronam” … Continue reading →

Sh’visa – rest, termination of a creative process, refraining from activities. Apparently with a “TAV” so could be Sh’vita – and probably related to the root verb SHABAT Sh’vus (or Shvus)- (a) A Shvus is an action prohibited by the … Continue reading →

Shema Yisrael (often called simply “The Shema”), the Biblical passage from Deuteronomy 6:4, is certainly the best known of all Jewish prayers. It is part of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. The phrase of course menas “Hear Israel”, … Continue reading →

It’s Chanukah Time! Have you figured out what youre going to give during each night of Chanukah? Maybe, youre just going to give a gift on the First and Eighth day of the Holiday, but even then, what are you … Continue reading →

In 1990, I was planning a trip to Israel, but it got postponed due to Desert Storm and the Gulf War. I finally go on a tour trip of Israel in 1996. But in the late 80s, in Oklahoma, before … Continue reading →

A group called the “Masoretes” (often dated to the ninth century C.E.) recorded and annotated what has become the “authentic” version of the Hebrew Scriptures. Their work is recognized today by Jewish religious leaders as being authentic. This group’s name … Continue reading →

The Talmud, in Shabbos 104a says “Make yourself simanim [signs – as study and memory aids] in the Torah and thereby acquire it. Among the best-known of such devices are: Gematraios, or numeric equivalents Rashei v’sofei teivot – acronyms and … Continue reading →

Mnemonics have been used by many students to help learn a complex list of items. For example, the first letters of “My Dear Aunt Sue” is can help a child learn the four basic arithmetic operations (Multiply Divide Add Subtract). … Continue reading →