Mitzvahland Judaica

Tefillin is one of the most important Mitzvot of the Torah . It has been observed and treasured for thousands of years, right down to the present day. The Torah mentions it more than once, but most explicitly "You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they should be for a reminder between your eyes." Tefillin  consists of two small leather boxes attached to leather straps. The two boxes each contain four sections of the  Torah  inscribed on parchment. These passages cite: The Shema  - pronouncing the Unity of The One G-d. Vehayah  - expressing G‑d's assurance to us of reward that will follow our observance of the Torah's precepts, and warning of retribution for disobedience to them. Kadesh  - the duty of the Jewish people to always remember the redemption from Egyptian bondage. Vehayah  - the obligation of every Jew to inform his children on these matters. One of the boxes (the "hand  Tefillin ") is placed upon the ...

what is the holiday and why 8 days? in a nutshell When the Second Temple in Jerusalem was looted and services stopped, Judaism was outlawed. In 167 BC Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. He banned brit milah (circumcision) and ordered pigs to be sacrificed at the altar of the temple. Antiochus's actions provoked a large-scale revolt. Mattityahu, a Jewish priest, and his five sons Yochanan, Shimon, Eleazar, Yonatan, and Yehuda led a rebellion against Antiochus starting with  Mattityahu  killing first a Jew who wanted to comply with Antiochus's order to sacrifice to Zeus and then a Greek official who was to enforce the government's behest. Judah became known as Yehuda HaMakabi. By 166 BC  Mattityahu  had died, and  Yehuda  took his place as leader. By 165 BC the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful. The Temple was liberated and rededicated. The festival of Chanukkah  was instituted to celebrate this...

The  Mezuzah No, it’s not a Jewish doorbell. It’s a home security device called a  mezuzah , and it’s wired into the Ultimate Protection Agency. The software inside this gadget is a scroll with the words beginning, “Hear O  Israel , the L‑rd is our  G‑d ; the L‑rd is one.” Those powerful words sum up the mandate of a Jew: to infuse the world with G‑d’s oneness. Regarding these words, G‑d has commanded us, “And you shall inscribe them on the doorposts of your home, and on your gates” (ibid., verse 9). Hence the  mezuzah :  a parchment scroll inscribed with the verses of the  Shema  prayer is affixed to the right doorpost of every room in a Jewish home. Why a Mezuzah ? In addition to its role as a declaration and reminder of our faith, the mezuzah is also a symbol of G‑d’s watchful care. The name of G‑d,  Sha-dai , which appears on the reverse side of the parchment, is an acronym for the Hebrew words which mean “Guardian of the doo...

To understand the significance of the M ezuzah , we must first explore the text written in it. As we have said before, these are the two  Torah  portions:  Shema and  Vehayah . These two portions, along with a third, comprise the prayer  Shema Yisrael... –  “Hear, O’  Israel ...”– which every observant Jew recites every day at least twice, in the morning and in the evening. This is the main Jewish prayer , the first a child learns and the last a Jew utters before returning his soul to the Creator. Let us look closely into these portions of Torah . Shema Text Hear, O Israel, the L-rd is our  G‑d , the L-rd is One. And you shall love the L-rd your G‑d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be upon your heart. You shall teach them thoroughly to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the way, when you lie down and whe...

Rosh HaShanah , the Jewish New Year, is observed in a way that is very distinct from all other types of New year's. Instead of being a day of partying, it is a day of reflection. One common trait between the two holidays is the fact that many make New Year's resolutions, but aside from that, they are worlds apart. When one thinks about Rosh HaShanah, the vision and sound of the shofar-blowing certainly occupies a central aspect of the day's observances. The  Torah  commands us to blow the  shofar  on Rosh HaShanah day, but does not explain why this  mitzvah  is associated so closely with this day. For that explanation, we turn to the  Talmud . The mitzvah to hear the shofar on Rosh HaShanah is not as simple as many imagine. It is not just one sound to which we listen. Instead, there is a whole series of sounds. Our custom is to listen to at least 100 sounds of the shofar on each day of the holiday (except if one of the days is  Shabbat )....

Wearing a thin scarlet or crimson string ( Hebrew : חוט השני) as a type of bracelet is a Jewish folk custom as a way to ward off misfortune brought about by the " evil eye " ( Hebrew : עין הרע). The tradition is popularly thought to be associated with Kabbalah and religious forms of Judaism. The red string itself is usually made from thin scarlet wool thread. It is worn as a bracelet or band on the left wrist of the wearer (understood in some Kabbalistic theory as the receiving side of the spiritual body), knotted seven times, and then sanctified with Hebrew blessings. The Red String protects us from the influences of the Evil Eye . Evil eye is a very powerful negative force. It refers to the unfriendly stare and unkind glances we sometimes get from people around us. Envious eyes and looks of ill will affect us, stopping us from realizing our full potential in every area of our life Rachel and The Red String Its not just any  Red String it went through a ...

well, for a starter since the   Sukkah  halachically has to be directly under the sky in order for the schach  to be the only thing in the way - therefore it will be advisable that you don`t build your  Sukkah  at midday when the sun is shinning. Make sure to find a place with no trees etc that might block the space for the  Sukkah , and then you start from the roof up make the top frame of the  Sukkah  with the corner pieces facing downwards put the posts of the  Sukkah  under the frames start on one side then get to the other, and in short your going to pick up the frame of step 1 of the  Sukkah add the corners to the posts of the  Sukkah make the bottom frame of the  Sukkah  connecting the the post together add the walls start from the top corner of the entrance of the  Sukkah  and work your way around from the OUTSIDE of the  Sukkah . after thats done do the sides and then the bottom ...