The stargazers predicted that Rabbi Akiva’s daughter would be bitten by a poisonous snake on her wedding day. The great sage now faced a cruel question: How to contend with such a prophecy? The Talmud tells of his choice, and how his daughter ultimately saved herself, unlike a certain Sleeping Beauty…
What are the strange biblical origins of the term “scapegoat”? And what does it have to do with the Jewish Day of Atonement?
Border smuggling, dancing, and prayer – What did Breslov Hasidim do when war made their annual trip to Uman a true matter of life and death?
Tunes from his childhood accompanied Yitzchak Freilich through the camps and on to his new life in America. Recorded by his son, they are now online as part of the National Library of Israel collection
What is the Freudian complex behind the origins of this mysterious instrument? What is the shofar’s connection to the High Holy Days? And does it have anything to do with music?
The Catalan Mahzor survived the edict of expulsion from Spain, was smuggled out of Nazi Germany to the United States, and eventually found its way to the National Library in Jerusalem.
