On the eve of World War I, a group of Polish yeshiva students signed a pact to make their friendship everlasting…
A Peek into Paradise: What Can Medieval Manuscripts Teach Us about Adam and Eve?
Was the serpent originally a form of ape? What fruit did the first sinners eat? And how does Lilith figure into the story? These intriguing questions have stirred the imaginations of illustrators of Hebrew manuscripts throughout history
Sukkah Scuffles: Surprising Testimony From the 12th Century
The only mentions of a sukkah in the Cairo Genizah refer to communal sukkot in synagogue courtyards. A fact that caused quite a bit of trouble.
The Jewish Book That Revealed the Secrets of the Heavens
In 1600, three scholars from completely different worlds met in the “New Venice” castle outside Prague. The meeting lasted three weeks and resulted in a Hebrew astronomy book, as well as in a lesson about the unifying power of love for the sciences and the quest for knowledge
The Temple Menorah in Kabbalistic Manuscripts
Kabbalistic literature looked for ancient symbols through which it could express its daring innovations. It found such a symbol in the Menorah…
Drawing Moses… From the Sublime to the Ridiculous
A glimpse into how artists across the ages have tried to depict the undepictable events at Mt. Sinai…
Priests, Rabbis and Sweets: A Bold Approach to Interfaith Relations
The 19th century words and efforts of Rabbi Israel Moshe Hazan
One of the World’s Oldest Esther Scrolls Comes Home
Mid-15th century Iberian megillah now at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem and online
In Memory: Ezra P. Gorodesky, Peerless Friend for Six Decades
“If God gave me the power to build a collection with little money, who am I to sell it?”
Prayers, Amulets and Spells to Ward off Plague
The sages of Safed created amulets, the Jews of Italy wrote prayers and other Jews warned of less conventional plagues…
