Rav Hirsch says that, popular perception aside, Havdalah is not a prayer of farewell to Shabbos, but a prayer of greeting for the week. He sees it as a Kiddush for the week! "Both in the Scripture and in the mitzvot of Jewish living the term kos - cup...

I've been thinking about Rav Hirsch's Toldot critique of Yitzchak and Rivkah for trying to put Yaakov and Eisav in the same box: ""As long as they were little, no attention was given to the latent differences between them. Both were given the same...

Every now and again I forget to remember Janusz Korczak's name. I've heard his amazing story on several occasions. He was a true teacher and kind human being. He died a kadosh. You can read about him via Wikipedia here. My intuitive inclination has me...

Is it a coincidence that there are eleven stars in Starry Night, by Van Gogh? Was he referencing the 11 stars of Joseph's dream? A teacher of mine once said that themes and meanings all come from the subconscious and can not and should not be...