The traditional ban separating a person from the Jewish community. The Hebrew word herem is translated variously as “proscribed,” “devoted to destruction” and later as “excommunication.” Sometimes ...

Blintzes are an iconic and beloved Eastern European Jewish food — thinly cooked pancakes (crepes) filled with potato, vegetables or cheese. There is no shortage of ways to make them — sweet, savory, ...

Growing up Rosh Hashanah always meant a trip to grandma’s house. Ten kids running around, eight adults, games, music, naps on the living room floor after temple and, of course, a whole lot of food. As ...

The Sabbath was a cornerstone of the Temple service and of popular observance in ancient Israel. Shabbat is the weekly day of rest and abstention from work enjoined upon the Israelites. An etiological ...

The operation of electrical devices on the Jewish Sabbath is categorically prohibited by Orthodox Jewish authorities. Orthodox and other traditionally observant Jews therefore do not use lights or ...

The Persian Gulf port of Basra began to serve as a trading center of the British East India Company in 1760, and it was from Basra–and Baghdad–that many Jews who played an important role in English ...

A minority in the Jewish state. Israeli Arabs are people of Arab ethnicity residing within the borders of the state of Israel. As of the end of 2020, their population stood at just under 2 million, ...

Instrumental music was an assumed part of worship in the biblical period, but in the rabbinic period Jewish legal authorities began to question its permissibility on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. To ...

The controversial Book of Ezekiel nearly didn't make it into the biblical canon, but it has had a lasting impact on both liturgical practice and mystical traditions. The Book of Ezekiel has always ...

The concept of Tza'ar Ba'alei Chayim demands that we take animal suffering seriously. Beginning with the first chapters of the Torah, Judaism establishes a fundamental connection between human beings ...

Learn the most popular songs associated with the day of rest. Table hymns sung during or immediately after Sabbath meals are called zemirot. These medieval songs represent a unique blend of the holy ...

Answer: Trish, your question doesn’t sound silly at all. About a third of the questions that are submitted to the Expert are from Christians wanting to better understand the Jewish take on a given ...