Author: David Rutman

Photo Credit: Jewish Press In the story of Chanukah, the undisputed heroes are the families of devoted kohanim led by Matityahu who stood up to the pagan Hellenes. What is the etymology of “kohen” and how does it differ from “komer” and “galach”? The Bible also uses the word “kohen” in the context of idolatrous […]

Photo Credit: Gili Yaari / Flash 90 The settlement of Yitzhar in Samaria. The State this week informed the High Court of Justice for the first time ever that a Jewish settlement beyond the 1949 armistice line, a.k.a. the green line, is protected under the Land Regulation Act, Makor Rishon reported on Friday. The settlement […]

Photo Credit: Jessica Meir / NASA (((CLICK BELOW TO HEAR AUDIO))) Hanukkah is the ultimate Israeli independence holiday. But does Hasmonean-style independence mean xenophobia? Rabbi Yishai ponders the challenge of assimilation in light of Joseph’s dreams. Then, Malkah Fleisher on the Festival of Lights from the deep Negev and on Astronaut Jessica Meir’s Hanukkah socks […]

Photo Credit: Courtesy Bar Ilan University Prof. Yossi Mandel Macular degeneration (AMD) causes blindness in millions of people in the Western world. It is the most common cause of severe vision loss in the Western world among those aged 50 and over, and its prevalence increases with age. Though there is no cure for AMD, […]

Photo Credit: Issam Rimawi/FLASH90 A PA Arab resident casts his vote in the October 20, 2012 municipal elections. On Thursday, Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudainah denounced calls on Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to finally issue a decree on holding legislative and presidential elections, regardless of whether Israel would allow Arab residents of eastern Jerusalem to […]

Photo Credit: Jewish Press During a holiday on which we light candles, too many candles have been extinguished. Four bus passengers traveling on line 947 to Haifa, and two more in Ramat Gan, were killed within a 24-hour period. Yesterday, I read about two of these lights that went out. Yosef Kahalani, a pensioner who […]

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Photo Credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90 Gideon Sa’ar braves the storm to cast his vote in the Likud party leadership primary, December 26, 2019. In the end, it was no contest at all. Yes, there were complaints about Likud Center doing the kind of shenanigans any incumbent’s apparatus does against the challenger: Likud members discovering that their […]

Photo Credit: wikimedia Joseph Converses with Judah, His Brother Parshas Mikeitz always falls out around Chanukah, and Chazal explain that this is not coincidental. In explanation of this phenomenon, the commentaries discuss how Yosef is connected to Chanukah, and how he symbolizes our victory over the Greeks. This begs the obvious question as to what […]