Sample Sources
The sources below are those contained in our three curated collections—covering themes of Passover, Gender Roles, and Holocaust Resistance. They represent a fraction of the thousands of sources that will be available when the full site launches in 2024.
The Love of Zion
Azrikam grew in his father’s house like a thorn, becoming uglier as he grew. Tamar, however, grew more beautiful day by day. The contrast between these two children was not only noticeable in their…
Noda bi-Yehudah (Known in Judah)
When I parted from my father and journeyed forth from his home to Brody, I joined up with friends, God-fearing men of purity; we built a bet midrash for…
Bi’ur ha-Gra: Glosses to Shulḥan arukh
6. “It is proper,” etc. The phraseology employed by the Tur is “And one should cover one’s head so that one should not be in a state of bareheadedness”—this is taken from the words of the Ba‘al ha-…
Responsa hatam Sofer: Orah hayim 51
And likewise I say: Whoever mingles teachings of Kabbalah with rulings of halakhah is liable for kilayim—sowing a forbidden mixture of seeds, “Lest the fullness of the seed you have sown be forfeited”…
For a Mother Whose Son Is in Military Service
Almighty ruler of armies, you who reign mightily
In heaven and on earth, I raise my prayer to you
From the depths of a mother’s heart.
Turn your presence toward me
And hear me in your mercy.
Follow…
Introduction to the Commentary on Numbers—Me’am Lo’ez by Isaac Magriso
The introduction to the first volume of this work, which you already have, explains that one must know what mitzvot God commanded us to perform, and what he obliged us to avoid, to find…
Toward a History of the Education of Russian Jews
In our first series of discussions, we explored the struggle between the government and the Jews, which was initiated by the former and ended with its triumph over the latter; in the second…
Moreh nevukhe ha-zeman (Guide for the Perplexed of Our Time)
According to the workings of the natural order there are three periods through which each primordial nation passes from the time it comes into being until it passes from the scene and perishes:
- The…
Rome and Jerusalem
What we have to do at present for the regeneration of the Jewish nation is, first, to keep alive the hope of the political rebirth of our people, and next, to reawaken that hope where it slumbers…
The Four Classes
The Yiddish language is our mother tongue. But is it the language of education, by means of which we can best understand each other? Does anyone even make the suggestion that…
Medal Commemorating the Repeal of the 1745 Expulsion of the Jews from Prague
This medal was issued in the Netherlands to commemorate the repeal of the 1745 expulsion of the Jewish community of Prague. Responding to appeals from foreign leaders, Maria Theresa (1717–1780), the…
The Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, Entrance
Mikve Israel-Emanuel is a synagogue that served the Spanish Portuguese Jewish community in Curaçao (and continues to function today as a Reconstructionist congregation). It is the oldest surviving…