Really happy to see the new book joining the impressive display of Piaseczno Hasidic works at my favorite local Jewish bookstore! Here I am (out of uniform, sorry) with Rabbi Ari Silverstein at Judaica Plus in Cedarhurst. 

  Wow—I checked the site this morning, and discovered that the book on the Piaseczno Rebbe made it to the top 100 in its category on Amazon! Just behind classics by Elie Wiesel, Viktor Frankl, and Simon Wiesenthal! Really proud that people are finding this book meaningful. Thank you! Bit.ly\aishkodesh

Woo-hoo! Visit bit.ly/aishkodesh or click here for the 20% discount, or to RSVP for the book launch on the 30th (free and open to the community!)

I am delighted to inform you that advance copies of my new book are now available from Amazon (this is really advance–I won’t even get my own copy until next week!). I hope to have sufficient copies available for sale and signature at the Book Launch on October 30, but if you want to have…

Brief lecture on the life and work of Shmuel ha-Nagid, an important 11th century Spanish Jewish leader. Also: please join me for the launch of my new book, Torah from the Years of Wrath 1939-1943: The Historical Context of the Aish Kodesh (click here for more information). The launch is scheduled for Monday, October 30 at 7:00 pm…

Brief lecture on the life of Hasdai ibn Shaprut, an important 10th century Jewish leader in Andalusia, who set the foundations for the Golden Age of Spanish Jewry. Part of the Jews of Sepharad series, visit jewishhistorylectures.org for more information.  

Brief overview of the Jews in Spain during the two centuries following the Muslim conquest of 711.

  September 18: SEPHARDIC JEWRY AND THE MUSLIM CONQUEST OF 711 Sponsored by Katherine and Vick Crespin, in gratitude to Hashem for protecting their family from harm during Hurricane Irma. Monday, September 18 @ 7pm at the Mighty Avenue J Campus of Touro College 1602 Avenue J Brooklyn NY 11230 Free and Open to the…

A brief overview of the earliest history of Sephardic Jewry, from earliest settlement through the Visigothic period to the Muslim conquest of 711. For the Fall Schedule of Lectures, please click here. To sponsor a lecture, please click here.

Day 17-18-19: Impediments to Teshuvah English Translation Follows 4.1 עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים מְעַכְּבִין אֶת הַתְּשׁוּבָה.  אַרְבָּעָה מֵהֶן עָווֹן גָּדוֹל; וְהָעוֹשֶׂה אֶחָד מֵאַרְבַּעְתָּן–אֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַסְפִּיק בְּיָדוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה, לְפִי גֹּדֶל חֶטְאוֹ.  וְאֵלּוּ הֶן:  (א) הַמַּחְטִיא אֶת הָרַבִּים; וּבִכְלַל עָווֹן זֶה, הַמְּעַכֵּב אֶת הָרַבִּים מִלַּעֲשׂוֹת מִצְוָה.  (ב) וְהַמַּטֶּה חֲבֵרוֹ מִדֶּרֶךְ טוֹבָה לְדֶרֶךְ רָעָה, כְּגוֹן מַסִּית…

Day 16: Sticks and Stones Wednesday, September 6, 2017 English Translation Follows 3:14 כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מֵאַרְבָּעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים אֲנָשִׁים אֵלּוּ שֶׁמָּנִינוּ–אַף עַל פִּי שְׁהֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֵין לָהֶן חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.  וְיֵשׁ עֲבֵרוֹת קַלּוֹת מֵאֵלּוּ, וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים שֶׁהָרָגִיל בָּהֶן אֵין לוֹ חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, כְּדֵי לְהִתְרַחַק מֵהֶן וּלְהִזָּהֵר מֵהֶן. וְאֵלּוּ הֶן:  הַמְּכַנֶּה…

This strange sculpture above the “Jewish Door” of the Saint Siffrein Cathedral continues to mystify visitors to Carpentras, France. What does it mean?

This was, for me personally, one of the highlights of my trip with Kosher River Cruises along the Rhone in the south of France. The President of the Carpentras synagogue, Mr. Meyer Benzecrit, graciously invited me to tour a section of the 14th century synagogue not yet open for public view. Excavations have revealed some…

Join me for three rather idiosyncratic, surprising lectures on the history of the Talmud and its transmission in the modern era. Three Wednesdays beginning November 13 at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst. Free and open to the community, no hard questions please.

Today was an absolutely fascinating day of discovery of Jewish history, exploring the 14th century synagogue in Carpentras, France: the second-oldest currently functioning synagogue in Europe. There are so many amazing things to view, so I’ve decided to break it up into several small videos, starting with this one, which looks at the entrance to…

Expelled 500 years ago, a traces of medieval Jewish life yet remain in this city on the Rhone river.

Gut moed students of Jewish history! Peter Gwin of National Geographic just released a podcast discussing the research of Dr. Beverly Goodman, a marine archaeologist at the University of Haifa. She’s spent years studying the mysterious destruction of Herod’s port at Caesaria, and argues that it was destroyed in the tsunami of 115. Besides the…