Free Republic

Csanád Szegedi grew up in a mildly racist milieu in Miskolc, a midsized town in northeastern Hungary. His father was the scion of an old noble family of Magyars, a point of pride for the young Szegedi, who was born in 1982 and came of age in the chaotic years following the fall of the Soviet-influenced Hungarian People’s Republic. Although the city had a large, crumbling synagogue in its center, like most of his peers, Szegedi chose to ignore it. For them, it served as a fading manifestation of the city’s Jews, many of whom had met their deaths in...

An ancient legend which holds that the Temple menorah is hidden away in the depths of the Vatican is coming to light again with the announcement of an upcoming exhibit jointly hosted by the Papal seat and Rome’s ancient Jewish community. Intended to showcase the growing Jewish-Vatican relationship, the theme of the exhibit actually brings this sore subject to the forefront, raising suspicions that despite a long tradition of Vatican protests, the rumors persist for good reason. Arnold Nesselrath, a Vatican Museums official, announced the theme of the upcoming exhibit on Monday, noting that the connection between the Vatican and...

Rabbi Aaron Dovid Poston YIBONEH Midrashiah in Baka, Jerusalem (Video Length: 42m) Ex 21:1 "And these are the judgments that you shall place before them." Parashat Mishpatim / פרשת משפטים Next read in the Diaspora on 25 February 2017. Parashat Mishpatim is the 18th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 21:1 - 24:18Next week: Parashat Terumah / פרשת תרומה Next read in the Diaspora on 04 March 2017. Parashat Terumah is the 19th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 25:1 - 27:19

The Prince of Persia apocalyptic Syllabification: a·poc·a·lyp·tic Pronunciation: əˌpäkəˈliptik Definition of apocalyptic in English: ADJECTIVE 1 Describing or prophesying the complete destruction of the world: the apocalyptic visions of ecologists 1.1 Resembling the end of the world; momentous or catastrophic: the struggle between the two countries is assuming apocalyptic proportions 1.2 Of or resembling the biblical Apocalypse: apocalyptic imagery The books of Daniel and Yohannan's Revelation are called 'Apocalyptic' books for good reason. Together they total 34 chapters so get busy, read them through three or four (40-50) times and you'll notice the patterns. For example, the beast that rises...

They like me, they really like me! A poll released by the Pew Research Center on February 15 reveals that Americans' attitudes toward people of faith have improved in just three years – and that Jews and Catholics are especially well regarded by people of all faiths. Pew's survey of U.S. adults – titled “Americans Express Increasingly Warm Feelings Toward Religious Groups” – was conducted on January 9-23, 2017. The American Trends Panel's survey participants included both Republicans and Democrats, men and women, younger and older Americans. The respondents were asked to rate various religious groups on a “feeling thermometer,”...

A Jewish Orthodox scholar is proposing an Old Testament ceremony, the redemption of the firstborn, to return Jesus of Nazareth to the Jewish fold and then hold a retrial at which he could be acquitted. The first trial, two millennia ago, resulted in Jesus’ condemnation by the high priests for blasphemy, his crucifixion by the Roman conquerors and his resurrection through which Christians worldwide believe they can receive salvation and life eternal. The Jewish authorities, however, have been libeled ever since as “Christ-killers” and more. One scholar, Ariel Cohen Alloro, while not “an official rabbi,” is a student of one...

Parashat Bo / פרשת בא Next read in the Diaspora on 04 February 2017. Parashat Bo is the 15th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 10:1 - 13:16 Next: Parashat Beshalach / פרשת בשלח Next read in the Diaspora on 11 February 2017. Parashat Beshalach is the 16th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 13:17 - 17:16

The Age of the Universe The '6' Days of Creation For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of YHVH as the waters cover the seabed. Habakkuk 2, 14 & Isaiah 11, 9 In the six hundredth year of the sixth [millennium], the gateways of heavenly wisdom and the fountains of lower wisdom will be opened, and the world will be uplifted to prepare for the ascension of the seventh [millennium]... Zohar I, 117a The formula for calculating the age of the universe was written by Moses and it's recorded in Tehillim 90 (Psalm). Tehillim Chapter...

“Cantor Kaufman!” Rabbi Jonah Pesner shouted across the intersection of Third and D in Washington’s Northwest quadrant, packed sidewalk to sidewalk with women in pink pussycat hats and their male friends. “A song!” Jason Kaufman, the cantor at Beth El in Alexandria, Virginia, draped in a rainbow tallit and in the middle of telling a joke, cocked an eyebrow and pivoted gracefully from the guy hanging with his buddies at Saturday’s Women’s March on Washington to the religious leader ready to, well, lead. Kaufman’s rich tenor soared above the foggy chill and soon found company. The song was a natural...

The ten plagues that made G-d's name known in all the world happened many years ago in the land of Egypt. The process they began of bringing the knowledge of G-d's presence and power to all humankind for all generations continues till today. They resound and reverberate every time a Pharaoh arises and says "I do not know Hashem." RABBI CHAIM RICHMAN OF THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE / VIDEO LENGTH ~18m Parashat Vaera / פרשת וארא Torah Portion: Exodus 6:2 - 9:35. Parashat Vaera is the 14th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Next: Parashat Bo...

Sixty years havee lapsed since the Baghdad Pact which grouped together Turkey, Iran, Iraq and the West in an alliance against the Soviet Union and the concomitant Communist danger. Nowadays this Middle Eastern architecture has shifted 180 degrees to where Russia, Turkey and Iran are in an ad hoc alliance against Islamic State but which may turn against the West as well. Still, the new alliance might be termed as a marriage of inconvenience where each of the parties has different motives and is acting at cross purposes in partitioning the Syrian bear. Russia has fulfilled a long-held dream of...

The saga of Julie Goffstein and her children needs to make all of us demand better. A travesty was done to children who were ripped apart from a loving and by all accounts good mother, from their heritage and from their way of life. Moreover, the tragic injustice done in this case should send shivers down the spines of every homeschooling advocate in the nation. Julie was a loving mother of 6 boys, ages 5-15. She raised them with great care for their physical needs, their spiritual wellbeing and their personal development. Eleven character witnesses testified as to this at...

This week we excitedly begin a new book of the Torah. When we read a book, any book, someone might ask us: "What is it about?" It is sometimes difficult to encapsulate a book in a short phrase or comment, but it is a task that forces us to think about the central messages and to examine the storyline of the book in question. This is true about the Torah as well. Many of our sages tried to give titles or themes for the books of Chumash. As we begin Sefer Shemot, we might want to think about the central...

“And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.” Deuteronomy 31:18 (The Israel Bible™) In two separate sets of Bible Codes, published three months apart, international Bible Codes expert Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson found evidence that Donald J. Trump will win the upcoming US presidential election. What’s more, Trump’s predicted win appears to be connected to his support for Israel. The first table was published on July 6, 2016. In this table, which comes from the Book of Deuteronomy, Rabbi Glazerson pointed to...

This week the Rabbi answers the question: "How can you live a great life despite all obstacles?" Enjoy this video of what we hope will be a weekly endeavor into spreading the educational words of our Torah. Parashat Vayechi / פרשת ויחי Next read in the Diaspora on 14 January 2017. Parashat Vayechi is the 12th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. This is the final Genesis portion. Torah Portion: Genesis 47:28 - 50:26 Upcoming:Parashat Shemot / פרשת שמות Next read in the Diaspora on 21 January 2017. Parashat Shemot is the 13th weekly Torah...

The current year of AD 2017 is upon us, and with it comes several important historical anniversary dates for the nation of Israel specifically; and the Gentile nations in general. 2018 is a very significant year as well. August 31, 2017 marks the 120th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress organized by Theodore Herzl in 1897. Held in Basel , Switzerland , the gathering defied the purpose of Zionism as a movement aimed at obtaining a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. guaranteed by public law. Israel will celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, which...

Often people hurt us in many different ways. The Torah is requiring me to forgive them. why? Why did Yosef Hatzadik was so quick to forgive his brothers?

Rabbi Tovia Singer responds to a former Arab Muslim woman regarding her conversion to Conservative Judaism.

Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi explains why some prayers are answered and some aren't.

Happy Chanukah 5777מי שמאמין לא מפחד MI SHEMA'AMIN LO MEFACHED Those Who Believe Have No Fear HASHEM MELECH HASHEM MALACH HASHEM YIMLOCH L'OLAM VA ED