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Ask the Expert: Is Sex Permitted on Shabbat?
Sex isn’t only permitted on Shabbat — it’s encouraged.
Ask the Expert: Do All Religions Worship the Same God?
Jews don’t have a monopoly on God, but we do privilege and prefer our own access.
What Were Shtetls?
Clearing up myths about these Eastern European villages where Jews lived.
Why Do Some Jews Write G-d?
Because the Torah prohibits erasing God’s name.
A Prayer for the Planet
Instead of assuming that humans can fix every problem, the prayer humbly asks God to bless creation again.
Next Torah Portion
Summary
A new Pharaoh of Egypt enslaves the Israelites, then demands that all Israelite baby boys be killed at birth. Baby Moses’ mother sets him afloat in a basket on the Nile where he is saved by Pharaoh’s daughter. As an adult, Moses kills an Egyptian taskmaster who was beating an Israelite slave, flees to Midian and marries Zipporah — but after encountering God at a burning bush he returns to Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery. Pharaoh refuses to the let the Israelites go and God promises to punish him.
Featured Commentary
Parashat Shemot: The Essential Name of God
Moses’ inquiry about God’s name reveals the essential quality of how God manifests in the world.
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Daf Yomi
STUDY RESOURCES
Recharge Now
Our weekly Shabbat newsletter, Recharge, features a thoughtful, timely essay to enrich your Shabbat. Here are a few of our recent pieces:
Grown Up Religion
A mature religious outlook embraces the messy realities of life even as it seeks to close the gap between what is and what ought to be.
Uncertainty is a Feature, Not a Bug
Anxiety is an inevitable part of life, so how do we best live with it?
Why Hanukkah Became Such a Big Deal
Though it is ostensibly about the purification of the Temple, Hanukkah really marks the political achievement of the Hasmoneans.
MORE from MY JEWISH LEARNING
7 Ways the Torah Can Actually Sharpen Your Mind
Engaging with Torah is like yoga for the mind: It keeps our perspectives flexible and creativity strong.
Ask the Expert: Applauding During Services
The ancient rabbis forbade clapping on Shabbat — for one very specific reason.
Similar Jewish Words You Don’t Want to Mix Up
From kibbitz/kibbutz to mitzvah/mikveh, we round up some easily confused Hebrew and Yiddish terms.
Shehechiyanu: A Meditation on this Moment
This blessing, traditionally recited for firsts, can be said anytime — since every moment is new and unprecedented.
How to Talk to God
The Hasidic prayer practice of hitbodedut — talking to God freely in one’s native tongue — helps to build intimacy over time.
Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World
This phrase with kabbalistic roots has come to connote social justice.