According to traditional Jewish law (halacha), Jewishness is passed down through the mother. So, if your mother was Jewish, you are too. This position is held by most members of the Conservative and ...

Ushpizin (pronounced oosh-pee-ZIN) is the Aramaic word for “guests” and refers to a short prayer recited on each night of Sukkot inviting one of seven Jewish forbearers to join us in the sukkah.

Blintzes are an iconic and beloved Eastern European Jewish food — thinly cooked pancakes (crepes) filled with potato, vegetables or cheese. There is no shortage of ways to make them — sweet, savory, ...

Growing up Rosh Hashanah always meant a trip to grandma’s house. Ten kids running around, eight adults, games, music, naps on the living room floor after temple and, of course, a whole lot of food. As ...

I first fell in love with adjaruli khatchapuri, also known as Georgian cheese bread or cheese boat, at Marani Restaurant in Queens, NY. This cheesy-carby deliciousness is basically all the comfort ...

The Talmud has been discussing the Torah’s requirement of shiluach haken, shooing the mother bird away from the nest before collecting her eggs or hatchlings (Deuteronomy 22:6–7). This is ...

Traditional interpretations of what the four species represent. The four species of Sukkot are the etrog, palm, myrtle and willow. The lulav is the palm, but sometimes all four together are referred ...

Is anything written by a Jew a Jewish text, and who decides?

As commonly understood, this biblical narrative condemns the first violation of the prohibition against idolatry--but it's not that simple. The story of the golden calf, the greatest scandal of the ...

Ancient artifacts reveal Jewish attitudes toward incantations, demons, and the supernatural. The Talmud portrays Jews in late antiquity as accepting and participating in the culture of magic and ...

The Sabbath was a cornerstone of the Temple service and of popular observance in ancient Israel. Shabbat is the weekly day of rest and abstention from work enjoined upon the Israelites. An etiological ...

The last nine days of the Three Weeks, the mournful period before Tisha B’Av, start on the first of the Jewish month of Av and occupy a special status. During the nine days, foods traditionally ...