Shavuot is the day the Torah was given — celebrating the supernatural encounter between God and the Israelites at Mount Sinai, an event which changed mankind forever. Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai and is also the Festival of the First Fruits or the Feast of the Weeks. Every Jewish holiday falls on a specific day of the month, with one...
Israel’s Historic Achievement
From Israel’s Historic Achievement: To think of Israel as 60 years old may be wrong when its enemies seek to portray it as an alien usurper. In fact, the Jews have lived in the Land of Israel for over 3,300 years, since 1312 BCE. They had lived there at least 1,800 years before the Arab conquest of 635 CE, which lasted only 22 years. Jerusalem was the Jewish capital for over 3,300 years and...
Yossi Harel, Commander of ‘Illegal’ Pre-State Aliyah, Dies at 90
A great Jewish hero. Via INN: Yossi Harel, who commanded four ships bringing Jews to Israel illegally, died at the age of 90 in Tel Aviv Saturday. Harel assisted 24,000 Jews in reaching Israel aboard four ships, including the famed SS Exodus, between 1945 and 1948. Great Britain, which controlled the region at the time, banned Jewish immigration due to Arab pressure. The other three ships were...
Today in Jewish History – Tevet 14
Sponsored by Aish.com: Yahrtzeit of Pinchas Rutenberg (1879-1942), founder of the Israel Electric Corporation. A Russian Jewish immigrant, Rutenberg was a visionary and pioneer, whose efforts to bring electricity to Israel is regarded as a crucial factor in building a strong modern economy. Rutenberg’s flagship project was a hydroelectric plant on the Jordan River in 1931, which he built...
Arabs Desecrate Grave of Biblical Joshua
Just when you thought that Muslims couldn’t stoop any lower, what do they do? They go and desecrate the graves of the great Jewish Biblical Joshua, Caleb and Nun (Joshua’s father). Joshua served as the Jewish Nation’s Prime Minister from the year 2488 until 2516 on the Hebrew calendar (1272 BCE – 1300 BCE). Members of the One Shechem organization that organizes visits to the...
Smooth Stone Fun Facts
After the failed Bar Kochba revolt against the Roman Empire (135 AD), any semblance of Jewish political independence in Judea ended. Jews were then forbidden to live in Jerusalem; hundreds of thousands were killed and many were dragged off as slaves, and the land was desolated. Later, Jews returned to live in Jerusalem. Through a host of occupying empires; first the Byzantine, then the Persian...
A new museum confronts an old mystery at Masada
Via Ha’aretz: The exhibit at the end of the tour of the new museum at Masada consists of 11 tiny sherds bearing intriguing names. Hundreds of inscriptions on sherds were found at Masada, including some on earthenware jugs. Some are only a single letters, others contain names and numbers from the days of the rebellion and the Roman siege. The archaeologists, in particular Yigael Yadin, were...
The National Revelation – Shavuot
Who did God give the Torah to at Mount Sinai? Moses, right? Wrong. According to the Torah, all of the Israelites heard God speak at Mount Sinai. He appeared to everyone, approximately 3 million people and this is mentioned several times in the Torah. [Moses told the Israelites]: ‘Only beware for yourself and greatly beware for your soul, lest you forget the things that your eyes have beheld...
Today in Jewish History – Adar 4
Sponsored by Aish.com: Yahrtzeit of Menachem Begin (1913-1992), prime minister of Israel. Prior to the creation of the state, Begin became leader of the Irgun and used militant means to force the British government to withdraw from Palestine. In the Knesset, Begin led the opposition party for decades, before being elected prime minister in 1977. Begin negotiated the Camp David Accords with Anwar...
Today in Jewish History – Adar 3
Sponsored by Aish.com: In 350 BCE, the building of the second Holy Temple was completed in Jerusalem, as recorded in the biblical Book of Ezra (6:15). The re-building of the Temple had begun under Cyrus when the Persians first took over the Babylonian empire. The re-building was then interrupted for 18 years, and resumed with the blessing of Darius II, the Persian king whom is said to be the son...