Taking Israel for Granted

The Talmud in Tractate Chulin says something quite astonishing. It states that “idolaters outside of Israel are not really idolaters, they are just following the customs of their ancestors.” In other words, authentic idolatry only exists in Israel! Now that is a shocking statement, because it appears that Israel, the holy land, the land of prophecy, the land where all the commandments apply, the land where almost all the prophets ...

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Fringe Observance – Shelach 5774

In this week’s Torah portion, we are commanded to tie fringes, called tzitzit, to the corners of every four-cornered garment: G-d said to Moses, saying,  “Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them that they shall make themselves fringes [tzitzit, in Hebrew] on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations.  And they shall place upon the fringes of each corner a thread of turquoise wool … that you ...

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