Monday November 12th: 4 Kislev It was on this day in 1941 that so-called life certificates were distributed to a few fortunate Jewish residents in the Vilna Ghetto. Unfortunately, those who did not receive these certificates were sent off to extermination camps like Auschwitz and Treblinka. These little yellow certificates were, in reality, work permits. […]

Sunday November 11th: 3 Kislev It was on this day that Roman ensigns, emblems and images were removed from the Temple courtyard by order of Pontius Pilate. The Jews were incensed at the presence of these things in the Temple court and were threatening a war unto the death. Apparently, Pilate thought it wise to […]

Saturday November 10th: 2 Kislev If no rain had yet fallen by this day in ancient Israel, a day of fasting and prayer was called in order to petition the Creator to send rain. This rainy season is what the Bible refers to as the latter rain. “And it shall be that if you earnestly […]

If you keep up the news, you have probably discovered that the more news you absorb, the more distressed you become. Some people can’t watch news programs without becoming agitated, aggravated, angry, or even depressed. It would probably do us good to wean ourselves off all the bad news; maybe we should quit listening to […]

Dotting the mountainsides of northern Israel are various castles, fortresses and other strongholds. Once such stronghold is called Nimrod’s Castle. Actually, it has nothing to do with Nimrod but is a sprawling Crusader fortress, a stronghold, that sits atop a mountain in the upper Galilee. Another fortress, or at least the ruins of a fortress […]