Prologue Journal

Understanding current events through the lenses of the past and future.

Shabbat candle-lighting times for Israel and the US

Jerusalem Post See Shabbat times for your area. https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-826034

How should we observe Simchat Torah this year?

Jerusalem Post We need to seek a middle path between the usual joy of Simchat Torah and the mourning necessitated by the disaster of Simchat Torah 5784 on October 7. https://www.jpost.com/judaism/jewish-holidays/article-825656

‘Who’s the fool who told you boys don’t cry?’ Approaching Simchat Torah with sorrow

Jerusalem Post May we find strength, comfort, and even happiness in one or the other – or perhaps even both. For as we have been proclaiming for a year now, only together shall we overcome. https://www.jpost.com/judaism/jewish-holidays/article-825817

Simchat Torah: Grasping the divine strands of joy

Jerusalem Post It’s strained, if not seemingly impossible, to embody joy right now. The divine strands of joy around us are so dim as to be nearly invisible. https://www.jpost.com/judaism/jewish-holidays/article-825815

Come together: The importance of unity on Simchat Torah

Jerusalem Post It is precisely at the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s massacre that the holiday of Simchat Torah comes along, with its unique message about the centrality of unity. https://www.jpost.com/judaism/jewish-holidays/article-825723

Shemini Atzeret and Simhat Torah 2024: Candle-lighting times for Israel and US

Jerusalem Post See chag times in your area. https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-825802

Simchat Torah: Celebration vs. Mourning

Jerusalem Post https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-825788

Discovery reignites search for Noah’s Ark in Turkey’s mountains

Jerusalem Post The Durupinar formation closely resembles the biblical description of Noah’s Ark: “A length of three hundred cubits, a width of fifty cubits, and a height of thirty cubits.” https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-825786

Unity and strength: A gathering of Gur Hasidim in the Sukkah of Rabbi Pinto

Jerusalem Post https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-825499

Silent dancing on Simchat Torah? A joyous Jewish holiday is remade for a mournful anniversary.

Jerusalem Post Jewish communities grapple with balancing joy and mourning on Simchat Torah, one year after the October 7 Hamas attack. https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-825569