The Rosen School of Hebrew Blog

Counting of the Omer (Hebrew: ספירת העומר ) is counted every evening ,for forty-nine days after nightfall, from the second night of Passover till the night before Shavuot. According to the Torah,…

Yizkor (Hebrew: יזכור), which means remembrance, is a special Jewish memorial prayer. The Yizkor prayer has become a formal part of the prayer service during the Crusades of the eleventh century when…

Selichot (Hebrew:סליחות) is a series of penitential prayers Piyyutim which are recited on a daily basis at early morning services during the month of Elul. Selichot, meaning Prayers for Forgiveness, are ancient…

Tzom Gedaliah (Hebrew: צום גדליה) , meaning The Fast of Gedalia , is a Jewish fast day instituted by our Sages to commemorate the murder of Gedaliah Ben Achikam, the righteous governor…

Hoshana Rabbah (Hebrew: הוֹשַׁעְנָא רַבָּא) is the seventh day of Sukkot. During the six days of Sukkot, a Torah scroll is removed from the Ark and brought to the bimah. The Chazan…

The Ushpizin (Hebrew:אושפיזין) are the seven hidden hosts who, according to Jewish tradition , visit us in the Sukkah on each of the seven nights and days of Sukkot.   It is…

1763 was the year that the book “Chemdat Yamim”- חמדת ימים- was published. It describes the way to celebrate a Tu-Bishvat Seder. The people who published it were living in Safed. As…

If I could choose the best story to tell my children for Tu Bishvat, I would probably tell them the legend about the old man and the fig basket- הזקן וסל התאנים….

The number seven in Judaism is a symbol of many issues: seven days in a week, the seventh years that the Hebrew servant can be free and more. Also for the festival…

A fun activity that we do on Purim and also for other festivals is the “he and she”- הִיא והוּא quiz. The “he and she” quiz is a game that tries to…