Vilna Gaon
Does Takeover of Crimea Mean Messiah Is Near?
A famous rabbi once taught that when Russia invades Crimea, it means the Messiah is on his way. So now some Jews are thanking Vladimir Putin for hastening the redemption.
Is the World Gonna End in 2014?
Some thought the world would end in 2012. Now, the words of one of Chabad’s founders have some wondering whether the end of times might be coming all over again.
What Will Happen (When the Messiah Comes)?
On the Yiddish Song of the Week blog, clarinetist Joel Rubin writes about “Vos vet zayn?” (What Will Happen?), a song performed by Rabbi Eli Silberstein of Ithaca, New York. Rubin writes:
Brightly Lit: Illuminated Traveling Texts
For centuries, the people of the book have also been a people perpetually on the move. Always, Jews took their books with them, writing and reading as they traveled. And, despite widespread assumptions about Judaism’s historically ambiguous relationship vis-à-vis painting and drawing, many of these books — manuscripts and printed works alike — were lavishly decorated with illustrations, ornate borders and brilliant colors.