Modeh Ani
The first words on waking: gratitude before argument, before work, before the phone.
Today
Full calendar →14 Tishrei 5787
Friday, 25 September 2026
Sukkot — A week of temporary dwellings, harvest joy, lulav and etrog, and hospitality.
On the Horizon
- 0Sukkotסוכות
- 70Chanukahחנוכה
- 178Purimפורים
The kippah’s origins are in Talmudic minhag. Rav Huna ben Yehoshua (Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 118b) is reported to have said he would never walk four cubits with his head uncovered, because the Shechinah (Divine Presence) is above. Originally an act of particular piety, the covering of the head became standard practice among observant Jews in the medieval period and is treated as obligatory by the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 2:6, 91:3) for Torah study, prayer, and meals.
Black velvet — Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox), often worn under a hat.
Continue reading →Learn letters, vowels, and words, first by demonstration, then with interactive flashcards.
Why Did God Create the World?
Three classical answers — the rationalist, the kabbalist, and the Hasidic — and why each is illuminating.
What Is Mussar?
The Jewish discipline of character refinement — old as the Talmud, formalized in the 19th century by Rabbi Yisrael Salanter.
Hasidism vs. Mitnagdism
The great 18th-century split that still shapes the contemporary Orthodox world.
Start HereThe first five stops on a guided reading path.
Follow the Path →The Sections
Ten ways into a practice.
These ten sections have been designed first as a structured guide for learning, and second as an almanac for free exploration.