Judaism

A look at the Kabbalistic significance of the Counting of the Omer, which culminates in the festival of Shavuot

Parents have probably been singing songs to their children since the dawn of history, but “Chad Gadya” – composed specifically to help children stay awake until the very end of the Passover Seder – may be the first song ever printed specially for children

The sages of Safed created amulets, the Jews of Italy wrote prayers and other Jews warned of less conventional plagues…

How does one drown out the name of the most hated, evil man in the Megillah? By making good use of a Christian folk tradition of course!

The “Moskowitz Mahzor” was created by one of the Middle Ages’ most important Jewish artists, Joel ben Simeon; It is now available to the public online

The story of the three angels charged with safeguarding newborn babies and their mothers

Marvin Antelman, an American rabbi and conspiracy theorist, was one of the many strange figures who wrote letters to Gershom Scholem, the distinguished scholar of Jewish mysticism. Scholem, however, was not impressed…

The Twin Sets of Kehilot Moshe contain wonderful and unique illustrations, which feature rare examples of Jewish self-representation

A 16th-century Yemeni manuscript containing a wonderful illustration of a menorah is being restored in our Conservation and Restoration Department. Come have a look behind the scenes

Manuscripts belonging to Rabbi Isaac Jacob Reines, one of the founding fathers of religious Zionism, have been donated to the National Library