Religions, beliefs and practices reflect humanity’s quest for meaning and connection with the transcendental. This space explores spiritual diversity, analyzing various forms of faith and rituals that enrich the human experience and foster intercultural understanding.
Once upon a time, there was a prophet named Jonah. God sent Jonah to warn the Ninevites that their persistent selfishness would lead to their ruin. However, Jonah was a disobedient young man. Foolishly, he went in the opposite direction when he heard God’s instructions, got into a boat and set sail.
Both the suffering Egyptians and the Israelites who witnessed God’s power for the first time must have found the signs and wonders (or plagues) described in Parashat Vaera to be immensely frightening.
The Shofar, an ancient ram’s horn instrument, resonates strongly during the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, marking not only the beginning of a new year, but also a profound introspection. It is a call that transcends time, connecting Jewish history and tradition with the aspirations and reflections of the present.
Tishrei is the dearest of months, as it is the seventh month since Nissan, the month of redemption and Jewish independence. Tishrei is characterized as the most satiated of months because it is filled with more mitzvot and festivals than any other month of the year. The word seven is associated with the feeling of being satisfied.
Elul is the sixth of the twelve months of the Jewish calendar. It is called the month of repentance, the month of mercy and the month of forgiveness. Elul follows the months of Tammuz and Av, the months in which Israel’s two great sins were committed, that of the golden calf and that of the spies.
On the occasion of the liturgical feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, which the Catholic Church celebrates on July 31, here are some facts about the life and work of the founder of the Society of Jesus, called Jesuits and the creator of the Spiritual Exercises.
The Hebrew month of Av (or Menachem-Av, the consoler of Av) is the fifth of the twelve months of the Jewish calendar. The name Av means “father.” It derives from the root which means to will or desire.
