This Sunday counts the 33rd day of the Omer, or the period between Passover and Shavuot, when the Omer barley offering was brought in the Holy Temple. Lag Ba’Omer, as it is known, derives its name from the Hebrew system…
The Purpose of Freedom: The Mitzvah of Counting the Omer
Just last week, we waved goodbye to Passover, the holiday of Jewish freedom and redemption. But after all this talk of freedom, I feel like I’m still eating matzah. And I’m not just talking about leftover matzah brei. The slave…
TBT: The history of Chad Gadya and Passover
In honor of Passover and the Internet sensation of dedicating Thursdays to past experiences, I took to Ha’Am’s archives to find an article that our predecessors wrote about this fine holiday. The following article, “Chad Gadya: Not Just for Passover,”…
Quiz: Beyond the “Big Three” — Which Jewish org should you join?
When a UCLA student thinks of Jewish organizations, Hillel, Chabad, and JAM come to mind. Don’t get us wrong, Ha’Am loves and supports these three, but there are many smaller Jewish orgs that don’t always get the attention they deserve; this quiz highlights the smaller groups, one of which might just catch your eye.
Ha’Am Hits: Quarter flashback
With the end of the quarter and finals in sight, the Ha’Am staff took a break from studying to look back at the events that have happened since winter break ended in January. Take a look at some of the…
How to make your own Mishlo’ach Manot for Purim
At the conclusion of the war of the Jews against their former aggressors, Mordecai established the Purim holiday as we know it, making the 14th and 15th (for certain cities) of Adar “days of feasting and joy, of the sending…
Ha’Am Hits: Purim
With Purim next Sunday, the Ha’Am staff has been busy preparing. Check out our favorite Purim-related links from around the Web. 1. Brush up on your knowledge of Jewish law and custom pertaining to this major historical holiday with this…
Kosher Korner: Ghouribi (Moroccan Butter Cookies)
These melt-in-your mouth cookies are traditionally served as dessert at the festive meal on Purim day. They’re less sweet than most cookies and hamantaschen and are supposed to resemble Queen Esther’s jewelry. (If you also want to make hamantaschen, check…
Ha’Am Hits: Prep for finals
This week, the Ha’Am staff finished up midterms just in time to start tackling finals. Yes, we know we’re two weeks in advance, but better to be over-prepared than under! Check out our favorite study-related tips and findings! 1. When…
Ha’Am Hits: We Bet You Never Knew
This week, the Ha’Am staff took the challenge of learning something surprising about Jews, Judaism or Israel. Check out our favorites among them: 1. The original spy rabbi: the Mossad now has an official rabbi to rule on conflicts of…