Well, Hanukkah is about to knock on our doors, this year it starts on December 11th and ends December 19th. Today we added several new Hanukkah Menorahs.

Here is are the 4  favorite Menorahs chosen by jJudaica.com team:

1. Tree of Life Menorah
   • Silver Plated
   • Remarkable Shape
   • Now on Sale

   

2. Contemporary Menorah
   • Silver Plated
   • Modern, Fresh Clean Look
3. Antique Look Menorah
   • Solver Plated (Oxidized)
   • Classic Decoration
   • 
4. Tree of  Life (Ceramic) Menorha
   • Colorful
   • Heavy looking

   

Also, we found this great video about “How to Light the Hanukkah Menorah” on you tube; Enjoy!

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1. Ten Great Ideas for Tu B’Av Gifts

Year of good things

Year of joy and happiness

Year of smiles and laughter

Year of prosperity and growth

Year of health

Year of success

Year of loooooooooove

Year of peace

A good year: a Shanha Tova

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1. A Blast Into the Shofar

The shofar’s makes it’s main show is on Rosh Hashanah. It is blown  once a day during the month of Elul, and the blast of the shofar is what concludes the Yom Kippur service. Yet, Rosh Hashanah is the only day of the year where extensive services and ceremonies are geared around the blowing of the shofar.

How Many Times is the Shofar Blown on Rosh Hashanah – and Why?

The majority of Ashkenazi Jews blow the shofar 100 times. The majority of Sephardic Jews blow it 101 times. Yemenite Jews blow the shofar 41 times on the holiday. There are several explinations that expain the reasoning behind the perscribed number of shofar blasts.

The 101 Tears of a Mother

In the book of Devorah, the Jew’s were battling the Assyrians for years. The prophetess Devorah foresaw that the Assyrian general would not die in battle, but by the hands of a woman. Just as she predicted, as the Assyrians were losing the battle against the Jews, Sisera fled to the tent of Yael. Yael craftily orcherstrated Sisera’s death. She fed him salty cheese and wine, which put him to a deep sleep.  Once he was in a drunken slumber, she drove a tent stake through the general’s head, klling him dead. Although, this was a great thing for the Jewish people, saving them from a dangerous enemy, it was still a devastating reality for Siseria’s mother. Siseria’s mother felt anger towards the Jewish people more than anything. It is said that she cried 101 tears when she heard of her son’s death. 100 of those tears were directed from her anger towards the Jews, and 1 of those tears was directed from her pure love for her son.

For this reason, Ashkenazi blow 100 blasts from the shofar. The 100 blasts can counteract Siseria’s mother’s 100 tears of anger towards us. But her one pure tear of love, we cannot counteract with even the longest and most powerful shofar blast. So, Ashkenazi stop at 100, honoring the tear of love. It is a reminder for us that we should make teshuva out of love for G-d, not out of anger or fear.

The Halachic Ashkenazi Reason:

According to the Talmud, a Jew must only hear nine shofar blasts in order to fulfill the requirement for Rosh Hashanah. However, there was a debate as to what the authentic shofar blast truly was.  As we know, there are three different ways the shofar is blown. These three sounds (tekiah, shevarim, teruah) vary in length and style and have different spiritual connotations.  The Rabbis could not decide which form or combination of these blasts was the exact sound of the shofar that we are supposed to hear. Therefore, every combination possible of these three types of blasts is sounded. Each combination is bracketed by one long tekiah sound. The total of combination blasts  makes up 100 shofar blasts.

The Sephardi Mystical Reason:

There is a very kabbalistic reasons why the shofar is blown 101 times in Sephardi communities. The Hebrew letters Samech and Mem represent the name for the most harmful angel. The gematriah, numerical value, of these two letters is 60 (Samech) and 40 (Men).  In order to counteract the energy of this dark angel, the shor blower calls upon the energy of the  good angel, Michael. Michael’s name in Hebrew has the gematriah of 101: (mem=40, Yud = 10, Chaf = 20, Aleph = 1, Lamed = 30)

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1. Selichot: Preparation for the Day of Power

Hand made in Israel, looks much better when its hanging on the wall (really, the picture can’t describe it…). Plus, it’s 50% off… Stained Glass Hamsa

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1. Hand Made Mezuzah – 50% OFF

This clean look Mezuzah is hand crafted in Israel. For 50% off, buy it and keep it as a spare gift…

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Grab it now, while it lasts! only during September 2nd.

Bore Pri Hagafen Gold Plated & Silver Kiddush Cup – Goblet

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The more energy and effort you put into preparing for important times and events, the more you’ll get out of the experience. Yom Kippur, the Shabbat of Shabbats, is an incredibly powerful day in the Jewish year. On this day, we can wipe ourselves clean of all the every blemish and barrier we’ve caused through our misdeeds, so that our deepest essence and connection with G-d can be renewed. In order to prepare ourselves so that we get the most out of our Yom Kippur experience, we have the process of Selichot.

What and When:

The Selichot service consists of a series of prayers and supplications for forgiveness from G-d. Sephardim recite Slichot throughout the entire month of Elul, through Tishrei, up until Yom Kippur. This year, Sephardi Selichot starts on August 22/23. However, according to Ashkenazi custom, Selichot services only begin the Saturday night (after midnight) before Rosh Hashanah, should the holiday fall Wednesday or later in the week. However, if Rosh Hashanah falls early in the week, Selichot starts two Saturday nights before the holiday, since the service must be recited at least for four days before Rosh Hashanah. This year, Ashkenazi Selichot starts on September 12/13, 2009.

The Selichot service can be recited alone. However, several important parts of the service can only be recited with a minyan. The service is usually recited as a minyan anytime after midnight until morning, before morning prayers are recited. The service is never recited before halachic midnight because the first part of the night is considered to be a strong time of judgment.

A Look into the Service:

Selichot is a deeply moving service, full beautiful traditional songs, haunting verses, and powerful shofar blasts. One of the fundamental parts of the service is the repeated repetition of the the “Thirteen Attributes,” verses from the book of Exodus in the Torah that list the thirteen aspects of mercy and compassion that G-d embodies. The verse is as follow, “[1], Ha-shem [2], G-d [3], merciful [4], and gracious [5], long-suffering [6], abundant in goodness [7] and truth [8], keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation [9], forgiving iniquity [10] and transgression [11] and sin [12], who cleanses [13].”

Even a Little Bit of Preparation Makes a Big Difference:

Should  you only are able to make it to one Selichot service before the High Holidays hit, I guarantee that that experience (provided you are at a good minyan) will be sure to enliven your soul and prepare you for a far more powerful Yom Kippur. Two of the most important nights of Selichot are the first night of Ashkenazi Selichot service, and the night before Yom Kippur.

Tap into the wonderful gift of Selichot!

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1. A Blast Into the Shofar

jJudaica plans to keep you on your toes this month, with our unbeatable holiday sale. Every day in the month of September, one of jJudiaca’s fine, unique products will be offered for 50% off its regular price. The next day, another item will be picked, also at 50% off, and so on and so forth, as long as the summer sun keeps setting in August. However, each item will only be on sale for one day. You must purchase the item on the specific day its advertised, or it will go back to its regular sale’s price. The next day, the half-off spotlight will have moved to a whole new item.

So, keep track jJudaica’s Daily Deal so you don’t miss the top sale on whatever Judaica item you have your eyes on. Chances on, it will go on sale one day in August.

Sale updates will be announced through the following:

• jJudaica’s blog:  http://www.jJudaica.com/blog
• jJudaica.com’s Twitter page:  http://twitter.com/jjudaica
• jJudaica.com’s discount feed: http://www.jjudaica.com/blog/judaica-discount/feed

Stay tuned for the best deals in Judaica available this September!

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Elul – The Month G-d Comes Close to Us

Many people associate Elul with fear, considering it a period of repentance that builds up to the High Holy Days where we are all judged by G-d. And indeed, it is a time to take stock of our behaviors and actions of the past year, and to confess what it is we need to change. This is the month where the process of repentance and coming back to our true selves. Yet, there is a deeper aspect to the month – an aspect of love. For Elul is the month where G-d himself makes a big effort to meet us where we are so the we can build a closer relationship with Him.

I am to my beloved, And My Beloved is to Me

In Hebrew, the letters of Elul (Aleph, Lamed, Vav, Lamed) symbolically stand for an important verse from the Song of Songs: “Ani Le-dodi V’dodi Li“  – “I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me.” The entire Song of Songs is a love song between G-d and ourselves. This verse’s association to the month of Elul represents the lovingly close relationship that we can establish with G-d during this powerful time. This is the month where the love story between us can climax, bringing us together in ways never before imagined.

The King is in the Field

The Alter Rebbe explains this concept with a beautiful metaphor. He explains that in Elul, “The King is in the Field”. During the rest of the year, G-d is in the palace, and we must make an intense effort to purify and ready ourselves to approach him in such a regal place. Yet, after a whole year of working hard and inevitably making mistakes, we are given a gift in Elul. This gift is the ability to connect to G-d without having to go to the palace. G-d leaves his palace and comes to find us where we are in the fields.

What is the Meaning of the Field?

When G-d cast us out of the Garden of Eden, he sent us to toil for our bread on Earth. The field symbolizes the places where we work and put effort towards sustaining ourselves in the material world. This includes all means of work: farming, cleaning, cooking, making internet sites, engineering, etc. During the year, we often struggle between the physical and the spiritual. The purpose of this world is to infuse spirituality into the physical. Should we do our physical labor in this world with proper intentions and with thoughts of others, we are actually doing spiritual work. Yet, the majority of the time, we get caught up with the stress and minute details of work. We get lost in the field, and no longer see the bigger spiritual dimension in which the field is an integral part.

The field also represents the outskirts of the city – the places where man can be his uninhibited self. This is often the place where low and thoughtless actions take place. Improper and sometimes lewd actions can occur in such places.

The Power of Love

In Elul, G-d meets us both in our lowest places of sin as well as the places where we labor without any spiritual intent. Therefore, G-d is easily accessible to us all throughout this month. G-d takes this huge step out of his palace because He loves us and wants us to be close. G-d wants, more than anything, for us to build a close relationship with Him.

Teshuva literally means return. When we make teshuva, we return to our true, G-dly natures. Teshuva can be made out of fear, or it can be made out of love. Teshuva made out of fear is a low form of teshuva. It is even considered to be a bribe to G-d. G-d will take the bribe if that is all we offer. But it is the deeper teshuva out of love that G-d really desires from us. By approaching us from his vast sense of love, G-d is showing us that we can uplift ourselves through love.

Elul is a month of transformation, coming close to G-d and thus our true selves, and being filled with supernal love.

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Soaking up Spirituality from the Spirit of the Ari

Some people hate crowds, preferring to have their spiritual experiences in private. Yet, I love the spirit of unity that is found amidst the chaos of Israeli spiritual gatherings. I especially love the madness of crowded bus rides and journeys with throngs of other Jews who are all traveling on one specific journey. Of all such gatherings, my favorite is the yartzeit, or death anniversary for the Ari (the Arizal or Rabbi Issac Luria.) I have faithfully attended it for the past three years in a row, finding that, although I spend half the time crowded for space and pushed about, it is again and again a mystical experience I simply can’t miss. Which is why two weeks ago I traveled to Tzfat (also known as Safed or Zefat), in order to visit the grave of the Ari on his yartzeith. This year, his yartzeit fell on July 25/26, the 5th of Av.

The Lion of Mysticsm

Knicknamed “the Ari,” which literally means “the lion,” the Ari was the one of the leading kabbalists in . He lived in the mid 16th century, during the golden age of kabbalah in Tzfat. Having studied the Zohar for years and meditated intensely on mystical secrets, he gave many lessons on kabbalah. Most of his teachings were complied into a series of books by his foremost student, Rabbi Chaim Vital. His books include secrets of reincarnation, how to achieve a prophetic state, and other sorts of mystical wonders. These teachings branched into a whole school of kabbalah, called “Lurianic Kabbalah.”

The Grave Hoppers

In Israel, it is common to see flocks of religious people flocking to the gravesites of Tzaddikimm, people who are widely recognized to be righteous and holy, on their yartzeits. Jewish mysticism teaches that there is always a minute percentage of a person’s soul that is connected to their grave. On the day of the yartzeit, a larger percentage of the soul can be accessed at their burial site. Thus, on such special days, people feel like they can access some aspect of the energy and spirit of Tzaddiks, and in the merit of the Tzaddiks, have their prayers answered by G-d.  flocks of religious people flock to the gravesite of the tzaddik.

The Reverence and Rituals of the Ari’s Faithfuls

There is a special crowd drawn to the Ari on his yartzeit. It is a group of people, from all different religious sects, many of which practice more “traditional” and less “halachic” Judaism. Most of them are called by a personal connection either to the Ari’s teachings, or to his spirit.