by Julia Blum | Feb 3, 2026 | Hebrew Insights
One of the biggest losses we experience in translation is the meaning of names. Hebrew names are never random. They carry theology, identity, destiny. They tell a story — sometimes even before the person themselves fully lives it. But once names are transliterated or...
by Julia Blum | Jan 28, 2026 | Hebrew Insights
The Fall Feasts are behind us, and after the joy of Simchat Torah — this year, it was indeed full of joy, as you all know — we begin a new cycle of reading the Torah. This past Shabbat, we read Bereshit, the opening portion of Genesis. Today’s insight...
by Julia Blum | Jan 28, 2026 | Hebrew Insights
As we begin a new Torah cycle with Bereshit, we continue to look at the very first words of creation. One of the key Hebrew verbs that appears again and again in this chapter is lehavdil — “to separate.” “And God saw the light, that it was good; and God...
by Julia Blum | Jan 28, 2026 | Hebrew Insights
We all know that the rapid ascent of the cosmic drama culminates in the creation of man on the sixth day. Even in translation, it is clear that this day is special. Yet only in Hebrew do we see just how unique the sixth day really is. In Hebrew, the sixth day is the...
by Julia Blum | Jan 24, 2026 | Hebrew Insights
Before God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden, He made them clothes of skin. Some Jewish commentators say that before Adam and Chava (Eve) sinned, their bodies were clothed with light, and that as a result of their sin, the garments of light were replaced by...
by Julia Blum | Jan 24, 2026 | Hebrew Insights
As we draw nearer to Rosh Ha-Shanah, I find myself still reflecting on the story of Creation. Each week it reveals something new — a layer in the Hebrew text that disappears in translation. Today’s insight is about a surprising connection between Adam, Eve, and the...
