About the Author


Rabbi Shraga Simmons

Rabbi Shraga Simmons is the co-founder of Aish.com, and co-author of "48 Ways to Wisdom" (ArtScroll). He is Founder and Director of Aish.com's advanced learning site. He is co-founder of HonestReporting.com, and author of "David & Goliath", the definitive account of anti-Israel media bias. Originally from Buffalo, New York, he holds a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. He lives with his wife and children in the Modi'in region of Israel.


Seventh of Adar

Haman picked this day as the best time to plot the destruction of the Jewish people. His calculations left out one crucial thing...

Purim Vs. Yom Kippur

Purim is holier than Yom Kippur? They didn’t teach that in Hebrew school!

Haman: Heir to Amalek

Amalek, the nation that personified evil, insisted that God was absent in the world and everything happened by chance.

Israeli Ambassador in Space

Col. Ilan Ramon will orbit the earth in search of Jewish unity. An exclusive interview with Aish.com.

Man Is a Tree

The Torah compares a person to a tree. Roots, branches, leaves. What's the connection?

Sugar Bowl Priorities

Are we more interested in 'getting ahead' or in doing the right thing?

Trent Lott's Moment

Each word and action is brimming with power. The trick is aiming in the right direction.

Western Wall: Yesterday and Today

What we see today is only a small portion of the actual Wall.

Defiling the Holy

The Greeks wanted to tear out the heart of Judaism and reduce it to mere symbolism.

Matityahu's Revolt

For the Maccabees, it was not physical life at stake, but the spiritual life of the Jew.

Publicizing Miracles

When we light Chanukah lights, we help each other remember God's miracles and kindnesses.

Knowledge Vs. Wisdom

The secret of why the Greek empire didn't survive more than a few hundred years.

Essential Jewish Library

Ten books that are essential to any Jewish home.

Shmini Azeret and Simchat Torah

God adds a special day at the end of Sukkot, a day of great intimacy with our Creator, as He asks His Jewish children to remain with him for extra personal time together.

Secrets of the Four Species

The key to joy is success in our relationships. This includes our relationship with other people, with ourselves, and with God.

Laws of the Four Species

The special mitzvah of waving the 4 species: Esrog, Myrtle, Willow and Lulav.

Wool and Linen = Shatnez

A practical guide to keeping your clothes kosher.

Jewish Unity and the Key to Redemption

The Jewish People are handicapped if even one Jew has fallen away from our people.

Kamtza and Bar Kamtza

The story that destroyed the Holy Temple.

The Three Weeks

Overview and laws of the period leading up to Tisha B'Av.

The Lost Art of Prophecy

Prophecy ceased with the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE.

Tears on Tisha BAv

Do we appreciate the loss of the Temple to the extent that it brings us to tears?

Shema Yisrael

What is behind the most famous Jewish prayer?

Atonement Today Through Prayer and Teshuva

If there is no Temple, how do we achieve atonement?

Animal Offerings in Temple Times

Understanding the phenomenon in the 21st century.

Eye of the Universe

Appreciating the significance of Jerusalem's Holy Temple.

The Temple: Do We Feel The Loss?

Is our world the way we really want it to be?

The Western Wall: Yesterday and Today

The Wall did not always look like it does today.

Six Reasons Why The Wall Is Holy

The Western Wall is at the root of the Jewish nation.

Teshuva: Dry Cleaning for the Soul

Done something wrong? We all have. Here's how to fix it. Once and for all.

What Is the Shofar?: Sounds, Symbolism, and Meaning

The quintessential symbol of Rosh Hashana is more than just a primitive trumpet.

Life's Most Important Thing

This Rosh Hashana, will we be able to stand before God with confidence? Only if we know the bottom line of what we're living for.

Growth Worksheet

The High Holidays are all about personal growth. Here are key areas that will make the greatest difference in building overall spiritual health.

People of the Book

Jews have long been known as the "People of the Book." Here's why.

All Nite Tora-thon

What does Torah learning mean to the Jewish people? And is it really worth staying up all night for?

Daredevil on the Bridge

Clarity sometimes comes when you least expect it.

Celebration of Terror

When Palestinians celebrate terror attacks, the media is strong-armed into suppressing its coverage. Here's why.

Why Jerusalem Matters

For millennium of exile, Jews always turned toward Jerusalem. What memory were they eager to preserve?

Tears on Tisha B'Av

It's a dynamic that transcends generations: Tisha B'Av and the future of Jerusalem are inextricably linked.

Jews for Jesus

Underhanded tactics lure unsuspecting Jews into joining a Christian movement.

Jewish Captives In Iran

Thirteen Jews held captive in Iran are threatened with capital punishment for spying.

The Jewish View of Cremation

Death involves not just the body, but also the soul.

Small Acts, Eternal Consequences

The razor-close U.S. elections prove that no act, however small, goes unnoticed in the grand eternal plan.

When Children Kill Children

The Colorado high school shootings show a shocked society a reflection of itself.

7 Ways To Win The Newlywed Game

The Newlywed Game is harder than you may have thought. Use these seven tips to make your first year of marriage a winner.

Bris Milah Beautiful or Barbaric?

Human rights groups decry circumcision as an illegal act of child molestation.

It's Up To Us

Rav Noach taught that every individual is responsible to change the world.

Heroes on the Border

How do we respond when a Hezbollah killer goes free?

Shavuot Learn-a-thon

Awakening from our national slumber.

Tefillin: A Primer

Tefillin: Everything you need to know about those powerful black boxes, placed on the head and arm.

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