Not everything deserves a blessing. In Fiddler on the Roof, the rabbi jokes: “May God bless and keep the Tsar… far away from us.” Funny? Yes. Correct? Not exactly. Judaism draws a sharp line between blessing and curse. The Talmud teaches that we do not recite blessings over locusts or vinegar (Brachot 40b)—because plagues and spoiled wine are not holy challenges. They are curses. And that matters. Because faith isn’t about finding a blessing in everything. It’s about knowing what must never be b

Video shows a rabbi blessing and praising an Israeli soldier accused in the gang rape of a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman detention facility. | Al Jazeera English

Havdalah is a Jewish ceremony that marks the end of Shabbat. It's a ritual of separation, using blessings over wine, spices, and a special multi-wicked candle | Rabbi Raps