Why Not Pray More for Our Needs? On the holy day of Rosh Hashanah, the greater part of our tefillah (prayer) is for the kevod Malchuto yitbarach, for the honor […]
Shabbat and Holidays
Inspiration, information, tutorials, recipes, and more on Shabbat and the Jewish holidays celebrated throughout the year.
A Frightening Judgement Look around you on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur as the powerful, frightening piyut (liturgical poem) of Unetaneh Tokef is sung during the Mussaf prayer. This awe-inspiring section depicts […]
First we need the big picture. Then we probe individually. Rosh Hashana is the forest. Yom Kippur is each tree. How do our actions differ, From the goals Hashem (God) […]
Botched Plans “Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine,” has new meaning to me. We, Baruch Hashem (thank God), had a simcha (happy occasion) […]
I know, I know. The month of Elul should inspire awe and fear. I have heard stories of people in previous generations who would tremble when Rosh Chodesh Elul (the approach […]
Advice from an Ant The Midrash (Parshat Shoftim 5:2) quotes a pasuk from Mishlei (6:6-8), “Go to the ant, you lazy one, observe its ways and become wise…. It prepares […]
Teshuvah (Repentance) – A Daunting Task? As we enter the month of Elul, many people become more somber. They realize that judgment day is around the corner, and that they […]
< Lesson 15: Friday Night – Translation and Commentary Lesson 16: Common Mishaps at the Shabbos Table Introduction to the Shabbos Morning Meal (Rabbi Rappaport removes the challah cover, makes […]
It’s Been So Long – Can We Really Merit the Salvation? On Tisha B’Av, we mourn the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash (the Holy Temple), which was the cause of […]
The Last Place You Look “Why is it,” goes the old joke, “that when you’re looking for something, you always find it in the last place you look?” The answer, […]
