Who are we Fooling? Yom Kippur, the most awesome day of the year, arouses great trepidation. How do we approach this great day, a day of teshuvah (repentance) and forgiveness? […]
Shabbat and Holidays
Inspiration, information, tutorials, recipes, and more on Shabbat and the Jewish holidays celebrated throughout the year.
Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz Is it important in Judaism to forgive those who have hurt us? And what about someone who doesn’t ask me for forgiveness, or […]
Torah Study in Turbulent Times In this week’s Torah reading, we are given the last mitzvah (commandment) of the Torah – to write a Torah scroll. The Chofetz Chaim points […]
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 […]
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 […]