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 […]
Judaism 101
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) […]
One Mitzvah Leads to Another In this week’s Torah reading, we have the mitzvah (commandment) of Shiluach Haken, sending away the mother bird before taking her eggs or chicks, which […]
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 […]
A Judge in Your Days The verse in this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Shoftim, says (Devarim 17:9) that if one requires a ruling in Torah law, you should go to […]
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 […]
It was God’s Idea! The verse (Devarim 8:18) in this week’s Torah reading says that we should remember that it is God who gives us strength to succeed in business; […]
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 […]
