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 […]
Shabbat and Holidays
Inspiration, information, tutorials, recipes, and more on Shabbat and the Jewish holidays celebrated throughout the year.
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, […]
Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz Every year, during the “Three Weeks,” we mourn the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, our Holy Temple. While I try to keep the […]