Sukkot: Walking with Strength
The sukkah is a reminder of Hashem’s constant care in our everyday lives. Commemorating a concept rather than a specific event reflects a more complex reality.
Sukkah Sleeping: Exemptions or Excuses?
The Rema, however, is unconvinced by weather-based excuses (Darkei Moshe, O.C. 639:3). He maintains that it is generally not sufficiently cold even in Europe to constitute a blanket exemption (pun intended) from sleeping in the sukkah.
Standing Inside the Ache
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, zt”l, teaches that when we cry out woe is me, we begin to take stock; not just of our actions, but of our presence. Where am I? Who is it who is crying out this way? This is not confession as ritual. It is rupture, it is awakening, it is the guttural cry that breaks through inherited silence.
Do You Feel Lucky?
As Yom Kippur approaches, we are called to reflect not only on our choices, but also on the apparent randomness that shapes our lives.
Sefer Yonah and the Belief in Teshuvah
Hashem realizes that the commitment to improve does not always last, but He chooses to accept teshuvah because He cares for His creations and their survival.
Rosh Hashana: The Art of Standing
Rosh Hashana is very much a gray zone because it’s the day on which we stand between what was and what can be. It’s the day on which we judge, and are judged, for how great our future can look tomorrow.
The Veil of G-d
If one were to ask: was it worth experiencing a Holocaust which decimated one third of our people in order to attain a State of Israel? – not only would an affirmative answer be blasphemous, but so is the question.
Shavuot and the “Pintele Yid”
Shavuot commemorates the day when we all gathered at Har Sinai to receive the Torah, “as one person with one heart", meaning that we stood together in perfect unity. How tragic it is that it takes an attack from our enemies to make us feel unified.
An Early Second Night of Shavuot?
Since the case of early second night Yom Tov involves infringing on a holier day for the sake of a less holy one, it seems more analogous to davening Motzaei Shabbat Maariv and reciting havdalah after plag on Shabbat afternoon.
Yeru and Shalem – Yerushalayim
Yerushalayim was and always will be a city of unity — but unity of what? What do “Yeru” and “Shalem” each represent?
Lag B’Omer: A Time of Joy, Resilience and Hope for the Future
Have an enjoyable Lag B’Omer, beautiful Shabbat and a joyous and safe Chag Shavuot.
Leaping Locusts! Why is this bug different from all other bugs?
Preparing grasshoppers for consumption is very easy. No shechitah is required. And while there is a dispute among the rabbis whether they must be killed before they are eaten, this debate can be easily circumvented by freezing and killing them, ensuring that they die painlessly.
The Ride Home
Trauma therapists speak about the difference between acute trauma, brought about as a result of one traumatic event, and complex trauma, brought about over a period of time, almost imperceptibly, due to a constellation of factors. If trauma can develop gradually, healing can too.
Protektzia
We are living through exceptionally challenging times, and we need Hashem’s mercy now more than ever. The best way to reach Hashem is by making sure that His children are cared for.
Achdut, Purim and Parshat Ki Tisa
What was Moshe Rabbeinu was doing for those 40 days?
Preparing for a Spring Wedding… to God
It seems like no coincidence, then, that we read Esther and Ruth at the beginning and end of this period in the year.
Purim: The Power of Masks and Hidden Miracles
There is a deeper meaning behind the custom of dressing up on Purim.
Israel and Amalek
Judaism is about making distinctions and Israel and Amalek are polar opposites.
Purim and Pesach: The Bulls and Bears Revisited
We are now entering the season of faith-building that begins at Purim and ends at Pesach. More than at any time in our calendar, it is a season when we remember the long-term
Tu B’Shvat – Message In A Tree
The quintessence of the story is that Abraham wanted to make it well-known to people that they should recognize G-d as the Creator and be grateful to Him. In order to get the audience for this message, he planted an eshel tree to make his place known and easily found.
The Customs Of Tu B’Shvat
One should take the opportunity afforded by Tu B'Shvat to reflect and thank G-d for the fruits that He has created for our enjoyment.
Hanukah: Our Nation’s Message
Chanukah Sameach
Rabbi Sacks (zt’l): A 6th Chanukah Message: THE LIGHT of WAR and THE...
Jewish law rules that if we can only light one candle – the Shabbat light takes precedence, because in Judaism the greatest military victory takes second place to peace in the home.
A Hellenist Left Standing
The twenty-fifth makes her remember,
Because it's Kislev - not December.
She almost fell, like Hellenists of old.
The twenty-fifth makes her remember,
Because it's Kislev - not December.
Once she, too, chose tinsel, not the gold.
Z’man Simchateinu
Simcha, Sason & Chedva, and the distinctions between them.
Chag Sukkot: What We Learn From Displacement
We must remember that this world is merely the corridor to the palace (Avot 4:16), the gateway to the next world. This world and its pleasures are not the ultimate end goal.
Hashem’s Love, Away From The Crowds
We are commemorating the individual Jew, the lonely Jew, who was not connected to the nation in that moment, who felt alone, who felt broken, who felt lost, but who nonetheless was protected by G-d even though he or she was not surrounded by the clouds of glory.
Faulty Shelters, Resilient Beauty
So, this year we sit in our Sukkot with mixed emotions, recalling the glory days of the desert but also the dark days of the past year. As we sit within our fragile Sukkot, sympathize with the anguish felt by so many Israelis whose homes – once places of safety – proved incapable of protecting them.
