יום ראשון, ט״ז תשרי תשפ״זSunday, September 27, 2026
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Mr. Blum arranged the wire transfer. When he checked the bank statement a few days later, though, he noticed that no fee had been charged. He notified Mr. Leiner.
Question: I’m told that it is meritorious to complete the reading of the weekly Torah portion during the week and that it is a segula bestowing the blessing of long life. Does this apply even if one has no understanding of the text? Shmuel B. Via Email
As the Rebbe finished one segment of his talk, the crowd looked to the new widower to begin a song. What happened next was one of the most dramatic experiences in the lives of those who attended that gathering.
Adam HaRishon was so exalted that the angels wanted to sing his praises as they did for Hashem, yet he fell very low into sin and changed the course of humanity forever. Nevertheless, Hashem forgave Adam.
Now we know that the key to success is change. By changing, by bettering ourselves, we will reach our highest goals. And we also know what gives us the ability to change.
The beautiful Yomim Tovim of Tishrei have awakened us from our spiritual slumber and reenergized us. Now our job is to make sure we don’t fall back to sleep.
The lesson to us is as follows: It is critical and crucial for us to realize that each and every person is a constellation! Every single person is a galaxy! Every person is a universe!
Adon Olam is said to have been authored by Shlomo ibn Gabirol, and it made its way into the siddur sometime in the fifteenth century.
In a journey to the self, all that we know is the starting point; the destination remains to be discovered. We don’t know what we’ll find along the journey, the challenges we’ll face, what people will think, or if we will even succeed.
What was once considered reprehensible or considered out of bounds even one generation ago, today passes as normal civility, even though it is not normal, or civil.
One of the greatest impediments to change is believing that one cannot change.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Laws shape a society, and a society needs space. A sacred society needs sacred space, a holy land. Hence Jews and Judaism need their own land.
The Torah is not merely some disjointed ritual precepts but rather the Divine Ideal from before existence placed into this reality for the sake of elevating our world beyond its current limitations.
You Are That Man! ‘A Poor Man Looking For A Griddlecake…’ (Kiddushin 59a)
By Naama Klein
During the long Shabbos afternoon hours, Motty became somewhat bored, and he set his sights on some new activities that he had not tried on his previous visits.
While it is true that a tzaddik can stumble and sin, when he does falter he immediately picks himself up and repents.
Question: I recently learned that one may not dance or clap hands on Shabbat or Yom Tov. If so, how do we dance on Simchat Torah? Aryeh Josefsohn Via Email
The pasuk completely blows us away with the statement that the enemy will come Ka-asher yideh hanesher – Like the eagle sweeps, a perfect description of the sudden attack of two widespread huge airliners.
They cannot see your inner world, but they can access it through the outer expressions that you project. The same is true regarding human beings trying to experience Hashem and the spiritual.
Some of his most important contributions to Jewish mysticism are in the form of diagrams that were particularly unsuited to widespread transmission by the technology of his era.
Just as the essence of Shavuot is completely different from the essence of Pesach, so too the essence of Shemini Atzeret is completely different from the essence of Sukkot.
I made light of the loss. I produced a wan smile and announced to my caring Israeli group, Gam zu l'tovah.
I remember now that one of the beams broke last year, Mr. Baum replied. Our sukkos were placed next to each other; one of my boys must have mistakenly taken a beam of yours.
It's the story of two girls in Auschwitz who wanted to fast on Yom Kippur (even though according to halacha or Jewish law they were not, of course, required to do so).
The Snatched Zuz ‘None Pay Regard To R. Shimon’s Dictum …’ (Kiddushin 52b)
Rabbi Schneerson was sitting opposite me, speaking pearls of wisdom, and above his head floated the seven holy guests, the ushpizin who visit every sukkah.
It is especially at the time of harvest, when we celebrate the abundance of our crops, that the Torah instructs us to leave our secure homes and go into the succah. The succah commemorates the Clouds of Glory, and alludes to the Divine Providence that enveloped the Jewish Nation in the Midbar.
We must know that the Gemara teaches us, Yitzro shel adam misgaber alav b’chol yom v’im ein HaKodosh Baruch Hu ozro, eino yachol lo – A person’s inclination prevails upon him every day and if Hashem wouldn’t help him, he wouldn’t be able to prevail.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
The Sukkah represents the singular character of Jewish history, the experience of exile and homecoming, the long journey across the wilderness of time.
One who fully comprehends higher truth understands that there are many valid approaches to achieving such awareness, and he loves and respects his fellow who shares this vision but who might have a different individual perspective.
Though it is always easy to focus on what we are missing in our lives, we must use Chag HaSukkot to focus upon and celebrate Hashem’s great blessings that we often take for granted.
Question: The Gemara in Berachot teaches that the Sages authored our prayers. If so, it would seem that we did not pray before this time. Did we pray before their innovation or not? Menachem Via Email
If the wire is frayed the connection is faulty and that spiritual power will not ignite within our souls.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Another factor that negatively impacts memory is not properly understanding the material when originally learned. When the information is not encoded properly, later retrieval is unlikely.
Amongst the Yamim Noraim, Succos is an anomaly. Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are overtly spiritual and transcendent days, with intense rounds of prayer and spiritual elevation. Succos, on the other hand, is grounded in the physical.
When the Mishna rules that visitors to a new place must continue to observe all the restrictions that are normally observed in their hometown, it only refers to customs that are or can be practiced in the new location by the residents of that place.
In the United States the issue might be that such action might provoke people to acts of anti-Semitism which has spiraled in the States.
Stories and thoughts for Sukkot.
What does this have to do Yom Kippur?
Brene Brown: “No regrets’ doesn’t mean living with courage, it means living without reflection.”
Every action, every hour of learning, chesed, brachos, tefillos were done for their father’s neshama to merit a closeness to the Kisei HaKavod. That was all that was left for them to do for him.
To avoid potential violation, when a person commits to give ma’aser kesafim or designates money for tzedaka, poskim recommend that he stipulate to distribute it slowly or that the money not be considered tzedaka until he is ready to give it.
But what if, instead of being threatened by an AI god or religion, we can use it for inspiration in the relationship with the One and only true God, Hashem?
Polite And Respectful “It Is Audacious to Appoint One’s Father a Shaliach” (Kiddushin 45b)
Yom Kippur has the power to purify because on this day the bond between the essence of the soul and G-d’s essence is revealed.
Human history – like any great piece of literature – presents a story that is not only inspiring and dramatic on the surface but also allegorically rich with hidden meaning and deep moral lessons.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
As music connects note to note, so faith connects episode to episode, life to life, age to age in a timeless melody that breaks into time.
Most of us are familiar with the process and stages of teshuva. But how do we purify ourselves?
Although it is difficult to imagine, it seems that Dovid HaMelech – the exalted individual, leader of the Jewish nation, fearless warrior of Hashem – was afraid that he had possibly accrued so many sins that he could no longer repent.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Whether nature is vanity or just lower on the values hierarchy than Torah study, both of these approaches seem to agree that nature disrupts the learning process, and presumably, if possible, learning should be done inside, with minimal distractions from the natural world.
Many of us, after making an honest and blunt cheshbon hanefesh, a personal reevaluation of our behavior during the past year, might be filled with despair and despondency at our chances for a good judgment.
All of this would be true even if it were not so that a general education is required for gaining an appreciation of G-d’s wisdom, philosophy, ethics, and laws.
Question: The Gemara in Berachot teaches that the Sages authored our prayers. If so, it would seem that we did not pray before this time. Did we pray before their innovation or not? Menachem Via Email
The heavens have been programmed by G-d to supply rain. Instructing them not to do so is against their nature. It is only harsh and insistent words that will convince the heavens to go against their own nature.
There is much good that we do with our cell phones, and they help us in so many ways. But how often do we take them out to look at them during davening in shul, during family meal times, or at any time when we are conversing with another person?
Rav Kook examines the opening concepts of the parsha: The heavens should listen, the earth will hear, teachings fall like rain and sayings soak in as the dew. He explains that in our world, we find things in a pure state of nature and we also see them altered by the intervention of men.
Arguably the most important concept in life, though often misunderstood, is the nature of the soul.
The long lines and rushed atmosphere typical of erev Yom Kippur Kapparot gatherings frequently lead to invalid slaughter and render the chickens, which are later distributed to the poor, as non-kosher.
To be honest, even wearing running shoes which many of us, myself included, do on Yom Kippur often feels a bit strange to me.
Hashem wants us to visit Him every day, to have a loving daily connection with Him and to ask Him for what we need. A relationship that even when we have what we need, we continue to visit the palace.
Good Shabbos, Good Yom Tov, Kesiva Vichasima Tova
Berta had no inkling about the journey she and Michael were going to take... For a year following the wedding, Berta’s mother kept bringing non-kosher food into their apartment; she had difficulty accepting the young couple’s choice to learn more about Judaism.
Despite the misnaggid finding himself in a loony bin of naiveté, surely the Rebbe would not be so brazen and shameless to claim that he was up in Heaven reciting selichos!
When someone buys something for a price stated in the local currency but pays later in a different currency, replied Rabbi Dayan, the exchange rate is determined by the time of payment.
Moshe relates that people are now coming into the store to talk about the sign, but not to seek an apology.
A Year And A Day ‘Hashem ... Completes the Years of the Righteous' (Kiddushin 38a)
It is expected of every Jew, man or woman, young or old, that he (or she) bring in Shabbosdikeit (the spirit of Shаbbos) into all his toil, including also the mundane activities;
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
We can express gratitude for a benefit bestowed by a friend, but that gratitude can also have a spiritual component if we also thank G-d for helping to orchestrate the place of this friend or the significance of the gift in our lives.
We blow the shofar as a part of the Rosh Hashana prayers, but it is unique amongst the tefillos. While all the other prayers utilize words, the shofar is a wordless cry. What is the meaning behind this?
When we ask Hashem on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for renewed life and menuchas hanefesh, a contentment of spirit, our petition is much more effective and successful if we give Hashem a strong reason to grant our request.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Judaism turns life into a work of art. It consecrates the love between husbands and wives, and parents and children. It sanctifies our most physical acts, through the laws of kashrut and family purity.
Question: The Gemara in Berachot teaches that the Sages authored our prayers. If so, it would seem that we did not pray before this time. Did we pray before their innovation or not? Menachem Via Email
Though the Yamim Noraim should also be a time when we draw close to and strengthen our love of Hashem, they begin with recognizing that He is judging us and determining our fate for the upcoming year.
Even at a time of such great danger, he forgot his own pain and suffering and only desired to be involved in a heavenly pursuit. It is that devotion that stirred the mercy of Heaven, saving him and all the passengers from certain death.
I just want to ask a simple question. Who said anything about tying Yitzchak up? Hashem certainly didn’t tell Avraham to tie Yitzchak up; He told him to offer Yitzchak as an olah.
As a child I was sure that it was our saying of tashlich that caused the East River to be so murky and polluted. After all, the river contained all of the discarded sins of all of Manhattan on one side, and all of Brooklyn and Queens on the other.
It is also explained that performing Tashlich alongside a body of water is intended to recall that kings were historically inaugurated alongside a body of water.
Both of these words are commonly translated as “nothingness,” but understanding the nuances expressed by these ostensible synonyms will help us better understand what exactly the Torah means to teach us about the state of the world before Creation.
On Rosh Hashana we blow the shofar, recite distinctive prayers, and perform Tashlich to recognize the Creator of the Universe as the source of all mercy and forgiveness.
I always found it quite incredible that the first mitzvah that we are called upon to do as Jews at the beginning of the year is to listen. To pay attention to exactly what it is that Jewish destiny is about.
In general, the simanim are not magical entities whose consumption on Rosh Hashana automatically transforms a sinner into a penitent. Rather, these foods are reminders of the kedushat hayom, the unique holiness of Rosh Hashana that reflects the Heavenly judgment that is the essence of the holiday.
The yearning for the redemption is so deep inside of us all, and the hardships and tragedies from all the year's gone by are so great to carry, that we simply have no strength left for punishment.
Hashem loves us so much. He showers us with blessing. If we would only take the time each day to think about it.
By dvora
In the end, though the young daughters had been crying while the verbal abuse was going on, they now saw how the effect a kind word and a smile could change everything.
It was nice of your neighbor to allow you use of the alley, responded Mr. Stein, but did you ever buy the rights to that strip of property?
Hakhel was not performed on the Shemittah year, but rather in the year that followed.
Question: The Gemara in Berachot teaches that the Sages authored our prayers. If so, it would seem that we did not pray before this. Did we pray before their innovation or not? Menachem Via Email
Both Rise To The Occasion ‘What if his son is his teacher?’ (Kiddushin 33b)
More than merely fostering personal piety among Jews, tshuva that begins with a reawakening of Hebrew identity will lead Israel to express kedusha in every sphere of national life.
This night proved that Judaism does not belong only to grandma, but also to her grandchildren.
The liturgy for the High Holiday Selichos is not found in most siddurim; rather, it is found in a special Selichos sefer, with a different selection for each day.
We who can bring Shabbos in each week with ease. We who have the opportunity to bring the light of Shabbos into our homes, to welcome the malachei shalom to our tables, to bless our children and plug into the menucha that Shabbos brings – how do we welcome the Shabbos Malka?
Repentance is not the cause of tension in our lives; it is the soothing balm.
Although he had been raised in Pharaoh’s palace and had never in his life actually seen Eretz Yisrael, Moshe was held accountable for allowing himself to be referred to by others as “an Egyptian man.”
September 25, 2026 
