יום שישי, ט״ו אלול תשפ״וFriday, August 28, 2026
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It is hard to break negative cycles in life. However, you chose to break the negative cycle by working to support your family and loving your wife and children, so that your children are able to grow up in an emotionally healthy home.
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.
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.
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.
A mitzvah at once beautiful, mystical, symbolic, and deeply meaningful, analysis and discussion of its halachic and Kabbalistic essence are far beyond the scope of this article.
Is it true then that one elevates oneself to the level of the most righteous simply by sacrificing one’s life for the sanctification of the Name?
The solution is to stop going home. Just kidding. That would be a terrible solution. Instead, go home and have a sentence of appreciation at the ready.
One must not give one’s lulav to a child, even one’s own child, to shake on the first day of Sukkot. This is because according to Torah law, a child is able to acquire ownership of something (in this case, the lulav), but is not able to transfer ownership to someone else.
According to the report, this has led to tension between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterparts over the scope, magnitude and characteristic “close to the vest” approach of the Israeli operations against Iran and its proxies.
What emerges from these Acharonim, especially Magen Avraham, is that the regular proximity to one’s spouse, even if physical contact is prohibited, is comforting, and losing that proximity is discomforting – and this discomfort might be sufficient to exempt a person from sukkah!
There is an important principle of common sense. If a wise person, who wants the best for you, suggests you do something, you should probably heed her advice. Conversely, if a psychotic person who wishes for your demise suggests you do something, you should probably do the opposite!
Back then there was no unanimity of perspective: the English Department boasted structuralists, deconstructionists, post-structuralists, and psychoanalytic and feminist cultural theorists. I took courses with all of them. But today, their toxic amalgam – ensuring the critical nuance of each is lost – is the only thing on the menu.
Rabbi Yoshiya, who holds that Eretz Yisrael was divided among those who left Egypt, is of the opinion that the Jews merited the land of Israel as a result of the increased suffering in Egypt.
...even though Avshalom the person might have been a wicked fellow, since his name has a positive meaning (father of peace, or my father is peace or something along those lines), it is still appropriate to use this name in naming our children.
When we open our homes, we create an atmosphere that elevates not just the meal but the entire spiritual experience.
But as much as I love guests, the whole experience really makes me nostalgic for my seminary/college life when it was so easy to call up a family, or call up a friend, and make a Shabbos or yuntif chavaya (experience).
By Avi Ganz
There is no Hebrew word for "history." There is the modern Hebrew's "historiya," but the Torah doesn’t seem to afford any significance to history qua history.
Casually, he leaned over in his high chair, locked eyes with my mother and said, Hi. It was the tiniest of moments, over in a blink, one I would have missed had I continued to obsess about the food situation.
Admittedly, in my own home, I need a reminder to recite ushpizin. It's all too easy to get caught up in a myriad of other distractions while preparing to eat in the sukkah.
The spiritual concept of beauty, and its relevance to marriage, is central to the connection we aim to develop through the process of Sukkos.
It should not be lost on the threatened Arab Gulf states that Iran is flexing its military muscles against them in exactly the way that prompted their openness to the formation of the Abraham Accords to serve as a counterweight to a predatory Iran in the first place.
I am always intrigued by people who are handy. I am also intrigued by people who are artistic. I guess it’s because I’m so untalented in those areas.
We could hear the muted sound of sirens and explosions above us. Israel was clearly under attack, but I felt comforted and protected in this spiritual cocoon of unity and prayer.
He places his fine furnishings and fine mattresses and couches in the sukkah as well as his fine drinking vessels, bottles and cups. However, cooking utensils such as pots and pans are to be kept outside the sukkah.
Chief among the questions, of course, were why she would attach herself to a president who has had historically low approval rating and whose policies on such things as inflation, Afghanistan withdrawal, illegal immigration, the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, etc., has drawn near universal criticism.
During the High Holidays we pray, Instill Your awe on all Your doings, and Your terror upon all You have created… and all of them shall be bound together to perform Your will wholeheartedly. When these prayers are answered, the entire world will, indeed, be able to dwell together, in peace, in the sukkah of the Jewish people.
Does the brain have different folders in it, like a computer? When one section of the brain is full after a number of years, does another memory section become available?
Aharon took a seat in the back for Kol Nidrei. When Maariv began, after the Rav’s drasha, Mr. Neiss still hadn’t come. Aharon moved next to his father.
The first way that sensory processing disorders affects academics is simply in the child’s ability (or inability) to sit still when there is a plethora of sensory information in a classroom.
Final And Proper Honors ‘In A Grave Not His Own?’ (Bava Basra 112b)
The siddur itself was Sephardi for all intents and purposes, but its subheading – “according to the minhag of the holy community of Sefardim of the Ma’arav and the Mizrach” – hinted at Rabbi Aburbeh’s principled and consistent ideological line, which strove already at this early date to fuse all existing Sephardi and Mizrahi prayer nusachim into a single, unified prayer formula.
On October 7, every act of Israeli resistance shifted the narrative arc from millennia of Jewish suffering to another chapter in the Zionist quest to build and defend a Jewish homeland.
Teshuvah isn’t something we do, it’s something we live.
Question: I hope you will not mind answering several questions regarding the mitzvah of sitting in the sukkah. What is the reason for sitting in the sukkah? Are we required to sit in it whenever we eat? Is one allowed to travel during the week of the holiday to a place where no sukkah is available? Moshe Jakobowitz Brooklyn, NY
It is said that while the other holy days on our calendar will disappear into obsolescence after Mashiach comes, these two holidays will endure forever. Yet at that time, according to the Zohar, Yom Kippur will shed its restrictive nature and indeed become like Purim.
While I can give you tips on how to do this, it appears that you already have created a good, loving, and fun life where you give to others and you have close relationships.
As we stand before G-d this Yom Kippur with the memory of October 7 fresh in our hearts, we must recognize our responsibility to actively shape how this chapter will be remembered.
There is mention of the custom of kapparot already in the 7th century, but even then, the source we have states the reason for this custom is unknown.
To resolve the conflicting sources regarding the legitimacy of using a lottery as a legal mechanism, we need to investigate what legal effect a lottery would supposedly produce.
You need to take yourself into account. You need your family now, their love, and the comfort and food from home. You need to spend time with family, and you need rest. This matters too. This matters more.
Israel scores a military victory by dismantling Hezbollah – and U.S. credit agencies respond by plunging its credit rating!
Hashem prefers the imperfect prayer of imperfect humans over the celestial perfection of angels.
The Vilna Gaon speaks at length of the kedusha of the malachim in his commentary on the siddur. He explains that the malachim don’t wait for Israel to finish our kedusha below out of respect for us but because they have no right to attest to the glory of Hashem until they hear our mouths doing it – as they have no awareness of any other possible state of affairs.
Cynicism is corrosive. It affects your faith in leaders, in friends, in family and even in G-d. A more sober look at the so-called halachic loopholes shows that rabbis are deeply concerned with following the divine will.
On this great day of Yom Kippur, the Heavenly prosecutors stand before Hashem as well, holding the black list of the Jewish people’s transgressions which they intend to reveal before Hashem. But then they hear the Jewish nation detailing those very sins themselves. When the prosecutors hear this, they feel superfluous and abandon their mission.
Rav Weinberg does not leave us feeling lacking. With each entry, he helps to instruct us how we can go about repairing our mistakes, be they between each of us and our fellow, between us and G-d, or between us and ourselves.
Is there a mitzvah to eat the night before Yom Kippur? If it is merely in preparation for the fasting, it is questionable whether the night before is that helpful.
By Dov Bergman
Music (neginah) was integral to the chassidic court, and nearly every court featured a chazan. Although many lacked formal training in musical notation, these chazanim were accomplished cantors and composers, producing a wealth of melodies.
In a connection with Rosh Hashana – literally the head of the year – the fish head is a well-known symbol of the Yom Tov. In many Jewish legends, fish are also traditionally a sign of parnassah (prosperity), so the fish symbolizes our prayers that we be at the “head” of our luck and prosperity in the coming year.
Yismach Moshe explains that Avraham was concerned about his spiritual heir. If he had no son, the man who would carry on his teachings and his philosophy was Eliezer, his servant. While Eliezer was a righteous person and could have done some of the job, no one can carry on the legacy of a father’s teachings as well as a son.
The rabbis clearly concluded that if any information gets into the wrong hands, it can cause harm, but that doesn’t mean that devices or information for the benefit of humanity – or for the protection of innocent people – should never be invented, activated, or shared, even if there will be collateral damages.
By Adina Broder
Forgiveness by our fellow man results in him putting aside his pain and resentment, even though those feelings were justified. This is an incredible act of emotional generosity.
An apology is so much more than just saying the words I’m sorry.
Slicha takes on a different significance during Yom Kippur when we are reminded that not one human exists without fault.
By dvora
On a personal level, man to man, when you forgive someone for a perceived slight, you reclaim your peace of mind.
Why are we so stubborn as adults, who should know with so much more reason and logic, that if we just say sorry, we would be able to move on from arguments so much faster.
Because of my early preoccupation with good and evil, already in high school, I hated Communism. How could one not, I wondered.
On Yom Kippur, the kittel takes on added meaning. In addition to reminding one of the day of one's death and arousing feelings of humility and repentance, kittels are worn to emulate the angels who, we are told, wear white.
When he sat down, he opened the machzor and realized that he could not read even one word of Hebrew.
The guests whom we welcome into our sukkahs can be Jews from all walks of life and backgrounds, with a wide array of preferences. Let’s therefore explore together a selection of wines from various styles, regions, and varieties to enjoy with our guests this coming Succos.
As we approach Yom Kippur, we recognize that it is unquestionably one of the most important days of the year. And yet, in many ways, it is a mystery.
It would seem that our side should be thinking about how to exploit Iranian weakness and not how to rescue them. Nor can there be any doubt that this is a period of serious exposure for Iran.
Shulchan Aruch rules in accordance with the Rishonim who maintain that the prohibition against wearing shoes on Yom Kippur applies only to leather shoes.
By Eliana Klein
After months of packing and many weeks of divesting themselves of furniture and other belongings, they were experiencing decidedly mixed emotions as their departure date approached. We were definitely feeling likewise, and dreading having to say goodbye.
We will not even discuss the stains which are under the dining table from food accidents, which only compound the unique new decor.
There is no issue of ribbis in locking in the rental price through prepayment, certainly here where the price uncrease was not known when paying (see Y.D. 176:6; Taz and Nekudos Hakesef 176:7; Bris Yehuda 26:1[2], 26:4[13]).
Many people confuse the concepts of self-esteem and ego, assuming that if you believe in yourself you are automatically egoistic and arrogant.
At First Glance ‘While You Were Feasting On The Dates Of Babylon…’ (Baba Basra 107b)
The prayers themselves, it should be noted, only appear after no fewer than 100 pages of prior content, and the book’s design is apparently based on the Siddur HaShalem previously published by Eshkol Press.
A book is successful if you care about the characters and you’re caught up in the plot. This book meets those and many other qualifications for a gripping mystery and a wonderful read!
By Ben Rothke
While these stores often have hundreds of shofars for sale, the book has stories about towns that lacked even a single shofar. And it was not that long ago that such things happened.
We need to understand that all the pain and anguish we experience is for the good. We then need to pave a path forward with this knowledge in our hearts.
Despite its somewhat technical subject matter, Divrei Soferim was a fairly easy book to get through. I found many of the questions raised and topics discussed fascinating even if I could not recall all of them several weeks after completing the book.
By Alan Zeitlin
Murray, who is not Jewish, has become known as a fearless and masterful debater who has a penchant for slicing through nonsense and leaving oratory opponents sitting in a pound of their own flesh.
The reason the book carries this range of approbations is because it cuts across typical boundaries, blending traditional approaches to the development of the Oral Torah or Torah she-baal peh with up-to-date historical and legal scholarship from the academy.
By Alan Zeitlin
Each comic shined, discussing everything from recent attacks by Israel to the presidential election to dating.
We as individuals and as a nation understand something is wrong and we are driven to fix it, even if we have no idea how to go about it properly. But it is precisely through this process, this “casting about” for something that will salve the pain of uncertainty and inspire us with a sense of purpose, that we connect through our teshuva with our higher purpose.
These marranos who returned to Judaism openly were often adults, with little or no real Jewish education or knowledge. The need to integrate them in to the new communities resulted in a new phenomenon, siddurim that were completely in the vernacular, in this case the Spanish or Portuguese, of these new immigrants.
We are allowing others to define us, blood libel us and tell our story. We must give our children Jewish pride, identity and roots.
Question: I am aware that there are five pleasurable activities from which we have to abstain on Yom Kippur. Can you explain them? Are they of equal importance? Martin Wainman Via Email
Some people view dating like they would, sitting in traffic, or a in a parking lot. They believe you need to wholly focus on dating and getting married, and once you have accomplished that, you can expand and grow. So, they go to work and come home.
A person, to his chagrin, realizes that he doesn’t say Modeh Ani in the morning. Regular teshuva is to regret this and to strengthen himself to be more careful in the future. A perfect teshuva is when he realizes that the reason why he forgets it in the first place is because he’s not thinking enough about Hashem.
Wherever we are from, we, as yidden, all have a cultural heritage that should unite rather than divide us. This is the reason why I chose a variety of wines from countries far away from one another to enjoy over the upcoming yomim tovim, instead of the usual new wines for the new year or sweet wines for a sweet year.
The only obstacle that could impede the efficacy of this prayer is when it is not said from the heart, but rather in a perfunctory manner. It will not be beneficial then.
The fact that you realize this need is exacerbated due to your struggle with self-esteem is helpful.
Raban (1890-1970), who acquired his reputation through the designs he made for Bezalel, was undoubtedly one of the most important artists in pre-State Eretz Yisrael.
For soldiers and other personnel returning from combat zones, exposure to the scenes of war can also lead to post-traumatic stress symptoms, even if these personnel were never in a life-threatening situation themselves.
Besides the rigors of the Depression, life in New York was complicated by Zeydie’s delicate constitution. He could only digest white bread, for example, not rye or pumpernickel. Then he lost an eye in an industrial accident and was unable to work steadily.
August 28, 2026 
