Keep Your Thoughts To Heaven This Sukkos
Since a sukkah is a diras aray, a temporary structure, we don’t need a reminder of the dwelling place being temporary compared to Olam Habah.
Open Your Eyes
Look into the darkness, to search for the source of faithful illumination that can guide us along the path of spiritual integrity. The flames of the Chanukah menorah shine bright out of the deepest darkness, when the days are shortest and the cold of winter has descended.
Rosh Hashanah (New Year) Guide for the Perplexed 2017 / 5778
On Rosh Hashanah, one is expected to plan a spiritual and behavioral road map for the entire year. So when one hears the shofar blow,the trip begins.
The Audacity of Redemption
It has been said ‘It is easier to take the Jew out of the Exile, than to take the Exile out of the Jew’. While in Egypt, the Jewish people could not even hear Hashem’s promise of Redemption because of their “shortness of spirit.” Their bondage wasn’t merely a physical bondage, but a mental one. And so, while still in Egypt, Hashem began the process of taking the Jew out of the psychology of Exile, ridding him of his slave mentality.
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) Guide for the Perplexed, 2014
Sukkot is a universal holiday, inviting all peoples to come on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
President Obama’s Passover Statement
The following is President Obama's statement on Passover (April 14, 2014).
As he has in the past, the President held an official Passover Seder at...
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?
Jews, WAKE UP!
Many think they're serving G-d but they're really asleep-Rebbe Nachman taught stories to wake people
Should You Say Hallel in Shul On Seder Night?
It should be emphasized that if an Ashkenazi is in a shul on Seder night that recites Hallel, it is imperative that he or she not show any disrespect to the local custom.
Mourning the Loss of Mourning
What is the connection between feeling more connected to God and having the Temple? And why does that require sacrifices?
First Ever Book About the Jewish Festivals for Emerging Jewish Communities Released in Time...
The author of the book Ronit Treatman, the daughter of Israeli diplomats who speaks several languages and lives in Philadelphia, was inspired to write the book after she became involved with the Bnei Anousim, the tens of millions of people around the world descended from forcibly converted Spanish and Portuguese Jews through the organization Reconectar.
Want To Grow Closer To Hashem? Be Happy
Sin should be painful, not because of any punishment we’ll receive, says Chassidus, but because it separate us from Hashem.
Are We Really Supposed To Drink On Purim?
The Orchos Chayim... writes that full inebriation is certainly prohibited, "and there is no greater sin, as it leads to sexual impropriety, bloodshed, and other sins."
Let us Dream of a Shining Am Yisrael as We Light the Chanukah Candles
We as Jews make sure to dream, but also help others dream! We care about the light, but we also care to shine for others!
Video: Under the Prayer Shawl – Secrets of the Priestly Blessing
"Under the Prayer Shawl - Secrets of the Priestly Blessing", was shot on location at the 2011 annual massive blessing by the Jewish Priests...
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) Guide for the Perplexed, 2015
Sukkot is a universal holiday, inviting all peoples of the world to come on pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Rabbi Moshe Almosnino And Megilat Esther
Rabbi Almosnino’s reading of the Biblical text might be compared with the way a prominent lawyer would read the most important contract of his career.
One Ingredient Three Ways: Cauliflower
Cauliflower is one of my favorite ingredients to cook with – it blends so easily into whatever dish I am preparing.
Rosh Hashanah Guide for the Perplexed 2016
On Rosh Hashanah, one is expected to plan a spiritual and behavioral road map for the entire year. So when one hears the shofar blow,the trip begins
Dancing with the Torah
"My grandfather told me that he once attended the Cantonist Shul on Simchat Torah. The Cantonists could dance like Cossacks. They were huge, strong men, and the heavy Torah scrolls would seem like toothpicks in their arms. Despite being looked down upon by other Jews--they were not very learned and really couldn't observe the Torah properly--they were nonetheless able to rejoice in their Judaism and celebrate the Torah. It was truly amazing."
The Sukkah and Exile’s Positive Side
Sukkot is a holiday that brings a unique inner peace – a peace that would seem to resemble the messianic era, a universal acceptance of God’s moral and spiritual order; an order that is best advanced by helping the Jewish people serve God and further educate mankind.
Keep the Fire Burning
Like all of the holidays since Simchas Torah, each community and individual needs to navigate how to observe and experience Lag B’Omer while a war rages in our homeland.
Rabbi Wagensberg on Succos: “A Tale of Two Succos”
In the past, a question came to mind that had been bothering me regarding Succos. My difficulty was with respect to the Succah itself. I...
Ari Fuld on Shavuot: On the Indigenous People of Israel and Why There is...
Ari talks about the holidays of Shavuot and Yom Kippur, the Shofar that connects the two holidays, and the indigenous people of the Land of Israel.
The Trouble with Life is That it Doesn’t Come with a Soundtrack
The sages make a fascinating but perplexing comment concerning the actions of Aaron, brother of Moses....
Them and Us
"Monopoly was created for a summer Shabbat and Fast Days…"! So I heard, time and again, in my early years. Years later, I know rather too well that while "Monopoly" has a place in the Jewish home, I am not sure about it's appropriateness to either Shabbat or a Fast-Day.
“It Is Wondrous in Our Eyes”
The day after Israel was declared a State, everyone recited Hallel and people danced in the streets.
Chanukah: The Inner Dimension
What does the way we count the days of Chanukah come to teach us about living in the present?