Holidays

Sukkot has played a key role in the reconstruction of the Jewish Homeland and the ingathering of Jews – and their transition - to the Land of Israel.

The Jewish national period of mourning.

The Maharil explains that the custom of Tashlich – like many other Rosh Hashanah minhagim – is intended to evoke G-d’s mercy by recalling Akeidat Yitzchak.

Sin should be painful, not because of any punishment we’ll receive, says Chassidus, but because it separate us from Hashem.

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.

With all the talk today about immigration, we asked some ofour rabbanim to answer the following question...

I beg you to ask yourself this question: Which sounds will ring in your children’s ears in the future when they think back to Pesach in their home? Will it be moans, groans, bitterness and complaints or will they remember the joyous sounds of an energized family eagerly preparing for a meaningful Yom Tov?

Let us use these Nine Days for self-reflection about the issue that first led to our crying during these days. And let us consider what Shlomo Mula was willing to do to make it to Israel, crossing a desert by foot.

Whether you decide to go formal and proper or playful and laid back, just remember that Pesach is all about transmitting a powerful legacy from one generation to the next.

Does Hashem ever go away and not pay attention to us?

I daven that this will be the last Shavuos we will be forced to be socially distant from each other. Missing you all and pining to get back home.

With thousands of Haggadot in print, it can be overwhelming to decide what to buy and what to use at the Seder. Just like kashering the home for Pesach requires preparation, so too the material for the Seder. And according to the investment is the return. Below are twenty of my favorite Haggadot.

Insights for the seder

The act of listening is a two-way street. There is the speaker – trying to communicate an emotion or problem – and the listener. What is the role of the listener?

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When battling Amalek, G-d hides His face and expects man to wage war for his own relevance.

A congregant once told me that he was spending a large amount of time trying to explain Judaism to a coworker. His colleague thought that all Jewish holidays had the same theme, and he proudly summarized this theme at his family's two-minute Seder: "They tried to kill us, Hashem saved us, we won, now let's eat!!" He proudly bragged that this sentence was the family's personal, abbreviated Haggadah.

A few years ago, I happened to be in Los Angeles for the fast of Tisha B'Av. Towards the end of the fast, between afternoon and evening prayers, the rabbi of the shul asked if I could say a few words to the congregation to explain the significance of the holy day and the fast.

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On Sunday, Jews will be refraining from food and drink from dawn until sunset to commemorate the Fast of Gedaliah.

In the City of David, the place where Jerusalem began, the evidence of those periods and their tragic end are being revealed, bringing to light all that was lost and the incredible endeavors to reveal and rebuild our beloved and eternal capital.

Dare I say that, the fact that we keep the Temple alive 2000 years after its destruction, continue to connect to God even after the Holocaust, and we pray even on this horrible day, INSPIRES God?

The thief took his advice and did so. Yet, when the official got up to speak, he informed the court of all the horrible things the highwayman did to him.

How is it that Rachel’s tears evoke such a powerful response from God? If we can make sense of this passage, it may be able to shed light on our process of mourning on Tisha B’Av, and help our tears and grief become a catalyst for action.

Alan and Rosaline Barron are kicking off their new mission sponsored by JNF right before the Jewish festival of Tu B’Shevat—the “New Year for Trees”—a time of renewal, and a celebration of nature and the environment. They are encouraging others to do the same.

Yom Kippur is considered to be a Super Sabbath (Shabbat Shabbaton in Hebrew) – a soul-searching opportunity for pious and evil people alike.

The Purim Edition 2021

17th of Tammuz: Beginning 3 weeks of mourning for the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

Asara B’Teves, the 10th of Teves, commemorates the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar that ultimately culminated with the First Temple’s destruction on the 9th of Av the following year.