by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 3, 2022 | Faith, God, Jonah, Light Unto the Nations, Prayer, Repentance, Rosh Hashana, Sukkot, Temple, Tishrei, Yom Kippur, Zechariah
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz When I think about the High Holidays, I picture synagogues full of Jews, the men wrapped in snow-white prayer shawls swaying silently, the women praying fervently. They are Jewish holidays and the pinnacle of the Hebrew calendar. These are...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 22, 2022 | Fear of God, God, Happiness and Joy, Hebrew Language, Prayer, Psalms, Rosh Hashana
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz When I first started my journey toward “being religious”, I was concerned about the prayers on Rosh Hashana. During the rest of the year, we bow at the waist while reciting the Aleinu prayer. But on Rosh Hashana, we prostrate ourselves fully,...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 21, 2022 | Faith, God, Israel, Ki Tavo, Marriage and Relationships, Parenting, Repentance, Rosh Hashana
By Chaim Barzel We have all made New Year’s resolutions: to eat healthier, to get to sleep earlier, to make up with an old friend, etc. That is because the new year is a time of renewal. A new year means the opportunity to start over, and this year we want to do...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 18, 2022 | Covenant, God, Ki Tavo, Responsibility
I bought my house a few years ago. I understand that buying a home is serious business but I was totally unprepared for the thick pile of pages I had to sign. When I finished signing one pile of documents, the bank officer produced another. “What’s this?” I asked....
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 16, 2022 | God, Gratitude, Happiness and Joy, Ki Tavo
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I’ve been having a rough week; my job has been making extra demands, the refrigerator is making strange noises, and each of my teens has come to me with a new and expensive gadget they cannot live without. The High Holidays begin in less than...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 12, 2022 | God, Happiness and Joy, Holiness, Israel, Ki Tavo, Temple
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz One year, I was doing my reserve duty in the Negev on a small base. On Friday night, I was guarding the front gate. To pass the time, I began learning about Bikkurim, the first fruits which are brought as an offering in the Temple. The sages...
