by Eliyahu Berkowitz | f 29, 2022 | Fast of Gedaliah, Good and Evil, Jeremiah, Repentance, Rosh Hashana
Today, the day after Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew New Year), Jews observe a minor fast day from dawn until dusk. This fast day, known as the Fast of Gedaliah, laments the assassination of a righteous governor of the Kingdom of Judah named Gedaliah. Though the murder of...
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 9, 2022 | Elul, God, Marriage and Relationships, Mourning, Repentance, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Dani is a member of our small synagogue and every Shabbat, when we gather together after morning prayers, he jumps up and gives a speech on the weekly Torah portion. It isn’t nice to say, but his speeches drive me crazy. It always seems like...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 28, 2022 | Elul, God, Prayer, Repentance, Rosh Hashana, Song of Songs, Tishrei, Yom Kippur
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Anticipation and preparation are two words I have always had difficulty with. In Yeshiva (Jewish school for Torah learning), my rabbi called me “do-ish.” I have a tendency to jump right in and figure things out as I go along....
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 14, 2022 | Education, Parenting, Shabbat, Va'etchanan
I’ll admit it. I like sleeping in on Shabbat. So when my precious ten-year-old son began nudging my shoulder at 6:00 AM on Saturday morning, I was tempted to roll over and hide under the blankets. But I didn’t. Being a parent is not a nine-to-five job, it is 24/7 and...
