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 11, 2022 | 15th of Av, Community, Happiness and Joy, Israel, Marriage and Relationships, Ninth of Av, Psalms, Temple, Yom Kippur
The fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Av is a post-biblical holiday. According to Jewish tradition, it is one of the happiest days of the year, as the Mishna states: “Israel had no holidays as joyous as Tu B’Av (the 15th of the Hebrew month of Av) and Yom Kippur...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 9, 2022 | 15th of Av, Happiness and Joy, Yom Kippur
What are the happiest days of the Jewish year? It seems like a simple question. Most people would guess – for good reason! – one or a combination of the following holidays: Passover (who doesn’t love Matzah and late night parties that celebrate...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 25, 2022 | Acharei Mot, Holiness, Humility, Purity, Repentance, Shabbat, Temple, Yom Kippur
The Torah portion of Acharei Mot (Leviticus 16-18) describes the Temple service on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The Bible mandates 15 specific sacrifices and many other rituals for Yom Kippur, or Yom HaKippurim, outlined in Leviticus chapter 16. The literal...
![The Scapegoat, by William Holman Hunt. In Temple times, the scapegoat was a central part of the Yom Kippur service. [Image: Wiki Commons]](https://tibretired.kinsta.cloud/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/William_Holman_Hunt_-_The_Scapegoat.jpg)
