Yom Kippur 5778
Yom Kippur During the course of the entire year when we say the Shema, the second verse,ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד , (Baruch shem ..) Blessed is the Honorable Name of Hashem for ever and ever, is said silently.…
Tisha B’Av 5777
Tisha B’Av A story is told about Napoleon who was passing a shul inParis on Tisha B’Av when he heard crying and wailing coming from inside. Thinking that there was something terrible going on, he stepped inside to see what…
The Three Weeks 5777
The Three Weeks We are in the period of the Jewish year called The Three Weeks. The three weeks are a reference to the three weeks that start with the fast of the seventeenth day of Tamuz, Shiva Assar Be-Tamuz,…
The Ten Days of Teshuva 5778
The Ten Days of Teshuva The ten days beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are called עשרת ימי תשובה The Ten Days of Teshuva. These special days are a gift from Hashem to help us secure a good judgement for the new year.…
Succot 5778
Succot The Tur (written by R. Jacob ben Asher 1269-1343) notes in the name of his brother that the three festivals, Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot, correspond to our three forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov: Passover corresponds to Avraham because the…
Shabbat Hagadol 5778
Shabbat Hagadol The Shabbat before Pesach is called “שבת הגדול “ The Great Shabbat. What happened on the Shabbat before Pesach that caused it to go down in history forever as The Great Shabbat? The Jewish people left Egypt on…
Sefirat Haomer 5778
Sefirat Haomer – The Counting of the Omer When the Holy Temple stood, a daily sacrifice was brought every morning and evening. Our current morning prayer, שחרית - Shacharit, corresponds to, and substitutes for, that morning sacrifice, and מנחה -…