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The month preceding the High Holy Days is called Elul. It is a time of reflection before we “officially” begin the important process of teshuvah. In some ways this time of the Jewish calendar...
by Marc Rosenstein(Originally published in Galilee Diary and Ten Minutes of Torah)He will take us back in love; He will cover up our iniquities, You will hurl all our sins into the depths of the...
Our Muslim brothers and sisters are just ending the month of Ramadan, which commands both fasting and penitence, and today, my Jewish sisters and brothers begin the long, 40-day period of penitence...
When God gave us the Torah at Sinai -- so says our tradition -- we responded with na'aseh v'nishmah, "We will do and we will hear." Sounds kind of backwards, doesn't it? How can we follow...
This week, I watched the stars fall.
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I do believe that some of the time, God whispers to us in the same way that God spoke to Jonah. As I reflect upon all of these incidents, I realize that by paying attention to these divine whispers...
I have always found the notion of “belief” rather troublesome.
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As Jewish leaders, we are looked to as teachers, guides, mentors, advisers, counselors, and confidantes. People trust us; with their questions, with their challenges, with their significant...
The individual relationships we share are the backbone of creating a kehillah kedosha—a sacred community.
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We asked clergy across North America which music, books, art, movies and more help them get into a reflective state of mind as they gear up for the High Holidays. Here’s what Rabbi Joseph Black...
We asked clergy across North America which music, books, art, movies and more help them get into a reflective state of mind as they gear up for the High Holidays. Here’s what Rabbi Marci N. Bellows...
We asked clergy across North America which music, books, art, movies and more help them get into a reflective state of mind as they gear up for the High Holidays. Here’s what Rabbi Andy Bachman...
We asked clergy across North America which music, books, art, movies and more help them get into a reflective state of mind as they gear up for the High Holidays. Here’s what Rabbi Paul Kipnes from...
We asked clergy across North America which music, books, art, movies and more help them get into a reflective state of mind as they gear up for the High Holidays. Here’s what Rabbi Shoshanah...
We asked clergy across North America which music, books, art, movies and more help them get into a reflective state of mind as they gear up for the High Holidays. Here’s what Cantor Joshua Breitzer...
We asked clergy across North America which music, books, art, movies and more help them get into a reflective state of mind as they gear up for the High Holidays. Here’s what Cantor David Berger...
When I think of the word “hope,” one sentence comes to mind: Hope is a dangerous thing.
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We asked clergy across North America which music, books, art, movies and more help them get into a reflective state of mind as they gear up for the High Holidays. Here’s what Cantor Mary Rebecca...
The Hebrew month of Elul begins soon. During this month preceding the High Holidays, many Jews take time to reflect on the past year and to take stock of their actions.
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When my congregation publicized its four-day camping and canoe trip in Michigan, how could we resist such an unusual temple offering?
In Pirkei Avot, the rabbis wrote, “Mitzvah goreret mitzvah, averah goreret averah,” one mitzvah (commandment/good deed) leads to another mitzvah, and one transgression leads to another...
Elul is upon us. The sound of the shofar reminds us that this silent epidemic must be addressed. Its cries echo those left in the depths of sorrow, feeling alone, believing that those who love them...
In theory, no one wants to be that person who can’t let go, who refuses the request for forgiveness. But is it really possible, or even right, to forgive everything?
Aside from a date, what can these two events possibly have in common? Strange as it may seem, there are a few points of comparison.
During the year I spent studying in Jerusalem as a rabbinic student, it was impossible to escape the upcoming High Holy Days.
Last week I had lunch with a rabbi friend who told me he’s in the midst of preparing four different sermons for the upcoming High Holidays. Now that we’re in Elul – the month that precedes Rosh...
In parshat Lech L’cha God commanded Abraham to leave his home, his father’s house, and the land of his birth. He also commanded Abraham: v’heyeh bracha (“Be a Blessing). Here’s a...
The waning of summer's warm days signals the arrival of the Hebrew month of Elul. It's a time to contemplate the approaching Days of Awe and how best to prepare for them.
Tishah B’Av is the start of training season for our own Jewish Olympics – the High Holidays. Sure, they’re not as glamorous, there’s no torch-passing or opening ceremonies, and there are certainly...
Everyone is a judge. We judge the guilt or innocence of an alleged criminal based upon facts gleaned in the first three seconds of seeing his face on the evening news. We judge whether to get out...
One of my most precious possessions is a copy of the Talmudic tractate Kiddushin printed in Munich in 1946 on presses once used for Nazi propaganda. A Talmud printed on an erstwhile Nazi printing...
Earlier this week, we marked the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul when it is customary to take stock of our actions and behaviors in an effort to do better in the year to come.
In advance of the new year, people often ask rabbis, “Are you ready for the High Holidays?” I, for one, never know exactly how to answer. Is readiness measured in sermons written? In liturgy...
Poet Stacey Robinson: "I stand here, ready to begin again, to follow this road of dust, that stretches before me."
I often hear my yoga teachers' words when I embark on a new project or endeavor. Today, as we get ready to usher in the month of Elul, the preparatory month for the High Holidays, I keep thinking...
Elul, the Hebrew month that precedes the High Holidays, is traditionally a time of both rejoicing and somber reflection when we take stock of our spiritual selves and our lives. Starting this year...
My dear friend and former colleague Elissa Froman passed away in March from complications related to Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I first met Elissa when I began working at the Religious Action Center of...
Fans of “Seinfeld” may recall an exchange between Jerry and Elaine in which they discuss the appropriate timeline for delivering new year greetings. “I once got Happy New Year'd in March … it’s...
