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Why is it customary to visit loved ones' graves before or during the High Holidays?

Answered by

Rabbi Daniel B. Syme

Jewish tradition gives structure to many aspects of mourning as a way to create order at a time when mourners may feel unmoored.

Being Together in Community Again: What Every Congregation Needs to Know

Amy Asin

Last year, we talked about it being a High Holidays like no other. And this year we are faced with the same opportunity – to create something that has never before existed.

Don’t Wait: Life Lessons for the High Holidays from 88-Year-Old Reb Murray

Rabbi Paul Kipnes

Meet 88-year-old Murray, an astounding man. Quiet, sometimes reserved, Murray became my father-in-law 31 years ago, when God softly whispered to me, “Don’t wait.” I confess I didn’t appreciate him fully until recently.

Graphic of a womans silhouette with a sunset overlaid

It's Elul: 6 Ways to Get Ready for the High Holidays

Kate Bigam Kaput

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. Elul rituals prepare us for the many acts of repentance and forgiveness that are hallmarks of the upcoming Days of Awe, starting with Rosh HaShanah.

How the Torah Sets the Stage for Real-Life Struggle

Rabbi Steven Moskowitz

Real Torah is about preparation.

Why Avinu Malkeinu is So Important After the Year We've Had

Rabbi Benjamin David

Every summer, I go through the same routine.

Tipping the Scales: Returning to Germany for the Days of Awe

Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs

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.

Female hands dressed in orange holding onto prison bars

High Holiday Lessons from ‘Orange Is the New Black’

Audrey Merwin

Recuperating from a broken ankle this summer, I had time to catch up on my binge streaming. One of my current favorites is the popular Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, which began streaming its seventh and final season on July 26.

Hands holding up a white cutout of a speech bubble with a heart on it

Ask Yourself These "Audaciously Hospitable" Questions During Elul

C.E. Harrison

These questions are intended to honor all of us by helping to identify and acknowledge our missteps so that we may, ultimately, do better going forward. Additionally, celebrating our successes empowers us to move closer to the diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities we seek to build.

The author (holding guitar) and his husband (with shofar) at High Holiday services in Milan

Buon Anno, Shanah Tovah, Happy New Year: My Rosh HaShanah in Milan

Cantor Evan Kent

Although my husband, Don, and I have lived in Jerusalem for six years, I can’t tell you much about the High Holidays in Israel because we’ve been spending them in Milan.