Neilah: The Final Serevice
While one may make requests of God or atone for transgressions at any time of the year, the first ten days of Tishrei (from Rosh Hashana through Yom Kippur) are considered particularly…
We’re Not Taking Care of Business
On Shabbat, the Jewish people are commanded: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is Shabbat for the Lord your God; you shall not do any work” (Exodus…
Why Am I Not Interested in Idols?
There is an interesting dialogue between the elders of Rome and the sages of Israel recorded in Talmud Avodah Zarah 55a: [Rome]: "If [your God] has no desire for idolatry, why does…
A Spiritual Diagnosis
Common wisdom, and often specific regulations, discourage doctors from diagnosing or healing their own close family members. In such cases, the necessary objectivity is often missing.…
It’s Okay To Be Afraid
“Courage is a special kind of knowledge: the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared.” -David Ben-Gurion Within the genre…
All I Need Is A Miracle
Are you an adrenaline junkie? Know someone who is? An adrenaline junkie, for those who are not in the know, are those people who love the rush of danger, who seek out thrilling, often…
Cut Off
"...Be as scrupulous in performing a 'minor' mitzvah as a 'major' one, for you do not know the reward given for the respective mitzvot. Calculate the...reward of a sin against its cost"…
Will I Forgive You for What!?
An ancient Jewish proverb declares: “Loose tongues are worse than wicked hands.” Truth is, people do the most damage to each other with their mouths. Things done with our hands, such as…
All I Need Is A Miracle
Are you an adrenaline junkie? Know someone who is? An adrenaline junkie, for those who are not in the know, are those people who love the rush of danger, who seek out thrilling, often…
Four Steps of Repentance
In order to fully understand Yom Kippur, it is important to look deeper at the Jewish concept of teshuva, “repentance.” Teshuva is actually a process of self-evaluation and…