Sukkot: Being Us in Hashem’s Presence
- Harary, Charlie
- During this time, God teaches us to find Him in the mundane and in all aspects of life. If we approach Sukkot with this mindset, we’ll carry God's presence with us throughout the year....
YEARLY CYCLE
GATEWAY TO TORAH TEACHINGS
The Fast of the 17th of Tammuz: Finding the Love in the Destruction
- Lipitz, Mrs. Ani
- The three weeks between the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz and the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av are called Bein HaMetzarim (“Between the Straits”), and during this period Jewish people the...
Holy Eating: Insights Into Tu B’Shevat
- Schneider, Sarah Yehudit
- Adam and Eve [transgressed by eating from] the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was through this sin that the yeitzer hara (evil inclination) became a part of each of us, challenging us to this day with obstacles to our spiritual growth....
Tu BeShevat 5784
- Winston, Rabbi Pinchas
- [Tu BeShevat offers the] opportunity to absorb the amazing gift of Eretz Yisroel, the fantastic bounty it is giving us these days, and the tremendous opportunity to make blessings over it in giving thanks to God....
The Tenth of Tevet
- Wein, Rabbi Berel
- The Tenth of Tevet marks the onset of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylonia, and the beginning of the battle that ultimately destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon, and sent the Jews into the 70-year Babylonian Exile....
Continuing the Light… After Zot Chanukah
- Arush, Rabbi Shalom
- "What the greatest tzaddikim cannot do in their prayers at Neila at the end of Yom Kippur – even the simplest Jew can do on Zot Chanukah."...
Access to Or Haganuz via the Chanukka Candles
- Emor Project
- The Chanukka candles are a channel through which a portion of the Or Haganuz (the tremendously good light Hashem has reserved for the tzadikim in the world to come) is released for us. ...
Rabbi YY Jacobson’s Chanuka Video Series
- Jacobson, Rabbi YY
- Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak (YY) Jacobson, founder of TheYeshiva.net, and one of the most successful, passionate and mesmerizing communicators of Judaism today, shares a short video offering insights and inspiration each night of Chanuka....
Chanuka Overview and the Responsibility as Lamplighters
- Breitowitz, Rabbi Dr. Yitzchok
- "Chanuka is that message of hope, faith in Hashem, and faith in yourself. 'Don’t despair, don’t give up, keep on going. My light is with you..."...
A Little Band of Hasmoneans
- Schneerson, Rabbi Menachem M.
- "In such times of distress we must always be like that faithful band of Hasmoneans, and remember that there is always a drop of 'pure olive oil' hidden deep in the heart of every Jew, which, if kindled, bursts into a big flame. This drop of 'pure olive oil'...
The Opportunity of Chanukka
- Emor Project
- "Chanuka offers us the opportunity to receive additional help to overcome our inner struggles, difficulties, and challenges."...
Emor Project wishes you Chanukka Sameach!
- Emor Project
- "Each Chag (Holy Day) or particular time of the Jewish calendar releases its unique and specific potential that is accessible to all."...
Sukkot: The Story of Our Faith
- Botton, Rabbi Yitzchak
- "One who fulfills the mitzvah of sukkah actually becomes a partner with God and creation....
The Holy of Holies and the Sukkah
- Trugman, Rabbi Avraham Arieh
- "The sechach, which symbolizes the Shechinah’s [Divine Presence] protective wings..."...
60 Days: A Spiritual Guide to The High Holidays
- Jacobson, Rabbi Simon
- "Yom Kippur is the convergence of the holiest in space, time and man - when the holiest part of man enters the holiest space on the holiest day."...
Parashat Haazinu: Heaven & Earth
- Kalazan, Rabbi Yinon
- On Yom Kippur we reach to the heavens, we connect to the core of our soul and feel unified with G-d. But, just as we reach the climax of the holiness of Yom Kippur, we transition to preparation for the holiday of Sukkot, when we celebrate...
Ten Days of Teshuva
- Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Rabbi
- "Every year there descends and radiates a new and renewed light which has never yet shone."...
Demystifying Yom Kippur
- Glick, Rabbi Yisroel
- "The soul can be damaged, but at its deepest core, it is untouchable…; it always remains flawless and pristine."...
A Ba’al Teshuvah Is Greater Than a Tzaddik
- Churba, Rabbi Yosef
- "...a ba’al teshuvah is superior to a complete tzaddik is that the light is given off when he performs the mitzvah of teshuvah is able to repair all the damage done to the celestial light by his intentional sins."...
Rosh HaShana -The Shofar Transports our Souls Into The Holy of Holies
- Breitowitz, Rabbi Dr. Yitzchok
- "The three sounds of the shofar represent the journey of the neshama (the soul)."...
Rosh Hashana Wishes from Emor Project
- Emor Project
- "Emor Project wishes you all a healthy new year filled with overflowing revealed blessings in all areas of ruchaniut and gashmiut (spirituality & physicality)."...
Rosh Hashana – The Head of the Year
- Emor Project
- "On Rosh Hashana, we "coronate" Hashem as King, accepting upon ourselves His rulership, and on this awe-filled day, Hashem judges the world....
A Night to Remember: On the Essence of Rosh Hashanah
- Jacobson, Rabbi YY
- "Here lay one of the great and daring ideas of Judaism. G-d, the perfect endless one, desired to be king not through power or by the dictates of nature. He desired to be chosen as king;...
The Ikkar (main aspect) of Yom Tov (festival holy days)
- The Sefat Emet, translated by A. Green
- "The inner life force of God that exists within all creatures is revealed on these festivals. That is why they are called mikra’ey kodesh, ‘holy assemblies’... [One] can call forth the holiness of these days, and also...the holiness itself calls forth to us....
Reflecting, Resolving, and Renewing for the New Year
- Schneider, Sarah Yehudit
- Reflect on the past year and set future resolutions during Elul, the 'Month of Teshuva,' aligning with Divine will and preparing for the New Year....
Chai Elul: Adding Chayus Throughout the Year
- Chabad.org Staff
- "The birthday of a tzadik, a righteous person, has a strong connection and a profound effect on the month in which the birthday occurs....
The Holiness of Your Sins: How the Kabbalah Reconciles Free Choice and Divine Providence
- Jacobson, Rabbi YY
- "When someone repents out of love, their sins become mitzvot."...
The King in the Field
- Schneerson, Rabbi Menachem M.
- "During Elul the king is in the field: G?d reveals Himself at a level which can be apprehended by man within the framework of his mundane reality....
The Laws of Tisha B’Av
- Ullman, Rabbi Yirmiyahu
- "Tisha B'Av is a day of mourning and repentance on which we recall the destruction of the First and Second Temples, and other tragic events in Jewish history that took place on this day....
Make It Real
- Kalazan, Rabbi Yinon
- "..every individual can access this power for change in a tangible way, by meditating this Shabbat on what our soul will see, a vision of a House which will fuse the upper and lower worlds, spiritual and physical reality, in permanent union."...
The Nine Days of Mourning
- Green, Rabbi Dovid
- "This month is called Av, which is Hebrew for 'father'. Although G-d has hidden His manifest countenance from us, and we are forced to live with all of the consequences that follow from that, the name of the month conveys to us that G-d acts as a loving father...
17th of Tammuz
- Simmons, Rabbi Shraga
- "The 17th of Tammuz is a fast day commemorating the fall of Jerusalem, prior to the destruction of the Holy Temple. This also marks the beginning of a 3-week national period of mourning, leading up to Tisha B'Av......
Preparing for Shavuos – Post 2
- Breitowitz, Rabbi Dr. Yitzchok
- "When we mourn the death of the students of Rabbi Akiva, we must rectify their sin of not showing kavod for each other as one of the most important ways to prepare ourselves for Matan Torah....
Preparing for Shavuos – Part 1
- Breitowitz, Rabbi Dr. Yitzchok
- "The Torah itself gives a transition between the Holiday of Freedom (Pesach) and the Holiday of the Torah - the holiday of commitment to Hashem (Shavuot) - via the counting of the Omer…until we get to Matan Torah....
Amazing Revelations Of Lag Ba’Omer
- Pessin, Rabbi Aharon
- "[Do] you know what happened on the 33rd Day of the Omer counting...[the] Jewish Holiday known as Lag B’Omer?"...
Sefirat Ha’Omer/Counting of the Omer
- Emor Project
- "We are commanded to count seven weeks from the time that the omer, the new barley offering, was brought in the Beit HaMikdash....
The Significance of Matzah
- Schneerson, Rabbi Menachem M.
- "Pesach enables us to undergo a personal exodus from Egypt by transcending our individual limits....
A Spiritual Guide to the Counting of the Omer: Forty-Nine Steps to Personal Refinement
- Jacobson, Rabbi Simon
- "With the mitzvah of counting the 49 days, known as Sefirat Ha'Omer, the Torah invites us on a journey into the human psyche, into the soul....
A Passover Dictionary: What Do All These Strange Hebrew Terms Mean?
- Strum, Rabbi Ori
- ""On the night before Passover, the Jewish people gather in their homes at sundown and begin searching for any remaining chametz....
The Pesach Seder
- Emor Project
- "There are 15 steps of the seder, including eating specific food items, each representing part of the exodus story....
Sell Your Chametz
- Torah.org
- "One of the prime elements of the Passover Holiday is the removal of leaven products, known as 'chametz' from one’s possession....
Cleaning for Passover and the Search for Spirituality
- Headapohl, Jackie
- "The spiritual meanings of chametz and matzah are actually the flip-sides of the very same Jewish mystical teaching....
Egypt Now – Part 2
- Sinclair, Rabbi Yaakov Asher
- "Exodus from Egypt represents the passage from one reality to another, from matter without form (aka pleasure seeking) to matter shaped accordingly to Torah guidelines....
Egypt Now – Part 1
- Sinclair, Rabbi Yaakov Asher
- "The exile of the Jews in Egypt is the prototype of spiritual slavery; it transcends time and space....
PREPARING PHYSICALLY & SPIRITUALLY FOR PESACH
- Emor Project
- "On Pesach, we celebrate our liberation from Egyptian slavery, an all-encompassing physical and spiritual slavery."...
A Purim Message from Emor Project 5783
- Emor Project
- "Megillat Esther does not explicitly mention the name of Hashem. We learn from here that despite the presence of Hashem not always being revealed, He is constantly directing the events. ...
Esther’s Fast: Rules, Meaning, What Is Esther’s Fast & How To Do It
- Aleph Beta
- "These three days of fasting were a national rallying cry for salvation....
Holy Eating: Insights Into Tu B’Shevat
- Schneider, Sarah Yehudit
- "When we eat the many fruits associated with the Tree of Knowledge on Tu B’Shevat and do so with consciousness of our Creator, that in itself is a rectification of what happened in Garden of Eden."...
Kabbalistic Tu B’Shvat Seder
- Buxbaum, Yitzhak
- The 15th of Shevat celebrates the beginning of a “new year” for trees....
The Tenth of Tevet
- Wein, Rabbi Berel
- "The Tenth of Tevet marks the onset of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylonia, and the beginning of the battle that ultimately destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon, and sent the Jews into the 70-year Babylonian Exile....
Zot Chanukah
- Trugman, Rabbi Avraham Arieh
- "Zot Chanukah, which literally means 'this is Chanukah,' is the traditional name given to the last and concluding day of the holiday. It is on this day that the power and potential of Chanukah is fully revealed......
Chanuka Overview and the Responsibility as Lamplighters
- Breitowitz, Rabbi Dr. Yitzchok
- "Chanukah is that message of hope, faith in Hashem, and faith in yourself. 'Don’t despair, don’t give up, keep on going. My light is with you, and when My light is with you, your puny efforts can accomplish what would otherwise seem to be impossible.'...
The Opportunity of Chanukka
- Emor Project
- Chanuka offers us the opportunity to receive additional help to overcome our inner struggles, difficulties, and challenges....
The Spiritual Potential of Chanukka
- Emor Project
- The potential reiterated each year during Chanuka is for us to transform the darkness into light, i.e., to see how the light can be extracted from the darkness itself....
The Holy of Holies and the Sukkah
- Trugman, Rabbi Avraham Arieh
- "For an entire week, we are enveloped by the Shechinah and encouraged to meditate on the deepest stirrings of our hearts and souls. By shaking the four species over the course of the holiday we symbolically translate these feelings into a practical plan of action to be put into...
Yom Kippur; 60 Days: A Spiritual Guide to The High Holidays
- Jacobson, Rabbi Simon
- "On Yom Kippur we touch the holiest part of ourselves - our souls....
Teshuvah; 60 Days: A Spiritual Guide to The High Holidays
- Jacobson, Rabbi Simon
- "True teshuvah is from the expression and the spirit shall return to G-d. Teshuvah is a thirsty soul's longing to connect to its Source....
Days of Awe: Ideas and Insights of the Sfas Emes on the High Holy Days
- Stern, Rabbi Yosef
- "While spiritual rewards are normally granted in direct proportion to one's performance of Torah and mitzvos, there also exists an additional component of spirituality which is not contingent upon individual merit....
Days of Awe: Ideas and Insights of the Sfas Emes on the High Holy Days
- Stern, Rabbi Yosef
- "A return to one's heavenly roots is an essential aspect of Shabbos - and of teshuvah as well...
Post 3 – And You Are Standing Today All of You Before God
- Trugman, Rabbi Avraham Arieh
- "The searing sound of the shofar has the ability to fuse together all the disjointed parts of our personality, all the inner fragmentation, into one unified presence."...
Post 2 – And You Are Standing Today All of You Before God
- Trugman, Rabbi Avraham Arieh
- "Even if all the curses (God forbid) came to pass, the Jewish people would still be ‘standing’ before God, for He would never abrogate the covenant He made with them....
The Blast of the Shofar
- Jacobson, Rabbi Simon
- "On the anniversary of the day on which the first human being possessing a Divine soul was created, we blow the shofar....
Rosh Hashanah Overview
- Emor Project
- The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah actually means "Head of the Year."...
Teachings from: Q and A About Teshuvah and Forgiveness
- Jacobson, Rabbi YY
- How do we know that Hashem will receive and accept our teshuva?...
Is Everyone Really Marriage Material?
- Ives, Rabbi Yossi
- "There is so much goodness and holiness in people; it is our duty to reveal it. Are we looking properly? What we see has a lot to do with what we are looking for. Are our eyes gazing heavenward, or are we staring into the gutter?"...
The Meaning of Tu B’av
- Lau, Rabbi Yisrael Meir
- "The Mishnah tells us that: 'No days were as festive for Israel as the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur.' ...What is Tu B'Av [and in] which way is it equivalent to Yom Kippur?...
The Laws of Tisha B’Av
- Ullman, Rabbi Yirmiyahu
- "Tisha B'Av is a day of mourning and repentance on which we recall the destruction of the First and Second Temples, and other tragic events in Jewish history that took place on this day."...
Do remember the past, but do not be held captive by it
- Adler Lambert, Rivkah & Mendlowitz, Ariella
- ""Jews never forgot those tragedies. To this day, at every wedding, we break a glass in their memory. Two and a half thousand years is a long time to remember... is it really right to remember?"...
Finding the Love in the Destruction – Part 2
- Lipitz, Ani
- "Each human being is a microcosm of the universe at large… But it is precisely during these periods of deepest darkness that the light of compassion shines the strongest in our souls, that the Infinite Itself is revealed before us. Because destruction, like all other forces in the universe,...
Finding the Love in the Destruction – Part 1
- Lipitz, Ani
- "We reflect on the spiritually and physically destructive events that occurred [during the 3 weeks]. Even today it’s considered to be an inauspicious time, when negative forces manifest more freely in the world....
17th of Tammuz
- Simmons, Rabbi Shraga
- "The 17th of Tammuz is a fast day commemorating the fall of Jerusalem, prior to the destruction of the Holy Temple....
The one time all Jews agreed [Shavuos]
- Glick, Rabbi Yisroel
- "As we stand to receive the Torah again this Shavuot, let’s express our truest selves, the essential Divinity that makes us all one....
Lag B’Omer: Celebrating someone else’s death??!
- Glick, Rabbi Yisroel
- On Lag B’Omer, we celebrate [Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's] life’s work which gave us the opportunity to access the infinite depths of the Torah...
Pesach Sheni: The Holiday of Second Chances
- Rapaport, Karen Wolfers
- "Pesach Sheni, the holiday of second chances, reminds us that we can always change our steps and return home....
Better Living Through Counting | SECRETS of the Omer
- Friedman, Rabbi Manis
- "We start counting the Omer on the second night, because after having experienced a total cleansing of all ego, now we can start replacing our emotions, our character, one step at a time, but this time, without ego....
Sefirat HaOmer – A Unique Opportunity for Self-Refinement
- Emor Project
- The period of Sefirat HaOmer offers us a unique opportunity to work on improving our midot (character traits)....
Sefirat Ha’Omer/Counting of the Omer
- Emor Project
- We are commanded to count seven weeks from the time that the omer, the new barley offering, was brought in the Beit HaMikdash....
A Spiritual Guide to the Counting of the Omer: Forty-Nine Steps to Personal Refinement
- Jacobson, Rabbi Simon
- "With the mitzvah of counting the 49 days, known as Sefirat Ha'Omer, the Torah invites us on a journey into the human psyche, into the soul....
A Passover Dictionary: What Do All These Strange Hebrew Terms Mean?
- Strum, Rabbi Ori
- "On the night before Passover (this year...on Thursday night, April 14th), the Jewish people gather in their homes at sundown and begin searching for any remaining chametz....
Pesach Seder
- Emor Project
- We conduct the seder using a Haggadah, which means “telling.” The Haggadah facilitates the retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Also, it guides participants through the ritual-rich Seder meal, indicating when and how to perform each ritual....
Sell Your Chametz
- Torah.org
- One of the prime elements of the Passover Holiday is the removal of leaven products, known as 'Chametz' from one's possession....
The Spiritual Potential of Pesach
- Emor Project
- Pesach recalls historically the liberation from slavery in Egypt through a manifested intervention of HKBH....
Stress-Free Pesach Cleaning Guide
- Emor Project
- Free "Stress-Free Pesach Cleaning Guide"...
Should women give Machatzit HaShekel?
- Zimmerman, Rabbanit Debbie
- "Purim is a time of giving. For those of us women who are blessed with sufficient funds and the ability to do so, it is a great time to contribute our part to support our community, financially and spiritually, and donate zecher l’machatzit ha-shekel."...
Esther’s Fast: Rules, Meaning, What Is Esther’s Fast & How To Do It
- Aleph Beta
- These three days of fasting were a national rallying cry for salvation. The whole nation was united behind Esther, and God indeed answered their prayers....
How to Celebrate Purim
- Emor Project
- We celebrate Purim, commemorating our nation’s miraculous salvation more than two millennia ago, with 4 distinct mitzvot....
Purim 5782 Introduction
- Emor Project
- This Thursday we celebrate Purim, a spiritually powerful day in which the original energies and potential of the first Purim are released and available for us to tap into. Among these, Purim is an eit ratzon, a favorable time. This is a time when our tefillot, (prayers), are welcomed...
Why Is There a Purim Katan (Small Purim)?
- Shurpin, Yehuda
- "There is an opinion in the Talmud that Purim should be celebrated in Adar I based on the rule [that] 'one does not ‘pass over’ or forego the performance of the mitzvahs'...
The Tenth of Tevet
- Wein, Rabbi Berel
- "The Tenth of Tevet marks the onset of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylonia, and the beginning of the battle that ultimately destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon, and sent the Jews into the 70-year Babylonian Exile....
“This Opposite This” HaShem Made the World
- Schneider, Sarah Yehudit
- "The Chanukah menorot in our windows and doorways are beacons of light, radiating our well-wishes out to the world...
Chanukka and the Feminine
- Schneider, Sarah Yehudit
- "On Chanukka, says the Ari...HaKadosh Baruch Hu comes down and meets the Shekhina on her turf....
Ceremony & Celebration – Chanukah Candle 4
- Kalazan, Rabbi Yinon
- "Realising that the real battle was not against an empire but a culture, Jews set about constructing the world’s first system of universal education. The effect was astonishing....
Chanukah: The Greatest Revenge
- Pessin, Rabbi Aharon
- If we want to commemorate the miricle of Chanukka that took place in the Beit HaMikdash, why do we light at home rather than in the synagogue, the "mini mikdash"?...
Turning on God’s Light
- Haber, Rabbi Yaakov
- "Our function in this world is to activate G-d’s light....
A Titanic Victory and a Small Cruse of Oil – Post 2
- Jacobson, Rabbi YY
- "If the Jews would have been defeated by the Greeks, there would be no Jews today; if the oil would have not burnt for eight days, so what?...
A Titanic Victory and a Small Cruse of Oil – Post 1
- Jacobson, Rabbi YY
- "We, the Jewish people, are here today only because of the courage and vision of this small group of determined Jews who would not allow their G-d and their Torah to be reduced to the dustbins of history by the Syrian-Greek tyrant....
Chanukka 5782 – Introduction
- Emor Project
- Every chag (holiday) or event on the Hebrew calendar, brings with it the original energy of that time period again and again through years....
Sukkot: The Story of Our Faith
- Botton, Rabbi Yitzchak
- "The sukkah itself represents the idea of the Jewish faith...
Yom Kippur: The Joy Within The Holiest Day
- Pessin, Rabbi Aharon
- "When one is involved in teshuva m’ahavah, if one repents out of love for G-d, his averot (sins) transform to good deeds, to merits!...
Ten Days of Teshuva – 2
- Haber, Rabbi Yaakov
- These Ten Days [between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur] are a special time when each individual is given the potential to restore the light of these Sefirot into their souls. By addressing each particular Sefirah, studying and understanding its quality, processing it and internalizing it into our lives in...
Ten Days of Teshuva – 1
- Haber, Rabbi Yaakov
- "Rosh Hashana is the date of the creation of the first human beings. On that very first day...Adam and Chava committed the very first sin. God judged them and forgave them. God said, ‘Just as you were judged before me on this day and emerged forgiven, so will your children...
Shana Tova
- Emor Project
- Emor Project wishes you all a healthy new year filled with overflowing revealed blessings in all areas of ruchaniut and gashmiut (spirituality & physicality)....
A Night to Remember: On the Essence of Rosh Hashanah
- Jacobson, Rabbi YY
- "Rosh Hashanah [is] the day when the first human was created ...when small, frail, vulnerable and lowly human beings invite G-d to serve as their King. But why does G-d need us to coronate Him?...
The True Meaning of Divine Judgement
- Jacobson, Rabbi Simon
- "...The relationship between us and G-d is a partnership. Partners are accountable to each other. In the month of Elul, we do our accounting. Rosh Hashana is audit day. G-d checks the books to see how we took care of His investment in us....
Chai Elul: Breathing New Life Into Our Divine Service
- Emor Project
- "The birthday of a tzadik, a righteous person, has a strong connection and a profound effect on the month in which the birthday occurs."...
Being Judged Is a Compliment
- Friedman, Rabbi Manis
- "The Days of Awe are Awesome because we can’t believe how committed and how obsessed G-d is with us. It’s an awesome love!...
A Unique Opportunity for Real Change
- Glick, Rabbi Yisroel
- "Is there any real reason to make resolutions specifically for the new year?... Yes!...
Learning to be Free
- Jacobson, Rabbi Simon
- Identifying damaging patterns and personal bias is an essential step on a journey to freedom from our personal bondage. In one way or another, we're all enslaved [by our inward psyche or our outside circumstances]....
Why We Blow the Shofar Every Day of Elul
- Jacobson, Rabbi Simon
- “Moses ascends Mt. Sinai for the third time to pray and beseech G-d to forgive the people. He will remain there for 40 days, descending on Yom Kippur, when he finally succeeds in his mission. The shofar was sounded when Moses ascended on Rosh Chodesh Elul and every day...
The Holiness of Your Sins: How the Kabbalah Reconciles Free Choice and Divine Providence
- Jacobson, Rabbi YY
- "The Talmud teaches something very profound: When somebody repents out of awe, out of fear- their sins are absolved. When someone repents out of love, their sins become mitzvot....
The Spiritual Energy of the Month of Elul
- Jacobson, Rabbi Simon
- "The Hebrew calendar...is a spiral staircase that winds around, cycling the events of history, drawing their energy ever upwards....
The Month of Elul: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities
- Lederberg, Rabbanit Netta
- The month of Elul encourages transforming challenges into opportunities for spiritual growth and connection with the Divine....
Elul: A Month of Preparation and Divine Compassion
- Jacobson, Rabbi Simon
- "Elul is a time to prepare for the 'Days of Awe' of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur by repenting the failings of the past and resolving for the future; to immerse oneself in Torah study, prayer and charitable activities....
When the Cracks Appear, Let the Light Enter – Part 2
- Jacobson, Rabbi YY
- "To make room for a Divine structure, the human structure had to be demolished...
When the Cracks Appear, Let the Light Enter – Part 1
- Jacobson, Rabbi YY
- "The demolition itself was the beginning of a renovation of the Third Temple to be built in its very space...
The People of the Moon
- Sinclair, Rabbi Yaakov Asher
- "The Jewish people are the people of the moon. So many times in our history we seem to be on the point of vanishing completely...and we rise time and time again, like the moon....
The Nine Days of Mourning – Post 2
- Green, Rabbi Dovid
- "Whatever we must live through is purposeful, and for our ultimate good....
The Nine Days of Mourning – Post 1
- Green, Rabbi Dovid
- "These days are the prelude to the destruction of the Holy Temple...
The Roots of Trauma
- Jacobson, Rabbi Simon
- "The Temple wasn’t a mere structure of bricks and mortar. It was a window – a literal gate – between heaven and earth....
17th of Tammuz
- Simmons, Rabbi Shraga
- "The purpose of a fast day is to awaken our sense of loss over the destroyed Temple – and the subsequent Jewish journey into exile...
What’s With All These Laws?
- Jacobson, Rabbi YY
- "Why does Judaism prohibit me from doing whatever I want? people often ask... Why are there so many laws, instructions, and rituals in Judaism that govern every aspect of one's life, from the way we eat to the way we marry?...
Amazing Revelations Of Lag Ba’Omer
- Pessin, Rabbi Aharon
- "[Do] you know what happened on the 33rd Day of the Omer counting...[the] Jewish Holiday known as Lag B’Omer?" Watch the short linked video to hear Rabbi Aharon Pessin sharing "...several ... fascinating connections to this special day."...
A Kabbalistic Kavanna for Eating Matzah at the Seder
- Schneider, Sarah Yehudit
- "Matzah on Pesach is a powerful remedy that penetrates to the soul’s depths and heals ancient wounds....
Emor Project’s Stress-Free Pesach Cleaning Guide
- Emor Project
- View Emor Project's free "Stress-Free Pesach Cleaning Guide" to learn how to clean for Pesach in a relaxed yet "kosher" manner....
Even in the Worst Darkness, G-d is Calling Out To You
- Jacobson, Rabbi YY
- "How am I supposed to feel hope in this situation? I don’t see an end in sight...
Facemasks and Purim Masks: The Pandemic’s First Anniversary
- Blech, Rabbi Benjamin
- "Like Purim, at times God puts on a mask and conceals His presence and His purpose. But as Purim also teaches us, miracles of salvation are part of the story as well...
Purim Introduction 5781
- Emor Project
- "Purim is a spiritually powerful day in which the original energies and potential of the first Purim are released and available for us to tap into....
Tu B’Shevat 5781 – “New Year for the Trees”
- Aleph Beta
- Why do we celebrate Tu B'Shevat? What does a birthday for the trees mean?...
Spread the Light: An Ancient Talmudic Debate About the Jewish World Today
- Jacobson, Rabbi YY
- There is a debate in the Talmud: Am I allowed to use another Chanuka candle to ignite another flame? "...Two of the greatest Talmudic sages...Rav and Shmuel debate the question. Rav says you are not allowed to, Shmuel says it’s permissible. ...Jewish law follows the position of Shmuel......
The Miracle Has Already Begun
- Haber, Rabbi Yaakov
- "There was no miracle on the first day, so really there was only a 7-day miracle not an 8-day miracle so why is Chanuka 8 days? One day the oil would have lasted regardless, we had enough oil for one day....
“…Until there are no stragglers in the marketplace.”
- Schneider, Sarah Yehudit
- "A candle, says the Zohar, is… a living symbol that broadcasts the truth of Divine oneness into the psyche of those looking on....
The Coveted Sukkah of Sodom
- Schneider, Sarah Yehudit
- "... [the] experience of living beneath the skhokh for seven days (with its leaky roof and peep holes to heaven) is supposed to bring us to sukka consciousness....
My Yom Kippur lesson from my new Hasidic neighbors
- Leener, Jonathan
- "...how can I ask God to judge me with compassion when I cannot even do the same for my fellow Jew? ...
Rosh Hashanah at Home: How to Embrace the Opportunity
- Lebovits, Rabbi Levi
- "A helpful first step is to remember that nothing happens without God's guidance. Our prayer services haven’t simply fallen victim to the blind menace of COVID-19. The High Holidays this year present us with an opportunity to reach new heights of meaning and connection. How?"...
Mercy Month
- Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Rabbi
- "Elul is when we concentrate on guiding our wills toward the will of G?d...
The Temple for Which we are Supposed to Yearn
- Schneider, Sarah Yehudit
- "On Tisha B’Av we mourn the loss of our House of Holy Presence (aka Bet HaMikdash), the heart of our people, that turns us from a throng into a higher order unity called Kenesset Yisrael, a synonymous term for Shekhina. Without our holy hub it is hard to contain...
The Torah of Atzilut – The Torah of Souls
- Schneider, Sarah Yehudit
- "HaShem created the universe to bring forth the souls of Israel. Just as there are 600,000 letters of the Torah, so are there 600,000 root souls in the spiritual community of Israel....
Turning Noga Into Chashmal
- Schneider, Sarah Yehudit
- "Esther turned noga into chashmal and invites us to follow her lead: When faced with a range of options (ie, noga), identify the paradoxical tugs, acknowledge the truths of each, alternate between them, pick up the pace, find the point of stillness (chashmal), pray for counsel, feel the gate...