“And G-d spoke to Moshe after the death of the two children of Aharon when they came close before G-d and they died” (Vayikra 16:1). The Torah then…
Yom Kippur: Sinning Under Duress
“For the sin we sinned before You, b’ones u’beratzon, under duress and willingly. So begins the litany of al chets, the double acrostic listing of…
Yom Kippur: a Marriage Made in Heaven
“How majestic was the kohen gadol as he left the Holy of Holies in peace, without injury…like the kindness that is placed on the bridegroom’s face…
Yom Kippur: Far and Near
“With the approval of Hamakom, the Omnipresent, and with the approval of the congregation, in the convocation of the court above, and in the…
Yom Kippur: Long Term Planning
“We work and get reward and they work and do not get reward?” This statement, said when one completes a Talmudic tractate, articulates a…
Aseret Yemi Teshuva: The Freedom to Choose
“In a place where ba’alei teshuva stand there, not even the fully righteous can stand” (Brachot 34b). This teaching is generally…
Yom Kippur: The Day After
“It was on the next day…” (Shemot 18:13). Apparently, something of significance had happened on the previous day, yet the Torah makes no mention of…
Yom Kippur: A Great Day!
Our society worships greatness. Whether it be athletes, rock stars, actors or successful business leaders, they are showered with wealth and…
Aseret Yemi Teshuva: I Confess
Integral to the teshuva process is the act of vidui, confession. One can intellectually know one has done something wrong; one can even feel…
Yom Kippur: Welcoming the Evil Inclination
“For the sin that we sinned before you with the evil inclination”. The double alphabetic acrostic of the al chet lists a…
Let's Listen To Some Lashon Hara
“Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: the majority [of people sin] regarding theft, a minority regarding adultery, and all with lashon hara…
Yom Kippur: Bedtime Stories
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 619:6) quotes a custom to remain in shul through the night of Yom Kippur, singing songs of praise to G-d.…
Yom Kippur: Play Ball!
“There are those who acquire their world in one moment” (Avodah Zara 18a). One action can define a life. While some people have to work…
Yom Kippur: Where Are You?
“On Rosh Hashanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed.” No two holidays are as thematically connected as Rosh Hashanah and Yom…
Yom Kippur: It's Not My Fault
The two central and most important tefillot of Yom Kippur are the yud gimmel middot harachamim, the 13 Attributes of mercy, and the al chets, the…
Some Concluding Thoughts on Seder Moed
The Jewish people had sinned, and their future stood in the balance. G-d's initial plans to destroy the people were…
Yom Kippur: A Most Beautiful Day
"Rav Yochanan said: Were it not written in the text, it would be impossible for us to say such a thing; this verse teaches us that the Holy One…
Chagigah 16: Good Intentions, Bad Results
"The gates of repentance are always open". Yom Kippur is predicated on the possibility of teshuva at all times for all people[1…