How to pray?
In the Talmudic tractate of Ta’anit page 23, the Gemara tells us about Abba Hilqiya, an extremely honest man, who worked hard to make...
How to live?
Every so often I wonder: as a Jew, to what kind of life should I aspire to live? How can I improve my connection...
Disconnect to reconnect
VIRTUAL or REAL REALITY?
Try to visualize the video-recording of a day of our lives: How much of that movie would be showing us...
GENESIS 1:2. Gone With The Wind
ורוח אלוקים מרחפת על פני המים
And a Divine wind was blowing on the face of the waters
The correct translation of these two words, ruah...
Educating Michael
By Rabbanit Coty Bitton
On Friday nights, when we are privileged to have our grandson Michael with us, our family looks forward to watching him...
GENESIS 1:2. On Darkness and Abysses
והארץ היתה תוהו ובוהו וחושך על פני תהום
And earth was lifeless, with darkness over the surface of the ocean
DARKNESS
After explaining that at the time...
Viduy, to be or not to be specific?
אומר אנא ה 'חטאתי עוויתי פשעתי לפניך, ועשיתי כך וכך, והרי ניחמתי ובושתי במעשיי, ולעולם איני חוזר לדבר זה.
Teshuba, the process of repentance in...
ABINU MALKENU: You Are Our Father, You Are Our King
We are in a period of time called "The ten days of Teshuba," the days between Rosh haShana and Yom Kippur, which includes Shabbat...
The 100 Voices Of The Shofar (Tutorial)
יוֹם תְּרוּעָה יִהְיֶה לָכֶם
SHOFAR PRODUCTION
The most important Mitsva of Rosh HaShana is listening to the Shofar. The Shofar is an animal horn that has...
Perfect vs. Imperfect Teshuba
The timing and circumstances of the act of repentance determines the quality and credibility of my repentance.
Maimonides writes in Hilkhot Teshuba 2: 1."What is...
TESHUBA: A Worthless Confession
כיצד מתוודה? אומר אנא ה 'חטאתי עוויתי פשעתי לפניך, ועשיתי כך וכך, והרי ניחמתי ובושתי במעשיי, ולעולם איני חוזר לדבר זה
The Viduy concludes with...
ROSH HASHANA in three short lessons. # 3 . We and...
Rosh haShana is "Yom haDin", the day of judgment. On this important day we stand before the Almighty knowing that we will be judged...
TESHUBA ¿Is It OK To Feel Shame?
כיצד מתוודה? אומר אנא ה 'חטאתי עוויתי פשעתי לפניך, ועשיתי כך וכך, והרי ניחמתי ובושתי במעשיי, ולעולם איני חוזר לדבר זה
For Maimonides it is...
How Can You Tell That You Are Awake?
MARATHON
Today is the second day of the month of Elul. In a little over a month we will be in Yom Kippur, the day...
Repentance and the human condition
In his formidable book Menorat HaMaor, Rabbi Isaac Abohab (14th century, the exact date of his birth and death is unknown) presents in his...
Leaving An Unfinished Wall To Remember The Bet HaMiqdash
Although our official and collective mourning for the Bet-haMiqdash concludes the day after Tish'a beAb, our rabbis mentioned some traditions associated with mourning that...
What do we celebrate on the 15th of Ab?
Today is the 15th of the month of Ab. A very happy and special day.
In the Talmudic treatise of Ta’anit, Raban Shimon ben Gamliel...
“I remember, when you followed me to the desert…”
The Haftarot are Biblical texts from the Prophets, read after the weekly Tora reading, related content-wise to the Parasha of the week. During these...
