Today, the 28th of Iyar on the Hebrew calendar, is the day we commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967. Jerusalem today is a city physically united and spiritually divided. The Haredi want to impose their views of Torah on everyone else – no women praying in prayer shawls...
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I’m writing this Sunday morning, the day before the night of the seder. The house has had a more thorough than usual cleaning. The shopping is done. The car has had its pre-Pesach bath. All that remains is switching the kitchen out from chametz to non-chametz status. A few thoughts, some practical, some more...
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(Originally published in the Jerusalem Post) by Rabbi Barry Leff The High Holy Days season starts with Tisha Be’av: we mourn for a broken house – the destroyed Temple – praying and fasting, reminded that the world is also broken. The holidays end with Succot. We sit in a broken house, but it’s filled...
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Judaism has several “kids’ holidays.” Chanukah with the gifts. Purim with the costumes. And many families also make Passover “family friendly” by doing stuff like interactive plagues. Yom Kippur, on the other hand, is definitely NOT a kids’ holiday. Not only that: I think to really appreciate Yom Kippur, to really get the full...
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We’re in the midst of Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, the Ten Days of Repentance. The time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur when we have our “last chance” to do teshuvah, repentance, for the things we did wrong last year. The last chance to try and fix things up with both our fellow man and...
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The Jewish New Year – Rosh Hashanah – is traditionally the time when we take stock. Look back on the last year and ask “how did we do?” Clearly some of the judging that God does during the holiday season is communal, not individual: the world gets judged for rain on Sukkot. It you’re...
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