Finding God and Ourselves Anew

Finding God and Ourselves Anew

Sep 3, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Ha'azinu | Shabbat Shuvah | Rosh Hashanah | Yom Kippur

During the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we devote ourselves to the process of repentance, attempting to tip the balance in our favor as we approach the Day of Atonement.

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Moving Forward Meaningfully

Moving Forward Meaningfully

Aug 28, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Nitzavim | Vayeilekh | Rosh Hashanah | Yom Kippur

The parashiyot of Nitzavim–Vayeilekh are intimately woven into the rhythm of the liturgical year as they are typically read either immediately preceding Rosh Hashanah or during the intervening Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

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The Gift of Anxiety and Dread

The Gift of Anxiety and Dread

Oct 8, 2011 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Yom Kippur

About a year ago, I had a conversation with a friend in which he described the way he had experienced his life to that point. He said it felt as if he were a passenger on a train, and that being on a train meant there was a set destination and stops along the way, and absolutely no deviation from the proscribed course. It wasn’t that he was unhappy with the direction; it wasn’t that he regretted any stop he had made along the way. What bothered him was a particular moment of realization: he wasn’t sure what was driving the engines or even if he wanted to continue on that particular track.

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The Prosecuting Angel

The Prosecuting Angel

Oct 8, 2011 By David Levy | Commentary | Yom Kippur

Leviticus 16:33

And he shall make atonement for the most holy place, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar; and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.

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Seeing Sukkot in the Book of Jonah

Seeing Sukkot in the Book of Jonah

Oct 7, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Sukkot | Yom Kippur

This week, we make our preparations for the coming festival of Sukkot.

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The Power of Words

The Power of Words

Jul 18, 2014 By Eliezer B. Diamond | Commentary | Mattot | Yom Kippur

Are words important? This is a question that bedevils us as human beings.

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Ne‘ilah: Final Closing, or Not Quite?

Ne‘ilah: Final Closing, or Not Quite?

Sep 11, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Yom Kippur

P’tach lanu sha’ar” (Keep open the gate for us) are the words of a fragment of a piyyut attributed to Elazar Kallir (6th century, Land of Israel) [see the Rabbinical Assembly’s Mahzor Lev Shalem, 414]. 

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Taking What Isn’t Ours

Taking What Isn’t Ours

Sep 11, 2013 By Daniel Nevins | Commentary | Yom Kippur

It’s not literally a skeleton in my closet, but I was still upset to find it hanging there.

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