Monthly Archives: August 2013

As Rosh HaShanah quickly approaches, I hear many of my rabbinic friends and colleagues, as well as many lay-leaders, shift their panic, pressure and urgency into high gear.  After all, these are the Big Days, our very own Broadway Premieres! … Continue reading →

There are many styles and approaches to blowing the Shofar, the ram’s horn “trumpet” whose sound so characterizes Rosh HaShanah that the day is even referred to as Yom Teruah, the Day of Teruah, one of the required “cries”.  Some … Continue reading →

As I approached and passed my sixtieth year, I found myself returning to some of my earliest passions, some of which had lain dormant for decades.  About five years ago I picked up my guitar as a serious endeavor, no … Continue reading →

Lest we become unbalanced, weighted too far in the analytic and intellectual, remember that halacha has the potential to turn our everyday actions into living poetry.

The late Lubavitcher Rebbe, in his Sichos (Conversations) and other teachings, frequently identified two related pathologies, חוסר אמונה, Choser Emuna, inadequate faith, and חוסר בטחון, Choser Bitachon, inadequate trust, as leading to many of our problems, both as individuals in … Continue reading →

It’s not hard to find wonderful sermons and drashim (Torah Lessons) emphasizing the urgent need to repair our relationships with others and with The Creator in preparation for the Yomim Noraim (Days of Awe, Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur).  The … Continue reading →

Elul, the month before Rosh HaShana, arrives and everyone talks of Tshuva, the concept of being able to fix things, to hit the “reset” button, to make a clean start on the upcoming New Year.  But when we get down … Continue reading →

These thoughts are inspired by a courageous article by Rabbi Aryeh Ben David of Ayeka as well as by the weekly Parsha, Sh’lach we read several weeks ago.  I strongly recommend reading this excellent article before continuing with my offering. *     *     … Continue reading →