The Holidays are for Everyone During Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, tens of thousands of Israelis from Eilat in the south to Katzrin in the north heard shofar and enjoyed meaningful, experiential services that enabled parents to connect their children to their Jewish roots and engaged people of all ages with central Jewish values and …
The Joy Hidden Within Yom Kippur Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander is President and Rosh HaYeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone Yom HaKippurim, the culmination of the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, is a multifaceted day. On the surface, the day is solely one of trepidation. We are told that Yom Kippur is a day of “v’initem et nafshoteichem”: and …
Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Vayelech (Deuteronomy 31:1- 31:30) / Yom Kippur By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel: ‘Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt go with this people into the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their …
Torah essays to add meaning to your High Holiday experience “God Not Only Loves Us; He Needs Us!” – Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander “Rosh Hashana’s Mandate to Recreate the World” – Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Riskin “Throwing it All Away” – Rabbanit Sally Mayer “The Opportunity for Renewal” – Rabbi Eliahu Birnbaum “A Different Path to …
Throwing It All Away Rabbanit Sally Mayer is the Rosh Midrasha of Midreshet Lindenbaum’s Maria and Joel Finkle Overseas Program When I was a little girl, I remember walking down to tashlikh at the stream not far from where my family gathered every year for Rosh Hashana. I loved the idea of saying a few …
God Not Only Loves Us; He Needs Us! Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander is President and Rosh HaYeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone Often, we look at the High Holidays as a two-holiday event consisting of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. After all, it is only for these two holidays that we purchase High Holiday seats, adorn …
The Opportunity for Renewal Rabbi Eliahu Birnbaum is the Director of OTS’s Beren-Amiel and Straus-Amiel Institutes, which train couples to work as emissaries in Diaspora communities across the globe One of the most beautiful things about Judaism is that we are given a fresh start every year. New beginnings give us hope and the energy …
Rosh Hashana’s Mandate to Recreate the World Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Riskin is the Founder and Rosh HaYeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone “And [Nehemia] said to them, ‘Go, eat delicious foods and drink sweet beverages, and send portions to whoever has nothing prepared, for [Rosh Hashana] is holy to our Lord. And do not be sad, …
A Different Path to Teshuva: Why We Read the Book of Yonah on Yom Kippur Rabbanit Chamutal Shoval, a graduate of OTS’s Susi Bradfield Women’s Institute of Halakhic Leadership (WIHL), is the Ohr Torah Stone Scholar-in-Residence in North America and a Talmud teacher at Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School A deep examination of the Book of Yonah evokes many …
Bringing the Holidays to the People From Rosh Hashana through Sukkot, as Jews of all backgrounds seek meaning and opportunities to connect, the Jewish cultural coordinators of OTS’s Yachad Program for Jewish Identity run a range of inviting events which attract tens of thousands of people of all ages. “A secular couple came to hear …
Finding national inspiration in history and tradition Like Purim, on Yom K’purim the Jewish people stand together in either redemption or Divine abandonment and spiritual emptiness. By Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, September 14, 2021 In Jewish tradition, the day of Yom Kippur is wholly unique in multiple ways. While from the outsider’s perspective it may …