“This Joy – What Does It Do?” (Kohelet 2:2)

On Rosh Hashanah we blow shofar. The sounds of the shofar call out to a person and urge him to remove himself from the current of his external life and become what he truly is, inside. Do not speak, the shofar admonishes, but rather listen, allow the sounds of the...

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Is ‘eight’ a magic number in Judaism? Or, is it only coincidental that Yom Kippur comes on the eighth day following the seven days during which the High Priest would prepare himself for the temple service of that holy day and Shemini Atzeret follows the...

The Tishrei Holidays: For the Jews and For the World

I have always been intrigued by the Tishrei holidays and interested in understanding them. This yearly time period, which runs the emotional gamut, sets the tone for the entire year. The somber and solemn atmosphere of Rosh HaShanah, the Day of Judgment and God’s...