The High Holidays

Why does Yom Kippur atone for Israel's sins? The secret is rooted in the "covenant of love" between G-d and His people Israel...

Why is it important that atonement and repentance remain outside the framework of time?And we may be like angels on the Day of Atonement, but the rest of the year, we are simply flesh and blood, so how are our sins of the year atoned for?

I will need to drink on Yom Kippur in shiurim (small amounts at a time to lower the violation). Should I prepare the portions of liquid beforehand in order to not have to measure on Yom Kippur?

Yom Kippur is less than a week away, and for many of us, its approach is cause for unease and disquiet. Precisely during this period of the holy High Holidays, poisonous doubts creep into our thoughts and hearts: "Last year I asked forgiveness for my sins and errors; I prayed from the depth of my heart; I promised myself I would not fall into the same traps – and behold, it didn't work! So what's the point of all my teshuva [commitment to return to one's true inner self]? Will anything be different this Yom Kippur than last time or the time before?"

At the conclusion of Neilah, at the final moments of Yom Kippur, we have a dramatic "Declaration of Faith:" The Chazan says Sh'ma Yisrael, & we repeat it; he says Baruch Shem K'vod Malchuto 3 times & we repeat it; & he then says "Hashem Hu Ha-Elokim" 7 times & we repeat it. What is the meaning of all this?

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Yom Kippur

I am taking the liberty of sharing some of my holiday memories with you. Nostalgia can be very alluring, but there is also always a modicum of hard-headed realism that memories of the past always evoke.