Parashat HashavuaSeries'LibraryPiskei Din (Hebrew)Test YourselfFasting is not meant as an "affliction;" it is in itself a form of teshuva, allowing us to concentrate on our spiritual, rather than physiological side on this one day. To prepare properly for the fast: * Drink at least 8 full glasses of water on Sunday (erev YK) & avoid caffeinated beverages; * Increase starch & fiber intake before the fast, eating items such as whole-grain cereals or bread, pasta, rice, potatoes; * Decrease protein intake & avoid salty foods such as lox, pickles, chips or pretzels. The meal before the fast may include boiled, grilled or baked chicken; steamed or raw vegetables, beans, lentils, fresh fruit; cake or bread.
"I noticed that the back of my siddur contains a large section devoted to selichos for the 20th of Sivan, yet I have never davened in a shul that observed this day. What does this date commemorate?"
The holiday approached and Rosh Hashanah arrived. Rabbi Amnon of Mainz asked his relatives to bring him to the synagogue with all of his dismembered organs and to place him by the prayer leader. We can well image the atmosphere in the synagogue.
Why is Torah study the most important commandment in the Torah? How does one fulfill this Mitzvah? Just how much Torah must one know? Rabbi Eliezer Melamed addresses these and other questions in his distinctly clear style.
Do not the many discrepancies in Jewish law and the different schools of thought within Judaism weaken our sense of security in Torah scholars? How is it possible to rely on such an aged tradition when we find so many disagreements within the tradition itself?