3 Lessons
The Essence of Yom Kippur THIS YEAR'S YOM KIPPUR- Prayers for All Israel
The situation in Israel this year, finally begins to answer the perennial question: is Yom Kippur meant to be a day of PERSONAL Teshuva and repentance? Or NATIONAL Teshuva and repentance? What is the main focus of the day? Because there's a discrepancy between the atmosphere of Yom Kippur of today and Yom Kippur during the time of the Beit Hamikdash. Perhaps we need to change our focus on Yom Kippur?
Rosh Hashana Decoding the Shofar Code
This class (in easy Hebrew) decodes the difference between the t'kiya and t'ruah sounds (shvarim is just another t'ruah, as written in the Talmud), giving many practical examples from everyday life where these two sounds are differentiated. This fits in perfectly with other philosophic and kabbalistic ideas on the topic.
Rosh Hashana The Road to Heaven is Paved with Good Intentions
Our sages say that God "counts" good intentions, but doesn't "count" bad intentions. On the other hand, the Talmud Yerushalmi adds that this is only for Jews, not gentiles, where the opposite is true. And the obvious question is: why? If intentions are serious, they should always "count", and if not, they should never be considered! Rav Kook explains that Teshuva is the easiest of all mitzvot, where even a thought is enough to erase decades of mistakes! On the other hand, it's also difficult, and we must analyze the differences.(Ayn Aya Shabbat v, 32)