Jewish Holidays

Whenever the Holy Rabbi Yechezkel of Kozmir met his good friend the Maggid of Koznitz, he would say to him, "Your father was amiable and God-fearing, but he was a simple Jew. What did he do to deserve such a righteous and learned son as yourself?"

Abraham, a "father of many nations," could not imagine that the greatness he was to acquire through the binding of his son would remain a personal possession and not make its impact felt upon the other young men, the servants that were with him.

I would like to pray in the synagogue on Yom Kippur. What should I do about the children? Should I ask my husband to watch them, take them with me to the synagogue, or perhaps sorrowfully forgo praying in the synagogue this year on Yom Kippur?

The day before Rosh Hashanah is the last day of the year, and it is the last opportunity to repent before the Day of Judgment. It is a day of reflection on the year gone by, and a day of preparation for the coming year.

The Jerusalem Talmud relates that the enemies once heard Jews blowing the shofar during morning prayers. They thought it was a war cry and attacked the worshipers. Therefore, the sages instituted that the shofar be blown during the Mussaf prayers.