The High Holidays are in effect, our Jewish prime time. Once a year, Jews worldwide stop their normal course of life and assemble for a period of unity, celebration, reflection and renewal. Though some of the central elements of the High Holidays originate from the ancient rituals that took place in the Temple in Jerusalem, the High […]

Social justice is to religion what love is to family. One is the institution; the other is a quality that makes the institution worthwhile How fitting it is that the Haftarah selection for Yom Kippur morning is Isaiah 58. The focus on the “inner work” of Teshuva, important as it is, can easily lead the […]

ANAT HOFFMAN The Jewish tradition gave the “fist” another meaning. On Yom Kippur, we use our fist to awaken ourselves, particularly to awaken our hearts

RABBI JEFFREY KAMINS: These ten days of repentance inspire and invigorate us to take action and heal that which is wrong in our life and our world

In this time of unbearable violence, hatred, and injustice in our world, these themes in the Machzor direct our attention toward our essential humanity It is a truism that Jews are connected to one another. Our Torah predominantly describes us as a people in communal relationship with God, with a collective journey through history.  Even […]

LEAH KAMINSKY Nowadays we don’t need to torture goats to atone for the crappy ways we have behaved during the past year