Outside of the Land of Israel, there is a prevelant custom to recite Kiddush in the Synagogue on Friday Night. Rabbi Nadel explores why the custom is different in Eretz Yisrael.

At Minchah on Yom HaKippurim we read the Book of Yonah. It is a story beloved by young and old. My little boys even studied it this year in pre-school! It is story that captures our minds and hearts and is as relevant today as it was when written.
At its very essence, it is a message of teshuvah: The people of Nineveh are told that if they continue on their path, “In forty days Nineveh shall be overturned” (3:4). Their response? Fasting and repentance: …

There are many profound explanations that explore the symbolism of the mitzvah of tekiat shofar. One of the more famous expositions is that of Rambam. He writes:
Even though the sounding of the shofar on Rosh HaShanah is a decree, it contains an allusion. As if to say, ‘Wake up you sleepers from your slumber and dreamers from your sleep. Inspect your deeds, repent and remember your Creator…
(Hilchot Teshuvah 3:4)
According to Rambam the sounding of the shofar is a spiritual alarm clock. Something we all could …

Some things are quintessentially Rosh HaShanah:  The sound of the shofar, the voice of the chazzan singing the unique melodies of the High Holiday nusach, and of course- the taste of apples and honey.  As a child, I would wait with anticipation as Rosh HaShanah approached- looking forward to dipping apples in honey.  It is a significant religious experience for children: A tradition sweet to the palate, with its symbolism concrete enough, even a small child can understand.  There are even songs that memorialize  this ritual.
Eating apples with honey, along …

Return Again. Return again. Return to the Land of Your Soul.
- Reb Shlomo Carlebach
The month of Ellul is a time of sincere reflection. As the Days of Awe quickly approach, we focus on “teshuvah” – returning to God’s Holy Torah. Returning to our very essence.
Parshat Nitzavim contains the “Parsha of Teshuvah.” After describing the punishments that will befall the Jewish People should they stray from God, the Torah describes a process of Teshuvah, return:
“And it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the …

Anxiety begins to set in as the Yemei Hadin, the Days of Judgment, quickly approach. The month of Elul beckons us to do teshuvah: to return to Hashem, His Torah and mitzvot. The shofar is sounded each day, blaring like a six am alarm clock; waking us up to make amends, ask for forgiveness, and forgive.
This is time for personal reflection.
The selichot prayers also wake us up- literally and figuratively. Selichot, the additional service that begins this Saturday Night for those who follow the Ashkenazic practice, …

The school year has just begun. As parents, our children’s education is a top priority. As Jews, our concern is not just with the material that is covered, but the subtler elements of education: what is imbued in our children, Torah values, moral development; the affective level of education.
Every seven years, during the festival of Sukkot, the entire Jewish People are commanded to gather together for “hakhel,” a special mitzvah performed in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The King would read selections from the book of Devarim as …

Rosh HaShanah is the Yom HaDin, the Day of Judgement. Yet we treat it like a festival. What should one feel on Rosh HaShanah? Joy? Fear? Uncertainty? Awe? Confidence? Rabbi Nadel explores the dialectic of Rosh HaShanah as expressed in the halachik literature.

Teshuvah, often mistranslated as “repentance” or “forgiveness” is really a process of self-exploration and examination. It is a transformation that leads to self-mastery.

Martin Buber, the German-Jewish philosopher, was once interrupted by a student while he was busy meditating on something in his study. Amid his spiritual reverie, he failed to give the visitor his time despite the distraught look on his student’s face. Buber was later informed that the student committed suicide. He realized that he should have been there for this person and subsequently spent the rest of life trying to give those around him his full attention.
Parshat Ki Teitzei contains the mitzvah of sending away the mother …