Rosh HaShanah is a strange mix of emotions.  The day is almost schizophrenic.  Even the melodies of the Chazzan ride up and down an emotional rollercoaster.  In the morning, we evoke the fear of the day and exclaim: “…and from the fright of the judgement my soul trembles…” “…Angels will hasten, a trembling and terror will seize them…behold it is the Day of Judgment.” Then we return home from the Synagogue, dip apples in honey and eat a festive meal!
How should we feel on Rosh HaShanah? Is it a day …

A famous yet difficult passage in the Talmud expresses how we relate to God and His Holy Torah.

Reflections on Yom HaAtzmaut 5771, given at Beit Knesset Kol Rina, Nachlaot, Jerusalem.

Original and insightful essays (in Hebrew) about the festival of Purim.
Mishteh Shimshon 5770

The Torah commands us to dwell in Sukkot for seven days “…for I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in Sukkot when I took them from the land of Egypt…” (Vayikra 23:43)
It appears that we celebrate Sukkot as a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. But if the reason for sitting in Sukkot is a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt, why not celebrate it in the month of Nissan, along with Pesach? Why not have a Seder in the Sukkah, with matzah, four cups of …

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: …

The haunting melodies, the Rabbi’s words, the shofar, the fasting, the praying. It’s hard not to be inspired during the holiday season. We find ourselves davening a little better, being more charitable, acting with more kindness, and performing mitzvot with more sincerity. We try to be the best we can be; the people we really are; living up to our soul’s unique potential.
This Shabbat is called “Shabbat Shuvah – The Sabbath of Return,” because of the Haftorah that is read, which begins: “Return Israel to Hashem your …

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 …

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.