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 …