Though there is a mitzvah of simcha on all Yamim Tovim, only Sukkot is described as “z’man simchateinu the time of our joy.” [1] Of the four times the word “simcha” is used regarding the Yamim Tovim, three of them refer to Sukkos. [2] What is the source of this heightened level of simcha? […]
Day Of Purification Though we generally associate Yom Kippur with atonement, the Torah defines taharah (purification) as the day’s goal: On Yom Kippur, Hashem atones for our sins in order to purify us. The purification relates to both the Beit HaMikdash and the Jewish People. [1] This is why the Yom Kippur Torah readings […]
Fifty years ago, Yom Kippur and the Yamim Noraim took on new meaning. The term “Yamim Noraim” connotes the awesomeness of the High Holiday period and the fear that our lives hang in the balance. This feeling was especially palpable on Yom Kippur fifty years ago both individually and nationally. In just its third decade of […]
Expressing Our Faith The Mizmor Tehillim we recite each Shabbat declares the “goodness” of singing Hashem’s praises: “Tov lehodot laShem u’l’zamer l’shimcha elyon.” [Sefer Tehillim 92:2-3] The mizmor continues with the famous pasuk: “L’hagid ba’boker chasdecha, v’emunat’cha ba’leylot.” This second pasuk encourages speaking about Hashem’s kindness in the “boker” and His faithfulness in the “leylot.” […]
Yosef Hatzaddik found himself in a terrible situation. Sold into slavery by his own brothers, he had every reason to feel wronged. Surprisingly, when he was finally reunited with his brothers in Parashat Vayigash, he told them they were not responsible for where he was. Though they initiated the process by selling him as a […]