On the holiest day of the year, on Yom Kippur, we step back. Suppressing our routine, discarding food and diminishing our sleep, we liberate our

A speaker once started his seminar by holding up a $100 bill. “Who would like this $100 bill?” he asked. Every hand in the room

After a wedding chuppah, attendees sing and dance alongside the chasan and kallah while accompanying them to a yichud (private) room. The new couple enter

The Rambam writes (Hilchot Chanukah 3:6): “There is no Hallel on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur because they are days of teshuva, fear and awe,

Shabbat Shuva Parshat Vayelech At the end of last week’s parsha Moshe calls upon the heaven and earth to witness how Moshe had placed before

R’ Yaakov Galinsky brings a story of R’ Naftoli of Ropshitz who once saw someone “klapping” on his chest during the vidui, and he said

A critical sentence in Unetaneh Tokef“ (“UT”) is: “u-teshuvah u-tefillah u-tzedakah ma’avirin et ro’a ha-gezeirah.” A typical translation is: “Repentance, prayer and charity remove the

“Happy birthday!” “Happy New Year!” Do we also greet each other and say “Happy Yom Kippur?” Also, in these modern times, can we email our

The theme of the month of Elul is teshuva, repentance. As the sound of the shofar blares each morning, heralding our approach toward Rosh Hashanah

On Yom Kippur 1967, thousands arrived at the Western Wall for the concluding prayers (Neilah) and to hear the long awaited sound of the shofar.