Jewish tradition informs us that Rosh Hashanah is the day when God created Adam and Eve, crystalizing the celebration of inclusion of mankind into God’s

“Dip the apple in the honey, make a bracha loud and clear…” Apples and honey is one of the most well-known and cherished minhagim that

Parshat Ha’azinu, Shabbat Shuva “Shuva Yisrael … ki chashalta ba’avonecha!—Return O Israel,” cries the Navi Hoshea, “for you have stumbled through your sin”—a powerful call

Perhaps we had a warning about what would happen on Simchas Torah, 5784. When Rosh Hashanah 5784 fell on Shabbos, I recalled a teaching of

If you blow shofar in a forest, and no one is there to hear, did it make a sound? Why do we blow the shofar

As Rosh Hashanah is here, what is going to be the new tune of our song? In this week’s parsha, Haazinu, Moshe and Yehoshua composed

Elul and Rosh Hashanah center around the concept of teshuva. Teshuva literally means “return”— but to whom, or perhaps to what, are we returning to?

The simanim are special foods that are a central part of the festive meal on Rosh Hashanah. We dip an apple in honey and wish

The period of the Yamim Noraim, Days of Trepidation, ought to motivate us to think deeply about the choices we make. We are given the

Dedicated to Sam Borodach, z’l The Torah gives very little explanation of the holiday that we call “Rosh Hashanah.” It calls it “zichron teruah” (Leviticus

Generally, a Jewish holiday’s theme and the emotions it evokes are pretty clear. Pesach is a celebration of our freedom, and on Shavuot, we rejoice

For years, my family went to a Shabbat Mincha/Maariv minyan in the backyard of the beit knesset on our corner. (I use the Hebrew terms