Religion

How to pray in a meaningful way

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur attract more Jews to shul than any other time of the year. Unlike other new-year celebrations, ours includes a significant amount of time in shul praying.
Full story
Are we creation’s purpose, or an afterthought to the mosquito?

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

“Today is the birthday of the world.” We say these words repeatedly after hearing the sound of the shofar. It’s a moment of solemn celebration. We sense the excitement of renewal, and its accompanying sense of responsibility. It’s a birthday celebration with the gift of opportunity to ensure that this year, 5780, has an impact on our lives and the lives of those around us.
Full story
Home for the high holy days

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

Round challot, apples and honey, and a roast in the oven don’t just mean it’s yom tov, it signals family time.
Full story
Hot and breezy? It’s time for new beginnings.

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

“Apples dipped in honey, we do eat. We daven to Hashem to make the new year sweet.”
Full story
The power of praying en masse

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

I clearly remember the most powerful time I led a congregation in prayer. It was in the thick of the Second Intifada in 2002, and the South African Rabbinical Association, along with the chief rabbi, had called for a mass meeting of the community. This took place during Chol Hamoed Pesach, in the wake of the gruesome attack on participants at a seder at the Park Hotel in Netanya, which left 30 dead and 140 wounded, some grievously so.
Full story
Forgive – for your own sake

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

“Sometimes we have to find the strength to forgive, not for the other person, but for our own peace and ability to move forward,” says clinical psychologist Liane Lurie reflecting on the power of forgiveness.
Full story
Six tips on eating before Yom Kippur

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

(JTA) Yom Kippur is one of the most, if not the most, important day on the Jewish calendar. For many Jews, fasting and being in synagogue is the focus of the day.
Full story
Leave your stomach out of it – pamper your soul on Yom Kippur

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

Zog the alien comes to Earth. The first human that Zog meets is you. And, as you explain life on Earth, you get to the Jewish stuff – the festivals, blessings, kashrut, Shabbat, and so on – and Zog finds this fascinating.
Full story
What can we do to renew our contract with G-d?

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

The curtain on 5779 is about to come down, and the dawning of 5780 is upon us. Our mystics teach that an unusual cosmic occurrence happens as we light the Yom Tov candles that usher in the new year.
Full story
When honey isn’t just honey: the power of symbolic food

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

At the centre of the Rosh Hashanah festivity is the meal, laden with everything from an entire fish with head sans tail, to granny’s gefilte fish, to 21st century fusion food. In keeping with the theme of newness and beginnings, new fruits adorn the table, with the accompanying blessing of shehechiyanu.
Full story
Has the after feast become bigger than the fast?

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

Jewish holidays continue to be associated with food – or the lack thereof. Yom Kippur is certainly no exception, considering that we abstain from all food and drink for 25 hours.
Full story
Five hacks for the best Rosh Hashanah ever

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

(JTA) I can’t help but wonder why Hallmark and the retail world at large haven’t co-opted the Jewish New Year. True, while there may “only” be about five million to seven million Jews in the United States (depending on who’s counting), Rosh Hashanah is a particularly important holiday on the Jewish calendar.
Full story
G-d in the wilderness

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

Ever heard a shofar in Zambia? Presumably it’s blown in the Jewish community that still exists there. However, it was somewhat surreal to be in the country that styles itself “the real Africa” and what the Victorians called “darkest Africa”, and hear a sound that so patently belongs to hot, crowded mornings in shul.
Full story
What is the hardest faith of all?

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

Faith is a loaded word. When hearing or reading it, one person’s heart can swell with serenity and connection, whereas their neighbour’s heart might contract with patronisation and disdain.
Full story
The link between Jews, magic, and mysticism

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

Amulets, exorcisms, and incantations might seem the stuff of fantasy, yet they aren’t foreign to Jewish life. Since the days of the Tanach, the relationship between Jews and magical belief and practice has been complex and tenuous. Sorcery and witchcraft were repeatedly condemned in the ancient Jewish world, yet we find certain occurrences distinctly magical.
Full story
What would we do without the days of reckoning?

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

Rosh Hashanah is more than just a holiday. It’s Judgement Day. That’s why the traditional greeting at this time is not “happy holiday”, “good yom tov” or “chag sameach”, but rather, “shana tovah” or “ah gut yohr”. The heavenly court will decide our destiny and determine our fate for the new year, so we wish each other that these days of reckoning go well, and that we each be blessed with only good things for the new year.
Full story
Celebrating high holy days at risk of life and limb

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

Even during times of persecution, oppression, expulsion, and hardship, Jews found ways to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – often at great risk.
Full story
Three trendy Rosh Hashanah recipes from Israel’s top chefs

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

(JTA) Rosh Hashanah menus, while traditional and delicious, can also get a little stale year after year. With Israeli food trending across the globe, now is a perfect time to add some authentic Israeli flavours to your holiday.
Full story
Nine things you didn’t know about Rosh Hashanah

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

Impress your friends and family with these little-known facts about the Jewish new year.
Full story
Judge and jury – when it’s okay to speak your mind

Sep 26, 2019 Go comment!

While Rosh Hashanah reminds us that G-d is the “true judge”, there’s no denying the fact that as human beings, we often judge one another. How do we maintain strength and self-belief when someone else is judging us or our choices?
Full story