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This time of year naturally turns our attention to the state of the world: the upheavals and historic events of the past year in Israel; America;...
As a rabbi, I sit in rooms most people never enter. I hear stories that rarely make it to the braai table or shul foyer. A...
The winds of the month of Elul are upon us, and Rosh Hashanah can be felt in the air. Many of us are busy preparing our...
After three and a half decades of enmity, Jacob finally prepares to meet and confront his brother, Esau. The Torah describes the night before this fateful...
We live in an age where technology does almost everything for us. From smart homes to artificial intelligence, our lives are easier than ever. But with...
Who do you think was the single most influential person in human history? I looked through many lists that have been compiled over the years. Some...
Life today feels like a phone at 2% battery with no charger in sight. The world is shaky, our schedules overloaded, and our spirits stretched thin....
One of the many lessons we learn from the natural world is that time isn’t linear. So much of what surrounds us and dictates the path...
The Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 18a) explains that on Rosh Hashanah, we stand alone before G-d in judgement. This means that we, alone, are held accountable for...
Simchat Torah 2023 will forever be etched into our memories as a day that changed the Jewish world. The brutal attack by Hamas marked the deadliest...
The 10 days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur are known as the yamim noraim – the “awed days” – when we work to move G-d’s...
There’s something deliciously simple and profound about the way our tradition marks Rosh Hashanah. Apples and honey. Sweetness, renewal, a taste of hope on the tongue....
JTA – Despite the near-constant worry over, well, nearly everything, but especially our family’s finances, my mother always made sure my brother and I had brand-new...
JTA -A laugh-out-loud Sukkot story that reimagines the classic tale of the three little pigs; an inspiring work of historical fiction story about a Jewish family...
Join Howard Sackstein and Dina Diamond as well as culinary wizards celebrating Jewish food across the globe in preparation for the New Year. Sarah Sassoon –...
More than ever, in almost 80 years, our past will define our perspectives on the future as we go into Rosh Hashanah of 2024 (Year 5785):...
I have been searching for the right words to capture my feelings after all we have been through since 7 October. And then it came to...
I’m going to struggle to pray these high holy days. I stood in shul a year ago, pleading with G-d for a year of blessings and...
Hey, does anybody still make new year’s resolutions? Maybe you do still make resolutions and yours goes something like mine? “My new year’s resolution this year...
In a year marked by such deep pain, loss, and internal division, the high holy days bring with them the annual opportunity for reflection and reconnecting....
Over the past few years, especially these past 12 months, fear has taken up too much space in our hearts. For many Jews, it’s fear of...
Rosh Hashanah is a day of profound duality, where emotions blend between awe and solemnity, pride and joy. We stand before G-d in judgement, fully aware...
In 1985, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks – not yet a sir or a lord, and not yet a chief rabbi – wrote an article about repentance (teshuvah)....
As we embark on a new year, it’s no exaggeration to say that we are living in historic times. The past 12 months have included a...
I’ve been counting the days. Have you? Since Shemini Atzeret, 7 October, together with millions of Jews around the world, I have been counting. Five days,...
Sometimes, I bring my children to tears. Not joyful ones, either. Recently, one of my children needed a minor surgery. Understandably, he was upset about going...
Rosh Hashanah marks a new chapter in the journey of our lives, not only on a personal level but on a macro level. As we reflect...
Honey is “big” over Rosh Hashanah. From being a symbol of a “sweet” new year, to actually being the viscous fluid that you dunk apples in...
Hayom harat olam. (Today the world was created.) Rosh Hashanah is considered the anniversary of creation. But the first of Tishrei isn’t the first day of...
My chevruta Miriam sent me a book she thought I would relate to called We Were the Newmans. This fictional novel by Beverley Lester tells the...
One of my favourite places to visit in Israel is Shiloh – the place where the Mishkan stood for more than 400 years. The holiness and...
One would think that considering all the praying we are about to do over Rosh Hashanah and then Shabbat, someone might remember to ask G-d for...
Music is powerful, and the high holy days are filled with majestic tunes to make the liturgy soar. There’s a line from the machzor that we...
At this time of year, the Jewish community around the globe is judged in the hope of being inscribed in the Book of Life, sealed on...
As the year begins to age We wish for a new page For the war continues to wage And loved ones are still in their cage...
One of the stories that touched me deeply from 7 October is that of Yehuda Becher, who sang the beautiful song of Elokai Neshama on his...
We the children of Israel are compared to the moon. The moon has no light of its own but gets it all from the sun. Imagine...
As we approach 7 October 2024, I think about the hostages. Every morning as I put on my tefillin, I can’t help but think of you....
Ever since 7 October 2023, chaggim have taken on a new meaning for the Jewish people. As we approach the start of the new year, we...
The monster bites, across oceans, the cries are heard. A mother sobs for her soldier, as her town strokes her hair and feeds her children. A...
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