The best laid plans of mice and men; and then . . . Where are we today, on this Day of Sukkot: We can choose: inner fear or freedom from fear. Here is our truth: choose life. At a Yahrzeit time such as this -- especially with the increasing array (and numbers) of those who continue to do … [Read more...]

Ecclesiastes 1:9 (traditionally read on Sukkot) There is nothing new under the sun -- וְאֵ֥ין כל־חָדָ֖שׁ תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ A time for thinking, a time for understanding, and a time to remember. . . . This is what Ecclesiastes wrote: "there is nothing new under the sun." The Festival of … [Read more...]

Can Kol Nidre get us out of anything? Can you say, "Timing is everything," or "Is timing anything?" It's a New Year: Please 'click in' all the way: thanks. The time for the Biblical & Jewish Bonus Question has arrived: Important: Whether you are Jewish or a Christian, it's a good … [Read more...]

Lost: where we are without the Ram's Horn: extra points for this. We sound the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, and daily during the month of Elul (except for the eve of Rosh Hashanah). Why would this be? Why is this, "the very symbol of the turn of the New Year" sounded throughout all of Elul … [Read more...]

Shofar, somewhat alarming The shofar is mentioned frequently in the Torah, the Talmud, and Rabbinic Literature. In the first instance, in Exodus 19, the blast of a shofar emanating from the thick cloud on Mount Sinai makes the Israelites tremble in awe. The shofar was used to announce the … [Read more...]