Koren Publishers have launched a new Magerman edition of the Koren Tanach featuring, for the first time, the complete translation of Chumash by Rabbi Sacks zt”l. You can order your copy here and view the opening pages below. Peek Inside…
…You know, 13 years ago, in 1987, we had this wonderful moment on Shemini Atzeret. On Shemini Atzeret we say for the first time in the year mashiv haruach umorid hagashem. We pray to God “Who makes the wind blow”. That night there was a hurricane. If you remember, it was that night which blew down half the trees in…
…Kohelet and Succot. Second question, what is Solomon famous for? Apart from having a lot of wives, and a lot of money, and an awful lot of horses. He built the Temple. When did he inaugurate the Temple? (congregation member answers) In other words, the celebrations began a little before Succot. They went on through Succot, and b’yom hashemini –…
…about the universe, the human condition, and the laws, both natural and moral, under which we live. Each is about creation (Shabbat, a reminder of it, Rosh Hashanah the anniversary of it), Divine sovereignty, justice, and judgment, together with the human condition of life, death, mortality. So on Yom Kippur we face justice and judgment. On Succot/Shemini Atzeret we pray…
…in a similar way that Shemini Atzeret is connected to Succot). We also refer to Shavuot in our prayers as Zeman Matan Torah (the Time of the Giving of the Torah). While there are no rituals associated with Shavuot in the Torah, there are several beautiful and meaningful customs that have developed to help us celebrate Shavuot. These include Tikkun…
…to beginning their lives as newlyweds. But when their wedding was just ten days away, the attacks of Shemini Atzeret happened, and their entire world changed. Within hours, Yonatan and his brother Daniel were called to duty. Yonatan was shot in the leg, the bullet narrowly missing important arteries and bones. It was a severe injury but he will, please…
…essence of becoming a holy people lies in our nuanced approach to life’s challenges. We don’t adhere to rigid, black-and-white rules; instead, we navigate our decisions with a blend of ethics (kings), emotion (prophets), and discernment (priests). Okay, so some of the mitzvot we follow in the Torah are very clear. For example, in parshat Shemini, we learned the halachot…
…and additional ones for Sabbath, the start of each month, and various chaggim, including Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Succot, and Shemini Atzeret. Parsha People Moshe: A leader who knew when to hand over the reins, guiding Israel through growth and growing pains. Yehoshua: Strong in his morals, with courage his brand, chosen to blaze trails to the Promised…
Transcript I don’t know about you, but when I sit in a succah I think to myself: that’s how our ancestors lived. Not just in the desert in the days of Moses, but for most of twenty centuries of exile, not knowing from one year to the next whether they’d still be there, or be forced to move on, as…
The great moment has come. For seven days – beginning on the 23rd Adar – Moses had consecrated Aaron and the priests. Now, on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the time has arrived for Aaron to begin his service, ministering to the people on behalf of God: It came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called to Aaron and his…