September 2010
15 posts
A Sukkah in Kuwait
by Michael Gros
Like the Jews in the desert, Capt. Jonathon Gross built a sukkah in the middle of nowhere.
Of all the places in the world to first learn how to build a Sukkah, Jonathan Gross did so in the most unlikely of places: the barren desert of Kuwait. Even though he was miles from any other Jew and lacked standard building supplies, he was able to build a kosher sukkah that...
Stalking True Atonement
by Sara Yoheved Rigler
Pulling our misdeeds out by their roots.
It’s not that I mind giving charity to all and sundry, but I do mind being rooked. That’s why my “don’t think you can fool me” persona went on high alert when the girl approached our table at an outdoor cafe one evening this summer.
My husband and I were having supper with another couple, distant...
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Why Judgment →
by Rabbi Noson Weisz
On Rosh Hashana, the Day of Judgment, we don’t spend the day pleading for our lives to be spared. Why not?
This Shabbat is Rosh Hashana and we shall all be called to the Heavenly Court to stand trial for our lives. It would certainly help us greatly if we understood what exactly is being weighed and judged; the sorts of considerations that influence the ...
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Days of Love
By: Rabbi Lazer Brody
Life is a classroom.
I saw a cute 5-year old with curly red payis (sidelocks) in synagogue the Shabbat before Rosh Hashana; he was wearing a brand new pair of these cute...
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Jews in Jail- Endurance
By Judie Fein One of the most significant periods of my life was when I was in jail for six years… as a volunteer. I worked with teenagers and young adults who were incarcerated for everything from drug use to multiple murders. My friends tsk-tsked, and asked why I would waste my time with criminals. My answer was always the same: I got a lot more than I gave. I could see into the hearts of...
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“A key component of Rosh Hashana preparation is to ask for forgiveness from...”
The Life and Death of Yoseph Robinson
The slain rapper turned observant Jew teaches a lesson in the power of redemption.
The first time Yoseph Robinson z’l stared down the barrel of a gun was 15 years ago, when the Bronx drug dealer was betrayed by a colleague in crime. It changed his life. Robinson, then 19, quit life on the street filled with drugs and crime and embarked on a path that would eventually guide him from his...
Preparing for Rosh Hashana →
