Marriage is one of the most important values in Judaism, and as such the marriage process is filled with meaningful rituals and processes, reflecting the magnitude of the moment. Often many people aren’t aware of the meaning behind much of what’s being done, so in this episode, we go through the entire wedding process from…

The Havdala ritual is comprised of making a blessing on a cup of wine, a candle and nice smelling spices. When we make the blessing over the havdala candle, the code of Jewish Law teaches us that we should fold our fingers down over our palms and look at our fingernails and palms. What is…

The incredible high holiday season, beginning with Rosh Hashanah, continuing with Yom Kippur and then Sukkos, finally comes to a climax with the holiday of Shemini Atzeres. And while all the other holidays have unique commandments associated with them (shofar, fasting, lulav and esrog, sitting in a sukkah etc.) there are no special commandments for…

Yom Kippur is the holiest day on the Jewish calendar and carries along with that many unique laws and customs. What are all the laws of Yom Kippur? When do they apply? What’s the deeper meaning of them? Is there a common theme that goes across all these laws? Join me as we uncover the…

What if we feel like we haven’t accomplished as much repentance as we would’ve liked over the past month? What if we are embarrassed to show our faces in synagogue on the High Holidays after another year of failed accomplishments? What’s the advice? Join me as I relay a few parables revealing the key to…

The only mitzvah unique to Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, is the obligation to hear the Shofar blasts. These Shofar blasts are so powerful that they actually get God to move from his throne of judgement to his throne of mercy. What is so special about the Shofar? How does it produce this heavenly…

Many view the day of Rosh Hashana as the Day of Judgement; when God looks at our past year’s actions and determines what the next year will look like. But if that’s all Rosh Hashana is, why don’t the Rabbis primarily refer to it as Yom Hadin, the Day of Judgement. Why call it Rosh…

Our Rabbis teach us that during the month of Elul, God makes Himself more accessible than at any other time of the year. During this period of introspection and self improvement, God is standing there with us in the fields, helping us along. Join me as we discover why this is? What is special about…

When you take of G-d’s children, you’re partnering with G-d and you can be confident that he’ll assist you in your efforts. If you want to see the hand of G-d in your life, get involved in communal efforts and you’re sure to see how things come together in ways that are oozing with providence….

In the last episode, we discussed the practical elements of constructing a community eruv. In this episode, we take a deeper look. What does an eruv represent in Kabbalah? Why does the tractate of Shabbos begin with the laws of carrying outside on Shabbos? Why does the Torah exemplify Sabbath observance with the laws of…