The Break of the Fast: A Journey Through Tradition and Transformation
As we approach Yom Kippur, we look at a journey through tradition and transformation and how we break a fast.
Daniela Rusowsky
As we approach Yom Kippur, we look at a journey through tradition and transformation and how we break a fast.
Between Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, we cannot leave anything to chance but we must leave room for God.
Dear Friends: I’ve experienced earthquakes twice in my life, and though fortunately they were both mild, I found each experience remarkably terrifying. Supposedly, there is
How can chess overlap with teshuvah? We can focus a lot on the “best moves” to make for every situation we find ourselves in.
In a challenging year, the statement in the prayer Hineni haunts me: “Here am I, poor of deeds.” But is this true? Am I poor of deeds?
What to do on Yom Kippur during/after a hurricane. In all matters of Jewish law, the preservation of human life is of primary concern. Period.
What should I do if I need to eat on Yom Kippur? How can I honor the spirit of the day while providing my body with what it needs?
A poetic commentary and reflection on A Racial Justice Vidui/Confessional for 5785/2024’s High Holiday Season.
We offer this contemporary “Ashamnu,” confession, for this moment. Some of the sins are ours, others are part of society’s complex systems.
Engaging with Operation Isaiah is a demand to eliminate the scourge of hunger. May we see the day when healthy food is available to all.
Our tradition teaches: the sound of the shofar can literally break down the walls, both physical and spiritual. It can shatter complacency and indifference.
Yom Kippur is a reminder about yirah, about awe. God is here, powerful, and dangerous. The best response to that is a sense of yirah.
Fasting, praying, and ancient rituals invite and inspire us to begin Ḥeshbon Hanefesh and perform sincere Teshuvah.
Fasting, praying, and ancient rituals invite and inspire us to begin Ḥeshbon Hanefesh and perform sincere Teshuvah.
Yom Kippur is 25 hours of fasting, hundreds of prayers, and thousands of words. Here are 7 things you can do to make it more meaningful.
The delicate balancing act of celebrating and observing the High Holidays can be mixed with a bit of overwhelm. Here’s what you can do.
Memory-making, the way we tell ourselves our story, the way we frame our history, offers the opportunity to give us power and, ultimately, hope.
Exploring Judaism’s 2024 (5785) High Holiday Reader, Not A Machzor, includes essays to inspire a meaningful Holiday season.
Want to know your rights as a Jew in the workplace? Need religious accommodations? Find out what your rights are and how to exercise them.
“Listener of Prayer” is an important phrase in many of our blessings and prayers. Learn more about why that is.
This teshuvah, written at a time when gathering was not possible, explores doing teshuvah outside of communal prayers.
When the time of Yom Kippur is upon us, we talk a lot about forgiveness. Saying “sorry” is easy—how do we forgive?
When should we use a non-fasting sh”tz on Yom Kippur? This CJLS teshuvah, originally written by Rabbi Gail Labovitz, explains.
When our loved ones die, who remembers those they remembered? Here’s a way to remember all of those that came before us.
As we discuss our traditions and requirements on Yom Kippur, we encounter discomforts that allow us to think about the past year.
Celebrating the high holy days from home gives us ample opportunity to bring the sacred even further into our lives.
It is considered forbidden to fast on fast days if injurious to one’s health, for the sake of performing positive commandments.
Ne’ilah is an additional service, recited only at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. It signifies the sealing of the Book of Life.
Minhah, the Afternoon Service, begins with the Torah service, including selections from Leviticus and the haftarah on the Book of Jonah.
The Yom Kippur Musaf Service includes two services: the Avodah service and the Martyrology service. Musaf follows Yizkor and Torah reading.
Following the Yom Kippur meal, candles are lit in a similar fashion to those lit on Rosh Hashanah. A Yizkor candle is also lit.
Maariv, the evening service, following Kol Nidrei on Erev Yom Kippur, is similar in many ways to daily Maariv but has notable differences.
The Yom Kippur morning service is similar to Rosh Hashanah, with the exception of the Amidah and the selections for the Torah service.
Preparations on Erev Yom Kippur are intrinsic to the awe-inspiring observance of the day: a special meal, candle lighting, and charity.
Yom Kippur begins with the dramatic Kol Nidrei service, intended to annul vows made between yourself and God.
The Memorial Service, Yizkor, is recited on Yom Kippur, one of four times throughout the year, to remember loved ones and Jewish martyrs.
Yom Kippur with young children can be a challenge. Here are some tips for making the holiday meaningful for them and for you.
With lessons on failure, the value of admitting our mistakes, and allowing ourselves and others to apologize, the Book of Jonah has much to teach us.
Teshuvah in the 10 days of Repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are sacred days, but what about the days before and beyond those?
Five myths that we tell ourselves about t’shuvah that keep us from doing it skillfully or doing it at all.
Sara Beth Berman teaches us: Everything you need to know about clothing the body that holds your precious soul for the High Holidays.
Rabbi Mordechai Rackover recommends these reads to help you prepare for the themes, liturgy, and spirit of the High Holidays.
Rabbi Dan Ornstein teaches us: human freedom is ineradicable and that our dignity is predicated upon our moral responsibility.
Asking for forgiveness not only cultivates empathy and humility, but it provides an opportunity for renewal.
The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the Ten Days of Repentance and include the Fast of Gedaliah.