Yom Kippur

Why do we fast on Yom Kippur? A common perception is that it’s to de-emphasize our physicality on the most spiritual day of the year. According to chassidic teaching, the very opposite is the case.

One of the major themes of Rosh Hashanah is “remembrance.” On this day the existence of every being is examined and scrutinized by G-d.

The Yom Kippur Torah reading begins with the words: "The L-rd spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons, when they drew near before the L-rd, and they died." What bearing does this prefatory verse have on our personal Yom Kippur service?

You are Jonah. The real you, for “Jonah”—in Kabbalistic parlance—is another name for the soul. Hence, the story of Jonah is the story of a soul’s journey here on earth.

On Yom Kippur we embrace. Our harmony is no longer a harmony of "should", but a harmony of "is". All is forgiven. At onement

What is sin? The Midrash records a “panel discussion” featuring a philosopher, a prophet, the Torah and G-d.

The Torah describes Yom Kippur as achat bashanah, "once a year" -- a phrase which also translates as "the one of the year". The Chassidic masters explain: this is the annual point in time in which true oneness breaks the surface multiplicity and separaten...

The most sacred—and mysterious—ritual in the Holy Temple was the burning of the ketoret, a specially prepared incense whose ingredients and manner of preparation were commanded to Moses at Sinai. The offering of the ketoret in the “Holy of Holies” by the ...

Our Parshah begins by mentioning the death of Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron. Their death is something of a mystery, for while they seemed to have been punished for their faults (no less than 14 different "sins" and shortcomings are enumerated by the ...

There are two ways to view human life, as mutually exclusive as they are fundamental. Our existence is either a result of intention, or of accident. And the corollary follows directly: Either our lives are meaningful, or they are not...