Why did our tradition assign this time of year as the season of repentence and forgiveness? Rabbinic tradition claims that Moses went down with the second set of Tablets of covenant on the 10th Tishrei, so on that date all realized that the sin of the Golden calf was forgiven. The Biblical text does not mention […]
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Modeling the Jewish Learning and Humanity of Our Late Teacher Rabbi Michael A. Signer.
Introduction to Malchuyot – Coronation of God
R.H. Musaf 5775 (Sep.25, 2014) The Shofar served two different functions in ancient times: It served as the siren warning of an approaching danger: war, flood, wild beasts… It also served as the trumpet calling all to rejoice with a new king or with a new year… All these different purposes are still imbedded in […]
God’s partners –Evening of Rosh HaShanah 5775
In my recent visit in Israel I met a man who has studied and researched for years the sounds that birds use to communicate… I asked him if the birds have any sound which expresses the idea of the ‘creator’ or ‘God’ of nature. He replied: Nothing of that sort! Their languages are very practical, […]
Fasting On Yom Kippur
About one third of the of the 562,000 Americans who will die this year from various types of cancer, will die due to their own behavior. Smoking, over eating and drinking, and physical inactivity will do them in. The same set of self indulgences will also afflict those who die from heart disease this year. […]
The Philosophy of Hebrew
Every language has a genius and soul of its own. Each language has several key words that have many different meanings and connotations. This is especially true for a very ancient language like Hebrew, which has been used continuously, especially for religious thought, for over 3.500 years. The Hebrew word lev literally means heart. In […]
Hassidic-Progressive (Reform) Teachings for Poland Today
The Gerer Rebbe, Isaac Meir of Bunam (d.1866), said: When Ruth came to Judea she was told that she would not be admitted as a convert because she was a Moabite (Deut 23:4) but she persisted even though the Jewish community did not accept her. Eventually the leaders of that time reinterpreted the Torah’s prohibition […]