Sukkot : The Happiness WorkShack

| |

click sukkot 2024 to download Sukkot : The Happiness WorkShack The hardest Mitzvah in the Torah, according to the Vilna Gaon, is to be happy non-stop, 24/7, on Sukkot holiday. Sukkot is that time of year when we move out of our cozy homes into a little booth, eat outside like we’re on a camping…

Read Full Post

THE ART OF MEANING WHAT YOU SAY

| |

click yom kippur 2024 to download THE ART OF MEANING WHAT YOU SAY The happiest moment of the year is the Shehechianu blessing during Kol Nidrei. That first moment of the Holy Day is so powerful, it’s worth living 70 years just to experience it. It’s as if, for that single moment, it’s worth coming…

Read Full Post

THE ART OF HAVING A SHANA TOVA

| |

click rosh hashana 2024 for download THE ART OF HAVING A SHANA TOVA The choice of an apple on Rosh Hashanah is no accident. The apple, more than any other fruit, is closely tied to the blessing we offer each other: שנה טובה ומתוקה , “May you have a good and sweet year.” יהי רצון…

Read Full Post

THE ART OF GRATITUDE AND REDEMPTION

| |

click ki tavo 2024 for download THE ART OF GRATITUDE AND REDEMPTION The reason we read Parshat Ki Tavo, with its barrage of curses, before Rosh Hashanah is rooted in the principle of “Tichleh shanah v’klaloteha”—let the old year and its curses fade into history—so we can step into the new year with “Tachel shanah…

Read Full Post

THE ART OF STAYING IN YOUR OWN LANE

| |

click ki tetze 2024 for download THE ART OF STAYING IN YOUR OWN LANE In Parashat Ki Tetze, we find the mitzvah not to plow with an ox and a donkey together. The reason for this according to the Daat Zekenim Baal Hatosafot is simple yet profound—it’s not fair to the donkey that the ox…

Read Full Post