Dear Friends,
In an amazing insight, Rabbi Wolfson brings that Rosh Hashana and Beit HaMikdash (the Holy Temple) have the same gematria, or numerical equivalent (861). This means that they share the same spiritual DNA — one in the dimension of time, the other in the dimension of space. In this week’s talk we delve deeply into the connections.
Dear Friends,
It’s time to start getting ready for the New Year! The question is how? A study of the zodiac sign of Elul (the Jewish month that precedes the New Year) contains within it a formula for success.
Dear Friends,
We are about to embark on our most prayers of the year. Here are some strong Torahs to get us going!
http://Torahonitunes.com/audio/TheseTenDays.mp3
There is a fascinating dialectic contained within Rosh Hashana. On one hand, it’s the beginning of the new year. And yet Rosh Hashana actually occurs in the seventh month, (Nissan, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt, is the first month — see Exodus 12:2.) This means that Rosh Hashana actually falls out in the middle of the year!
There is a deep secret contained in this. People reach the middle of their lives and think that meaningful change is impossible. Therefore, the Almighty put Rosh Hashana in the middle of the year to teach us that it’s never too late to begin again.
In the most obvious sense, Rosh Hashana is all about making God our king, for whom we have awesome respect and commit to following His instructions.
But there’s an even more primary step. The Kotzker Rebbe once observed that Read more…
Dear Friends,
If the world is literally made out of the fabric of beginnings and every moment is a new beginning — then what increased significance does Rosh Hashanah have? The answer is that it is the beginning of all beginnings. In this week’s talk, we discuss how we can use this awesome opportunity to shape our year. We also discuss the upper Garden of Eden, and the path we all travel together.
Dear Friends,
It’s one level to stop doing a forbidden action, but it’s an entirely different level to let go of it from your thoughts. How do we begin this type of deep soul cleaning? In this talk we look into how the Torah teaches us to wage battle against our yetzer harah’s, our negative inclinations, and provides us with a blueprint for scaling spiritual heights.
Dear Friends,
What is your most emotionally satisfying relationship? You and your family? You and your friends? You and your iPad? What about you and G-d? For many people thinking about G-d in these terms seems strange. And yet framing our relationship in this way is the secret to enlightenment. In this week’s talk, we learn great relationship advice from the Sages, and see how it applies to us and our Maker, too!
Bonus: Cool Wedding Link
Dear Friends,
The question is, not are we going to make mistakes, but what is our response once we’ve made them? In this week’s talk, we explore the duel nature of the month of Elul. It is both a month of newness (when the world was created) and a month of fixing mistakes. We look into the interconnectedness of these ideas, and give practical guidance for preparing to receive blessing for the coming year.
Dear Friends,
How should we pray, and what should we pray for? And what on earth does Esther and the Purim story have to do with the special prayers of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? Give a listen — inspiration, stories, and teachings for the new year ahead!
Dear Friends,
The Zohar looks at the Spiritual Dynamics of Rosh Hashana and likens it to the epic drama of Yaakov disguising himself as Esav in order to get the Blessing from Yitzhak. That in itself is fascinating, but when we fold in Rashi’s understanding of the event and see how it all applies to us in a practical way as we prepare for Rosh Hashana, there is even more to think about. Highlights include an understanding of our innate goodness and advice for dealing with feelings of guilt.
Thanks to all for listening, for your beautiful emails, and may you be inscribed for a sweet and beautiful year!
