Yom Kippur: God Will Understand. But you still have to do Teshuvah.
If I broke Shabbos to be with my mom, of course God would understand. But teshuvah is still the only way forward.
Category Archives: Holidays
Rosh Hashanah in the Hospital: Why My Mother Wants Another Year
This Rosh Hashanah, my mom will be in the hospital recovering from a bone marrow transplant. When I asked why she wants another year of life, she didn’t say for family milestones — she said, “I want to be nicer.”
That’s the heart of Rosh Hashanah: not just asking for life, but asking for the chance to become better.
Do the Ten Commandments Contradict Themselves in Va’eschanan?
In Parshat Yisro, we’re told to keep Shabbat because God created the world. But in Va’eschanan, we’re told it’s because we were taken out of Egypt. Why the shift? Is this a contradiction—or something deeper?
Aharon Died on the First of Av. Where Did the Love Go?
Aharon the priest ascended Mount Hor at God’s bidding and died there, on the first day of the fifth month in the 40th year of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. […]
Pesach – Did the Oppression have to be so Bad? — By Ben
I couldn’t get a full post out this week, however I did have a thought I wanted to share. We focus so much on the story aspect of this holiday. […]
Getting Passed Over: Is Pesach a Misnomer or Have we Missed the Point? — By Ben
The name Passover has always bothered me. God passed over the Israelite houses as He wrathfully slaughtered the firstborn of Egypt. Sure, the Egyptians deserved it and it’s a moment […]
Total Solar Eclipses only happen on Earth. The Reason Why is the Secret of Passover — By Ben
There’s a story in the Midrash that when God created the celestial bodies, He made the sun and the moon equal in size. But the moon complained saying, “It is […]
Counting Wrong, Desperate Uncertainty: Purim and the Golden Calf
It’s an odd thing that the holiday of Purim is celebrated around the time we read Parshas Ki Sisa, the Torah portion that features the sin of the golden calf. […]
Parsha Bo: Rosh Hashanah is in the Seventh Month?!
In parshas Bo, God gives the Jewish people their first official Mitzvah, God said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, [showing them the new moon:] “This renewal will signal the […]
Chanukah – Pushing Past the One Jar — By Ben
As we celebrate Chanukah, everyone knows that lighting the Menorah is the main part of the celebration. But why such a focus on the lights? Our ancestors, the Maccabees fought […]
