Why We Really Fast on Yom Kippur – Updated
The Torah says Yom Kippur fasting is about afflicting yourself. What if it’s not about atonement, but it’s about stripping everything away to find the voice that’s honestly, deeply you?
Tag Archives: shabbos
Does Judaism Believe in Hell?
I always liked the idea that Judaism doesn’t have a hell. Eternal torture for believing the wrong thing always felt like a scare tactic. Except Judaism actually does have a hell. It’s called Gehinnom. But the Jewish understanding of it is very different from what most people imagine.
Why Shabbat Changes its Gender Pronouns — By Ben
I have been attending Shabbat services for almost a decade and it turns out I may have been praying it wrong this whole time. When you recite the Shabbat Amidah […]
Is There a Jewish Hell? — By Ben
Even though I didn’t grow up very religious, I always liked the idea that Judaism doesn’t have a hell. The concept of a never ending torture fest because you didn’t […]
Thanksgiving… One Day Or Every Day? – By Marc
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite American holiday. The fact that it has gotten so lost, and is now simply a shopping day and a stepping stone to Christmas makes […]
Pesach – So We Left Egypt. Who Cares? — By Ben
As we prepare to celebrate Pesach, we once again return to the story of how God took our ancestors out of Egypt. We’ll do the two seders, abstain from chometz, […]
The Dinner Party — By Ben
Recently I was at a friend’s house for Shabbos dinner. And even though it was a Shabbos dinner, the crowd wasn’t particularly observant. Some guests drove there. One person checked their phone. And […]
Emor: Be a Kiddish Hashem for God’s Sake!
Be a role model… Raising the bar… Setting a new standard… Be the change you want to see in the world… A light unto the nations… What do these maxims have in common? […]
Vayakhel — 39 Ways Not to Work
With parshas Vayakhel, once again we are given the commandment to observe Shabbos. Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have sanctity, a day […]
If I’m supposed to rest on Shabbat, why can’t I drive? — By Ben
The question in the title was the contradiction that proved to me, for much of my life, that observant Judaism was backwards. If Shabbat is about rest, why can’t I rest the way I […]
