Echoes of a Shofar: Yom Kippur Stories
Here are some random Yom Kippur themed stories floating around the interwebs tody: Toldot Yisrael presents the story of six Jewish heroes who defiantly blew the shofar at the Kotel (Western Wall) over...
View ArticleThey Tried to Kill Us, We Survived, Let’s Eat
Well not quite yet. First we have to fast. That’s what we do on Yom Kippur. And the Day of Atonement is more of a spiritual experience. There’s no evil Pharaoh, no Haman, no Greek Seleucid Empire, no...
View ArticleOccupy Genesis: Rewinding the Torah, Repairing the World
(Cross-posted on Huffpost.com) The story of creation begins again this week in synagogues around the world. The Jewish people make a global reset and roll-back our Torah scrolls. Fresh and new, our...
View ArticleForgiveness, Repentance and Confessions
We Can Help You Out! The 10 days in between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are known as Asseret Yemei TShuva – the 10 days of repentance. These are observed in a number of ways but generally it is...
View ArticleKapparot: Wave Money not Chickens
I don’t use chickens. After witnessing years of chickens wallowing in their own feces in small cages waiting to be schechted for the ritual of Kapparot before Yom Kippur, I gave up on this custom. I...
View ArticleYom Kippur 2012 Viral Videos
We have Jewish parody and viral videos for every holiday so why should Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, be any different? Granted this is meant to be a time of reflection and a time of communal...
View Article#AlChet – Tweeting Sins During Yom Kippur
There were several unique Yom Kippur services this week. In South Florida, a longtime estranged father-daughter duo led services; he is a 65-year old rabbinical student, and she is a freelance...
View ArticleI’m Not Sorry
I had a very interesting and meaningful Yom Kippur, thanks to the wonderful Chabad of Raleigh (special thanks to Rabbi Herman & his amazing wife). I was nervous about spending YK alone, but felt...
View ArticleDays of Awesome: A Divine High Holiday Experience in LA
For the fifth year in a row we are co-sponsoring the most user-friendly, explanatory and inspiring services for young adults in Los Angeles, and maybe he world. Come as you are. Some Highlights – New...
View ArticleMacklemore Summons the Jews to the VMA with a Shofar?
The video above, a promo for MTV’s Video Music Awards, clearly shows Macklemore using a Shofar to summon people. Is this a nod to the upcoming Jewish High Holidays? A subtle homage to Sumner Redstone,...
View ArticleA Rabbi’s Plea: Wave Money not Chickens
Sadly, today’s travesty of kapores transgresses major torah prohibitions and needs to be changed. When one participates in the custom of kaparos today one is actually committing the following...
View ArticleNO! I Don’t Forgive You!!
First of all, what the heck am I forgiving you for? Something you may have done inadvertently against me? Forgiveness requires repentance, so how can you sincerely repent over something you don’t even...
View ArticleOpening Yom Kippur: The Jewish Hunger Games: Kvetching Fire!
It’s just like Hunger Games. But in this Jewish sequel, no one dies, there’s no game per se, nor are there any evil dictators. It’s just that the Jews can’t nosh for a day. Gasp! “I just keep wishing I...
View ArticleChanting the Names of Pagan Deities During Kol Nidre
So I’m listening to this guy chant the names of pagan deities like Krishna and Vishnu during the live broadcast of Yom Kippur Services over at Lab Shul, and the only conclusion I can come to is that I...
View ArticleSelichot Like You’ve Never Heard Them Before!
Selichot are special prayers for forgiveness that are recited on fast days as well as during the period just before Yom Kippur. These prayers are generally recited just before dawn as the Jewish...
View ArticleThe eScapegoat: Collecting Sins in Preparation for Yom Kippur
Just in time for Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, which begins at sunset on Friday, G_dcast presents eScapegoat. Escapegoat is a fun tool that lets you anonymously type your confessions in a...
View ArticleI’ve Been In The Belly Of This Fish 3 Days With No WiFi
By Jonah the Prophet As a prophet and the son of a prophet, I would be the first to tell you the life a prophet is no picnic. Even for personalities who crave the limelight and being privy to the...
View ArticleYom Kippur: Some Fave Online Live Webcasts 5780
For those not able to get to a synagogue physically, or for those who fear a scene like that in the 1939 Yiddish film “Overture to Glory,” below are some live webcasts of services that your can follow...
View ArticleSell Erev Rosh Hashana, Buy Yom Kippur, Rest Sukkot 2020
There is a Wall Street adage of SELL ROSH HASHANA, BUY YOM KIPPUR to make some dollars on the stock market. If you had done that from 1998 to 2005, on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, (assuming no...
View ArticleValley of Tears – A Playlist – And a Question on the End Credits Ending
One of the most viewed Israeli television series, launched in Fall 2020, is Valley of Tears, a ten episode saga about a tank crew, and some Golani, intelligence and other soldiers in the Golan Heights...
View Article