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The Halachot of Yom Kippur
“Erev” Yom Kippur Fasting Washing “Issur Melacha” All melachot that are prohibited on Shabbat are prohibited on Yom Kippur. Anointing The prohibition of anointing on Yom Kippur means that one may not spread oils on one’s body. Wearing leather shoes Leather shoes may not be worn, while those of other materials may, including rubber, cloth,…
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Pregnancy and Fasting on Yom Kippur
Fasting on Yom Kippur is one of the few mitzvot whose punishment is karet, the most severe form of punishment for a sin. This said, even on Yom Kippur, in the case of pikuach nefesh, we will find that leniencies exist permitting (or even requiring) one to eat. In this article we will briefly discuss…
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Yom Kippur: Dating Lessons from Moshe Rabbeinu and Adolf Hitler
Moshe Rabbeinu and Adolf Hitler. Two leaders with tremendous followings who were able to greatly influence the people they led. It’s easy to contrast the two, with Hitler being so evil and Moshe Rabbeinu so righteous. They each used their gift of speech on their path to leadership, but the dichotomy between them serves as…
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Blowing the Shofar: Confusing the Satan?
The widespread custom in the month of Elul is to blow the shofar everyday, in order to awaken us to teshuva. We also blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah itself, the fulfillment of a mitzvah from the Torah. The Rema tells us that we do not blow shofar the day before Rosh Hashana, which the…
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The Interconnection between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
Rosh Chodesh Elul marks the beginning of our focus on teshuva, leading up to the Yamim Noraim and the Aseret Yemei Teshuva. Sephardi communities begin to recite selichot – penitential prayers – from Rosh Chodesh Elul. Throughout the Jewish world, Elul takes on solemn character, marked by Cheshbon HaNefesh (self-accounting) and repairing our relationships between…
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Ha’azinu: Tapping into the Holy Dew
Parshat Ha’azinu is a song filled with poetic language about the Jewish people’s journey with Hashem, and the ups and downs throughout their history. The Torah takes us back in time to our days in the desert, reflecting upon Hashem’s desire for us as well as criticizing us for complacency and times we abandoned our…
