Yom Kippur – God Desires the Heart

by | Sep 20, 2016 | Holidays, Yamim Noraim

By: Batya Hefter “God desires the Heart’; so teaches the Talmud. Where are our hearts, the seat of our desires and yearnings on this day?   Since Rosh Chodesh Elul we have been the saying pasuk in mizmor leDavid, לך אמר לבי, בקשו פני, את פניך אבקש.   On the face of...

Reflections on Yom Hashoa

by | Sep 20, 2016 | Holidays

By: Rav Herzl Hefter My father was a grown man at the time of World War II and would constantly relive and recount his memories of those terrible years as well as more pleasant times growing up with his family of nine brothers and sisters in Poland before the War....

Reflections on the Days of Judgment

by | Sep 19, 2017 | Holidays, Yamim Noraim

by Batya Hefter These days of repentance and forgiveness intensify the ongoing struggle between judgement and unconditional love.  On the personal plane, this translates into a struggle between holding ourselves accountable as opposed to being forgiving of ourselves....

Yom Kippur: Why Aharon?

by | Sep 11, 2016 | Holidays

By: Rav Herzl Hefter And Moshe said to Aharon, “What did this people do to you, that you brought so great a sin upon them?” (Shmot 32:21) The temple service of Yom Kippur is only valid if performed by the High Priest. (Yoma 32b) Aharon is the one who led the people to...