Origin of the Species Sukkot features one of the most unusual and picturesque mitzvot, known as the arba minim, the four species. The Torah tells us: You shall take for yourselves on the first day, the fruit of a beautiful tree, the branches of date palms, branches of the thick tree, and brook willows; and…
One of the best-known features of Yom Kippur — sometimes the only thing people know about this day — is the fact that we are forbidden to eat and drink. What is the meaning and purpose of these prohibitions on Yom Kippur? An anthropologist visiting a synagogue on Yom Kippur might think that since no…
Rabbi Mordechai Becher discusses honey cake, vinegar and Rosh Hashamayim. View this video directly on Vimeo.
There are two aromas that always remind of the onset of Rosh HaShanah – vinegar and honey-cake. My father, OBM, used to blow the shofar at our synagogue in Melbourne, Australia and before Rosh Hashanah he used to clean out his shofars with vinegar. My mother, OBM, used to bake delicious honey cakes for our…
Rabbi Mordechai Becher lets us hear the Simplicity of the Shofar’s Sound. View this video directly on Vimeo.
It is customary to add a Psalm to our prayers during the month preceding Rosh Hashanah. The Psalm is Chapter 27 and is one of most beautiful prayers in the book of Psalms. “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of…
The Talmud states that we are judged every day, and according to one opinion, every moment – so what is special about Rosh HaShana as the Day of Judgement? One answer to this question is alluded to by Maimonides, and I think is central to our goals at this time of year. The month of…
Rabbi Mordechai Becher Shows us “How to Prepare for the Day of Judgement” View this video directly on Vimeo.
We just celebrated Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the month of Ellul with special prayers and we began blowing the shofar every day and reciting Psalm 27 as an addition to our prayers. The concepts and lessons contained in the Jewish calendar are so central to our belief that it is necessary to teach…
“You are children of the L-rd your G-d; do not cut yourselves or pluck out hair between your eyes for the dead” (Deuteronomy 14:1). Nachmanides notes that the introduction to the laws forbidding excess mourning for the dead is the statement “You are children of G-d.” He maintains that this teaches us that we are,…