repentance
From Rebellion to Redemption
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz King David wrote psalms for every occasion. If he was happy, he sang to God. If he was sad, he sang to God. And these psalms were used for the Temple service and are still used in our prayers. But one group of...
When is a Sinner Happy?
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I often write about my personal experiences as a father. But I try to learn from everyone and remember the good lessons I learn from others. One such lesson I learned from a friend of mine who lives in Tel Aviv....
Jonah: What a Storm Can Teach You About Repentance
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), the day we spend fasting and praying for repentance, is always rough for me. Fasting means no coffee. Last year, I dragged myself out of bed and prepared myself to go to synagogue....
Is Fallible Man the Best Beneficiary of the Torah?
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz My teenage son came to me on the Sabbath with a real dilemma: “Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is impossible,” he said. I understood him and, to be honest, a large part of his dilemma came from listening to me. Yom...
Yes You Can!
By Shira Schechter Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg (1726-1778), an early Hasidic master and kabbalist in Poland, once told the following story (as recorded in Bar Mitzvah & Tefillin Secrets: The Mysteries Revealed by Rabbi Dovid Meisels):...
Judaism’s Secret for Time Travel
As a child, I was fascinated by science fiction. I remember sitting in front of a black and white television set when I was eight years old as I watched Neil Armstrong take his first “small step” onto the moon. I always knew that this...
The Tragedy of the Death of Gedaliah
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Today, the day after Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew New Year), Jews observe a minor fast day from dawn until dusk. This fast day, known as the Fast of Gedaliah, laments the assassination of a righteous governor of the...
Forget Your Past – For Now
By Elie Mischel Fifteen years ago, when I was working as a corporate attorney in New Jersey, I joined a volunteer program in which lawyers helped Holocaust survivors fill out incredibly long and detailed applications for Holocaust...
How to Properly Repent
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Being a father has taught me more about religion than any rabbi ever has. One time, I took my three-year-old boy to the park. He was playing with a friend when the other boy pushed him, toppling him into the...
The Unlikely Connection Between a Captive Woman and the Hebrew Month of Elul
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Dani is a member of our small synagogue and every Shabbat, when we gather together after morning prayers, he jumps up and gives a speech on the weekly Torah portion. It isn’t nice to say, but his speeches drive...
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