Teachings: Yom Kippur

Celebrating Yom Kippur in Your Home

By: 
Rabbi Goldie Milgram

This page was created after receiving letters from a) a woman in rural Romania b) a homebound man and his wife and c) friends who felt very uncomfortable in the local synagogue and d) friends whose children were unwilling to go back to synagogue due to boredom.

The powerful themes of Yom Kippur can still serve your soul, where you are living is also holy. On Yom Kippur we show up in life hopefully having worked intensively on personal transformation and feeling that even if "God" would check us over, our efforts will be blessed.
Unknown Object

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Rosh Hashannah, Yom Kippur, and Teshuvah: Must We Always Forgive?

By: 
Rabbi Goldie Milgram

Jews take collective responsibility for the moral targets that get missed in life. At least ten days before Rosh HaShannah prayers called Selihot are added where, having empathy for ourselves as only human, we admit personal and collective ownership of the full range of problematic human behaviors:

ashamnu
We are guilty (spiritually desolate and distant from our higher selves)

bagadnu
We have betrayed (our loved ones, the community, the planet)

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Understanding Shabbat as a Spiritual Practice

By: 
Rabbi Goldie Milgram

Ask most Jews what the holiest day of the year is and assuredly the answer you will most likely hear is “Yom Kippur.” While Yom Kippur is certainly a very holy day, did you know that within the Jewish tradition there is also a deeply-held conviction that each and every Shabbat is the holiest day of the year? This is why Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is also referred to as the “Sabbath of Sabbaths.” Every Shabbat, Jews practice traditions that are enriched with spiritual meaning. In this article, let us explore these deeper meanings.

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Understanding Yizkor and Yartzeit

By: 
Rabbi Goldie Milgram

We begin with a short mitzvah story about yizkor and yarzeit, the Jewish memorial spiritual practices for a loved one that take place annually on the anniversary of the person's death, as well as on specific holidays. This article will then continue with how to enter into yartzeit and yizkor as spiritual practices for both home and synagogue.

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