To devote ourselves to an accurate accounting of the soul, it is customary to refrain from five specific activities related to our bodies on Yom Kippur.
Tashlich (to cast), a ritual practice of Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, customarily takes place on the afternoon of Rosh HaShanah near a natural body of water.
Watch live this Shabbat as rabbis, cantors, and Jewish leaders across North America speak about and reflect upon the events in Charlottesville and their aftermath.
Since last Shabbat, more than a few keystrokes have been devoted to Charlottesville – the rally itself, events in the aftermath, and perspectives on what it all means for our Jewish community.
The rabbi invited me to help with hagbah, an honor usually reserved for a strong man because some scrolls are extremely heavy – and the last thing anyone wants is for a Torah scroll to fall or be dropped.