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A Sukkah I Can Call Home

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The sukkah is a temporary structure, but it is meant to become our home. The Mishnah tells us that for seven days, a person should make their sukkah their permanent dwelling and their house temporary. We leave behind the solid walls and protections with which we surround ourselves all year and move into a fragile dwelling beneath the schach. The sukkah asks us: What kind of home do you really want to inhabit? What represents the essence of who you are? For me, that question is especially meaningful because, for a long time, I have not felt completely at home anywhere spiritually. I come from the Chareidi and yeshiva world and remain deeply attached to what it gave me: reverence for Torah, loyalty to Halacha, respect for its great teachers and the conviction that religious life must be taken seriously. At the same time, I have become increasingly troubled by the ugly perception among much of the non-Chareidi public that Chareidim are ungrateful, insular, holier-than-thou and angry—co...
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Yom Kippur: The Freedom to Become

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Adapted from a longer chapter in a forthcoming sefer on the Yamim Tovim, based on the Torah of HaRav Michel Twerski שליט״א and prepared with his blessing and encouragement. When Yom Kippur was observed in the time of the Beis HaMikdosh , the avodah of the day stood at the center of its observance. It was the one time during the year when the Kohen Gadol entered the Kodesh HaKodashim , lifnai v'lifnim , crossing a boundary that no other human being was permitted to cross. Among the most striking elements of the avodah were the two se'irim . They were to be alike in appearance, height, and value—to the extent that they appeared virtually like twins. The Kohen Gadol stood between them and drew two lots, one inscribed L-Hashem and the other LaAzazel . One goat was offered as a sacrifice, and its blood was ultimately brought into the Kodesh HaKodashim . Upon the other, the Kohen Gadol confessed the sins of Klal Yisrael before it was sent into the wilderness. Rav Shimshon ...
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Ten Days to Recreate a World

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This essay was adapted from a longer chapter in a forthcoming sefer on the Yamim Tovim, presenting the Torah of HaRav Michel Twerski שליט״א and prepared with his blessing and encouragement. One Ten-Day Continuum We usually think of the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah as the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. But Chazal did not call them the “seven days of repentance.” They are the Ten Days of Repentance, which means that Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur themselves are not merely the bookends of the process. They are part of it. That changes the way we understand these days. Rosh Hashanah, the beginning, and Yom Kippur, the culmination, are woven into one fabric. They are not two separate spiritual events that happen to appear on the calendar near each other. They form one continuum: the recreation of the self. Rosh Hashanah is the anniversary of the creation of Adam HaRishon. More deeply, it is not merely the commemoration of creation, but the annual renewal of creation. The world comes ...
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We Cannot Wait for Permission

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Why the New Chareidi Party Must Be Built From the Bottom Up Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein’s wonderful recent Cross-Currents essay, “Boy George Obligates the Fence-Sitters” , ends with the single word that Motti Leitner has chosen to summarize the platform of HaTzibbur HaCharedi : Responsibility That word is exactly why this new party is necessary. Israel’s debate about the Chareidi community has become dominated by military service. That is understandable in a country exhausted by war and repeated reserve duty. But beneath the draft controversy lies an even broader question: Can a rapidly growing community build its future around economic dependence, inadequate preparation for employment, and the assumption that someone else will continue paying the bill? That question is not anti- Chareidi . It is a question about the future of the Chareidi community itself. According to a recent Israel Democracy Institute statistical report, only 54 percent of Chareidi men are employed, and the ...
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Responsibility Must Work Both Ways

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Chareidi enlistment requires courage from the Chareidi community — and trustworthiness from the IDF Two recent stories highlight both the promise and the risks in expanding Chareidi military service. The first is genuinely encouraging. Chareidi recruits arriving at the Tel Hashomer induction center spoke openly about their desire to serve while remaining committed to their religious identity.  One young man described working hard for the chance to enlist; another insisted he would keep his black kippah and peyos because “that is who I am.” A father proudly brought his firstborn to join a combat unit in the Chashmonaim Brigade. Family members articulated a principle many of us have long supported: full‑time learners should be protected, but those not learning full‑time should serve. These recruits are not leaving the Torah world. They want to serve as members of it—and to return from their service knowing that they still have an honored place within it Moti Leitner, chairman of...
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The One Question of Elul - A Shiur from Rav Michel Twerski שליט"א

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This essay was adapted from a longer chapter in a forthcoming sefer on the Yamim Tovim, presenting the Torah of HaRav Michel Twerski שליט״א and prepared with his blessing and encouragement. Elul is often described as a time for introspection, improvement, and teshuvah . We ask ourselves familiar questions: What have I done wrong? What do I need to fix? Where have I fallen short? These are important questions, certainly. But perhaps they are not yet the deepest question of Elul. To understand Elul, we need to return to its beginning. Rosh Chodesh Elul was the day Moshe Rabbeinu ascended Har Sinai for the third time. The first forty days had ended in catastrophe, when Moshe came down carrying the first Luchos and found Klal Yisrael worshipping the Egel . Those Luchos were shattered. The second forty days were days of pleading, as Moshe begged Hashem to forgive Klal Yisrael. But those days are described as days of anger, yemei ka’as . Only the third forty-day period — from Rosh Chode...
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An Elul Message from Dolly Parton, of blessed memory

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I heard the sad news yesterday of the loss of one of my favorite songwriters...a genuinely good person who brought joy to so many.  Famous to some only for her physical appearance, she wrote some absolutley beautiful and touching ballads that touched the hearts of many, and was known for her kindness, generosity and deep faith. This is my favorite Dolly song ... it contains a powerful and much needed Elul message (I bolded a few particular lines).    Hello God Hello God, are you out there? Can you hear me, are you listening anymore? Hello God, if we're still on speaking terms Can you help me like before? I have questioned your existence My resistance leaves me cold Can you help me go the distance? Hello God, hello, hello? This old world has gone to pieces Can we fix it, is there time? Hate and violence just increases We're so selfish, cruel and blind We fight and kill each other In your name, defending you Do you love some more than others? We're so lost and confused ...
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