On Yom Kippur Eve, while many seek forgiveness from friends, few extend this to spouses, yet your wife, as your soulmate, deserves it most. The close, vulnerable bond with her invites hurt, making apology vital for Shalom Bayit. If questioned about a specific past slight, like noon on April 12th, respond with, “For that, a Yom Kippur apology is fitting.”

On a Shabbat in Carlsbad, a chance encounter with Dr. Edith Eger’s nurse during a community dinner revealed a deep connection. Inspired by Eger’s Holocaust survival story and her message of resilience, the moment underscored the enduring spirit of Am Yisrael Chai.

In "Yom Kippur: Flying Amongst Angels," a $100 bill analogy highlights our enduring divine value despite hardships. Yom Kippur is framed as a uplifting day of transcendence and rebirth, where abstaining from physical needs connects us to our soul essence, emulating angels. This spiritual root prepares us to elevate the physical world, reflected in the Yamim Noraim to Sukkos progression.

We Hope Your New Year Is as Sweet as This Article. Photography by Jared Kahn Lamalo has the best chocolate chip cookie in LA. Just in...

The mayor promised one man any wish, choosing Mr. Kalman, owner of a battered 1975 Nissan Datsun with a cracked taillight. Amid laughter, Mr. Kalman humbly asked for red tape to fix it. As Moses faces his final day in Vayeilech, what do you wish for this season?

Moshe appoints Yehoshua as his successor, encouraging Klal Yisrael to be strong in the assembly of men, women, and children after the sabbatical year. Moshe's Torah scroll is placed with the Ark. The elders gather to hear the song of Ha'azinu.

In "Beyond the Headlines," Sivan Rahav Meir explores Aseret Yemei Teshuva, highlighting small changes in the Amida prayer that foster awareness and manageable renewal. She shares Rabbi Avigdor Miller's insights on small acts like smiling as profound kindness, and a moving story of a cantor reciting Kol Nidrei for a lone elderly man who missed it, symbolizing an open door to connection with God and heritage.

Jessie reflects on a chaotic Labor Day weekend road trip to Sequoia National Park that turned into a 10-hour drive with no park visit due to poor planning, packed lots, and her husband’s illness, leaving her exhausted. Yet, her 5-year-old son’s joyful take—loving the snacks and sibling time—shifts her perspective. As Rosh Hashana nears, she embraces reframing challenges positively, inspired to see growth and possibility in life’s detours.

In "What’s Happening in Henderson," Rachel Wizenfeld, an LA transplant, contrasts Henderson’s low crime with the HOA’s strict fines for scooters or stucco issues. She mourns the lack of kosher eateries, highlighting teen caterers, a dad’s YouTube sushi, and the lost kosher Dunkin’ Donuts. She welcomes visitors, especially rabbis, to experience the community’s warmth and nearby National Parks.

In "(One)Family is Everything," born from Michal Belzberg’s 2001 Sbarro bombing bat mitzvah donation, the organization offers vital, lifelong support to over 6,000 terror-affected families across 255 cities. Co-founded with her parents, it provides therapy (art, EMDR, music), support groups, and aid for rent and tuition, serving 50% IDF families. With 78,000+ therapy hours and $100 million in aid, it earned the Genesis Prize, supporting milestones, orphans, and widows.

In "The Holiest Day of the Year for American Jews Is Not Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur," a rabbi provocatively claims April 15th (or October 15th with California’s fire-related extension, coinciding with Simchat Torah) as the true test of faith for American Jews. He argues that honest tax filing, resisting creative deductions, reflects genuine bitachon, trust in God’s provision, over self-serving rationalizations, turning a mundane task into a spiritual challenge.

Rosh Hashanah heralds the Jewish New Year with renewal, teshuvah (repentance as return to Hashem), where penitents surpass the righteous, transforming sins into merits per Gemara teachings. Rabbi Sacks views it as merciful judgment and life celebration, urging progress over perfection. Practical tips include reflection, values-based intentions, and small steps for growth, echoing Pirkei Avot and Maimonides.

In "Was the Shofar The Word’s First Ad? And If So, For What?" the article draws parallels between the shofar's disruptive call during High Holy Days and advertising stunts, urging a personal "brand audit" or cheshbon hanefesh—soul accounting. It likens teshuva to a business pivot, emphasizing honest self-reflection on reputation, interactions, and life stories, rather than superficial resolutions, to reposition oneself authentically post-Yom Kippur.

In "The Relationship Reset," Yehudah Kamman links Rosh Hashana’s renewal to relationships, using the crowning of God as King to symbolize marital polarity. He urges men to embody integrity and presence for safety, enabling wives to soften and exalt them as kings, while men honor wives as queens for mutual growth. Acts like apologies or shared visions, echoing teshuva’s effort, reset this balance, with the shofar sparking new love.

In "Dovid Lieder: The Shabbat Catering King," the article highlights Australian immigrant David Lieder, who built a kosher catering empire in Pico-Robertson from synagogue kitchen roots. Using a "two-day model" for Shabbat meals, he focuses on quality, innovation (AI recipes), and community support, aiding competitors and global kosher access. Serving diverse clients like yoga moms and moguls, Lieder aims for worldwide logistics, turning constraints into opportunities for his

In "Beyond the Headlines," Sivan Rahav Meir mourns Charlie Kirk, a murdered supporter of the Jewish people, urging awareness of media narratives. She finds hope in the "Haftarot of Consolation," predicting an end to violence and a faith-protected Israel. As the last Shabbat of 5785 nears, she highlights Parashat Nitzavim's message of accessible redemption and the final haftarah's promise of joy, wishing for a sweet new year.

On February 24, 2022, Rabbi Yitzchak Halfon and his wife Hodayah fled Kharkiv as Russian missiles fell, turning their escape into a prophetic rescue mission. Drawing from Megillat Esther's "for such a time as this," they founded Kanfei Emuna, evacuating thousands of Ukrainian Jews, elderly without heat, men evading conscription, and families, amidst ongoing war, blending divine providence with human courage to preserve lives and futures.

In Halacha, Tzar Baalei Chayim (causing pain to animals) is forbidden, but killing an animal for human benefit is permissible, such as ending a dying pet's suffering painlessly via euthanasia. This outweighs prolonging life with costly care, though direct cruelty is avoided; contrastingly, mercy killing humans is prohibited.

In "The Trap of ‘De-Satiation’," R’ Eman Chayim explores Parshat Netzavim’s warning against rationalizing indulgence, citing Ramban’s insight that chasing desires reverses satisfaction, turning the quenched into the thirsty. This "Trap of De-Satiation" deepens unfulfillment, as the yetzer hara grows hungrier with indulgence. The solution lies not in suppression but in redirecting desires into productive outlets, guided by wisdom and support, transforming cravings into a fulfi

At Ben Gurion Airport, Shmuel Mashiach sparked a movement by challenging teens from NCSY’s TJJ program to keep four Shabbosos for a $1,000 reward, inspiring a boy named Eyal and others to embrace their heritage. When security nearly confiscated his challah knife, a supervisor, moved by Mashiach’s words, bent rules to return it and vowed to reclaim his own Shabbos, igniting a ripple of renewed Jewish commitment.