Sep 29, 2025 | Eshel Out Loud
When I learned about Yom Kippur in day school, I was told of a magnificent judge in the vast heavens, passing verdicts on the other side of slowly closing gates. These verdicts determine the trajectory of our entire next year. Perhaps, if our prayers contain the requisite power, our kavanah will elevate them high enough [more]
Sep 9, 2024 | Eshel Out Loud
While we often think about Elul as a time of preparation for the New Year, Rosh Chodesh Elul is a new year itself, one of four listed in Mishna Rosh Hashanah. Along with Tishrei and Nissan, we mark Tu B’shvat as the new year for trees and plants, and Rosh Chodesh Elul as the new [more]
Sep 19, 2023 | Eshel Out Loud
The Torah reading for Yom Kippur mincha contains some of the more difficult verses for lesbian, gay, and bisexual Jews. On Yom Kippur, we read both Leviticus 18:22 and the proscription against following מעשה ארץ מצרים. For many of us, these verses imbue a painful layer to the day. Many years ago, in conjunction with [more]
