Yom Kippur

Kol Nidrei

The declaration made before the recital of Kol Nidrei [We permit prayer with thosewho are transgressors] has its roots in the events that occurred at the time of theforced conversions imposed upon Spanish Jews. The Church subjected SpanishJewry to harsh and cruel persecution, forcing them to renounce Judaism and acceptChristianity. There were many among the…

Injustice of Our Hands

So that We May Refrain from the Injustice of Our Hands During the Ne’ilah prayer, the prayer that culminates all the Days of Awe recited towards the conclusion of Yom Kippur, we state: “And You, Hashem our G-d, have given us this Yom Kippur etc. for pardon, forgiveness, and atonement so that we may refrain…

Three Questions Posed to Hillel

Aseret Yemeh Teshuba- The Three Questions Posed to Hillel The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat (31a) tells a remarkable story of two men who wagered a large sum of money to be awarded to the one who could get Hillel angry. Hillel, the leading Rabbi of his time, was known for his extraordinary patience, and the…

Chagiga 26, 27, Yevamos 2 for Shabbos

Chagiga 26 Chagiga 27 Yevamos 2 Hadran Alach Masseches Chagiga! Daf Yomi Digest is compiled by members of the Ruben Shas Kollel, edited by Rabbi Ben-Zion Rand. Halachah Highlights is not intended to be relied upon for halacha l’maase. It is intended for interest and information. For actual psak consult your local rav.

D’var Torah Yom Kippur “What Make and Model is My Kikayon?” By Rabbi Label Lam And Jonah had gone out of the city, and had stationed himself on the east of the city, and there he made himself a hut and sat under it in the shade until he would see what would happen in…

Motza’ei Yom Kippur-Unique Laws for this Year

Adding From the Mundane Onto the Holiness One must add some of the mundane weekday onto the holiness of Yom Kippur upon its exit, i.e. one should not end this holy day immediately with nightfall; rather, one should wait another few minutes. Thus, it is prohibited to eat or perform work on Motza’ei Yom Kippur…

Holy of Holies

With the approach of the holiest day of the year, an insight on the Yom Kippur service performed in the Temple by the High Priest: incense. The incense offered up in the Temple was usually on the Inner Alter, which parallels the inner dimension of the heart–i.e., our Divine soul, which is constantly bound to…

Yom Kippur He is here!

He is here! The King of The Universe is in the Field! We have heard the blast of the “Horns” and have been awakened to the cleaning and preparations of our hearts and minds. As the scripture says, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Messiah Yashua- Philipians 2:5 and in Psalms…

Erev Yom Kippur

The Mitzvah to Eat on Erev Yom Kippur The Torah (Vayikra 23) states: “And you shall oppress yourselves on the ninth of the month at night,” meaning that the obligation to fast on Yom Kippur begins from the night of the tenth of Tishrei. Our Sages (Berachot 8a) inquired about the language of the verse,…

The sacrifice of Yom Kippur

The sacrifice of Yom Kippur is separate and distinct from all the other sacrifices offered during the year. While the others reconciled the sinner on a day to day basis with God, Yom Kippur is the day that God would forgive all the sins of all the people in every generation – in essence this…