Elul – Preparing Ourselves for the Day of Judgement

Elul

A Chassidic story: A wealthy merchant would regularly visit the Baal Shem Tov and would donate large sums of money for the Rebbe’s charitable causes. Eventually his fortune changed and his business failed, leaving him nearly penniless. When he went to visit the Rebbe again the Baal Shem, undoubtedly aware of the man’s dire straits, […]

Commemorating a Yartzeit [A Brief Insight]

yartzeit commemoration

A Yartzeit is the yearly anniversary (on the Hebrew calendar) of a person’s death.  The day is commemorated by the recitation of the Kaddish prayer by the children of the deceased, and by giving charity, performing good deeds and studying Torah. We commemorate the Yartzeits of parents, spouses, family members and great spiritual leaders. As […]

Modeh Ani – The Jewish prayer of thanks first thing in the morning

Modeh Ani - Jewish Prayer of Thanks

The first prayer in the Jewish siddur is recited when we wake up in the morning, while we’re still in bed. Here is my translation of the prayer, from the original Hebrew: Thank you, oh living and eternal God, for mercifully returning my soul to me, great is your faithfulness. Let’s break down the prayer […]

Focusing on the Important [Podcast]

In this podcast episode Rabbi Singer discusses the idea of focus. Based on a personal story, he explores the tension we all face when our thoughts are torn between focusing on trivial manner and important things like God, family and relationships. You can apply the important lessons you’ll learn from this teaching to your daily […]