Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Not every commandment is given a rabbinical justification as clear as that of the mitzvah (commandment) of lighting the Chanukah lights (whether they are candles or oil, which are both acceptable). The rabbis explain that we light them in order to publicize the miracle of the holiday (pirsumei nisa in Aramaic, the language of the Talmud). This symbolic act shifted during the time of the rabbis from the lighting of a solitary candle each night of the holiday to the lighting of an increasing...
(My Jewish Learning via JTA) - The High Holidays prayer book, or machzor, emphasizes the themes of the Days of Awe - introspection and repentance. Rosh Hashanah as the opening day of a court trial "The great shofar is sounded. A still small voice is heard. This day, even the angels are alarmed, seized with fear and trembling as they declare: 'The day of judgment is here!'" In a loud and trumpeting voice, the cantor describes the shofar's blast, then softly and gently describes a "still, small vo...
