Jewish Holiday Series

The common theme contained in the High-Holidays and the festivals of Sukkot and Simchat Torah.

The "Chasidic revolution" of the late 1700s and early 1800s revealed the basic truth that "a Jew is a Jew is a Jew." This premise -- that a Jew always remains essentially Jewish -- also introduced a new approach for dealing with spiritual defects when they crop up.

The Jews' devotion to maintaining their spiritual freedom can only be described as supernatural. What gives us this miraculous strength?

The House of Shammai says: “On the first day of Chanukah, one lights eight lights; from here on, one progressively decreases.” The House of Hillel says: “On the first day, one lights a single light; from here on, one progressively increases.” (Talmud, Shabbat 21b)

This class on the Haggadah presents the mystical understanding to the opening reading at the Seder: “This is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate…"

Why it is illogical to say that the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and the subsequent exile, came about as a punishment for the Jewish people.

What are the spiritual underpinnings of Shabbat that makes it a sacred day of rest? This class explains the deeper understanding of why we rest and celebrate Shabbat.

The giving of the Torah reconciles the dichotomy in everything and reveals the unifying essence in both the spiritual and the material.

Shavuot, when we received the Torah at Sinai, is the culmination of the Exodus on Passover. Yet, on Passover we stay clear of the smallest amount of chometz, but on Shavuot two loaves of leavened bread were offered in the Holy Temple.