Torah On My Mind with Rabbi Yosef Marcus

How Not to Ask for Forgiveness (and what to do if the offended is deceased)

Laws of Yom Kippur, Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe chapter 606

Why Didn’t Abraham Argue with G-d Over Isaac as He Did for Sodom?

What triggered Abraham's final test?

Why does a "chasid" say Hineni ("Here I am")?

Why is Jerusalem called Mount Moriah?

All this and more in The Binding of Isaac, part I

Text: Genesis Chapter 22 with Rashi: Vayera-Torah-Reading Akeidah

The Shofar at the Top of the Tree or Across the River

Can you desecrate the holiday to retrieve a shofar at the top of a tree? Can you swim across a river for it? Can you clean a shofar on the holiday and what cleanser can never be used to clean a shofar?

Bonus: A sermon tip to be derived from the latter law.

Text source: Laws of Rosh Hashanah, Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe #586

Is a ”Trump” Shofar Kosher?

Why a "Trump" shofar would not be kosher and why in Berkeley they would agree you should take off your hearing aids to hear the shofar.

One of the most powerful sounds of Judaism is the piercing cry of the shofar. It cuts through layers of apathy to the heart and core of the soul. In this 4th installment of the seemingly very technical laws of Rosh Hashanah, we discover deep lessons on the power of a mitzvah, no matter who does it, the importance of sincerity and maintaining the pure, unembellished sound of the soul. 

Text source: Laws of Rosh Hashanah, Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe #586 https://www.chabadnp.com/library/article_cdo/aid/3376117

When To Schedule a Rosh Hashanah Bris?

Laws of Rosh Hashanah Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch part II

Text source: Laws of Rosh Hashanah, Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe #584

 

Ram’s Head and Pomegranates? Rosh Hashanah Foods & Customs

The first two chapters of the Alter Rebbe's Laws of Rosh Hashanah (Shulchan Aruch HaRav).

 

You Can Be 100% Right Yet Be So Wrong: Art of the Calendar V

Joe Shmoe from Kfar Saba’s Big Moment: Art of the Calendar IV

Why does G-d require that we have the testimony of witnesses who have seen the new moon in order to establish Rosh Chodesh -- shouldn't the astronomical calculations suffice?

Bonus: chasidic aphorisim from one of the hidden tzadikim sheds new light on the Kohen's blessing before the priestly blessings.

Through the Clouds: Art of the Calendar III

Bonus: Chasidic thought on who’s doing whom the favor

The Calendar Saboteurs: Art of the Calendar II

Who is kosher to testify for the new month? Bonus readings: Chasidic aphorisms on the importance of implanting love for others in your heart. Kiddush Hachodesh by Rambam, chapter 2.