Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Vayeishev: The special teshuvah of Reuben

After repairing his soul, Reuben returned and looked at the pit.

Chicken soup for the aliyah snob's soul

I listen to the tourists planning their departures, and I wonder: Don't they understand the historical context of having the ability to return to our Holy Land after a long and bitter exile of 2,000 years? Why is going back to the US such an easy choice?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

The Teshuva of Rosh Hashanah

When we examine the Rosh Hashanah prayers, there is no mention of sin or penitence. How can that be?

Rabbi Kook on Teshuva: The path to happiness

“There is another type of T’shuva, not the penitence over specific sins, but a T’shuva aroused by a vague inner anxiety."

National teshuva - part I

Rabbi Kook teaches that penitence which relates only to personal wrongdoing is incomplete because the Teshuva of each individual Jew is actually only a part of a much greater National Teshuva of Am Yisrael. What does that signify?

If AI were to run the government...

The State of Israel and all of its government ministers and all of its citizens must do serious heartfelt Teshuva. This is what October 7th is telling us.

Teshuva:

A powerful body and a powerful soul

In the generation of National Revival, as the revitalized Jewish Nation returns to its Homeland, a new type of religious Jew must appear to take up the challenge, wrote Rabbi Kook.

The perils of politeness

What about brainstorming some new outreach ideas? LIke - Why don’t teams of people man tables on or near the university lawns to answer questions about Judaism?

The month of Elul

G-d treats His creatures mercifully, i.e., patiently, allowing them an opportunity to make amends, and going beyond the letter of the law.

Personal Growth series:

We got it

We possess all the resources we truly need within ourselves. Our growth and our mission in this world are squarely within our grasp.

Re’eh:

How we can guide ‘off the derech’ children – and nations

We need G-d’s blessing to continue to ensure that we and our children remain on the right path – and we need His mercy to bring us back from the curse of ongoing alienation from Him.

This Yom Kippur: A triumverate of three Shabbatot

Is teshuva a prerequisite for Redemption?

Personal Growth series:

Falls and failures

Everyone makes mistakes. The difference between the Tzaddik and the Rasha lies in their response.

Why? Why? Why?

Rambam: If a great tribulation comes upon the nation, trumpets must be blasted and people must examine their ill deeds A call for teshuva.

The meaning of the flood of Noach

Torah observant Jews have a vital opportunity now.

War is not new to Israel

Every decade since 1948 a new episode of violence erupts and Israel wins, with G-d's help. Here is how Israel can keep on winning.

5 pertinent matters for the Ten Days of Teshuva

Thoughts for the days between Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur.

A small step for Man; A giant step for G-d

It's never all or nothing.

The cantor's prayer

The moving cantor's prayer, the doubter's prayer. And the call to teshuva.

New video:Why a baal teshuva is on a higher level than a tzaddik

In a newly published video, the Rav delves into the secret of the baal teshuva's elevated status before God.

Nitzavim: You shall choose life

As we read our Parasha approaching the Day of Judgement, it guides us as to the ‘life’ for which we should fervently plead, on that Day.

Rosh Hashannah: Two steps to achievable teshuva

There are two great barriers to teshuva. They are surmountable.

OTD challenges can study the Baal Teshuva Movement

Where is the new outreach/inreach initiative by Belz heading?

Incredible Jewish Orthodox women prove that Kiruv is alive

There is no greater work of Kiruv than the inspired work of two self-made women who did not have an Orthodox upbringing.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch on the parasha: Don't be an angel

Man is called on to sanctify the material world, not shun it, writes Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch.  So why do we fast?

Combing for sins

Being clear of sin is the goal for both the guf and neshamah in anticipation of the final resurrection.

Rabbi Simcha Cohen z"l:

Veteran educator has passed away at the age of 80

Rabbi Cohen's book 'What Did You Say?' remains one of the most popular works on shalom bayit.

The Parsha and Current Events: A spirit of teshuva

My feelings towards Jews who have thrown off the mantle of Torah observance.

Sacred sanctity: Purim

Our goal is to elevate the physical elements and joy of Purim to a state of sanctity, to an expression of love and gratitude to Hashem

The Baal Teshuva Movement is alive

Intermarriage in the USA has complicated the teshuva process, but in Israel it is going strong. And let us not forget Chabad. A critique.

The Ten Days of Repentance: Basic building blocks

The keys to the teshuva process are elucidated by rabbis and commentators.

Rav Kook on teshuva: Awakening our hearts and minds

Israel's first Chief Rabbi: Which stimulus is truly fundamental to the process of true teshuva?

Revelation at Muscle Beach

Straightforward reading of Torah verses makes it clear where Jews are supposed to be, so why were we in Los Angeles?

What's fasting got to do with it?

A day of fasting such as today's Fast of Tammuz is not one of dieting, but of introspection, contrition and remorse for our situation today.

Who am I?

The existential angst of budding adulthood takes on a whole new dimension in a world that has weaponized “identity” to incoherence.Op-ed.

Churban (Destruction) - Galut (Exile) - Geulah (Redemption)

Secular Jews pose a threat to the Jewish People when they assimilate In Israel, many have dedicated themselves to uprooting Jewish life.

Weekly Tanya video//lecture: The Epistle on Repentance

The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.

Yitro: The best entry points to greater Jewish engagement

What is the best entry point through which more people can engage better with their Judaism?

Watch: 'Orthodoxed' movie

Documentary chronicles Berel Solomon's journey 'from drug dealer and prince of the nightclub business to Lubavitcher Hassid.'

We are all "baderech" - on a journey in process

Whatever wagon we are on, wherever the path leads, we know we are on a holy journey together. 'Baderech-along the path to Teshuvah'.Review.

Weekly lecture/video: Tanya, the Epistle on Repentance

The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.

Sensitivity: A new look at Teshuva

G-d is happiest when we treat our fellow with love and care. Rabbi Yitzchak Botton shares insight on Teshuva based on the story of Moses.

Weekly Tanya video\lecture: The Epistle on Repentance

The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.

Israel's first Chief Rabbi:

Ki Tetze: Advice to a troubled father

We should never give up on a single Jewish soul. “A myrtle among the reeds is still a myrtle and is called a myrtle“ (Sanhedrin 44a).

Elul: Entering and exiting

Here we are again, not having met our past aspirations. What can we do to be more successful in the coming year?

The ultimate Le'chayim

No matter how far a person has fallen in his observance of Torah and Mitzvot, there is always a way back- a life-line.

Weekly Tanya video\lecture: The Epistle on Repentance

The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.

The light of teshuva - a nation returning to its roots

Rabbi Kook teaches that in the return of even secular Zionists to Israel there is a profound holy core, there is the light of teshuva.

Why ten days?

The ten days are not there just in case you need more time, but so that the process of Teshuva can be assimilated into our lives.

The wondrous two he-goats

Is atonement for sins between man and Hashem dependent on his having appeased his fellow man, for any sins against him?

Masters of our own Destiny

As we prepare to stand before the King, we must look inside ourselves because we have the capacity for greatness. It depends only on us.

An introduction to Rav Kook's concept of teshuva

Rav Kook's definition of teshuva is on a totally different plane than the one used in our daily discourse.

Days of Awe in the shadow of corona

The courtyard and balcony minyans required this year due to Corona hold a great blessing. We just have to look for it.

Ask the children studying in the local cheder - they know

We are treatng the plague's symptoms but not its underlying cause.We need the language of teshuva and a deeper, spiritual healing. first.

Can we change?

Every space, every line in the Torah has meaning.  Even the number of pesukim between topics can teach us a lesson-that change takes time.

The Daily Portion/ Elul at the football stadium

Teshuva does not have to be a grandiose act. Sometimes it is a small action that makes a big change.

The impact of the Coronavirus on the world of Jewish outreach

Applying lessons from Rav Yitzchok Hutner about the Holocaust to Jewish outreach at this time.

Pesach Sheni: The world can change

A second Passover? We just celebrated Pesach a month ago and many of us never heard of a Second Pesach - a special kind of second chance.

Teshuva: The power to reconnect and recreate

Rabbi Yitzchak Botton explains how the shofar, ram's horn, is related to teshuva, the process of reconnecting with Hashem.

A child's secret to Teshuva

Rabbi Yitzchak Botton: Take a look at life through the eyes of a child and find the secret to a new and better year.