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Sep 28, 2025, 6:38 AM

Jonah and Hallel: Similar Songs, Distinct Messages

Jonah after rescue at sea. Image courtesy of ChatGPT.

While reading Hallel (Psalms 113-118) recently, I was struck by how many of its phrases seemed to echo the story of the sea in the book of Jonah (chapters 1–2). At first glance, this might not be surprising. Hallel...

Sep 25, 2025, 1:39 PM

Every year anew

(Photo by author)

The cycle of holidays, with their rituals and readings, remind us, as we confront our foibles again, that we truly have the tools to build a better world

Shuly Rubin Schwartz

Sep 17, 2025, 11:52 PM

No shade for Jonah: Engaging the other in challenging times

Jonah teaches that it is precisely in our most difficult moments that God invites us to show concern for those outside our circle

Nov 30, 2024, 9:54 AM

Lessons of a 100–year-old postcard from an imaginary land

From the Herzl and Zionism Collection of David Matlow, Toronto (www.herzlcollection.com). Photograph by David Matlow and used with his permission.

Where in the world is West Refaim and why did it have its own stamp? Riddles from back when the Jewish imagination went postal

Oct 15, 2024, 12:09 AM

Jonah – A Man of His Time… And Ours

I read a synopsis of the meaning of Yom Kippur and it really spoke to me. It said, “On Yom Kippur, when we stare our wrongdoings in the face, guilt and shame can overwhelm and push us into an emotional...

Sep 21, 2023, 4:22 PM

Overcoming Despair and Beginning Again

The central theme of these High Holidays is teshuvah (תשובה) – lit. return, turning, response, repentance – a process that brings us back to ourselves, to our families and friends, to our community, Torah, and God. Teshuvah is ultimately...

Sep 21, 2023, 4:22 PM

‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ ‘The Midnight Library,’ and Jonah

When the prophet runs from God, he influences those he meets along the way for good, so maybe he took the route he was supposed to take after all

Sandy Eisenberg Sasso

Sep 19, 2023, 10:33 PM

Jonah: Out of Chaos, Rebirth

On Yom Kippur afternoon we read the book of Jonah. It might seem obvious that the rabbis chose this book for the Day of Atonement because it talks of the possibility of forgiveness and repentance, even for our enemies....

Andy Blumenthal

Sep 18, 2023, 3:39 AM

Rosh Hashanah Reflections

Rosh Hashanah is not only the Jewish New Year (celebratory), but it is also a time of teshuva (deep reflection and repentance) for Jewish people around the world. What have we done this past year and so far with...

Oct 6, 2022, 10:04 PM

Oh! What a Holy Moment in a Tent!

In the tent of Holiness as the day came to a close Here, We, were an oasis to all Souls that only hours earlier were lost. With the setting sun and closing of the Heavenly Doors we all felt like the Prophet...

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