B"H

By Rabbi Amichai Cohen     

Around this time of the year, we wish each other “may you be inscribed in the book of life”.

What does it mean to be inscribed in the “book of life”? Is there really a big book up there?

The Talmud says that on Rosh Hashana, the Jewish (and world) New Year, three books are opened and everyone and everything is inscribed within these books, determining every outcome of next year on a spiritual and material level. The three books are “the books of the righteous (Tzadikim), Intermediates (Beinonim) and wicked (Reshaim)” (Rosh Hashanah 17b).

King David says “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance, and in Your book were all written. The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them” (Pslams 139).

The AriZal explains that this verse refers to Adam, who was formed by G-d and saw everyone who is in the book of life. Adam is the predecessor of...

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By; Rabbi Amichai Cohen

Elul has the acronym of  the verse (in Song Of Songs 6,3) “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me”.  What does this month have to do with love? What does it mean to be for a beloved and the beloved for me?

Elul is the last month of the year where we on the one hand take accounting for our spiritual and practice inventory of the previous year, and also prepare ourselves for the upcoming year.

It’s all in the prep

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B"H

By: Rabbi Amichai Cohen

The King Is In The Field- Get out of the desert!

In his Song of Songs, King Solomon writes a most eloquent and deep passage representing a multitude of relationships. The verse “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine” (Song of Songs 6:3) is an immediate allusion to the month of Elul, for in its original Hebrew, “Ani ledodi v’dodi li,” the letters beginning each word serve as an acronym for this month.

Elul is the month preceding Tishrei, the beginning of the Jewish year, starting with the holiday of Rosh Hashanah and culminating with the festival of Hoshana Rabbah. It is during the month of Elul that we try and focus on our past year, reflecting on our deeds, atoning for our mistakes and contemplating our actions and changes for the new year to come. Therefore, as we will see, this statement of King Solomon’s is not only a statement between two...

By Rabbi Amichai Cohen

The 3 week period, which begins on the 17th of Tammuz and ends on the 9th of Av is an intense time where we remeber the calamaties which occured during this time.

On the 17th of Tammuz 5 negative things happened, most importantly the first tablets were broken, the walls of Jerusalem were breached.

On the 9th of Av is when both Temples were destroyed.

This period of time is called "Bein Hametzarim" or "within constrictions". Jewish law maintains that it is preferable not to embark upon new things such as getting married, moving or starting a new job.

The Talmud says "bad does not descend from heaven".  So how do we reconcile with this seeming contradiction?

The Zohar recounts that when Rabbi Chayia, one of the foremost students of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai wanted to enter the academy of Rabbi Shimon in heaven he heard a heavenly voice say "one who does not know how to transform darkness into light and bitterness into sweet has no place in this world". 

By Rabbi Amichai Cohen

Characteristics of the month

Permutation of G-d’s Name:  יהוה) הוהי) Hey, Vav, Hey, Yud

Tribe: ראובן Reuven

Letter: ח Chet

Constellation: סרטן Cancer

Sense:  ראיה Smell

Body part: עינים The eyes

Tammuz is the name of Dumuzi, the Acadian sun-god (the Adonis of the Greeks), the husband of the goddess Ishtar. In the Chaldean calendar there was a month set apart in honor of this god, the month of June to July, the beginning of the summer solstice. At this festival, which lasted six days, the worshippers, with loud lamentations, bewailed the funeral of the god, they sat "weeping for Tammuz" ( Ezekiel 8:14 )

How do we resolve this apparent contradiction? Why would a Jewish month be named after an idol? The source of idolatry is the worshiping of the self, the worshiping of the body. Tammuz is a month where someone has the ability to access G-d in the deepest of ways or there is the ability for a person to worship the self and become absorbed...