High Holy Days

Who are we today, and who would we like to be tomorrow? A reflection for the Jewish new year

Our behavior, both subtly and overtly, offers a message that we hand down to future generations – to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

THE FAMILY came together to write a Torah Scroll for their community, to carry Yishai’s memory forward. (Hebrew: Continue the light)
Praying at the entrance to the Temple Mount on Sukkot, Sept. 29.

Shmini Atzeret haftarah: The Temple Mount is no longer silent

Vienna Jews celebrating the renovation of the Stadttempel synagogue walk a new Torah scroll through the streets, Vienna, Sept. 9, 2026.

In a time of uncertainty, European Jews renovate synagogues, dedicate Torah scrolls

Jewish worshippers pray at the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, during the traditional Birkat Kohanim ceremony on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, in Jerusalem’s Old City, September 28, 2026.

WATCH: Tens of thousands of Jewish worshipers gather for Birkat Kohanim at Western Wall


Yom Kippur 2024: Reconciling our personal journeys and collective experiences - opinion

How do we reconcile the deeply personal journey of Yom Kippur with the overwhelming collective experiences of the past year?

 The Cave of Machpelah in Hebron.

Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and personal accounting - opinion

"May our personal files and those of the hostages be written and saved with inspiration, sweetness, good health, and success in that big digital Book of Life in heaven."

 Rosh Hashanah packages

Abraham, the Akeida, & the ‘Mona Lisa’ - opinion

Abraham, the Akeida, & the ‘Mona Lisa’ teach us how to answer the ultimate question of life: What is right and what is wrong? What does God ultimately require of us? 

For any rabbi interested in preaching on current events during the upcoming High Holidays, the volume and pace of news present a challenge.

This is how my family is confronting Jewish new year - opinion

Themes of transparency and accountability arise in my mother’s Rosh Hashanah Seder and High Holidays Haggadah’s series of questions about judgment.

 THE TABLE is set for Rosh Hashanah at the Soffer home, last year.

Rosh Hashanah: Wishing for a good and sweet year

It is not just the beginning of the new year but the most significant day; the one that influences our actions throughout the year.

 Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur act as an anchor for the Jewish people.

Only way for Israeli northerners to return home is boots on ground in south Lebanon - editorial

We at The Jerusalem Post wish the IDF success in its sacred mission to defeat the terror threat in Lebanon.

 IDF carries out strikes on southern Lebanon

The rare, unusual Rosh Hashanah-Yom Kippur 'machzorim' at the National Library of Israel

One of the world’s largest collections of machzorim may be found at the National Library of Israel (NLI) in Jerusalem.

 Seder Nashim (c. 1550)

Observe the High Holy Days shouldn't be just for God, but also for our fellow human being - opinion

As we head into the coming weeks, synagogues will be filled. Whether in a grand synagogue or a smaller, makeshift minyan, I encourage everyone to take a moment amidst the prayers.

 JLE STUDENTS volunteer on a farm near the South on their mission to Israel, post-October 7.

This year's Selichot are going to be tough. Get ready - opinion

With Selichot drawing near, crowds are swelling at the Western Wall, signaling a profound yearning for connection and awakening to the upcoming High Holy Days.

 Jewish men pray during Tisha B'Av, at the Wall Western, in the Old City of Jerusalem, August 13, 2024

Entering Elul: What blowing the shofar means for us - opinion

As we read the words of Robert Herscowitz, we are reminded that the shofar is one of the most important symbols of the month Elul, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur: the shofar.

 IDF Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren blows the shofar at the Western Wall, June 1967.