Let’s face it, the thought of Yom Kippur gives us a certain pit in our stomach. It’s not only the prospect of the hungry feeling that we’ll experience during the course of the day, it actually comes from our built in spiritual DNA that intuitively knows that Yom Kippur is a sacred day. Recently, in …
Category: Yom Tov Messages
Sep 14
Apple & Honey!
- By Dovid Saks in 5784, Rosh Hashana Message
There is known custom to dip a sweet apple into honey during the first night meal of Rosh Hashana. A blessing of Ha’aitz is made over the apple before it is eaten and then the following prayer is recited, “May it be Your will, Hashem, our G-d and the G-d of our forefathers, that You …
May 24
Creativity!
The special Holiday of Shavuos will envelop us on Thursday evening giving us an opportunity to bask in the holiness of the two days of the holiday with the added benefit of Shabbos as well. Shavuos represents the time when G-d gave us the Torah at Mount Sinai when He proclaimed the Ten Commandments in …
Apr 10
Wealth!
The last days of Pesach are observed on Wednesday and Thursday. The Torah calls it a day of holy calling. Three days after the Jews were freed from Egypt, Pharoh and his army chased after the Jews. When they caught up with the Jews, G-d protected the Jews by placing His cloud of glory between …
Mar 30
Lift Up!
As the Jews were getting ready to enter the Land of Israel, they were met with resistance from a few nations that hated them. The Torah tells us that Balak, the King of Moav, feared that the Jews would attack his nation, and hired Billam, a non-Jewish prophet, to use his powers to curse the …
Oct 13
Dance!
- By Dovid Saks in 5783, Shemini Atzeret
When I was around eleven years old I was horsing around and one of the things I did was to make fun of how an old man danced. My mistake was that while I was acting so, my father happened to have been watching. A bit later, he called me over and told me, “You …
Oct 06
Who is Watching!
- By Dovid Saks in 5783, Succos Message
My son Yehoshua and his family are currently living in Jerusalem. He arrived mid-summer and when he would drive outside of Jerusalem proper he could not help but notice that the fields were fallow. There was no growth, no vegetation, and no action in the fields, because the Jewish farmers were observing the Torah’s Mitzvah …
Oct 02
Kol Nidrei!
- By Dovid Saks in 5783, Yom Kippur Message
The onset of Yom Kippur night is often referred to as Kol Nidrei night. Why was Kol Nidrei specifically chosen to herald in Yom Kippur? A review of what is stated in Kol Nidrei reveals that it is an official nullification of all types of vows and oaths that one may have declared during the …
Sep 22
L’Shana Tova!
- By Dovid Saks in 5783, Rosh Hashana Message
The Torah doesn’t command us directly to sound the Shofar on Rosh Hashana, rather it states, “A day of Teruah blasts it shall be for you.” So how are we supposed to know how to proceed? Through the laws of Rosh Hashana one can gain an appreciation for the integration of our Written law with …
Apr 21
Split!
- By Dovid Saks in 5782, Passover Messages
On the seventh day after the exodus from Egypt, the Egyptian army pursued the Jews until they reached the Red Sea. G-d performed a great miracle and split the sea sparing them and drowning the Egyptians. The Seventh day of Pesach commemorates this miracle. A few years ago, Rabbi Yaacov Schnaidman, dean of the Milton …
Jewish Heritage Connection
Rabbi Dovid Saks, Director
601 Jefferson Ave.
Scranton, PA 18510
(570) 346-1321
Shabbat Candle Lighting Time
Shabbat Times for Sep 22, 2023
Scranton, PA US
Parshas Ha'azinu
Candle Lighting Time: 6:42 PM
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Scranton, PA US
Parshas Ha'azinu
Candle Lighting Time: 6:42 PM
Developed by AdatoSystems.com.
Key features by Hebcal.com.