TISHA B’AV–A POTENT MEDITATIONby Sarah Yehudit Schneider Everyone knows that Av is the month that includes the most fateful day in the Jewish calendar, Tisha B’Av (the 9 of Av), which is distinguished by its extremely fallen state and yet its extremely great potential. It is the month where our collective heart is wrenched from our midst, twice, for as everyone knows both of our Temples were destroyed on the ninth of Av. It’s the month where we hit bottom.And yet, as everyone

Elul and the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy Each month comes with its special lights and gifts and energies. And mostly we learn about the month from the correspondences presented in the Sefer Yetzira. Each month has a letter, a special sensitivity, a part of the body and an astrological sign. The Sefer Yetzira informs us that on Elul: המליך אות י במעשה, יד שמאל בנפש, בתולה בשנה Hashem caused the letter yud to rule over [the sense of] action, the left hand/arm in the nefesh,

Rosh HaShana, 5786/2025[reprint] Sarah Yehudit Schneider You might be surprised to learn that not only is Rosh HaShana the Day of Judgment (יום הדין), the Day of Remembrance (יום הזכרון), the Day of the Shofar’s Blast (יום תרועה), and the Culmination of Creation with the appearance of Adam (יום בריאת העולם)… but it is also, according to the Ari, the Day of Nesira (נסירה), which means literally, surgical uncoupling. This is a term used to describe the spiritual surgery, the s

Blameless Teshuva based on R. Tsadok HaKohen, Tsidkat HaTsadik 43 If one violated a positive commandment (מצוות עשה) and repented (עשה תשובה), they are forgiven immediately. If one violated a [minor] negative commandment ((מצוות לא תעשה, one that doesn’t carry karet or death penalty as its consequence, repentance [aka apology] suspends the punishment, and the [five afflictions of] Yom Kippur complete the atonement. If one committed a grave sin incurring karet or capital punis

The gates are closing for the Dark Matters of the Soul~The Kabbala of Shame intro classes that are starting soon:In-Person Class: Thurs, Dec 5, 12, 19 3:00 – 4:15 PM In-Person Class–Register Now Zoom Class: Sunday, Dec 8, 15, 22 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM EST10:00 AM – 11:15 PST6:00 – 7:15 England Time8:00 – 9:15 PM Jerusalem Time Zoom Class–Register Now ZOOM LINK TO ACTUAL CLASS WILL FOLLOW! This will be the last communique to the entire mailing list. From this point on em

For the Birthday of Avraham David ben Naftali v’Rivka A Teaching by Sarah Yehudit Schneider on What Would Have Been His 19th Birthday We have just stepped into the month of Cheshvan, the month that is the birthday of Avraham David ben Naftali v’ Rivka, one of the eight boys murdered in their innocence while studying Torah at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva in 2008. Avraham David would have been 19 years old today. Our Torah study on this night should bring an aliyat haneshama for hi