The two possible haftarot for Parshat Vayelech have very different goals, the one being to seek God and the other to return. Rabbi Alana Suskin evaluates the two relationships and the impact of seeking forgiveness and closeness from both people and God.

Using a painting as a springboard, Rabba Dina Brawer discusses the many contradictory emotions we feel as we look to the start of a new year. With special attention devoted to the dialectical nature of awe and joy, the article discusses the macro and micro levels of change in a new year.

Between looking back at the community which once was and looking forward to the community nearly gone, Adina Roth reflects on the importance of living in the moment. From sensory awareness to spiritual rekindling, the many intentions behind an autumnal new year stack up in favor of living in the moment.

Rav Kook delineates between two types of teshuvah, one sudden and one more gradual, which have different intensities and impact durations. Rabba Sara Hurwitz connects this idea to the two types of planning and actuating big ideas and proposes a lesson from the shofar.

Rav Kook delineates between two types of teshuvah, one sudden and one more gradual, which have different intensities and impact durations. Rabba Sara Hurwitz connects this idea to the two types of planning and actuating big ideas and proposes a lesson from the shofar.

The command to “choose life” in this week’s parsha seems to be out of our control. Tamar Green Eisenstat shows how this is rooted in ideas of our autonomy in lionizing life, be it through strength or through grit and determination.

Rabba Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz on the journey through the piyutim and the teshuvah process • Rabba Yaffa Epstein on whom we choose to believe in and our tenacity • Rabbanit Amalia Haas on how to help bees– and ourselves– thrive during the shemitah year • Rabba Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez on the parenting lessons emparted by God

With the printing of Rabba Dr. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz’s book, the rabbi sits down to discuss her thesis work in superstition and tradition, and the impact of involvement in the life of Jewish women.

Through several poems selected from the many which examine the role of the mother in the akeidah, Rabbi Dr. Wendy Zierler assesses the language surrounding and the prevalence of the story in popular culture. Through careful analysis, there is a comparison drawn between the image of inaction and the image of a quiet moment in time.

The ritual of axing the neck of a cow by a river seems to be utterly disconnected from its trigger, a dead body felled between towns with no hint as to the cause or murderer. Rabbanit Lisa Schlaff explains why, according to several commentaries which build one upon the other, this teaches how to build a healthy and responsible community.