SHABBAT READING
Akeda and Rosh Hashanah: Invoking the Original Oath God Was Forced to Make: Prof. Rabbi David R. Blumenthal, The Torah.com, Sept. 14, 2023
The rabbis link the Akeda with forgiveness of sins for the Jewish people (Bereishit Rabba56:10, taken up in many selichot):
Rabbi Bibi the Great said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: Abraham said before the Holy One, blessed be He: “Master of the worlds. When You said to me ‘Take your son, your only one,’ I could have responded to You [as follows]: ‘Yesterday, You told me, “for through Isaac You will have seed” (Gen 21:12) and now You tell me “Take your son, your only one”’ (Gen. 22:2). But, God forbid! I did not do that. Rather I overcame my compassion [for my son] in order to do Your will. May it be Your will, oh Lord our God, that when the children of Isaac come before You with sins and evil deeds, that this Akeda be remembered for them, and may You be filled with mercy.”
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“CORONATING G-D AS KING OF THE UNIVERSE”
WATCH: Rosh Hashanah: The Multifaceted Celebration of Creation and Family: Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik, Sacred Time Ep 2: Rosh Hashanah – Creation and Parenthood, YouTube, Sept. 1998 — Drawing upon wide ranging sources—from the history of British royalty to the poetry and prayers of Rosh Hashanah—Rabbi Soloveichik invites us to explore the connection between the New Year and the Jewish family, Creation and procreation, divine love and human love from one Jewish generation to the next.
Rosh Hashanah: A Time of Renewal and Unity: Rabbi Elie Abadi, JNS, Aug. 23, 2021 — As Jews, every Rosh Hashanah, we rededicate our commitment to Judaism.
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The Birthday of the World:Rosh Hashanah’s Meanings: Ernst Simon, Commentary Magazine, September 1955
The Challenge of Jewish Repentance: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, September 2017
Happy Is the People Who Knows the Blast: Rabbi Moshe Hayim Efrayim of Sudilkov and Eitan P. Fishbane, Jewish Review of Books, Fall 2019
Akedat Hannah: Kate Rozansky, Jewish Review of Books, Sept. 12, 2023
FOR FURTHER REFERENCE:
The Story of Israel Told Through Rosh Hashanah Greeting Cards: The National Library of Israel, The Librarians, Sept. 21, 2022 — The custom of sending greeting cards before the Jewish New Year began in Germany in the late Middle Ages and gradually spread to Eastern Europe and the United States. The early twentieth century was the “golden age” of postcards, and among Jews, the Rosh Hashanah greeting card was easily the star of this particular show.
Darkness and Light: Leonard Cohen and the New Cantors—A Playlist for the High Holidays: Allan Nadler, Jewish Review of Books, Sept. 29, 2016 — Just 10 days before Rosh Hashanah, on his 82nd birthday, Leonard Cohen released the title track from his latest and, sadly, his very possibly last album, You Want It Darker. It is a breathtaking reminder of his spiritual depth and artistic power.
A Rosh Hashanah Guide for the Perplexed, 2023: Yoram Ettinger, Algemeiner, Sept. 13, 2023 — The evening of September 15, 2023, will launch Jewish New Year of 5784. Here are some facts about Rosh Hashanah, which marks the Jewish new year.
Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur There’s a Chance to Return to God: Jeremy Rosen, Algemeiner, Sept. 29, 2023 — The Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is always called the Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of Return.