As we approach the culmination of our 40-day spiritual journey, we stand at the threshold of the most significant day in our calendar - Yom Kippur. This holy day calls us to harness the spiritual momentum we've built over the past weeks and channel it into a profound, transformative experience. Drawing inspiration from Rav Fanger's insightful shiur on Yom Kippur, let us explore a framework for not just observing, but truly thriving on this sacred day. Wisdom from Resilience Rav Fanger, seeking to understand the essence of resilience and success, gathered wisdom from those who had endured tremendous hardships yet emerged not merely surviving, but flourishing. From these conversations, he distilled valuable guidance on approaching Yom Kippur - our opportunity to beseech H’shem for another year of life, prosperity, nachas, health, and success in all our endeavors. Preparing Your Spiritual Notebook As we prepare for this day of days, let us bring our notebooks - faithful companions...

"לא היו ימים טובים לישראל כחמשה עשר באב וכיום הכיפורים" " There were no better days for Israel than the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur." As Yom Kippur approaches, many of my clients call with anxiety, asking, "What should I do? Yom Kippur is COMING!!" This sentiment seems quite different from the teaching above, which considers Yom Kippur one of the Jewish calendar's greatest days. Rav Fanger explains this apparent contradiction beautifully. Having a day to cleanse our souls and start anew is one of H’shem's greatest acts of chesed. The correct approach to Yom Kippur is to release all our misdeeds and mistakes from the past year through genuine teshuvah (repentance). In return, H’shem purifies our souls, allowing us to begin afresh. This cleansing process is accomplished by sincerely approaching H’shem with regret, love, and commitment to self-improvement. Rav Fanger emphasizes that our most powerful tool is our speech. With our words, we beseech H...

Albert Einstein, as a physics professor, once reused the same exam from the previous year. When questioned about this practice by his advisor, Einstein responded that while the questions remained the same, the students' answers would differ. This anecdote, shared by Rav Fanger, beautifully parallels our annual Yom Kippur experience. Despite using the same Machzor year after year and seeking forgiveness for similar transgressions, the crucial aspect lies in our personal growth and improvement. The Human Condition and Our Yearly Progress Rav Fanger emphasizes that we are all human, prone to various degrees of sin. The true measure of our progress is how we evolve from one year to the next. The Yom Kippur viduy (confession) serves as a powerful tool for introspection, allowing us to evaluate our true selves and our actions over the past year. The physical act of striking our hearts during the viduy is meant to awaken our consciousness, prompting us to question our behavior and choices...

  Who is Wise? Who is wise? One who chooses to see the positive and beauty in themselves and their life. Rav Meir Eliyahu, in a powerful shiur on the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, encourages his audience to recognize how abundantly H'shem has blessed them. With this awareness, one can focus and strive to be better, more connected, and a more inspired servant of H’shem . H’shem has the answers to all our requests. He can grant us life, love, prosperity, health, and nachas effortlessly. He wants to give us everything, but He wants it to be for our benefit. During these days, Rav Eliyahu teaches that we can accomplish more than 40 days at the Kotel, visiting Kivrei Tzaddikim, giving substantial Tzedakah, or countless Tefilot throughout the year. We can meet H’shem on our porch, in our car, or sitting on our couch. These are the days H’shem waits for us to greet Him, make concessions, examine our deeds, and draw close to Him. Rav Eliyahu explains that these 10 days have a parallel 10 days whe...

  In the name of the Yanuka, quoting the Rambam, he advises that one of the biggest segulot during the Aseret Yemei Teshuva is to take a piece of paper and write a specific tefillah that you are asking H'shem to grant you for this coming year. In the name of the Yanuka, his talmid says these days are days of tefillah when H'shem is closest - call out to Him! Cry out to Him everything your heart desires. Make it specific and say it as many as 200 times during the Aseret Yemei Teshuva. Everything can be granted at this time. Pour out your heart in Teshuvah and Bakasha  He quotes the Ramabam Rambam Hilchot Teshuva Perek Bet, Halacha vav    "אע"פ שהתשובה והצעקה יפה לעולם, בעשרה הימים שבין ראש השנה ויום הכפורים היא יפה ביותר ומתקבלת  היא מיד , שנאמר: "דרשו ה' בהמצאו"  (ישעיהו נה, ו) .  "Even though teshuva  and crying out [to H'shem] are good at all times, during the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur t hey are most beautiful and are acce...

  Our destiny was determined on Rosh Hashanah; however, it is not final until Yom Kippur. During these ten days, we must do everything we can to tip the scales of judgment in our favor. H"shem is closer to us now than any other time of the year, and we must cry out to Him through Tefillah (prayer) and action. Although some may say "acting" better during these days does not fool H’shem, the sages tell us that the act itself of wanting to be better and being more careful during this time, even if only for these days, is enough to improve our fate. Practical Suggestions for the Ten Days of Repentance: Give more charity (Tzedakah) Have more Kavanah (intention) in your Tefillah Be more stringent in observing laws such as: Kashrut (dietary laws) Tzniut (modesty), more than you regularly would Control your anger Judge others favorably The Power of Forgiveness Rav Fanger, who was moved to hear that hundreds of women are dedicated to this workshop, quotes Rashi, who says anyone w...

  The Fifth Day of Creation The fifth day of creation introduced life onto the earth. The creatures of the sea and the birds of the sky represent the harmony of earth and water coexistence, although opposites, to create and sustain life. היום החמישי: "וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹקים: יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם שֶׁרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה, וְעוֹף יְעוֹפֵף עַל הָאָרֶץ עַל פְּנֵי רְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמָיִם. וַיִּבְרָא אֱלקים אֶת הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדֹלִים, וְאֵת כָּל נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיָּה הָרֹמֶשֶׂת אֲשֶׁר שָׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם לְמִינֵהֶם, וְאֵת כָּל עוֹף כָּנָף לְמִינֵהוּ, וַיַּרְא אֱלֹקים כִּי טוֹב. כב וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים לֵאמֹר: פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת הַמַּיִם בַּיַּמִּים, וְהָעוֹף יִרֶב בָּאָרֶץ. וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם חֲמִישִׁי". Today's Exercise Apply the work we have been doing on the ego to the world outside of ourselves. We can all relate to the hustle and bustle of pre-holiday preparations and shopping. We have a choice to either "focus on our own needs (ego)" or open our eyes to...

 

  תשליך מי אל כמוך H'shem's supernatural patience that even though he gives us life we sometimes use it against him, and he still tolerates it נושא עוון H'shem tolerates and feeds the monster we create ועובר על פשע H'shem cleans up the mess himself לשארית נחלתו He feels like he is a relative to us לא החזיק לעד אפו That even if technically H'shem should continue to be angry, he stops the anger כי חפץ חסד הוא The chesed that we do looms very large ישוב ירחמנו When we sin he brings us back closer than had we never sinned in the first place יִכְבֹּשׁ עֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ H'shem takes our aveiros and squashes them and the mitzvot shoot up to the heavens וְתַשְׁלִיךְ בִּמְצוּלוֹת יָם כָּל חַטֹּאתָם When we do Teshuvah, the evil that was supposed to come to us it boomerangs back (translation by Rabbi Daniel Glatstein)   The 13 Middot Harachamim   אֵל מֶלֶךְ יוֹשֵׁב עַל כִּסֵּא רַחֲמִים, מִתְנַהֵג בַּחֲסִידוּת, מוֹחֵל עֲוֹנוֹת עַמּוֹ, מַעֲבִיר רִאשׁוֹן רִאשׁוֹן, מַרְב...