Elul Stories

I began going through the stages of grief. I couldn’t function for the first day. When day three arrived, I stopped missing my phone, and that’s when the really crazy stuff happened.

A wealthy merchant bought a wonderful candelabra for his home. It was a masterpiece, made of pure crystal and studded with precious stones. It cost a real fortune...

How are we to reconcile the loftiness of Rosh Hashanah with the mundane subject of a significant part of its prayers? Chanah's prayer offers the response to this profound question.

The tantalizing smell of freshly baked kichlech and fresh herring could not be ignored. "…What on earth is the rabbi going to do with the refreshments at this hour?"

When the two pupils approached, they saw their master sitting in the snow, weeping and praying. They hurriedly departed from that place.

The Baal Shem Tov told them to shut their eyes and not open them until he tells them to. Then he placed his right hand on the shoulder of the disciple to his right, and his left on the disciple sitting there. The circle was closed . . .

Song of Songs on Friday evening in the little Moroccan shul on Shimshon Street in Jerusalem is a string of multiple solo performances.

One day, the Kaiser of Austria came to visit the Czar of Russia...

What is the meaning of repentance? Joseph and Benny find out when they follow their Dad to shul…

"Today is the day before Rosh Hashanah," his Zeide explained. "Today we do not blow Shofar. Tomorrow morning, we will blow the shofar in shul." The child did not comprehend the reasons. He kicked and screamed, telling his Zeide, "One more blast! One more blast!"