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Hasidic Thought

Hoshana Rabbah: Delivering Judgment and Night of the Dead

On Rosh Hashanah, our judgment is written; on Yom Kippur, it is sealed; and on Hoshana Rabbah, it is sent out to be fulfilled. It is said that on the night of Hoshana Rabbah, those judged to die that year will lose their shadows. Sefer Chasidim relates that, in a final plea for forgiveness, even the spirits of the dead rise from their graves to pray for the living.

Dr.

Emilie Amar-Zifkin

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God’s Absence

In the Bible, God’s appearance is a blessing, while God’s hidden face is a punishment. But does that mean we've been punished for millennia? Chasidic masters offer a profound reinterpretation: God’s absence is a divine invitation—calling those who are willing to seek God out, to forge a deeper connection.

Rabbi

David Wolpe

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Arousing the Truth with Malachi and the Piacezner Rebbe

Dr.

Aviva Gottlieb Zornberg

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How Did Abraham Discover God? The Experiential Approach

The midrashic Parable of the Illuminated Palace concerns Abraham and the existence of God. In Part 1, we looked at Maimonides rationalistic, Aristotelian approach. Alternative interpretations focus on the idea of an experiential, living relationship with God.

Dr. Rabbi

Seth (Avi) Kadish

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The Problem of Relativism and Rav Kook's Concept of "Perfectible Perfection"

Prof.

Tamar Ross

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A Hasidic Matan Torah

The Revelation of the Divine Voice Within 

Yoel S.

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The Exodus Story Is an Outer Garment

Rabbi

Herzl Hefter

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The Smashing of the Luchot as a Paradigm Shift

Rabbi

Herzl Hefter

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The Nature of Human Faith

Dr. Rabbi

Zev Farber

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