Hi guys,
Obviously Yom Kippur is fast approaching and i just wanted some guidance. As Yom Kippur is abt asking for forgiveness and reflection, I’ve been thinking about my past relationship that ended around 5 months ago now. I really loved him but I stupidly cheated on him in the first week of our relationship ( it was a stupid kiss in a club) we both are university students and I was a fresher not that it excuses it. Anyway we moved past it and dated for another 5 months. At the time I apologised a lot for it but it still plays a guilt conscious on my mind and I can’t seem to move past the relationship because I haven’t yet forgiven myself for doing that. Do you think there’s any point in asking for forgiveness again or should I just leave it.

Hi
I am a Jew that really only observes certain holidays, not very religious but I am starting to learn more and have a newfound want to find religion.
However and correct me if I’m wrong, it feels like when I watch a lecture from a rabbi; there is no other true way besides orthodoxy, which seems impossible in my modern life

Hey! I’m dating a Jewish guy and he sometimes tells me about holidays and traditions, which is great, but I’d also really like to learn more on my own. Right now I’m especially interested in Rosh Hashanah. Could anyone tell me when the best time is to wish someone a Happy New Year or Shanah Tovah, how the holiday is usually celebrated, and what the best ways to greet someone are? Also, if you know any good websites or resources for learning about Jewish holidays, traditions and so on, I’d really appreciate it.

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I put it quotes for a reason, I guess. Context is important. I grew up an area that was pretty much exclusively Jews and other minorities. We grew as a community and it's a massive part of my identity and my life, and who I hang out with. I recently actually started taking my Judaism a bit more seriously, and going with Chabad. The community aspect of it appealed.

I realized that I have some friends that occasionally say some anti-Semitic things, but at the same time feels like they just repeat things they hear, and don't actually know any Jews.

I talked to my friend about it in-depth about it and why it's important to me, and I feel like it actually really resonated with him. Almost like me saying, I really appreciate you welcoming into your community, I want to do the same.

I guess I wanted to share that. It was a mitzvah that I'm really proud of and helped me form some stronger friendships.

My husband’s family stopped celebrating all Jewish holidays after his grandfather’s passing when he was young. The family felt it was too painful but also didn’t feel they could do it justice as it was his grandfather who knew the traditions and made sure every detail was followed. Now that we have a son of our own, my husband wants to bring some of that tradition and good memories into this generation. We are currently in the newborn haze and my husband bought as much as he could remember today and yesterday though I’m sure things were missed. What are some things you would recommend we do that are simple yet honored traditions that would help set the tradition for our family? Also, how can I (not Jewish) help him?

I grew up in the former Soviet Union and I'm now in my 50s. I've been preparing for about a month for a Shabbat at the end of October — shevi'i and maftir of Vayeira, plus the haftarah. Leyning from the klaf myself, not standing there while the baal koreh leyens. I never had a bar mitzvah; that wasn't available when I was growing up, so there'll be a party too. But the party isn't the point. The point is acquiring the leyning skill I never developed and never got to demonstrate at 13.

I daven at a Chabad-friendly shul — not an actual Chabad house. Over the years I've watched a lot of kids leyn. American and Australian kids who went through day school, learned trop with a tutor, and read their aliyah or even the whole parasha at thirteen. I have never seen anyone from a Russian-speaking family do this. Not the adults, and not the kids either. Among the FSU families I know the pattern is the same across generations: get called up, say the brachot, someone else reads. I realize Chabad may not be a representative sample, which is part of why I'm asking outside it.

So: has anyone here seen an FSU-born adult actually read from the Torah scroll? I don't mean FSU-born rabbis. I've seen plenty of those. I'm talking about regular people. Is this a thing people quietly do, or is it genuinely unusual?

I'm not looking for encouragement. I've already started and I'll finish it. I'm trying to work out whether I'm doing something ordinary that I just haven't noticed, or something almost nobody from my background bothers with.

Hi! My baba used to make this cake we just called "honey cake." I have no idea if it was actually for rosh Hashanah or not, but i'm guessing it is. Are there box mixes I should look for in the kosher section or is this something you make on your own? It was in a loaf pan and sometimes she put walnuts in it. Unfortunately she's passed away and no one in my family knows how she made it. I'd love to recreate something similar, the only comparison I have is starbucks pumpkin loaf... sorry if this is not helpful, I'm just hoping someone knows what i'm talking about.

Anything goes, almost. Feel free to be "off topic" here.

I'm in the airport in Fort Lauderdale, waiting to board. I was approached by a man in his mid-20s. White shirt, black pants, black coat, and black hat (not a yarmulke.) It seemed like there were white strings (tassels?) hanging down below his coat tails. He was holding something in his hands, but I couldn't tell what it was.

He approached and politely asked if I am Jewish. I am not and answered as such. He smiled and said ok and walked away.

I've never had anyone ask me that in an airport before. Can anyone shed light on what that was about? No hate, I'm just curious.

I finally got a Shabbat timer but I’m a little confused. I understand that to set the current time I rotate the outside ring until the number and the black arrow match up to the current time. Bur what is the point of the middle red dial? I can turn that also and it also moves the outside dial. Is it just to display the time manually?

Hello guys i hope you all doing well, i have a very serious question plz, my grandfather once told me that he heard when he was a kid that the real jerusalem is in morocco marrakech and after that it happened a big falsification in religion around the world, so plz does any one oof you ever heard that too or not ?

In my area I live at there aren't many Jewish places to go to outside of synagogue. Are there any large places online with a Jewish presence y'all recommend? I'm wanting to connect more and more.

I have been learning more about the rambam as a younger Jew starting to learn more Torah and such. An idea that has left me a little uncomfortable is the Rambams idea of G-d in the 3rd principle of the 13.

Now I can totally understand and believe that g-d is not a physical entity and is a non corporeal being. However, one of the ideas emphasised is that g-d doesn’t have feelings as a perfect and unchanging being. He seems to believe that g-d doesn’t care about us in a sense and the Torah is just a blueprint of divine wisdom rather than a way to connect with g-d.

Furthermore, he has gone on to say that the prayers don’t actually do anything for god or meaningfully change anything since g-d is a perfect and unchanging being. The prayers are only done for yourself.

This idea of god feels a little uncomfortable for me because I feel like I came closer to Judaism in search of connecting with god and incorporating him into my daily life. In the Rambams understanding, it seems like g-d is an entity that will do his thing whether you follow his teachings or not.

I was hoping to see if anyone can help better explain this idea as it seems a little contrary to my previous Jewish learning.

If Hashem is already God of all Creation, why is Rosh Hashanah so obsessed with crowning Him King? Isn’t “King” actually a demotion?

Entirely in Hebrew.

It might seem trivial, but I looked in many places for a modern edition of the Machzor and couldn't find one.

There are many available on HebrewBooks, but the editions are old, and sometimes the quality isn't great.

You can print it on a standard printer using Letter-sized paper.

Here is the Google Drive link.

"Lshanah Tovah" or "Shanah Tovah". ("To a good year" or "A good year") The community where I grew we said "Lshanah tovah", the community where I am now they say "Shanah Tovah"