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YK: Confusing the Internal & External Batteries

For about a half year now, my laptop battery has been charging less and less, until its gotten to the point that I can only use it while its plugged in. Finally I ordered a replacement battery online, but wh

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YK: Knots Tighten & Shorten the Rope

The verse says “Jacob’s heritage is like a rope.” Tanya’s Igeres HaTeshuvah explains that our relationship with G-d is like a very thick cable made of 613 strings. Each Mitzvah is an

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YK: Sailor at Helm or with Anchor?

Ki Hinei KaChomer is one of the beautiful poems of the Kol Nidrei/Maariv Yom Kippur service. Each stanza uses a metaphor of a different hands-on occupation to illustrate how our lives are “in

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YK: Search Here!

“you’ll seek G-d from where you are, and you’ll find Him…”

One Saturday night Moe found Joe on all fours searching on the floor under the street-lamp, ab

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YK: R’ Meir of Rothenberg’s Ransom Refusal

Salachti is a Yom-Kippur eve Selichot written by Rabbi Meir of Rothenberg (1215-1305) who was imprisoned by the local authorities, and refused ransom in the fear that this would become nor

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YK: Establish Relationship First

There are some repeated patters in the Yom Kippur service. Ever notice how Kee Anu Amecha always precedes the Ashamnu? But not by much, its just a few paragraphs prior.

Ki Anu Am

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That fateful Yom Kippur

On midday of the day before Yom Kippur this year, an alumni wrote us this deeply touching Facebook message:

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2 New things for Yom Kippur 5775 2014 at UAlbany

There are 2 things we’re doing this Yom-Kippur that we haven’t done before:

(1) What are you really praying for? Underneath and between everything else? Part of the long prayer is an effor