Someone has already taken the blame for all of our wrongdoing. But we must acknowledge him as God’s scapegoat, the atonement for our sins.

When a third of Jewish Americans born after 1980 describe themselves as having no religion, how many of us will make an appearance at temple for the High Holidays this year?

We are proud when a Jewish athlete succeeds, but a few have gained even more respect for refusing to play ball on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg recalled his 1934 decision: Both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur came in...

If you journeyed back in time 3,500 years and saw Jewish life as our forefathers lived it, you would be astounded at how vastly it differed from today’s practices. Instead of synagogues and Jewish community centers, you would witness a tent-like tabernacle, or...

I still remember vividly the Day of Atonement from my tenth year. Though I was not yet bar mitzvah, I insisted that I, too, would fast and take part in the synagogue services, despite my parents’ objections. After all, I wanted my sins forgiven! With childish...

It was Yom Kippur. I was twelve, and I was fasting for the first time. I woke up early that morning, feeling especially holy and begging my parents to hurry and get dressed. I wanted to be in synagogue to spend the day praying and fasting like other Jews. We sat side...