Hal Miller

Shemini Atzeret - 5787 Rabbi Hal Miller Taking Leave of the Succah The Torah commands us to celebrate Succot for seven days [Devarim 16:13,15]. It also commands us an additional concluding day, in both Vayikra [23:39] ("the first day is a rest day and the eighth day is a rest day") and Bamidbar [29:35] ("on the eighth day an atzeret shall be for you"). Why do we "take leave of the succah" on the afternoon of this day of Shemini Atzeret, eighth day atzeret, instead of the en

Succot - 5787 Rabbi Hal Miller I have certainly built for You an abode, a foundation for Your dwelling forever. [Malachim I 8:13] Our verse comes from the second day Haftorah reading and is spoken by Shlomo Hamelech, King Solomon. Why would we be reading about a zvul, a permanent abode, on Succot, the holiday where we make for ourselves a very temporary dwelling? The Hebrew at the end here, machon lishivtcha olamim (a foundation for Your dwelling forever), is also found in

Shabbat Parashat Haazinu - 5787 Rabbi Hal Miller He found him in a desert land and in the wastes of a howling wilderness, He encircled him, He made him comprehending, He guarded him like the pupil of his eye. [Devarim 32:10] This verse is a parable with many parts, as is Moshe's entire song. What is this verse telling us? Beginning with an understanding of who are the players, Moshe is here describing to us some things that God was doing with regard to the nation of Isr

Rosh Hashanah - 5787 Tashlich Rabbi Hal Miller One should go to the river to say the verse v'tashlich b'mitzulot yam kol chatoteinu, you will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins. [Rama to Orach Chaim 583:2] This verse, from Micah 7:19 that Rama is citing actually reads chatotam, "all their sins" as opposed to chatoteinu, "all our sins", but the purpose of the Rama is the same. There is a very widespread custom on or shortly after Rosh Hashanah to go to a body of

Rosh Hashanah - 5787 Rabbi Hal Miller We have all witnessed people in the congregation on Rosh Hashanah crying all but hysterically, loud enough to interrupt the concentration of everyone else. They make the excuse that this is somehow a more powerful form of prayer of repentance. Is this allowed? We begin by asking, what is prayer? It is a personal connection between an individual and God. In order to reinforce that connection, Shulchan Aruch [101:2] states the halacha that:

Shabbat Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilech - 5786 Rabbi Hal Miller Not with you alone do I forge this covenant and this oath but with whoever is here, ​ standing with us today, before Hashem our God, and with​ whoever is not here with ​ us today. [​Devarim 29:​13-14] ​How can someone bind others in a covenant? In particular here, each person is binding his wife, his existing children and his future descendants for all generations. None of them are participating in this decision.