Food for the Spirit: Inspirational Lessons from the Yom Kippur Service is Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld's fresh look at the holiest day of the Jewish year.
Rabbi Herzfeld remembers the Yom Kippur of his childhood, surrounded by the mournful cries of fellow worshippers, and he grew up seeing it as a purely solemn day. In this book he shows another side: Yom Kippur is not a day of mourning but a day of celebration. According to the Talmud, it is the happiest day of the Jewish year. He explains why, and explores what this approach means for our whole religious life.
Since 2004 Rabbi Herzfeld has been the rabbi of Ohev Sholom, The National Synagogue, the oldest Orthodox synagogue in Washington, DC. Published by Gefen in 2014, this hardcover is a good companion for anyone preparing for the High Holy Days.
Shmuel Herzfeld is the rabbi of Ohev Sholom The National Synagogue, the oldest Orthodox synagogue in Washington, DC. His communal responsibilities include teaching classes, attending to the elderly, the youth, and the sick, and ministering to the pastoral needs of the congregation, which currently includes more than 375 families. He received rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, an affiliate of Yeshiva University, and a master s degree in Jewish history from Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University. From 1999 to 2004, Rabbi Herzfeld was associate rabbi at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, where he was mentored by Rabbi Avi Weiss. His first book was Fifty-Four Pick Up: Fifteen-Minute Inspirational Torah Lessons. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Dr. Rhanni Herzfeld (a neurologist), and children Lea, Roey, Elai, Max, Shia, Kolbi, and Bear.
