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Curated Torah sources across every topic, from classical texts to contemporary responsa.
The Two Goats of Yom Kippur
Sources explore the ritual of the two goats on Yom Kippur—one offered to God and one sent to Azazel in the wilderness—examining how each atones for Israel's sins, the confession of transgressions, and the spiritual significance of removing sin through the scapegoat's dispatch.
וְהִתְוַדָּה עָלָיו אֶת־כׇּל־עֲוֺנֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
The Shofar's Call to Repentance on Rosh Hashanah
Sources explore the shofar as a spiritual instrument that awakens the soul to return to God on Rosh Hashanah. Biblical passages present the shofar as a summons to collective and personal teshuvah, while classical and Hasidic teachings elaborate how its sound transforms judgment into mercy and recalls the divine voice of covenant.
עוּרוּ יְשֵׁנִים מִשְּׁנַתְכֶם
Yom Kippur's Intrinsic Atonement and Repentance
Jewish sources explore whether Yom Kippur itself atones for all sins regardless of repentance, or whether repentance is a necessary condition for atonement. The sources present competing interpretations of this question across the rabbinic and medieval traditions.
יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים מְכַפֵּר בֵּין עָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה בֵּין לֹא עָשָׂה
Staying Awake on Shavuot Night
Sources explain the custom of remaining awake throughout Shavuot night to study Torah, rooted in the Zohar's concept of tikkun (spiritual rectification) and the Midrashic account that the Israelites slept before receiving the Torah at dawn. This practice has been codified by major halakhic authorities as a widespread observance.
קִדַּ֣מְתִּי בַ֭נֶּשֶׁף וָאֲשַׁוַּ֑עָה לִדְבָרְךָ֥ יִחָֽלְתִּי