Parshat Nitzavim: Choosing Choice by Rabbi Noson Weisz

Rosh Hashanah celebrates the gift of free will. My rebbe, Rabbi Yitchok Hutner of blessed memory, characterized Rosh Hashana as the holiday that celebrates the gift of bechira , free will. Rosh Hashana is the Day of Judgment and there cannot be judgment without choice. The greatest possible acknowledgement of the importance and power of human choice is God’s willingness to sit in judgment and carefully weigh the merits of man’s decisions.

Louis Armstrong And The Jewish Family by M. Rosenzweig

Louis Armstrong, popularly known as “Satchmo”, was a towering, influential and beloved jazz musician. His career spanned five decades and different eras in the history of jazz. And for most of his adult life, the Baptist wore a Star of David necklace, the quintessential symbol of Judaism.

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