Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. ―Joel 2:13a Joel 2:13 is a verse that is heard each year within the first reading of Ash Wednesday Mass. The verse reminds Bible ...

This brief yet stirring passage from the prophet Hosea is paired with selections from Joel and Micah (in many Ashkenazi communities, though there are different customs), forming a tapestry of ...

In case you’ve ever wondered why services for the High Holy Days are so boring, you can blame the prophet Joel: The people purify themselves – and then they stand there. And stand there. And stand ...

It felt too prescient. Pesach approaching and the people huddled in their homes, hoping the destroyer would not enter (Exodus 12:23). From multiple directions they came, a mighty swarm of missiles and ...

The Book of Joel furnished one of the texts for the first sermon after Pentecost (Acts 2:16–21), but preachers have not frequently followed Peter’s lead since. The absence of some of the great ...