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It’s vital to know the origins and evolution of Jewish rituals and customs. Only then can we make informed choices about what meaning, if any, they hold for us today.
Do Jews believe in life after death? What happens when we die? Do we see our loved ones? Do we know them? Do they know us? The questions are endless. Jewish wisdom offers no definitive answer....
Although we associate prayer with liturgy that our rabbis and sages developed over the centuries, the act of unscripted prayer is equally important and authentic to the Jewish...
Following tragedies, especially those that are manmade, people of all ages have questions about how a good God could let terrible tragedies happen.
Jewish Food for Thought is a series of animations that distill Jewish teachings into a form that is accessible, entertaining, funny, and fresh. Created by Hanan Harchol, with study guides...
When is the last time you genuinely apologized to someone for something you did? What makes an apology worthwhile? What steps do people need to take in order for an apology to be sincere? Do you...
Jewish lessons to help us liberate our lives to focus on what matters most.
Kabbalah (also spelled Kabalah, Cabala, Qabala)—sometimes translated as “mysticism” or “occult knowledge—is a part of Jewish tradition that deals with the essence of God. Whether it entails a...
Song is powerful as an expression of faith and spirit, adding an extra dimension to well-worded prose, whether in the Bible or other sacred texts, and even in our daily lives.
Jewish Food for Thought is a series of animations that distill Jewish teachings into a form that is accessible, entertaining, funny, and fresh. Created by Hanan Harchol, with study guides authored...
Jewish Food for Thought is a series of animations that distill Jewish teachings into a form that is accessible, entertaining, funny, and fresh. Created by Hanan Harchol, with study guides authored...
Jewish Food for Thought is a series of animations that distill Jewish teachings into a form that is accessible, entertaining, funny, and fresh. Created by Hanan Harchol, with study guides authored...
There is mounting evidence that "religion" and "science" are not adversaries but potential allies which, working together, can improve our lives and our world.
Lessons about faith in Auschwitz.
My soul is woven from the threads of the stories of all those who came before me.
The Hanukkah miracle is, at its essence, a miracle of the spirit, offering us an opportunity to open our hearts.
It is said that we humans can't understand the meaning of our lives any better than fish in an aquarium can understand their own. Confined to our own environment, we cannot escape to an outside...
I was two-and-a-half when my parents packed our few possessions and moved from a kibbutz on the banks of the Sea of Galilee to the promised land of New Jersey - where my father, a nuclear physicist...
What is God’s Name?
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Nine Jewish thinkers of diverse ages and backgrounds reflect on the Jewish teachings that inspire them to take an accounting of their souls, how they take stock of their actions, and which life...
A Reform Judaism of substance is a life path that links the past to the future through the wilderness of our lives.
I have written over and over again that the purpose of prayer is to change us, not to change God. How has this theology stood up to my current medical crisis? As I had requested, my physicians...
The God who suffered and wept with us during the Holocaust is my God. To say this is a statement of faith, and admittedly not grounded on scientific proof. But that does not make it any the less...
I was born to Jewish parents who modeled goodness, esteemed intellectual honesty, and conveyed a clear sense of right and wrong, but they never spoke to me of God. My father, who valued rational...
A. OverviewThis Reform Judaism Focus section, "Drawing Near to God," invites you to consider your understanding of God, encourages you to explore preconceptions about whether and how God is...
Reform Jews in congregations across the continent are now embracing a Jewish spiritual practice formulated in 19th-century Lithuania.
Three stages of practice-attention, action, and transformation-can guide us toward our highest spiritual potential.Recently, my wife Bev had a hip replaced. For three weeks after surgery she couldn...
Three years ago I was asked to deliver the d'var Torah for a "Men's Service" at the Union's Houston Biennial-a service that would focus specifically on men's spiritual issues. While I was honored...
When my children were born, all I knew is that I wanted to be a good mother to them- create a safe and loving home, expose them to their Jewish heritage, and help them to develop into human beings...
In 2004 a dear friend asked me to join a Musar group she was forming. Frankly, I was reluctant to embark on something new because I had become an expert at finding distractions to keep me from...
Rabbi Jack H. Bloom, a practicing psychologist in Connecticut, is director of Professional Career Review for the Central Conference of American Rabbis and editor of Jewish Relational Care A-Z: We...
On Friday nights you can find me leading services at Temple Shearith Israel in Ridgefield, Connecticut. But on Sunday summer afternoons chances are I'll be waist-deep in a cold-water stream,...
A conversation with Rabbi Mike Comins, Rabbi Kevin Kleinman, Rabbi Jamie Korngold, and Rabbi Owen Gottlieb. Our biblical ancestors first experienced God in the wilderness. What did they know that...
An examination of Einstein's religious upbringing and changes in religious perspectives over the years to understand what Einstein really believed and what he can teach us about faith.
Alan Morinis is the founding director of The Mussar Institute, and the author of the books Climbing Jacob's Ladder and Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar as...
In 2010, Eric Kershner, 17, a member and recent confirmand of Congregation Kol Ami (CKA) in Flower Mound, Texas, wanted to do an Eagle Scout project for his synagogue. Reviewing a list of potential...
What is love? The word is used in so many ways, and it is so fundamental to Judaism, yet its meaning is so elusive that it is often difficult to know what it actually means to say that you love...
Late in the evening of September 28, 2009, following very introspective and rewarding Yom Kippur services at Congregation Ohabai Shalom in Nashville, I took a hot shower and then stood, wrapped in...
A rabbi shares what happened when he presented his congregants with a survey about the existence and nature of God.
