Shabbat Shirah
Aromatic Clementine Lanterns - Bundles of Bounty and Beauty
Planting “Trees” to Fulfill the Dream of Israel’s Founders
Tu BiShvat (Jewish Arbor Day) is the time of year when Israeli schoolchildren plant trees. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that a teacher instituted the tree-planting custom.
Wildfire Recovery: A Tu BiShvat Tale
When a wildfire leveled my home when I was 20, I fell into a deep depression. Later, when I began to re-engage, I started to associate my emergence with Tu BiShvat.
On this Tu Bishvat and MLK Day, Address Environmental Injustice
This year, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Tu Bishvat (the Jewish "New Year of the Trees") both occur on January 21, 2019, and the 15th of Shvat 5779.
How We're "Rooting" Reform Judaism in the Sands of Holon
Miraculously, a delicate network of threads is emerging amongst us, linking us heart to heart.
Blessing children
The tradition of parents blessing their children on Friday nights as the Sabbath begins. The words for the blessing come from the Priestly Benediction in the Torah (Numbers 6:24-26).
Motzi
The blessing recited over bread and any meal that includes bread. This blessing thanks God for bringing forth bread from the earth.
Shabbat shalom
Literally, “Sabbath of peace.” Shabbat shalom is the customary greeting on Shabbat.
Arbaah minim
Literally, “four species.” The Torah specifies four species to bring together on Sukkot. The four species are: lulav (branches of palm trees), etrog (citron), hadasim (myrtle branches), and aravot (willows) (Leviticus 23:40).