The Importance of Challah
This week’s Torah portion includes the story of sending the scouts to Canaan and a number of laws about sacrifices and communal and individual wrongs.
Checkout-Line Blessings at the Israeli Supermarket
Although Israel is filled with many religious people, most supermarket visits don’t come with a side of checkout-line-blessings like the ones I witnessed recently.
Cold: Prayer for a Chilly Shabbat
Snow days can be fun; not so this kind of cold. It was colder in Chicago this week than it was in the North Pole.
A Jewish Response to Political Scandal
As we witness public figures dismantled by the revelation of ugly episodes from their pasts, we parents must distill these events and their aftermath for our children.
A New Jew Showing up for Shabbat with a Resolute Welcome
There’s nothing unique about my grief following the murders in Pittsburgh except that the fear imbedded in it is new to me.
What Can We Learn from a Chasidic Melody?
Nigunim, wordless melodies, can take numerous forms: some are fast and energetic, others are ponderous and slow, still others dance back and forth between joy and sorrow.
Why I Observed Havdalah Alone - and What it Taught Me
https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/shabbat
Havdalah isn’t much fun when I’m by myself, but I do it anyway.
Blessings and Customs for Shabbat
The Challenge of Holding God Close While Keeping Fear at Bay
The poet Yehuda Amichai writes: I don’t want an invisible god... I want a god who is seen... , so I can lead him around and tell him what he doesn’t see… ... In this week’s portion, Ki Tisa, we reconnect with this unfinished storyline at the beginning of Exodus 32. While Moses tarries atop Mount Sinai, the people down below are losing their patience: