Anat's Prayer for Israel
Last week, Orlando, FL, was not only the home of Disneyland, but also home to one of the largest Jewish gatherings in North America - the Union for Reform Judaism’s Biennial convention.
Resources for Celebrating Shabbat Tzedek
On the weekend of January 15-18, the Reform Jewish Movement will commemorate the legacy of the civil rights movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with its annual observance of Shabbat Tzedek.
Why a Reform Rabbi Became an Uber Driver – and What It Taught Him
To prepare for the High Holidays this year, I did what any rabbi would do: I went undercover as an Uber driver.
Our Shabbat: It May Not Be Perfect, but It’s Perfect for Us
As the working mom of three kids, a five-year-old and two-and-a-half-year-old twins, most of my week-day mornings go something like this:
Remembering My Shamash
It’s the fourth day of Hanukkah and already my hanukkiyah is covered in wax. It drips down the arms and covers the base and gets stuck where the candles are supposed to be placed.
Call for Submissions for New Shabbat Anthology
Transcontinental Music Publications, now a division of the American Conference of Cantors, invites composers to submit new musical settings of Shabbat texts for consideration for one of its first new projects, Shabbat Anthology Volume VIII.
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.
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:
The Unique Contributions of Women and Men Are All Needed
According to Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, or Nachmanides; 1194-1270), this week’s Torah portion, Vayak’heil, is properly understood as the necessary reconciliation between the Israelite people, on one side, and God and Moses, on the other, after the devastation of the Golden Calf episode. Ramban reads the opening phrase, “Moses then convoked the whole Israelite community (Ex. 35:1), as Moses rebuilding and healing the community through the inclusion and involvement of all ...