Finding Shabbat When the Holiday’s Magic Seems to Have Disappeared
When my son Sammy was in preschool, Shabbat was magical.
An Atheist’s Continued Shabbat Traditions
Someone new recently joined my weekly atheist meet-up group, so the subject came up again: What was your former religion? When and why did you stop believing?
Saying “Yes” to a Different Kind of Shabbat
It’s Shabbat morning. The air is clear and cold, but the sun is shining, without a cloud in the sky. I’m standing on a hill, looking down at a farm; a few hawks circle overhead.
Shabbat: A Break from Busyness as Usual
There is so much left at the end of the day for which I have no time or energy that I often wonder if I'll be able to get to some of the projects on my to-do list before Pesach.
What Does Mark Zuckerberg's Shirt Have to Do With Jewish Teachings?
In a recent interview, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was asked why he wears the same shirt everyday.
The Shalom of Shabbat
We live in a world in which we are constantly overworked, overtired, and overstressed, leaving us with the feeling that we have so much to accomplish and not enough time to do it all.
We Get to Be Jewish
Growing up the child of a Jew-by-choice, everything about Judaism was a choice for us. For my mother, Judaism was a gift. She felt very proud to count herself among the Jewish people. She felt blessed to have the opportunity to do Jewish things.
Giving Thanks for #GivingTuesday
Thanksgiving used to be a day unto itself; now we have a whole Thanksgiving season! Americans' shopping habits brought us catchily-named, add-on "holidays" like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.
Discovering Israel Beyond Its Borders
Growing up in rural Massachusetts, Judaism held a much different context in my life than it does now. Until college, I did Judaism, mimicking the motions of being a "good Jew." I didn't combine milk and meat in my house because my father told me not to.
A Reflection on Yom HaShoah: What My Mother Taught Me About Spiritual Resistance
Holocaust Remembrance and Heroism Day (Yom HaShoah v’tag’vurah, commonly called Yom HaShoah) not only memorializes the six million Jews murdered but honors those Jews who took up arms against the Nazis.