Vegan Borscht
Vegan Challah
Round challah symbolizes the cycle of the year and are traditional for Rosh HaShanah; challot are traditionally braided for Shabbat. Either way, the key to delicious challah is kneading the dough.
Bread Kugel with Dried Fruit and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Combines many of the flavors and foods found in Spain and Portugal with the classic technique for making a bread kugel.
The Universe Sent Me a Shabbat Message
My daughter graduated from high school Saturday. The weather changed from cold and rainy to a sunny 80 degree day. The plague of cicadas awaited for 17 years and due to arrive by now were yet to emerge from the ground.
The Roots of Shabbat
According to traditional Jewish belief, the Sabbath has its origin in God’s divine command to observe the seventh day as a day of rest and sanctification.
The Seder of Welcoming Shabbat
Dr. Ron Wolfson, in his book, Shabbat: The Family Guide to Preparing for and Celebrating the Sabbath, appropriately notes that while there are specific rituals that are part of every Shabbat, each Shabbat experience is different.
Sacrifice: A Poem for the Akedah
Genesis 22:1-24, the story of God testing Abraham by instructing him to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah, is known as the Akedah.
Reflecting Back and Projecting Forward: A Look at the Music of Our Shabbat Services
Just as God's relationships with key characters in the Torah (e.g., Moses, our forefathers and foremothers) are unique, so are our relationships to Jewish music vastly different in the way we each respond, as sounds vibrate within us and echo through our souls.
It’s Hard to be a Jew at Christmas, But Even Harder on Tu BiSh’vat
It is a truth universally acknowledged that it can be difficult to be Jewish at Christmas time. It has seeped into North American cultural consciousness so thoroughly that South Park even wrote a song about it, complete with trademark expletives.
The Sacred Act of Unplugging: For Our Kids, For Ourselves
My 6-year-old son recently staged a one-man play in our kitchen. It had a simple plot – a mom with her face buried in her phone, tapping away at the keys while a kid tries to get her attention. “Tap, tap, tap… Mom. Mom. Mom…. tap, tap, tap. Mom, Mom, Mom. Tap, tap, tap. MOM! MOM!