More Than Words on a Page: Social Justice in our Prayer Books
When I left for college my freshman year, I was nervous about exploring a new Jewish community. However, I immediately felt at home as I walked into my university’s Hillel’s Conservative Friday night services and saw the Siddur Sim Shalom, the prayer book I had grown up with.
And Fly: A Poem for Counting the Omer
Count your things.
Add them up.
Amass a pile of More.
Grab and gather
in forty-nine steps,
the firsts
of your herd,
your horde
your heart.
Count them
in countless succession:
How Social Media Helps Me Keep Track of Jewish Time
When someone asked a friend of mine what his daughter enjoys most about living in Israel, he explained that she loves the way the country’s secular rhythms synch seamlessly with religious time in a way that doesn’t happen in North America. By way of example, he described Shabbat and holidays as characterized by closed shops, quiet streets, and low-key television programming.
What Will You Go to Bat for in 5776?
I enjoyed many trips to Nationals Park this summer to watch the Washington Nationals play, and I’ve been thinking a lot about baseball, our national pastime. I grew up with a love of the game because my dad is a diehard Chicago White Sox fan.
Can my fiancé and I get married between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur?
Although Jewish weddings may take place on the days in between the Jewish High Holidays, it is generally discouraged because during that period, also known as the Days of Awe, we are focused on the solemn themes of the season.
5 Last-Minute Ways to Work Civic Engagement Into Your High Holidays
This year, the High Holidays fall a month and a half before midterm elections, providing an opportunity for our community to reflect on the past year and make decisions about our future.
What’s Sephardic About the High Holidays?
What do dates, pomegranates, apples, spinach, squash, pumpkin, beets, scallions, and maybe even, the cheek meat of a fish have to do with Rosh HaShanah?
How to Declutter Your Soul During the High Holidays
The Days of Awe offer us opportunities to consider how we spend our days and what brings us joy. This work is precisely what we need to be doing at this season.
Two Musicians and a Liturgist: Creating Music for the New Year
Learn the backstory of how a new song, “Creation Sings,” grew from the collaboration among two musicians and a liturgist.
If Abraham Was on Social Media: Lessons for the High Holidays
I wondered recently about the patriarch Abraham’s Facebook page. Would he have posted selfies with Isaac? What would his page say about him? What do ours say about us?