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The Elul Mitzvah Challenge: Join In!
In Pirkei Avot, the rabbis wrote, “Mitzvah goreret mitzvah, averah goreret averah,” one mitzvah (commandment/good deed) leads to another mitzvah, and one transgression leads to another transgression.
Take Action to Support Transparency in the Criminal Justice System!
The Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 (H.R. 1447) is crucial legislation that will provide much-needed transparency in the criminal justice system. The law would require and facilitate the collection of information regarding the deaths of prisoners in custody, alleviating the environment of suspicion, concern and mistrust that exists today in many racial and ethnic minority communities from coast to coast.
In December, 2013, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Death in Custody Reporting Act. The Senate must now introduce and pass a companion to H.R. 1447 before adjourning for the year so that the President can sign it into law.
Urge your Senators to introduce and pass this important legislation. Take action now!
When do you light yizkor (memorial) candles on Yom Kippur? Do you light candles only for immediate family members?
Rabbi Julie Zupan answers - When do you light yizkor (memorial) candles on Yom Kippur? Do you light candles only for immediate family members?
What Are Yom Kippur Yizkor Prayers?
Rabbi Dr. Richard Sarason answers, What Are Yom Kippur Yizkor Prayers?
Cakes and Miracles: A Purim Tale
Even though Hershel can no longer see, he remembers what things looked like before he lost his sight - and creates beautiful shapes from his mother’s hamentashen dough. His cookies earn him a compliment and a possible future job from the town baker.
11 Things to Know About a M'gillah Reading
Purim, a Jewish holiday in late winter, celebrates Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai and how they saved the Jews of Persia from an extermination plot by Haman, the king’s vizier. Central to the observance is a public reading – usually in the synagogue – of the Book of Esther (M’gillat Esther, the M’gillah), which tells the story of the holiday.
It's OK Not to Drink on Purim - and the Rest of Us Should Be Respectful of That
We're forbidden from pressuring other people to drink. On Purim and otherwise, what, exactly, can we do to respect those boundaries?
Galilee Diary: Remember Amalek
So, is our struggle against Amalek the eternal war of annihilation between Israel and its physical enemies - is every enemy an heir of Amalek whom we are commanded utterly to destroy - or is our struggle against the Amalek within, against the tendency to forget our own moralscruples when we attain power?
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.