Wholly Jewish: Noa: The Beauty of Taking Up Space
Why do we bless our children on Shabbat?
It is a Jewish custom for parents to bless their children on Shabbat.
Why do we say a blessing over the challah?
Jewish tradition calls for a b’rachah (blessing) expressing thanks to God before eating any food. It represents a recognition that people owe a measure of gratitude to God for providing food for all living things
Why is it traditional to use two challot on Shabbat?
Tradition holds that two whole challot should be used on Shabbat as a remembrance of the double portion of manna that fell in the desert so that no Jew should have to gather food on Shabbat (Exodus 16:22-32).
My new son-in-law has expressed interest in Judaism; where can we find a community that will welcome him and help him learn about Judaism?
Reform Jews are committed to the principle of inclusion.
What might I expect when making a shiva call? What should I bring?
Shiva is a time when we reminisce, remember, recapture memories of a loved one. As such, what we usually do during a condolence call is to listen to those memories that the mourner wishes to share or to talk about other subjects initiated by the mourner that may have nothing to do with his or her loss.
What is the Reform position on clergy officiating at the wedding of a Jew to a person brought up in a different faith?
I’m Jewish and my partner is not. We’d like to have a Jewish wedding and plan to raise a Jewish family. Will a Reform rabbi or cantor officiate at our wedding?
Do Reform Jews Believe in the Messiah?
In the Jewish prayer book, the siddur, there are references to an “end of days”: the Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt, the dead who were righteous will be resurrected, and a figure known as the Messiah, or in Hebrew the Moshiach, will restore Israel to new-found glory.
Stories We Tell: The Wooden Sword
Podcast: What’s in an A?
Learn what students do to achieve at school and what it does to their bodies, minds and spirits.