Life as a Banquet: A Thanksgiving Prayer
This original prayer is a reminder to all of us to rejoice in life's blessings and to share the bounty of God's gifts.
How Do You Spell Hanukkah?
Because Hanukkah is a Hebrew word, there is no one correct way to translate the spelling of the word into English. So what spelling is best?
Kindling the Lights of Peace: A Meditation for Shabbat Candle-Lighting
A Prayer for After Elections
A Blessing for Voting – and Why It Matters So Much
Our Jewish tradition helps us mark many sacred acts with blessings. Why not a blessing for voting?
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?
Why do we celebrate Tu BiShvat, the Jewish “New Year of the Trees,” in the middle of winter?
Tu BiShvat, called the "New Year of the Trees," falls at a seemingly incongruous time of year.
Why is caring for the environment emphasized on Tu BiShvat?
Tu BiShvat is a minor festival whose provenance dates only to the time of the Second Temple. However, the kabbalists who clustered around the great fifteenth-century mystic Isaac Luria of Safed placed great weight on the holiday, creating new festivities, gatherings at which hymns were sung, fruit (particularly carob) was eaten, and four cups of wine were taken (as in the Passover seder).
Is the Child of an Interfaith Couple Considered Jewish?
Historically, since the Rabbinic period (post 70 CE), Jewish status was passed down by the mother.