Rosh Chodesh
A Virtual Family Hanukkah Celebration
This year, I had an incredible Hanukkah experience with my family even though we live nowhere near each other. It all started with the realization that it’s possible to have multiple people on video chat. This sparked an idea to get the extended family together for the holiday.
Creating an Interfaith Extended Family: How to Be A Good In-Law
Even During Winter Break, Every Day Is Jewish
It’s school vacation, the end of the calendar year, and for many it is family vacation time. Why write a blog entry during school vacation?
The End of Genesis . . . But Only the Beginning of Our People's Story
This Shabbat, we conclude the Book of Genesis with Parashat Va-y'chi. Whenever we finish reading a book, even a book of Torah, it is important to reflect on where we have been, what we have covered since the beginning of the book.
The Jewish Moral Virtues and The Book of Jewish Values, by Eugene B. Borowitz, Frances Weinman Schwartz, and Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
A New Moment to Come Together Against Islamophobia
This week, the Jewish community celebrates Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, a holy day that continues through today.* While we in the Jewish community are celebrating a new month, the Muslim community is observing Eid al-Fitr, one of two Muslim festival holidays commemorating the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of the month of Shawwal.
This confluence of celebrations is bound to happen because both Judaism and Islam follow a lunar calendar. But even the fundamental fact that both faith traditions follow a lunar calendar is an important reminder that we have more in common than what makes us different. The coinciding holidays remind us to celebrate the similarities of our faith traditions, exploring the values, teachings, or practices that unite us.
Joseph: Mensch or Menace?
With this week’s Torah portion, we enter the final four (Torah portions, that is) of the Book of Genesis.