Category: Every Day

How to Manage Distractions During the Amidah

How to Manage Distractions During the Amidah

Getting distracted during the Amidah and prayer is normal. But what do I do about it? There are a number of approaches that might work.
December 18, 2024 Amidah Every Day
The Eight Steps to Learn to Lead a Prayer Service

The Eight Steps to Learn to Lead a Prayer Service

Interested in leading services for your community? This guide will help you, step by step, take on this amazing communal role.
December 5, 2024 Community Every Day
Tanakh Yomi: The Beauty Of Daily Study

Tanakh Yomi: The Beauty Of Daily Study

Every person’s study experience with Tanakh is simultaneously unique and unifying. May we all learn and grow together in the days to come.
, October 22, 2024 Every Day Learning
Why Do Jews Pray 3 Times a Day?

Why Do Jews Pray 3 Times a Day?

Our tradition mandates we pray three times a day, but why? There are 2 theories. But, we might ask: What does it mean to pray?
October 21, 2024 Afternoon Prayers (Mincha) Evening Service (Ma'ariv)
How Hearing the Torah Reading Can Change Your Life

How Hearing the Torah Reading Can Change Your Life

So the next time you hear the Torah being read, I invite you to: listen deeply, engage with the text, and let it transform you.
September 25, 2024 Morning Service (Shacharit) Prayer
A Social Justice Harachaman

A Social Justice HaRachaman

God wants us to act and open our hearts. This prayer reminds us that when we do justice work, we are doing G!d’s work.
September 23, 2024 Blessings Daily Living
CARING FOR CREATION PRAYER

Caring For Creation Prayer

A short prayer, inspired by and quoting the Prophet Isaiah, connecting us to nature, the environment, and all of creation.
, September 23, 2024 Climate and Environment High Holidays
Reflections on Death (1973)

Reflections on Death (1973)

Heschel writes in 1973 in "Reflections on Death": Life here and now is the task. Every moment can be an achievement.
September 22, 2024 CJ Journal - 1945-1959 Confronting Death
Introduction to the Kaddish: For Those who Died in the Israeli War (1957)

Introduction to the Kaddish: For Those who Died in the Israeli War (1957)

Written by S.Y. Agnon in the Conservative Judaism Journal for those who died in the War of 1948, these words are especially fitting today.
September 20, 2024 CJ Journal - 1945-1959 Conservative Judaism Journal
Redirecting My Heart to God: My Powerful Sh'ma Intention

Redirecting My Heart to God: My Powerful Sh’ma Intention

Through using this personal kavannah, a spiritual intention, the recitation of the Sh'ma is transformed, and so am I.
August 30, 2024 Evening Service (Ma'ariv) Every Day
Why Conservative Judaism Changed Sacrifices in the Prayer Book

Why Conservative Judaism Changed Sacrifices in the Prayer Book

Explore why Conservative Judaism changed the language of the sacrifices in the prayer book. It shows more about the Movement.
July 23, 2024 Conservative Judaism Every Day
Blessings Over Food and Drink

Blessings Over Food and Drink

There are many blessings over food and drink. Learn how to determine what blessing to use before and after eating a meal.
July 17, 2024 Blessings Every Day
Are Non-Kosher Animals Permitted for Organ Transplants?

Are Non-Kosher Animals Permitted for Organ Transplants?

Are non-kosher animals permitted for organ transplants? Rabbi Shai Cherry explains the recent teshuvah from the CJLS.
July 10, 2024 Animals CJLS
Listener of Prayer

Listener of Prayer

"Listener of Prayer" is an important phrase in many of our blessings and prayers. Learn more about why that is.
July 3, 2024 Amidah Every Day
How to Hang a Mezuzah

How to Hang a Mezuzah

Learn how to hang a mezuzah, including positioning and the blessing, and some of the reasons behind why we do it this way.
June 30, 2024 Every Day Home
Shabbat for Jewish Pets and Their Owners

Shabbat for Jewish Pets and Their Owners

Here are a few tips to celebrate Shabbat for Jewish pets and their owners and how to enhance your family's Shabbat experience.
June 19, 2024 Animals Daily Living
Temple Envy

Temple Envy

This an exploration of my "temple envy" through the emotions of grief, wonder, and desire for Jewish unity during a recent vacation to Nikko.
May 22, 2024 Every Day Holidays
La Cacherout de Pessah

La cacherout de Pessah

Toutes les règles habituelles de cacherout s’appliquent à Pessah, auxquelles s’ajoutent une exigence supplémentaire : l’interdiction de hamets dans une maison juive.
, April 11, 2024 Guidelines for a Kosher Kitchen Holidays
Kashrut en Pesaj

Kashrut en Pesaj

Todas las leyes normales de kashrut se aplican en Pesaj con un requisito adicional: la prohibición de jametz en un hogar judío.
, April 11, 2024 Guidelines for a Kosher Kitchen Holidays
A Whoop and Two Challahs: Doubling Our Loaves on Shabbat

A Whoop and Two Challahs: Doubling Our Loaves on Shabbat

A whoop and two challahs! Learn why doubling our loaves on Shabbat is important and how to observe this mitzvah.
April 5, 2024 Blessings Erev Shabbat
What blessing do I recite over an eclipse?

What blessing do I recite over an eclipse?

A solar eclipse is certainly a unique natural event that causes us to ponder our place in the universe. What blessing do I recite?
April 4, 2024 Blessings CJLS
Fury and Fermentation: A Hasidic Teaching for Pesach

Fury and Fermentation

Learn about fury and fermentation, the concept that our anger could be spiritual hametz during Pesach and all year-round.
March 13, 2024 Every Day Holidays
How to Incorporate Kitniyot into Your Passover

How to Incorporate Kitniyot into Your Passover

Though the Conservative Movement has allowed eating kitniyot on Passover, many still do not. How can we incorporate kitniyot this year?
February 29, 2024 Every Day Food
How Mourning Changes You

How Mourning Changes You

Pulling on a conversation between Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper about mourning, learn about how mourning can change you.
February 19, 2024 Death and Dying Lifecycles
What Are Zmanim and Why Are They Important?

What Are Zmanim and Why Are They Important?

Learning what Zmanim are and why they are important can bring a new meaning to ritual practices and the routine of our days.
February 6, 2024 Afternoon Prayers (Mincha) Amidah
Why I Love Tefillin

Why I Love Tefillin

Rabbi Lauren Tuchman writes "Why I Love Tefillin" and explores how all people can wear tefillin, based on her own experience.
February 6, 2024 Accessories for Prayer Every Day
Birkat Yeladim: Blessing Children

Birkat Yeladim: Blessing Children

Read more on how to preform Birkat Yeladim, the blessing over our children, and where the blessing and practice come from.
January 31, 2024 Blessings Erev Shabbat
Confessions of a Fussy Kiddush Nosher

Confessions of a Fussy Kiddush Nosher

Though Kiddush in synagogue is a great for connecting with community, food options can be challenging and a limiting factor for picky eaters.
January 30, 2024 Food Holidays
Tallit on the Bimah: Optional or Required?

Tallit on the Bimah: Optional or Required?

This CJLS teshuva explores where and when a tallit should be worn on the bimah. This also addresses women wearing tallitot.
January 3, 2024 Accessories for Prayer CJLS
How to Write a D’var Torah

How to Write a D’var Torah

There are many ways to write a d'var Torah. Read how this rabbi thinks about giving divrei Torah and what she thinks about while writing.
December 26, 2023 Every Day Learning
Ani Ma'amin: Conservative Judaism as a Dynamic Force

Ani Ma’amin: Conservative Judaism as a Dynamic Force

Rabbi Artson shares his "Ani Ma'amin," the credo that he recites every day as he things about Conservative Judaism as a dynamic force.
December 19, 2023 Blessings Conservative Judaism
Psalms for this Time of Crisis in Israel

Psalms for this Time of Crisis in Israel

Seven psalms as a liturgical response to our individual and collective emotions, including grief, fear, rage, desperation, and others.
October 19, 2023 Hebrew Bible Israel

Prayer for Israel

Rabbis Nicole Guzik and Erez Sherman offer a prayer for Israel. This was first offered at a vigil on October 8th, 2023.
, October 13, 2023 Israel Living
Prayer for kidnapped israelis

Prayer for Kidnapped Israelis

A prayer for kidnapped Israelis by Hamas and are being held in Gaza.
October 13, 2023 Israel Living
Prayer for Simchat Torah War

Prayer for Simchat Torah War

Prayer for Simchat Torah War by The Rabbinical Assembly of Israel and Masorti Israel.
, October 13, 2023 Israel Living
Prayer for the Welfare and Return of Israel’s Captured and Missing

Prayer for the Welfare and Return of Israel’s Captured and Missing

Prayer for the Welfare and Return of Israel's Captured and Missing by the Rabbinical Assembly of Israel and Masorti Israel
, October 13, 2023 Israel Living
What Do People Think About While Praying?

What Do People Think About While Praying?

While Judaism tells us various ways to pray, we are not told what to think: Here are three different takes on the subject.
September 7, 2023 Every Day Personal Prayer
The Meatless Menu

The Meatless Menu

Read the explanation of the recent teshuvah, Meatless Menu, about eating in non-kosher vegan and vegetarian restaurants.
September 7, 2023 Every Day Kashrut
Halakha and the Assessment of Risk

Halakha and the Assessment of Risk

Halakha can be used for the assessment of risk; this can be relevant for pikuach nefesh (saving a life) or kashrut.
September 7, 2023 Ethics Every Day
Deja Jew, or, Asking the Question Yet Again: Why Be Jewish?

Deja Jew, or, Asking the Question Yet Again: Why Be Jewish?

Dig deeper into Jewish identity, memory, spirituality, and wisdom, exploring more into the question: "Why Be Jewish?"
August 13, 2023 Daily Living Embodied Prayer

Ethical Approaches to Advertising: A Jewish Perspective

The responsibility of sellers to enact ethical advertising of their products is equal to, if not greater than that of the careful consumer.
, May 25, 2023 Business Ethics Commerce

A Jewish Lens on Investing and Gambling

What special ethical concerns arise as the distinction between company owners and customers is blurred by equity investment?
, May 25, 2023 Business Ethics Commerce

Talmudic Discussions on Monopolies

Where a monopoly offers a clear benefit to consumers, Jewish tradition does sanction them on a closely regulated basis.
, May 24, 2023 Business Ethics Commerce
Signing of Business Contract

Honesty in Business

The laws that govern commerce aim to prevent the unscrupulous transfer of property or money from its rightful possessor to another person.
, May 24, 2023 Business Ethics Commerce

Shopping Intentions as an Ethical Consumer

Customers share in the responsibility for ensuring that transactions are fair, and should be upfront about their intentions as consumers.
, May 24, 2023 Business Ethics Commerce

Fair Prices: A Jewish Perspective

The Mishnah defines the fair price of an item, such that the seller earn a fair price, while not defrauding the buyer.
, May 24, 2023 Business Ethics Commerce

Commerce and Competition in Jewish Law

The Talmud sets a limited precedent for free market competition by balancing the rights of merchants with the interests of consumers.
, May 24, 2023 Business Ethics Commerce
The history of Mitzvot

The History of Tzedakah

The degree to which a person was obligated to contribute to the poor became the mark of membership in a community.
, May 24, 2023 Charity Every Day

The Importance of Community Giving

Fundamentally, Jewish law offers some clear guidelines responding to the problems of poverty, the best of which is to prevent poverty itself.
, May 24, 2023 Every Day Jewish Law

Ethical Fundraising: A Jewish Perspective

Are bingo and more serious forms of gambling allowed to raise funds for synagogues and other Jewish institutions?
, May 24, 2023 Charity Ethical Fundraising
What do I do if I can't go to minyan when saying kaddish?

What do I do if I can’t go to minyan when saying kaddish?

Saying Kaddish for a loved one is a cherished and prized custom, but it is not the only way to remember and honor the lives ...
May 19, 2023 Death and Dying Every Day

Three Types of Prohibited Speech According to Jewish Law

It is largely agreed upon that the types of speech encompassed by the biblical prohibition fall into three categories of increasing severity.
May 19, 2023 Every Day Human interactions

The Times of Day for Prayer

A Talmudic Midrash obligates prayer three times a day, instituted in honor of our three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
, May 17, 2023 Every Day Prayer

Prayers and Practices of the Weekday Amidah

The Amidah is considered the central part of daily Jewish prayer, with minor variations in the text based on time of day, year and season.
, May 16, 2023 Afternoon Prayers (Mincha) Amidah

The Interplay of Routine and Intention: Keva and Kavanah

Our prayers are almost always a mixture of both keva (oft-recited text) and kavanah (deeper layers of meaning).
, May 16, 2023 Every Day Prayer

What Prompts Change in Our Liturgy?

Changes in liturgy are born out of changes in the theological and historical life of a people, both the individual and the community.
, May 16, 2023 Every Day Liturgy

Enhancing Prayer With Body Movement

Movement acts as part of prayer, orchestrated in traditional Jewish settings, thus putting us in touch with the ebb and flow of the liturgy.
, May 16, 2023 Every Day Prayer

Jewish Prayer Leaders

An individual, Rabbi, Cantor, or volunteer, skilled in singing and well-versed in Torah learning and liturgy, is appointed to lead prayers.
, May 16, 2023 Every Day Prayer

Creating a Sacred Physical Space

Halakhah demands that we invoke God’s name in prayer only in settings that are worthy of the sacred enterprise of prayer.
, May 16, 2023 Every Day Prayer

Why Prayer Matters

Tefillah is more than the sum of its parts and encompasses far more than the obligation to recite certain specific daily prayers.
, May 16, 2023 Every Day Prayer

The Language of Prayer

Jews are permitted to pray in any language and thus making our liturgy a link to Jews all around the world.
, May 15, 2023 Every Day Prayer

The Value of Using Set Prayers

By the use of set prayers, are we ipso facto guaranteeing that some will be obliged to recite words they do not find true or ...
, May 15, 2023 Every Day Prayer

Connecting with God Through Prayer

We hear from God through our participation in liturgical prayer, and also through the study of religious texts.
, May 15, 2023 Every Day Prayer

What is the Shema?

The Shema is the declaration of God’s uniqueness and unity that the Torah commands us to recite twice daily. 
, May 15, 2023 Evening Service (Ma'ariv) Every Day

Overview of the Evening Service

The Evening Service, called Ma’ariv (also called Arvit or spelled Maariv), is slightly longer than the Afternoon Service.
, May 15, 2023 Evening Service (Ma'ariv) Every Day

Overview of the Afternoon Service

The Afternoon Service, called Minḥah (or Mincha), is much shorter than the Morning Service and has no unique components. 
, May 15, 2023 Afternoon Prayers (Mincha) Every Day

Overview of the Morning Service

Every day of the year, the Morning Service follows some variation of the order of the same Sharcharit prayers.
, May 15, 2023 Every Day Morning Service (Shacharit)

The First Prayers in the Morning Service

The prayers at the very beginning of the morning service help us to start our day with intention and gratitude.
, May 11, 2023 Every Day Morning Service (Shacharit)

What is a Kippah?

There is a wide range of specific customs related to the issue of covering the head, including what to cover it with.
, May 11, 2023 Accessories for Prayer Every Day

What is a Tallit?

The tassels of the Tallit, called tzitzit (or tzitzis) in Hebrew, are explicitly intended to serve as a reminder of God’s commandments.
, May 11, 2023 Accessories for Prayer Every Day

How is Kosher Slaughtering Performed?

To take even animal life, requires that the shochet be wholly attuned to the serious nature of the slaughter and never callous or uncaring.
, May 8, 2023 Every Day Kashrut

Soaking and Salting Kosher Meat

After an animal has been butchered, inspected, and forbidden parts removed, the meat still needs to have as much blood removed as possible.
, May 8, 2023 Every Day Kashrut

Restrictions on Kashering Animals

Even if an animal is killed appropriately, it is still possible for it to be considered non-kosher if that the animal was ill or maimed.
, May 3, 2023 Every Day Kashrut

Understanding Kosher Supervision

In general, one should only consume processed foods prepared under the supervision of a rabbi or an accepted kashrut supervision agency.
, May 1, 2023 Every Day Kashrut

When Using Tribal Distinctions, How Might Women Be Called Up for Aliyot?

While writing a teshuvah on changing our language for aliyot to kohenet from bat kohen, Rabbi David J Fine, PhD, reflects on egalitarianism.
April 30, 2023 Blessings CJLS

How Can I Create a Kosher Kitchen

While daunting and labour intensive to transform a non-kosher kitchen into a kosher one each individual step is rather straightforward.
, April 28, 2023 Every Day Guidelines for a Kosher Kitchen

How to Kasher Kitchen Appliances

Offering guidelines on the various requirements to Kasher different kitchen appliances, both large and small.
, April 24, 2023 Every Day Guidelines for a Kosher Kitchen
Mujaddara on Passover

Mujaddara on Passover

How my family created and passed down cultural traditions, and how the Conservative Teshuvah on Kitniyot impacts our life outside the academy.
March 19, 2023 Food Halakhah

Why Separating Meat and Dairy is Part of Keeping Kosher

Halakhah specifically encourages us to separate meat and dairy products and prohibits us from eating them together.
, February 22, 2023 Every Day Guidelines for Keeping Kosher
Prayers of the Matriarchs of Agency, Choice, and Action

Prayers of the Matriarchs of Agency, Choice, and Action

Despite the odds, when things feel out of your control, when you feel abandoned – do not despair and do not simply pray – ACT.
February 15, 2023 Liturgy Personal Prayer

Eating in Non-Kosher Homes

There are vexing questions for Kashrut observers to address, when eating in non-Kosher homes of friends and family.
, February 14, 2023 Every Day Kashrut

What is Pareve Food?

Some foods, neither meat nor dairy in origin, are known as pareve and government standards may differ from Rabbinical definitions.
, February 14, 2023 Every Day Kashrut

Eating in Non-Kosher Restaurants

A hallmark of Conservative Jewish practice has been the understanding that it is possible to eat in non-Kosher restaurants responsibly.
, February 14, 2023 Every Day Kashrut

Embracing a Kosher Lifestyle

As kashrut becomes part of our lives, it feels less like a burden and more like something to observe not just at home, but in ...
, February 14, 2023 Every Day Kashrut

Which animals are kosher?

The Torah says which animals are kosher and may be eaten (after an appropriate process) and which animals are not.
, February 14, 2023 Every Day Guidelines for Keeping Kosher

Why Keep Kosher?

Given the importance of kashrut in Jewish life, it is unfortunate that so much about it is so widely misunderstood.
, February 14, 2023 Every Day Kashrut

Why Kosher Food Shouldn’t Have Visible Blood

The Torah requires specific methods of slaughter, inspection, and preparation before acceptable animals may be eaten.
, February 11, 2023 Every Day Kashrut
Fixing Common Errors in a Kosher Kitchen

Fixing Common Errors in a Kosher Kitchen

Mistakes will happen in a kosher kitchen. While some are easily corrected, others require a bit more effort. Here's what you do.
, February 8, 2023 Every Day Guidelines for a Kosher Kitchen

How to Kasher Kitchen Dishes and Storage

Different dishes require different methods for kashering, depending how they are used and the materials that make up the dishes.
, February 8, 2023 Every Day Guidelines for a Kosher Kitchen

Feeding Pets in a Kosher Home

It is not forbidden for Jewish individuals to feed their pets non-kosher food, but to keep pet food away from kosher utensils and dishes.
, February 8, 2023 Every Day Guidelines for Keeping Kosher

Alcohol and Kosher Supervision

What alcohol requires a hechsher or kosher supervision? It largely depends on the process by which they are made and the ingredients used.
, February 8, 2023 Every Day Kashrut
What do I do if my Tefillin are no Longer Black?

What do I do if my Tefillin are no Longer Black?

There were places where the tefillin were no longer black, but nearly see-through. What they needed was a good thick coat of paint.
February 7, 2023 Accessories for Prayer Every Day

Are Food Additives Kosher?

The Conservative and Orthodox movements differ with regard to the kashrut of certain chemical food additives.
, February 7, 2023 Every Day Kashrut
Life exists in relation

Life Exists in Relation

If we try to look past the tangible, if we focus on the other, in relationship, we can come to see the Divine, even if ...
January 27, 2023 Every Day Learning
Image of a mezuzah and the words: Why should I put up a mezuzah?

Why should I put up a mezuzah?

Putting up a mezuzah is a millennia-old public expression of Jewish identity: a meaningful way to mark liminal times in our lives and homes.
January 25, 2023 Every Day Home
Encountering the Shema: 7 Questions

Encountering the Shema: 7 Questions

Rabbi Mordecai Miller reflects on the Shema with 7 questions: Throughout my life, I’ve tried to understand what this sentence really means.
January 25, 2023 Every Day Liturgy
Tefillin: A Reminder of What is Holy

Tefillin: A Reminder of What is Holy

Rabbi Julie Schwarzwald on wearing Tefillin: As I go about my work and my mundane routine, I am regularly reminded of what is holy.
January 25, 2023 Accessories for Prayer Every Day
Tefillin: What, How, Who?

Tefillin: What, How, Who?

Tefillin, ritual black boxes used for prayer, are a powerful and physical way of connecting to God. Here's how to do it.
, January 25, 2023 Accessories for Prayer Blessings
Blessings and Bodies: Praying Without the Book

Blessings and Bodies: Praying Without the Book

Jewish spirituality doesn’t live in a book. Our bodies can guide our awareness and blessing. What could this practice look like in your life?
January 5, 2023 Blessings Daily Living
The Mystery of “Eyn Keloheinu”

The Mystery of “Eyn Keloheinu”

What is the mystery of Eyn Keloheinu? How do we unravel the contradiction that seems to be present within this prayer?
January 4, 2023 Liturgy Prayer

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