Category: Every Day

Jewish Children’s Books for Jewish Book Month

Check out this list of Jewish Children's books for Jewish Book Month, including new and old titles, for young and older kids.
December 16, 2025 Daily Living Every Day

My Grandmother’s Youth

This L'Dor V'Dor essay recounts the story of a family from Poland and Costa Rica and how that shaped their next generations.
December 15, 2025 Every Day Exploring Judaism Blog

Ziskeit

This L'Dor V'Dor essay comes infused with Yiddishisms, like ziskeit, to help describe the old and the new, what used to be and what carries ...
December 9, 2025 Every Day Exploring Judaism Blog

From Virginia to California: A Tallit Tale

Traveling from Virginia to California, L'Dor V'Dor tells the story of a family through a tallit tale, how each generation is woven together.
December 9, 2025 Accessories for Prayer Every Day

Light in the Darkness: A Kislev Reading List

The month of Kislev is all about bringing light into darkness and this month we have a reading list focused on that.
December 6, 2025 Daily Living Every Day

The Rabbi of My Rabbi: Marshall Meyer and the Birth of Conservative Judaism in Latin America

Every rabbi has a rabbi—someone who shaped them into the leader they became. For many North American Conservative rabbis, that figure is often Abraham Joshua ...
December 2, 2025 Community Conservative Judaism
Hanukkah candles on the street in Israel

Hanukkah Celebrations in Israel

How does it feel to celebrate Hanukkah in Israel? I have lived in Israel for 10 years. One of the aspects I cherish most is experiencing ...
December 2, 2025 Food Hanukkah
Latkes and Sufganiyot: A Real Ancient Hanukkah Tradition?

Latkes and Sufganiyot: A Real Ancient Hanukkah Tradition?

We tend to believe that latkes and sufganiyot have been on the Jewish table for centuries. But that notion is far removed from historical facts. ...
December 1, 2025 Hanukkah Kosher Food

Rain Insertions Part 5: Relating to the Agricultural Setting of the Land of Israel

In the fifth and final piece of the rain insertions series, explore how we can relate the agricultural setting of the land of Israel to ...
November 24, 2025 Amidah Every Day

Rain Insertions Part 4: The Lunar Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar

In the fourth installment of our series on rain insertions, discover how Amidah insertions are impacted by the lunar and Gregorian calendars.
November 24, 2025 Amidah Every Day

Rain Insertions Part 3: Requesting Rain in the Diaspora

In the third part of our series on rain insertions, take a look at why something based in the land of Israel applies in the ...
November 24, 2025 Amidah Every Day

Jewish Book Month Turns 100!

In honor of Jewish Book Month turning 100, take a look at some awesome books to add to your reading list, ranging from kids to ...
November 18, 2025 Daily Living Every Day

Rain Insertions Part 2: Theology and a Talmudic Reading

In the second part of our series on rain insertions, explore the theology behind rain insertions and a Talmudic reading to accompany this.
November 18, 2025 Amidah Every Day

Rain Insertions Part 1: Inserting “Mashiv HaRuach” or “Ten Tal”

In the first part of our series on the insertions to pray for rain, take a look at inserting "Mashiv HaRuach" or "Ten Tal" into ...
November 18, 2025 Amidah Every Day

A Cheshvan Reading List

After the whirlwind of Tishrei, here is a calming reading list to help reflect and recenter.
November 11, 2025 Daily Living Every Day

Kabbalat Shabbat: Seeking Stability in College

After a discordant summer and the unknowns of college, Amelia Mae Heller finds stability in the routine of Kabbalat Shabbat.
September 3, 2025 Community Erev Shabbat

Cholent: A Dish of Religious Creativity (And a Recipe)

Cholent (and its many variations) trace back to ancient Jewish traditions designed to provide a hot meal for Shabbat.
July 24, 2025 Erev Shabbat Food
What is Bikur Holim, Visiting the Sick? Why is it Important?

What is Bikur Holim, Visiting the Sick? Why is it Important?

“Bikur holim” in Hebrew means visiting the sick. Here's some guidance on how to do this important Mitzvah.
June 12, 2025 Health Human interactions
A Prayer for Light in Times of Darkness

A Prayer for Light in Times of Darkness

A Prayer for Light in Times of Darkness as we mourn the souls of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgram, who were murdered in Washington, D.C.
May 22, 2025 Every Day Israel
Birkat HaTorah: The Blessing for Engaging with Torah

Birkat HaTorah: The Blessing for Engaging with Torah

Before beginning Torah study, Jewish tradition teaches us to recite a series of blessings known as Birkat HaTorah.
May 21, 2025 Blessings Every Day

What It Means Spiritually If People Edited the Torah

Did God give the fully-written Torah to Moses at Sinai? Or as the Torah compiled and edited by people? What does that mean spiritually?
April 30, 2025 Every Day Hebrew Bible

What Taking Up Chess Taught Me About Teshuvah

How can chess overlap with teshuvah? We can focus a lot on the "best moves" to make for every situation we find ourselves in.
April 25, 2025 Daily Living Every Day
Words As Weapons: The Story Of Rabbi Yochanan And Resh Lakish

Words As Weapons: The Story Of Rabbi Yochanan And Resh Lakish

This story exemplifies how our rabbinic sages teach us about how we avoid using our words as fatal weapons and what happens when we fail.
April 3, 2025 Every Day Human interactions

What is Jewish Mindfulness and How do I Get Started?

Learn more about what Jewish mindfulness is and answer the question "How do I get started?" There's many ways to practice—here are a few.
March 7, 2025 Blessings Every Day

Reading Psalms in Difficult Times

If you've never been in the practice of reciting Psalms, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Here's how to adopt the practice. ...
March 7, 2025 Every Day Personal Prayer

Rebranding Tzedakah: From Charity to Sacred Spending

What if we rebranded tzedakah from our more modern conception of charity and giving to a rabbinic-inspired sacred spending?
February 20, 2025 Charity Every Day

How Far Should One Go to Make Peace?

How far should one go to make peace? We can learn the answer to this from looking at stories of how Aaron makes peace.
February 18, 2025 Daily Living Every Day
How to Deal With Difficult People

How to Deal With Difficult People

A delicate balance is required in dealing with difficult people, and the rabbis provide us a framework to explore this very question.
February 13, 2025 Every Day Human interactions
The Jewish Housewarming: Celebrating Your Hanukat HaBayit

The Jewish Housewarming: Celebrating Your Hanukat HaBayit

Remember that your home is not just a place to live but a sanctuary for your soul, a hub for community, and a legacy for ...
February 13, 2025 Every Day Home
5 Myths about Jewish Prayer

5 Myths about Jewish Prayer

Prayer is one of the most common and misunderstood parts of Jewish life. Here are five myths about Jewish prayer.
February 13, 2025 Every Day Prayer
The Deeper Meaning of Havdalah Make it Personal

The Deeper Meaning of Havdalah: Make it Personal

Through its symbolism, Havdalah teaches us that the boundary between sacred and the ordinary are not truly separate, but can also be fun!
February 13, 2025 Havdalah Holidays
Moving House A Recurring Event of Jewish Life

Moving House: A Recurring Event of Jewish Life

No matter if we're moving two blocks away or crossing an ocean, with only our mezuzah reminds us who we are and how to continue ...
February 13, 2025 Every Day Home
Help! I’m Bored During the Torah Service!

Help! I’m Bored During the Torah Service!

Take charge of your Jewish learning and the Torah service can become an opportunity to know and think Jewishly more today than yesterday.
February 13, 2025 Afternoon Prayers (Mincha) Every Day
Finding Meaning in Communal Prayer Without Hebrew Fluency

Finding Meaning in Communal Prayer Without Hebrew Fluency

Being in community, singing with heart, by listening to the prayers, or by intending to connect with G-d are ways to lift up our experience.
February 13, 2025 Every Day Prayer
Wake up with Gratitude to Cultivate Happiness

Wake up with Gratitude to Cultivate Happiness

Engaging in gratitude every morning for being alive is a religious habit that can contribute to a healthier and happy life.
February 13, 2025 Embodied Prayer Every Day
What Does the Shema Mean?

What Does the Shema Mean?

The Shema is the twice-daily renewal of our vows, to focus on what matters in the world: love, relationship, community and the Holy.
February 10, 2025 Every Day Prayer

How Living for Shabbat Transformed My Whole Week

Looking at "To Life" from "Fiddler on the Roof," shows us how living for Shabbat can transform your whole week.
January 29, 2025 Daily Living Every Day
I was just offered an Aliyah to the Torah: What do I do?

I was just offered an Aliyah to the Torah: What do I do?

What do I do when I'm offered an aliyah to the Torah? What is it? This special honor gives us a front row seat at ...
January 8, 2025 Afternoon Prayers (Mincha) 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