This week’s study guide focuses on the consecration of Aaron and his sons and Kohanim and what that means.
This is why I think my family’s tradition of inviting a non-Jew each year to the Passover seder is important.
The halakhah does not generally permit autopsies, due to honoring the dead. However, there are two important exceptions to that rule.
Kohanim were forbidden to come into contact or share indoor space with the bodies of the dead, apart from their closest of relatives.
The period from the time of death until burial is known as aninut – the customs of the mourners during the initial stages of bereavement.
What do I do when I go to a shivah? Remember that conversation should be about the deceased, not the mourners or the visitors.
What are the Jewish laws and rituals regarding funerals? Generally, a ritual washing, burial, and a funeral, each with their own customs.
Shloshim are the thirty days that follows the week of shivah and is considered a period of reduced mourning.
The word shivah refers to the seven days of mourning that follow the burial of a parent, child, sibling, or spouse.
On Parashat Ki Tisa, honor someone in your community who embodies empathy and care. The Aliyah also marks the anniversary of the pandemic.
Given the importance of kashrut in Jewish life, it is unfortunate that so much about it is so widely misunderstood.
Rosh Hodesh is less hierarchical and more open to creative interpretation than most Jewish occasions/events. The possibilities are endless.
There were places where the tefillin were no longer black, but nearly see-through. What they needed was a good thick coat of paint.
A series of special Shabbatot with special Torah readings precede Purim and Passover.
Tradition dictates that Purim be observed on the fourteenth day of Adar, and begins with the recitation of the regular evening service.
Purim is celebrated with days of feasting and merrymaking, and occasion for sending gifts to one another and gifts for the poor.
Purim is about the struggle of identity against assimilation, the value of tolerance, and to live proudly as Jews in an ocean of non-Jews.
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?
Moving well beyond niddah, mikveh is now used to mark any and all transitional and transformative moments.
Conservative/Masorti prayer books include the Hebrew letter “vav” in the blessing for the miracle of Hanukkah. What is its secret?
DIY Hanukkah: My custom of making a potato menorah and why DIY Judaica can provide a crucial connection to Judaism.
Besides dwelling in a sukkah, the other significant mitzvah of Sukkot is the taking up of the arba·ah minim, literally “the four species.”
While celebrating Sukkot at home, rituals include lighting candles, sitting in the sukkah, and customs related to the sukkah.
On the mornings of Sukkot, Shacharit and Musaf follow the standard festival format. The lulav and etrog should be shaken.
The intermediate days of Sukkot, the weekdays, combine some features of festival days and normal weekdays to create wholly unique day.
Simḥat Torah means “the joy of Torah” and is the name for the day on which the annual cycle of Torah readings begins and ends.
The laws for lighting candles on Sh’mini Atzeret are similar to those for Shabbat. These laws also apply to Simḥat Torah.
Sukkot, one of the shalosh r’galim, the three pilgrimage festivals is celebrated five days after Yom Kippur.
The sukkah for Sukkot has some very basic requirements, but beyond these rules its construction is left to one’s imagination and creativity.
The laws for lighting candles on Sukkot are almost identical to the laws for Shabbat candle lighting, with the exception of covering eyes.
Following the Yom Kippur meal, candles are lit in a similar fashion to those lit on Rosh Hashanah. A Yizkor candle is also lit.
Maariv, the evening service, following Kol Nidrei on Erev Yom Kippur, is similar in many ways to daily Maariv but has notable differences.
The Yom Kippur morning service is similar to Rosh Hashanah, with the exception of the Amidah and the selections for the Torah service.
Preparations on Erev Yom Kippur are intrinsic to the awe-inspiring observance of the day: a special meal, candle lighting, and charity.
Yom Kippur begins with the dramatic Kol Nidrei service, intended to annul vows made between yourself and God.
The Memorial Service, Yizkor, is recited on Yom Kippur, one of four times throughout the year, to remember loved ones and Jewish martyrs.
Reflecting on the idea that a tiny, fragile protuberance can make an entire ritual object unfit for use is absurd. Here’s what it teaches us.
One of the beautiful customs associated with Rosh Hashanah is Tashlikh, a brief service that takes place by a body of water.
What is Tashlich? How do you do it, what is its history, what are the environmental concerns and, of course, why I love Tashlich.
Sounding of the shofar is a characteristic mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah. The holiday is alternatively called the Day of Sounding the Shofar.
The ritual preparations for the High Holidays begin a full month in advance with the onset of the month of Elul.
Being called to Torah is a moment of sacred encounter. Here’s how to call Non-Binary Jews to the Torah based on the CJLS Teshuvah in 2022.