Finding the Kavanah
Last week was the conclusion of a 3 week adult education course at my temple on Jewish prayer. In the last session one woman raised the question about how people can feel more connected to the service; the woman is not a regular attendee of Friday night or Saturday morning services, though she is there [...]
שבת זכור - Shabbat of Remembrance, Amalek, and Why it’s Not What You Think
This week is Parshat V’yikra, the first section of Leviticus. It is also Shabbat Zakhor, the Shabbat of Remembrance, one of the four special Shabbatot before Pesach. As the name implies, the theme is remembrance, and specifically, we are to remember the crimes of Amalek against the Israelites as they journeyed in the [...]
Observing Observance: A Surprising Reality Check
Regardless of whether one is a convert or a Jew by birth who was raised in an unobservant family, it’s all too easy to make (often inaccurate) assumptions about the role that religious observance plays in the lives of other Jews. For example, it’s easy to assume that someone who self- identifies as “orthodox” is [...]
How Do You "Do" Shabbat?
Cross Posted at JewsByChoice.Org
I was thinking about Shabbat and how Avi and I celebrate this special day of the week. Sometimes I wonder how my readers or other couples with no kids honor the Sabbath. We find it very important to embrace Judaism as much as we can; but especially on Shabbat. [...]
Va’Eira: Did Pharaoh get a bum deal?
Shalom, friends and passersby. I’ve been missing in action for a while here because of a lot of things going on that sort of hijacked me emotionally. I have had a blog piece in the works for nearly a month, but I still can’t find the oomph to write it in the way that I [...]
