Expressing gratitude is not only a mark of good manners, but also an essential component of the religious life. Praise and gratitude to God are characteristic of liturgies of all traditions. In Judaism, these qualities of our relationship with Hashem are encapsulated both in daily prayer and in the regular recitation of various kinds of […]
Thank God for Woman: Blessings of Praise for the New Arrival Read More »
As I sit down to write this article, we are in the midst of a unique time period in the Jewish calendar. A few short weeks ago, on Pesach, we celebrated the birth of our nation by recalling the period of enslavement and the ensuing salvation by God. We retold the story of a people
How Do We Remember? A Personal Reflection on the Loss of the Temple Read More »
After the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 CE, the city was no longer the physical center of the Jewish world. A new Roman city was built by Hadrian on its ruins and Jews were forbidden to enter it. For many centuries, Jews were not allowed to live in the city legally and there were harsh
Mourning for Jerusalem Through the Centuries Read More »
Everyone who observes Shabbat has had a moment when he or she really understood why Shabbat has been so vital to their lives. I certainly did. Though I grew up in a Shabbat-observant household, it was not until I was at university in England that I connected in a profoundly personal way with the peace
Shabbat and Rediscovering Community Read More »
In the recent Israeli documentary Ha-Modernim (“The Modern Ones”), filmmaker Cheli Rosenberg documents the lives of young unmarried residents of Jerusalem as they navigate romantic, social, and familial pressures. Quite appropriately, Rosenberg frames Ha-Modernim with evocative footage from an Erev Shabbat in Jerusalem, beginning and ending the film with the message that the experience of
Experimentation and Commitment: Shabbat on New York’s Upper West Side Read More »
My se’udah shlishit group was born about eight years ago on a long, summer Shabbat afternoon. My children were out and about, and I had already read, walked, and napped. I was restless. I had been reading a provocative book about the rabbinic treatment of women in the Talmud and I wanted to discuss it
Se’udah Shlishit in Denver Read More »
It is Friday night. Amid flurries of last-minute preparation, another busy week comes to a close and Shabbat’s calm descends. The day bears different gifts for each of its revelers. For some, Shabbat brings spiritual rejuvenation; for others, it is simply a time for much-needed rest. But spanning the collage of traditional Judaism is the
An Expanded Shabbat Table: How Two Families Became One Read More »
I cannot remember exactly when my family began singing Eshet Hayil at the Friday night table. I do know that it was we, the kids, who brought this custom into the house. When I was five years old, my family moved to Toronto from Sarnia, a small town in Western Ontario where my father had
How to Read Eshet Hayil Read More »
In daily living, everything is different after a spouse dies. Since the death of my husband Noam z’l in March 2005, Shabbat is one of the greatest challenges I must face. Throughout our nearly 50 years of married life, Shabbat was the heart of our family and the focus of our week because we all
A Different Shabbat Read More »
In the article below, Rivy Poupko Kletenik describes the Friday nights she now spends with her father, Rabbi Baruch Poupko, in a Seattle nursing home. Rabbi Poupko served as rabbi of Shaare Torah Congregation in Pittsburgh for more than 60 years and was a leading figure in the fight for Soviet Jewry. Ed. Shabbat is
A Majesty All Its Own Read More »
