RJ Blog

Each year during Passover tradition tells us to rid our houses of chametz (items that are not Kosher for Passover) and stock up on Kosher for Passover foods like macaroons, fruits and vegetables, and of course matzah. We all know that matzah can be purchased by the box or case, but did you know that you can actually make your own matzah?

By Cantor Hayley Kobilinsky Anyone who has attended an Oneg Shabbat will likely notice that the prayer over the wine, the Kiddush, is significantly longer than the brief “one-liner,” “borei p’ri hagafen,” said on other days of the week. I routinely see our young people eagerly awaiting the sweet taste of their thimble-full of grape juice and then stopping themselves just in the nick of time, because the cantor is still singing! The Kiddush is one of my favorite moments every Friday night not just because of the excitement on those children’s faces, but because of the way in which we make [...]

By Cantor Hayley Kobilinsky            Each year as I prepare for the High Holy Days, I return to the familiar melodies that make up our Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur services. I no longer need to review the unique melodies of the Rosh HaShanah Amidah (prayers said while standing), because after chanting them a dozen times per year for over a dozen years, they are emblazoned on my mind. There is a great deal of consistency within the Amidah, the central portion of every prayer service, but there are certain changes that take place depending upon the time of day, weekday or [...]

by Lisa Chinsky Passover is super early this year. (I know, I know, it’s always either late or early, but never “on time.”) The first night is March 25! No, that’s not a typo; the first seder is Monday, March 25! I started to think about what that means in our house and to our family, and I realized that it doesn’t really matter when it is because we already know what we are going to do. Every year, we do the same thing. We eat matzah. We dip parsley in salt water. We ask the four questions. We make [...]

By Rabbi Edwin Goldberg The Amidah for the High Holy Days features thematic additions for the Days of Awe.  One significant addition on Rosh Hashanah is “M’loch” – a prayer that celebrates the coronation of God as the Ultimate Ruler.  On Yom Kippur, a similarly sounding prayer is added in its place, “M’chol,” – a request for forgiveness from God.  The Rosh Hashanah addition reflects the fundamental theme of God as universal Creator and Ruler.  The addition in Yom Kippur mirrors the basic theme of God’s forgiveness.  In creating a new machzor for the Reform Movement the editorial committee has [...]

by Robin Messing Bogdanoff It started in August 2011 with, of all things, a shirt pocket. It was a very small pocket on a child’s striped tee shirt that caught my eye, because the shirt had been miraculously reinvented into a tote bag. What an inspired idea, to turn an iconic T-shirt into a bag! Strong and compact, yet expandable, colorful, playful, infinitely useful – and not difficult or expensive to make. For my $10 purchase, Massachusetts textile artist Crispina ffrench included instructions on how to make more bags and gave me permission to share the instructions with our synagogue community [...]

Last year the Tu BiShvat seder at Temple B’nai Torah was so successful that this year it was incorporated into our 8 p.m. Shabbat service this past week. A committee of hardworking and dedicated volunteers coordinated everything so we all could participate in a traditional Tu BiShvat seder—including nuts, wine (grape juice), and fruits associated with the holiday—as part of our Shabbat service, which—because of the seder—was held in the social hall. As is our custom for special services, the portable ark, including a Torah from the sanctuary, was brought into the social hall, and tables and chairs were set [...]

When most people think of Hanukkah, the first things that come to mind have absolutely nothing to do with social justice. Let’s be honest, our priorities rest with sufganiyot, latkes, and dreidels for the Festival of Light. (And that’s OK, although your doctor might disagree!) Regardless of how we choose to celebrate Hanukkah, there remains an important social justice theme within the ancient story, and it’s up to us to keep that tradition alive throughout the winter holiday season, especially today. The forgotten theme of Hanukkah is about the Jewish responsibility to do what is right. As it goes, the [...]

by Marjorie Freeman My husband attended a Southern Baptist Church with his grandmother as a small child, and then a Methodist Church with his parents and with his first wife. We married, and the wise Reform rabbi who married us, Rabbi Robert Rothman of the Community Synagogue in Rye, NY, suggested that my new husband bring a brown-bag lunch and join him once a week to learn about my Jewish background so he would be able to understand me better. After a year or more, my husband felt that Judaism made more sense than the Christianity he grew up with, and converted. But [...]

by Rabbi Ron Symons Well aware that the “give me” attitude can be pervasive during the Hanukkah season, Temple Sinai in Pittsburgh has developed an annual tradition of turning “give me” into “give you.” Our goal is to provide a vehicle through which every single person who wants to give, no matter the size of his or her gift, can do so. Modeled on the sacred individual gifts of the Israelites when we built the desert tabernacle, modeled on the heroic individual contributions of Maccabees to the war effort, our “World’s Largest Hanukkah Menorah Made Out Of…” project allows each [...]

by P.J. Schwartz Jewish tradition tells a story where Alexander the Great, during his conquest through the known world, encountered the High Priest of the Temple of Jerusalem. As Milton Steinberg notes, this meeting is probably part of the numerous legends that are based in truth within Judaism. Yet, this story foreshadows what would be to come: the Jewish people would come face to face with the Greek militia and would ensure a future for the sacred Temple. History explains that when Judea became a Greek province, some Jews objected to the Greek way of life. They feared the prospects of being hellenized, completely [...]

Why do we celebrate this — or that? Do we combine holidays? How are the holidays different? How do *I* feel about being a Jew during this time of year? Why can’t I have a tree? What does going to church with your family mean to you?

By Rabbi Jordi Schuster Battis Once upon a time there were three little porcupines who lived in the forest. Their names were Ploni, Almoni, and Horace, and they were very Jewishly educated porcupines indeed. One day, as Almoni was making his way along his favorite forest path, humming “I Had a Little Dreidl” to himself and practicing his best Hanukkah dance, he pirouetted directly into Ploni, who was walking along with his head down, looking most dejected. The two porcupines fell in a heap, and it was only by good fortune that neither of them was stabbed by the other’s quills. [...]

Do you remember when you counted the days until Hanukkah arrived? I can still picture my mom polishing the traditional brass lion menorah and buying new candles from our Temple Sisterhood. I was allowed to select just the perfect candles, sometimes placed in order by colors and sometimes chosen to simply be bright and happy. Mom’s latkes were the best ever; she made hundreds for the religious school’s Hanukkah party and was called “The Latke Lady.” Having three delicious grandchildren — Madaline, age 9; Lev, age 5; and Mila, age 4 (pictured here during Hanukkah 2011) — makes the holiday [...]