Displaying 1 - 10 of 22
What is a Sukkah?
A sukkah is a temporary, hut-like dwelling built during the holiday of Sukkot. (In fact, the word sukkot is the plural of sukkah.)
Is there a ritual that marks the completion of reading one of the books of the Torah?
During a worship service, each time the reading of a book of the Torah is completed, the congregation rises and says, “chazak chazak v’nitchazek – be strong, be strong, and we will be strengthened.” According to Rabbi David Saperstein, the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious
Can a person who died by suicide be buried in a Jewish cemetery?
The ancient prohibition against doing so is based upon the conception of suicide as the conscious and willful taking of one’s life.
Why do Jews wear head coverings?
The custom of covering one’s head is based on custom, a minhag, that first appeared during the Rabbinic Period (roughly, from the beginning of the Common Era to 500 C.E.).
Stories We Tell: Who Will Help
Has there ever been a problem in your life that needed to be solved, and you knew you might be able to fix it? This week, join Rabbi Leora Kaye as she tells the story about a farmer who encounters a large boulder stuck in the middle of the road and does what she knows is the only right thing to do.
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Stories We Tell: The Hamantaschen Souls
Many of us know how it feels to be resistant to something, even when we know deep down that we are called to follow through with it. This week, Rabbi Phyllis Sommer of Am Shalom in Glencoe, IL tells the story of a town’s batch of hamantaschen who just refuse to be baked, and the rabbi who shows them just how important they are.
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Stories We Tell: The Rabbi and The Small Apartment
Many of us have had to change our daily routines recently as a precaution against coronavirus. With work and school now centered at home, our family dwellings might feel a little smaller. This week, join Saul Kaiserman, Director of Lifelong Learning at Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York, as he tells the story of a man living in his own small apartment with his family, and how their new living routine brought them closer together.
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Stories We Tell: The Fate of the Flour Woman
When things go a direction we might not expect, is it thanks to fate or simply coincidence? This week, Rabbi Phyllis Sommer of Am Shalom in Glencoe, IL tells the story of a woman, her bag of flour, and the unexpected journey it took her on.
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Stories We Tell: The Spoonful of Oil
There was a young man who wanted to learn the secret of happiness. He sought out the advice of a wise man, who was too busy to talk with him at that moment but gave him a task: walk around and carry a spoon with two drops of oil and be careful to not let them spill. Listen to find out how this seemingly strange assignment taught the boy an important lesson.
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