The High Holidays Tradition I Vowed Not to Repeat
Jewish law says we are to fast on Yom Kippur. This is based on the biblical law that on the Day of Atonement, “You shall afflict yourselves” (Lev.
Fractures and Fault Lines: Jewish Life in Israel and the Diaspora
There was a picture hanging on a wall near the hub of the convention that caught my eye. George Washington astride a boat, proudly holding a flag in his hands.
But wait!
Selichot: Returning to God and to Each Other
I have always loved the High Holidays. Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are amongst my favorite times of the year, ritually and emotionally.
In Every Generation …
B’chol dor vador chayav adam lirot et atzmo k’ilu hu yatza mi-Mitzrayim. “In every generation, a person must view herself/himself as if s/he had gone out of Egypt” (Pesachim 116b).
How I Try to Create Jewish Memories for my Grandkids
What are your earliest memories of “doing Jewish”? I have a smattering of recollections from when I was 5, 6, and 7, though not much before that. Even from those years, I can only call up bits and pieces: moments, vignettes, colors, flavors.
How Baseball Can Help Us Fulfill the Call of the High Holidays
Two specific events produced more Jewish pride than anything else in the turbulent decade of the 1960s: Sandy Koufax’s refusal to pitch on Yom Kippur in 1965, and not quite two years later, the Six Day War in June
How America's Journey for Justice Helped Me Truly Understand Reform Jewish Values
Two rabbis, a Methodist theologian, and a synagogue’s brotherhood president walk into a national social action event…
Yes, it sounds like the beginning of a joke, but there is no punchline.
On Yom Kippur: Fast, Pray, Browse
In most ways, my observance of Yom Kippur won’t be much different than thousands of other Jews in pews across North America.
We’ll fast.
We’ll pray.
We’ll browse.
Do Your Spiritual Homework for the High Holidays
We cannot walk into the gym for just a few days a year and expect to be in shape. Students cannot step into school without reviewing the material and expect to ace the test, nor can lawyers walk into a courtroom without preparing arguments and wow the jury.