Jewish Rituals and Symbols

Father and two sons playing dreidel on a wooden table
Jewish Rituals and Symbols

What happens on each night of Hanukkah?

Two blessings are chanted or recited every night of Hanukkah. The first is a blessing over the candles themselves. The second blessing expresses thanks for the miracle of deliverance. A third blessing—the Shehecheyanu prayer, marking all joyous occasions in Jewish life—is chanted or recited only on the first night.
Jewish Rituals and Symbols

Yes, We Still Need an Orange on Our Seder Plate

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer

The orange will remain on my seder plate as a sign that we are always striving to help everyone to feel included, a sign that we are always looking out for those who might not feel that they belong, and a sign that we are full of juicy vitality: always growing, always changing, and always aware, keenly aware, that our history of bondage requires us to tell those stories.
Jewish Rituals and Symbols

Why do some people include an orange on the seder plate?

Rabbi Victor S. Appell
Many have incorporated new rituals as part of the Passover seder. Many seder plates include an orange, which is attributed to Susannah Heschel, professor of Jewish studies at Dartmouth College. Heschel included an orange in recognition of gay and lesbian Jews, and others who are marginalized in the Jewish community.