Category: Secular Holidays

Presidents come and go, but the words of the people will (hopefully) last a very long time. What does Presidents' Day mean in 2018? Is it merely a day off work or a moment that invites response through ritual? Is it possible to honor this holiday while acknowledging the wide variety of presidents this country has seen in more than 200 years? Ritualwell invites you to submit new content related to Presidents' Day. We are seeking guest blog posts, rituals, poems, prayers … whatever you can imagine. 

In the traditional liturgy, I did not find Shabbat meditation books that were focused on conversion, social justice, and the Black Jewish woman experience. So I did what Jewish women have done through the generations: I wrote a book. 

How can I possibly give thanks to God if I stumble on the thanks I give to the people most important to me?

For me, living in two civilizations means that they inform one another. When I blow my New Year's Eve party horn in the winter, I remember the echoes of the shofar in the fall.

We boys did not know how to comfort other boys, an example of a culture of male toughness, silence, and violence. 

Perhaps no single line from Jewish literature sums up the Jewish attitude about prayer and politics than the berakhah in Fiddler on the Roof: “May God bless and keep the Czar … far away from us.”

Let’s just put it this way: January 17th is National Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day. 

Torah, prayer, and politics mix. Even in an elections season that has been characterized as bitter and nasty, void of civility or compassion, the Torah does not let us off the hook.

A Prayer for the Electorate allows us a moment in services to recognize that civic engagement can be religious engagement, that tzedek is often fulfilled through public policy.

Camp is a microcosm of an ideal Jewish, American life. There, we celebrate both American and Jewish holidays, we are able to connect to each other socially and spiritually, and even when participating in a “secular” activity, we are still learning and exhibiting Jewish values. For example when playing sports, we treat each other fairly and respect our teammates and opponents. When we are working on an art project, we are sharing our materials with friends and beautifying the world.