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A few days ago while wasting a rainy Seattle day indoors, I flipped to E!, one of my guilty pleasure channels. The show Christina Milian Turned Up was on. It is not something I normally watch, but I was intrigued when Liz Milian, Christina’s younger sister, mentioned Judaism. She was preparing for the rabbi to come to her house to help her kasher the home she shares with her family.

If you ask any convert to Judaism, they will likely tell you that as daunting as the conversion process can sometimes be, actually being a Jew can be harder that becoming one.

Rituals have the power to mark or to move us through transitions. Sometimes they take the form of a long, thoughtfully-planned ceremony, such as a wedding, conversion, or baby naming. Other times, they bubble up in a short, spontaneous prayer—such as before a meal or in a moment of pain or celebration. We can look to our biblical texts for examples of both, whether reading about the carefully proscribed Temple rituals or Moses’ impromptu plea for healing on behalf of

Editor’s Note: This week’s blog from guest writer Erika Davis of “Black, Gay, Jewish” may not at first seem to be explicitly about Jewish ritual. However, when Erika interrupted her scheduled series to write about her grief around the Eric Garner case, we knew that her story touched on the very things that have brought so many of you to our site over the years. We thank Erika for sharing her story with us and hope you will find comfort and sustenance in her words.

An amazing thing happened a few days ago. I was enjoying my lunch in the break room of the retail store I help to manage when one of my colleagues came rushing into the room. “Erika!” he exclaimed, “Come here! Now!” I was annoyed because I was on my break and protested the entire way to the sales floor. “Look,” he said gesturing toward a corner of the floor. I looked and saw an admittedly cute blonde French bulldog, but only responded, “Cute dog.” “No,” he persisted. “Look.” He cocked his head sharply and again looked toward the corner.

Ritualwell is excited to partner with G-dcast on their new Lifecycle Series: a collection of animated shorts and personal stories about milestones in the Jewish tradition. From giving birth, to naming a child, from designing a 

I pray this way in the mornings now because I want to feel less afraid; less afraid of the places I have been and less afraid of the path ahead.

When I imagine wearing my tallit in Ferguson and afterward, I am imagining how it will help carry with me a sense of security and home—a portable home just like the sukkah. 

I have said the words of the Yom Kippur Vidui many times, always awkwardly aware that most of the list of sins did not apply to me. I never thought I would come to embrace its awkwardness, and I certainly never imagined that it could guide me toward making decisions I was afraid to make. 

Two years ago, at age 93, my father passed away suddenly and peacefully in