Choose Life!: Mikveh Immersion Ceremony Before Preventative Mastectomy
Intention – KavannahLit. Intention Refers both to one’s intention when performing a mitzvahLit. Commandment. It is traditionally held that there are 613 mitzvot (plural) in Judaism, both postive commandments (mandating actions) and negative commandments (prohibiting actions). Mitzvah has also become colloquially assumed to mean the idea of a “good deed." or when focusing for prayer. Kavanah also refers to specific readings to help focus one’s attention prior to performing an act. […]
Omer 2019: Week 7
Week 7: Malchut (Majesty, Immanence) As we conclude Counting the OmerFrom the second day of PassoverPassover is a major Jewish holiday that commemorates the Jewish people's liberation from slavery and Exodus from Egypt. Its Hebrew name is Pesakh. Its name derives from the tenth plague, in which God "passed over" the homes of the Jewish firstborn, slaying only the Egyptian firstborn. Passover is celebrated for a week, and many diaspora Jews celebrate for eight days. The holiday begins at home at a seder meal and ritual the first (and sometimes second) night. Jews tell the story of the Exodus using a text called the haggadah, and eat specific food (matzah, maror, haroset, etc). until ShavuotShavuot is the holiday fifty days after Passover and commemorates when the Israelite liberation from Egypt culminates with the giving of the Torah. Traditionally, Jews study in an all-night study session, eat dairy products (one interpretation is that the Torah is like milk to us), and read both the Ten Commandments and the Book of Ruth., Jews count seven weeks – seven times seven days – to commemorate the […]
On Ingesting Mushrooms
The Decision Before embarking on the journey, take some time to consider why you are making this decision. Have you come to the decision on your own? What are your […]
Omer 2019: Week 6
Week 6: Yesod (Foundation, Connection) As we begin Counting the Omer, each day’s quality intersects with Yesod, inviting us to contemplate various dimensions of foundation or connection. We invited writers to […]
Omer 2019: Week 5
Week 5: Hod (Majesty, Humility) As we begin Counting the Omer, each day’s quality intersects with Hod, inviting us to contemplate various dimensions of majesty or humility. We invited writers to […]
An Outline for a Feminist Seder
Outline for a sederLit. Order. The festive meal conducted on Passover night, in a specific order with specific rituals to symbolize aspects of the Exodus from Egypt. It is conducted […]
Mother’s Day Prayer
Dear God and God of our Ancestors SarahThe first matriarch, wife of AbrahamAbraham is the first patriarch and the father of the Jewish people. He is the husband of Sarah and the father of Isaac and Ishmael. God's covenant - that we will be a great people and inherit the land of Israel - begins with Abraham and is marked by his circumcision, the first in Jewish history. His Hebrew name is Avraham., and mother of Isaac, whom she birthed at the age of 90. Sarah, in Rabbinic tradition, is […]
A Pesach Play in Six Irreverent Acts
Everyone in the family has been given their lines for Act V, but it is sealed, and they don’t know what they are going to say and don’t open the […]
Omer 2019: Week 4
Week 4: Netzach (Eternity, Endurance) As we begin Counting the Omer, each day’s quality intersects with Netzach, inviting us to contemplate various dimensions of eternity or endurance. We invited writers to […]
Omer 2019: Week 3
Week 3: Tiferet (Beauty, Compassion) As we begin Counting the Omer, each day’s quality intersects with Tiferet, inviting us to contemplate various dimensions of beauty or compassion. We invited writers to […]
