Preserve the memory of your loved one with a plaque on our Yahrzeit(Yiddish) The anniversary of a death, usually marked by the lighting of a 24-hour yahrzeit candle and the recitation of Kaddish, the memorial prayer. For U.S. Jews, the unveiling of the headstone usually takes place on or around the first yahrzeit. Wall. Learn More ->
Saturday offers many ways to observe ShabbatShabbat is the Sabbath day, the Day of Rest, and is observed from Friday night through Saturday night. Is set aside from the rest of the week both in honor of the fact that God rested on the seventh day after creating the world. On Shabbat, many Jews observe prohibitions from various activities designated as work. Shabbat is traditionally observed with festive meals, wine, challah, prayers, the reading and studying of Torah, conjugal relations, family time, and time with friends.. Sleep late. Attend morning services and hear the TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes “Torah” is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general. read aloud. Have a leisurely lunch with family or friends. Spend the afternoon reading, learning Torah, playing outside, hanging out with friends. Later, you can take a nap or go to a quick afternoon service to hear the Torah read again. Shabbat offers an opportunity to pause—to take a break from our daily activities and responsibilities in order to reconnect with our friends, our loved ones, and creation.
A prayer from T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights to protect human rights and human dignity
Originally written for Human Rights Shabbat, this prayer seeks to capture the hope that the social justice teachings of Torah, and the ethical impulses they inspire, will be mirrored in the actions of our governments on all levels.
“Wine or grape juice?” and why we should make both available at our communal celebrations
A kavannah before the prayer mah tovu or for parshat BalakÂ
Three poems reflecting on different aspects of Torah
One woman’s experiment with bowing during the morning blessings, wearing a tallit, and wearing a kippah
A prayer for protection for both weekdays and Shabbat
A thoughtful adaptation of the Shabbat Amidah using feminine god-language in Hebrew and English
Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement
Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues
Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives
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