Skip to content
Holidays
Candle Lighting Times
Shabbat
Holiday Bites Podcast
Passover
Passover Reader 5784: Not A Haggadah
Counting The Omer
More Holidays >>
Every Day
Blessings
Daily Living
Home
Kashrut
Prayer
Ritual and Prayer Items
Spirituality
Tzedakah
Living
Climate and Environment
Health
Jewish Identity and Pride
LGBTQ+
Lifecycles
Travel
Learning
Torah
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
Inclusion
Halakhah
Mitzvot
Community
Make Connections
Ask a Rabbi
Rabbinic Newsletters
About
About Us
Our Team
Authors
Pitch a Piece
Feedback
Exploring Judaism Blog
Search
Donate
Search
Search
Close this search box.
Rabbi Carl Astor
Author
Rabbi Carl Astor
What is a Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, B-Mitzvah?
The B-Mitzvah is a transitional moment when one becomes responsible to the mitzvot, Traditionally celebrated with an aliyah to the Torah.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
December 26, 2023
B-Mitzvah
Children
Fasting While Ill
It is considered forbidden to fast on fast days if injurious to one’s health, for the sake of performing positive commandments.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
May 10, 2023
Health
Illness
Jewish Viewpoints on Serious Illness
We give thanks to God every day for the gift of life, but recognize that we are mortal and that illness and death will come.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
May 10, 2023
Health
Illness
Jewish Customs Showing Care for People who are Ill
Visiting the sick is counted as one of the mitzvot that is rewarded both in this world and also in the World to Come.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
May 10, 2023
Health
Illness
Mourning Practices for the Loss of a Parent
The period of mourning for one’s parents is a full twelve months, and serves a deeply therapeutic function for the mourner.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
May 8, 2023
Death and Dying
Lifecycles
When Death is Imminent
Judaism does not recognize any gray area between life and death. Whenever possible, a dying person should not be left alone.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
May 8, 2023
Confronting Death
Death and Dying
Yahrzeit: The Jewish Anniversary of Someone’s Death
Yahrzeit should be a day given over to remembering and honoring an individual for whom one once sat shivah and is learning to live without.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
May 8, 2023
Death and Dying
Lifecycles
Tombstone Customs in Judaism
Tombstone customs in Judaism stem from the religious obligation to mark a grave. This is traditionally done with tombstones or stone markers.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
February 28, 2023
Death and Dying
Lifecycles
What Does Jewish Law Say About Autopsies and Organ Donation?
The halakhah does not generally permit autopsies, due to honoring the dead. However, there are two important exceptions to that rule.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
February 28, 2023
Confronting Death
Death and Dying
Kohanim and Funerals
Kohanim were forbidden to come into contact or share indoor space with the bodies of the dead, apart from their closest of relatives.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
February 28, 2023
Death and Dying
Funerals
