Tag: Holiday

L’Dor V’Dor – Generation to Generation

It’s no accident that the word “Hanukkah” (which means “rededication”) is closely related to the Hebrew word “hinukh” – education.  After all, how can we ...
December 11, 2025 Uncategorized

Hanukkah Against Hunger: A Dedication for Our Hanukkah Lighting

Join Exploring Judaism in providing food for all who are hungry this Hanukkah, dedicate your Hanukkah for Hunger.
, , December 11, 2025 Food Hanukkah

Hanukkah: Fight or Light

Learning about the history of Hanukkah delves into what happens when fight or flight mode happens, especially from the Maccabees.
December 10, 2025 Hanukkah Hanukkah Reflections

What Is Your Favorite Latke Topping and Why Is It Hummus?

Bringing some humor to the darkest days of the year, we explore why hummus is the best topping for latkes, using Biblical and mystical sources
December 8, 2025 Hanukkah Hanukkah Reflections

How To Play Dreidel

With Hanukkah coming soon, you may be wondering what the actual rules for playing dreidel are. So, here's how to play dreidel!
December 8, 2025 Hanukkah Holidays
Thanksgiving Miracles: The Jewish Family

Thanksgiving Miracles: The Jewish Family

If you’re stressed preparing for this Thanksgiving—with the amount of food you have to cook, cleaning for days, having to sit next to great-uncle Harvey ...
November 25, 2025 Community Uncategorized

Where Is God During The Season Of Our Gladness

Balancing mourning and joy, celebration and grief, can be difficult and we wonder where is God during the Season of our Gladness—holidays?
October 10, 2025 Holidays Israel

The Holiday You’ve Never Heard Of: Why Shmini Atzeret Matters

You might not have heard of Shmini Atzeret, but here's why it matters and what new meaning you can gain from it.
October 10, 2025 Death and Dying High Holidays

Etrog Marmalade as an Environmentally Friendly Endeavor: Interview with Nadia Schapiro

Shared through an interview with Nadia Schapiro, learn about making etrog marmalade as an environmentally friendly endeavor.
October 10, 2025 Climate and Environment Food

What Sukkot Teaches About Joy

As we enter into the time of Sukkot, we can take the time to learn and teach about the joy that celebrating the holiday can ...
October 3, 2025 Holidays Israel

Sukkot Are Temporary Shelters For Peace

In a reflection before Sukkot and the anniversary of October 7, this author views Sukkot as temporary shelters for peace and what we need now. ...
October 3, 2025 Holidays Israel

Balancing Pain and Celebration: Sukkot Message 5786

As we reach Sukkot and the anniversary of October 7, Jacob Blumenthal provides a message about balancing pain and celebration.
October 3, 2025 Holidays Israel

Dancing on Your Behalf

When hakafot are impossible on Simchat Torah, especially during war, there is an alternative, a way to dance on someone else's behalf.
October 3, 2025 Holidays Israel

Leave Nothing to Chance?

Between Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, we cannot leave anything to chance but we must leave room for God.
September 17, 2025 High Holidays Holidays
Why This is the Year to Celebrate Tu B’Av

Why This is the Year to Celebrate Tu B’Av

Tu B'av reminds that Jewish people join together in tragedy and in love and joy, helping explain why this is the year to celebrate it.
August 8, 2024 Holidays Tu B'av
Why Does Tisha B'Av Get So Much Play At Camp?

Why Does Tisha B’Av Get So Much Play at Camp?

Tisha B'Av at camp is unlike anywhere else in the Jewish world. So why does Tisha B'Av get so much play at camp?
July 26, 2024 Holidays Observing Tisha B'av
Tu B’Av: Finding Joy and Love During The Mournful Summer

Tu B’Av: Finding Love and Joy During The Mournful Summer

What is Tu B'Av and why is it a time to find love and joy during the mournful summer? It comes between Tisha B'Av and ...
July 3, 2024 Holidays Tu B'av
Reparations: The Difficulty and Bravery and Asking

Reparations: The Difficulty and Bravery of Asking

Look at reparations and the difficulty and bravery of asking, through the lens of slavery in Egypt, slavery in America, and the Holocaust.
April 5, 2024 Holidays Passover
The Seder as a Lived Experience

The Seder as a Lived Experience

We use the Seder as a lived experience by reenacting the exodus, not just recounting it. Therefore, we can all connect to Passover.
March 27, 2024 Holidays Passover
16 Facts about Purim and the Book of Esther

16 Facts about Purim and the Book of Esther

Learn 16 facts about Purim and the Book of Esther, including the language and the context of the megillah in the Tanakh.
March 14, 2024 Esther Holidays
Descendants of Kings and Scholars: Leading the Revolution

Descendants of Kings and Scholars: Leading the Revolution

Descendants of leaders steer revolutions, seen through Moshe and Mordechai. What motivates the privileged who become social justice warriors?
March 14, 2024 Holidays Purim
The Weird and Wacky World of Kosher for Passover

The Weird and Wacky World of Kosher for Passover

The weird and wacky world of keeping Kosher for Passover is confusing and overwhelming, especially when you're new to it. Start here!
December 26, 2023 Holidays How to observe Passover
Elevating in Sanctity

Elevating in Sanctity

Elevating in sanctity the celebration of Hanukah, means lighting one more candle each night. What else can we learn from this?
December 8, 2023 Hanukkah Hanukkah Reflections
Shemini Atzeret, Demystified

Shemini Atzeret, Demystified

What is Shemini Atzeret and how is it connected to Sukkot? "Shemini Atzeret, Demystified" explains all of that and more.
September 28, 2023 Holidays Shemini Atzeret
Tu B'av: A Day For Joyous Love

Tu B’av: A Day For Joyous Love

Tu B'av, a minor summer holiday following Tisha B'av commemorates joyous events in Jewish history and celebrates love.
July 31, 2023 Holidays Living

Purim: Embracing the Unconventional

Purim celebrates unexpected heroes as role models. Those heroes, Esther and Mordechai encourage us to be our full selves.
March 5, 2023 Holidays Purim
How can I celebrate Rosh Hodesh?

How can I celebrate Rosh Hodesh?

Rosh Hodesh is less hierarchical and more open to creative interpretation than most Jewish occasions/events. The possibilities are endless.
February 14, 2023 Holidays Rosh Hodesh
Special Shabbats leading up to Purim and Passover

What are the Special Sabbaths Before Purim and Passover?

A series of special Shabbatot with special Torah readings precede Purim and Passover.
, February 5, 2023 Observing Purim Passover
Megillah scroll celebrating Purim in Synagogue

Celebrating Purim in Synagogue

Tradition dictates that Purim be observed on the fourteenth day of Adar, and begins with the recitation of the regular evening service.
, February 5, 2023 Observing Purim Purim
Festivities and food on Purim

Festivities, Food, and Mitzvot on Purim

Purim is celebrated with days of feasting and merrymaking, and occasion for sending gifts to one another and gifts for the poor.
, February 5, 2023 Food Holidays
What is Purim and When is it Celebrated?

What is Purim and When is it Celebrated?

Purim is about the struggle of identity against assimilation, the value of tolerance, and to live proudly as Jews in an ocean of non-Jews.
, January 31, 2023 Holidays Purim
Liturgy on Ḥanukkah

Liturgical Changes on Hanukkah

Liturgy on Hanukkah includes Hallel and additions to the Amidah. There are also special Torah readings, maftirs, and haftarot.
, December 8, 2022 Hanukkah Holidays
Songs for Hanukkah

Songs for Hanukkah

Hanukkah songs include those that follow candle lighting, as well as S'vivon sov sov sov, Hanukkah O'Hanukkah, and Neir Li.
December 6, 2022 Hanukkah Holidays
The Menorah

What is The Menorah?

The central mitzvah of Ḥanukkah is the lighting of the menorah at home and in the synagogue. This brings light to the darker winter months. ...
, December 6, 2022 Hanukkah Holidays
The Arba•ah Minim

Lulav and Etrog: The Four Species

Besides dwelling in a sukkah, the other significant mitzvah of Sukkot is the taking up of the arba·ah minim, literally “the four species.”
, October 28, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Sukkot at Home

Sukkot at Home

While celebrating Sukkot at home, rituals include lighting candles, sitting in the sukkah, and customs related to the sukkah.
, October 28, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Intermediate Days of Sukkot

Intermediate Days of Sukkot

The intermediate days of Sukkot, the weekdays, combine some features of festival days and normal weekdays to create wholly unique day.
, October 28, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Hoshana Rabbah

Hoshana Rabbah

Although the fifth intermediate day of Sukkot is known as Hoshana Rabbah, it is technically just the last day of ḥol ha-mo·eid.
, October 28, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Sh'mini Atzeret

What is Sh’mini Atzeret?

The final two days of Sukkot are a totally separate holiday called Sh'mini Atzeret. Liturgy includes Yizkor and the prayer for rain.
, October 28, 2022 Holidays Shemini Atzeret
Simḥat Torah

What is Simhat Torah?

Simḥat Torah means “the joy of Torah” and is the name for the day on which the annual cycle of Torah readings begins and ends. ...
, October 28, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Sh'mini Atzeret Candle Lighting

Sh’mini Atzeret Candle Lighting

The laws for lighting candles on Sh’mini Atzeret are similar to those for Shabbat. These laws also apply to Simḥat Torah.
, October 28, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Rituals of Sukkot

Rituals of Sukkot

Sukkot, one of the shalosh r’galim, the three pilgrimage festivals is celebrated five days after Yom Kippur.
, October 14, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
The Sukkah

The Sukkah

The sukkah for Sukkot has some very basic requirements, but beyond these rules its construction is left to one’s imagination and creativity.
, October 13, 2022 Building a Sukkah High Holidays
Sukkot Candle Lighting

Sukkot Candle Lighting

The laws for lighting candles on Sukkot are almost identical to the laws for Shabbat candle lighting, with the exception of covering eyes.
, October 13, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Ne'ilah

Ne’ilah

Ne’ilah is an additional service, recited only at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. It signifies the sealing of the Book of Life.
, October 4, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Minḥah on Yom Kippur

Minḥah on Yom Kippur

Minhah, the Afternoon Service, begins with the Torah service, including selections from Leviticus and the haftarah on the Book of Jonah.
, October 4, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Yom Kippur Musaf Service

Yom Kippur Musaf Service

The Yom Kippur Musaf Service includes two services: the Avodah service and the Martyrology service. Musaf follows Yizkor and Torah reading.
, October 4, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Yom Kippur Candle Lighting

Yom Kippur Candle Lighting

Following the Yom Kippur meal, candles are lit in a similar fashion to those lit on Rosh Hashanah. A Yizkor candle is also lit.
, October 3, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Yom Kippur Evening Service

Yom Kippur Evening Service

Maariv, the evening service, following Kol Nidrei on Erev Yom Kippur, is similar in many ways to daily Maariv but has notable differences.
, October 3, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Yom Kippur Morning Services

Yom Kippur Morning Services

The Yom Kippur morning service is similar to Rosh Hashanah, with the exception of the Amidah and the selections for the Torah service.
, October 3, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Erev Yom Kippur and the Customs Preceding It

Erev Yom Kippur and the Customs Preceding It

Preparations on Erev Yom Kippur are intrinsic to the awe-inspiring observance of the day: a special meal, candle lighting, and charity.
, October 3, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Kol Nidrei and Being Imperfect Together

Kol Nidrei and Being Imperfect Together

Yom Kippur begins with the dramatic Kol Nidrei service, intended to annul vows made between yourself and God.
, October 3, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Yom Kippur Yizkor Service

Yom Kippur Yizkor Service

The Memorial Service, Yizkor, is recited on Yom Kippur, one of four times throughout the year, to remember loved ones and Jewish martyrs.
, October 3, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
Rosh Hashanah Musaf Service

Rosh Hashanah Musaf Service

The Musaf Service for Rosh Hashanah contains familiar opening and closing blessings of the Amidah with the usual High Holiday interpolations.
, September 16, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
The Shofar on Rosh Hashanah

The Shofar on Rosh Hashanah

Sounding of the shofar is a characteristic mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah. The holiday is alternatively called the Day of Sounding the Shofar. 
, September 16, 2022 High Holidays Holidays
10 Reasons Shavuot Might Be Your New Favorite Holiday

10 Reasons Shavuot Might Be Your New Favorite Holiday

Rabbi Tova Leibovic-Douglas offers us 10 great reasons why Shavuot might be your new favorite Jewish holiday.
June 3, 2022 Shavuot Shavuot Reflections and Inspiration