What’s the Minimum I Need to Pray in the Morning?
How to Pray the Essentials: A Halakhic Morning Guide Real life is a bit more complicated than our imagination. You wake up late. Or the
Rabbi Jeremy Markiz
How to Pray the Essentials: A Halakhic Morning Guide Real life is a bit more complicated than our imagination. You wake up late. Or the
When you lay tefillin, your hands are no longer free. You embody the mitzvah: straps are bound to your skin, parchment is pressed close to
Zmanim, halakhic times, divide the Jewish day. They determine and inform when we can perform Jewish activities. On Friday evenings, there is a time to
Traveling from Virginia to California, L’Dor V’Dor tells the story of a family through a tallit tale, how each generation is woven together.
In the fifth and final piece of the rain insertions series, explore how we can relate the agricultural setting of the land of Israel to today
In the third part of our series on rain insertions, take a look at why something based in the land of Israel applies in the Diaspora.
From the Haftarah for Rosh Hashanah, taken from the Book of Samuel, we learn how prayer can change us, especially as we view Hannah’s role.
Daily Elul kavanot: Short intentions guiding reflection, teshuvah, and spiritual renewal in preparation for the High Holidays.
Daily Elul kavanot: Short intentions guiding reflection, teshuvah, and spiritual renewal in preparation for the High Holidays.
Daily Elul kavanot: Short intentions guiding reflection, teshuvah, and spiritual renewal in preparation for the High Holidays.
Between Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, we cannot leave anything to chance but we must leave room for God.
After a discordant summer and the unknowns of college, Amelia Mae Heller finds stability in the routine of Kabbalat Shabbat.
A Prayer for Light in Times of Darkness as we mourn the souls of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgram, who were murdered in Washington, D.C.
Learn more about what Jewish mindfulness is and answer the question “How do I get started?” There’s many ways to practice—here are a few.
If you’ve never been in the practice of reciting Psalms, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Here’s how to adopt the practice.
Prayer is one of the most common and misunderstood parts of Jewish life. Here are five myths about Jewish prayer.
Through its symbolism, Havdalah teaches us that the boundary between sacred and the ordinary are not truly separate, but can also be fun!
Being in community, singing with heart, by listening to the prayers, or by intending to connect with G-d are ways to lift up our experience.
Engaging in gratitude every morning for being alive is a religious habit that can contribute to a healthier and happy life.
The Shema is the twice-daily renewal of our vows, to focus on what matters in the world: love, relationship, community and the Holy.
Looking at “To Life” from “Fiddler on the Roof,” shows us how living for Shabbat can transform your whole week.
Getting distracted during the Amidah and prayer is normal. But what do I do about it? There are a number of approaches that might work.
Prayer is God’s constant invitation to approach. An opportunity to our deepen relationships with God and ourselves, by sharing how we feel.
Our tradition mandates we pray three times a day, but why? There are 2 theories. But, we might ask: What does it mean to pray?
Explore why Conservative Judaism changed the language of the sacrifices in the prayer book. It shows more about the Movement.
“Listener of Prayer” is an important phrase in many of our blessings and prayers. Learn more about why that is.
US Slaves were given a Bible without Psalms, with no access to the freedom stories. How does this impact a Jewish understanding of Juneteenth?
This year, as we prepare the seder, we encourage an extra setting at your table—an empty chair for our family still in captivity in Gaza.
Learning what Zmanim are and why they are important can bring a new meaning to ritual practices and the routine of our days.
Shirat Hayam connects us to a collective memory and is the proof-text that enlarges, extends, and authenticates the meaning of the prayer.
A prayer in honor of Martin Luther King Day, commemorating what Dr. King stood for and about, learning from his ever-effective words.
In a written teshuvah, Rabbi Jane Kanarek explains the answer to the question, “Should women and girls wear a headcovering?”
This CJLS teshuva explores where and when a tallit should be worn on the bimah. This also addresses women wearing tallitot.
Rabbi Artson shares his “Ani Ma’amin,” the credo that he recites every day as he things about Conservative Judaism as a dynamic force.
Caleb Brommer, RS ’24, speaks on finding quiet solace in a stormy world, for his JTS senior sermon, on Parashat Vayishlach.
We learn from Rabbi Friedson to keep our hope in mind for this next year. Our hope is a rope, just as strong and tenacious.
Rabbis Nicole Guzik and Erez Sherman offer a prayer for Israel. This was first offered at a vigil on October 8th, 2023.
Prayer for Simchat Torah War by The Rabbinical Assembly of Israel and Masorti Israel.
Prayer for the Welfare and Return of Israel’s Captured and Missing by the Rabbinical Assembly of Israel and Masorti Israel
The intensity of Rosh Hashanah can be intimidating; read this guide to get to know what to expect at services on our New Year.
As we discuss our traditions and requirements on Yom Kippur, we encounter discomforts that allow us to think about the past year.
While Judaism tells us various ways to pray, we are not told what to think: Here are three different takes on the subject.
Here are 5 kavanot, intentions, for the days and weeks of Elul, approaching the Holy Days. This includes poems, books, and self-reflection.
Celebrating the high holy days from home gives us ample opportunity to bring the sacred even further into our lives.
A Talmudic Midrash obligates prayer three times a day, instituted in honor of our three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Amidah is considered the central part of daily Jewish prayer, with minor variations in the text based on time of day, year and season.
Our prayers are almost always a mixture of both keva (oft-recited text) and kavanah (deeper layers of meaning).
Changes in liturgy are born out of changes in the theological and historical life of a people, both the individual and the community.
Movement acts as part of prayer, orchestrated in traditional Jewish settings, thus putting us in touch with the ebb and flow of the liturgy.
An individual, Rabbi, Cantor, or volunteer, skilled in singing and well-versed in Torah learning and liturgy, is appointed to lead prayers.
Halakhah demands that we invoke God’s name in prayer only in settings that are worthy of the sacred enterprise of prayer.
Tefillah is more than the sum of its parts and encompasses far more than the obligation to recite certain specific daily prayers.
Jews are permitted to pray in any language and thus making our liturgy a link to Jews all around the world.
By the use of set prayers, are we ipso facto guaranteeing that some will be obliged to recite words they do not find true or meaningful?
We hear from God through our participation in liturgical prayer, and also through the study of religious texts.
The Shema is the declaration of God’s uniqueness and unity that the Torah commands us to recite twice daily.
The Evening Service, called Ma’ariv (also called Arvit or spelled Maariv), is slightly longer than the Afternoon Service.
The Afternoon Service, called Minḥah (or Mincha), is much shorter than the Morning Service and has no unique components.
Every day of the year, the Morning Service follows some variation of the order of the same Sharcharit prayers.
The prayers at the very beginning of the morning service help us to start our day with intention and gratitude.
There is a wide range of specific customs related to the issue of covering the head, including what to cover it with.
The tassels of the Tallit, called tzitzit (or tzitzis) in Hebrew, are explicitly intended to serve as a reminder of God’s commandments.
The period of mourning for one’s parents is a full twelve months, and serves a deeply therapeutic function for the mourner.
Judaism does not recognize any gray area between life and death. Whenever possible, a dying person should not be left alone.
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.
Yizkor consists of a collection of readings and recitations revolving around two central prayers: Yizkor prayers, and the El Malei Rachamim.
The halakhah does not generally permit autopsies, due to honoring the dead. However, there are two important exceptions to that rule.
The word shivah refers to the seven days of mourning that follow the burial of a parent, child, sibling, or spouse.
A series of special Shabbatot with special Torah readings precede Purim and Passover.
Tradition dictates that Purim be observed on the fourteenth day of Adar, and begins with the recitation of the regular evening service.
If we try to look past the tangible, if we focus on the other, in relationship, we can come to see the Divine, even if only for a second.
Tefillin, ritual black boxes used for prayer, are a powerful and physical way of connecting to God. Here’s how to do it.
Jewish spirituality doesn’t live in a book. Our bodies can guide our awareness and blessing. What could this practice look like in your life?
What is the mystery of Eyn Keloheinu? How do we unravel the contradiction that seems to be present within this prayer?
Liturgy on Hanukkah includes Hallel and additions to the Amidah. There are also special Torah readings, maftirs, and haftarot.
Our bodies are wonderful and wondrous. Asher Yatsar helps us recognize our physical selves and offers a moment of gratitude to The Creator.
Besides dwelling in a sukkah, the other significant mitzvah of Sukkot is the taking up of the arba·ah minim, literally “the four species.”
While celebrating Sukkot at home, rituals include lighting candles, sitting in the sukkah, and customs related to the sukkah.
The intermediate days of Sukkot, the weekdays, combine some features of festival days and normal weekdays to create wholly unique day.
The final two days of Sukkot are a totally separate holiday called Sh’mini Atzeret. Liturgy includes Yizkor and the prayer for rain.
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.
The laws for lighting candles on Sukkot are almost identical to the laws for Shabbat candle lighting, with the exception of covering eyes.
Ne’ilah is an additional service, recited only at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. It signifies the sealing of the Book of Life.
Minhah, the Afternoon Service, begins with the Torah service, including selections from Leviticus and the haftarah on the Book of Jonah.
The Yom Kippur Musaf Service includes two services: the Avodah service and the Martyrology service. Musaf follows Yizkor and Torah reading.
Following the Yom Kippur meal, candles are lit in a similar fashion to those lit on Rosh Hashanah. A Yizkor candle is also lit.
Maariv, the evening service, following Kol Nidrei on Erev Yom Kippur, is similar in many ways to daily Maariv but has notable differences.
The Yom Kippur morning service is similar to Rosh Hashanah, with the exception of the Amidah and the selections for the Torah service.
Preparations on Erev Yom Kippur are intrinsic to the awe-inspiring observance of the day: a special meal, candle lighting, and charity.
Yom Kippur begins with the dramatic Kol Nidrei service, intended to annul vows made between yourself and God.
The Memorial Service, Yizkor, is recited on Yom Kippur, one of four times throughout the year, to remember loved ones and Jewish martyrs.
The Musaf Service for Rosh Hashanah contains familiar opening and closing blessings of the Amidah with the usual High Holiday interpolations.
Sounding of the shofar is a characteristic mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah. The holiday is alternatively called the Day of Sounding the Shofar.
For most people, Rosh Hashanah means a lot of time spent praying in the synagogue. These are the complex explanations behind those prayers.
Selichot are special prayers recited in anticipation of the High Holidays introducing us to the themes of the upcoming holidays.
The ritual preparations for the High Holidays begin a full month in advance with the onset of the month of Elul.
Prayer is not just a recitation of words. But rather, prayer is an expression of a great many modes and experiences in Judaism.
T’fillah, Jewish prayer, is rooted in self-judgment, reflection, and connecting to something greater than ourselves.
Tahanun is the name for a series of penitential prayers that follow the Amidah during the Morning and Afternoon Services.
We thank God, spend time in community, sing heartily, read holy texts, and revel in rest. What can I expect at a Shabbat morning service?