Tag: Spirituality

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

Light in the Darkness: A Kislev Reading List

The month of Kislev is all about bringing light into darkness and this month we have a reading list focused on that.
December 6, 2025 Daily Living Every Day

The Body Speaks: Elul 17

Daily Elul kavanot: Short intentions guiding reflection, teshuvah, and spiritual renewal in preparation for the High Holidays.
, September 10, 2025 Elul Elul Intentions
Hebrew word tamim on a black background with the title of the essay

Be Perfect! Be Authentic! Be with God! 

We’re approaching the end. The journey through the desert is coming to a close, and Moshe is giving his final instructions to the Israelites before ...
August 28, 2025 Parashat Shoftim Parashat Shoftim Dvar Torah

What It Means Spiritually If People Edited the Torah

Did God give the fully-written Torah to Moses at Sinai? Or as the Torah compiled and edited by people? What does that mean spiritually?
April 30, 2025 Every Day Hebrew Bible

What is Jewish Mindfulness and How do I Get Started?

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.
March 7, 2025 Blessings Every Day

Reading Psalms in Difficult Times

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. ...
March 7, 2025 Every Day Personal Prayer
Balancing Torah Study and Worldly Engagement Can it work

Balancing Torah Study and Worldly Engagement: Can it work?

You can find a harmonious existence where Torah study enriches your engagement with the world and the world inspires your spiritual growth.
, February 13, 2025 Learning Living
5 Myths about Jewish Prayer

5 Myths about Jewish Prayer

Prayer is one of the most common and misunderstood parts of Jewish life. Here are five myths about Jewish prayer.
February 13, 2025 Every Day Prayer
Balancing Work and Faith: The Dilemma of Modern Jewish Life

Balancing Work and Faith: The Dilemma of Modern Jewish Life

Through thoughtful choices, self-reflection, and a commitment to growth, we can balance our professional obligations and spiritual practices.
February 13, 2025 Living Mitzvot

How Living for Shabbat Transformed My Whole Week

Looking at "To Life" from "Fiddler on the Roof," shows us how living for Shabbat can transform your whole week.
January 29, 2025 Daily Living Every Day
Balance Espiritual y Arrepentimiento

Balance Espiritual y Arrepentimiento

Fasting, praying, and ancient rituals invite and inspire us to begin Ḥeshbon Hanefesh and perform sincere Teshuvah.
September 20, 2024 High Holidays Holidays
Spiritual Balance and Teshuvah

Spiritual Balance and Teshuvah

Fasting, praying, and ancient rituals invite and inspire us to begin Ḥeshbon Hanefesh and perform sincere Teshuvah.
, September 20, 2024 High Holidays Holidays
Jerusalem: Our Singularly Plural Capital

Jerusalem: Our Singularly Plural Capital

What is the significance of Jerusalem, our singularly plural capital, as our capital city? What makes it so important?
June 27, 2024 Holidays Yom Yerushalayim
Marriage As Mitzvah

Marriage As Mitzvah

Jews see marriage as mitzvah based on biblical and rabbinic texts. Marriage is seen as important for spirituality and closeness with God.
, June 26, 2024 Learning Lifecycles
Mourning a Miscarriage

Mourning a Miscarriage

While there are no specific rituals for mourning a miscarriage, there are practices and rituals to use in that time that can help healing.
June 19, 2024 Children Death and Dying
Temple Envy

Temple Envy

This an exploration of my "temple envy" through the emotions of grief, wonder, and desire for Jewish unity during a recent vacation to Nikko.
May 22, 2024 Every Day Holidays
Days of the Omer Playlist

Exploring Judaism’s Omer Playlist

Exploring Judaism's Omer playlist is meant to accompany you throughout the seven weeks leading up to Shavuot: Bring a bit more music to life!
April 8, 2024 Holidays Music
Why I Love Tefillin

Why I Love Tefillin

Rabbi Lauren Tuchman writes "Why I Love Tefillin" and explores how all people can wear tefillin, based on her own experience.
February 6, 2024 Accessories for Prayer Every Day
How to Write a D’var Torah

How to Write a D’var Torah

There are many ways to write a d'var Torah. Read how this rabbi thinks about giving divrei Torah and what she thinks about while writing.
December 26, 2023 Every Day Learning
Being a Conservative Jew in Jerusalem

A Conservative Jew in Jerusalem

What is it like being a Conservative Jew in Jerusalem and how do we understand the holiness of the holiest place in the world?
December 26, 2023 Conservative Judaism Israel
This is the Bread of Affliction

This is the Bread of Affliction

This is the bread of affliction: Matzah adorns our Seder plates and nourishes our souls, as well—this food is fulfilling.
December 26, 2023 Food Holidays
When the Holidays Are Hard

When the Holidays Are Hard

Everyone celebrates Rosh Hashanah differently, but sometimes, the holidays are hard. What can we do when this is true?
September 11, 2023 Elul Holidays
5 Kavanot for Elul

5 Kavanot for Elul

Here are 5 kavanot, intentions, for the days and weeks of Elul, approaching the Holy Days. This includes poems, books, and self-reflection.
, August 17, 2023 Elul High Holidays
What Am I Afraid Of?

What Am I Afraid Of?

As we continue the work of Elul, examining the words of Psalm 27 can teach us about going beyond the inner voices and what we ...
August 17, 2023 Elul High Holidays
Deja Jew, or, Asking the Question Yet Again: Why Be Jewish?

Deja Jew, or, Asking the Question Yet Again: Why Be Jewish?

Dig deeper into Jewish identity, memory, spirituality, and wisdom, exploring more into the question: "Why Be Jewish?"
August 13, 2023 Daily Living Embodied Prayer
Celebrating the High Holy Days From Home

Celebrating the High Holy Days From Home

Celebrating the high holy days from home gives us ample opportunity to bring the sacred even further into our lives.
August 13, 2023 Elul High Holidays

The Interplay of Routine and Intention: Keva and Kavanah

Our prayers are almost always a mixture of both keva (oft-recited text) and kavanah (deeper layers of meaning).
, May 16, 2023 Every Day Prayer
Tefillin: A Reminder of What is Holy

Tefillin: A Reminder of What is Holy

Rabbi Julie Schwarzwald on wearing Tefillin: As I go about my work and my mundane routine, I am regularly reminded of what is holy.
January 25, 2023 Accessories for Prayer Every Day
Blessings and Bodies: Praying Without the Book

Blessings and Bodies: Praying Without the Book

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?
January 5, 2023 Blessings Daily Living
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
What does it take to feel Jewish

What does it take to feel Jewish?

Collecting experiences helps us feel like we belong. By doing ‘Jewish,’ we create meaningful Jewish lives where spirituality feels less contrived.
November 16, 2022 Conversion Jewish Identity
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
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
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
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
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
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
What to Read to Prepare for the High Holidays this Year

What to Read to Prepare for the High Holidays this Year

Rabbi Mordechai Rackover recommends these reads to help you prepare for the themes, liturgy, and spirit of the High Holidays.
September 16, 2022 Elul High 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
Elul’s Shofar: A Poem

Elul’s Shofar: A Poem

Elul's shofar blasts daily remind us of all we need to do to prepare spiritually for the upcoming holidays and the start of the new ...
September 1, 2022 Elul High Holidays
blurry image of a backyard at night with the words Havdalah Solo: My (Slightly Awkward) Spiritual Self-Care

Havdalah Solo: My (Slightly Awkward) Spiritual Self-Care

My Havdalah candle, wine, spices, and I did my own Havdalah ceremony all alone in my backyard. It was my own form of spiritual self-care.
April 27, 2022 Havdalah Shabbat
Blurry image of cleaning supplies with the words Spirtually Cleaning the Hametz within our souls

Spiritually Cleaning the Hametz Within Our Souls

With all of this physically taxing work, it can be easy to miss the spiritual preparation for this celebration of our collective redemption.
March 31, 2022 Passover Preparing for Passover