Category Archives: Jewish muse
Confessions of a Yom Kippur Slacker: I Never Fast
No bona fide reason excuses me from fasting each Yom Kippur. It is my choice. Call me a Yom Kippur slacker.
High Holy Day Challenge: Sing with Understanding
Experience what could be a majestic beginning to the Days of Awe. That is my goal – and challenge for High Holy Days this year. I want to truly understand the meaning of the opening prayer.
How Jewish must we be to help our faith survive?
How Jewish must we be to help our faith survive? It's a tough question. The Bible has a passage that seems to suggest we should not practice our faith in anyway we please. But as a Reform Jew, I treasure the freedom to choose how Jewish I want to be.
Community’s a Bigger Concept than One Faith
For decades, I searched for a community. And I found it by returning to my own Jewish faith. Now I am no longer a stranger within my own faith and the Jewish community gives me a huge sense of belonging. And yet, my definition of community has broadened.
Mitzvah in Park: Smiles Worth More Than Money
The boy and girl stared at the ice cream truck, their mouths drooping in obvious longing. “What would you like? An ice cream sandwich?” the ice cream vendor asked, then started naming off frozen novelties. The children’s mother shook her head. She had already told her children no. “Sorry, I didn’t bring any money,” she [...]
Err on Side of Participation at Funerals
Keep funerals participatory. Clergy should give advice on what makes a suitable eulogy so funerals do not become insufferable or have inappropriate content. They should urge family members to keep the number of speakers low. Sitting through a long funeral for a loved one can be traumatic and painful. Mourners need to hear that others loved the deceased, but the conversation can and should continue after the funeral ends.
Night Without Ritual Has Shabbat Feel
>No candles were lit. No kiddush was chanted. No challah was on a table. And yet last Friday night still felt a lot like Shabbat.
My family met a friend and her 4-year-old daughter for a picnic in downtown Lexington and heard a free children’s music concert. Maybe Shabbat can be about more than ritual. It was a night about simply being together.
Judaism, by baby steps
My 4-month-old baby boy nestled in my arms, I walked into the sanctuary hoping to discreetly slip back into a seat by my husband.
“Simon,” Rabbi Howard Jaffe called out in his booming voice. “Come join us.”
It was time for the Aleinu prayer, and our temple’s tradition was to invite children to participate and open the [...]
Learning to Pray is Lifelong Challenge
Some people seem so comfortable at praying. They shut their eyes and recite words praising God and fold into their own private space. I am still learning how to pray.
I celebrated my adult bat mitzvah four years ago and led others in the traditional prayers of a Shabbat morning service. I did not stumble over [...]
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Rabbi’s Yom Kippur Lesson: It’s Ok to Stumble in Prayer