Jewish Spirituality

Renewing Jewish expression, belief, and practice--in ways traditional and new.

 

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Prayer

God

Body & Soul

The Environment

Food

Relationships

Newborns

Teens

Aging

Work & Money

Shabbat
Rosh Hashanah

Yom Kippur

Sukkot

Hanukkah

Tu Bishvat

Passover

Conversion

Death & Mourning

New Rituals

Prayer

All the World’s a Place for Prayer
Spiritual awareness in everyday moments

Why Pray?
Jewish answers to this fundamental question

A Soul for God
Learning to speak to God through prayer

Hannah’s Prayer
A model of sincerity

The Words Are Only a Way
Liturgy is only one form of prayer

Living a Prayerful Life
Taking prayer with you

From the Depths
Psalms as prayer

God is My Shepherd
A translation and interpretation of Psalm 23

Significance of the Tallit (Prayer Shawl)
A mitzvah with deep theological meaning

Significance of Tefillin (Phylacteries)
Powerful symbols of allegiance to divine law

Climbing the Rungs of Prayer
The Hasidic masters on contemplative prayer

 

God

God Is My Shepherd
A translation and interpretation of  Psalm 23

Does God Hear Our Prayers?
Traditional Judaism says “yes” emphatically

Must I Believe in God?
Not as straightforward as you may think

From Belief to Faith
Skeptics and the spiritual Jewish journey

Anybody Listening?
Prayer remains vital regardless

Outer Faith, Inner Faith
Relating to a silent God

 

Body & Soul

Spirituality & the Soul
The soul as instrument of spirituality

Body & Soul
Indispensable partners in God’s work

Treating Addiction
Jewish traditions for fighting substance abuse

 

The Environment

Environmentally Conscious Jewish Life
A how-to guide

The Need for Wonder
A realm of the unknown and inexplicable

Guests in God’s World
A responsibility to protect the environment

The Souls of Trees
A mystical perspective

 

Food

The Spirituality of Food
Spiritual and physical health

No Food Before Helping Those In Need
The relationship between giving and taking

Vegetarianism: Kashrut for Our Age
Vegetarianism as a mitzvah

Food & Awareness
Eating in holiness and purity

I Am What I Eat
A personal perspective on keeping kosher

 

Relationships

Buber’s I & Thou
An excerpt from the classic work of theology

Making It Holy
Love and sex

Marriage & God
The third member of the partnership

Marriage & Community
A couple’s new responsibilities

 

Newborns

When She Arrives
Creativity vs. tradition in welcoming baby girls

A Difficult Rite
The meaning of circumcision

Why the Covenant?
Welcoming children into the community

 

Teens

D’var Torah as Religious Struggle
Finding meaning in a bar/bat mitzvah speech

Leaving for College
The “Chai” Ceremony

Aging

Like Abraham & Moses
Jewish spirituality of aging

Celebrating Aging
A new Jewish ritual

 

Work & Money

Work As Spiritual Practice
Jewish values in the “real world” of business

Balancing Work & Family
Judaism insists family must come first

Work as Calling
Our jobs can help set the world right

Judaism’s Encounter With Greed
Humans are only stewards of wealth

Shabbat

A Spiritual Orientation
An extra measure of soulfulness

Friday Night at Home
Sharing Shabbat with friends and family

How to Bring in Shabbat
A multimedia presentation

Enjoyment & Spiritual Fulfillment
Creative activity is set aside

A Sanctuary in Time
An excerpt from Heschel’s The Sabbath

Sabbath Meditation
The joy and peace of Shabbat

Creation & Exodus
Cosmic and social reasons for Shabbat

Taking Leave of Shabbat
How to make Havdalah

 

Rosh Hashanah

Listening to the Shofar
A multimedia how-to guide

Renewing Ourselves
Spiritual preparations for the High Holidays

Facing the Music
A High Holiday meditation

Guided Meditation
Focusing on the year that’s ended

Music to Our Ears
The shofar touches a primal chord

Psalm 27
An important part of the spiritual preparation

Confronting Death
Change is possible

Liberating Life
A focus on death for renewal of life

 

Yom Kippur

Last Chance
The end of the season of repentance

The Double Purpose of Yom Kippur
Cleansing from the polluting effects of sin

The Healing Power of Confession
God is present after we sin

Jonah: Success or Failure?
Evaluating the story of a prophet

 

Sukkot

God’s Sukkah
How God celebrates the festival

The Sukkah Paradox
Do walls make us secure or vulnerable?

Joy as Religious Obligation
The festive nature of Sukkot

After Liberation
Sukkot and challenges of everyday life

The Sukkah Still Stands
Vulnerability and protection in a fragile world

 

Hanukkah

Living With Imperfection
The lesson of Hanukkah

Spiritual vs. Political
Reconciling two worldviews

Hanukkah & Winter Solstice
When the days are short

November-December Dilemma
Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas

 

Tu Bishvat

The Promise of Tu Bishvat
Finding new meaning in tree planting

A Lesson in Abundance
Tu Bishvat is a call to share wealth

 

Passover

The Hidden Matzah
The spiritual meaning of the afikoman

Spiritual Hametz
The meaning of cleaning

Self-Liberation
Freeing ourselves from modern society

 

Conversion

New Name for a New Identity
Choosing a Hebrew name

Going to the Mikveh: The Day Before
A personal perspective

Going to the Mikveh: The Day After
A personal perspective

 

Death & Mourning

Kaddish Speaks to Mourners
Universal questions about death

Being With the Dying
For the dying and the bereaved

Confronting Death Before Death Confronts Us
Why we are afraid to think about death

What Death Teaches About Life
Death does not contradict life

Yizkor for Infant Deaths
Mourning stillborn and infant deaths

 

New Rituals

Infertility

Being Pregnant

Miscarriage

Pregnancy Termination

Giving Birth

Weaning

Leaving Home After High School

Coming Out

Celebrating Aging

 

Discover More

Text of Avinu Malkeinu

This series of petitions addressed to "Our Father, Our King," is recited on Yom Kippur and other fast days.

Why Music is Fundamental to Jewish Prayer

Jewish tradition teaches that music unlocks the door to divine connection.

When Prayer Fails Us

Tisha B'Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, is testament to the failure of prayer to avert national catastrophe.