Michele Alperin

Shabbat Parah, Shabbat HaHodesh and Shabbat HaGadol.

A purification ritual using the ashes of a cow.

Understanding the familiar phrase in light of modern realities

The husband may grant a conditional divorce if he expects to be in mortal danger.

The bar/bat mitzvah service now focuses on the child as individual, but the synagogue community should not suffer.

The defining moment of the ceremony is the child's first aliyah, but children may also play additional roles in the service.

In ancient times there were four new years on the Jewish calendar.

In the Torah, the beginning of the year was clearly set in the spring. So what happened?

At Hanukkah, shifting the focus from militarism to miracles.