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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

    Coming Out

    Celebrating Aging

     

     

     
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