Who Knows One?
How does one transmit basic theology in a fun manner to tired seder guests? The answer is--with song. Many see this as one of the purposes of the Nirtzah, the final section of the…
The Blessings of the Amidah: Shalom
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The theme of the final blessing is peace. The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, is related to the Hebrew…
The Blessings of the Amidah: Requests
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The sixteenth blessing is the final blessing in the section of the Amidah that focuses on requests. It…
The Blessings of the Amidah: On Behalf of the Righteous
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The thirteenth blessing is the opposite of the one before; it is a prayer for the righteous, with the…
The Blessings of the Amidah: God Loves Us
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The eleventh blessing focuses on God’s love of justice and requests a return to judges such as we had…
The Blessings of the Amidah: Livelihood
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The ninth blessing is a request for sustenance and economic success. Ba’raych a’lay’nu Ah’doh’nai…
The Blessings of the Amidah: Healing
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The eighth blessing is a request for healing. R'fa'aynu Ah'doh'nai v'nay'rah'fay, ho'shee'aynu…
The Morning Blessings: Eh’lo’hai N’shama/The Soul That You Created
Expressing gratitude to God for our lives and our souls is an essential part of the morning prayers. Eh’lo’hai n’shama sheh’na’ta’ta bee t’hora hee. Ah’tah v’ratah Ah’tah y’tzar’tah,…
Boom! Flash!
There’s nothing quite as spectacular on a hot, humid summer day as a thunderstorm. Thick clouds gather, heavy winds blow and a “show” is presented that stimulates all of our senses. A…
To Jew and Jew and Jew
Judaism is both a religion and a nationality. The Talmud teaches us (Shavuot 39a) “Kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh,” that all Jews are responsible (literally “guarantors”) for one another.…