A Whispered Line

The Shema is both a prayer and a statement of the most fundamental aspect of Jewish theology: God’s oneness. The words of the first line of the Shema are found in this week’s Torah…

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Birkat Hamazon

Have you ever forgotten to tip the waiter after eating at a restaurant? Probably not, because that’s society’s conventional manner of thanking the wait-staff. While we do not usually have…

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Be A Leader

With any position of leadership come privileges and responsibilities Leaders who focus on what they can do for others and accept the mantle with humility, are likely to succeed. In the…

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Forgiveness: An Elul Treat

Many feel that the three hardest words to say, in any language are: “I am sorry.” Yet, we all know how very important those words are. Indeed, a person saying they are sorry, or at least…

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The Five Names of Rosh Hashana

In Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashana has several names that can help us understand the importance and power of this holiday. Rosh Hashana, which begins this Sunday evening, September 25th,…

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Symbolic Foods

Since Rosh Hashana is the Day of Judgment, it is customary to eat simanim*, foods with symbolic meanings that invoke God’s blessing. We also recite a short prayer before eating them.…

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The Perfect Species

At this time of the year, Jews around the globe head out in search of the perfect lulav and etrog (lulav refers to the grouping of lulav, hadassim and aravot, which, together with the…

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Put it Together

Enhance your celebration of the joyous holiday of Sukkot by building your own sukkah. One of the beautiful explanations about why we sit in a sukkah is that it represents an inherent…

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Teamwork

Strengthen your relationship with your partner by taking thoughtful, encouraging steps to bring out the best in them. According to Rashi, the classic commentator on the Bible, a spouse…

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National Hermit Day

Judaism is not known for encouraging asceticism (abstinence from mortal pleasure). While the Torah commands the Jewish people to “afflict” themselves on Yom Kippur by fasting and…

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