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Parashat Bereshit “In a Beginning” Good writers know the first few sentences matter. They tell readers what kind of story they’re about to enter. So, if you were writing the…

Simchat Torah Children’s connections to Simchat Torah can be quite simple – caramel apples, Torah parades, and waving flags. It’s a joyful holiday where they might see adults dancing with…

Shemini Atzeret “The Eighth Day of Ceasing” This season features many famous holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot. But even less well-known festivals can be sources of great meaning. Shemini…

Sukkot VII / Hoshana Rabbah “The Big ‘Please Save Us’” Hoshana Rabbah is the seventh and final day of Sukkot. It’s a day filled with prayers for rain and for…

Sukkot “Festival of Booths” On Sukkot, Jews around the world eat meals and spend time in temporary dwellings (sukkot) to remember the Israelites’ wandering through the desert. Some even sleep…

Yom Kippur “Day of Atonement” On Yom Kippur, our Day of Atonement, we recite a prayer called Unetaneh Tokef, Proclaiming the Greatness of this Day. As part of this poetic…

Parashat Ha’azinu “Give Ear” / Shabbat Shuvah “Shabbat of Returning”  Our Torah portion this week, Parashat Ha’azinu, opens with Moses giving his last speech. He’s been talking to the Israelites…

Tzom Gedaliah “Fast of Gedaliah” The Fast of Gedaliah is observed on the third of Tishrei, in the raw opening days of our new year. Unlike the other minor fasts…