How to Bless the New Moon By Rachel Kann Back before the journey began, before traversing  the massive desert expanse, before the sea had even split, way way back in Egypt, the first collective gift-transmission was given: With transcendental gentleness, the  Indwelling/Ever-Presence/All-That-Is/Infinite  lifted your chin;  directed your attention  toward the heavens, said,  Let the moon’s cyclic and fluid beauty  hew you to the rhythm  of time’s unending spiral,  use this precise present  as your very beginning. Sanctify every recursive moment of...

Take the cover off your challah (or any kind of bread) and hold it up, like Simba over Pride Rock as you say the blessing together.    בָּרוּך אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם הָמוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הַאָרֶץ Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

May it be Your will, at this season of our election, to guide us towards peace. By voting, we commit to being full members of society, to accepting our individual responsibility for the good of the whole. May we place over ourselves officials in all our gates…who will judge the people with righteousness (Deut 16:18), and may we all merit to be counted among those who work faithfully for the public good. Open our eyes to see the image of God...

May you contribute all that you can contribute and not punish yourself for what you couldn’t do. May the good people win and the bad people lose. May you not eat or drink too much crap while you wait for results. If the good people lose and the bad people win, may you survive to fight another day. May you have a good wifi connection so that you may be able to watch as many kitten and puppy videos as you...

A Prayer for Voting  By David Seidenberg With my vote today I am prepared and intending to seek peace for this country, as it is written: “Seek out the peace of the city where I cause you to roam and pray for her sake to God, for in her peace you all will have peace.” May it be Your will that votes will be counted faithfully and may You account my vote as if I had fulfilled this verse with all...

The Beta Israel, as the Ethiopian Jews are known, hold that they are descendants of the tribe of Dan. The traditions telling of their arrival to Ethiopia range from the times of Moses to King Solomon & the Queen of Sheba to the splitting of the Kingdom in ancient Israel. Although they were mentioned by travelers at various points, it wasn’t until the late 20th century that more had become known about Ethiopian Jews after they had arrived in Israel. Ethiopian...

Light two candles (or one for each member of your family). Pause for a moment to look into the flames. Circle the flames with your hands three times and then cover your eyes as you recite the blessing. Peeking is OK!     בָּרוּך אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם אַשֶׁר קִדְשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶל שַבָּת Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav vitzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Shabbat. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, whose mitzvot...

Fill a glass with wine or grape juice. The word kiddush, means holy. This moment, just before we take a sip, will only happen once. Savor it as you say this blessing, then drink.   בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, borei p’ri hagafen. Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. 

Before we eat, we wash our hands. You can use soap and water (for at least 20 seconds). Or you can use a cup to pour water over your hands. Feel the water splash on your hands and notice the temperature. As you dry your hands, say the blessing.    בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדַיִם Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav vitzivanu al n’tilat yadayim. Blessed are You, Adonai our God,...

Take a deep breath. Think about where you were last Friday night. Where were you? How did you spend the evening?  Now, follow the thread from Friday into Saturday, Sunday and through each day of the week. What was something that made you smile? What challenged you? Did you eat something delicious? Did you quarrel with someone? Whatever happened, seal the week with another deep breath and get ready to sink into the comfort of Shabbat.

Here is a brief blessing, in Aramaic, to give thanks after your meal    בריך רחמנא מלכא דעלמא מריה דהאי פיתא Brich rachamana malka d’alma marei d’hai pita. We are blessed with compassion by you, Infinite One, who sustains us with bread.   Adapted from the Babylonian Talmud (Brachot 40b) by OneTable: https://issuu.com/onetableshabbat/docs/ultimate_shabbat_guide?e=33133766/60166643  

Happy New Year! Traditionally, the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, is a time of introspection and reflection. How did we do in the past year? What are we hoping to change in the coming year? During this meal we will rejoice in being together, and think backwards on the year that was, and forward to the year that will be. Plus delicious food, puns, and casting off some bad karma. To a sweet new year!

Happy New Year! Traditionally, the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, is a time of introspection and reflection. How did we do in the past year? What are we hoping to change in the coming year? During this meal we will rejoice in being together, and think backwards on the year that was, and forward to the year that will be. Plus delicious food, puns, and casting off some bad karma. To a sweet new year!

Nearly all Jewish holiday begin with lighting candles, and so this one will, too. After we light the candles we wave our hands in three big horizontal circles to symbolically bring the light closer to us, and then cover our eyes while we say the blessing. When the blessing is over take a moment of silent reflection with your eyes covered, and then open your eyes and enjoy the beauty of candlelight, bringing you into the new year. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ...