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There is no more fundamentally human act than breaking bread together. On Shabbat we use two, complete loaves of rich, braided bread to symbolize abundance and blessing. When setting the table, set two loaves of challah on plate, cover with a cloth, and place either a shaker of salt or container of honey nearby. Remove the challah cover. Touch the challah or touch someone who is touching the challah. Bless together. Tear or cut the challah into pieces. Dip it in...

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The Rosh Hashanah Seder finds its earliest written source in a peculiar menu whose symbolic significance is not revealed...and your dinner menu can include many of these items that can draw on our earliest history and connect us to our hopes and dreams for our present and our future. "For a good omen on Rosh HaShanah one should make it a habit to eat squash [like pumpkin], legumes [like string beans], kartei (leeks), spinach and dates.” Talmud BT Keritot 6a Tunisian...

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Fasting on Yom Kippur is not as obvious as one might think. Nowhere does the Torah explicitly command it. Instead, the verses teach us to “afflict ourselves” without defining the nature of this “affliction.” We do know that Yom Kippur is about atonement and forgiveness. So how does “afflicting” ourselves through fasting relate to teshuva ? Many assume that fasting is a form of self-punishment, a way of balancing the scales for over-indulgence or rule-breaking. The pietists of medieval Ashkenaz called...

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Named for the 15th day of the month of Shevat, this festival is known as the New Year of the Trees or the Tree's Birthday. Although it's hard to believe when you live in New England. this time of year is beginning of spring in the Middle East. The first almond blossoms have opened and the sap in the trees is beginning to rise. Therefore, it's traditional to eat fruits from Israel on Tu B'Shevat: figs, dates, grapes, olives, pomegranates. It's...

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Candlelight is very different than the harsh lights of our homes and offices. We begin Shabbat bathed in their sweet, gentle glow. Candles are lit a minimum of 18 minutes before sundown on Friday evening. Light at least two candles (some add an additional candle for each child.) Draw in the light by waving your hands toward your eyes three times. Recite the blessing, while covering your eyes with your hands. Uncover your eyes and take a moment to appreciate the...

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The meal is coming to a close. But we’re not quite done yet. One of the most important parts of Rosh Hashanah is sounding the shofar. A ram’s horn makes a primal cry, and it speaks to something deep in our soul, waking up something inside us that was dormant, or asleep. If you have a shofar, blow it now! If not, make some noise some other way. Belt out a song or try a primal scream. Do what you need...

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Reprinted fromThe Jewish Religion: A Companion, published by Oxford University Press. Kiddush is the sanctification of the Sabbath. On Friday night, when the Sabbath begins, the Kiddush ceremony is carried out before sitting down to the Sabbath meal. A cup of wine is filled and held in the hand by the person presiding, usually but not necessarily the father of the house, and the benediction over wine recited. Then the Kiddush proper is recited: 'Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God,...

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I started giving blessings at High Holiday services at my shul. I sat in the lobby and put up a sign on an empty chair offering blessings. Since then I've created a simple format and trained people. The "Blessing Booth" has become part of High Holiday services and many Friday evening services. Giving a holy blessing is a beautiful thing. Anyone can learn to do it. It is brief, under five minutes. It is not therapy, it is about blessing them...

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No matter what temper tantrum or adolescent rebellion marked the week that is past, we take a moment to place our hands on our children’s heads and to offer them words of pure love. The blessing for boys derives from Jacob’s blessing to his grandsons, Ephraim and Menashe, who are the first pair of siblings in the Bible who love each other rather than fight each other. The blessing for girls invokes the memory of our four matriarchs — Sarah, Rebekah,...

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There is no more fundamentally human act than breaking bread together. On Shabbat we use two, complete loaves of rich, braided bread to symbolize abundance and blessing. When setting the table, set two loaves of challah on plate, cover with a cloth, and place either a shaker of salt or container of honey nearby. Remove the challah cover. Touch the challah or touch someone who is touching the challah. Bless together. Tear or cut the challah into pieces. Dip it in...