Circumcision: Joining the Covenant

Abraham, the first Jew, was the first human being to practice circumcision. Since then, circumcision has been a ritual that brings Jewish babies into the covenant with G-d. In fact, the Hebrew name for circumcision, or brit, is the same word for covenant. In Soviet Russia, where all Jewish rituals were outlawed, and in concentration camps during the Holocaust, there were many who risked their lives to bring their sons into the covenant, and in spite of many who disapprove of the custom, the number of Jews seeking kosher circumcision for themselves and for their infant sons in increasing. Circumcision … Continue reading →

The Holidays are Over!

Actually, when I wrote the titles, I realized that when I think of the Holidays, I think of our High Holidays of Rosh Hashannah (our Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (our day of atonement). However, when I refer to them here, I refer to the Happy Hannukwanistmas and new year. Yes, finally, the “holidays” of Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s are done! My son is back in school and life is finally getting back to normal. Watching the Christmas season go by is always exhausting, and we don’t even celebrate it! During Hanukkah, we shouldn’t have to worry about … Continue reading →

Sitting with the Dead

Right now, my husband’s sitting with the deceased. Wow, that sounds pretty morbid, but he is doing a great favor to a family. I know that sounds weird, but it really is a mitzvah. A mitzvah is a good deed. I got a call from one of our congregants who is in charge of death in our community. Though it sounds like a morbid job, it is a very important one. A local dentist in our community died on Saturday and does not have a lot of family here. In Jewish tradition, when someone dies, they are not supposed to … Continue reading →

Mezuzah: The Ultimate Protection

A Mezuzah is a tiny scroll of parchment containing verses from Deuteronomy which are handwritten by a qualified scribe or sofer. There are many laws which govern this important mitzvah (commandment) such as what kind of writing is kosher and what materials to use. A Mezuzah is placed on every door in the home, with the exception of the bathroom, on the upper portion of the doorpost, on the right side and at a slant. The original meaning of the word “mezuzah” is not a description of the tiny scroll itself, but is the Hebrew word for “doorpost” which where … Continue reading →

Hair Covering and Judaism

There are few aspects of Jewish observance which elicit more disagreement than the subject female hair covering. Sometimes, I walk through the Mea Shearim district of Jerusalem, which has one of the highest concentrations of observant Jews in the world, and I see hats that cover the entire head, part of the head, snoods, scarves, wigs, hats or scarves on top of wigs—basically, every combination of hair covering you can imagine. The variation of viewpoints on this practice is staggering, and often, one can tell with which movement in Orthodoxy a woman is aligned with based on the way in … Continue reading →

Shabbat Chazon: Shabbat of Vision

The Shabbat before Tisha B’Av (this Shabbat) is called “Shabbat Chazon,” because the scripture that is read after the Torah reading (the Haftorah) is called “Isaiah’s Vision (Chazon).” For three weeks before Tisha B’Av, the Haftorahs we read recount prophecies about the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. After Tisha B’Av, for seven weeks, we will read the 7 Haftorahs, which soften the effects of the words of rebuke and the description of tragic events. During these weeks, there is a spirit of sadness as we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple. According to the philosophy of some … Continue reading →

The Three Weeks: Remembrance and Mourning

The period between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av on the Jewish calendar is referred to as “The Three Weeks.” This period commemorates the time when the Romans invaded Jerusalem until the destruction of the HolyTemple in 70 CE. The First Temple was destroyed on the same day (the 9th of Av), and many tragedies in Jewish History occurred during this time. The three weeks is considered to be a time of mourning. It is customary to refrain from listening to music (except if we are putting on a tape or CD for children), buying new clothing … Continue reading →

Tehillim (Psalms) and Healing

The Book of Psalms (or “tehillim” in Hebrew) ,composed by King David and other great Biblical figures, is one of the most frequently opened books of the Bible. When I ride on Jerusalem buses, I always see at least one or two women engaged in reading tehillim, and it is no wonder, since reciting tehillim is regarded as a protection against danger. Many great sages and rabbis have encouraged their followers to recite tehillim, in spite of the fact that engaging one’s intellect in the more complex aspects of Torah has often been more highly prized. Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, … Continue reading →

Rosh Chodesh: Head of the Month

There are already so many holidays on the Jewish calendar, but did you know that the beginning of every month is also a minor holiday? The Jewish calendar is based on the moon rather than the sun. In the days when the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, two witnesses would come to the Sanhedrin, or the head court, and testify that they saw the first sliver of the new moon. Once these witnesses were examined for their reliability, the new month was declared, and the beginning of the new month, or Rosh Chodesh (literarlly “the head of the month”) was … Continue reading →

Messiah: Who and What are We Waiting For?

The Jewish concept of the Messiah is one of the most misunderstood in Judaism. There are several reasons Jews have not been open about discussing this idea with the world until recent decades, when the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, directed that Jewish world that it was time to bring the Messiah with “Acts of Goodness and Kindness.” (he said this on CNN, and I suspect that Rabbi Schneersohn was probably the first Chassidic Rebbe to appear on cable TV!) Actually, the Chofetz Chaim, who lived in the middle of the Twentieth Century, also discussed the importance of bringing the … Continue reading →