Judaism

Torah

Blessing the People With Love and Joy

Local

Does Birthright Stifle Teen Travel?

Shavuot

Synagogues Celebrate New Arrivals

Arts

Sukkot to Me!

Juggling holiday and hilarity

By:

Michael Elkin

What better time than this to go for the juggler? After all, Sukkot and juggling go together like meat axes, and peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. At least they do when the Flying Karamazov Brothers get their hands on them. Give a hand to Paul Magid and his magical merry pranksters, who juggle holidays and hilarity in an act that does justice to...

Sukkot

Hut Two, Three, Four ...

Ben Richman (left) used etrog trees in the family sukkah, with help from daughters Eden and Hadassah.

Torah

Wake Up, and Face Life's Realities

YOM KIPPUR-YIZKOR, Leviticus 16:1-34

By:

Rabbi Danielle Stillman

As I write this devar Torah and think ahead to Yom Kippur, my mind turns to the upcoming birth of my second child, due just the day before Yom Kippur. My first one had a similar due date, although she was born three weeks early. I was completely unprepared. I'd like to think that I am more prepared this time...

Torah

Listening and Learning Shofar's Secret Code

HA'AZINU, Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52

By:

Rabbi Howard A. Addison

I consider it more than coincidental that the parshah most often read between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is Ha'azinu. The first word of this Torah reading bids us to listen, and we certainly have done a great deal of that during these Holy Days. We've listened to the chanting of the chazzan and to the rabbi's sermons; we've listened...

Synagogue Life

Shul the Proper Place for Politics?

By:

Bryan Schwartzman

At least once every election cycle, it seems, there's a flap surrounding a Jewish institution's decision to host or not host a political candidate or group -- invariably stoking partisan passions and raising questions about the role synagogues can or should play in politics. So far in 2010, two such incidents have made waves. Lower Merion Synagogue just canceled a...