Archive for 2018
What to Expect at a Jewish Wedding Ceremony
This minute long animated video briefly introduces various Jewish wedding traditions, including the “ketubah” (wedding contract), the seven blessings under the “chuppah” (wedding canopy), the “bedekin” veiling ceremony, and the smashing of a glass. A useful introduction for
Dance the Hora: How to do the Jewish Celebration Dance
This minute long animated video teachers viewers how to dance the “hora,” an ecstatic Israeli circle dance with roots in Eastern European folk tradition, common at Jewish weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. A useful introduction for those with little
A Social Justice Prayer for Asylum Seekers in Israel Based on the Book of Ruth
This introduction to the Book of Ruth is written as a prayer to God to help us apply the lessons of empathy, social justice, and communal responsibility found in this text to Israel’s current
A Blessing for Kindness on Shavuot
This poetic prayer by Devon Spier explores the themes of chessed (kindness), social justice, and communal responsibility through agricultural imagery. These concepts are often associated with Shavuot, due to their prevalence in the Torah and
Kavannot (Intentions) for Shavuot
In this thought provoking piece, Rabbi Rachel Barenblat lays out her personal intentions for Shavuot in the form of a prayer to God for heightened awareness and connection through engagement with the Torah. Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, also
Revealing Torah, Revealing Me: A Prayer for Shavuot
This thought provoking and poetic prayer by Devon Spier explores the emotions of the moment before the revelation at Mount Sinai, and asks God to bless one with a personal revelation of the self. Devon
Festival of the First Fruits: A Shavuot Poem
This descriptive poem in Hebrew and English by Kaila Shabat paints a lovely picture of the festive Shavuot celebrations in the moshavim and kibbutzim of Israel. Often secular and deeply connected to the Land of
The Jewish Educator Journal: Shavuot Resources
This link opens up the Winter 2018 issue of the The Jewish Educator journal, full of articles, resources, activities, and lesson plans about Shavuot, created especially for Jewish educators. With high quality, interactive, holistic programs
How to Organize a Feminist/Women’s Tikkun Leil Shavuot
Noting that women are learning more Torah than ever before in Jewish history, this article from Ritualwell encourages women to further reclaim their relationship with Torah by organizing a feminist Tikkun Leil Shavuot learning program with
Dairy Recipes for Shavuot
In celebration of the Ashkenazi tradition of eating dairy foods on Shavuot, My Jewish Learning provides lots of different recipes, often fresh twists on traditional foods, such as cheesy challah, Mozzarella and Tomato Caprese Blintzes, and