The concept of reincarnation — which a large percentage of human beings have believed in for thousands of years–– is most closely identified with Eastern religions and philosophies such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. Less known is the fact that Jewish scholars have wrestled with the idea of reincarnation. Though generally rejected in Jewish…
Female rabbis are no longer a curiosity: The first woman rabbi in North America was ordained in 1972. The many women who have entered the rabbinate since then have all been ordained by non-Orthodox streams of Judaism. Until 2010, that is. Rabba Sara Hurwitz is the world’s first female Orthodox rabbi. (Rabba is the female…
Bar Mitzvahs are for boys and bat mitzvahs are for girls — but what about Jewish youths who identify themselves as “non-binary” or “gender fluid”? A recent article in The New York Times, by Alyson Krueger, explores the new and growing phenomenon of non-gender-specific b’nai mitzvahs, sometime referred to as “b mitzvahs.” Quote: “It…
An enlightening article on MyJewishLearning.com delves into ways the Jewish…
“Sitting shiva” refers to the seven-day mourning period in Judaism, during which close relatives of the deceased person (parents, spouses, children, siblings) gather and stay in a home for a week, follow traditional customs and perform rituals that help with the grieving and healing process. Friends and relatives come to the home to offer condolences…
You’re an avid skier and find yourself on the slopes at Utah’s Deer Valley resort, almost 9,000 feet above sea level. Only problem is, it’s Friday afternoon and Shabbat is approaching. What’s a skiing Jew to do?! Head over to what Israeli newspaer Haaretz calls “the nation’s — and possibly the world’s — only ski-in,…
From 1991 to 2013, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, 69, was Chief Rabbi of the Orthodox U.K. organization United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. A world-renowned philosopher, theologian and political activist, Rabbi Sacks is also a prolific writer and public speaker on Jewish and general topics. In the video linked below — recorded at the University of…
The Conservative stream of Judaism already has taken important steps toward accepting gay people – ordaining openly gay rabbis and performing gay marriages are two examples. Still, some gay Conservative Jews aren’t satisfied with the scope of change. Rabbi Adina Lewittes (pictured above), an open lesbian and vocal proponent of complete acceptance, contends the Conservative…
The “Avinu Malkeinu” (Our Father, Our King) prayer is recited on the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It is also recited on the Ten Days of Repentance between the two holidays. Other occasions the prayer is recited varies according to Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions. “Avinu Makeinu” — which is sung to…
To learn about these and many more AmazingJews, watch a compilation put together by JewOfTheWeek.net in 2015 and posted on YouTube.