Category Archives: RELIGION

Yael Braun: An Orthodox Woman Helping Other Women Obtain a Jewish Divorce

According to Jewish religious law, both parties in a marriage must agree to divorce…

Jaqueline Mates-Muchin: First Chinese American Rabbi and Congregation’s First Female Senior Rabbi

Jacqueline Mates-Muchin , a San Francisco native, is the world’s first Chinese-American rabbi. Her mother was second-generation Chinese American and her father was the son of Austrian Jewish immigrants. She was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 2002. After serving as an assistant rabbi in Buffalo, New York, she…

A Newish Jewish Custom: Why Are Oranges Appearing on More and More Seder Plates?

You may already know the foods that go on the traditional seder plate: shank bone (zeroa), egg (beitzah), bitter herbs (maror), vegetable (karpas) and a sweet paste called haroset. You may also be vaguely aware that an orange is increasingly being added to those symbolic foods. Do you know why and what the orange represents?…

Halacha vs. Minhag: What Are They and Which Carries More Weight in Judaism?

Halacha (transliterated from the Hebrew in a number of closely related variations) refers to Jewish religious laws derived from biblical commandments (mitzvot) and Talmudic and rabbinic law. On the other hand, minhag refers to an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. A related concept, nusach, refers to the traditional order and form of…

Giving Thanks: The Blessing (or Blessings) to Recite When You Get the COVID Vaccine

For halachically observant Jews, reciting b’rachot (Jewish blessings) for everything from mundane daily events to life-changing major developments is a religious obligation and joy. In the article linked below from The Jewish News of Northern California, Jewish Telegraphic Agency writer Laura E. Adkins interviewed five rabbis about what the proper blessing or blessings are to…

Praying Outdoors in Winter: The Pandemic ‘Frozen Chosen’?

One thing Jews have become quite good at over the years is coping with, adjusting to, and overcoming adverse conditions. That skill is going to come in handy this winder. Because of the pandemic, many observant Jews have moved their prayer services outdoors, where they can socially distance properly. That wasn’t a huge sacrifice during…

Coronavirus: Will the Pandemic Permanently Change How Jews Pray?

In late September, The Jerusalem Post published a report by Linda Gradstein — titled “Will the coronavirus pandemic make synagogues obsolete?” — about how numerous (non-Haredi) observant Jews in Israel are adapting to the current situation in creative and positive ways. These efforts are enabling Jews to continue praying together while minimizing the risk to…

The High Holidays: A Time for Review, Reflection, Repentance, and Renewal

By the time you receive this, Rosh Hashanah will have come and gone, and we’re just days away from Yom Kippur in the year 5781 on the Jewish calendar. The ten-day period known as the “Days of Awe” is the holiest time in the Jewish religion: It is when HaShem (God) decides the fate of…

Yeshiva University Issues Inclusive LGBTQ+ Policy but Bans LGBTQ+ Club

Yeshiva University is an Orthodox Jewish private research university with four campuses in New York City. The university has approximately 6,400 undergraduate students and 3,500 graduate students — not all of whom are Jewish. Recently, Yeshiva put out a policy statement that accepted LGBTQ students but stopped short of recognizing an LGBTQ student organization at…

Kabbalah: Mystical Jewish Teachings Whose Primary Source Book Is the Zohar

Kabbalah is an esoteric, mystical practice and school of thought in the Jewish religion. Its teachings focus on the relationship between God, who is infinite, eternal and unchanging; and the universe, which is finite, mortal, and changing. The primary source book of Kabbalah is the Zohar, where can be found discussions about the nature of…