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ASK YOURSELF IMPORTANT QUESTIONS Like a mini-spiritual workout! You don’t have to answer every question, but tackling a few is impactful. 1) When do I feel that my life is most meaningful? 2) What would bring me more happiness than anything else in the world? 3) What are my three most significant achievements in the past year? 4) What are my biggest mistakes in the past year? 5) What project or goal, if left undone, will I most regret a year...

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The quintessential Rosh Hashanah treat is apples and honey. Take a sweet, crisp, apple and dip it in some honey. Before eating we say a mini-blessing, hoping that the year to come will be tova umetukah, good and sweet! Pick up a slice of apple, dip it in honey, and say: Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha'olam borei pri ha-eitz. We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the tree. Yehi ratzon lifanecha, Adonai Eloheinu,...

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The meal is coming to a close. But we’re not quite done yet. One of the most important parts of Rosh Hashanah is sounding the shofar. A ram’s horn makes a primal cry, and it speaks to something deep in our soul, waking up something inside us that was dormant, or asleep. If you have a shofar, blow it now! If not, make some noise some other way. Belt out a song or try a primal scream. Do what you need...

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We all have thoughts and feelings from the past year that we’d like to get rid of or forget. During tashlich, we take some breadcrumbs and sprinkle them into a body of water, symbolically ridding ourselves of the sins and bad feelings that have been weighing us down. Now we can go into the new year with a clean slate.

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The Rosh Hashanah Seder finds its earliest written source in a peculiar menu whose symbolic significance is not revealed...and your dinner menu can include many of these items that can draw on our earliest history and connect us to our hopes and dreams for our present and our future. "For a good omen on Rosh HaShanah one should make it a habit to eat squash [like pumpkin], legumes [like string beans], kartei (leeks), spinach and dates.” Talmud BT Keritot 6a Tunisian...

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Jewish meditation can refer to several traditional practices, ranging from visualization and intuitive methods, forms of emotional insight in communitive prayer, esoteric combinations of Divine names, to intellectual analysis of philosophical, ethical or mystical concepts. It often accompanies unstructured, personal Jewish prayer that can allow isolated contemplation, or sometimes the instituted Jewish services. Its elevated psychological insights can give birth to dveikus (cleaving to God), particularly in Jewish mysticism. The accurate traditional Hebrew term for meditation is Hitbodedut/Hisbodedus (literally self "seclusion"),...

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by Rabbi Shoshana Friedman, Temple Sinai, Brookline, MA Holy One of Blessing! Grant us strength to be part of a holy uprising A resistance against the forces of destruction For we stand in witness of the unity of Creation. Grant us patience to work well with others In groups of fellow uprisers To honor and uplift Your sacred name. Grant us wisdom to practice self-care So we may travel through this wilderness as long as we must - please God! Grant...

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Judaism uses wine to sanctify time. There are several different versions of theblessing over the wine, depending on the occasion or holiday, but they allhave the same core words: בָּרוּך אַתָּה אַדָנָי אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן BA-RUKH A-TA A-DON-AI EL-O-HEY-NU MEL-EKH HA-O-LAM BO-REY P’RI HA-GA-FEN Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine. [A traditional translation.] Holy One of Blessing, Your Presence fills creation, forming the fruit of the vine....

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Fasting on Yom Kippur is not as obvious as one might think. Nowhere does the Torah explicitly command it. Instead, the verses teach us to “afflict ourselves” without defining the nature of this “affliction.” We do know that Yom Kippur is about atonement and forgiveness. So how does “afflicting” ourselves through fasting relate to teshuva ? Many assume that fasting is a form of self-punishment, a way of balancing the scales for over-indulgence or rule-breaking. The pietists of medieval Ashkenaz called...

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One of the best things about Chanukah is how easy it is to customize for your family or friends. Say some blessings, light some candles, eat some latkes or donuts if you’re into that. Add presents if needed. Repeat x7. This leaves lots of room for you to make the holiday your own. You can write your own blessings, or make your own menorah.  Chanukah can be as low key or as high impact as you like. We’re getting you started...

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William Cronon The time has come to rethink wilderness.This will seem a heretical claim to many environmentalists, since the idea of wilderness has for decadesbeen a fundamental tenet—indeed, a passion—of the environmental movement. For many Americanswilderness stands as the last remaining place where civilization, that all too human disease, has not fully infected the earth. Seen in this way, wilderness presents itself as the best antidote to our human selves, a refuge we must somehow recover if we hope to save...

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מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת: טוֹב לְהוֹדוֹת לַײָ וּלְזַמֵּר לְשִׁמְךָ עֶלְיוֹן: לְהַגִּיד בַּבֹּקֶר חַסְדֶּךָ, וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ בַּלֵּילוֹת: עֲלֵי עָשֹוֹר וַעֲלֵי נָבֶל, עֲלֵי הִגָּיוֹן בְּכִנּוֹר: כִּי שִֹמַּחְתַּנִי יְיָ בְּפָעֳלֶךָ, בְּמַעֲשֵֹי יָדֶיךָ אֲרַנֵּן: מַה גָּדְלוּ מַעֲשֶֹיךָ יְיָ, מְאֹד עָמְקוּ מַחְשְׁבוֹתֶיךָ: אִישׁ בַּעַר לֹא יֵדָע, וּכְסִיל לֹא יָבִין אֶת זֹאת: בִּפְרֹחַ רְשָׁעִים כְּמוֹ עֵשֵֹב,וַיָּצִיצוּ כָּל פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן, לְהִשָּׁמְדָם עֲדֵי עַד: וְאַתָּה מָרוֹם לְעֹלָם יְיָ:כִּי הִנֵּה אֹיְבֶיךָ יְיָ, כִּי הִנֵּה אֹיְבֶיךָ יֹאבֵדוּ, יִתְפָּרְדוּ כָּל פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן:וַתָּרֶם כִּרְאֵים קַרְנִי, בַּלֹּתִי בְּשֶׁמֶן רַעֲנָן: וַתַּבֵּט עֵינִי בְּשׁוּרָי,בַּקָּמִים עָלַי מְרֵעִים, תִּשְׁמַעְנָה...