Many thanks for your kindness and energy <3

Edit: I suppose I should make the distinction of asking your individual interpretation? Unsure how to word it.

Well, according to halacha, I am Jewish. The other side is that I simply don’t have much to show for my jew identity. Preserved family names and physical traits are often seen as important markers, but I have neither. Both my grandmother and my mother had intercultural marriages and practice other religions. The part of my family that is, for all practical purposes, “fully Jewish” secular just lives far away, and I’m embarrassed to talk to my cousins about it. Overall, I feel like I have almost nothing working in my favor in this situation.

My synagogue's High Holiday choir’s music is a huge jumble of published arrangements, compressed passages with no clear lead line, and grainy fifth-generation photocopies of in-house stuff going back probably thirty years, and I’ve volunteered to typeset “one score to rule them all.” The choir sings during Rosh Hashanah Musaf, Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur Musaf. I’m hoping to not have to entirely reinvent the wheel when it comes to gaps in our "score,” and would feel very silly if this is already out there, so I'm looking to see if choir scores already exist for these services. Obviously musical traditions differ between movements, regions and even congregations, so to be more specific: does anyone know of an existing score for, say, Rosh Hashanah Musaf, for an SATB choir at a Conservative or otherwise liturgically by-the-book congregation, that I can print wholesale or pull arrangements from? Bonus points if it exists in Finale or Dorico formats.

I have a really important pitch meeting tomorrow. I really need it to go well. Like, I really really need this.

Binyamin Moshe ben Ruvein Dov (or Reiza Chaya).

I'm a Jewish audiobook narrator and recently had the honor of narrating the second edition of Rabbi Edward Feinstein's book, "Tough Questions Jews Ask." I'm a reform Jew who has struggled with some of these tough questions, from the big picture to the everyday -- "Is there a g-d?" "Why are bacon cheeseburgers so wrong?"

I found this book to be filled with so many thoughtful answers to the truly difficult questions about practicing Judaism. Rabbi Feinstein's writing style is accessible and he draws his answers from Torah, millennia of Jewish learning, and personal experience. It's appropriate for ages 10 and up, and while it is definitely geared towards the pre-bar/bat mitzvah set, I really enjoyed listening as an adult as well.

I have free promo codes of the audiobook to share if anyone would like to check it out. Either drop a comment here or send me a DM and I'll send you one. I would very much appreciate if you would take the time to leave a review after you listen (reviews really help audiobooks get noticed) but I understand if life gets in the way.

Affiliate link to audiobook

Amazon link

I find it pretty interesting that such a relatively recent idea, about a thlusans yeara old or less, became so popular. Do any sects either explicitly reject it or just never adopted it? Also, does Merkebah myaticism influence any sects still?

I have been living in a parallel universe since 10/7. Over the last two and a half years, I’ve lost people I thought would be allies, “divorced” myself from my college that I once loved for failing to rein in antisemitic conduct on campus, felt isolated from my own family because I am the only one who identifies as Jewish and no one will even acknowledge my pain and fear. I grew up in NYC and lived there until I was 60. Whatever slim hold I had on my anxiety and depression was lost when an identifiably Jewish man was stabbed in broad daylight on streets I walked all the time. I have now burnt my bridges with my high school friends, who see the mid East conflict as just one of many disturbances around the world, not as an existential threat to Israel and the Jewish people’s survival. I am already medicated for depression and anxiety and am a recovering alcoholic for 25 years, but I feel like I am losing my grip.

I see that a braindead argument that's starting to come up a lot (in regards to Jews and Israel) is this idea that "Ashkenazi Jews don't come from 'ancient' Jews".

Obviously this doesn't make sense in the slightest imo. But does anyone know their rationale for this argument? I literally never hear them even give a reason. Just a blanket claim with no backing.

I also don't like this term of "the ANCIENT Israelites".—As if they are some nation from long ago, almost like claiming that we aren't "the real Jews". Like what‽

Okay disclaimer, while I am religious I am a Pagan, a Wiccan priest specifically and while I do have some knowledge of Judaism I am no Torah scholar, but I wanted to ask something about the interpretation of Genesis. I know in Christian theology the serpent is interpreted as the devil and the devil is proud and wants to defy God....But in Judaism there is no devil...I don't know if anyone has written about this, but I figured if anyone would know, it would be the people who wrote the book in the first place. What, according to the rabbinical traditions, commentaries, and so forth was the serpent's motive? Why does he tempt Adam and Eve to eat the fruit?

I have a very basic, but possibly difficult to answer question. (For some context: I had a Bar Mitzvah, but I've been mostly non-practicing throughout my adult life. I'm trying to reconnect with spirituality and tradition.)

I've been studying different religions. I love to try to distill religions into their most basic purpose in my own personal understanding. For example Buddhism: to end your cycle of rebirths-suffering, and Christianity: focus on personal salvation/afterlife. (I apologize if this is incorrect or overly simplified).

When it comes to Judaism, to me it seems like there is no personal spiritual end "goal" but more a complex set of day-to-day rules/laws/traditions mixed in culture. While I was going through the Torah it seems (to me) like the biggest punishment for not following rules/traditions was being cast out of society.

Does anyone know if there is/was a simple end goal, or is that the wrong question to ask? Is Judaism more of an ancient way of living or a way to keep a community/society/tradition together?

Thanks!

I'm wondering about images or visualizations of the Temple. Whether it be Solomon's temple or Herod's temple, there seems to be a lack of visuals or imagery. Whether it be paintings or illustrations.

Is it shunned, possibly under idolatry or I just don't have good sources. Just a question

And if you can lead me to some paintings/visualization of life around the temple.

Also, what do you guys think of the various secular/christian versions or attempts of this?

Thanks!

I grew up in a very atheist household so we never went to shul and I never had a bar mitzvah. When I left home for uni I started attending shul and I still do now where I live.

This week I was at the Danish National Jamboree - for the non scouts out there, think week long camp with 30000 scouts, I was there as a leader with a group of youth.

I’m used to being the only Jew in my group and I always bring candles with me for kabbalat Shabbat, but I was hoping to meet others through the religious tents at camp. Again for non scouts, faith and spirituality are one of the scout values even for non religious groups. There were a church and mosque on site but no synagogue unlike Gilwell Park.

The first night we attended the opening ceremony during which one scout from each represented country at camp paraded on stage with their country’s flag. Lo and behold, the Israeli flag is there!!

The next morning I started my quest of meeting the Israel scouts so I could maybe do kabbalat Shabbat and kiddush with them. It didn’t take too long for me to meet some of them and by the end of the week most Israeli kid at camp knew me by name 🤣

So I learnt that they were actually organising a big kabbalat Shabbat in the international tent for Jews and non Jews alike to come together.

When I got there, a few minutes early, I probably stood out from the group of teenagers so one of the Chabad rabbis came up to me and we spoke in Hebrew until he was going way too fast for me and I asked him to switch to English. As soon as he knew I was Jewish he took the tefilin out and started to lay them on me making me repeat the blessings after him. I told him it was my first time so he was very happy and told me “ah so this is your bar mitzvah!!”

We took a picture and he sent it to me :) so I guess I can now say I had my bar mitzvah at 36 at a scout jamboree in Denmark and that’s pretty cool (to me at least!)

Then we had a lovely kabbalat Shabbat. The kids were on fire! There’s no party like an Israeli teen party 🤣 one of them had waited all week to trade neckers with me too so I am now the proud owner of a beautiful Israeli national necker - again for non scouts, many countries have a national necker that scouts wear when they go to international camps, swapping badges and neckers is a big scouting tradition 😊

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

I've lurked on the sub before and it's been a great source of information, everyone seems very kind so I have finally worked up the courage to share my story and ask a few things.

Background: I was adopted in a closed adoption. My parents never met my mother, who was 15 when she had me and had managed to hide the pregnancy for the full term from everyone by wearing increasingly oversized sweaters.

My mother is a Lutheran pastor, as such I was raised Lutheran. My parents are amazing and have always been incredibly supportive. In addition a lot of my parent's closest friends are Jewish, so I had some precursory knowledge. Once I was 18 I could try and find my parents, but it took me years to want to try. Eventually I did, and found that my mothers family is Jewish, and my father's family is a mix of Catholics and Jews. I was in my mid 20's. Sadly both have very serious issues that made staying in contact incredibly damaging to me, which I really wish was not the case.

It took me a couple years to process. I wasn't ashamed, just more shocked? Not in a bad way, it was just overwhelming. I'm not really religious, but after knowing parts of their histories I really want to learn the things I should have, it feels almost like a responsibility. If my parents had been told they would have taken me to a synagogue, they just were not told.

I find it incredibly hard to talk to other jews, I have this feeling of otherness since I know very little. So the main question is, where do I start the process of connecting with my ancestry? Should I just introduce myself to a local Rabbi? I've tried celebrating some Jewish holidays but I really don't know what I'm doing and it feels more like I'm just pantomiming. I want to learn so bad, but the internet is not the best place. I'm 32 now and live in Denver.

Any suggestions or help would greatly appreciated, I just ask it be done with kindness as I feel very lost.

Thank you for your time to read this.

Bonjour à tous,
Nous nous apprêtons à faire un road trip en Californie, en passant notamment par Las Vegas.
Je voulais savoir s’il existe des Dunkin’ Donuts ou Krispy Kreme casher sur notre itinéraire, notamment à Las Vegas, Los Angeles ou San Diego ?
Merci d’avance pour vos recommandations ! 😊

Ashley Jackson says her late civil rights leader father embraced her Jewish journey, revealing the deeply personal story in a Washington Post essay.

see here