Counting the Omer, an ancient custom that was once virtually ignored, is making a comeback in Reform Judaism. It is a meaningful way to mark time, express gratitude, refocus priorities, and contemplate deeply the meaning and purpose of our existence. I’ve been doing this ritual for about 9 years now, and each year I find myself longing …
Author Archives: tiferetjess
Hot Tea Symbolism
Why is hot tea part of my Passover Seder table?
The Invisible Scars
November 11, 1918 was the official end of World War I, Armistice Day. In 1938, legislation passed to dedicate November 11th as Armistice Day, honoring “the cause of world peace.” In 1954, after the occurrence of other wars including WWII and Korean War, the word “Armistice” was struck from the Act of 1938, substituting the …
The Immigrant’s Tent
It’s Sukkot, the time to give thanks for the fall harvest, when Jews around the world put up temporary structures at home and at their synagogues to remind them of the fragile dwelling places of our ancestors during their 40-year journey through the desert to the Promised Land. These sukkot (called booths or huts) that …
The Path of a New Year
Rosh HaShanah, the “Head of the Year,” can literally be translated from its root Sh-N-H as the “Head of the Repeat” or the “Head of the Change.” For me, this year I completely am embracing the translation of CHANGE. One of the most important things that we as Jews do during the High Holy Days …
Returning to Our Best Self
Well, here we are again – September. The time when we can feel the weather begin to change, the light of the sky taking longer to brighten up our mornings (well, here in New Jersey that is) and the world around us is ramping up with activities galore after the more relaxed days of our …
A Day Off
Here we are again – Labor Day! Ah, I can smell the glorious scents wafting from people’s backyard barbecues. I hear the children playing outside, getting in those last moments of fun before their school year begins. I see everyone spending time relaxing with family and friends, happy to have a day off to relax. …
Dancing in the Vineyard
LOVE. This small four letter word is the root of so much power, so much potential. We all crave it. We all know when we feel it. We know when we feel it for someone else, and we will do anything for that person. And we know when we feel it being given to us …
Is Observing Enough?
Our Sisterhood Book Club just met this past week to discuss a book I admit I would not have picked up in the book store. For full disclosure, I read (or more specifically, I listen to audiobooks) nowadays as a way of escaping the world, to be entertained in stories far away from my life …
SUMMERTIME
Ah – summertime. That great time when we slow things down and be “lazy.” Ugh, how that always used to bother me. As a “type A” personality, especially when I was younger (although I know many of you may wonder how it’s possible to be MORE type A than I may seem now,) the summer …
Yedi'a 