@aph-japan / aph-japan.tumblr.com
Ashira l'Adonai ki gaoh gaah Ashira l'Adonai ki gaoh gaah Mi khamokha ba'elim Adonai Mi khamokha ne'dar baqodesh Nah'ita veh'asdekha ‘am-zu ga-alta Nah'ita veh'asdekha ‘am-zu ga-alta Ashira, Ashira, Ashira
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
The Jewish way is first to live God, then to ask questions about him.
Faith begins with the search for meaning, because it is the discovery of meaning that creates human freedom and dignity. Finding God’s freedom, we discover our own.
— Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l, in The Great Partnership: God, Science and the Search for Meaning
Hi! Do you have any recommendations of books that explore the relationship between queerness and Judaism? Thanks so much!
Yes, absolutely; this subject also interests me so I am excited to share some books!
First, the book I always recommend:
Another favourite of mine:
I also recently got a fantastic list from a patron in our discord!
I hope this list helps!
Jewish culture is being allowed to attend all the adult classes at your synagogue as soon as you turn 13 and taking full advantage of that
Hanukkah is Chandelure’s favorite holiday!! ~
If an interfaith couple gets married (one Jewish, one whatever else), would their male guests be obligated to wear kippahs? Even if they aren't themselves Jewish?
Hi there,
That’s a great question - one that depends on a variety of factors. (Please note, as this is a Progressive space I have swapped your original usage of the biological sex “male” to the gender as to be more inclusive of this imaginary couple’s wedding guests.
Factor #1: Is this a Jewish Wedding? Are there only Jewish officiant(s)? Will any other faith traditions be included- making this a wedding that is really not a Jewish wedding? If this isn’t a Jewish wedding (and yes, a Jew and a non-Jew can be married in a Jewish wedding), but an interfaith ceremony in which other faith traditions are included - why would you enforce people to wear Jewish ritual items? (Unless.. see factor 3)
Factor #2: If this is a Jewish Wedding, what is the theology of the officiating clergy? Would the rabbi(s) and/or cantor(s) normally police, men to wear kippot at their services? Would they police or encourage all genders to wear kippot at services?
Factor #3: Assuming that the clergy is comfortable with the couple making their own choices, what does the couple want? Would the couple feel more comfortable in this holy moment for their guests to wear kippot? Does it make a difference to them? If you grew up as a Conservative or Orthodox Jew (movements which discourage Jewish and non-Jewish marriage), would you feel more comfortable carrying the tradition that you (and/or your partner) grew up with having people wear kippot?
Factor #4: Think about the Jewish person’s Jewish family, how do they feel about this whole issue? Although you aren’t throwing a wedding for your family, there are certain traditions that’s absence might make them feel uncomfortable. Do you think Grandpa Alfred or Savta Sid, mom or dad, of Great Uncle Joe would feel uncomfortable if this custom wasn’t encouraged at your simcha (celebration)? How can you make this day both special for you and your partner, while also making sure that it is as easy as possible?
Bonus Factor: A beautiful American tradition for both Bnai Mitzvah and Jewish Weddings is the inclusion of customized kippot. Beyond personalizing the design to fit you and your partner’s style and your wedding theme, a little inscription from your event is written on inside of the design. Imagine the memories that these mementos will bring for your guests ten, fifteen, or even thirty years in the future when lighting their Hanukkah candles, or when grabbing a kippa on their way out to shul. On a personal note, my family’s collection of Bnai Mitzvah and wedding kippot is extremely holy to all of us!
I hope that this helps!
Shabbat Shalom!
PJ
Yes, today is the fifth day of Sukkot!
Megillah cases Left to right: Ioannina, Greece ca. 1900; Aleppo, Syria ca 1875; Ukraine ca 1850; Turkey ca 1875
elul journal prompt number four. fifth of elul.
I.D.: a cat tucked into bed. caption reads “when you’ve learned to quiet the voice in your head telling you that you haven’t finished all tasks that day.” image text reads “if i dids it, i dids it. if i didsn’t, i didsn’t. end I.D.
I.D.: tweet dated June 10 2022 by @jorosenfeld reads “When shabbos arrives a person must see it “as if” all of their work is complete.
Shabbos is the secret of “as if”. The ability to enter a space in the mind even though external reality has not reached there yet.” end I.D.
“Rosh Hashanah is a moment of opening. The gates of repentance swing wide; The Book of Life is turned to a new page.“”
— Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD in the Mishkahn HaNefesh for Rosh Hashanah (via progressivejudaism)
In Hebrew, we often wish for a good year – Shanah Tovah, but this year, the words feel a bit different. After all we've been through, and what still lies ahead, it feels fitting to add a little hope for something more – for a better year.
In Hebrew, שתהיה זו שנה טובה יותר "May this be a better year."
As we stand on the cusp of this new Jewish year, my wish for you and your loved ones is a year that brings more light, peace, and healing. A year filled with love, growth, safety, and joy. May it be a time of renewal and strength, and may we all find the beauty, wisdom, and blessings that lie ahead.
Let’s walk forward with open hearts and a hope for better days 🍯🍎
“Your Book of Life doesn’t begin today, on Rosh Hashanah. It began when you were born. Some of the chapters were written by other people: your parents, siblings, and teachers. Parts of your book were crafted out of experiences you had because of other people’s decisions: where you lived, what schools you went to, what your homes were like. But the message of Rosh Hashanah, the anniversary of the creation of the world, is that everything can be made newagain, that much of your book is written every day — by the choices you make. The book is not written and sealed; you get to edit it, decide what parts you want to emphasize and remember, and maybe even which parts you want to leave behind. Shanah tovah means both a good year, and a good change. Today you can change the rest of your life. It is never too late.”
— Rabbi Laura Geller, “Mishkan Hanefesh: Machzor for the Days of Awe” (via nigheagnah-ath)
Yes, today is Yom Kippur Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish year. It is observed by a near twenty-six hour fast, in which some will abstain from food, drink, sex, washing, applying lotions or perfumes, and wearing leather shoes. Some will attend up to five prayer services across Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur ends with a blowing of the Shofar, a rams horn, which signals the closing of the Gates of Heaven, and the end of the fast. Yom Kippur is often followed by a festive break-fast meal Due to the solemn nature of Yom Kippur, “Happy Yom Kippur” is not a traditional greeting. Consider instead wishing a meaningful Yom Kippur, or a good year. Today is also Shabbat Shabbat shalom!
There is something so sacred about the velvety darkness that is so often deeply underappreciated.
Depicting holiness is often a very bright affair, with blinding lights, white marble, ethereal rays of sun filtering through the clouds, stark white robes that almost seem to glow from within, banks of cumulus clouds piled in a froth against a blazing blue sky, reminding us of the sapphire throne of God.
But how much more sacred is the holy dark?
If God is infinite, what better way to depict or understand that infinity than the endless dark of the universe? Earth, when properly understood in its place in the cosmos, is a bright speck in vast sea of unending black.
Have you ever felt folded up in the dark? Swaddled like an infant, wrapped in its all-encompassing embrace? Dark is restful, dark is peace. Dark is all things hidden and in the safety of that dark, released. Have you ever felt freer to express yourself than when sitting under the night sky with a loved one?
The liturgy speaks of "Tachat Kanfei ha-Shechinah," being brought under the wings of the Divine Presence. I like to imagine this as being held safe under the vast drape of the night sky. As I look up, I see just a fraction - an infinitesimal glimpse - of the Divine Presence in all Her glory, this small bit revealed to us, just like the revelation of Torah is a tiny taste of the infinite creation of the Infinite Creator.
My best prayers are whispered into the quietude of the dark, without the noise and visual distraction of the day. In the silence of the restful dark, one can almost hear the still, small voice speaking straight to your soul.
Even when davening Shacharit to the rising sun, I take a moment during the Amidah to cover my head beneath my tallis, a shadow falls across my siddur, and I imagine the soft underside of my tallit to be cover in the pinprick lights of a million tiny stars.
Remember, darkness came first.
"When G-d begain to create heaven and earth - the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from G-d sweeping over the water - G-d said 'Let there be light'; and there was light."
(Genesis 1: 1-3, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, the New JPS Translation, 1998.)
The "day" runs from sunset to sunset (or, if we're being strict, when three stars are visible from when three stars are visible).
Darkness is what comes first.
Darkness is holy, perhaps holier than light, as darkness is the base against which we act.
And yet somehow, the thought of a thousand points of light, a million points of light spilling out from under a tallit, slowly illuminating the darkness with the word of G-d, moves me.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר בִּדְבָרוֹ מַעֲרִיב עֲרָבִים׃ בְּחָכְמָה פּוֹתֵֽחַ שְׁעָרִים וּבִתְבוּנָה מְשַׁנֶּה עִתִּים וּמַחֲלִיף אֶת הַזְּמַנִּים וּמְסַדֵּר אֶת הַכּוֹכָבִים בְּמִשְׁמְרוֹתֵֽיהֶם בָּרָקִֽיעַ כְּרְצוֹנוֹ׃ בּוֹרֵא יוֹם וָלָֽיְלָה גּוֹלֵל אוֹר מִפְּנֵי חֹֽשֶׁךְ וְחֹֽשֶׁךְ מִפְּנֵי אוֹר: וּמַעֲבִיר יוֹם וּמֵֽבִיא לָֽיְלָה וּמַבְדִּיל בֵּין יוֹם וּבֵין לָֽיְלָה יְיָ צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ׃ אֵל חַי וְקַיָּם תָּמִיד יִמְלוֹךְ עָלֵֽינוּ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ הַמַּעֲרִיב עֲרָבִים:
Blessed are You, Hashem Elokeinu, Ruler of the Universe, who speaks the evening into being, skillfully opens the gates, thoughtfully alters the time and changes the seasons, and arranges the stars in their heavenly courses according to plan. You are Creator of day and night, rolling light away from darkness and darkness from light, transforming day into night and distinguishing one from the other. Ad-nai Tz’vaot is Your Name. Ever-living G-d, may You reign continually over us into eternity. Blessed are You, Hashem, who brings on evenings.
Ma'ariv, being the first set of prayers spoken after sundown, demonstrate the primacy of the sacred darkness. Yes, we start our days with the darkness, with the poetry of this prayer, with rolling light away from darkness.
And here, in the dark, we are made new.
Its rosh hashanah now so happy new year to all the jewish mspecs out there
Rosh Hashanah is the start of the Jewish new year. We say l'shana tovah, which means have a good year. Apples and challah (dipped in honey) are symbols of hope for a sweet new year. :)
