כללי

This post presents three alternative English adaptations of the Sheva Brachot – the Seven Blessings from the Nissuin (Nuptials) portion of the Jewish wedding ceremony. The first, Alternate Seven Blessings,

This 27 page PDF document provides a thorough exploration of the issue of same-sex marriages in Judaism, as well as a step-by-step explanation of each part of the wedding with

In this post, Reconstrucitonist Rabbi Jeremy Schwartz presents both the traditional « Erusin » blessing for the « betrothal » portion of the Jewish wedding ceremony, followed by his adapted version. While he takes issue

This post presents a « bedecken » ceremony in which the family of the bride and groom each bless their child separately, and then the officiating rabbi blesses the couple. Written by Rabbi

This 22 page long PDF document includes a variety of different Ketubah (marriage contract) texts in Hebrew and English from across the Jewish ideological spectrum, including the traditional Aramaic Ketubah,

This informative article from ReformJudaism.org provides information about Reform Jewish marriage ceremonies, including explanations of wedding day rituals and the English translation of some of the relevant blessings recited throughout the ceremony.

This post provides the outline and texts for a ceremony for brides and grooms who wish to immerse in a mivkeh (ritual bath) prior to their wedding. Whereas women are

This post provides the English translation of one example of a « Birkat Kallah, » a prayer traditionally recited by the bride following the “bedeken” veiling ceremony, before walking down the aisle.

Both practical and profound, this 10 page booklet written by Renewal Rabbi Marcia Prager provides an explanation of each step of the « spiritual journey » that is a Jewish wedding ceremony. Reflecting

This post introduces a custom called « tenaim, » the signing of a document which outlines the conditions of the marriage and declares the couple’s intention to wed. The signing ceremony, often followed

This prayer for the peace of Israel during wartime was written by the late Rabbi Ron Aigen for T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. Rabbi Aigen was the senior rabbi of the

This prayer for peace and reconciliation for Israelis, Palestinians, and all people was written by Rabbi Sam Feinsmith for T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. Rabbi Feinsmith is a Jewish educator, innovative prayer

This post offers 19 original prayers for Israel, based on the themes and structure of the 19-part Amidah prayer. The prayers were compiled by T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights,

This post presents an excerpt from the evening Yom Ha’atzmaut service from the Rinat Yisrael Siddur, popular among many Religious Zionist communities in Israel. A helpful guide for anyone who may be

This post presents the Hebrew, English and transliterated texts of the original Al HaNissim prayer added to the Amidah and Grace After Meals on Yom Ha’atzmaut by Aharon Varady. The author

This post presents the Hebrew and English texts of the ritual Declaration of Independence reading suggested by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer, a musician and poet who believes that creative art is one of

This post presents the Hebrew, English and transliterated texts for the Prayer for the State of Israel from the Reconstructionist Kol Haneshama siddur. Based on the traditional prayer, this version focuses

This post presents the English and Hebrew texts for a new version of the prayer for the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, amended by Dr. Alex Sinclair to reflect the

This post presents the Hebrew text of a Kiddush ceremony written for Yom Ha’atzmaut by Zayit, an organization that runs programs about Jewish identity and culture in the Emek Hefer

This post presents the Hebrew text of a Kiddush ceremony written for Yom Ha’atzmaut by Ya’akov Maoz. The Kiddush expresses gratitude for the opportunity to live a Jewish life with

This post presents the Hebrew and English text of the Al HaNissim prayer added to the Amidah and Grace After Meals by the Israeli Masorti Movement on Yom Ha’atzmaut. Modeled

This post presents the Hebrew and English text of the Al HaNissim prayer added to the Amidah and Grace After Meals by The Israel Movement for Reform & Progressive Judaism on Yom Ha’atzmaut. Modeled

This post presents the English and Hebrew texts of two original Thanksgiving Prayers for the State of Israel, written by Reform Zionist leaders. The first, an Al HaNissim addition to

This post presents the Hebrew and English text of the Al HaNissim prayer added to the Amidah and Grace After Meals by the Religious Kibbutz Movement on Yom Ha’atzmaut. Modeled after

This post presents the Hebrew and English text of an Al HaNissim prayer added to the Amidah and Grace After Meals by the American Conservative Movement on Yom Ha’atzmaut. Modeled

This post presents the Hebrew, English and transliterated text of an Al HaNissim prayer added to the Amidah and Grace After Meals by the American Conservative movement on Yom Ha’atzmaut.

This post presents the English and Hebrew texts of a prayer for the State of Israel that encourages people to return to the root of Yom Ha’atzmaut, and pray for the

This post presents a creative Yom Ha’atzmaut ritual developed by the Reconstructionist  movement, designed as a picnic seder, complete with symbolic foods, a haggadah and discussion questions. This post includes

This post provides the Hebrew and English texts for the prayer recited for one who is called up to the Torah on Shabbat. An excerpt from a longer article from Chabad.org, this text

This post presents the Hebrew, English and transliterated texts of a the blessings recited before and after the Torah reading when called up for an aliyah, using feminine God-language and omitting

This excerpt from Marcia Falk‘s “The Book of Blessings” offers a contemporary, open-ended text for blessing one’s children on Friday night in a way that empowers them with a sense of

Based on the traditional blessing over the children, this alternative blessing by Rabbi Kami Knapp encourages people to bless themselves to emulate a positive trait of a chosen role model on

This post presents the blessing for the children using both traditional male God-language as well as feminine God-language, reflecting a blend of Jewish tradition with modern feminist approaches. The two versions of the traditional