Jewish Texts

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Commanded to Dis/Connect

A few weeks ago, I celebrated the marriage of two dear friends.  Along with the biological and chosen families of ...

Blessing the Shabbat Lights – A “Modern” Jewish Ritual

The quintessential image of home, holiness, and Jewish motherhood is that of a woman blessing the Shabbat candles, performing a ...

A Time to be Silent and a Time to Speak

“There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.” So says the author of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) in a ...

Owning Our Heritage: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

“To celebrate freedom and democracy while forgetting America’s origins in a slavery economy is patriotism a’ la carte.” A recent ...

Jews Don’t Believe in Birthdays but in Saving Lives

My husband does not do birthdays. When I first met him over 20 years ago, this truly puzzled me. Birthdays ...

Should We Care About People Not Like Us?

The context was a class on the gun violence epidemic in Chicago. I had finished the presentation by mentioning some ...

Life as a Female Semicha Student

When I was young, I was drawn to the study of Torah as a way to get closer to God ...

An Open Letter to Everyone Who Asks Me Why I’m Still Here

This is the second post in a two-part series of blog posts written by high school students. We encourage you ...

A Controversial Clarification

This is the first post in a two-part series of blog posts written by high school students. We encourage you ...

The “Dance” of Halakha

A new issue of the JOFA Journal will soon be in our subscribers’ mailboxes; its theme is Orthodox women in ...

Why Words Can Hurt

Just as words can push people apart, so too can they bring us closer.

Bullying and Name Calling

In his anger, Moses uses a destructive label for his people in public.

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