Resource Category: Jewish Holidays

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Yom Kippur and Tu B’Av: When Love is the Only Answer

On the surface, this all seems like a strange pairing of holidays. The two traditions and atmosphere of the two could not be more different. Yom Kippur, an auspicious day of judgment traditionally marked with fasting and repenting for our sins of the previous year and Tu B’Av, the Jewish holiday of love. It is even more strange that a day as auspicious as Yom Kippur be called a “joyous” day dedicated to matchmaking. However, if you consider the fact that Tu B’Av follows the emotionally strenuous holiday of Tisha B’Av, there is actually one area of significant overlap between the two days.
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Coping with Grief and Trauma Following October 7 and Recent Events in Israel, Gaza and the United States

By Ruth Weinberg, LPC | There is no one Jewish experience or perspective. Clients expressed a huge range of feelings, reactions, opinions and political beliefs. This has been an unbelievable time in our world. My heart goes out to all living beings struggling with the terror and violence they have lived, witnessed or been exposed to. In addition, I empathize with all those who have endured hateful and painful experiences as they try to cope with these events. Though sadly there is no easy fix for our pain, this article offers strategies for coping with grief and trauma arising from the recent violence in the Middle East and the reverberating antisemitism that has followed.
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All Night, Always Honest

By Rabbi Zach Beer | On Shavuot night, while we shouldn’t fall asleep, we should consider embodying the value that the Jewish people brought to Har Sinai and spend the night reflecting on growing and being honest with ourselves as a means of connecting with God.
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An Aftermath of Grief in Megillat Rut

By Ruthie Hollander | If the past few months have taught us anything, it is that some grow louder in the face of loss and others quieter. Grief looks different on each one of us. In Megillat Rut, the text we read on the holiday of Shavuot, we find a powerful affirmation of the different forms of grief. They are especially resonant now as we feel the outpouring of the Jewish world’s anger, fear, and mourning in the still-echoing wake of unprecedented attack, of war we never wanted, of lost and stolen loved ones.
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Your Guide to “Arguments for the Sake of Heaven”

In Jewish tradition, arguments with a shared goal are holy and called “arguments for the sake of heaven!” Engaging in spirited debate conveys that both sides believe in the goal and care enough to fight for it. But shared goals don’t always mean constructive conversations, and a destructive conversation can have negative ramifications on your mental health. Here are three tips to ensure your arguments for the sake of heaven stay that way.
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Searching in Our Souls: A Pre-Bedikat Chametz Meditation

Jews around the world spent the night before Passover searching their homes for any chametz, such as bread and other items not Kosher for Passover, that they may have missed, before burning or disposing of that chametz the morning before the holiday begins. This process is called "Bedikat Chametz," or searching for Chametz. Now, as you prepare to search for the chametz in your homes, let’s take a moment to meditate on the chametz in our souls that we will be releasing tomorrow when we burn that chametz, to experience the personal redemption of Passover.
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Your Red Sea, Your Pursuers, and Your Nachshon Moment

By Ruthie Hollander | We can’t find freedom by outrunning anxiety, anger, or grief. This lesson is captured in the compiled Rabbinic teachings called midrash, which preserves the memory of Nachshon, prince of the tribe of Judah and brother-in-law of Aaron. The sea only splits, according to the midrash, when Nachshon steps forward and enters the sea, “since they (b’nai Yisrael) were standing and taking advice/debating/arguing (over what course of action they should take).” Their salvation came at the hand of a brave man’s choice to step forward. What is your Nachshon Moment?
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