CONTENTS. Acknowledgments viii About the Contributors ix Preface xi Introduction: Renew the Old, Sanctify the New 1

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1 CONTENTS Acknowledgments viii About the Contributors ix Preface xi Introduction: Renew the Old, Sanctify the New 1 EVERYDAY LIFE Waking Up 8 Praying for What We Need 10 Washing Our Hands 14 Eating 16 Making a List of Things to Do 18 Preparing a Family Recipe 22 Going to Work 24 Organizing Your Room, Your House, Your Office, Your Affairs, Your Life 28 Traveling 30 Keeping a Sense of Home When You Are on the Road 32 Spending Time with Family 34 Having Guests of Different Faiths at Our Table 38 Bringing Home a New Pet 40 Gardening 42 iii

2 iv C O N T E N T S PARENTS AND CHILDREN Hoping to Have a Child 46 Celebrating Pregnancy 50 Welcoming a New Child 54 Nursing 58 Guiding Our Growing Children toward Independence 60 Preparing for Your Bar or Bat Mitzvah 62 Sending a Child to College 66 Blessing One s Parents 68 RELATIONSHIPS Falling in Love 72 Celebrating the Difference You ve Made in Each Other s Lives 74 Ending a Relationship 78 Healing Relationships 82 Receiving Guests 86 Blessing One s Hosts 90 SPECIAL MOMENTS Celebrating a Private Miracle 94 Celebrating Birthdays 96 Hearing Good News 98 Being a Guest at a Wedding 100 Seeing Natural Wonders 102 Standing at a Crossroads 106 Running a Marathon 110 Noticing a Change in the Seasons 114 Moving into a New House 118 Joining a Synagogue 122

3 C O N T E N T S v Taking on a Jewish Name 126 Wearing a Tallit for the First Time 130 Retiring 132 HEALING Praying for Healing 136 Visiting the Sick 138 Finding Hope in a Time of Illness 142 Treating a Patient 144 Starting to Work Out 148 Quitting Smoking 152 Creating Opportunities, Opening Doors 154 LIFE AND DEATH Hearing of a Death 158 Making a Shiva Call 160 Remembering the Loss of Someone You Love 164 Moving Out of Mourning and Back into Life 168 Writing an Ethical Will 170 Saying Good-Bye to a Beloved Pet 172 LEARNING Starting School 176 Beginning to Study Torah for the First Time 178 Studying Sacred Texts Each Day 182 Finishing an Important Book 186 Honoring a Teacher at the End of the Year 188

4 vi C O N T E N T S LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNAL LIFE Building a Pluralist Jewish Community 192 Examining Ourselves as Leaders 196 Taking on New Responsibilities 200 Taking on a Volunteer Role 204 Holding a Meeting 208 Installing a New Communal Leader 210 Celebrating a New Community Building 214 Naming a Community 218 ISRAEL Going to Israel 222 Visiting Jerusalem 226 Sending Your Child to Israel 230 Returning from Israel 232 TZEDAKAH Preparing Ourselves to Do Sacred Work 236 Donating Food and Clothing 240 Soliciting Support 242 Receiving Requests for Contributions 246 Making a Contribution 248 Dedicating a Wall or Plaque that Honors Donors 250 Wearing Your Commitments 254 HOLY DAYS Shabbat 257 Lighting Shabbat Candles 258 Blessing Children on Shabbat 260

5 C O N T E N T S vii Rosh Hashanah 263 Changing Your Fate for the Coming Year 264 Preparing Your Prayers for the High Holidays 268 Casting Away Our Sins (Tashlikh) 272 Hearing the Shofar 276 Yom Kippur 279 Fasting 280 Sukkot 283 Building a Sukkah 284 Receiving Sukkah Guests 286 Waving the Lulav and Etrog 290 Taking Down a Sukkah 294 Simchat Torah 297 Dancing with the Torah 298 Chanukah 301 Lighting the Menorah 302 Rededicating Your Home on Chanukah 306 Purim 309 Preparing Mishloach Manot 310 Passover 313 Removing Chametz from One s Home 314 Searching for the Afikoman (for Grown-Ups) 318 Counting the Omer 322 Yom Ha atzma ut 325 Celebrating Yom Ha atzma ut, Israel s Independence Day 326 Shavuot 329 Studying Together on Shavuot 330 Rosh Chodesh 333 Celebrating Rosh Chodesh 334

6 viii C O N T E N T S About the Translations 337 About CLAL The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership 338 About Jewish Lights 341 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book has been the effort of the entire CLAL faculty, which represents all denominations of Judaism. It exemplifies CLAL s mission to help build vital Jewish communities in the twenty-first century that are pluralist and inclusive, to develop new forms of Jewish thought and practice, to stimulate volunteer and professional leaders to imagine the Jewish future, and to enhance Jewish participation in civic and spiritual life. Special thanks to CLAL faculty and administrative staff project manager Janet R. Kirchheimer, who oversaw all aspects of the book; Hannah Gastfreund, who typed and laid out the entire manuscript; and Ruth Bregman and Dr. David Kraemer for their technical assistance. Rabbi Irwin Kula and Dr. Vanessa L. Ochs envisioned the concept and orchestrated the development of the book, and we are deeply appreciative of Vanessa Ochs s expertise in editing. We are also grateful to CLAL s many students and participants who played an important role in the evolution of these sacred practices and rituals that link our heritage with contemporary life, renewing the old and sanctifying the new. Donna M. Rosenthal Executive Vice Chairman