Foreword | p. vii |
Acknowledgments | p. ix |
Introduction | p. xi |
The Mezuzah | p. 1 |
Shabbat | p. 3 |
Shabbat Candles | p. 3 |
The Friday Night Shabbat Kiddush | p. 5 |
The Shabbat Challah | p. 7 |
Blessing One's Children on Shabbat | p. 8 |
Shabbat Havdalah | p. 10 |
Rosh HaShanah | p. 14 |
An Unusual New Year | p. 14 |
Customs and Symbols | p. 16 |
Yom Kippur | p. 20 |
Sukkot | p. 27 |
Some Historical Background | |
The Sukkah | p. 28 |
The Lulav and the Etrog | p. 30 |
Hoshana Rabbah, Sh'mini Atzeret, Simchat Torah | p. 32 |
Chanukah | p. 38 |
Some Historical Background | p. 38 |
Ceremonies, Symbols, Customs | p. 41 |
Tu BiSh'vat | p. 45 |
Purim | p. 49 |
The Story and the Message | p. 49 |
The Celebration | p. 53 |
Pesach | p. 57 |
Some Background | p. 57 |
Chameitz | p. 60 |
Matzah | p. 62 |
The Seder Table | p. 64 |
The Seder | p. 67 |
The Haggadah | p. 69 |
Some Little-Known Facts | p. 71 |
Lag BaOmer | p. 75 |
Shavuot | p. 80 |
Tishah B'Av | p. 85 |
B'rit Milah, B'rit HaChayim | p. 90 |
B'rit Milah: Some Historical Background | p. 90 |
B'rit Milah: Preparations and Participants | p. 94 |
B'rit Milah and B'rit HaChayim: The Ceremony | p. 96 |
Names | p. 101 |
Some Background | p. 101 |
Some Jewish Teachings, Superstitions, and Favorites | p. 104 |
Rites of Passage | p. 108 |
Pidyon HaBen: Redemption of the Firstborn Son | p. 108 |
Bar/Bat Mitzvah: Some Historical Background | p. 111 |
Celebrating Bar/Bat Mitzvah | p. 113 |
Confirmation | p. 117 |
The Jewish Wedding | p. 121 |
Some Biblical History | p. 121 |
Some Talmudic Background | p. 124 |
The Institution of the Shadchan | p. 127 |
Preparations for the Wedding in Times Gone By | p. 130 |
The Chuppah and the Ring | p. 134 |
The Ketubah | p. 136 |
The Modern Ceremony | p. 139 |
The Modern Ceremony, Part Two | p. 142 |
The Modern Ceremony, Part Three | p. 145 |
The Jewish Divorce | p. 149 |
Some Biblical History | p. 149 |
Divorce in the Talmud | p. 151 |
The Rights and Responsibilities of Husband and Wife | p. 153 |
The Get | p. 156 |
Death and Mourning | p. 159 |
The Moment of Death | p. 159 |
Preparing the Body for Burial | p. 162 |
What Happens after We Die? | p. 167 |
Jewish Positions on Autopsy, Embalming, and Cremation | p. 169 |
Preparing for the Funeral Service | p. 171 |
Preparing for the Funeral Service, Part Two | p. 174 |
The Funeral Service | p. 177 |
At the Cemetery | p. 180 |
The Kohein and Some General Background | p. 184 |
Shivah: Some General Background | p. 185 |
Shivah: The Home and the Meal of Consolation | p. 188 |
Shivah: The Condolence Call | p. 191 |
Shivah: Customs and Restrictions | p. 193 |
The Kaddish | p. 196 |
Sh'loshim and the Year of Mourning | p. 199 |
The Tombstone | p. 201 |
The Unveiling | p. 204 |
Yahrzeit and Yizkor | p. 206 |
Further URJ Press Resources | p. 209 |
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