The High Holidays can be deeply meaningful. They can also get surprisingly expensive. Synagogue tickets, holiday meals, time off work, travel, childcare, new clothes, donations, a machzor – suddenly Rosh Hashanah has developed quite the shopping list. But a meaningful High Holiday season doesn’t require buying everything you see other people doing. In this video,
How to Celebrate the Jewish High Holidays on a Budget Read Post »
Bayit Builders closes to new members tonight, and if you’ve been thinking about joining all week, it’s officially decision time. You can find an enormous amount of Jewish information online. The harder part is figuring out what matters right now, what can wait, how to turn what you’re learning into an actual Jewish practice, and
Bayit Builders Closes TONIGHT Read Post »
If you’ve been looking at Bayit Builders all week and thinking, “Maybe? But would I actually use it? Is this even for someone like me?” this one’s for you. The Bayit isn’t a conversion program, another Judaism 101 course, or a place where someone tells you exactly what your Jewish life should look like. It’s
Bayit Builders Closes Tomorrow – Should You Join? Read Post »
The Jewish High Holidays are a whole season, not a single event. Between Elul, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah, there’s a lot to learn, plan, buy, schedule, and somehow spiritually reflect on at the same time. No pressure! 😂 If this is your first High Holiday season, you do not
How to Prepare for the Jewish High Holidays as a Beginner Read Post »
There is a LOT you can learn about Judaism: Torah, Hebrew, prayer, Shabbat, holidays, Jewish history, halacha – congratulations, you have acquired approximately 8,000 Lego pieces. Now what are you supposed to build with them? At some point, learning about Judaism has to become living a Jewish life. And that doesn’t happen by waiting until
Stop Learning About Judaism and Start LIVING It Read Post »
If you’re converting to Judaism or building a Jewish life from scratch, there comes a point when learning about Judaism isn’t the problem anymore. The harder part is figuring out how to take everything you’re learning and actually turn it into a Jewish life. That’s why I created my membership Bayit Builders. In this video,
Converting to Judaism Can Feel Lonely. It Doesn’t Have to. Read Post »
The first time you go to synagogue, you might expect everyone to sit quietly and pay attention to the service. And then you get there and… everyone is talking. Someone’s whispering to their neighbor, someone else is catching up with an old friend, and meanwhile you’re afraid to cough because you have no idea what
Why Is Everyone Talking in Synagogue?! Read Post »
If you’re new to observing Jewish holidays, asking for time off from work or school can feel surprisingly intimidating. What days do you actually need off? How far in advance should you ask? How much do you need to explain about your religious practice – and what happens if your boss or professor pushes back?
How to Ask for Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur Off from Work or School Read Post »
Jewish law is pretty clear that a person who converts to Judaism is Jewish. Full stop. The Torah also repeatedly commands us to love and protect converts. But Jewish law and the experience of actually being a convert in a Jewish community aren’t always exactly the same thing. Converts can find themselves in a strange
Are Converts Really Treated the Same as Born Jews? Read Post »
How do you become the kind of person who naturally lives a holy life? Everyday Holiness by Alan Morinis is one of my favorite Jewish books because instead of focusing primarily on what you should do, it asks who you are becoming. In this video, we’re talking about Mussar, middot, and the practical system Judaism
How to Become a Better Person, According to Judaism Read Post »