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Outfit Your Home for Hanukkah 2020

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Hanukkah Garland by SheepFarmFelt via Etsy

Chances are, you’re spending a lot more time at home this year than usual. And while the reasons for that are obviously not so happy, it doesn’t mean some of the outcomes can’t be – like the fact that in 2020 more people than ever seem to be decorating for the holidays. 

And there’s no reason that can’t include Hanukkah – in fact, here at Team STG we feel strongly that it should! We know Hanukkah’s not traditionally a big decorating holiday, but there’s nothing like some joyous reminders of the upcoming Festival of Lights to inject some cheer into your living space – something just about all of us could use right now.

And lest you think Hanukkah decor’s just for kids, think again: these days, there are so many beautiful, sophisticated, not-at-all -cheesy pieces to choose from, whether your preferred style skews contemporary, rustic, vintage, or boho. Read on for some of our top picks.

Star of David Botanical Hanukkah Decoration from Peace Love Light
(10% discount for Smashing Life members)

We are loving the rustic vibes of these Star of David botanical hanging decorations!

Mini Hanukkah Garland from the Kitcut via ModernTribe
(10% discount for Smashing Life members)

This cute mini Hanukkah garland is just the right size for perking up your work-from-home office digs!

Lights of Hanukkah Plate Set from The Jewish Museum Shop

Fun fact: latkes and sufganiyot taste better when you eat them off these festive dessert plates featuring four different Hanukkah lamps from the collections of the Jewish Museum in New York City.

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Ten Meaningful Ways to Bring Shabbat Into Your Life {Part Two}

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Photo courtesy of Micaela Ezra 

Last week we shared five of our favorite accessible ways to begin or grow your observance of Shabbat, Judaism’s weekly day  of rest which runs from Friday evening at sunset through to Saturday night 25 hours later – and this week we’re back with the second half of our list.

Especially in times as uncertain as the ones we’re living through right now, Shabbat is an incredible tool for disconnecting from the chaos of 2020 and reconnecting with ourselves, our loved ones, and our tradition and spirituality. In the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom and one of the most prominent Jewish thinkers of our times, who tragically passed away just yesterday, “Shabbat is the day we stand still and let all our blessings catch up with us” – and, now more than ever, couldn’t we all use a little bit of that in our lives?

Take Time to Relax

Whether that means curling up with a good book, taking a relaxing stroll in nature, or even a nap (a Shabbat nap on Saturday afternoon is actually a traditional practice for some!), take some time to rest and rejuvenate. After all, Shabbat commemorates the seventh day of creation when, after bringing the world into being on the first six days, God ceased from work – and, in so doing, created the very concept of rest. 

In the words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the greatest Jewish thinkers of the 20th century, in his classic The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man, “Six days a week we seek to dominate the world, on the seventh day we try to dominate the self.” Which, if you think about it, means that even your Shabbat self-care is imbued with an extra hit of holiness.

Attitude of Gratitude

We love this suggestion that our friend Paula Shoyer, The Kosher Baker, shared on our Your Jewish Life  Instagram account: Shabbat is the perfect time to reflect back on the week and focus on the things you have to be grateful for – from the biggest to the smallest. Seriously, it can be anything from your family to finding a great parking spot!

Keep Up with the Weekly Torah Portion

Reading the weekly parsha (Torah portion) is a great way to spend some of your Shabbat. If, like most of us, you’re not able to read it in the original Hebrew, find a translation you like in English or whatever language is most comfortable for you. Either in addition to reading the actual Torah portion, or instead, you can also sign up to get any number of commentaries sent to your inbox or podcast queue weekly, in written or audio form. There are plenty to choose from – check out Covenant and Conversation from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who sadly passed away over this past Shabbat; Ten Minutes of Torah from Reformjudaism.org; Torah from JTS; or Parsha Picks from Chabad. If you’re looking for some more suggestions, we love this list from My Jewish Learning. 

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Ten Meaningful Ways to Bring Shabbat Into Your Life {Part One}

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ahyin-shabbat-table

Photo courtesy of Micaela Ezra 

Possibly one of the coolest things about Judaism is the fact that we have holidays not just a handful of times a year, but every single week. Shabbat, a 25-hour period lasting from sundown each Friday through nightfall on Saturday, is Judaism’s day of rest – and given the, er, state  of unrest in the world right now with the pandemic and all, isn’t that something we could all use?

Shabbat is a weekly commemoration of the seventh day of creation, when, after creating the world in the first six days, God rested – as well as a weekly celebration of the freedom God granted the Israelites from Egypt. As such, one of the hallmarks of the day, traditionally, is refraining from work – which is defined by Jewish law in ways that might not always square with our 21st-century interpretations (more about this below).

Whether you choose to follow all the traditional rules of Shabbat or to pick just one or two observances to bring to the day, celebrating Shabbat each week is one of the most beautiful and meaningful ways to bring spirituality in your life – and the fact that Shabbat comes around each and every week means you’ve got plenty of opportunities to try different things out and see what works for you. This week, we’re sharing five ideas to light up your Shabbat – and next week we’ll be back with five more.

Light Candles

One of the best-known – and most beautiful – Shabbat traditions is lighting candles on Friday night. Just before Shabbat begins, it’s customary to light at least two candles (in honor of the two Torah passages commanding Jews to observe Shabbat: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” and “Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy”), cover your eyes, and recite a blessing.

The candles are to be left to burn down – depending on what kind you go for, they should last at least a few hours – and watching the lights flicker as you sit down to your Shabbat dinner (or however else you choose to spend the evening) adds a really special touch to your home’s atmosphere. And especially as we get into the darker, colder winter nights, there’s just something undeniably cozy about candlelight. 

Give Tzedakah

It’s customary to give tzedakah (often translated as “charity,” this Hebrew word actually means something closer to “justice” or “righteousness” – which is a nice insight into the way Jewish tradition looks at giving back) each week prior to lighting the Shabbat candles. The traditional way to do this is to drop some cash or coins into a tzedakah box – and these days, you can purchase beautiful designs to suit any style, or if you’re crafty you could decorate your own – but you could also set up a recurring electronic donation to a cause that’s meaningful to you. 

Turn Your Tech Off 

For those who observe Shabbat traditionally, there’s a long list of activities (39, to be precise) that are prohibited – these are drawn from the tasks that were involved in constructing the Tabernacle in which the Israelites carried the Ten Commandments during their desert sojourn during the Exodus, and include everything from writing to kindling a flame (which, these days, includes actions like turning a light switch or TV on) to carrying outside of one’s private domain. 

Computers, phones, and other tech gadgets are out due to the prohibitions on both kindling a flame and writing (yep, letters on a screen count) – but even if you don’t abide by the traditional laws of Shabbat, as our lives get more and more tech-based, lots of people are finding a benefit to taking a “technology Shabbat” (yes, that’s really a thing). There’s something really freeing and calming about saying no to email and texts, social media and news, and committing to being present. You can do it for the whole 25 hours, or pick a smaller interval at some point during Shabbat in which you’ll power down and check out. 

If the idea of a technology Shabbat doesn’t speak to you – or if you’ve already made it a practice and are looking to do more – you can always choose another activity to cut out for some or all of the holiday, whether it’s one traditionally prohibited on Shabbat or just something you’d like to work on personally. 

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Ten Ways to Create a Meaningful Jewish Home {Part Two}

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Jewish Wedding Spirituality

Photo courtesy of Micaela Ezra 

Last week, we shared Part One of our list of top ideas for creating a meaningful Jewish home – something that’s on a lot of our minds right now during COVID. No matter where you are in terms of your background, knowledge, or level of Jewish observance, there are so many beautiful and non-intimidating ways to ground yourself spiritually during this unsettled time for the world – last week we covered observing Shabbat, collecting Judaica that sparks joy, celebrating holidays, participating in Rosh Chodesh groups, and tuning into the Jewish calendar – and this week we’re back with five more ideas to get you going.

Build a Jewish Library

Jews are the people of the book, after all! There are so many incredible Jewish books, and whatever your interests trend toward, there’s something out there for you – whether you’re looking for Torah, Jewish life, history, philosophy, Jewish law, fiction, poetry, or even a cookbook!

Jewish books are a popular discussion topic in the Smashing Life Facebook group – a few titles that come up again and again are Anita Diamant’s Living a Jewish Life and Harold Kushner’s To Life – and if you’re looking for inspiration, there are all kinds of great Jewish book lists out there to get you building that reading list. 

Also – if you have children PJ Library is the most wonderful free resource.

Put Up a Mezuzah 

One easy way to add some Judaism to your home is to put up a mezuzah, a piece of parchment inscribed with two verses from the Torah, placed in a decorative case, and hung on doorposts.

It’s traditional to put a mezuzah up on all doorways in your home, but if you want to go for just one – whether on your front door or bedroom door, whatever you like – that works too!

Mezuzot serve as a clear marker of a Jewish home, and just seeing your mezuzah as you come and go is a wonderful reminder of our Jewish identity – as well as the fact that are homes are places of holiness.

And there are so many beautifully designed cases available these days, whatever your style!

Start a Prayer Practice

I know this one might seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! While it’s true that Judaism has a lengthy and complex liturgy, there are so many ways to approach prayer Jewishly. It doesn’t have to take a long time, and it doesn’t have to involve Hebrew. 

You can pick a prayer that speaks to you, to get in the habit of reciting in Hebrew or English (or whatever language is most comfortable for you) – the Shema, an affirmation of belief in God’s oneness commonly considered the most essential prayer in Judaism, is a great place to start, but if that doesn’t do it for you there are so many choices. Modeh Ani, a short prayer traditionally recited on waking up each day thanking God for giving another day of life, is another wonderful option – one of our Smashing Life members even made a recording of this prayer her alarm, so she now wakes up to it each day! You could also opt to recite blessings over food – or one of these little known but very cool Jewish prayers! The sky is really the limit. 

And of course, you can also talk to God in your own words – you don’t need to feel constrained by the liturgy. After all, that’s how Jewish prayer began – it was only with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem that structured prayer as we know it today really began to take form. 

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Ten Ways to Create a Meaningful Jewish Home {Part One}

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ahyin-shabbat-table

Photo courtesy of Micaela Ezra 

Now more than ever before, so many of us are leaning into our Jewish (or Jew-ish) identities. Amidst all the uncertainty of this moment, there’s something grounding about embracing tradition and spirituality. 

But for those of us who may not have been so Jewishly involved for most of our lives, getting started can feel overwhelming. It’s hard to know where to start – and even harder to get past the sense of impostor syndrome that can creep in when you feel like everyone else knows more than you do, does more than you do, and just generally fits in better than you do. 

But the truth is, there is no one right way to be Jewish (or Jew-ish, of course!) – the right way is the way that’s meaningful to you and will make you feel connected to your Judaism. And no matter where you’re coming from, we believe from the bottom of our hearts that there is a place for you in the Jewish world – and if you’re struggling, we would love nothing more than to help you find it! 

The good news is that there are so many beautiful and non-intimidating ways to bring your Jewish identity into your home – and today we’re talking about a few of our favorites (and next week, we’ll be bac in this space with part two!).

Observe Shabbat Your Way

When it comes to building a Jewish home, there’s nothing like instituting a Shabbat observance practice. This doesn’t mean you have to go full-on shomer Shabbos – there are so many small, accessible ways to bring the spirituality of this special day into your week, and there’s bound to be one that’s meaningful to you. You could light candles on Friday nights, turn your tech off (for a full 24 hours or just a couple on Friday evenings – whatever works!), buy or make challah, host Shabbat dinners, or keep up with the weekly parshah (Torah portion).

Acknowledging Shabbat is one of the most beautiful and meaningful ways to bring spirituality in your life, and the fact that Shabbat comes around each and every week means you’ve got plenty of opportunities to try different things out and see what sticks.

Invest in Judaica You Love

There’s nothing like surrounding yourself with beautiful Jewish ritual objects and art to infuse your home with a sense of spirituality. But make sure you fill your home with pieces that speak to YOU, personally – whether that means traditional or modern, boho or whimsical, luxe or DIY. A lot of us end up accumulating bits and pieces of Judaica that don’t really do it for us, and if this is you, know that there’s no shame whatsoever in swapping out items that don’t spark joy for new versions that are totally you – yes, even if the stuff you’re not so excited about was gifted to you by a well-intentioned friend or relative.

Our friend Micaela Ezra, the mega-talented textile designer behind AHYIN Judaica, has long championed the traditional Jewish concept of hiddur mitzvah – enhancing a mitzvah (commandment) through aesthetics – on grounds that feeling genuinely enthused about, say, your Shabbat candlesticks will make you all the more likely to pull them out on Friday evenings. 

Mark the Holidays

If you’re reading this, you may already be good with lighting your menorah on Hanukkah, sitting down at the seder table come Passover time, and fasting on Yom Kippur. But there are plenty more holidays throughout the Jewish year that lots of Jews aren’t necessarily in the practice of celebrating. From Tu Bishvat (the birthday of the trees!) to Shavuot (commemorating the day God gave the Torah to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai) to Simchat Torah (celebrating the conclusion of the yearly Torah-reading cycle), the Jewish year is full of special days that can go so far toward grounding you in your spirituality and identity.

And, as with Shabbat, you don’t have to go full-on for these festivals if that doesn’t make sense for you – there are all kinds of small ways you can work in holiday observance, from leading a Tu Bishvat seder (which basically consists of drinking wine and eating fruit – what’s not to love?) to eating delicious dairy foods and decorating your home with flowers for Shavuot to joining a congregation and dancing with a Torah (at least in non-COVID times) for Simchat Torah. 

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