Judaism Archives - Smashing the Glass

Real Jewish Brides: Jenna on Postponing for the Third Time

03/03/2021 by Smashing The Glass

Jenna will be marrying Mat in November 2021 at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Arizona. Click here to read all Jenna’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Jenna + Mat have known each other all their lives – they met when they were both one-year-old at a baby class! (2) Their relationship began at the University of Arizona in March 2012 (3) Mat proposed at Jenna’s parents house in December 2018

Things have been quite crazy these past few weeks! We packed up our apartment in Brooklyn & started a cross-country drive to move back home to Tucson, AZ. So thankful for pods-style moving services that let you pack up, then they ship the moving pods, & deliver when you’re ready!

We already have our hands full driving with a cat, I’m glad we don’t have to be driving a Uhaul. Can’t wait to be fully moved into our large, less expensive than our one-bedroom-NYC-apartment house! Our drive will have taken us through 12 states total & with 2 stops along the way to see people: one with a friend from college & a 2nd stop with my brother, sister-in-law, & nephews, just in time for Purim!

Real Jewish Brides: Jenna on Moving back to Tucson, Arizona!

07/01/2021 by Smashing The Glass

Jenna will be marrying Mat on 13th June 2021 at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Arizona. Click here to read all Jenna’s planning posts to date.

The news is official! My fiancé, Mat, and I will be moving back home to Tucson, AZ! Like so many during these days, we are now both fully remote. This means we can move out of our tiny one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn and to somewhere cheaper where we can rent much, much more space. Our lease is up at the end of February, so we’ll be packing up a Pod (love this style of moving, as you pack it up, they drive it, and can even store it until you have a final delivery location), packing up the cat who will detest being stuck in her carrier that long, and heading out west.

Goodbye snow, cold, subways, small apartment – hello warm Tucson, those beautiful sunsets, stunning mountains, space (especially outdoor space), and Sonoran Mexican food (my personal favorite style of Mexican food)!

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

08/11/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

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.

Real Jewish Brides: Jenna on Keeping Busy

05/11/2020 by Smashing The Glass

Jenna will be marrying Mat on 13th June 2021 at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Arizona. Click here to read all Jenna’s planning posts to date.

I have to say I struggled with this blog post. There hasn’t really been any update in regards to my wedding planning progress, as we were set to be married on September 6, 2020 and postponed to June 13, 2021, so we have been mostly set with our planning process. It has also been hard to get the little details done when my fiancé and I live across the country from where we are getting married. Things feel pretty much the same as when I wrote my last blog post about our postponed wedding weekend and Mat’s birthday.

We have been doing things, like the occasional brunch outside, socially distant weekend afternoons spent with friends in our building, exploring our neighborhood by letting the streetlights tell us where to go on our walks, or taking the ferry between Brooklyn and Manhattan. I guess the main life update for us has been regarding my job becoming a fully remote position. That for sure has been a big change for me and has taken a lot to wrap my head around. With so much changing in the world and my own life, I’ve needed things to keep me feeling grounded.

One has been cooking and especially baking (if you are not a member of the Bride’s Club, join and you will get access to the recordings of the Pumpkin Spice Roll Challah virtual bake I am leading on 11/7) and choir – well, virtual choir.

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

25/10/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

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.