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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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Real Jewish Brides: Jenna on Making the Most of Postponement

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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.

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


It’s so crazy to think that our wedding was supposed to be in 16 days (from the date I’m writing this post, 8/21/20). September 6, 2020 was supposed to be our wedding date. But we postponed at the end of May to June 13, 2021 due to being cautious with Covid (the dreaded C-word), and that we wouldn’t be able to have the wedding we dreamed of with all our friends and family there.  For my fiancé and I, while we hate having to wait 9 extra months to get married, not having all of our friends and family at our ceremony especially (and the fact that dancing looked like it wouldn’t be able to happen) made us feel strongly that we wanted to postpone the wedding.

Jenna and Matt
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Real Jewish Brides: Jenna on How We are Customizing our Jewish Wedding

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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.

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

Judaism is a huge part of our identity – both for my fiancé, Mat, and for me. We not only grew up at the same synagogue, where we were bar and bat mitzvahed, but also attended Jewish summer camps (and worked as counselors), were members of our Jewish youth group USY, went to the Jewish day school or the synagogue’s Hebrew school, and so much more (I taught b’nai mitzvah class for 5 years!).

Growing up for me, I always remembered going to Shabbat dinner at my Bubbie and Grandpa’s house – I even learned how to bake challah from my Grandpa, who would bake two fresh loaves every other week. We always celebrated all the Jewish holidays as well, with the entire family getting together to eat good food and celebrate. For Mat, going to Hebrew school 3 times a week at the synagogue kept him connected in his daily life to Judaism – it is where he learned about our history, culture, religion, and it taught him the importance of his Jewish identity. 

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Calling All Jewish and Jew-ish Couples: Take the Journey of a Lifetime with Honeymoon Israel

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Photo: Honeymoon Israel

If you’re a regular reader of STG, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that I love Israel. From the landscape to the culture to the spirituality to the history to the food (THE FOOD!), it’s a truly incredible country.

Photo: Betsy Biglin / Honeymoon Israel

Being half Israeli myself, it’s a place that’s especially close to my heart – and one I think every Jewish and Jew-ish couple should take the time to get to know a little better.

Photo: Lindsay Arnold / Honeymoon Israel

There’s no question that it’s a fab vacation spot, whatever your interests, and it’s also the perfect place to explore your Jewish (or Jew-ish) identity – whatever your background, connection to Judaism, or political views on Israel.

Photo: Honeymoon Israel

That’s why I’m so excited to tell you about Honeymoon Israel, a fantastic organization on a mission to bring Jewish life and understanding into the home of every Jewish or Jew-ish couple, in a personal, meaningful, and agenda-free way – through highly subsidized couples’ trips to Israel!

Photo: Lara Sparks / Honeymoon Israel

On a Honeymoon Israel trip, the two of you will spend nine exhilarating, romantic, and memorable days exploring Israel in luxury, alongside 19 other couples from your home city. You’ll take in all the classic tourist spots – the Western Wall, Jerusalem’s Old City, the beaches of Tel Aviv – and also catch some unique experiences you wouldn’t get on a standard vacation, like meals with local families and meetings with high-level public officials and business leaders.

Photo: Whitney Kirk / Honeymoon Israel

It’s also a chance for you and your partner to step back, recharge, and take some time to reconnect with each other and with other Jewish and Jew-ish couples at a similar stage in life from your city. A Honeymoon Israel trip will support your exploration of Jewish life and empower you to find your own connection to Judaism, individually, as a couple, and as part of a larger community.

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