THE LIVING JEWISHLY BLOG
Introducing Sacred Time
How can the passage of time help us strengthen our communities and faith, and become happier and more fulfilled? From the Shabbats to the new moons to the holidays, our path through the Jewish calendar is a journey that guides us, individually and as a community, to better ourselves and gain a fuller understanding of our faith.
Jewish Practice and Core Beliefs with Ruth Chitiz
In this episode of the Living Jewishly podcast, Dr. Elliott Malamet interviews Ruth Chitiz about how she learned to own and reinterpret her own Judaism, how we can make the High Holy Days more enriching, spiritually meaningful experiences, and why so many people feel that the liturgy feels out of step with what they need emotionally.
When Slavery Is Not Just In Your Head
Many people have commented about feeling “confined” during the pandemic while at the same time according to the International Labour Organization, at least 40 million people are virtually owned by others right now around the world.
Reinterpreting Jewish Life with Sam Venis
In the latest episode of the Living Jewishly podcast, Dr. Elliott Malamet and Sam Venis discuss how intense reflection helps us make sense of the things that bother us but elude our understanding — and leads to greater peace of mind and healthier relationships.
Whose Life Should be Saved?: The Dilemmas of Triage
During the past year, medical ethicists and hospital administrators around the world have been involved in agonizing life and death decisions during the Covid-19 pandemic, many of which have to do with triage. In this blog, Dr. Elliot Malamet discusses the different approaches to triage, and how Jewish ethics approaches these problems.
Millennials in the Contemporary Jewish World with Noah Tile – Part Two
In this episode of the Living Jewishly podcast, Dr. Elliott Malamet speaks with Noah Tile about the Millennial exodus from traditional, institutional Jewish life.
Rosh Chodesh Adar, in Art
We welcome the new moon and the month of adar with this poetic/melodic collab! Through poetry, chanting and niggun this audio piece takes you on a journey to feel into the month of adar, and to understand it’s themes as they relate to today.
Behind the Mask: The Lives We Don’t Lead
For centuries Purim has been labelled “the holiday of masks”. In our latest blog post, Dr. Elliott Malamet dives into the meaning of the "holiday of masks" and discusses how the era of Covid-19 has caused us to put on both physical and emotional masks distancing us from those we love.
Millennials in the Contemporary Jewish World with Noah Tile - Part One
In this episode of Living Jewishly, Dr. Elliott Malamet speaks with Noah Tile (of the Change Talk podcast) about his journey from being strongly connected to Judaism to searching for spiritual fulfillment elsewhere… and then finding a renewed relationship with it.
The Plague of Darkness: Waking up to Depression
Through these difficult times, many of us have been struggling with our mental health. May we all find the grace and strength to see each other through these troubling times and look out for one another, so that, as day breaks, we can get up and start to live, one step at a time.
I Want it to Mean Something - Part Three
As citizens in an interconnected global community, our choices and actions can have consequences that remain invisible to us. To create a positive impact and contribute to a better world, we must act with intention. Listen below as the Living Jewishly podcast wraps up its 3-part Conversations series by looking at our largest circle of belonging — the world!
SHVAT: Tea and Torah
We welcome the month of Shvat with herbalist, bodyworker, educator and doula, Ariela Sharon Yomtovian. Ariela is here to teach us about this new month, through TEA and TORAH, because, as she says, “through our bodies, we can touch our souls.”
Are Jewish Schools as Important as we Think? - Part Three
The question about whether it is necessary to enrol Jewish children in Jewish schools is a long-standing one — and one that has sparked many lively debates. Find out how Rabbi Yossi Sapirman and Dr. Elliot Malamet advise parents to approach their children’s religious education in this episode of the Living Jewishly podcast.
Have we made it more expensive than it should be to be Jewish? - Part Two
Have we unintentionally created a too-high cost of entry for living a Jewish lifestyle? How can we create a Jewish lifestyle that is affordable, accessible, and inclusive? Listen to the latest episode of the Living Jewishly podcast to find out.
Have we made it harder than it should be to be Jewish? - Part One
Have we made it hard to be Jewish? How do Rabbi Yossi Sapirman and Dr. Elliot Malamet believe we can create a more tight-knit, inclusive community? Listen to the episode to find out.
Hope “Twenty-One” is Going to Be a Good Year. Mitzvot are recommended.
2020 has brought us many challenges that we have endured with strength and bravery. May we have hope that 2021 will be a year of making things better for everyone.
I Want It To Mean Something: Part 2
We all belong to a number of different circles of belonging. We ourselves lie at the centre, at the outer rim is the world as a whole, and in the middle, we find some of our most meaningful and powerful circles of belonging.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and the Key to Eternity
May Rabbi Sacks’ memory be a blessing, because surely his accomplishments and his contributions have already brought enormous blessing to Judaism, and grace and dignity, faith and hope, to a fractured world.
In Those Days, For Our Times
Chanukah is a celebration of light, family, and food related events. It's meant to be simple, and it is also an opportunity to promote what we call “eight nights of giving”, whether one gives to charity, to various members of family, chooses a mitzvah project across eight nights or eight projects. Chanukah is a concise and specific opportunity at the darkest time of year to bring light to so many.