Related Blog Posts on Jewish Rituals and Symbols

Yes, We Still Need an Orange on Our Seder Plate

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer

The orange will remain on my seder plate as a sign that we are always striving to help everyone to feel included, a sign that we are always looking out for those who might not feel that they belong, and a sign that we are full of juicy vitality: always growing, always changing, and always aware, keenly aware, that our history of bondage requires us to tell those stories.

Sitting Shiva in the Sand

Kim Phillips

Originally posted on November 10, 2010 at Kim's Little Blog.

My mother died, and she wasn’t Jewish.  I am, and sometime after I converted, it occurred to me to wonder, “Will I sit shivashivaשִׁבְעָהSeven-day mourning period that begins on the day of burial. when my mom passes away?" The word shiva comes from the Hebrew word for