The Luck of the Jewish: Shabbat Message from Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Mates
The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) in Worcester, Massachusetts or what my brother-in-law calls “The Irish Club,” starts celebrating St. Patrick’s Day over a week before March 17th. I started following […]
Reproductive Shabbat: Shabbat Message from Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Mates
This week in our eighth-grade ethics class we started off by listening to songs by pop stars Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. The songs we listened to involved both young […]
An Antisemitic Interruption: Shabbat Message from Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Mates
The first time I encountered antisemitism was in college. It wasn’t directed at me per se, but it was a rally against Israel equating Israel with South Africa, and then, […]
How It Started….How It’s Going….: Shabbat Message from Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Mates
There was a trend on social media a while back called “How It Started…How It’s Going.” People posted a picture from the beginning of a relationship or friendship, or of […]
November 29 In Jewish History: Shabbat Message from Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Mates
In the year 1940, the concentration camp Auschwitz was created. In the year 1949, the Israeli Knesset met for the first time in Jerusalem. That roller coaster of history and […]
Beginnings: Shabbat Message from Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Mates
A few weeks ago, I had to go to New York for the day. I did something stupid and forgot to sign a marriage license of a wedding I had […]
The Broken Wand: Shabbat Message from Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Mates
This past week, I had the opportunity to witness the Broken Wand Ceremony. The Broken Wand Ceremony is a tribute that is done for a magician at the time of […]
The Story of the First Woman Rabbi: Shabbat Message from Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Mates
While this Shabbat message is normally devoted to high-minded Torah commentary, this week I turn first to a children’s book. Specifically a children’s book released this week, Sally Opened Doors: The […]
Yom HaShoah: Shabbat Message from Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Mates
Jody Rosen wrote in The New York Times last month “Sometimes history speaks in rhyme.” She was referring to the death of a polar explorer 100 years ago and the […]
Tazria: Shabbat Message from Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Mates
I attended a funeral recently where the child of the deceased described his parents’ first date in vivid details. It was such a beautiful description of that date I am […]
