A reader’s map of the field guide. Each entry carries its one-line summary. Siddurim link to each book’s table of contents rather than listing every page here.
Machine formats: /site-map.json and /site-map.xml. Any public page URL may be suffixed with or for that page’s data. The home page is /index.json.
The front, the sequenced reading order, and the standing pages of the guide.
The front page of The New Jew: a field guide for Jews finding faith and practice later in life. It opens with today's Hebrew date and Shabbat times, a featured article, an essential-prayer spotlight, a siddur doorway, Hebrew letter/vowel/word drills, recent articles, the first steps of the sequenced learning path, and a directory of topical sections.
A numbered, start-at-the-top reading order of published field-guide articles. Each stop shows its title, lede, and difficulty tier so a newcomer can follow one calm sequence instead of browsing at random.
An index of line-by-line prayer guides. Each card links to an interactive reader with pointed Hebrew, transliteration, English translation, per-word glosses, and practice notes.
A catalog of digital prayerbooks opened page by page, with pointed Hebrew, English translation, and multiple transliteration traditions. Each book lists its nusach and page-pair count.
A giving page that asks readers to support congregations and causes that make Jewish life possible before supporting the project itself. It lists partner synagogues and institutions with learn and donate links.
Explains optional Google Analytics on The New Jew: what is measured, the tnj_analytics_consent cookie, that advertising storage stays off, and how to change the choice from the Privacy control on any page. The site works with analytics declined.
14 topical sections, with their articles nested underneath.
Front Matter & How to Use This Field Guide What is The New Jew?
A Sequenced Path for the New Jew Before You Begin: A Word on Pace
The New Jew gathers articles and learning tools for adults coming to Jewish faith and practice after childhood. Topic categories guide exploration of belief, texts, prayer, Hebrew, community, and Jewish living; levels distinguish first steps, core literacy, practical guidance, deeper study, and scholarly work. Begin with a manageable routine and return to the guide as questions arise.
Judaism is a 3,500-year-old conversation, and a New Jew’s first instinct is to drink the whole ocean at once. Don’t. Choose one prayer, one mitzvah, one chapter of Torah. Show up to shul, listen, and let the structure of Jewish life teach you on its own terms. The rest (the books, the Hebrew, the Talmud, the holidays) will keep. The single most important practice is to keep showing up.
Gilgul Neshamot in Jewish Thought — A Treatise The Journey of the Soul — Gilgul Neshamot in Jewish Thought
Jewish debates over gilgul neshamot bring rationalist accounts of the soul into conversation with Kabbalistic teachings on reincarnation and spiritual repair. This treatise follows philosophical critiques and mystical developments, then examines DovBer Pinson’s contemporary synthesis. Its central questions concern textual evidence, suffering and divine justice, personal identity, resurrection, and the doctrine’s place in Jewish belief and practice.
Siddurim, prayers, drills, reading lists, and the best of the digital beit midrash
The New Jew’s starter library should include one comprehensive reference (Telushkin’s Jewish Literacy), one practical guide (Donin’s To Be a Jew), one beautiful introduction to ideas (Green’s Judaism’s Ten Best Ideas), one Chumash with traditional commentary (Koren Shalem or Steinsaltz), one siddur (Koren Sacks), and one Holocaust memoir (Wiesel’s Night). With these six books, the New Jew has the spine of Jewish learning, the daily practice, and the historical conscience all on one shelf.
A Jewish library can grow through focused reading paths rather than a single large purchase. The selections begin with introductory books and prayer texts, then branch into Tanakh, theology, Talmud, history, Hebrew, and mysticism. Format matters: reference texts reward repeated use in print, while audiobooks and digital editions offer other routes into longer works. The reading paths and starter list help match the next book to the next stage of learning.
Sefaria (sefaria.org) is a free, open-source library of Jewish texts in Hebrew and English. It contains the full Tanakh, Mishnah, Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi, Midrashic literature, the major medieval commentaries (Rashi, Rambam, Ramban, Ibn Ezra, Sforno, and many more), the Shulchan Aruch, Mishnah Berurah, the Zohar, and much else. Texts are richly cross-linked: any verse, mishnah, or talmudic passage shows its connections to other texts throughout the corpus. Sefaria is the indispensable digital tool for anyone learning Jewish texts in the 21st century.
MyJewishLearning (myjewishlearning.com) is the pluralistic Jewish encyclopedia and how-to. It covers every denomination's positions and practices side by side. Excellent for the New Jew who wants to understand how Reform and Orthodox handle the same question, or who needs a balanced introduction to a holiday, a ritual, or an idea. The site's tone is warm, accessible, and editorially careful. It is the best general-purpose Jewish website for a learner who is not yet committed to a specific denomination.
Chabad.org is the flagship online presence of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement and is, in practice, the most comprehensive single-stop Jewish learning website. Articles on every holiday, every parshah, every life-cycle event, every halacha. Daily Tanya study, daily Rambam, daily Chumash, with audio classes. A locator for Chabad houses worldwide. The orientation is Chabad-Hasidic, but the practical guidance is straight Halacha. A New Jew should bookmark it.
OU.org is the website of the Orthodox Union, the umbrella organization of Modern Orthodox congregations in North America. It is the standard kashrut authority (the OU symbol on packaged food). The website offers extensive holiday guides, halachic Q&A, Torah classes (the OU's Torah Tidbits weekly publication, OU Press books, the All Daf Talmud app), and pastoral resources. The OU is the standard reference for Modern Orthodox practice.
Aleph Beta (alephbeta.org) is Rabbi David Fohrman's video-based Tanakh learning platform. Fohrman's distinctive method is close textual analysis: detecting parallels, chiastic structures, repeated phrases, and intertextual echoes across the Tanakh. His videos on the Akeida, on Joseph and Judah, on the Megillat Esther's hidden Mordechai-Esther parallels, are exhilarating and accessible. A paid subscription gives access to the full library. Highly recommended for the New Jew who likes textual close reading.
Beyond Sefaria, Chabad.org, MyJewishLearning, Aleph Beta, the OU, Hadar, and Pardes, a handful of additional websites belong on the New Jew's bookmarks: Sefaria's source sheets and educational resources; the JPS Tagged Tanakh (jps.org); Hebcal (hebcal.com, the indispensable Jewish calendar); the Jewish Theological Seminary (jtsa.edu); Yeshiva University's Torah To Go; Mechon Mamre (full Tanakh and Talmud in Hebrew); the Israel Bible Center; the Jewish Virtual Library.
Hadar (hadar.org) is the Hadar Institute, an open and egalitarian center of Jewish learning, founded in 2006 by Rabbis Elie Kaunfer, Ethan Tucker, and Shai Held. Hadar runs intensive yeshiva programs, summer kollels, and online learning. The hashkafa is Traditional Egalitarian: fully halachic, fully egalitarian (men and women lead and learn equally), and intellectually rigorous. The website hosts an enormous library of Talmud shiurim, liturgical commentary, and contemporary halachic discussion. Highly recommended for a New Jew drawn to halachic seriousness without the gender separations of Orthodox practice.
The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies (pardes.org.il) is a pluralistic, egalitarian, open yeshiva in Jerusalem founded in 1972. Pardes offers year programs, summer programs, gap year for college students, and a substantial online learning platform. The faculty teaches Talmud, Tanakh, halacha, philosophy, and contemporary Jewish issues with rigor and warmth. Pardes alumni include rabbis across the denominational spectrum and lay leaders worldwide. The website's free online classes are an excellent introduction.
A second shelf of books deepens the New Jew’s learning across history, theology, mysticism, law, and lived practice. The recommendation here: Heschel’s The Sabbath and God in Search of Man for theology; Soloveitchik’s The Lonely Man of Faith and Halakhic Man for the Modern Orthodox mind; Sacks’s Covenant & Conversation series for parshah; Greenberg’s The Jewish Way for the holidays; Steinsaltz’s Essential Talmud and Reference Guide for the Talmud; Green’s Guide to the Zohar for the mystical entry; Berman’s Ani Maamin for Bible and modern scholarship; Berkovits’s Not in Heaven for the halachic process; Gordis’s Israel for the modern history. Twelve books, one good year.
God, peoplehood, the soul, and why
Halachically, a Jew is someone born to a Jewish mother (matrilineal descent) or someone who has undergone a valid conversion. This standard is the consensus of the Mishnah, Talmud, and Shulchan Aruch and is the operating definition of Orthodox and Conservative Judaism. Reform Judaism in the United States since 1983 also recognizes patrilineal descent when accompanied by Jewish upbringing. Beyond Halacha, Jewishness encompasses ethnicity, culture, history, language, and peoplehood. A Jew is also someone who shows up.
Classical Jewish monotheism affirms one incorporeal God, the source of creation. Jewish thought approaches that conviction through different languages: Maimonides’ philosophical account, Kabbalah’s Ein Sof and sefirot, Hasidic teachings on divine presence, and modern thinkers such as Buber, Heschel, and Soloveitchik. These approaches share a vocabulary while differing in interpretation; contemporary Jewish communities also differ in how they understand belief.
Pirkei Avot 1:2 records Shimon HaTzaddik’s teaching that the world stands on three things: Torah (study), Avodah (worship), and Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving-kindness). These three are the architecture of Jewish religious life. Torah is the cultivation of the mind; Avodah, of the heart; Gemilut Chasadim, of the hand. The three are not optional add-ons to Judaism; they are Judaism. Every observance, every mitzvah, every Jewish practice falls into one or more of these categories.
Judaism teaches an afterlife but treats this world as the primary stage of religious life. The classical doctrines include olam haba (the World to Come), techiyat hametim (the resurrection of the dead, the thirteenth of Rambam’s principles), gan eden and gehinnom as states of reward and refinement, and—in the Kabbalistic tradition—gilgul neshamot, the transmigration of souls. The Torah itself speaks little of the afterlife; the doctrines develop in the Talmud, the medieval philosophers, and the Kabbalists. Orthodoxy affirms resurrection; the other denominations vary.
Judaism does not accept Jesus as the Messiah because the criteria for the Messiah in the Tanakh—the ingathering of the exiles, the rebuilding of the Temple, universal peace, universal knowledge of Hashem—were not fulfilled. Judaism does not accept Jesus as divine because monotheism, the first principle of the faith, does not admit a second divine person. Judaism does not require Jesus for redemption because teshuva (repentance) was always available, given by God in the very fabric of creation. Christians remain welcome friends; the disagreement is doctrinal, not personal.
Mussar (literally “correction” or “discipline”) is the Jewish tradition of intentional character refinement. Rooted in Pirkei Avot and developed through medieval ethical works (Bachya ibn Pakuda’s Chovot Halevavot, the Mesillat Yesharim of Ramchal), Mussar was formalized as a movement in 19th-century Lithuania by Rabbi Yisrael Salanter (1810–1883). The contemporary American revival, led by Alan Morinis and others, has made Mussar accessible to a wide audience. Mussar focuses on middot—character traits—and provides a practical curriculum of self-examination, study, and behavioral change.
Tikkun olam (“repair of the world”) has two distinct lineages. The first is the Mishnaic phrase mip’nei tikkun haolam (Mishnah Gittin 4:2 and elsewhere), denoting rabbinic enactments made “for the sake of an ordered world.” The second is the Lurianic Kabbalistic doctrine that every mitzvah “repairs” the cosmic vessels shattered at creation, returning sparks of divine light to their Source. Contemporary American Jewish usage, tikkun olam as social justice, fuses both lineages and adds the prophetic universalism of Yeshayahu and Micah.
Hasidism, founded by the Baal Shem Tov (c. 1698–1760) in Podolia (now Ukraine), is the populist mystical movement that revolutionized Eastern European Jewish life. The Mitnagdim (“opponents”)—led by the Vilna Gaon (1720–1797)—were the Lithuanian Talmudic establishment that opposed Hasidism on grounds of its perceived intellectual looseness, its elevation of the Rebbe to near-Messianic status, and its mystical excesses. The two communities battled fiercely through the 19th century; by the 20th, they had largely reconciled in shared opposition to Reform and assimilation. Both today are pillars of the Haredi world.
Kabbalah (literally “that which is received”) is the Jewish mystical tradition. Its core text is the Zohar (13th century, traditionally attributed to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai of the 2nd century, critically attributed to Rabbi Moshe de Leon of 13th-century Spain). The system of the ten Sefirot, the doctrine of Ein Sof, the practice of meditative intentions (kavvanot) in prayer, and the cosmic drama of tzimtzum, shevirat hakelim, and tikkun are its distinctive teachings. Lurianic Kabbalah (16th-century Safed) is the dominant form. The tradition presents Kabbalah as the inner Torah, with the outer Torah as its precondition.
Why God created the world is among the oldest Jewish questions. The Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim) argued that the question is improperly posed: creation reflects God’s wisdom, not a need. The Arizal taught that creation arose through tzimtzum—divine contraction making space for finite being—and shevirat hakelim, the shattering of vessels whose sparks now await our gathering. Hasidism, especially Chabad, frames creation as “bishvil Yisrael”—for the sake of Israel and the relational possibility of love. The question is one a New Jew should sit with, not rush to answer.
English “grace” can obscure differences among chen (favor), the verb chanan (showing favor or graciousness), and chesed (steadfast kindness and loyalty). Biblical examples include favor between people, divine generosity in Shemot 33:19, and the Priestly Blessing. The discussion compares these Hebrew terms with Christian language about grace, then turns to judging favorably, patience, and relinquishing resentment as practices of generosity toward others.
Jewish practices surrounding divine names distinguish the Tetragrammaton, other sacred Hebrew names, and substitutes such as Hashem and Elokim. The discussion traces restrictions on pronunciation and erasure, the custom of writing “G-d” in English, and differing rulings about foreign-language names and electronic text. It considers how reverence shapes speech, writing, printing, and disposal across communities.
Hebrew divine names and gendered prayer language raise questions about how English can refer to an incorporeal God. Reflections on the Tetragrammaton, Kabbalah, and Martin Buber’s I–Thou relationship lead to an experiment with “Thou” and “Thy.” The discussion considers the possibilities and limits of pronouns, alongside different liturgical approaches to divine gender.
Questions about existence begin with perception and the self, then extend to other minds, relationships, purpose, and God. A conversational philosophical argument moves through these steps, considers solipsism and chance, and explores Judaism as a framework for meaning. The reasoning is presented as an invitation to reflection rather than a scientific proof.
Teshuva (repentance), atonement, and the redemption of Israel provide distinct frameworks for understanding redemption in Jewish thought. The discussion contrasts these with Christian claims about Jesus, considering monotheism, Messianic expectations, and the relationship between individual forgiveness and collective deliverance. The theological disagreement is presented alongside respect for Christians pursuing their own religious path.
New Testament portrayals of the Scribes and Pharisees are examined alongside Jewish legal and historical accounts. The discussion considers the Beelzebub controversy, trial narratives, the Sanhedrin, and rabbinic references to Jesus’s execution. These comparisons raise questions about polemic, historical reliability, and the consequences of hostile portrayals for Jewish-Christian relations.
In Lurianic Kabbalah, Moshe’s intercession after the Golden Calf is read as a tikkun, or repair, for Noach’s failure to intercede for his generation. Shared words, gematria, and mystical interpretations connect the two biblical lives. The essay follows those links through teachings on returning souls, compares approaches to gilgul, and considers the responsibility of leadership.
Gilgul neshamot, the reincarnation of souls, occupies different places in Jewish philosophy and mysticism. This prologue introduces the tension between rationalist critiques, exemplified by Saadia Gaon, and Kabbalistic teachings that connect returning souls with spiritual repair. It sets out questions about the soul, divine justice, and the history of the doctrine that the full treatise explores.
Tanakh, Talmud, Midrash, and the library of the tradition
The Tanakh is the Hebrew Bible, named for the initial letters of its three sections: Torah (the Five Books of Moses), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). The traditional count is twenty-four books (the Christian Old Testament counts the same material as thirty-nine). The Torah is the foundation; the Nevi’im are the prophetic literature; the Ketuvim include the Psalms, Job, the Five Megillot, and the historical books of Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles. The Torah is read in its entirety in synagogue each year.
The Talmud joins the Mishnah, the early rabbinic compilation organized into six orders, with the Gemara’s discussion of its teachings. The Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds preserve different bodies of debate; the Babylonian Talmud became especially influential in Halacha. Paired study (chevruta), commentaries, translations, and the daily Daf Yomi cycle offer different ways into its arguments and stories.
Halacha (from halach, “to walk”) is the body of Jewish law that develops from the Torah’s 613 mitzvot through the Mishnah, the Talmud, the medieval codes (most importantly the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah and the Tur), and the canonical Shulchan Aruch of Rabbi Yosef Karo (1565) with the Ashkenazi glosses of Rabbi Moshe Isserles. Halacha is binding in Orthodox Judaism, binding-with-modern-application in Conservative Judaism, and treated as a source of values rather than law in Reform Judaism. Halacha covers everything from the kashrut of food to the conduct of business to the laws of mourning.
The Talmud (Makkot 23b–24a) records Rabbi Simlai’s teaching that the Torah contains 613 mitzvot. Of those, 248 are positive (mitzvot aseh, “thou shalt”), corresponding to the limbs of the body, and 365 are negative (mitzvot lo ta’aseh, “thou shalt not”), corresponding to the days of the solar year. The Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot enumerates them with halachic precision. The medieval Sefer HaChinukh treats each mitzvah with its biblical source, halachic detail, and rationale. Not all 613 are operative today. Many depend on the existence of the Temple, the Jubilee year, or kings of Israel.
Pirkei Avot (“Chapters of the Fathers,” sometimes translated “Ethics of the Fathers”) is a tractate of the Mishnah (Order Nezikin) collecting ethical teachings of the Tannaitic sages from Moshe at Sinai down to Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi. Unlike most of the Mishnah, it contains no Halacha—only wisdom. It is traditionally studied chapter-by-chapter on the Shabbat afternoons between Pesach and Shavuot (with a sixth chapter added for the week-of-Shavuot study cycle). Pirkei Avot is the most accessible introduction to the Tannaitic mind.
The parshah cycle organizes public reading of the Torah into 54 portions. The annual cycle concludes with V’zot HaBerachah on Simchat Torah and immediately returns to Bereshit. Some portions are paired to fit the year’s festival calendar. Communities differ in how much they read each week, including the triennial selections used by many Conservative congregations. The cycle provides a shared rhythm for study and synagogue life.
The Five Megillot are biblical scrolls read on five holidays: Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) on Pesach, Rut (Ruth) on Shavuot, Eichah (Lamentations) on Tisha B’Av, Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) on Sukkot, and Esther on Purim. The most prominent in practice is Megillat Esther, which is read from a klaf (parchment scroll) on Purim night and morning. A kosher Megillat Esther scroll is a substantial purchase; many shuls own one and lend or sell privately produced ones to congregants. Reading from a printed text is a fallback if a kosher scroll is unavailable, so that the reading is not skipped—but the blessings are omitted in that case, and the mitzvah is only fully fulfilled by hearing it read from the klaf.
Orthodox Judaism teaches that Moshe Rabbeinu received two Torahs at Sinai—the Written (the Tanakh) and the Oral (the mesorah that develops into the Mishnah, Talmud, and Halacha). The Oral Torah is what allows the Written to be applied; the Written presupposes the Oral and is incomprehensible without it. The Sadducees and the Karaites rejected the Oral Torah; the Pharisaic mainstream that became Rabbinic Judaism (and from it nearly all contemporary Judaism) affirmed it. Conservative Judaism affirms the Oral Torah’s authority with some allowance for development; Reform treats it as historical-cultural inheritance.
Midrash (literally “inquiry” or “search”) is the rabbinic genre of creative interpretation of the Tanakh. There are two main types: Midrash Halacha (deriving legal rulings from the text) and Midrash Aggadah (deriving narrative, ethical, and theological insights). The great Midrashic collections—Bereshit Rabbah, Vayikra Rabbah, Pesikta de-Rav Kahana, Tanchuma, Midrash Tehillim—were compiled between the 3rd and 11th centuries and continue to be drawn upon by every Jewish commentator. Midrash is the imagination of the tradition.
Classical Jewish thought (drawing on Rashi’s commentary to Vayikra 18:4 and elaborated by the Rambam and the Sefer HaChinukh; Saadia Gaon, a century before Rashi, had already worked with a related two-part division into laws required by reason and laws given by revelation) divides the mitzvot into three categories: chukim (laws given without rational explanation, such as kashrut categories, shaatnez, parah adumah), mishpatim (laws whose rational basis is apparent, such as prohibitions on murder, theft, and adultery), and eidot (testimonial laws that commemorate historical events, such as Pesach, Sukkot, and tefillin). The rationalist and the mystical traditions read the categories differently—both readings are illuminating.
Shaatnez concerns wearing garments in which sheep’s wool and linen are joined, a prohibition stated in Vayikra 19:19 and Devarim 22:11. The discussion compares readings associated with Rashi, Maimonides, and Nachmanides, considering obedience, symbolic boundaries, and the limits of explaining a commandment. It also addresses priestly symbolism and misunderstandings in a Christian account of the law.
Daf Yomi (literally "Page of the Day") is the daily Talmud study program, initiated by Rabbi Meir Shapiro of Lublin in 1923. The program covers one page (one daf, or two sides of a Vilna edition page) of the Babylonian Talmud each day; the entire Bavli is completed in 7 years and 5 months. The 14th cycle began January 2020; the 15th will begin in 2027. Daily learning groups (shiurim) meet around the world; podcasts, apps, and online classes serve the millions who study independently. Daf Yomi has been called the most unifying single practice in contemporary Jewish life.
The siddur, the services, and how Jews speak to God
The siddur (prayer book) is the engine of Jewish daily life. For a New Jew, the right first siddur has three features: parallel Hebrew and English, transliteration for the central prayers, and a layout that tells you what to say and when. The Koren Shalem Siddur (Orthodox), Sim Shalom (Conservative), and Mishkan T’filah (Reform) are the dominant choices in their respective worlds. Buy the one that matches the shul you intend to attend, and read the introduction.
Birkot HaShachar are the morning blessings recited before Shacharit (the morning service proper). They begin with Modeh Ani (gratitude for the soul’s return on waking) and proceed through a series of berachot—“Blessed are You, Hashem … who opens the eyes of the blind, who clothes the naked, who lifts the fallen…”—that thank God for each ordinary capacity of waking life. They include the Asher Yatzar (after using the restroom) and the Elohai Neshama (on the purity of the returned soul). These prayers ground the day.
The Shema is the central declaration of Jewish monotheism, drawn from three Torah passages: Devarim 6:4–9, Devarim 11:13–21, and Bamidbar 15:37–41. It is recited in Shacharit (morning) and Ma’ariv (evening) prayers, in the bedtime Kriyat Shema, and ideally as the last words on a Jew’s lips at death. The opening verse (Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad) is the first verse Jewish children learn. The second line (Baruch shem k’vod malchuto l’olam va-ed) is recited silently, except on Yom Kippur when it is recited aloud.
The Amidah (“standing”)—also called the Shemoneh Esrei (“Eighteen”)—is the central prayer of every Jewish service. Originally eighteen benedictions, a nineteenth (Birkat HaMinim) was added in the late first century. It is recited silently while standing and facing Jerusalem, then often repeated aloud by the prayer leader. The Amidah’s three sections are: praise (the first three berachot), petition (the middle thirteen on weekdays), and thanksgiving (the final three). On Shabbat and festivals, the petitionary middle section is replaced by a single benediction about the holiness of the day.
Birkat Hamazon is the blessing after a meal that includes bread. Its biblical foundation is the command to eat, be satisfied, and bless (Devarim 8:10). The standard text has four blessings concerning food, the Land of Israel, Jerusalem, and divine goodness, with additions for Shabbat and festivals. The article explains when it is recited, the invitation to bless together (zimun), and ways to follow the text.
A Chapter on Every Yom Tov, Chag, and Fast Day Rosh Hashanah
The Jewish year begins in the fall with the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe—Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), proceeds through the harvest festivals (Sukkot and Simchat Torah), gets through the winter with Hanukkah, the early spring with Purim, the redemption festival of Pesach, the giving-of-Torah festival of Shavuot, and the summer’s solemn fast of Tisha B’Av. Once a New Jew has lived through one full cycle, the rhythm of Jewish life is internalized. Start with whichever holiday is next.
Rosh Hashanah (literally "head of the year") falls on the 1st and 2nd of Tishrei. The Torah commands the day as Yom Teruah, the day of sounding (Bamidbar 29:1); the Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 1:2) declares all the world's inhabitants pass before God in judgment on this day. The shofar is sounded 100 times during services; the liturgy is unusually solemn and rich; the apples-and-honey table custom looks forward to a sweet new year. Rosh Hashanah opens the Ten Days of Repentance (Aseret Yemei Teshuvah) that close with Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur, the tenth of Tishrei, centers on repentance, prayer, confession, and fasting from before sunset until the following nightfall. The five traditional restrictions concern eating and drinking, washing, anointing, leather footwear, and sexual relations. The day’s five services culminate in Ne’ilah; the evening service begins with Kol Nidrei. Seeking forgiveness from other people remains essential: the day does not by itself repair wrongs between people.
Sukkot, the 15th–21st of Tishrei, is the third of the Shalosh Regalim (pilgrimage festivals). The Torah commands the dwelling in sukkot (Vayikra 23:42–43) to commemorate the Israelites' wilderness wandering, and the taking of the four species (Vayikra 23:40). The mood is one of zeman simchateinu: "the season of our joy." Sukkot lasts seven days and is followed by the separate festival of Shemini Atzeret. The sukkah and the four species have separate practical guides in Jewish Living.
Shemini Atzeret ("the eighth day of assembly"), the 22nd of Tishrei, is a Yom Tov in its own right, distinct from Sukkot but immediately following it. In Israel, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are the same day; in the diaspora they are split (Shemini Atzeret on the 22nd, Simchat Torah on the 23rd). Shemini Atzeret features the Tefillat Geshem (prayer for rain) and the beginning of the daily mention of rain in the Amidah. Simchat Torah celebrates the completion and re-beginning of the annual Torah cycle, with seven hakafot (circuits) of dancing with the Torah scrolls.
Hanukkah runs from the 25th of Kislev through the 2nd or 3rd of Tevet. It commemorates the Maccabean victory over the Seleucid Greek empire in the 2nd century BCE, and the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days when only one day's worth was at hand. The central mitzvah is the lighting of the Hanukkiah (the nine-branched candelabrum): one light on the first night, an additional light each night after, plus the shamash (servant light). Other practices include the eating of fried foods (commemorating the oil), the recitation of Hallel, the addition of Al Hanissim in the Amidah and Birkat Hamazon, and the playing of dreidel.
Tu BiShvat ("the 15th of Shevat") is named for its date: the Hebrew letters tet and vav have the numerical value of 15. The Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 1:1) lists it as one of the four New Years, specifically the New Year of the Trees, the date from which the age of trees is counted for tithing purposes (relevant only to fruit-bearing trees in the Land of Israel). In modern times, particularly with the rise of Zionism and ecological consciousness, Tu BiShvat has been recovered as a substantial celebration: planting trees in Israel, eating the seven species, and (under Kabbalistic influence) a Tu BiShvat seder.
Purim, the 14th of Adar (the 15th in walled cities such as Jerusalem, "Shushan Purim"), commemorates the deliverance of Persian Jewry from Haman's genocidal plot, as recounted in Megillat Esther. The four mitzvot of Purim are: hearing the Megillah read twice (night and morning); mishloach manot (sending gift baskets to friends); matanot l'evyonim (gifts to the poor); and the seudat Purim (the festive meal). The day is one of the most joyful in the Jewish calendar; costumes, alcohol, and theatrical play characterize the celebration.
Pesach (Passover), the 15th–22nd of Nisan (15th–21st in Israel), commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. The Torah commands the eating of matzah (unleavened bread) for seven days (Shemot 12:18); the seder on the first night (two nights in the diaspora) is the most widely observed Jewish ritual in the world. Pre-Pesach preparation includes the elimination of chametz (leavened products) from the home, a labor of weeks. The themes are slavery and freedom, story-telling across generations, and the obligation to see oneself as if one personally left Egypt (Mishnah Pesachim 10:5).
From the second night of Pesach, Jews count 49 days (seven weeks) leading up to the festival of Shavuot. The commandment is in Vayikra 23:15. Each evening, after nightfall, the count is recited with a brief blessing: "Today is X days, which is X weeks and X days, in the Omer." The Kabbalistic tradition (Lurianic in particular) maps each of the 49 days to a specific combination of seven Sefirot (e.g., chesed sheb'chesed for day 1, gevurah sheb'chesed for day 2), making the count a structured contemplative discipline.
Yom HaShoah commemorates the Jews murdered in the Holocaust and acts of Jewish resistance. Its nominal date is 27 Nisan, with calendar adjustments in some years. Israel marks the day with public ceremonies and a two-minute siren; communities elsewhere gather for remembrance, readings of names, candle lighting, and education. The day connects individual lives and testimony with collective memory.
Yom HaZikaron (Israel's Memorial Day, 4 Iyar) and Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel's Independence Day, 5 Iyar) are observed on consecutive days, a deliberate juxtaposition: grief immediately giving way to celebration, mourning rolling into joy, in graphic representation of the cost of statehood. Yom HaZikaron commemorates Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terror; Yom HaAtzmaut celebrates the establishment of the State of Israel on 5 Iyar 5708 / 14 May 1948. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel established a special liturgy for Yom HaAtzmaut, including the recitation of Hallel (the praise Psalms reserved for major festivals).
Lag BaOmer, the 33rd day of the Omer count (the 18th of Iyar), marks an interruption in the period of partial mourning between Pesach and Shavuot. Traditional reasons include: the day the plague that killed Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 students ceased (Yevamot 62b); the yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (the Tanna to whom the Zohar is attributed); the day of Bar Kokhba's victories. The day's customs include bonfires (representing the spiritual light of Rabbi Shimon), haircuts (after the prohibition on haircuts during the Omer), weddings (which were prohibited during the Omer), and the pilgrimage to Rabbi Shimon's grave in Meron, Galilee.
Yom Yerushalayim ("Jerusalem Day"), 28 Iyar, commemorates the reunification of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of June 7, 1967 / 28 Iyar 5727. From 1948 to 1967, the Old City of Jerusalem (including the Western Wall and the Temple Mount) was under Jordanian control and inaccessible to Jews; on that morning, Israeli paratroopers under Motta Gur captured the Old City. The radio broadcast of Motta Gur's words, "Har HaBayit b'yadeinu!" ("The Temple Mount is in our hands!"), and the subsequent prayer and shofar blowing at the Western Wall by the IDF's Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren are among the iconic moments of modern Jewish history.
Shavuot (literally "weeks") falls on the 6th of Sivan in Israel (6th–7th in the diaspora). The Torah commands it as the conclusion of the seven-week count from Pesach (Vayikra 23:15–22). In rabbinic tradition, Shavuot is zeman matan torateinu, "the season of the giving of our Torah," commemorating the revelation at Sinai. The customs include the all-night Tikkun Leil Shavuot (study session), the reading of the Book of Ruth, the eating of dairy foods, and the decoration of synagogues with greenery. The Ten Commandments are read in synagogue from a Torah scroll.
In addition to Yom Kippur (the major Torah-commanded fast) and Tisha B'Av (the major rabbinically-commanded fast), four minor fasts are observed annually, three of them connected to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. They are: Tzom Gedaliah (3 Tishrei, the assassination of Gedaliah ben Achikam, the Babylonian-appointed Jewish governor of Judah after the Temple's destruction); the 10th of Tevet (the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem); the 17th of Tammuz (the breach of Jerusalem's walls); and the Fast of Esther (13 Adar). The minor fasts run only from dawn to nightfall and have lighter restrictions than Yom Kippur or Tisha B'Av.
Tisha B’Av, the ninth of Av, is a day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples and for other catastrophes in Jewish history. Its observance combines an evening-to-nightfall fast with mourning practices, the reading of Eichah (Lamentations), and kinot (elegies). The article explains the day’s historical associations, restrictions, liturgy, and differences in communal observance.
A service-by-service checklist for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, from Selichot to the final Havdalah, with tallit, footwear, white clothing, fasting, and community customs explained.
The Jewish Year, the Parshah Cycle, and the Rhythm of Time How the Jewish Calendar Works
The Jewish calendar is luni-solar: the months are lunar (29 or 30 days), beginning at the new moon; the year is adjusted to the solar cycle so that Pesach always falls in the spring (Devarim 16:1). A 19-year cycle includes seven leap years, in which a second month of Adar (Adar II) is added. Months named: Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, Elul, Tishrei, Cheshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, Adar (Adar I and II in leap years).
Kashrut, judaica, and the practice of a Jewish life
Shabbat runs from Friday evening until Saturday nightfall. Its home welcome centers on candles, kiddush over wine or grape juice, a blessing over challah, and an unhurried meal. Candles are lit before sunset at the local community’s candle-lighting time, commonly eighteen minutes beforehand. A first Shabbat can begin with these simple rituals and grow into a weekly rhythm of rest, prayer, and hospitality.
Kashrut is the body of Jewish dietary law that governs which animals may be eaten (Vayikra 11, Devarim 14), how those animals must be slaughtered (shechita), what part of the animal may not be eaten (cheilev, blood, the sciatic nerve), and the strict separation of meat and dairy (derived from Shemot 23:19, repeated in Shemot 34:26 and Devarim 14:21: lo tevashel g’di b’chalev imo). The principal categories are basar (meat), chalav (dairy), and parve (neither). Reliable supervision (hashgacha) confirms compliance.
The kippah (Hebrew; Yiddish yarmulke) is a small head covering worn by Jewish men as a reminder of Hashem’s presence above. The practice originates in Talmudic minhag (custom) rather than explicit Torah commandment (Talmud Kiddushin 31a, Shabbat 156b), but it became universal in Orthodox practice and is increasingly common in Conservative and Reform settings. Styles vary by community: black velvet or felt for Haredi, crocheted kippah srugah for Religious Zionists, suede in Modern Orthodox American settings, large velvet in Hasidic.
The tallit (prayer shawl) is worn during morning services and at certain other times. The tzitzit (fringes) on its four corners fulfill the commandment of Bamidbar 15:37–41 to “make for yourselves fringes on the corners of your garments.” The tallit katan (“small tallit”) is a smaller fringed garment worn under the clothing all day. The fringes themselves include the thread of techelet (blue, derived from the chilazon sea creature) in some traditions; most contemporary Jews use all-white fringes pending the universal restoration of techelet.
Tefillin (the Greek loanword phylacteries) are two leather boxes (battim) containing parchment scrolls (klafim) of four Torah passages (Shemot 13:1–10, 13:11–16; Devarim 6:4–9, 11:13–21). They are bound on the arm (tefillin shel yad) and on the head (tefillin shel rosh) during weekday morning prayer, fulfilling the commandment to bind them “for a sign upon your hand” and “as frontlets between your eyes.” Tefillin are not worn on Shabbat or festivals. Bar Mitzvah age (13) is when a boy first puts them on; the practice is increasingly observed by women in egalitarian communities.
The mezuzah is a small parchment scroll (klaf) containing the first two paragraphs of the Shema (Devarim 6:4–9, 11:13–21), affixed to the doorposts of a Jewish home. The text is from the V’ahavta itself, which commands “u’ch’tavtam al mezuzot beitecha u’vish’arecha: and you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Devarim 6:9). The klaf is placed in a decorative case and affixed to the right doorpost as one enters, at an angle in Ashkenazi custom (vertically in Sephardic custom).
Shabbat at home is opened with the lighting of candles and the recitation of kiddush over wine. The candlesticks are typically a pair (or one for each member of the family) of silver, brass, or other metal. The kiddush cup is a single cup of silver, ceramic, or fine glass, large enough to hold a revi’it (about 3.3 fluid ounces). These two pieces of judaica are the gateway to the most distinctive practice of Jewish life. They should be beautiful—hiddur mitzvah (the beautification of a mitzvah) is itself a value.
The sukkah is the temporary booth dwelt in during the seven days of Sukkot, commemorating the Israelites’ wandering in the wilderness (Vayikra 23:42–43). The sukkah must have at least three walls (or two and part), a roof of organic material (s’chach—typically bamboo, palm fronds, or evergreen branches) that provides more shade than light but through which stars may be seen, and dimensions sufficient to allow a person and a meal-table inside. Building and dwelling in the sukkah are themselves mitzvot. Pre-made sukkah kits are widely available; many families build their own.
The four species (arba’at haminim) used on Sukkot are the etrog (citron), lulav (palm frond), hadasim (myrtle), and aravot (willow). The article explains their identification, basic requirements, purchase, handling, and symbolism. They are taken together and moved in six directions during the festival’s prayers; details of handling and order vary by custom, and they are not taken on Shabbat.
A hanukkiah has places for eight festival lights and a separate shamash, unlike the Temple’s seven-branched menorah. One additional light is kindled on each night of Hanukkah to publicize the miracle. The article explains placement, oil or candles, blessings, and household customs. Timing follows the community’s practice, with lighting before sunset on Friday and after Shabbat on Saturday night.
The Aleph-Bet, Vowels, Reading, and Cantillation Why Learn Hebrew?
A New Jew needs enough Hebrew to follow the siddur, recite the central prayers, and read the Torah text alongside translation. This is a small fraction of what fluent Hebrew opens up—the Talmud, Midrash, classical commentaries, and modern Israeli literature all reward the learner who continues. The aleph-bet itself can be learned in a week; reading with vowels in a month; reading without vowels and a working vocabulary in a year of consistent study. The investment pays dividends for life.
The Hebrew alphabet has twenty-two letters, five of which (kaf, mem, nun, peh, tzadi) have distinct final (sofit) forms used at the end of a word. Hebrew is read and written right to left. The standard square script has been the standard since the return from the Babylonian Exile (5th century BCE); Rashi script (used for medieval commentaries) and cursive (used in modern Israel and for handwriting) are derivative. A New Jew should learn the names, the sounds, the shapes (print and cursive), and the numerical value (gematria) of each letter.
Hebrew’s vowels (nikkud) are diacritical marks added to the consonants, not letters in their own right. The five main vowel sounds are a, e, i, o, and u, each with two or three variant markings depending on length and stress. Nikkud are present in the siddur, in the printed Chumash, in children’s books, and in some poetry, but absent from the Torah scroll, the newspaper, ordinary signs, and most adult literature. A New Jew should master nikkud first; reading without nikkud comes later.
A sustainable Hebrew-learning plan for an adult New Jew is: 20 minutes a day, 6 days a week, for a year. Week 1–4: master the aleph-bet, print and cursive. Week 5–12: master nikkud and reading simple words. Months 3–6: read familiar prayers slowly, building speed, and learn 5 new vocabulary words a day. Months 6–12: read the weekly parshah in Hebrew alongside translation; learn Mishnaic Hebrew through Pirkei Avot; begin to attempt unvocalized text. The plan is modest and effective; it has been the path of thousands of New Jews.
Cantillation marks (te’amim in Hebrew, trope in Yiddish-derived English) are the musical notation added to the consonantal text of the Tanakh, indicating the melody to which each word is chanted. Each mark also serves as a punctuation mark, indicating syntactic phrasing. The system is masoretic, developed in the 6th–10th centuries CE alongside the nikkud. There are distinct trope systems for the Torah, the Prophets (haftarah), the Psalms / Proverbs / Job, the Five Megillot, and Esther. Learning to leyn (chant) Torah is the gateway to participation in the Torah reading service.
Shul, Rabbi, Chevra, Conversion Finding a Shul
A first shul visit is less intimidating with a little preparation. Pick a service, dress modestly, arrive a few minutes late if you must but not too late, accept the siddur and Chumash handed to you, sit toward the back, and stand and sit when everyone else does. Don’t worry about saying the prayers in Hebrew on the first visit; reading along in English is a good start. The single most important act is showing up. Most shuls are warmer, and less formal, than you may expect.
The Mishnah (Pirkei Avot 1:6) instructs: “Make for yourself a rabbi (aseh lecha rav).” A rabbi is the New Jew’s halachic decisor, the answer to questions that books cannot settle, and the relationship through which a person grows into the community. Finding a rabbi is not difficult: attend a shul, request a meeting, and ask. Most rabbis are accustomed to and delighted by ba’alei teshuva and converts.
A shul is more than a building; it is the kehilla (community) within which Jewish life unfolds. The New Jew's choice of shul shapes daily practice, friendships, the rabbi they consult, the children they educate, and the Shabbat dinners they eat. Visit several before settling. Attend on multiple Shabbatot. Look for warmth, halachic seriousness appropriate to your hashkafa, and a willingness to welcome a newcomer. The best shul is often one within walking distance, and always one with a rabbi you resonate with.
The Mishnah (Pirkei Avot 1:6) instructs: "Make for yourself a rabbi, and acquire for yourself a friend (chaver)." Jewish life is communal. The chevra, the group of close peers in your kehilla, is the practical extension of community. A chevruta is a study partner, the structural unit of Talmudic learning. A New Jew should aim for both: a small group of friends who share Shabbat tables, holidays, and life-cycle events, and a study partner with whom you regularly learn one text. Both relationships, the tradition teaches, are themselves religious practices.
Conversion to Judaism involves study, Jewish practice, a relationship with a sponsoring rabbi, and commitment to joining the Jewish people. Orthodox and Conservative procedures include a beit din, mikveh immersion, and circumcision or hatafat dam brit for male candidates. Reform requirements vary; traditional rites are encouraged and often used, even where not mandatory. Recognition across communities also varies, making the choice of rabbi and community part of the process.
A Shabbat-morning Orthodox service runs 2.5–3 hours: Shacharit, the Torah reading, Musaf, kiddush. A Reform service runs 75–90 minutes with more music and fewer Hebrew prayers. The architecture of any Jewish service is the same: morning blessings, the Shema with its surrounding blessings, the Amidah, the Torah reading (on appropriate days), the closing prayers. A New Jew can follow along in the siddur with the page numbers; the chazzan will usually announce them. The kiddush after services is where the actual community happens.
From the editors... This chapter collects the Editor's own writings — the Musings drafted as personal exploration, the longer treatise on Gilgul Neshamot, the close studies on Shaatnez and the V'Ahavta, and selected reflections that were originally letters or essays. Each article is reformatted to the Field Guide's standard (classification, tags, blurb, summary, source block) without altering the body text.
The strongest digital doors into texts, learning, practice, and community. Sefaria
Published field-guide articles whose section is a tool, prayer index, or resource collection rather than a topical section page.
A pronunciation guide to the Israeli, Sephardic, Chabad, and Orthographic columns used throughout the digital siddur, including stress marks and letter distinctions.
Line-by-line guides with Hebrew, transliteration, and translation.
The mourner's prayer, in Aramaic, said with a minyan. It magnifies God rather than death. Use the slider to trade transliteration for Hebrew a little at a time. Repeated words enter first; by level ten the prayer is fully Hebrew. Hover a word to connect it with its recurring form in the glossary.
The central declaration of Jewish faith, recited morning and evening. Use the slider to trade transliteration for Hebrew a little at a time. Repeated words enter first; by level ten the prayer is fully Hebrew. Hover a word to connect it with its recurring form in the glossary.
The first words on waking: gratitude before argument, before work, before the phone. Use the slider to trade transliteration for Hebrew a little at a time. Repeated words enter first; by level ten the prayer is fully Hebrew. Hover a word to connect it with its recurring form in the glossary.
The blessings over waking life: body, soul, senses, dignity, and the beginning of the day. Use the slider to trade transliteration for Hebrew a little at a time. Repeated words enter first; by level ten the prayer is fully Hebrew. Hover a word to connect it with its recurring form in the glossary.
The blessings before Torah study, because learning is not information-gathering. It is service. Use the slider to trade transliteration for Hebrew a little at a time. Repeated words enter first; by level ten the prayer is fully Hebrew. Hover a word to connect it with its recurring form in the glossary.
The standing prayer, the spine of every daily service. Use the slider to trade transliteration for Hebrew a little at a time. Repeated words enter first; by level ten the prayer is fully Hebrew. Hover a word to connect it with its recurring form in the glossary.
Grace after meals: a full theology of provision, land, covenant, and gratitude at the table. Use the slider to trade transliteration for Hebrew a little at a time. Repeated words enter first; by level ten the prayer is fully Hebrew. Hover a word to connect it with its recurring form in the glossary.
The sanctification of Shabbat over wine, said at the table before the meal. Use the slider to trade transliteration for Hebrew a little at a time. Repeated words enter first; by level ten the prayer is fully Hebrew. Hover a word to connect it with its recurring form in the glossary.
The braided candle, wine, spices, and words that carry Shabbat into the week. Use the slider to trade transliteration for Hebrew a little at a time. Repeated words enter first; by level ten the prayer is fully Hebrew. Hover a word to connect it with its recurring form in the glossary.
Each book links to its table of contents. Individual siddur pages are not listed here.
The Koren Shalem Siddur, with structured Hebrew, English, and transliteration page-pairs. Nusach Sepharad. 1,500 pages.
Siddur Lev Shalem for Shabbat and Festivals (Rabbinical Assembly), with structured Hebrew, English, and transliteration page-pairs. Nusach Ashkenaz. 92 pages.
The Weiss Edition of Siddur Tehillat Hashem, with structured Hebrew, English, and transliteration page-pairs. Nusach Chabad. 932 pages.
The standard Annotated Edition of Siddur Tehillat Hashem, with structured Hebrew, English, and transliteration records. Nusach Chabad. 1,168 pages.
Curated lists — reading, rabbinic works, and other working shelves.
Learn every letter and the sounds it makes — as a chart, then as a timed flashcard drill. 22 entries.
67 entries.
The Hebrew months — their names, Gregorian correlations, and holidays, drilled against the clock. 12 entries.
22 entries.
54 entries.
38 entries.
Congregations and causes that make Jewish life possible — give to them first. 10 entries.
20 entries.
34 entries.
54 entries.
The classical rabbinic library at a glance — codes, midrashic collections, minor tractates, and Hasidic works, with when and where each was composed. Adapted from the Glossary of Rabbinic Texts in Siddur Lev Shalem (The Rabbinical Assembly), the Conservative movement's siddur; these texts are shared across all traditional streams. 29 entries.
60 entries.
A guided reading order for the New Jew — start at the top. 48 entries.
The nikud — the points and dashes that voice the letters. Learn them as a chart, then drill them against the clock. 12 entries.
The most common words of the Torah, drilled in frequency groups of twenty-five — sounds or meanings, against the clock. 150 entries.
Glossary, calendar, drills, audio, and search.
An annotated map of all 123 units in the daily and Shabbat service cycle, aligned across four siddurim with page locators, vocal roles, minyan requirements, obligation tiers, community differences, minimum prayer sets, latecomer rules, and sources.
795 terms on one page: Hebrew, Yiddish, liturgy, people, and ideas, defined for the Jew who begins again. The full term list is at https://workbench-jerusalem-salt.thenewjew.org/glossary.json. Terms are not separate URLs.
An interactive Hebrew month grid paired with the Gregorian date, holidays, weekly parashah, candle-lighting, sunset, and havdalah. Visitors can set any location on earth; times are computed for that place and noted as approximate.
A timed drill of the Hebrew months: names in Hebrew and English, Gregorian season, and the holidays that belong to each month. Learn them as a chart, then recall them against the clock.
An interactive chart and timed flashcard drill of every Hebrew letter and final (sofit) form, with English names and sounds. Several letters share a sound, so a card may have more than one right answer.
A chart and timed drill of Hebrew nikkud — the points and dashes that voice the letters — shown on aleph for reference. Many vowels share a sound, so a card may accept more than one answer.
A frequency drill of the most common words of the Torah, twenty-five at a time, by sound or meaning. Words move from most common to least and are shuffled within each group.
A public hub for four compact practice experiences: Aleph-Bet letters, Hebrew vowels, common Torah words, and the Hebrew calendar months. Learn by demonstration, then practice by recall. None of these drills require an account.
A listen-now library of every published narration: field-guide articles, essential prayers, and siddur pages gathered into sequential playlists. Counts of narrations, categories, and works appear in the header.
Site search over the structured content layer: articles, prayers, siddur pages, Shabbat times, and holiday records. Open with the search control or a query string; results link straight to the matching page.