The Jewish Home: A Guide for Jewish Living Book

	Foreword	vii
	Acknowledgments	ix
	Introduction	xi
1.	The Mezuzah	1
2.	Shabbat	3
	Shabbat Candles	3
	The Friday Night Shabbat Kiddush	5
	The Shabbat Challah	7
	Blessing One's Children on Shabbat	8
	Shabbat Havdalah	10
3.	Rosh HaShanah	14
	An Unusual New Year	14
	Customs and Symbols	16
4.	Yom Kippur	20
5.	Sukkot	27
	Some Historical Background
	The Sukkah	28
	The Lulav and the Etrog	30
	Hoshana Rabbah, Sh'mini Atzeret, Simchat Torah	32
6.	Chanukah	38
	Some Historical Background	38
	Ceremonies, Symbols, Customs	41
7.	Tu BiSh'vat	45
8.	Purim	49
	The Story and the Message	49
	The Celebration	53
9.	Pesach	57
	Some Background	57
	Chameitz	60
	Matzah	62
	The Seder Table	64
	The Seder	67
	The Haggadah	69
	Some Little-Known Facts	71
10.	Lag BaOmer	75
11.	Shavuot	80
12.	Tishah B'Av	85
13.	B'rit Milah, B'rit HaChayim	90
	B'rit Milah: Some Historical Background	90
	B'rit Milah: Preparations and Participants	94
	B'rit Milah and B'rit HaChayim: The Ceremony	96
14.	Names	101
	Some Background	101
	Some Jewish Teachings, Superstitions, and Favorites	104
15.	Rites of Passage	108
	Pidyon HaBen: Redemption of the Firstborn Son	108
	Bar/Bat Mitzvah: Some Historical Background	111
	Celebrating Bar/Bat Mitzvah	113
	Confirmation	117
16.	The Jewish Wedding	121
	Some Biblical History	121
	Some Talmudic Background	124
	The Institution of the Shadchan	127
	Preparations for the Wedding in Times Gone By	130
	The Chuppah and the Ring	134
	The Ketubah	136
	The Modern Ceremony	139
	The Modern Ceremony, Part Two	142
	The Modern Ceremony, Part Three	145
17.	The Jewish Divorce	149
	Some Biblical History	149
	Divorce in the Talmud	151
	The Rights and Responsibilities of Husband and Wife	153
	The Get	156
18.	Death and Mourning	159
	The Moment of Death	159
	Preparing the Body for Burial	162
	What Happens after We Die?	167
	Jewish Positions on Autopsy, Embalming, and Cremation	169
	Preparing for the Funeral Service	171
	Preparing for the Funeral Service, Part Two	174
	The Funeral Service	177
	At the Cemetery	180
	The Kohein and Some General Background	184
	Shivah: Some General Background	185
	Shivah: The Home and the Meal of Consolation	188
	Shivah: The Condolence Call	191
	Shivah: Customs and Restrictions	193
	The Kaddish	196
	Sh'loshim and the Year of Mourning	199
	The Tombstone	201
	The Unveiling	204
	Yahrzeit and Yizkor	206
	Further URJ Press Resources	209