The Book of Jewish Sacred Practices: CLAL's Guide to Everyday and Holiday Rituals and Blessings Book

Acknowledgments	viii
About the Contributors	ix
Preface	xi
Introduction: Renew the Old, Sanctify the New	1
EVERYDAY LIFE
Waking Up	8
Praying for What We Need	10
Washing Our Hands	14
Eating	16
Making a List of Things to Do	18
Preparing a Family Recipe	22
Going to Work	24
Organizing Your Room, Your House, Your Office, Your
Affairs, Your Life	28
Traveling	30
Keeping a Sense of Home When You Are on the Road	32
Spending Time with Family	34
Having Guests of Different Faiths at Our Table	38
Bringing Home a New Pet	40
Gardening	42
PARENTS AND CHILDREN
Hoping to Have a Child	46
Celebrating Pregnancy	50
Welcoming a New Child	54
Nursing	58
Guiding Our Growing Children toward Independence	60
Preparing for Your Bar or Bat Mitzvah	62
Sending a Child to College	66
Blessing One's Parents	68
RELATIONSHIPS
Falling in Love	72
Celebrating the Difference You've Made in Each Other's
Lives	74
Ending a Relationship	78
Healing Relationships	82
Receiving Guests	86
Blessing One's Hosts	90
SPECIAL MOMENTS
Celebrating a Private Miracle	94
Celebrating Birthdays	96
Hearing Good News	98
Being a Guest at a Wedding	100
Seeing Natural Wonders	102
Standing at a Crossroads	106
Running a Marathon	110
Noticing a Change in the Seasons	114
Moving into a New House	118
Joining a Synagogue	122
Taking on a Jewish Name	126
Wearing a Tallit for the First Time	130
Retiring	132
HEALING
Praying for Healing	136
Visiting the Sick	138
Finding Hope in a Time of Illness	142
Treating a Patient	144
Starting to Work Out	148
Quitting Smoking	152
Creating Opportunities, Opening Doors	154
LIFE AND DEATH
Hearing of a Death	158
Making a Shiva Call	160
Remembering the Loss of Someone You Love	164
Moving Out of Mourning and Back into Life	168
Writing an Ethical Will	170
Saying Good-Bye to a Beloved Pet	172
LEARNING
Starting School	176
Beginning to Study Torah for the First Time	178
Studying Sacred Texts Each Day	182
Finishing an Important Book	186
Honoring a Teacher at the End of the Year	188
LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNAL LIFE
Building a Pluralist Jewish Community	192
Examining Ourselves as Leaders	196
Taking on New Responsibilities	200
Taking on a Volunteer Role	204
Holding a Meeting	208
Installing a New Communal Leader	210
Celebrating a New Community Building	214
Naming a Community	218
ISRAEL
Going to Israel	222
Visiting Jerusalem	226
Sending Your Child to Israel	230
Returning from Israel	232
TZEDAKAH
Preparing Ourselves to Do Sacred Work	236
Donating Food and Clothing	240
Soliciting Support	242
Receiving Requests for Contributions	246
Making a Contribution	248
Dedicating a Wall or Plaque that Honors Donors	250
Wearing Your Commitments	254
HOLY DAYS
Shabbat	257
Lighting Shabbat Candles	258
Blessing Children on Shabbat	260
Rosh Hashanah	263
Changing Your Fate for the Coming Year	264
Preparing Your Prayers for the High Holidays	268
Casting Away Our Sins (Tashlikh)	272
Hearing the Shofar	276
Yom Kippur	279
Fasting	280
Sukkot	283
Building a Sukkah	284
Receiving Sukkah Guests	286
Waving the Lulav and Etrog	290
Taking Down a Sukkah	294
Simchat Torah	297
Dancing with the Torah	298
Chanukah	301
Lighting the Menorah	302
Rededicating Your Home on Chanukah	306
Purim	309
Preparing Mishloach Manot	310
Passover	313
Removing Chametz from One's Home	314
Searching for the Afikoman (for Grown-Ups)	318
Counting the Omer	322
Yom Ha'atzma'ut	325
Celebrating Yom Ha'atzma'ut, Israel's Independence Day	326
Shavuot	329
Studying Together on Shavuot	330
Rosh Chodesh	333
Celebrating Rosh Chodesh	334
About the Translations	337
About CLAL—The National Jewish Center for Learning and
Leadership	338
About Jewish Lights	341