#jewish ritual

[b7bubby]

[magnetothemagnificent]

thoughts on paper talisman but written in yiddish/hebrew? I think Ive seen only a few from one person and they looked really pretty.

Like an amulet?

I've posted my own rendition of a traditional Jewish birthing amulet here before, I think Jewish amulets are so cool.

If you feel like an amulet is something you need in your life (provided you're Jewish, goyim, please don't purchase or make Jewish amulets), then B'Hatzlacha!

One thing to remember: They carry the same status as other Jewish holy texts, and thus if they need to be disposed of they should be disposed of properly in a genizah rather than thrown in the trash, so even if your amulet is made of paper, it should be treated with the same respect that a parchment amulet would be.

[bobemajses]

Jewish bride and her mother in Djerba, Tunisia, 1983

The Tunisian Jewish bride was hennaed first by her mother-in-law, and then the following day again by a professional artist. The bride would sleep with the henna and strings overnight. In the morning, the women come to the bride’s house to check if the henna came out nicely; if it is good, they kiss her fingers and praise her beauty. If the colour is not strong enough, then they henna her again; all in all, the bride is hennaed about four or five times over the course of a week. The Jews of Djerba continued this tradition well into the 20th century.

[thejewitches]

Channukah Ritual Guide | Digital Download

Experience a meaningful Channukah this year with our comprehensive digital guide for Diasporic celebrations.

Get Jewitches to deepen your ritual understanding and enhance your celebration! Download now and start enriching your Channukah traditions.

Included within are the three traditional blessings said over channukah candles; Available in Hebrew, English, and with the Ashkenazi transliteration for easy usage for all!

A few food suggestions from across the Diaspora as well as a simple, no-mess latke recipe if it is your first time!

Instructions for Dreidel divination!

Discussions of Diasporic Jewish traditions

A Chanukah glossary

What spelling is best?

Hillel Vs. Shammai

Menorah, Channukiah? Candles? Oil? Answers to all that & more!

Everyone can experience this guide free of charge, as we don't want money to be a barrier to access. However, if you have the means, please consider leaving a tip in order to support our work!

[homoqueerjewhobbit]

I'm allowed to make this joke, but I love that Jewish death rituals are like:

"Pfeh, for what should I spend $12,000 on a big fekakte box they see only for five minutes before they cover it with dirt?"

"Don't waste my good suit what might fit my nephew Lev if the bum should ever even try to get a real job!"

"Embalming? Don't mind me, I'll rot in the dark."

[todaysjewishholiday]

15 Menachem Av 5784 (18-19 August 2024)

Tu b’Av Sameach! According to the Talmud the fifteenth of Av was the most joyful festival of ancient Israel (they say the only thing that matched it was Yom Kippur, when the entire community’s sins were carried off into the desert by the scapegoat). So what was celebrated on Tu b’Av? Love! Youth! Marriage! Romance!

Like Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot, Tu b’Av did double duty as an agricultural festival (the start of the grape harvest) and a historical commemoration (which we discussed in yesterday’s post). Unlike the others, its purpose was not to focus on the covenant between the Jewish people and HaShem. Instead, it was a day for those who were single to show they were ready to mingle. It was a festival for flirting. It was a day for young people in the community to imagine that they’d find the kind of romance that would fill their lives with joy. You get the picture.

In ancient society courtship was often closely regulated, with marriages arranged by extended families to cement alliances with other families. But Tu b’Av was a day for young women to try to attract a husband of their own choosing. Traditionally, it was a day when young women would go dance in the vineyards in plain white dresses that disguised socioeconomic distinctions, singing traditional songs about what good wives they would make and teasing the community’s young men.

Since most of us don’t live near grape vineyards or practice the same type of limitations on courtship or know a wide range of communal dances any more, the celebration of Tu b’Av has changed considerably. It’s now used as the Jewish holiday for those in a long term romantic relationship to celebrate their partner, like the European Christian celebration of Valentine’s Day. So if you have somebody in your life who you love like that, wish them a joyful Tu b’Av— and then do your best to have one together.

[hiddurmitzvah]

Here’s a linocut print I made on the mikveh of Speyer.

The Mikveh of Speyer, built in 1128, is one of the oldest ritual baths in Europe, nestled within the medieval Jewish quarter of the city. This stunning stone structure featuring Romanesque architecture, preserved so well, offers a glimpse into the spiritual life of medieval Jews. with a 10-meter descent into the ground, was specifically intended to reach natural groundwater. Descending the ancient steps into the cool, still water, one can almost feel the history—the sacred rituals, the quiet prayers for purification. A visit here isn’t just a look at the past, it’s a journey into a tradition still very much alive today. A true treasure of Jewish heritage.

[docholligay]

I don't often share my morning long reads but this is both information worth reading and is funny as hell

[whatlieswithintheorchard]

Ritual for after a t4t Experience

Grab some spices. It could be a spice box. It could be a candle. Choose a scent that brings you joy and recite the following blessing.

ברוכֶה אתה יי אלהימותינו רוח העולם בוראת מיני ��שמים 

Transliteration:

B’ruche ateh Havayah, elohimoteinu, ruach ha’Olam, bore’at minei vesamim.

Translation:

Blessed are You, Havayah, breath of the universe, Who creates varieties of spices.

Take in the pleasing smell.

For the next few blessings, hold yourself.

ברוכֶה אתה יי אלהימותינו רוח העולם שעשתני טרנס

Transliteration:

Bruche ateh Havayah, elohimoteinu, ruach ha’Olam, she’asetni trans.

Translation:

Blessed are you The One, breath of the infinite space-time, who made me trans.

ברוכֶה אתה יי אלהימותינו רוח העולם שעשת אחרול כמוני

Transliteration:

Bruche ateh Havayah, elohimoteinu, ruach ha’Olam, she’aseat acheirol c’moni.

Translation:

Blessed are you The One, breath of the infinite space-time, who made others like me.

May these moments that I have shared remind me of the Divine beauty of your creation, ever unfolding in front of me. May all Being and Becoming, source of blessings, who created us in their Divine image, continue to bring and hold us together.

I was inspired to make this blessing after meeting up with a group of other trans folk for karaoke. It was such a beautiful and life-giving experience that I wanted to mark it in some way. So I chose a blessing from Havdalah and adapted a prayer from the morning liturgy. As Jews, we mark sacred time, and time spent in trans community is a catheral in time. We all deserve happiness. We deserve community. We are loved and love. Happy Pride!!

[horygory]

The Offering (2022)

[starlightomatic]

oh it's about context

[streetkid-named-desire]

Okay @ghostoffuturespast and @merge-conflict tagged me to share 6 lines and I haven't worked on the main fic's next chapter but I've had this origin fic idea bouncing around in my head that's inspired by The Devil's Arithmetic, a book I loved as a child. V sleeps off some wine after Passover seder at the camp and gets transported back to the 1800s (I think I can't remember the exact dates I decided on in my research lmaoooo) where he's the husband of some great great great aunt and they just landed in Mexico and are going to join his great great great whatever grandma on his maternal side at their budding tequila still and farm (his dad took his mother's family name)

Rules: Share the last six lines of any of your WIPs.

I tag uuuhhhhhhhhh @olath124 and @wounded--machine and @ouroboros-hideout

V spoke, not his own words. His voice was deeper with a harsher gravel. He felt a mustache tickle his lips too. "Julie is excellent at math and will handle the books. If anyone will be a maid, it will be me! I will also work the agave fields. This is not charity." "See, mamá? We got it all figured out," Julissa wrapped her arm around V's and they walked to the carriage with Valeria.

I'm gonna post the whole WIP under the cut because it's fun :3

V looked up and down the long picnic table. Three nearly empty plates of brisket were placed between every 10 people, five on either side. Bea was tearing into her fourth helping of the real beef brisket she'd made for their table. "I think this is the first Passover seder I attended in 20 years," V said and placed his hand on her thigh.

Bea swallowed without chewing, daintily dabbed at her mouth and took a sip of wine before speaking. "That would make you…" she trailed off trying to do the math in her head.

"Twelve, yeah. Last one before my parents died," V gulped down the last of his wine. The glowing sunset dazzled through the bottom of the glass and he suddenly felt very woozy. He set the glass down and placed two hands flat on the table to steady himself. "I'm feeling a little iffy. Gonna go lay down in the tent."

Bea started to get up but he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be fine. I think not having real live beef in a while plus all that wine is making my stomach riot."

Bea furrowed her brow in concern but nodded, "Holler if you need me." He kissed her on her cheek before standing and walking to their tent, only a few feet away.

V kicked off his shoes and untucked his dress shirt. It wasn't a suit dress shirt, it was a long sleeve black cowboy shirt with gold accents that Bea embroidered herself. He rolled up the sleeves and unbuttoned the top three buttons before falling into the cot. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, willing his stomach to relax.

"¡Oye! Vincente, levantarse," a woman's voice hissed in his ear.

V opened his eyes and searched for the source of the voice. He wasn't in a tent. He was in the hold of a ship with twenty other people. It was musty and smelled like human waste and damp carcasses. The woman nudged his shoulder and whispered again, "Come on, this is our stop." She stood up and handed a canvas satchel to him. The woman looked like his mother, but younger, much younger. She was 20, at most.

V found himself nodding and standing up. He took her hand and they quietly and carefully stepped over the other sleeping—and dead—bodies to the hatch to the deck. When they climbed out, the cool night air was fresh and sweet. He inhaled deeply, clearing his sinuses of the hold.

A sailor nodded in greeting at them and helped them find the plank down to the shore. "Where are we?" V asked.

"Tampico," the woman said.

"¡Julissa!" a voice cried out. The woman next to him dropped her things and ran.

"¡Mamá! ¡Mamá!" Julissa sobbed. V picked up what she dropped and followed.

When their embrace ended, Julissa wiped the tears off her face. She straightened her skirt and stood tall. "Mamá, este es mi marido," she said and gestured towards V. "Vincente, este es mi mamá, Valeria."

On autopilot, V took the woman's hand and bowed. He kissed the thin, aged skin on top of her hand and Valeria cooed while Julissa giggled. "Señora Guerra, mucho gusto usted."

V's mind whirled. This wasn't a BD. This was a dream. But it felt so real and was so consistent. And where was Johnny? He usually popped up in his dreams.

"Come, it's a six hour ride to the hacienda. Then, tomorrow, we will discuss your…plans," Valeria.

"Mamá, I talked about this in my letter. León says the tequila business is taking off! He's still using the recipe your grandfather created when he was a vintner," Julissa said.

Then it clicked for V. The Guerras. The Guerra tequila.

"It's just risky. It was already risky being with child and on that boat! Now you want to travel to the opposite side of the country? And for what? To be a maid?" Valeria clucked in disapproval.

V spoke, not his own words. His voice was deeper with a harsher gravel. He felt a mustache tickle his lips too. "Julie is excellent at math and will handle the books. If anyone will be a maid, it will be me! I will also work the agave fields. This is not charity."

"See, mamá? We got it all figured out," Julissa wrapped her arm around V's and they walked to the carriage with Valeria.

[bobemajses]

Celebration of "Simhat Torah" in a synagogue in Warsaw, Poland, 1980