A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

The opening of the Shema prayer explained

Reuven Kimelman, THE JEWISH EXPERIENCEPublished May 27, 2022

(The Jewish Experience) -- The Shema prayer expresses belief in the singularity of God, that is, in God's oneness and incomparability. It is traditionally recited twice a day, as part of the morning (Shacharit) and evening (Arvit or Ma'ariv) services. It...

TISHA BAV

TISHA BAV

Yaakov LedermanPublished July 30, 2020

Ultra Orthodox Jewish men pray as they gather for the ritual of Tisha B'Av at the Meah Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem, August 13, 2016. The Tisha B'Av ceremony, literally the ninth day of the month of Av in the Hebraic calendar, is the darkest day...

Rabbi Josef Davidson is affiliated with Congregation B’nai Amoona and is a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, which coordinates the d’var Torah for the Light.  

Hold on to hope for a post-pandemic world

By Rabbi Josef DavidsonPublished April 23, 2020

Imagine that a disease breaks out in the community, actually a family of diseases, perhaps, because it presents differently in many cases. No one knows exactly how it is transmitted, and no one knows who patient zero is. Worst of all, no one knows exactly...

Women of the Wall

Women of the Wall

Hadas Parush/Flash90Published January 11, 2017

Orthodox Jews try to prevent a group of American Conservative and Reform rabbis and the Women of the Wall movement members from bringing Torah scrolls into the Western Wall compound during a protest march against the government’s failure to deliver...

iPad app for Reform prayer book is launched

JTAPublished March 20, 2012

BOSTON -- The iPad app for the Mishkan T'filah, the Reform movement's daily prayer book, was launched. The new application, which costs less than $5, was launched at the annual gathering of the Central Council of American Rabbis that began Sunday in Boston....

Shaare Emeth plans upcoming Havdalah of Healing Services

Published January 11, 2012

Havdalah of Healing services takes place at 4:30 p.m. the third Saturday of each month at Congregation Shaare Emeth, 11645 Ladue Road. The services provide a spiritual group experience to be shared by those seeking healing, physically and spiritually....

Rabbi James Stone Goodman

D’var Torah: These are the generations of Isaac

By Rabbi James Stone GoodmanPublished November 23, 2011

Isaac entreats God, and God is entreated. Same verb, different structure. It is one of the words we encounter in Torah that is considered prayer.The same root, transitive and reflexive. Isaac entreats God, and God is entreated. We cannot actually translate...

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