I grew up praying to a god in a language I did not understand. In particular, as an observant Conservative Jewish American (that is, “Conservative Jewish, not “conservative, Jewish”), I grew up ...

As we emerge from Tisha b’Av and our annual three-week period of mourning the destruction and loss of our Holy Temples in Jerusalem, we are invigorated and inspired every year by Parashat Vaetchanan.

Shema Yisrael, or the Shema, is the central affirmation of Judaism. The prayer expresses belief in the singularity of God, that is, in God's oneness and incomparability. Though this opening verse is ...