Author: Rafael Hope 
How much money should you give for the upcoming Bar Mitzvah?
The million-dollar question (pun intended)…
… What’s too much money? What’s too little?
… Can you give a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah gift instead?
… And what’s the deal with the whole “multiple of 18” thing?
Don’t worry, this article will get rid of all your confusion…
Shabbat is nearly over…
But before we say goodbye, we get one final opportunity to pay our respect to the Sabbath.
How?
The Havdalah ceremony – where we thank God for distinguishing between the sacred, and the ordinary (that’s the actual Havdalah blessing, by the way).
Now, you could simply light a Havdalah candle, quickly recite the blessing and “get it over with”. Or, you could take your time, invest in a proper Havdalah set you can continue using every single week, and transition to the new week peacefully.
What is a Havdalah Set?
A Havdalah set is a special kit that includes the items needed to perform the Havdalah ceremony. Havdalah sets typically come with a spice box, Havdalah candle holder and Kiddush cup.
If the second option sounds better, then sit tight – because I’m about to show the most beautiful Havdalah sets you have ever seen…
Read More…
Time to enjoy your Shabbat dinner together with the family… can you pass the Hummus, please?
HOLD IT! Aren’t you forgetting something?
Kiddush comes first, silly! Go ahead and pour the wine into the Kiddush cup (make sure you fill the cup to the end)!
What’s that? You don’t have a Kiddush cup? What a coincidence! I just happened to create a huge list of beautiful, modern Kiddush cups!
OK, OK, enough with the silly jokes :). Let’s go find you a lovely Jewish wine cup, shall we?
Every Jewish parent would agree: getting your son’s first Tefillin (and Tallit) for his Bar Mitzvah is incredibly exciting…
That is – until you start researching the different types of Tefillin and what Tefillin you should buy… From that point, It doesn’t take parents more than a few minutes to realize: “damn, buying a Tefillin is more complicated, expensive, and dangerous than I thought.”
Confused? I don’t blame you…
That’s exactly why I wrote this Tefillin buying guide: to help you clear out the smokescreen, tell you everything you need to know about Tefillin, and even help you buy the best Tefillin set for your son’s Bar Mitzvah (or even for yourself).
Sound good?
Let’s get started!
Etrog – the famous yellow citron Jews use during Sukkot – is the “richest” (and most expensive) of the Four Species.
And I’m not just talking rich in taste (Etrog Jam anyone?), but also rich in cost.
The question is: how do you protect such an important Jewish symbol?
Don’t worry, there’s no need to call the Secret Service or anything like that… an Etrog box would do just fine (it might even take a bullet for the Etrog).
Etrog boxes are special containers (often made of silver) that Jews use to protect the Etrog during Sukkot.
Not only are Judaic Etrog boxes one of the most popular Sukkot gifts people bring to the Sukkah, but many of them also turn into Jewish heirlooms passed along through the generations (particularly the silver and sterling silver Etrog boxes).
You’ll even notice that some of them look like treasure chests taken from straight King Solomon’s castle, so it’s no wonder…
Don’t believe me? See for yourself…
Sukkot – the holiday where we leave our cushy home and dwell for 7 days in a Sukkah (don’t worry, you’re still allowed inside the house during that time… unless you did something naughty).
We eat, sleep and decorate our Sukkah for the Jewish feast of Tabernacles (or the feast of booths) – just as our Jewish forefathers did during the Exodus.
But what if we’re invited to someone else’s Sukkah? Well then… whether you’re planning to sleep in their backyard or you’re just invited for a meal, one thing is for sure: you should NEVER arrive empty-handed.
The real question is: what kind of gift do we get our lovely Sukkot host/hostess?
That’s exactly what we’ll answer today. By the time you leave this guide, you’ll have a list of unique Sukkot gift ideas at your disposal. Guaranteed!
Let’s be honest: not having your own Sukkah on Sukkot sucks.
You walk around the neighborhood and see your Jewish friends & neighbors all chilling in their Sukkah, having a good time…
You think to yourself: “Damn, I wish I had built my own Sukkah”…
How about we avoid that feeling, shall we?
Now, you may be wondering…
The answer to ALL of these questions (including the last one): No.
You see, up until a few years ago, I thought that building a Kosher Sukkah (aka a “Jewish tent”) was a huge chore, so I never bothered trying…
But then one year I mustered the courage and decided: “What the hell, let’s give it a shot. How hard can it be?”.
Turns out – VERY hard – if you’re building one yourself from scratch. But VERY easy – if you’re using a Sukkah kit.
If you’ve got the right Sukkah building kit – it can literally save you hours (if not days) of total frustration.
Turns out, with the right kit, building a Sukkah is not that different than building Legos. And I trust you can handle legos, yes? Good – then you can handle building a Sukkah, even if you’ve never built one.
Now, the only question is you: How do you find the right Sukkah?
Whether you’re looking for an affordable Sukkah or an easy-to-assemble Sukkah kit, the answer is the same: right here, right now.
Let’s begin…
Tuuuuuu (Tekiah).
Tuuu-tuuu-tuuu-tuuu (Teruah).
Tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu (Shevarim).
Am I making a Shofar blast, or have I just lost my mind (or both?).
Yep, that’s indeed the “sound” of the Shofar – the famous musical Jewish horn we blow during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
But if you’re reading this – I bet you already knew that :)…
What you probably didn’t know, however, is that there are over a dozen Shofar types out there… and in this Shofar guide – I’ll reveal every one of them (and I’ll even tell where to get them!).
Excited? You should be!
Let’s blast!
Another year has passed… can you believe it?
It seems like last year’s Rosh Hashanah was just yesterday, yet here we are again!
Well, what are you waiting for? Go grab a seat at the dinner table… on the menu: Gefilte Fish, Apple & Honey, and some fish head. Mmmm sounds yummy (not)!
HOLD IT. Aren’t you forgetting something?
Don’t tell me you’re planning to arrive at a Rosh Hashanah dinner table empty-handed…
Oy vey! That’s not very “Jewish” of you, now is it?
You better load up on a few Rosh Hashanah gifts for your loved ones, quick… Otherwise, you might discover a fish head with your name on it (you know, mafia-style)!
Now, you may be wondering: What’s an appropriate gift you can bring to the Rosh Hashanah dinner table?
Hold your horses apples, honey… You’re about to find out!
When you look at most parents planning their kid’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah… what do you see?
Poor folks, no wonder they’re so stressed.
But you know what’s funny (read: sad)?
When you ask them: “how’s the Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation coming along?” – they’ll usually put on a nice (fake) smile and utter something like: “everything is going GREAT!”.
But you don’t have to be a shrink to realize: everything is NOT great.
The poor parents are racing against the clock, jumping from one phone call to the next, trying to plan a wonderful Bar/Bat Mitzvah party for their child, without falling apart.
Unfortunately, they’re fighting an uphill battle. They’re worried. They’re afraid they’ll let their family down…
Is planning a Bar/Bat Mitzvah supposed to be this stressful? (hint: no)
What are they doing wrong?
Let me answer with Winston Churchill’s famous quote:
“He who fails to plan is planning to fail”.
I constantly see parents fail to plan their kid’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah. And boy do they suffer the consequences:
Parents – let’s avoid that trap, shall we? Because unlike what pharmaceutical companies would like us to believe – prevention is always the best cure.
So today, I’ll show you…scratch that. I’ll GIVE YOU the exact steps, tools, and resources you need to plan an unforgettable Bar or Bat Mitzvah, without losing your mind in the process…
Sound good?
Great, let’s begin…