We all know the "Four Questions" of Passover.
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THE JEWISH WEDDING BOX
We all know that the wedding ring is the material symbol of a legal Jewish wedding. It is a critical part of the wedding vow.
We may never fully understand the level of abject poverty under which many Jewish families lived throughout history. To alleviate the need for a groom to purchase an expensive ring for his bride, an interesting custom arose, whereby an entire village would buy one expensive ring. Historically, these highly ornate rings were ceremonial, used only at the couple’s wedding, and thought to be owned by the community or passed down in families. Continue reading
We may never fully understand the level of abject poverty under which many Jewish families lived throughout history. To alleviate the need for a groom to purchase an expensive ring for his bride, an interesting custom arose, whereby an entire village would buy one expensive ring. Historically, these highly ornate rings were ceremonial, used only at the couple’s wedding, and thought to be owned by the community or passed down in families. Continue reading 
"At first blush, most of us are probably inclined to liken religious ritual to an heirloom, something handed down to us from our parents and grandparents. We’re enjoined, sometimes explicitly and sometimes more tacitly, to take care of rituals, to ensure that they don’t vanish. When seen from that perspective, ours is the responsibility of stewards, curators and historians."
Continue reading What do I remember most from my grandmother’s house?
Simple answer: smells and things. The smells were from rendering chicken fat and
potato knishes, matzoh balls and apple strudel (with dough so thin you could see through it.)
The material things were: a pair of brass Shabbat candlesticks (which now proudly grace our candle lighting table (can you pick them out from the picture of my Shabbat candle lighting table?), a stone mortar and pestle (now long gone) and a goose feathered quilt given to my parents on their wedding day over 65 years ago.
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