The Life Cycle of Judaism

In many ways, Judaism grows out of our marking the stages of our lives. From prayers during pregnancy through the year-long process of mourning, our lives are enriched, even defined, by the great variety of Jewish life cycle rituals. Some are as ancient as Abraham and Sarah, others have evolved through the centuries, and there are some we are always inventing. Jewish culture is alive.

Members of Ohavi Zedek Synagogue are encouraged to learn about our traditions, to cherish the ancient ways and have the courage to participate in the ongoing evolution of Judaism. If you have questions about certain rituals, and certainly if you find yourself about to journey through a certain passage of life, Rabbi Joshua Chasan would love to get together with you to share ideas and make plans.

We encourage our members to celebrate their life-cycle events at the synagogue among the members of our community. In addition to requesting a special ceremony or a blessing during a regular service, you can consider sponsoring an Oneg Shabbat on Friday evening or a kiddush or luncheon after the Saturday service in honor of the event. We would be glad to work with you to make your event a memorable one.

Among the life-cycle events that can be memorialized this way are a special birthday, a brit (circumcision), a baby naming, an auf ruf (celebration a week or two prior to a wedding), a bar or bat mitzvah, a memorial service, a wedding, a civil union, a conversion or a funeral.