Judaism: Understanding and Connecting with the Jewish Faith
The communities and resources of the Internet are perfect for learning about Judaism, and bringing members of the Jewish faith closer together. This guide will teach you about the oldest of the Abrahamic religions, including sacred Jewish texts, Jewish law, and Jewish holidays. There are also resources for helping Jews practice their religion, and tools for learning about Hebrew, Yiddish and other Jewish languages. It is often difficult to find kosher food and wine, but this guide will make that task easier. With the Internet, Jewish news, Judaica products, Jewish blogs and dating sites are also at your fingertips.
The oldest of the Abrahamic religions, Judaism is, surprisingly, not well understood. The common ... read more »
Practicing Judaism can be tricky, even for the strictest observers. With a lunar calendar, days that begin at sundown, and thousands of years of tradition, it's no embarrassment to rely on some electronic help to keep track of it all. The tools on these sites can give you that helping hand for understanding Jewish practices.
- Most of the sites in this section are intended primarily for fairly observant Jews. However if you have an interest in the Hebrew calendar, language, or the workings of Jewish holidays, you still might find them of interest.
- The Jewish calendar is a lunar one, not in sync with the Gregorian calendar, and the Jewish day begins at sundown. Do not rely on Gregorian dates from one year to the next for any Jewish holiday or event.
- If you're looking for a synagogue or other prayer location, use the "Locating a Synagogue" section of this guide.
hebcal.com has a number of free online tools to help you navigate the Hebrew calendar and its holidays, and to convert dates and events to the Gregorian calendar. Many of the calendars and results it generates for you are available to download for iCal, Palm devices, and Outlook. It also has a Torah tool with complementary audio files.
MyZmanim 's site provides prayer times in English and Hebrew for any location in the world based upon the location ID or U.S. zip code and date you enter. This convenient tool also allows you to print out a monthly table, as well as access this information over your mobile phone through SMS.
The Chai Air Travel Tables enable those traveling between different time zones to easily compute when to perform their prayers. Just input your flight details into the site's simple interface and you've got your schedule.
Go Daven bills itself as the worldwide minyan database. On this site you can find and connect with minyans everywhere, as well as make use of the various other services and tools it provides for your davening needs.
TES sells a variety of Jewish software designed to aid you in your religious and language education, as well as in the practice of Judaism
TorahMedia is a virtual lending library of Torah lecture MP3s. For $9.95 a month you can take out up to 50 lectures a day on all aspects of Torah. To "return" files you simply delete them from your hard drive, and as such the entire system is based on the honor code.
JewishGen has collected an enormous amount of databases, tools, projects, and links to help you trace your Jewish ancestry and reconnect with the past. Though the site can be overwhelming and hard to figure out, here lies the serious firepower you need to trek back through the ages of Jewry.
To download or buy Jewish software for your mobile devices ...
Davka bills itself as a first in Judaic software. Among its catalog it has a number of Torah and prayer programs for your iPod, Palm Pilot, and other mobile devices, such as iDaven or Esh Siddur (the complete siddur for your PDA).
PilotYid has a number of programs to make the lives of practicing Jews easier through their Palm Pilots. The site is a bit bogged down by ads so to find the programs you want, use the expandable list on the lower left of the page. Choose a category, click "search," and then scroll down to find the product list.
Who knew?
The Homer Calendar is here to help you count the omer. This whimsical site is also a very useful tool for keeping track of the days throughout the long period of omer. Who knew the Simpsons were Jewish?!
KosherRestaurantsGPS is an add-on to GPS devices, pinpointing kosher restaurants when driving. With over 1,000 restaurants listed in the U.S. and Canada, you may never have to worry about maintaining your kosher diet again. With the $18 download, you also receive a free add-on listing 2,000 locations to attend an Orthodox Minyan. You can read more about these products at The Jewish Advocate.
Hebrew is the holy language of Judaism, the language of the Torah and of prayer. But for hundreds, ... read more »
The word kosher has crept into the English language retaining most of its original meaning of ... read more »
The Jewish community is a strong one, but with such a small number of Jews spread over the world, ... read more »
Finding the right synagogue, or any synagogue at all, can be a challenge. It can seem like an ... read more »
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Jewish culture is not exactly known for its quiet reserve. Whether kvetching, kvelling, or ... read more »
There is a great tradition of Jewish news, and many Jewish publications have served as a vanguard ... read more »
Judaism is not lacking in Jewish products. Now location is no impediment to filling your home with ... read more »
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