| Foreword | vii |
| Acknowledgments | ix |
| Introduction | xi |
| 1. | The Mezuzah | 1 |
| 2. | Shabbat | 3 |
| Shabbat Candles | 3 |
| The Friday Night Shabbat Kiddush | 5 |
| The Shabbat Challah | 7 |
| Blessing One's Children on Shabbat | 8 |
| Shabbat Havdalah | 10 |
| 3. | Rosh HaShanah | 14 |
| An Unusual New Year | 14 |
| Customs and Symbols | 16 |
| 4. | Yom Kippur | 20 |
| 5. | Sukkot | 27 |
| Some Historical Background | |
| The Sukkah | 28 |
| The Lulav and the Etrog | 30 |
| Hoshana Rabbah, Sh'mini Atzeret, Simchat Torah | 32 |
| 6. | Chanukah | 38 |
| Some Historical Background | 38 |
| Ceremonies, Symbols, Customs | 41 |
| 7. | Tu BiSh'vat | 45 |
| 8. | Purim | 49 |
| The Story and the Message | 49 |
| The Celebration | 53 |
| 9. | Pesach | 57 |
| Some Background | 57 |
| Chameitz | 60 |
| Matzah | 62 |
| The Seder Table | 64 |
| The Seder | 67 |
| The Haggadah | 69 |
| Some Little-Known Facts | 71 |
| 10. | Lag BaOmer | 75 |
| 11. | Shavuot | 80 |
| 12. | Tishah B'Av | 85 |
| 13. | B'rit Milah, B'rit HaChayim | 90 |
| B'rit Milah: Some Historical Background | 90 |
| B'rit Milah: Preparations and Participants | 94 |
| B'rit Milah and B'rit HaChayim: The Ceremony | 96 |
| 14. | Names | 101 |
| Some Background | 101 |
| Some Jewish Teachings, Superstitions, and Favorites | 104 |
| 15. | Rites of Passage | 108 |
| Pidyon HaBen: Redemption of the Firstborn Son | 108 |
| Bar/Bat Mitzvah: Some Historical Background | 111 |
| Celebrating Bar/Bat Mitzvah | 113 |
| Confirmation | 117 |
| 16. | The Jewish Wedding | 121 |
| Some Biblical History | 121 |
| Some Talmudic Background | 124 |
| The Institution of the Shadchan | 127 |
| Preparations for the Wedding in Times Gone By | 130 |
| The Chuppah and the Ring | 134 |
| The Ketubah | 136 |
| The Modern Ceremony | 139 |
| The Modern Ceremony, Part Two | 142 |
| The Modern Ceremony, Part Three | 145 |
| 17. | The Jewish Divorce | 149 |
| Some Biblical History | 149 |
| Divorce in the Talmud | 151 |
| The Rights and Responsibilities of Husband and Wife | 153 |
| The Get | 156 |
| 18. | Death and Mourning | 159 |
| The Moment of Death | 159 |
| Preparing the Body for Burial | 162 |
| What Happens after We Die? | 167 |
| Jewish Positions on Autopsy, Embalming, and Cremation | 169 |
| Preparing for the Funeral Service | 171 |
| Preparing for the Funeral Service, Part Two | 174 |
| The Funeral Service | 177 |
| At the Cemetery | 180 |
| The Kohein and Some General Background | 184 |
| Shivah: Some General Background | 185 |
| Shivah: The Home and the Meal of Consolation | 188 |
| Shivah: The Condolence Call | 191 |
| Shivah: Customs and Restrictions | 193 |
| The Kaddish | 196 |
| Sh'loshim and the Year of Mourning | 199 |
| The Tombstone | 201 |
| The Unveiling | 204 |
| Yahrzeit and Yizkor | 206 |
| Further URJ Press Resources | 209 |