For Transgender Jewish Teens, the Mitzvah Is Part of the Journey
Many Jewish teenagers mark their journey towards adulthood with a pivotal coming of age ritual signifying new social and religious responsibilities. Children assigned male at birth are typically inducted into this period ...
Category: Ceremonies Society
Knowing How To Communicate With Your Wedding Guests
Communication is key in any relationship. As you and your significant other plan for your upcoming wedding, you probably have run into plenty of situations where openly communicating your needs has proven useful. While y ...
Category: Wedding Planning
Estranged From Your Family? Make Sure Your Final Wishes Are Honored
Planning your own funerary arrangements can be difficult enough, but what if you have serious doubts that your wishes will be honored after you die? This is a common worry for people estranged from their families due to ...
Category: Funeral
Honoring the Dead After a Natural Disaster
With recent headlines about the record-breaking hurricanes Harvey and Irma, there will likely be concerns about how to deal with mourning the dead in their aftermath. Religion and culture dictate funerary customs to whic ...
Should We Say “Goodbye” to the Rented Tuxedo?
Tuxedoes slowly became the gold standard for American weddings during the second half of the 20th century. Once strictly reserved for wear during evening formal events, they became the groom’s uniform du jour regar ...
Category: Wedding Planning Society
Details You May Not Have Considered for Your Wedding
Planning for your wedding requires a great deal of time and energy. Even if you are hoping for a small and intimate affair, you need to be on top of the various tasks associated with planning for your big day. While you ...
Category: Wedding Materials Wedding Planning Marriage
Setting the Rules for Your Wedding
The decision to get married to your partner suggests you have a lot of love for each other. Most people get married for love these days, as opposed to marrying for wealth or property as was the custom of the past. Even t ...
Category: Wedding Planning Ceremonies Marriage
Grief Is Universal: Helping Your Pets Cope With Loss
We need to grieve whenever we lose someone close to us, but what about our pets? Research and anecdotal evidence suggest that they feel the loss of a loved one just as much as we do. During this difficult time, there are ...
Even in Death, You Are Not Alone: The Role of the Psychopomp
Have you ever heard the phrase “crossing the river Styx”? You may not know about the Greek myth behind the saying but might be familiar with the idea of spirit guides helping the dead pass into the afterlife. From th ...
Downloading Ourselves: Can Human Consciousness Live On Inside Computers?
Speculative fiction has repeatedly asked the question of whether the human consciousness can live on after death in this plane of existence. Technological aids for extending life, as well as the potential consequences of ...
Category: Society Technology