Levi Morrow

Your 18Forty Parsha Guide is a weekly newsletter exploring five major takeaways from the weekly parsha. Receive this newsletter every week in your inbox by subscribing here. Questions or feedback? Email Rivka Bennun Kay at Shabbosreads@18forty.org. You stand in synagogue on Yom Kippur, chest pounding, mouth dry from fasting. The liturgy describes goats, lots, and a priest entering the Holy of Holies. Part of you wonders: Does any of this actually work?

Growing up Sephardic in a predominantly Ashkenazi community meant that religious practice at home looked different than it did at school. During the week I davened in Nusach Ashkenaz, the way my teachers taught me, but on Shabbat I davened in Edot Hamizrach. I didn’t mind the differences in practice—if anything, they enriched my prayer and enabled me to enjoy a variety of prayer cultures—but they often left my prayers feeling a bit out of place.

Reading Jewish History in the Parsha is a weekly newsletter from 18Forty, where guest writers contribute their insights on Jewish history and its connection to the weekly parsha. Receive this free newsletter every week in your inbox by subscribing here. Questions, comments, or feedback? Email Rivka Bennun Kay at Shabbosreads@18forty.org.