RabbiRaps

She's not Jewish, but she's celebrating her faith in Hashem! Kennedy marked her Bat Noach by embracing the Seven Noahide Laws. Judaism teaches that everyone can have a meaningful relationship with God without converting! Have you ever heard of a Bat Noach?

🕯️ Did you know that in many Jewish traditions, women begin lighting Shabbat candles after marriage, but in Chabad, girls start at just 3 years old? 11-year-old Shaina shows us how she prepares her candles to welcome Shabbat and bring more light into the world! ✨

🥩🧀 Why do Orthodox Jews keep meat and dairy separate? In video 6 of her 12-part Bat Mitzvah series, 11-year-old Shaina takes you inside our kosher kitchen to show how it all works! ✡️ ❤️ Follow @rabbiraps for more Jewish traditions explained!

Why does a Hasidic bride cover her face? 👰✨ Jewish tradition teaches that a bride radiates extraordinary holiness on her wedding day. Just as Moses veiled his radiant face, her veil symbolizes Divine light and sacred beauty. ❤️ Follow for more fascinating Jewish traditions!

Why do thousands visit a cemetery in Queens? The Ohel is the resting place of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. People from every background come to pray, reflect, ask for blessings, and connect to G-d. ❤️

"I don't even have a body to bury" said Ido Yeshuvahs father... Ido Lost his life when he tried to save others at the Nova massacre On October 7th in Israel .today his father is writing a Torah scroll in his memory.

Why do Jews dance with a Torah? 🕺📜 On Simchat Torah, we take every Torah scroll out of the Ark and dance with them in circles called Hakafot. We’re celebrating something deeper than how much Torah we know—we’re celebrating that the Torah belongs to every single Jew. ❤️

For her Bat Mitzvah project, Shaina is creating 12 videos to teach others about Judaism. ❤️ In this one, she shares a powerful lesson from Sukkot: we leave the security of our homes for the sukkah to remind ourselves that our ultimate security comes from G-d. 🌿

The Four Species symbolize us: 🌴 the lulav—our spine, willow—our mouth, myrtle—our eyes, and etrog—our heart. On Sukkot, we hold them together, reminding us to use our body, words, eyes and heart for what is good, holy and right.

Yes, Jews really are this picky about a lemon-looking fruit. 🍋On Sukkot, Jews take the Four Species: lulav (palm), myrtle, willow and etrog (citron). We bring them together and wave them in all directions, symbolizing G-d’s presence everywhere.

On Sukkot, Jews take the Four Species: lulav (palm), myrtle, willow and etrog (citron). We bring them together and wave them in all directions, symbolizing G-d’s presence everywhere.

Welcome to Sukkot! For seven days, Jews eat in a sukkah and take the Four Species—including the lulav and esrog—to perform a special mitzvah. A holiday filled with faith, tradition, and most of all, joy! 🌿

Sukkot is a joyful Jewish holiday when we eat in a temporary hut called a sukkah. Its fragile walls and leafy roof remind us that true security doesn’t come from bricks and walls, but from Hashem. Sitting in the sukkah is like being wrapped in a Divine hug. 🌿💛

🌿🍋 What could a palm branch, myrtle, willow and citron possibly have in common? On Sukkot, we bring these four very different species—the Arba Minim—together as one. It’s a beautiful reminder that the Jewish people may look, think and live differently, but every Jew has a place.

Why do Jews build a hut every year? 🌿 On Sukkot, we eat and celebrate in a sukkah, remembering how G-d protected our ancestors in the desert. Its temporary walls and leafy roof remind us that our greatest security doesn’t come from what we build—but from G-d.

Rare footage the final moments of Yom Kippur services in an Orthodox Hassidic synagogue.

Why don’t Jews wear leather shoes on Yom Kippur? Leather shoes were traditionally associated with comfort and luxury. Giving them up is one of Yom Kippur’s five afflictions—a way to set physical comfort aside and focus on humility, repentance, and our connection with G-d. 🤍

Before Yom Kippur, some Jews do kaparot—swinging a chicken 🐔 or money 💵 overhead. It’s a symbolic act of atonement and charity, helping us start the new year with reflection, giving, and a clean slate.

An ancient tradition before Yom Kippur. Kaparot reminds us how precious life is, inspires us to do better, and turns reflection into action by providing food for those in need. A powerful lesson to share with Noa. ❤️

Kaparot may look strange, but its message is powerful. Before Yom Kippur, we reflect on how precious life is, commit to doing better, and give charity to help feed those in need. An ancient tradition with a timeless message.

Here's something to think about on Rosh Hashanah as you dip the Apple in the honey ...Did you know it takes bees 2 million trips to produce one cup of honey? These remind us that true sweetness comes as a result putting in the effort. L'Shana tova #shanatovah #roshhashanah

Do you hear it? 👂 The soul doesn’t cry for money, fame, or attention. It longs for love, purpose, and G-d. That’s the cry of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah—the sound of the soul calling us home. 🕊️✨ #RoshHashanah #Shofar #JewishWisdom

Albert couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t even go inside a non-kosher restaurant if I wasn’t going to eat. 😂 Keeping kosher isn’t just about what you eat—it’s a Jewish way of life. Sometimes being Jewish means having boundaries, even when nobody else understands them. ✡️

Sometimes you just get so into it! 🤣 When the shofar blast is that powerful, even the yarmulke can’t hang on. This is what pure passion and spiritual energy look like. What’s something you do with all your might? 👇 #JewishLife #Shofar #RoshHashanah #Kippah #PureEnergy #SpiritualPractice

Life isn’t a race. 🏎️💨 Judaism teaches that life isn’t only about where you end up—it’s about how you travel. The mitzvah you do, the person you help, the moment you appreciate. Don’t move so fast toward tomorrow that you forget to live today.

Asking Albert if he forgives me before Rosh Hashanah… 🙏 Jewish tradition teaches us to ask forgiveness from others before asking Hashem to forgive us. If we want compassion from Above, we must find compassion in our hearts for each other. 🍎🍯

It’s 2:00 AM, and instead of sleeping, we’re heading to synagogue for Selichot. Why? Because Rosh Hashanah is coming, and we want to show Hashem we’re serious about change, forgiveness, and starting the new year right. 🍎🍯📖

We're at the back to school section of the Jewish bookstore in Lakewood. Join us as my girls go shopping to get all the books they need for another year of Orthodox yeshiva

Join us as we go Jewish bookshopping as the kids get ready to go to yeshiva for another year.

Let's go gift shopping for Rosh Hashanah at a Jewish religious gift store in Lakewood, New Jersey

Today's exactly 12 days to Rosh Hashanah... Our sages teach us that we're supposed to take the next 12 days to review the last 12 months of the year each day to focus on another one of past 12 months to review our behavior and better ourselves for The New Year...

This Torah survived Hitler. It was smuggled out of Germany in 1939... It's all generations. Come and go and traveled continents and along the way became unkosher because many of the words have faded. Today we've restored this special torah

Day 14 of 29 sounding the shofar each day for a new group of people in order to prepare ourselves for the high holidays, including Rosh, Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The shofar serves as a wake-up call to prepare ourselves for the Holy days by trying to become better people.

Why do we sound the shofar? The rams horn, the shofar is sounded for the high holidays to awaken the Jewish soul to connect to God

Can a rabi pray for a non-jewish person? Albert plays another round of stump the rabbi with Rabbi raps

At an Orthodox Jewish Wedding 💍 men and women dance separately, divided by a mechitzah (partition). This allows everyone to celebrate joyfully while maintaining the Jewish values of modesty and appropriate boundaries.

Welcome to summer in an Orthodox Jewish bungalow colony! ☀️🏊 You may notice something unusual about the pool: a privacy wall and different swimming hours for men and women. Why? Jewish law places great value on tzniut—modesty and appropriate boundaries between the genders.

Why do so many Orthodox Jewish families spend their summers in bungalow colonies in the Catskills? 🌲☀️ It’s a simpler kind of life. Kids run around with friends, everyone keeps kosher so they can comfortably eat in each other’s homes, and the community feels safe and connected.

Keeping kosher while camping takes a little creativity! 🏕️🔥 Since this public fire pit may have been used to cook non-kosher food, I didn’t want my cooking grate resting directly on it. So I stacked firewood around the sides and rested my grate on the wood instead. Problem solved!

Kosher camping cuisine! 🏕️🔥 Who said camping means you can’t eat well? Grilled cheese, hot dogs, corn, baked beans… and yes, even kosher MREs! 😂 When you keep kosher, you don’t leave your Jewish values at home—you just bring them into the woods. 🌲✡️ What would YOU eat first?

Even on the river, the mitzvos come along! 😂🚤 Tzitzis are the fringes Jewish men wear as a reminder of Hashem and the 613 mitzvos. As the Torah says: “You shall make for yourselves tzitzis…” — Numbers 15:38 Even boating can be holy! ✡️

What an incredible evening at our 20th Annual Jewish Summer Fest! More than 300 people joined us for beautiful weather, delicious kosher food, fantastic music from Yosef David and DJ Sruli. Children had a blast on the rides and enjoying the carnival. Attendees had the opportunity to put tefillin

Is this dog Jewish? 🐶😂 but he definitely wanted to be part of the mitzvah! While his owner was wrapping tefillin, he had plenty to say. Tefillin are small black leather boxes containing verses from the Torah, worn by Jewish men as a reminder to dedicate our minds and hearts to G-d.

When a Jew hears that someone has passed away, we say: "Blessed is the True Judge." These words don't erase the pain—they remind us that even when we don't understand, we trust that G-d is just. May every mourner find comfort. 🕊️

Sometimes it feels like Jewish people are just one big family... A Community member asked me to do a baby naming for their daughter in their home. I explained that I'd be happy to do such a ceremony, but it would only be symbolic since the real baby naming is done in the synagogue

stump the rabbi Albert wants to know why Jewish people. we are a prayer shawl called Tallis or Tallit?

People keep giving me their old mezuzah scrolls... so now I have quite a collection! 😅 Some are still kosher, while others are too damaged to use. But because they contain God's Name, they aren't thrown away—they're treated with respect and buried.

Can an Orthodox Jewish teenage girl kosher a commercial kitchen? Absolutely! Koshering isn't limited to rabbis. With the proper knowledge and supervision when needed, anyone qualified can prepare a kitchen for kosher use by cleaning it thoroughly and using heat to kosher the surfaces. ✨🍽️

Why are there beach chairs in the synagogue on Tisha B'Av? 🪑 On Tisha B'Av we sit low to the ground, like a mourner, to express the deep grief over the destruction of the Holy Temples. Beach chairs make it easier to fulfill this ancient custom while remembering what we lost.