Marsha B. Cohen's
"Rhythms of Jewish Living"
Student Resource Site


This website is designed and maintained by Marsha B. Cohen, who teaches "Rhythms of Jewish Living" for the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School in Miami, Florida . Its purpose is to provide first year Melton students with access to supplementary and complementary online resource materials for further learning and personal growth. It has no official connection with or endorsement from the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School website or the FMAMS program.

Updated Oct. 10, 2007


FMAMS 2007-2008 (5768)
"Rhythms" Schedule and Suggested Links

Note: Due to the quantity of links and graphics, this page may take a while to fully load if you do not have high-speed internet.

South Dade - Bet Shira, Thursdays, 8:15- 9:15 pm



Oct. 11 - Rosh HaShanah (Melton Student Curriculum page 97)
  • Rosh HaShanah (OU)
  • Virtual Jerusalem's Rosh HaShanah web page
  • Rosh HaShanah (Project Genesis)
  • Rosh HaShanah (JTSA)

  • Weight Loss and Teshuva: Getting in Shape Physically, and Spiritually (Aish.com)

    Oct. 18 - Yom Kippur (p. 105)
  • Yom Kippur (OU)
  • Yom Kippur (JTSA)
  • Yom Kippur (Project Genesis)
  • Yom Kippur Survival Guide (VJ)
  • The Yom Kippur Fast: Making It and Breaking It by Arlene Shargai
  • Marsha's EasyFast Special Stew


    • Oct. 25 - Sukkot (p.113)
  • Building a Sukkah (B'nai Shalom)
  • VJ's Celebrate Sukkot
  • Sukkot (JTSA)
  • Sukkot (Project Genesis)


    • .Nov. 1 - Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah (p. 121)
  • Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah (OU)
  • VJ's Celebrate Simchat Torah
    • (Also see Sukkot sites above)


    Nov. 8, 15 - Kashrut I & II (pp. 67, 75)
  • Kosher: An Overview (OK)
  • Glossary of Kosher Terms
  • "And You Shall Schecht...and You Shall Eat"
    by Rabbi Zushe Blech, MK Vaad News & Views
  • Kashrut Symbols
  • Kashrut Articles
    (fish, birds, exotic animals, liquor, vitamins and medications)
  • Classic Jewish Recipes Archive



    • Nov. 22 - No class
    • Hodu LaShem ki tov!


    Nov. 29 - Berachot [Blessings], (p. 55)
  • Blessings for Various Occasions (Klein, GJRP)
  • Birkhot Hanehenin - Blessings of Appreciation and Awe(Klein, GJRP)
  • Blessings of Thanksgiving(Klein, GJRP)
  • Daily Blessings Explained and Transliterated, Jordan Lee Wagner, Siddur Ba'er Heiteiv
  • Blessings Before Food (Klein, GJRP)
  • Blessings over Foods Explained and Transliterated,
    • Jordan Lee Wagner
  • Blessing on Washing the Hands (Klein, GJRP)
  • Grace After Meals (Klein, GJRP)
  • Handwashing, Motzi, Grace After Meals Explained and Transliterated, ed. Jordan Wagner
  • Articles on Women and Zimmun (JOFA)


    • Dec. 6 - Chanukah (p. 147)
  • Chanukah Sites (About.com)

  • Jacob Richman's Chanukah Link Collection


    • Dec. 13, 20 - Shabbat I & II (pp. 133, 137)
  • Marsha's Easy Challah Recipe
  • U.S. and International Candlelighting Times
  • Lighting the Sabbath Candles (Isaac Klein, Guide to Jewish Religious Practice)
  • Shabbat Index (OU)


    • Dec. 27, Jan. 3 - No class


    Jan. 10 - Federation dinner. No class.
    Jan. 17 - Tu b'Shevat
  • Overview of Tu B'Shevat

  • Tu B'Shevat Seder Haggadah
    • compiled by Marsha B. Cohen


    Jan. 24 - Birth and Berit Milah [Circumcision] (p. 223)
  • Jewish Life Cycle: Birth, Bris, Baby-naming, Simchat Bat [welcoming a daughter]
  • Life Cycle Rituals: Birth. Orthodox Simchat Bat (JOFA)


    Jan. 31 - Bar/Bat Mitzvah (p. 233)
  • Bar/Bat Mitzvah Date and Torah Portion Finder

  • Jewish Life Cycle: Bar and Bat Mitzvah

  • Articles on Bar and Bat Mitzvah (JOFA)

  • Toward a Meaningful Bat Mitzvah
    • ed. Nancy Wolfson-Moche (Targum Shlishi)

  • Areyvut's B'nai Mitzvah Resources


    • Feb. 7- Jewish Reminders and Symbols (p. 7)
  • Mezuza (Vaad Mishmereth STaM)
  • The Tradition of Putting on Tefillin
  • Women and Tefillin (Conservative viewpoint)
  • Women, Tallit and Tefillin: A Surprising Voice from Within Sephardic Tradition
    • Sarina Roffe (American Sephardi Federation)
  • Tefillin and Acupuncture Points
    • (Journal of Chinese Medicine, no. 70, Oct. 2002)
  • Tzitzit and Tallit (Ahavat Yisrael)
  • The Tallit (UAHC)


    • Feb. 14 - Tefillah [Prayer] (p. 17)
  • Prayers and Blessings (Judaism 101)
  • Siddur Ba'er Heiteiv - Online Transliterated Prayerbook
    • ed. Jordan Lee Wagner)

  • "Are Women Obligated to Pray Daily?"
    • Menachem M. Kasdan (JHCS)
  • Articles on Exclusionary Language in Prayer (JOFA)


    • Feb. 21 - Prayer and Community (p. 33) and Synagogue[Beit Knesset] (p. 45)
  • Reinventing Synagogues by Sidney Schwarz, JRF Quarterly)
  • Articles on Mechitza(JOFA)

  • Women and the Minyan, Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly (pdf)

  • Articles on Women's Tefilla Groups (JOFA)

  • Qeri'at ha-Torah by Women (Edah Journal)


    Feb. 28- Conversion (p. 85)
  • Conversion to Judaism Links


    • March 6 - Marriage (new text)
  • Jewish Life Cycle: Weddings


    • March 13 - Purim (p. 155)
  • So You Think You Know EVERYTHING About Purim?


    • March 20 - Purim. No class


    March 27 - Divorce (new text)
  • Jewish Divorce Issues

  • Divorce, Remarriage and Mamzerut

  • Agunah Advocacy Project and Reference Material (JOFA)


    • April 3, 10 - Pesach [Passover] (pp.161; 167)
  • Marsha B. Cohen's "Practical-ly Pesach" Resources



    • April 17 - Yom ha-Shoa [Holocaust Remembrance Day] (p. 177) and Tisha b'Av (p. 215)

  • Tisha b'Av - History, Commentaries, Observance (JTSA)

  • A Reconstructionist D'var Torah: Shabbat Nahamu - Parashat Va-ethanan
    • Richard Hirsh (JRF)

  • Visible and Halachic Sunrise/Sunset Times(Kashrut.com).
  • Marsha's EasyFast Special Stew

  • How Much Holocaust is Too Much? Ismar Schorsch and David Roskies (JTSA)



    • April 24 - Intro. to the Jewish Calendar (p. 87)
  • Hebrew Calendar Science and Myths
    • Remy Landau
  • Hebrew Calendar Date Converter (English to Hebrew or Hebrew to English)


    • May 1 - Yom HaZikkaron [Israel Memorial Day] and Yom HaAtzmaut [Israel Independence Day] (new)
  • Jacob Richman's Hot Sites: Israel Independence Day

  • Hallel on Yom HaAtzmaut, Howard Jachter


    • May 8 - Yom HaAtzmaut. No class


    May 14 - Niddah and Mikveh [Ritual Immersion] (p. 267) Double Session Field Trip
  • "Discussing Niddah, Mikveh, Family Purity," Joseph Kaplan
  • "Integrating Mikveh and Modernity," Blu Greenberg
  • "A Touching Revolution,"Yair Sheleg


    • May 15 - Purposes Double Session (No Rhythms)

    May 22 - Death and Mourning (p. 277)
  • Jewish Funerals
  • Jewish Life Cycle Events: Death, Mourning, Mourner's Kaddish

  • Women and Kaddish
    • Joel B. Wolowelsky (Judaism, Summer,1995)

  • Articles on Women Reciting Kaddish (JOFA)

  • Yahrtzeit date finder
    • <(converts secular date to Hebrew or Hebrew date to secular)


    May 29 - Shavuot (p. 207)

  • Shavuot (Jewish.Com)


    • Graduation of all second year Melton Students - June 1




    Marsha B. Cohen, PhD
    Instructor, Florence Melton Adult Mini-School
    South Dade, Miami, Florida
    E-mail: marshaco@yahoo.com


    Click here for Marsha B. Cohen's Jewish Personal Training Website