Clueless about your Hebrew name? What about your fiance/e's? Your ketubah will most likely ask you to provide your Hebrew name - for very important reasons. Don't phone this one in - listen for tips and tricks on the best way to determine your Hebrew name and that of your beloved -whether he or she is Jewish or not. 

27 - Hebrew/Jewish Names

I interview Reverend Mercy Ibarra, an interfaith/bilingual officiant (and possible MOT?)  in Los Angeles. (Yes, she’s done Jewish weddings. And technicalities aside, she was brought up Catholic.) If you don't want a religious ceremony but your Abuela is NOT happy about it, Reverend Mercy can help!

Listen for more on her experience with planning traditional AND innovative/personal ceremonies, hear her take on the Four Questions with Rabbi LeighAnn Lightning Round, and a bonus on babies (!) at the end.

Where to find Reverend Mercy

Instagram: rev.mercy.ceremonies

revmercy.com

revmercy@revmercy.com

What Reverend Mercy is Reading Now:

Bury Me Standing https://www.amazon.com/Bury-Me-Standing-Gypsies-Journey/dp/067973743X

Sarah Silverman’s Show:

https://g.co/kgs/HP6TS4M

The best Matzah Balls in LA:

https://www.cantersdeli.com/

The Matzah Balls she hasn’t tried:

https://www.langersdeli.com/

The Garcia-Shapiros

https://phineasandferb.fandom.com/wiki/Garcia-Shapiro_family

~~~

Don't forget - you can reach me (Rabbi LeighAnn) any time at www.yourohiorabbi.com or everyonesfavoriterabbi.com or rabbileighann.com !

Fill out the contact form there if you'd like to work with me on your wedding. There are SO many options, from Ketubah consulting to ceremony planning. If there's something you have in mind, don't hesitate to ask - I'm here to help!

IG: @yourohiorabbi

Podcast IG: @yourjewishweddingpodcast

Send questions for me to answer on this podcast to:

yourjewishweddingpodcast@gmail.com

Hope to see you next time! Remember - there is ALWAYS more learning to do!

<3 Rabbi LeighAnn

26 - Interfaith/Bilingual Officiant Reverend Mercy

Here’s exactly how to plan a QUICK and EASY Passover Seder for first-timers. The most important thing is to start somewhere and to always ask questions!

If you’re short on time, go straight to 13:45

One-Sheet Haggadah:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10AMF__xWaP27AZBOUy-EDgMFN1uZq0cO/view?usp=sharing

History of the Haggadah:

https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/pb-daily/a-brief-history-of-the-haggadah#:~:text=90%20BCE%3A%20The%20first%20ever,%2C%20included%2C%20and%20thereafter%20immortalized.



Don't forget - you can reach me (Rabbi LeighAnn) any time at www.yourohiorabbi.com or everyonesfavoriterabbi.com or rabbileighann.com !

Fill out the contact form there if you'd like to work with me on your wedding. There are SO many options, from Ketubah consulting to ceremony planning. If there's something you have in mind, don't hesitate to ask - I'm here to help!

IG: @yourohiorabbi

Podcast IG: @yourjewishweddingpodcast

Send questions for me to answer on this podcast to:

yourjewishweddingpodcast@gmail.com

Hope to see you next time! Remember - there is ALWAYS more learning to do!

<3 Rabbi LeighAnn

Here’s exactly how to plan a QUICK and EASY Passover Seder for first-timers. The most important thing is to start somewhere and to always ask questions!

If you’re short on time, go straight to 13:45

One-Sheet Haggadah:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10AMF__xWaP27AZBOUy-EDgMFN1uZq0cO/view?usp=sharing

History of the Haggadah:

https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/pb-daily/a-brief-history-of-the-haggadah#:~:text=90%20BCE%3A%20The%20first%20ever,%2C%20included%2C%20and%20thereafter%20immortalized.

25 - Passover Seder Basics (Especially for First-Timers!)

What does the circling under the chuppah MEAN? Will it be weird if we do it at our wedding? Will we feel awkward? Will we freak out our guests? Should we explain it? Aaaaarggh!

Yes, for many couples, considering circling under the chuppah just feels like TOO MUCH. Too much Jewiness, too much time, too much foreign weirdness...and yet, many still feel drawn to it. 

Are you hoping to include circling in your Jewish wedding and searching for an explanation for the ritual that speaks to YOU? You've come to the right place. 



 * Watch some videos of others circling to get an idea for how it looks and whether you want to do it.
   * https://youtu.be/uUdBNTpAoiA
   * https://youtu.be/LNYjFmP-NaQ

Don't forget - you can reach me (Rabbi LeighAnn) any time at www.yourohiorabbi.com or everyonesfavoriterabbi.com or rabbileighann.com !

Fill out the contact form there if you'd like to work with me on your wedding. There are SO many options, from Ketubah consulting to ceremony planning. If there's something you have in mind, don't hesitate to ask - I'm here to help!

IG: @yourohiorabbi

Podcast IG: @yourjewishweddingpodcast

Send questions for me to answer on this podcast to:

yourjewishweddingpodcast@gmail.com

Hope to see you next time! Remember - there is ALWAYS more learning to do!

<3 Rabbi LeighAnn

24 - Circling and its Significance for Modern Couples

Bekah specializes in simple, beautiful, and personal ketubahs for each of her couples. Using her experiences in interfaith and Jewish life from childhood onward, she approaches each couple with the curiosity and knowledge to make their ketubah process mean much more than just picking out a piece of paper to sign.

Find Bekah and work with her at www.foreveriepaper.com

Podcast - http://www.unsettledpod.com/ by Max Freedman

Book - https://www.jaymichaelson.net/books/godinyourbody/

Don't forget - you can reach me (Rabbi LeighAnn) any time at www.yourohiorabbi.com or everyonesfavoriterabbi.com or rabbileighann.com !

Fill out the contact form there if you'd like to work with me on your wedding. There are SO many options, from Ketubah consulting to ceremony planning. If there's something you have in mind, don't hesitate to ask - I'm here to help!

IG: @yourohiorabbi

Podcast IG: @yourjewishweddingpodcast

Send questions for me to answer on this podcast to:

yourjewishweddingpodcast@gmail.com

Hope to see you next time! Remember - there is ALWAYS more learning to do!

<3 Rabbi LeighAnn



23 - A Thorougly Modern Ketubah (feat. Bekah from Foreverie Paper)

The traditional circling at a Jewish wedding has so much history and so many different meanings. As fun as its origins may be (you'll see!) I get most excited about how other cultures incorporate circling into their wedding ceremonies, too. 

Please note: something went awry with the break music in editing. I don't really anticipate many, if any, of you caring. :) 

Shownotes:

The first six minutes or so of this podcast are just me talking about the weather and scented candles.

~ 19 minutes: Kreissmesser article:

https://feminismandreligion.com/2020/01/30/the-kreismesser-women-and-magic-swords-in-jewish-tradition-by-jill-hammer/

~

Don't forget - you can reach me (Rabbi LeighAnn) any time at www.yourohiorabbi.com or everyonesfavoriterabbi.com or rabbileighann.com !

Fill out the contact form there if you'd like to work with me on your wedding. There are SO many options, from Ketubah consulting to ceremony planning. If there's something you have in mind, don't hesitate to ask - I'm here to help!

IG: @yourohiorabbi

Podcast IG: @yourjewishweddingpodcast

Send questions for me to answer on this podcast to:

yourjewishweddingpodcast@gmail.com

Hope to see you next time! Remember - there is ALWAYS more learning to do!

<3 Rabbi LeighAnn

22 - Circling: Origins and Intercultural Connections

Rabbi LeighAnn chats with close friend of the Pod DJ Snead. Tune in for advice on choosing your ceremony music, how to find music pros you trust, and more!

Find and book DJ Snead at https://www.djsnead.com/

Don't forget - you can reach me (Rabbi LeighAnn) any time at www.yourohiorabbi.com or everyonesfavoriterabbi.com or rabbileighann.com !

Fill out the contact form there if you'd like to work with me on your wedding. There are SO many options, from Ketubah consulting to ceremony planning. If there's something you have in mind, don't hesitate to ask - I'm here to help!

IG: @yourohiorabbi

Podcast IG: @yourjewishweddingpodcast

Send questions for me to answer on this podcast to:

yourjewishweddingpodcast@gmail.com

Hope to see you next time! Remember - there is ALWAYS more learning to do!

<3 Rabbi LeighAnn

21 - DJ Snead - Choosing Music for your Ceremony and Beyond

As long as it has four poles and a top, your chuppah can be ANYTHING you want it to be. It’s a PERFECT option for interfaith couples to represent both sides of their family! Here are some suggestions for how to make the chuppah at your Jewish or interfaith wedding personal and gorgeous.

The art in my living room:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1282770863/tree-of-life-no-2-paper-giclee-print

The photo of the indoor Jewish wedding I mentioned:

https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-US/picart/jewish-wedding-in-the-jewish-portuguese-community-engraving-from-illustration-de-ceremonies-et/engraving/asset/4897971

My Pinterest Page for Chuppahs:

https://pin.it/48pQPf9

Don't forget - you can reach me (Rabbi LeighAnn) any time at www.yourohiorabbi.com or everyonesfavoriterabbi.com or rabbileighann.com !

Fill out the contact form there if you'd like to work with me on your wedding. There are SO many options, from Ketubah consulting to ceremony planning. If there's something you have in mind, don't hesitate to ask - I'm here to help!

IG: @yourohiorabbi

Podcast IG: @yourjewishweddingpodcast

Send questions for me to answer on this podcast to:

yourjewishweddingpodcast@gmail.com

Hope to see you next time! Remember - there is ALWAYS more learning to do!

<3 Rabbi LeighAnn

20 - The Chuppah: How to Make it Your Own

The Chuppah - Whether or not you've been pronouncing it correctly, you probably know it is one of THE visual symbols of a Jewish wedding. But where did it come from? 

Yes! This is one of those super nerdy episodes where we talk about the Bible and the Talmud, with. - what else? - lots of tangents. :) 

Don't forget - you can reach me (Rabbi LeighAnn) any time at www.yourohiorabbi.com or everyonesfavoriterabbi.com or rabbileighann.com !

Fill out the contact form there if you'd like to work with me on your wedding. There are SO many options, from Ketubah consulting to ceremony planning. If there's something you have in mind, don't hesitate to ask - I'm here to help!

IG: @yourohiorabbi

Podcast IG: @yourjewishweddingpodcast

Send questions for me to answer on this podcast to:

yourjewishweddingpodcast@gmail.com

Hope to see you next time! Remember - there is ALWAYS more learning to do!

<3 Rabbi LeighAnn

Show notes: 

Bava Metzia: https://www.sefaria.org/Bava_Metzia.75b.15?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en

Jewish Law on Placing the Chuppah outdoors:

https://outorah.org/p/27297/

https://outorah.org/p/27297/

Reference for synagogue skylights for a chuppah:

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-huppah-or-wedding-canopy/

Honi the Circle Maker:

https://www.emanuelnyc.org/2021/01/25/the-story-of-honi-and-the-carob-tree/



The art in my living room:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1282770863/tree-of-life-no-2-paper-giclee-print

The photo of the indoor Jewish wedding I mentioned:

https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-US/picart/jewish-wedding-in-the-jewish-portuguese-community-engraving-from-illustration-de-ceremonies-et/engraving/asset/4897971

My Pinterest Page for Chuppahs:

https://pin.it/48pQPf9

19 - The Chuppah: a Brief and Imperfect History

Are you Jewish and stressing over whether and/or how to have a Christmas tree in your house? Are you wondering if you would be the first Jew to ever do something so crazy? (Spoiler: no, you wouldn't.) 

Tune in to this episode to chat with Rabbi LeighAnn about tips for making the Christmas Tree choice, alternatives and compromises that *could* make it work for you and your partner, and stories about some famous (and normal)Jews who LOVED their Christmas trees. 

Don't forget - you can reach me (Rabbi LeighAnn) any time at www.yourohiorabbi.com or everyonesfavoriterabbi.com or rabbileighann.com !

Fill out the contact form there if you'd like to work with me on your wedding. There are SO many options, from Ketubah consulting to ceremony planning. If there's something you have in mind, don't hesitate to ask - I'm here to help!

IG: @yourohiorabbi

Podcast IG: @yourjewishweddingpodcast

Send questions for me to answer on this podcast to:

yourjewishweddingpodcast@gmail.com

Hope to see you next time! Remember - there is ALWAYS more learning to do!

<3 Rabbi LeighAnn

Links mentioned in this episode:

https://www.jta.org/jewniverse/2010/theodor-herzls-christmas-tree

https://forward.com/israel/356767/when-theodor-herzl-lit-his-christmas-tree/

https://time.com/5736523/history-of-christmas-trees/
https://jewishunpacked.com/why-do-some-jews-put-up-christmas-trees-around-new-years-unpacking-novy-god-sylvester/

https://www.amazon.com/Latke-Who-Couldnt-Stop-Screaming/dp/1932416870



18.5 - Jewish Christmas Trees

Welcome to Your Jewish Wedding with Rabbi LeighAnn. 

Are you planning a Jewish or interfaith wedding? Are you lost on where to even begin planning the ceremony, let alone finding a rabbi to help you?  It doesn’t matter whether one or both of you is Jewish,  you deserve a guide.  

Here on this podcast, I can be everyone's rabbi - yours too!  My guests and I will share everything we know to help make your Jewish or interfaith wedding full of tradition AND perfectly yours. 

Work with me! www.yourohiorabbi.com

Find me on Instagram @yourohiorabbi

Send your questions to yourjewishweddingpodcast@gmail.com

Remember - There is always more learning to do!