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So, this summer I plan on getting my own apartment, and I'm not quite sure what I'll need to make it a good Jewish home. I have a mezuzah, a menorah, and the possibility of several sets of dishes, but that's about it. I don't really know what else is needed, so uh, help a Jew out?

Ahem. Essential things are the ones you'll use most often. Things that can wait are the things that you use once or twice a year.

Mezuzah (scroll) as well as a case, for the front door.
Mezuzot and cases for other doors, excluding bathrooms.
Candles or oil for lighting Shabbat lights; can be tea lights (nice and cheap).
Kippah
Hand washing cup -- used daily when waking, and every time you eat bread.
Local rabbi of your affiliation (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, or other movement).
One set of never-used or assured-kosher dishes. You can keep a meat-only, parve-only, or dairy-only kitchen for quite some time, while you save up for more dishes. Also you'll need one set of cookware, until you can save up for more.
Paper or plastic dishes and some disposable aluminum cookware (baking pans), so you needn't wash dishes on Shabbat or Yom Tov.
Crock pot -- this is invaluable for Shabbat!

As it comes on towards spring, you'll need Passover cookware, Passover dishes and utensils ('real' or plastic/paper). If there are other Jews living near you, you can probably ask if you can come to their seder, since you probably won't be able to make a solo seder, and even if you do, it's not much fun. Therefore, you can put off a seder plate, matzah and afikomen covers, and haggadah.

A copy of the Chumash (Five Books of Moses) or the Tanakh will no doubt help you. It also helps to have a place to buy kosher challah and other groceries near your home. Finally, because you're male, you probably need some tefillin if you don't already have a pair. Ask around at synagogue and see if there's anyone who's getting a new set and wants to give away their old set or sell them for very cheaply. (Even if they're hand-me-downs, you should have them checked by a competent scribe; sometimes they'll need to be repainted or repaired.)

The handwashing cup? Traditionally it has two handles so the "clean" hand doesn't touch the dirty. For many years my spouse and I just used a large handled mug that we set aside solely for this purpose and we were careful. They can be very inexpensive plastic deals.... or very expensive decked-out things, in much the way that a kiddush cup can be simple or fancy.



That works fine!



A new wine glass (can be had for $5 or less at Pier 1) will be fine until you get to a point where you want to upgrade.



No worries. It's the book with the passover story in it combined with the directions for doing a seder. Since you're going to be with others on pesach, you don't need one. But you can always pick up a freebie from the market closer to the holiday if you'd like to have one.



Used books! Used books! If you haunt eBay or used bookstores (the best!) you can often find these for less than $10... sometimes less than $5.

Fido, Off and running in the morning....

Ok, basically all you need...

... is what you're comfortable explaining to your friends and family as what is what.

I'm interested and intrigued by the nuance of this. What's the reason that Dis would need to explain his Jewish ritual/observance items to friends and family? Presumably, his family already know he's Jewish, and would know what those things were and why he had them. Why would he need to explain himself to his friends? They're his belongings, in his home, for his use. None of that really involves anyone but himself; he's not accountable to the others who may come in.

Yeah the origional message disappeared from my inbox as well, as my inbox contains mostly me and kingpin discussing cookie recipes.

It's a good thing my friends know that if I want to explain something, I'll be the one starting the conversation. wink