Author Archives: Miriam Metzinger

Repentance: From Primal Scream to Holy Cry

I remember when I was a kid and too young to be involved in psychology, pop or otherwise, I saw a TV show describing therapeutic method of the “Primal scream.” The idea is that we all have stressors in our lives. We are sometimes like pressure cookers. And sometimes we need to let out our negative emotions by…well…screaming. To avoid offending neighbors, or for professional supervision, people would gather together in groups and…umm..scream. Many theories have come and gone since then. One view espoused by Australian psychologist and Rabbi Laibl Wolf is that “venting breeds venting.” Giving voice to our … Continue reading →

Rosh Hashana: No More Kings or Only One King?

When I was a kid, I remember watching Schoolhouse Rock. One of my favorite episodes of this fun, 1970s educational musical cartoon was “No More Kings.” I remember an effete foppish George II with a powdered wig and a caustic laugh like a diabolical dandy with absolute power. He sat sucking the shmaltz off his chicken legs as he giggled with glee, taxing the spent colonists into submission. It was so pleasant watching the animated colonists rebel against the heartless monarch, culminating in the mass dumping of tea into the Boston Harbor. In short, from an early age, most of … Continue reading →

Offering Our First Fruits

I played a game with my kids yesterday. I ask them to tie a ribbon around the first fruit they saw. Alright, maybe the lemons have been hanging on our ancient tree for a while, so they aren’t exactly first fruits. But thank G-d children are blessed with imaginations that enable them to ignore otherwise essential details that would do nothing more at particular moment than mar a beautiful picture. I told them to imagine picking the fruit, placing it in a special basket and taking it to the Holy Temple. It is fascinating and humbling to think how close … Continue reading →

Siblings, Battles and the Redemption

Are there really siblings without rivalry? Well, there are books that claim this can be possible, but I find these sibling squabbles all but inevitable. After a week at his grandmother’s, my oldest son returned home to find that certain diminutive member of his family had seized possession of all of his toys, and the younger ones had to return their prizes to their original owner. I reminded them that returning lost objects is a mitzvah outlined in this week’s Torah portion. While the five year old, the owner of the toys, seemed to comprehend this well, the younger one … Continue reading →

The King Is in the Field

Around this time of year, there is a coolness in the air in the Yirushalaim, a longed-for breeze not felt in months. The weather expresses something cosmic; almost exactly to the day we finish mourning the destruction of the Holy Temple on the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av, a refreshing, merciful breeze sweeps through the hanging laundry and the dry leaves in the evening and then, as the Hebrew month of Elul approaches, it can even be felt in the middle of the afternoon. Who thought the sight of blowing laundry or green grass actually moving can … Continue reading →

Tisha B’Av: Moses’ Prayers Will be Answered

Tisha B’av is a day associated with the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple) in Yirushalaim. Both Temples were destroyed on that day and other dark events, like the Spanish Inquisition, began on Tisha B’Av. However, Tisha B’av is closely connected with the coming of Mashiach. According to one tradition, Mashiach will be born on Tisha B’av. The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that birthday is the day in which the mazal and the essence of a person is given extra strength. So even though Tisha B’Av is a day often characterized by preoccupation with the exile and mourning, it is … Continue reading →

In Search of the Perfect Strength

So lately, I’ve had a rather mundane yet perplexing dilemma. Should I give up coffee or not? For a while, I gave up coffee and felt terrific. The kind of energy I got from coffee was instant, a lift, a gift, but too good to be true; it brought me high, and I got knocked off a cliff later, my energy sank. So I was “good” for awhile. Ate more whole grains, vegetables, and yes, gave up coffee and sugar. I had a feeling of health and energy that truly came from within; I wasn’t “cheating” my energy levels. But … Continue reading →

Keeping Kosher and Keeping Healthy

When I first became religious, I was very much into organic fruits and vegetables, as well as grains. While not strictly vegetarian, I did tend to eat according to the macrobiotic “greens, beans and grains” pattern. Not every meal (I was also a heavy coffee drinker- not so healthy) but often. When I became religious I sometimes noticed, to my chagrin, how often junk food carried the best kosher labels whereas I was often hard-pressed to find symbols I recognized in health food stores. Not to mention the problem of bugs, which is a significant concern for those who are … Continue reading →

Just Open Your Eyes

I often wonder if people in other times of history really felt that things were so bad as they are in our era. The stock market plunge is still making its effects felt in all areas of the economy and the rise of stocks seems to belie all of the job losses and closed stores in the malls. The threat of terrorism is constant and is spread throughout the world. Not a week goes by that I don’t hear of a synagogue or a Jewish center vandalised. The shooting at the Holocaust Memorial last week was as chilling as it … Continue reading →

Is Cheesecake Sacred? Thoughts on Shavuos

So Perhaps you heard that joke about the typical Jewish holidays: “They tried to destroy us, G-d saved us, so let’s eat!” (that applies to Pesach, Purim and Chanukah). But even though no one tried to wipe us out on the occasion of the holiday of Shavuot, which is coming up at the end of the week, food is still an important part of the holiday. It could be summed up playfully as “Hashem gave us the Torah, so let’s eat!” And that is exactly what seems to happen at shul. Men, women, children and even the smallest babies are … Continue reading →