Author Archives: Miriam Metzinger

Kaddish: A Journey of the Soul

My husband often meets some first-time or first-in-a long time shul goers in Israel and in his trips to America. Often these men have something in common, they are saying Kaddish (the prayer for the deceased) for a loved one. Kaddish is a prayer said three times a day with a congregation to appeal to Hashem to have mercy on the soul of the deceased. It is said for an entire year, and it is quite an impressive undertaking; one must go to a synagogue with at least ten men in attendance three times a day to say the prayer. … Continue reading →

Passing the Time on Passover

I don’t think there is any time of the year in the Land of Israel I enjoy more than Passover. It is like a summer vacation without the heat and the hassle. While the amusement parks are crowded and sometimes hard to navigate my way around, I always run into people I haven’t seen in months or even years. One advantage to living in the Land of Israel is that the Jewish holidays are everyone’s holidays. No matter what level of observance, practically no one is working during the week of Passover and Succos. Most of the bakeries are closed … Continue reading →

All about Crumbs (Physical and Spiritual)

It’s time to get out the brooms and the sponges and the Clorox! It’s Pesach (Passover) cleaning time again. Of course, it is always good to do a spring cleaning (if in your part of the world, it is actually spring yet), but Pesach cleaning is another level altogether. When I describe Pesach cleaning to people, I’m really reminded of what it is all about. The idea is to remove any trace of chametz (leavened products, such as bread, pasta, grains) from every corner of the house. While decluttering and getting rid of dirt is always a good idea, that … Continue reading →

Purim: Joy is Serious Business

Once upon a time, Purim was considered a minor Jewish holiday. It doesn’t have the kind of name recognition among the world at large that Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Chanukah do. You probably won’t see Purim listed on government calendars. But it is actually a major holiday disguised in a minor one. The holiday of Purim began as a celebration of the miracle Hashem did for the Jewish People in the 6th Century BCE when a Persian “Hitler”, Hamman, made a plan to annihilate the exiled Jews, but who ultimately was defeated through a series of apparently isolated incidents … Continue reading →

Is the World More Peaceful?

I see it often expressed that we are living in a world of increased darkness and chaos. Fears of terrorism reach a diversity of people, regardless of ethnic background, location or social class. People are afraid to ride the subway, sit down in a café, and this isn’t just in the Land of Israel, but the fear penetrates even in former safe havens, such as Middle America. Right now, we are worried about Iran and its nuclear capabilities; its declared enemies are the U.S. and Israel, which it plans to “wipe off the map (but we are approaching the holiday … Continue reading →

Nineteen Diamonds

I spoke to someone the other day on the topic of, what else? Kids! She asked me “How many do you have?” I told her “Three boys, Thank Hashem.” She said “What a handful!” I chuckled to myself, since I had recently read a news story about Simi Zalmanov, a woman in the city of Tzfat in Israel with 19 children. Actually, it isn’t totally unheard of in Chassidic circles for a woman to have 19 children. The typical Chassidic family has ten children, which is something I couldn’t imagine handling on a day to day basis, even though I … Continue reading →

Loving Leah, Yibum and Chalitza

Okay, so I know Loving Leah was a made-for-television movie that was screened last night (I don’t have a television, but I try to keep up with certain news), but what are “chalitza’ and “Yibum”? Now, my apologies because I am not 100% informed about the plot of the movie. As I said, I prefer not to have a television (although we do have internet, otherwise I would not be able to blog) and even if I did have television, I am living in Israel and “Loving Leah” was not aired here. However, a friend gave me a plot summary, … Continue reading →

An Open Letter to Susie Essman

Dear Susie, First of all, I’d like to invite you to my home when you come to Jerusalem (not planning a trip to Jerusalem? Well, we all will find ourselves here eventually). I must warn you, my apartment is small and needs renovation. My wig may need some restyling (taking my wig to a stylist is a luxury I can afford before holidays and sometimes in between). I may not be dressed in the latest fashions. But don’t think this is true of all Lubavitch Jewish women. You would have seen a very similar person if you would have met … Continue reading →

Joy…The Secret Ingredient

Like many of you, I have discovered the joys of Flylady, the site devoted us to learning to love our homes and beautify our surroundings one baby-step at a time. The site, I think, was designed for the domestically challenged, like me. I started the program, had a colicky baby (thank G-d a sweet one, though) and found it difficult to follow any kind of structure for a few good months. Now, I am back baby-stepping my way through cooking and cleaning routines. One thing flylady recommends is to plan meals in advance. Well, I did do this in a … Continue reading →

Cease or Fire?

After the agonizing weeks of the war in Gaza, a ceasefire has been declared. There is an expression here that whenever there is a ceasefire, it means the Israelis cease and the enemies fire, which is exactly what happened; less than 24 hours after the so-called ceasefire was declared, Hamas fired on Ashkelon. Thank G-d, no one was injured. Israel is not exactly the most popular country in the world right now. But most of the world does agree that terrorism is intolerable. On the one hand, the world wept over the tragedy of Mumbai, London and 9-11, but on … Continue reading →