I think most people have heard Ancient Chinese saying (or is it a curse): May you live in interesting times. And the times we are living in are nothing if not interesting. First of all, the Wall Street Crash. In my other life, I work as a financial writer and editor, and I was on maternity leave during the disaster in the stock market, which happened amid the Days of Awe nonetheless.* Rabbi Simon Jacobson says the stock market crash reminds us that the material world is fleeting and we should focus on what is more lasting than money, our … Continue reading →

I was looking at my To-Do list yesterday. “Looking” is the operative word. Not completing the items on my To-Do list. I get as much pleasure making these lists as I do window shopping. But looking at the result, the long list itself, is like picking up the bill after an extravagant meal at a restaurant (hmm…when was the last time I’ve been to a restaurant…I guess back in the days when the bill was cheaper than the babysitting!) I ask, as many others do, how am I going to get this done. In addition, like most people, I am … Continue reading →

Almost everyone has heard of Oskar Schindler, the German businessman who saved thousands from the fires of the Holocaust. He was memorialized in a the Oscar-winning Spielberg film, Schindler’s List and I often see a few dozen tourists around his grave on the Mount of Olives. Andre Steiner, who lived a life also worthy of a novel or a motion picture, also saved thousands of Jews from almost-certain death in concentration camps. He recently turned 100 years old, and although he needs special devices to help him hear, Steiner ensures others hear his story loud and clear. Andre Steiner was … Continue reading →

The other day, I saw a letter published on the internet to Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. The writer was concerned about a friend of his who was once a successful musician, but who had given everything up when he became religious. The friend was learning in Yeshiva (an academy where Torah is learned intensively) day and night and didn’t have time for his music, much less, to spend time with his friends. When the concerned man asked his friend if he spent any time composing and playing, the newly-religious friend said he had “lost his musical soul and gained another one,” … Continue reading →

Every child is a miracle, as any woman who has given birth, any father who has cradled the tiny breathing body in his hands, and every midwife knows. However, in Naharia, Israel, a birth, which was intended to be a termination of a pregnancy resembled the kind of miracles we see when the Jewish Messiah comes; when the dead will rise again. A woman in Naharia, a town in the far North of Israel, was having a difficult pregnancy. Five months pregnant, she had gone to the hospital for tests which showed she was experiencing some intrauterine bleeding and the … Continue reading →

On Tuesday, we were privileged to make our son’s bris or circumcision ceremony. (b’h) According to Jewish law, a child should be circumcised the 8th day after birth, so long as he is healthy. We do not know the reason behind the mitzvah of circumcision; Abraham, the first Jew, was commanded by G-d to circumcise himself and since then, a circumcision is necessary to enter the covenant of Abraham. Since the bris ceremony was held during the Nine Days of Av, a time of mourning for the Holy Temple, we ate fish instead of meat. We were very happy to … Continue reading →

Well, I get a mazal tov. We just had a baby boy on Tuesday, thank G-d! (we Chassidim say Thank G-d not just when getting through danger, but whenever we see a blessing in our lives). He is 6 pounds and beautiful and I am so grateful we got through fine. Every baby is truly a miracle. According to our tradition, we do not officially give a boy a name until the baby is circumcised, eight days after birth. But I will speak about the name and naming in general when this day arrives G-d willing after next Tuesday. I … Continue reading →

Is there a specifically Jewish view on childbirth? I’ve had several people ask me this. I’ve sometimes jokingly replied, “Well, given the fact G-d commands the Earth’s creatures in Genesis to “Be fruitful and multiply, I guess childbirth would be considered a good thing.” But when people ask, it is often to an allusion to the curse to Chava (in English: Eve) “In pain shall you bear children.” A few interpret that line to mean, unfortunately, that a woman should be made to suffer in childbirth and not benefit from any type of pain relief. I do not know many … Continue reading →

Imagine not being able to take a shower without worrying about being interrupted by a red alert, signaling that you have to seek shelter immediately as a Kassam rocket approaches your home. Imagine your children, who once loved to play in the park and kick around a soccer ball, confined to their homes day and night in fear of their lives. The people in the Israeli city Sderot, which borders Gaza, a stronghold of Hamas terrorist, must face these realities in their daily lives. Although we have been blessed that after nearly 4,000 rocket attacks in the past few years, … Continue reading →

I’ll never forget how yummy kibbutz food can be even if it does have too much oil. Kibbutz members are quick to complain about the food – “the soup’s too oily” or, “the mashed potatoes are too cold” but I never had a problem with it. As a buyer and manager for the dining room for seven years, the food complaints irated my husband but we both knew that sitting together with kibbutz members can spice up a dinner even if the mashed potatoes are still cold. Potluck dinners are the closest thing to the convivial atmosphere of our kibbutz … Continue reading →