How to do Teshuva in 5 Minutes
We all know that we’re supposed to be doing major teshuva right now in these final days leading up to Yom Kippur. But until last night, my understanding of this “major teshuva” was little more than a vague, sort-of nauseating feeling of regret for this and that, and a vague, tentative hope that I will […]
Read MoreLetters to the Next Generation by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
CLICK TO JOIN OUR WEEKLY E-MAIL LIST In his newly-released Ebook “Letters to the Next Generation: Reflections for Yom Kippur” England’s Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks presents 10 letters from a father to his grown children on the meaning of life and the role of a Jew in the world. I pray that this amazing […]
Read More7 Tips for an Easy Yom Kippur Fast
Thanks to Michael M. Segal, MD, PhD for these suggestions for an easier fast: The following are the essentials of human physiology that will help you have a tolerable fast on Yom Kippur: 1. Don’t get thirsty: Most people think the difficulty about fasting is feeling “hungry”. However, avoiding thirst is much more important for […]
Read MoreMommy Peptalk: My Rosh Hashana Miracle
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95XZuzT-u8A]
Read MoreThe Human Shofar
Every year, I feel like the yearning, groaning, primal scream of the Shofar isn’t only coming out of that shiny ram’s horn. I feel like it’s coming out of me as well. And every year, as I let out that whispered scream in harmony with the shofar’s cries, I yearn for the same thing. I […]
Read MoreMoishy Holtzberg's Nanny becomes Israeli Citizen
CLICK TO JOIN OUR WEEKLY E-MAIL LIST I heard fantastic news on the radio this morning. Israel’s Interior Minister just granted Israeli citizenship to Sandra Samuel, the Indian nanny/heroine who saved the life of 2-year-old Moishy Holtzberg. Israeli citizenship will enable Sandra to fulfill her dream of remaining in Israel to care for Moishy until […]
Read MoreRosh Hashana and 959 Failed Driver’s Tests
959 times. That’s how many times 69-year-old Korean grandmother Cha Sa-soon failed her driver’s test until she finally passed last November on her 960th try. “In my village, if you miss the bus,” Mrs. Cha explained, “you have to wait another two hours. Talk about frustration! But I was too busy raising my four children […]
Read MoreThe Race to Reproduce: One Mother's Struggle with Secondary Infertility
CLICK TO JOIN OUR WEEKLY E-MAIL LIST A few weeks ago I received a heart wrenching letter from a young mom who has been married for 6 years and has one child. She wrote that she has suffered 2 miscarriages, and that her distress about those lost pregnancies is made worse by, what she describes […]
Read MoreMommy Peptalk: Rosh Hashana and the Missing Thousand
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43k9mRPX5qw]
Read MoreRosh Hashana: The Tipping Point
CLICK TO JOIN OUR WEEKLY E-MAIL LIST Instead of my regular weekly peptalk, I am sending out this Aish.com Rosh Hashana video which gave me goosebumps and moved me deeply. A peptalk for the entire Jewish people. Enjoy and shana tova! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgQdBQj50Mw]
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