Since my Partner in Torah and I are now learning about the manna, I dusted off a paper I wrote in seminary (many moons ago) to refresh my memory of different lessons we can learn from this topic. (By the way, I couldn’t figure out whether to write it like mohn or manna. I was more inclined to the first but it evokes …
Last week my Partner in Torah and I started the third perek of Sefer Shemos, the story of Moshe Rabbeinu at the burning bush. I keep saying this, but it really amazes me how much personal meaning I can find in the words of the pasuk and Rashi now that I am an adult. We had an amazing discussion about …
Two weeks ago, my Partner in Torah and I completed Sefer Bereishis with Rashi. I thought how appropriate it was to be making a siyum during the Yomim Noraim, as we approach Simchas Torah. Throughout our learning, I was always surprised by how many new insights I could find in the text, and by how many questions I had …
This time last year, I did not feel ready for Yom Kippur. I just couldn’t get into it. I didn’t think I had done any semblance of a proper teshuva. And I just wanted to stay home from shul. I called up one of my role model/friends and asked her to give me whatever chizuk came to mind. These …
It’s Elul. Wow. I’m signed up for two personal development courses for Elul. The first is Rabbi Aryeh Nivin’s Elul Chaburah, which is a short series of classes on taking stock and setting goals for the coming year. I actually did this Elul course three years ago and it was incredible. It costs $1 (but you have to cancel …
I just joined an easy learning program that I have been gaining a lot from. Each week, I get a recording of a short class on Chovos HaLevavos Shaar HaBitachon, given by Mrs. M’nucha Bialik, a dating coach in Ramat Beit Shemesh (and a very dear mentor). The classes are about 15-20 minutes long. Mrs. Bialik started this program after …
This is just a brain dump of thoughts and questions I’ve been thinking about, regarding how to define myself and my standards in different areas where there is a choice in how much of a connection to have to secular culture. Often it feels like I’m walking a tightrope between the purity of Torah and the offerings of the …
A recent quandary (shidduch-related, naturally) had me questioning my very identity. And what it came down to, when the dust settled, is this: if I’m going to consider myself a spiritual person, I had better be sure to involve myself in spiritual pursuits. Not that I haven’t been, per se, but this feeling — that spirituality is only kind …
I haven’t been inspired enough recently and I’m looking for shiurim to listen to. Preferably a series so I can just go from one to the next for a while. My Partner in Torah and I are now up to Parshas Mikeitz. It’s really nice to be learning with her but I’m looking for a teacher for me. …
I just reread a journal from around Pesach time, and I found something I had written after going to Kever Shmuel HaNavi. As I sat at the kever reading Parshas Chana, two images stood out to me, something like bookends to the story of Chana and her son. The first was the image of Chana at the beginning of the …
