Do you ever think about the kind of mother you’ll be? The truth is, as a teenager, the thought of being responsible for raising children one day used to make me anxious. I really wasn’t confident around kids. (Would never babysit). And I thought babies and little kids were so boring, and their mothers were more boring still. …
Thinking about Yerushalayim today… These are a few lines from the book we’re learning: “To the world at large, the history of Jerusalem opens with its conquest by King David. For the Jew, Jerusalem is the place where man was created. Jerusalem is the city of King Malkizedek, the city in which Abraham, Isaac and Jacob worshiped, the city chosen …
Are you learning anything interesting? My Partner in Torah and I recently started Living Beyond Time, by Rabbi Pinchas Stolper (after finishing this book). It’s a collection of essays about the deeper meaning of the moadim. We want to pace it to read each section at the corresponding time of year, so we’ll be needing to choose another book to alternate …
Do you have any shiurim for Shavuos to recommend? This class by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller (free registration on Naaleh required) is about preparing for Shavuos – connecting to the idea that Matan Torah forms the core of our emunah, and to the belief that we are essentially good. One point from the shiur: if we are told to always remember Matan …
I have to say that each year, as the school year winds down and summer approaches, I start to get a little nervous about what I’ll be doing over vacation. A couple years ago, a friend of mine realized that there were limited options for summer programs targeted to singles, and she took the plunge and started her own. …
Since elementary and high school, when we celebrated Lag B’Omer by going on field trips or having special activities, I’ve learned more about the spiritual significance of the day. I listened to this shiur by Rav Ahron Lopiansky shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva of Greater Washington, about five years ago, and it still inspires me. Here are some …
Over Pesach at my grandparents’, I read parts of Tuesday at Dawn by Ruth Attias, a short collection of the teachings of Rebbetzin Kanievsky a”h. The rebbetzin was known to advise people in need of a yeshuah to add a new tefillah to their daily line-up. Well, I’m in need of a yeshuah. Since high school and seminary, …
We’re going to be enjoying a lot of matzah next week. Here are two kavanos to have in mind while eating matzah, not only at the Seder but throughout Yom Tov (from The Making of a Nation, the haggadah incorporating Rav Avigdor Miller’s speeches, also mentioned here.) Matzah is the bread of affliction. Our forefathers in Mitzrayim underwent suffering …
Miriam Kosman wrote an article that appeared several years ago in the Family First, entitled “How Cleaning the Refrigerator Helps Us Come Closer to Hashem.” I derived tremendous inspiration from her words at the time, and clipped the article to refer to again. Recently I found Mrs. Kosman’s website (I’m reading her book with my Partner in Torah) and there was …
Do you like to choose a new haggadah for Pesach? Or do you prefer to use the same one each year? A few years ago I felt that I was rolling into Pesach without being particularly prepared or inspired. I was peeling lots of potatoes and cooking my specialties (namely, broccoli kugel and blondies) but feeling intimidated at the thought of …
