Things are slowly getting back to normal where I live. Retail is starting to open, outdoor minyanim are fully operational, families are hosting their relatives for Shabbos. Social distancing and lockdowns are reversing themselves, and it looks like Zoom dating may no longer be entirely necessary in the near future. This would seem to be good news. I am …
Recently a friend asked if I knew what a mutual acquaintance is looking for in a shidduch, as she had a guy in mind. I answered that I didn’t know but that it was nice of her to try and work on an idea. She shared that she didn’t want to ask the girl herself so that she wouldn’t “get …
This week Mishpacha printed a LifeLines story and aaargh I read it and ask myself why? Probably should have quit while I was ahead but I didn’t so here’s a new post. In all fairness, every person is fully entitled to share their story, and the story itself is fairly innocuous. It’s basically one young man’s account of his …
I recently read a comment on an article on a frum website to the effect of “women in abusive relationships should work on themselves because often, abuse is a response to the wife’s behavior.” Oh my goodness. No, no, and no. What on earth? Abuse is never the victim’s fault. Never. Abuse is the abuser’s problem. It is a …
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 …
A long while back, a reader and I exchanged emails about a few topics that hadn’t been covered here. She requested a post on this topic and now…here it is, y’all. (Better late than never?) Basically, the question is: How do I keep dating from taking over my life? I find that when I’m in the midst of a …
It’s really easy to look back at a past dating experience and tell yourself that you could have, should have made it work. That you over-analyzed. That you should have gotten over the way you felt. That if he had X, Y and Z going for him, you should have been okay with the limitations your relationship would’ve had. Because …
At the end of February, right before everything shut down, a friend was working on an international shidduch for me and I was all, “I think I should fly to meet him, it’s ridiculous to meet someone over Zoom.” Hahahaha. Apparently it’s not so ridiculous, after all. This new frontier in shidduch dating definitely deserves a real discussion. …
Hi, all. The following is a conversation that never took place (but probably should have, and still might). I suspect this will resonate with you. “Mrs. Cohen” is a composite figure and the social worker is yours truly. Enjoy. Hi, Mrs. Cohen, do you have a few minutes to talk? I’m calling with a suggestion for you. Oh! …
Last Purim, I was home for most of the day with two of my sisters. My parents were away and we went to join them later in the day for the seudah. But for the better part of the day, it was just us. I’ve written before about the unique joy of a grown-up Purim. Last Purim was an extra-special …
