A Jewish women's magazine
On family, motherhood and Jewish traditions.
On little joys and deeper meaning.
On what matters to you.
The Talmud and Midrash describe the influence of a wife on her home, from the wife of On ben Pelet to the teachings of the Maharal. This article explores wisdom, steadiness and the shared growth of husband and wife.
What can Sarah, Rivkah and our other matriarchs teach us about peace at home? Rebbetzin Yemima Mizrahi explores respect, attentive hearts, prayer and the power to inspire one's family.
Rabbi Yerucham Halevi Leibovitz explains the wedding blessing: a husband and wife join their voices in a shared spiritual song. Harmony, care and understanding help joy and peace fill their home.
After lighting Shabbat candles and reciting the blessing, women traditionally say two personal prayers: for the rebuilding of the Temple, and for their children, family and the Divine Presence in their home.
Kneading dough offers time to pray for loved ones: for healing, a marriage match, peace at home, livelihood and our children's wellbeing. This prayer connects our requests with the prayers of Moshe Rabbeinu.
The Hebrew blessings for lighting festival candles, with transliteration and English translation. The text includes the additional Shehecheyanu blessing recited at the start of the festival.
This chapter looks at the emotional side of a couple's financial partnership: the sense of responsibility for providing for the family, anxiety about money and differing views on household spending.
Conversation builds the bond between husband and wife. This chapter explores how listening deepens that connection, and how careless speech or a lack of attention can cause hurt and distance.
FAMILY. TRADITION. INSPIRATION.
Neshama Sheli is a space for Jewish women who care about family, faith and life. Explore parenting and relationships, learn about Jewish traditions, and discover prayers, recipes and stories for the soul. You do not need a reading list. Sometimes one idea is enough; sometimes a question leads to a whole collection of articles. Start with what matters to you today and return whenever there is room in your day.
A Jewish magazine for women brings together subjects that rarely exist separately. A conversation about home is also about relationships; preparing for a holiday can awaken memories; caring for a child raises questions about our values. Alongside practical reading, there is room for reflection. This website welcomes religious women and readers getting to know Jewish tradition, offering a way to explore at your own pace.
Being a Jewish woman can mean finding your own connection between a personal story and the story of the Jewish people. For one reader, it begins with memories of her parents' home; for another, with questions asked in adulthood. Jewish communities speak different languages and keep different family customs. Familiar themes emerge: passing on traditions, caring for loved ones and connecting generations.
Women in Israel and in Jewish communities elsewhere may recognise similar questions, even when their daily lives differ. How do we create a family rhythm? How can we explain a holiday to a child? Our Russian, English, Hebrew and French versions make these subjects accessible in your preferred language. Choose what interests you, whatever your starting point.
Family life is shaped by small encounters: a conversation over a meal, a request for help, a shared decision or a word of thanks. Traditions can provide a common rhythm, while closeness grows through attention to one another. Reading about family matters even without an urgent problem. A story can help us hear familiar words differently and notice a better moment for conversation.
Our family section explores understanding one another, the atmosphere at home and shalom bayit, peace within the family. Choose what speaks to you now. A useful thought need not become an ambitious plan: it might lead to a conversation or one small change in how you listen. Each family has its own character, so consider ideas in the context of your life.
Jewish traditions enter everyday life through repeated actions and questions about their meaning. Preparing for Shabbat, lighting candles, sharing a festive meal and talking together can connect today with earlier generations. Preparation looks different in every home. A family with young children has one rhythm; a woman living alone may have another. Looking beyond the tasks reveals a chance to pause.
Find reading about Shabbat candles and Jewish holidays, beginning with the subject you need today. Follow related articles when you want to learn more. When a question concerns how a religious rule applies to your circumstances, a rabbi you trust can help you discuss it. Study and personal conversation complement each other, leaving time to explore what you do not yet understand.
A kitchen holds more than ingredients. It carries familiar aromas, memories of grandparents and habits passed to children almost without words. Jewish cooking is varied, and a holiday table may bring together several family traditions. Returning to a favourite recipe, or trying something new, can open a conversation about a dish's origins, bring loved ones to mind and warm an ordinary day.
Reading about separating challah connects home with Jewish tradition and prayer. Explore these materials before making dough, or simply to discover the topic. Practical articles help you identify questions; stories invite reflection on familiar actions. Cooking need not become a competition. A simple loaf made together can become a treasured memory. Let reading encourage you to choose what suits your home.
Children learn family values through more than explanations. They notice how adults listen, treat older relatives and respond when someone needs help. Parenting therefore involves questions about a child and reflection on our own behaviour. In a Jewish family, a conversation about tradition can begin with something small: a bedtime story, a song or a shared task that welcomes curiosity.
Our parenting articles explore relationships between generations, parental attention and encouraging words. Children differ in age and temperament, and parents face different circumstances. Choose reading for your question, rather than expecting yourself to have every answer. Save a useful article, discuss it with someone close and revisit it later. New experiences may bring another meaning to an idea you have already read.
A religious woman's daily life includes caring for others alongside her own inner work. A few quiet minutes can offer space for prayer, reading or reflection. Some readers have known Tehillim, the Psalms, for years; others are beginning to explore them. Move at your own pace: open a text, read around the subject and gradually build a deeper understanding.
A website for Jewish women can become somewhere to return for meaningful reading. Choose stories, prayers and articles about tradition according to what feels close to you now. The magazine's sections help you continue from one subject to another, and saved stories let you revisit an important thought. Leave space for questions, personal observations and the pleasure of recognising a familiar idea.
At Neshama Sheli, one question can lead to several subjects worth exploring. Get to know this space, browse the magazine's topics and choose reading for yourself in Russian, English, Hebrew or French.