Our Speech - How Can We Keep Our Speech Clean?
One of the things most destructive to a Jewish home is unclean speech. How can we keep our speech clean? First and foremost, of course, there is lashon hara (speaking ill of others) and rechilut (gos…
Chizuk: a heart-to-heart
Articles, recipes, prayers and stories about family, motherhood and Jewish traditions.
Our Speech - Words Wound and Heal
I would like to begin with a parable that beautifully illustrates everything we will discuss next. A wealthy man of noble birth was visiting another wealthy aristocrat. They were served a lavish meal…
The Most Beautiful Song Is Silence
It is written in the Book of Job (26:7): “(The Almighty) hangs the earth on belimah (emptiness).” The word belimah, translated as “emptiness,” literally means beli mah—on nothing. From this our Sages…
True Greatness
Let us imagine greatness. Yankele comes home after a wedding in Haifa. It is already late; he is tired and exhausted, and all he wants is to lay his head on the pillow. He is already reciting “Keriat…
Elul—"I Forgive Myself"
The month of Elul. At this time, the Almighty is especially gracious to us. It is the perfect time for intensive work on ourselves. For several years now, I have been attending various classes on sel…
Rabbi Taub's Will to Live
In my travels, I meet people whose existence is impossible to believe in until you meet them in person. Rabbi Moshe Taub, known as the Rebbe of Kalov (Nagykálló in Hungarian), the “Kaliver Rebbe,” wa…
Candy from Rav Shteinman
A young man from Bnei Brak, unfortunately, abandoned Judaism and moved in with his secular cousin. Things grew worse and worse, until it reached the point where this young man became engaged to a non…
Lessons in Joy - Quantity and Quality
Lesson Five Quantity and Quality When Esau and Jacob met, Esau said, "I have a lot," meaning: I have a lot, but I want more; it is not enough for me. Jacob said, "I have everything." Did he really ha…
Lessons in Joy - Accepting Yourself
Lesson Four But what if a person is not at all content with their lot? What if they are completely dissatisfied with their life? How can we tell them: be happy with what you have? Joy in one's lot co…