My Teshuvah and Aliyah—The Beginning
There was nothing Jewish about our Jewish family. Except our ethnicity, of course :) I had faith. I do not know where it came from, but a world without G-d always seemed utterly absurd to me. Even as…
Day by day with Leah Odelia
Explore Day by day with Leah Odelia at Neshama Sheli: articles and reading collections about Jewish life. Discover the section and related topics for further r…
A Parochet (Curtain) at Kever Rachel
This is a parochet. At Kever Rachel. In case anyone does not know what it is made from... Nava Applebaum was 20 years old when she became one of the victims of the terrorist attack on 9 September 200…
The Yahrzeit of Rachel Imeinu
Today—11 Cheshvan—is the yahrzeit of Rachel Imeinu. The numerical value of the word “tear” (dim'ah) is 119, and that of the name Rachel is 238, meaning “two tears.” Drops tend to be drawn to one anot…
It's Not All So Gloomy – the Month of Mar-Cheshvan
So, Mar-Cheshvan! Even little children know that this month is called bitter (mar) because it has no holidays. Moreover, it is thought that this is a time of particular decline after an eventful autu…
In Place of an Introduction — The Moon’s Fruit Hangs, Bitten Into...
The moon’s fruit hangs, bitten into. And what remains? Only a handful of a girl’s mitzvot—A candle and challah… Without “what for,” without “why,” And without “how much longer.” Since there are no an…