Articles, recipes, prayers and stories about family, motherhood and Jewish traditions.
"Grabbing" Mitzvot Sometimes a person becomes so absorbed in their thoughts during prayer that they only “surface” at “Barech Aleinu” or even later... What should they do now? Is everything lost? The…
One of my younger sons was studying Tehillim in cheder—Psalm 119, which has eight verses for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It was difficult for the boys, because they do not yet read very fluen…
Gratitude (hoda'ah) When our matriarch Leah's first son was born, she named him Reuben ("The L-rd has seen my affliction"); she named the second Simeon ("The L-rd has heard that I am unloved"), the t…
Sometimes trouble befalls us or people we know, and we pray and pray—but there is no answer. It seems as though we have not "prayed our way" to a good outcome. In fact, no prayers go unanswered; we s…
When I was asked to prepare a series of lessons on prayer, it naturally prompted me to read and study more on the subject. I benefited most of all—my own prayer became so much deeper and more thought…
The sons of the righteous mashgiach Rav Eliyahu Lopian (zt"l) related in his name: “I know from my teachers that women who, during the Yamim Noraim (the Days of Awe), stay home (and do not go to the…
The blessings we recite can inspire fear of G-d to the same degree as thoughtful study of books on Jewish ethics (mussar). The true purpose of a blessing is to understand that, at this very moment, t…
part five We spoke about how blessings can soften Heaven's decree. One might say that the purpose of blessings is to help a person understand: there is none besides the Almighty. He alone governs the…
part four Love for the Almighty Making a habit of reflecting on the praises with which we glorify the Almighty and striving to understand each word elevates a person to the highest level—love for the…