It’s been three weeks. Three weeks since they screamed, Begging to be saved. Three weeks since they bled, Entire families slain. I want to write. I want to find the light. Chanukkah is coming, Not Tisha B’av. I can’t find the words, the momentum. I feel snuffed like chaff Thrown to the wind, Blown about in a storm. All that comes to me are snippets. Moments. A line here, a thought there. Broken, like our home. Pieces missing Like the souls ...
Israel
Stand with Israel, Stand with Jews
Since Saturday morning, I've succumbed to a barrage of emotions. What should have been a day of joy and celebration for the holidays suddenly turned to one of sorrow and despair. By now, most of you should have heard of the horrific war which has broken out in Israel. If you haven't, you live under a bigger rock than me. This war is the result of an organized terror attack by the terrorist organization, H@mas, in southern Israel. Women have been raped and murdered, hostages taken, small ...
Dayenu: A Pesach Miracle
Remember how a few weeks ago, I shared about how an issue at work had turned sour, so sour it might have even been antisemitic? Well, last week, on Rosh Chodesh Nisan, a miracle occurred. It wasn't a huge miracle; nothing like the splitting of the Red Sea, but it was my miracle. My little miracle, or Hashem's way of telling me everything is going to be okay. I can't reveal everything now, all the wonderful details and how they interconnect, what I can say is, I finally at long last ...
The Quest for Holiness
This past Sunday, we celebrated Rosh Chodesh Elul. For those of you who don’t know, this is the final month of the Jewish calendar, and Rosh Chodesh is our celebration of the beginning of a new month. Thus, when we reach the month of Elul, things get crazy. Basically, imagine that you started getting ready for New Year’s Day (the January one) on December 1 by celebrating its upcoming arrival with a huge party. Then throw in a bunch of religious observances through the rest of December ...
Etched in Gold
Seven weeks ago, I mailed my wedding ring back to Israel. After wearing it for roughly eighteen months, I had come to finally admit it was too tight. In fact, I had finally reached the point where it was too painful to wear. I learned after meeting with a local jeweler, whoever sized me before we even bought our wedding rings sized me improperly, and I needed one whole size larger! Saddened, I knew the only way I could continue to wear the band I had grown so attached to was to contact the ...
