Today I had my first shift in Magen David Adom (MDA). I could barely sleep the night before. This is certainly not the first time I’ve been expected to perform under pressure. I’ve competed internationally in Taekwondo against some of the best competitors in the world, but rather than costing pride, a mistake on an […]
I grew up in a silent spiritual world, the seed of what was yet to come, planted so deeply, it took years to sprout. But when it did I discovered healing, wholeness, a sense of belonging—to my synagogue, Shir Tikvah, and Judaism. But it took a long time, and required a lot of help, to get there, to get to this moment.
Sefer Bereshit starts out with the Hebrew letter “bet”. The first Midrash Rabba (and echoed in Yerushalmi Chagiga 2:2) notes that the reason this is not an “alef” is because “bet” is bounded on the top, the back, and the bottom. There is only one way to move and that is forward (assuming it is […]
Food is an essential ingredient in Jewish life. So says my partner, Liddy, and I’m sure most agree with her. Last April, when my naturopathic nutritionist recommended I eliminate gluten, corn, soy, dairy, eggs and a number of other foods to see if we could figure out what was causing my joint pain and digestive […]
Mike sits next to me at Shabbat services, and that night on the bimah, when we received our blessing on our tenth anniversary, he mumbled Kiddush alongside me. And he is still not a Jew, and he doesn’t always feel like he fits in with the Jewish community. And I know what that feels like, and when I see him trying anyway, it makes me try harder. To make his choice to be part of all this worth it.
Getting to know Grandma and Gramps was one of the biggest perks of my marriage. My husband is lucky enough to have grown up with both grandparents, a privilege I never had. And they are the most awesome couple alive. We went to visit them with our son this Sunday, and we walked in on […]
For Phyllis Sommer & Michael Sommer & everyone else whose heart is shattered.
Inspired by the words of friend and fellow parent Joel Feder as he blogged about the “10 Life Lessons of Being A Parent” that he has learned as of Day 4 of being a parent, I had to write my top 10 life lessons gleaned from my baby Madeline’s first year.
Make your New Year’s Resolution this year to NOT diet.
A pomegranate smoothie recipe, inspired by this ancient Jewish fruit, to help you lose weight and become healthier in 2014!