Blog

May 28, 2023

What’s Really Jewish (And Not So Jewish) about the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

*Spoiler Alert* It’s hard to describe what this show means to me. I was born in New York City; my parents lived on the Upper West Side. I...

Apr 25, 2023

Step by Step: Freedom Is a Process

Why do we count the days between Pesach and Shavuos? The Nesivos Shalom teaches that the Omer helps us to continue the process of freedom...

Jun 14, 2017

Challah: What We Knead To Know

Some Background Growing up, I knew that it was customary to eat Challah on Shabbat, but I didn’t know that the actual mitzvah of Challah...

May 23, 2017

What Is the Jewish Perspective on True Compassion and Self-Esteem?

A friend recently shared an article with me from The Atlantic called “Why Self-Compassion Works Better Than Self-Esteem.” Psychologist...

Apr 20, 2017

Film Review: Deconstructing The Women’s Balcony

I recently saw Israel’s #1 film of the year, an independent film, The Women’s Balcony. For those who haven’t seen it, I will give you a...

Jan 27, 2017

The Jewish Take on Minimalism

While this week’s topic may seem out of left field, it is really a continuation of last week’s theme on freedom. This year I am...

Dec 1, 2016

Above The Stars: The Jewish View on Astrology

I used to love checking my horoscope. Every morning for years, without fail, I went online to see how the stars were aligned for me that...

Nov 27, 2016

How Do Jews Celebrate Thanksgiving?

The idea of a “thanksgiving feast” originates in the Torah. After years of struggling with infertility, Abraham and Sarah had Isaac. The...

Nov 17, 2016

What Makes A Real Leader?

Regardless of who you voted for (if you did vote) in this past election, I think it is safe to say that no one felt his or her candidate...

Oct 28, 2016

Should Jews Care About Environmental Sustainability?

When I began learning about Judaism, I was an environmentalist. I assumed that there wasn’t much discussion on environmental issues in...

Sep 26, 2016

Why Do We Need To Pray?

Why do we need to pray to G-d? G-d is inherently perfect; He doesn’t need our prayers. We need to pray. The Hebrew word for praying is...