Tag Archives: Judaism

What is Eco Kosher and Why Does it Matter?

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I get a regular amount of guest post requests from various blogs/companies, and usually it’s pretty “meh.”  Form emails and spammy and all that.  Robots, maybe (not the cool kind, though).  

But the other week, I got a very pleasant email from Anabelle Harari, and I took notice.  She proposed a guest post on food and mesorah.  Sounded good to me!  After I checked out her fabulous blog, Local Belle, I knew I wanted to collaborate with her.  Her guest post is on a topic that I’ve become much more interested in lately – Eco-kosher.  Enjoy!   Continue reading →

Why I’m Indoctrinating My Children (And Why You Are Too)

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My boys, excitedly anticipating the Pesach Seder. That's been instrumental in Indoctrinating children for thousands of years

My boys, excitedly anticipating the Pesach Seder. That’s been instrumental in indoctrinating children for thousands of years

In the comments section of a juicy leaving-my-religion article, a commenter shared his opinion that it isn’t “fair” that religious people raise their children in a strict environment like Orthodox Judaism.  It’s child abuse to brainwash them the way we do!  Why don’t we just raise them without religion and then let them choose what works for them when they are adults?

Setting aside the impracticality of that idea in the context of Orthodox Judaism, which is basically a full-day full-body life experience, I would like to propose that everyone indoctrinates their child.  Even if they don’t mean to. Continue reading →

What Makes Jewish Music “Jewish?”

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Before I get into this post, there are two points of business:  

First, I’m happy to announce that Rochel, who commented

“My least favorite room is the kitchen. However, I do enjoy the workout that cleaning it entails!”

is the winner of the “Let My RV Go” novel giveaway.  Yay!  I’ve emailed you to let you know, so I hope to hear back from you soon!  Congrats!

Second, the lovely, inspirational and very talented Andrea Grinberg has featured me as a “Lady Wrap Star” over on her fabulous blog, Wrapunzel.  When I “met” Andrea through the interwebz, it was clear to me that we needed to be friends.  She’s a musician (cello), has a couple of blogs where she has inspirational, honest content, and was also nicknamed Spock.  She has this page called “Music That Changed my Life,” and links to seriously great music.  I was blown away.  Recently, I had the opportunity to meet her in real life (yay!), when she and her husband were in town, and it was just a pleasure.  Anyways, I answer questions about covering my hair and there are some pictures of me in tichels over on her site, so check it out.

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Okay, so what makes Jewish music “Jewish?”   Continue reading →

Top Five Reasons to Keep Shabbos

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In case you're wondering, I use tea lights for the kids.

Yep, those are my candlesticks

Every Friday slightly before sundown, I light five candles.  One for me, one for my husband and one for each of my children.  I cover my eyes and say a blessing, and with that action, usher in 25 hours of rejuvenation, connection and rest.  It’s like a spiritual spa every week.  And boy, do I need it.  I mean, life is so hectic.  It is non-stop action over here, and I know I’m not the only person who experiences this.  Right?  Right.

So I’m super glad when I get to say TGIS (Thank G-d it’s Shabbos) and have a little oasis in time where I don’t feel compelled to check my email, see why my phone is making noises at me, or pack in the kids into the car to run errands.  The kids enjoy having challah and grape juice, and a special Shabbos cereal (we’ve been rocking the fruity Cheerios lately).  I get to see my husband when he actually has some energy, not just after a long, hard day at work.  It is great.

There are so many wonderful facets of Shabbos that it may be hard to pinpoint the highlights, but that’s just what I’ve done over at Partners in Torah, where I give my top five reasons to Keep Shabbos.  Is it the food?  The downtime?  The quality time with family?  The guests?  I’d really appreciate it if  you would head over there and show some support by liking the post and also leaving some comments about your favorite part of Shabbos.  Even if you don’t keep Shabbos, you could give a theoretical reason, that’s totally fine by me.  See you over there!

When Falling Down Means Going Up

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It was one of those days.  It started with some small yet challenging events, but the challenges kept coming, more quickly, and the more they came, the more mistakes I made in dealing with them.  By evening, it was like a roaring crescendo of mistakes culminating in one really lousy day.

Making so many mistakes all in one day can be very disheartening, especially when they are the same old slip-ups.   Like many people, I make the same mistakes over and over and over again, and it’s very frustrating.  After having a particularly unsuccessful day, it’s easy to feel discouraged, and to get stuck in an unhelpful frame of mind, thinking that I’m “never going to fix this,” or I’m “always going to make the same mistakes.”

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Lose the Label

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My family moved St. Louis while I was a freshman in college.  After graduation, I settled there (specifically in my parent’s basement) and discovered a quirky regional obsession with high schools.  St. Louisans love to ask where you went to high school.  Love it.  Not having attended high school in St. Louis, I viewed this with amused detachment, especially when I simply answered with the name of my high school and watched as they tried, and failed, to place it (a little mean, I know).  My assessment of this phenomenon was that it was an opportunity to see where your lives intersected, who you may have in common and, more cynically, where you rank in the socio-economic sense.  In short, what’s your label? Continue reading →

Solace from Tragedy

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Today is our fifth wedding anniversary.  I was going to write something about marriage, or husbands, or something like that.  Something light.

But if you’ve been paying attention to the news from Friday, you’ll understand why I don’t feel capable of writing something lighthearted.  Not right now.  I don’t think I’m even able to do a very coherent post, certainly not an eloquent one.

SandyHookElementarySchoolShooting2

We are all crying with the families of the victims now.  We are all heartbroken, numb, hugging our loved ones a little closer, giving our children a little more attention and patience.

Whenever something like this happens, one of the first questions is usually “how could this happen?”  For some, it’s “how could G-d let it happen,” for others it’s society, or the government, or whatever.  But we all wonder why.  And we will never know.

After the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, I remember learning the concept that everything we do has an impact in the world.  In the language of Judaism, every mitzvah, good deed, adds light to the world.  Adds light to the darkness which is constantly threatening to swallow us up.

This concept brings me solace in times like these.  After the hurricane, the war in Israel, and this unfathomable tragedy, the idea that by doing good, we are helping. Even if it’s imperceptible.  Even if it feels like the horrors and the evil are just too much to battle.

I saw this on Facebook.  Maybe it’s a place to start:

sandy hook

May all the mourners be comforted, may the memory of the victims be for a blessing, and may we only hear good news and know peace in our time.

Budgeting Priorities – Sheitel or School?

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‘Tis the season for sheitel sales.  I’m talking about the pre-Chanukah sale season, which is in full swing here.  There were at least two in Baltimore yesterday, maybe more.  As you may recall from my post on sheitels – they can be pricey.  OOOEEE!  Thankfully, it is not written in stone that one must pay over a grand for a sheitel (thank G-d!).  There’s a thriving consignment sheitel business that exists here in Baltimore, which is a fabulous, fabulous concept.  There are also brands of sheitels (yes, sheitels come in brands) which are more affordable.  One brand is Michal Wigs.  I heard about them a few years ago, and wanted to try one, but kept missing the sales, and then I wasn’t in the market for a sheitel for years, so when I did hear about a sale, it wasn’t relevant to me.

Well, the stars finally aligned, and I was looking for a new sheitel at the same time that one of my friends was hosting a sale for Michal Wigs.

Yes!  Yes yes yes yesssss.

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Shul Experiences

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Before I publish this post, I must say that I am completely consumed by the escalating situation in Israel.  I feel funny posting about anything else.  So, because mitzvos help protect us, these are good Psalms to say at a time like this:  130, 121, 83, 20, 91 & 143.  Also, check out the Shmira Project, where you can sign up to sponsor a solider, not with money, but with good deeds, prayer and Torah learning.  It just takes a minute, but makes an incalculable difference.  

The synagogue we attend (or, in my circles, the shul you daven at), can be a potent thing.  It “says” something about you.  You go to “this” synagogue, or “that” one.  It’s kind of annoying, but where you daven can categorize you.  Asking someone where they daven is kind of shorthand for asking them what they stand for.  Which camp do they align themselves with?  What type of person are they?

This reminds me of a joke:

A man is stranded on a desert island for years and years and years.  When his rescuers arrive, he gives them a little tour.  There are two structures, side-by-side, and he’s asked what they are.

“This is the synagogue I go to,” he replies with a note of pride.

“And what’s the other building?”

“That’s the synagogue I wouldn’t set foot in if you paid me.”

Right.

Since embarking on my religious journey nearly nine years ago, I’ve spent time in a wide array of synagogues.  Actually, too many synagogues to write about in one post, so I’m going to focus on five in this post, not necessarily chronologically.

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Having Guests – A Pleasure or a Pain?

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Having guests is a big mitzvah.  We learn in the Talmud that it’s one of the few mitzvos that we can enjoy the fruits of in this world, yet the principle is still intact in the World to Come.  So it’s kind of a big deal.  It can be inspiring, enjoyable, entertaining.  But what happens when the guest makes us uncomfortable, insinuates disapproval or outright insults us?   What do we do in a situation where one spouse wants to have a guest, but that guest makes us uber uncomfortable, effectively making Shabbos, usually a delight, into a day of tension and stress?  When it puts a strain on our marriage?

I ask because a reader contacted me with the following dilemma, and she would love to hear your advice on this tricky situation.

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