We are approaching the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah. It is customary to wish each other a “shana tova umetuka”, a good, sweet new year. Many people simply say “shana tova”, a good new year. But the Lubavitcher Rebbe insisted on using the word “metukah”, sweet. Why? Because the idea of a sweet new year […]

As we approach Shavuot, I find myself musing on the ironies of life.  On Pesach my daughter started feeling sick. It continued for several weeks, getting worse each week to the point that she began vomiting and having stomach pains etc. We took her to the hospital and she was diagnosed with celiac disease!  Ironic

How often do we isolate ourselves from others or decide there are people we do not want to associate with? How often do we choose to like certain people and reject others? How often do we separate ourselves from friends or family members through conflicts or other issues that arise, and many for reasons that

The presidential debate was, of course, a disaster.  But in my opinion, it does not matter.  Because whether or not Trump performed up to par, or whether Biden sounded a bit more coherent than usual (and some people are of the opinion that he was being prompted by a hidden hearing device, or he had

In synagogue every Shabbat I see a woman who is totally bent over because she has some problem that does not allow her to ever straighten her back. I think to myself: every day we say the blessing “zokeaf kefufim” (Hashem straightens the bent) and it never had as much meaning as it does when

Today is Rosh Chodesh Kislev, the month known as the month of miracles and redemption. May we merit both. May this month bring each person their personal redemption from whatever problems they face, and the complete redemption of all the Jewish people and the entire world with the coming of Moshiach. And may it all

Wishing everyone a truly new year. Not just a new year in the sense of being Rosh Hashanah…but a new year, meaning a year that is very different and better than all previous years. A year of good health, of happiness, shalom bayit, parnassa , nachat and good news. But even more than that, it

The topic is not new, unfortunately. But what we hope will be new will be a much stronger response from the government to terror….and more importantly, we hope and pray that the government and all Jewish people will have the strength to stand up and say the truth to the world:  That the land of

Now that all the yomtovim are over, we are back to so called “normal” life…..but when I think back over the past month filled with so many wonderful Jewish holidays, I find myself wondering what is normal? Is it life now, or is It all those beautiful holidays where we feel so close to Hashem

Hashem created the world in such a way that there was darkness and then light .  Because the light that comes after darkness is much brighter .  Perhaps the month of Kislev is the  month  most connected to light. We have the yom tov of Yud Tes Kislev, the chag hageulah (redemption from prison )