Complications. This is life. Things never go as smoothly as we would have hoped and the road is never a straight path for anyone. Goals get interrupted by situations, many of which are beyond our control.We talk about people having emotional baggage that they drag...
It’s the Halloween season and the atmosphere is one of ghosts, witches, goblins and other scary-looking creatures. As Orthodox Jews, we don’t celebrate this holiday and none of these things bother us at all. However, at any time of year, the mention of one word will...
Fear. It’s a powerful force that enters our lives from infancy and stays with us forever. When this force is out of control, it can cripple our lives and prevent us from functioning. Normal childhood fears may include fear of the dark, fear of new people and fear of...
Mazel Tov! It’s a wedding! On a Sunday morning in June of 2012, I had the privilege of attending the wedding of Chaya Hollander and Avi Murrell in Passaic, New Jersey. The wedding was amazing, yet it was as atypical as the couple being united that day. The ceremony...
The cozy, warm feeling of a heated home on a cold, rainy day. The togetherness and unity with my family and synagogue. The joy of singing Zemirot together at a festive meal on Shabbat. This was the Orthodox Judaism I experienced as a young child. My father was an...
There is music in the air. Colorful decorations and streamers in green and red, gold and white adorn the shopping areas, schools and businesses. Festive music plays in the stores and on the radio. There is such an exciting mood in the air in November and December. Oh,...
What do you associate with Chanukah? Latkes? Sufganiyot? Lighting the menorah? Presents? Togetherness with family? Dreidels? Light and warmth in the middle of winter? These are the aspects of the holiday that most people anticipate with great excitement. What...
I never planned to work in the field of gynecology or women’s health, but life has a way of getting you to where you need to be, even when you don’t see it coming. In the fall of 2000, my now late husband Craig was diagnosed with cancer of unknown primary. He...
Do we eat to live, or do we live to eat? That’s an interesting question and the answer may not always be obvious. So much of life and social activity revolves around food. In the Jewish world, especially if one observes Shabbat and all the Jewish holidays, food plays...