We come into this year’s Rosh Hashanah a little differently than in years past. Just how should we feel as we begin our tefillos? With Rosh Hashanah inching closer, I’ve started my well-wishing phone calls to family and friends. So much to wish one another! First, there are the blessings for health, parnassah, and nachas….
What’s Your Corona Story?
We’ve all experienced disappointment recently. How do we deal with it? How do we help our children deal with it? (Note: While many have unfortunately experienced deeply traumatic losses, such as the passing of a loved one or losing their source of parnassah, this article focuses on everyday sources of disappointment.) We all have our…
How Do You Reconnect to Torah When You’ve Been Connected All Along?
“And then I fell in love with Torah and mitzvos.” That’s probably a quote from someone who was raised in an unaffiliated home and discovered Yiddishkeit later in life, right? We tend to bear this erroneous sentiment not because those of us who are raised frum can’t or don’t enjoy the same connection. In the…
What Does Hashem Want From Me in Quarantine?
He’s behind this. So there must be a reason. Will we accept that? On Thursday morning two weeks ago, after having a difficult night with intense tooth pain, I was eagerly looking forward to my dentist appointment (which I had scheduled a while back). At about 8:30 am, I got a phone call from the…
How to Really Feel Happiness
Do you think happiness is the elusive feeling for those with a perfect life? Open the fountain: happiness is there in full abundance for you too. Did you ever look at a young child and think, “I wish I would have that?” I wish I could have that sparkle in my eye, that joy and…
It’s Not Just Another Supper: The Real Meaning of a Mother’s Role
Did you ever imagine how much everlasting value is in every single task a mother does? When Victoria Dwek offered me the privilege of contributing to the Nshei Hasiyum magazine, I immediately knew what I would be writing about. As a magazine that was geared toward women, and distributed at an event where the men…
How to Give Your Child Positive Chanukah Memories Forever
This is one of the best Chanukah gifts you can give your children. And it’s free! The first Chanukah after I was married, we had just returned to Eretz Yisrael from visiting family in the States and I was in a very early stage of pregnancy. Couple that with the long, dark nights that came…
How to Let Your Children Know—Really Know—That You Love Them No Matter What
The one thing only you can give your child is the one thing they need to blossom in life. Love. One evening in June of 2017, I walked into my daughters’ bedroom to catch a glimpse of them before I turned in for the night. I saw two angelic little girls, heads tilted to the…
It’s a Time of Mourning. But what if I don’t feel sad about the churban?
How to realize what we’re missing…and genuinely feel sad and cry. The pool is closed, music speakers are stowed away, and meat is off the menu. In camp, our daughters chant, “The Nine Days, a time of tzarah; we don’t cheer, because we’re marah.” But what if we don’t feel that way? What if I’m…
5 Necessities for Raising Emotionally Healthy Children
It’s not easy—raising happy children takes work—but the first step is knowing what it will take to be successful. From the moment a new mother lays her eyes on her bundle of joy for the very first time, all she wishes is for the child to live a long, healthy, and happy life. While the…