Somehow, life as usual doesn’t feel right…but what do we do? While we go through the motions of life, we need to be searching for ways to stay connected. Several of us on the Between Carpools team have close family living in Israel. We have friends in the military. We know people living in the…
Inspiration
What Can We Do?
You might be frozen with shock, or fear for loved ones in Eretz Yisrael. As we read the news on motzei Yom Tov, besides for shock and sadness, we also felt frozen. But it’s time to move and use our spiritual strength to do our part to be noseh b’ol with brothers and sisters living…
Using the Joy of Sukkos to Bring Down the Barriers in Our Life
How to take advantage of Sukkos to come close to Hashem and those around us. It’s been an awe inspiring Yamim Noraim, replete with mindful soul searching and dedicated self-improvement. We’ve made ourselves vulnerable, we’ve shed our facade, and we’ve dug deep within in our quest to perfect ourselves and come closer to our Creator….
Why We Let Go and How to Move On
“Machul Lack,” you are forgiven! Why forgiveness benefits us more than it benefits them. As we beg Hashem for forgiveness for all that we have done over the past year, we seek as well to forgive those who have wronged us and to ask forgiveness from those we have wronged. The older we get, the…
Keeping Hashem in the Picture
How to get in the right frame of mind during the hustle and bustle of these days. Once again, we launch at dizzying speed into the September season. No sooner have we recovered from the between-camp-and-school maelstrom, then it’s school supplies and shoe-store mobs and Oh! What’s on the menu for Rosh Hashana this year? …
How to Teach Young Children the Meaning of Tisha B’Av
There are age appropriate ways to help our children tap into the meaning of the day. Tisha B’av as a young mother of children is challenging, to say the least. We are torn between our own hunger pangs, our guilt at not feeling what we are supposed to be feeling (okay, the guilt is my…
My Resolution at 40: To Give Compliments
But you can resolve to give genuine compliments at any age. I made an honest mistake. I told some friends that I took upon myself to compliment people. And they have been teasing me relentlessly. Every time I say something that slightly resembles a compliment, they say: Nice compliment. I like how 40 falls on…
Your Quick Guide to Pre-Shavuos Inspiration
If you didn’t find the time to learn Pirke Avos over Sefirah, you can still bring the sparks of greatness into your Shavuos. Take in these highlights from the sixth Perek, also known as “Perek Kinyan Torah.” The Shabbos before Shavuos is the perfect time to learn and absorb these messages of the majesty of…
The Fire Within: A Lag B’omer Primer for Growth
What does this day mean to us? How can we use it for growth? Ner elokim nismas adam. Our neshama is compared to a fire, and there are a number of ways this can be manifested. What I have always considered the most poignant relationship between fire and soul is the constant pull to reach…
Launching Tomorrow: LAHAV by Shiffy Friedman
Is there a limit to how much sweeter life can become? The answer is here. Join Shiffy tomorrow at 10 a.m. EST. Editor’s Note: Shiffy Friedman has been with us on BCP since the very beginning. She’s been that ever present voice of inspiration and gives all of those valuable moments to stop and think….