I often wonder if people in other times of history really felt that things were so bad as they are in our era. The stock market plunge is still making its effects felt in all areas of the economy and the rise of stocks seems to belie all of the job losses and closed stores in the malls. The threat of terrorism is constant and is spread throughout the world. Not a week goes by that I don’t hear of a synagogue or a Jewish center vandalised. The shooting at the Holocaust Memorial last week was as chilling as it … Continue reading →

Okay, so I know Loving Leah was a made-for-television movie that was screened last night (I don’t have a television, but I try to keep up with certain news), but what are “chalitza’ and “Yibum”? Now, my apologies because I am not 100% informed about the plot of the movie. As I said, I prefer not to have a television (although we do have internet, otherwise I would not be able to blog) and even if I did have television, I am living in Israel and “Loving Leah” was not aired here. However, a friend gave me a plot summary, … Continue reading →

Dear Susie, First of all, I’d like to invite you to my home when you come to Jerusalem (not planning a trip to Jerusalem? Well, we all will find ourselves here eventually). I must warn you, my apartment is small and needs renovation. My wig may need some restyling (taking my wig to a stylist is a luxury I can afford before holidays and sometimes in between). I may not be dressed in the latest fashions. But don’t think this is true of all Lubavitch Jewish women. You would have seen a very similar person if you would have met … Continue reading →

I was looking at my To-Do list yesterday. “Looking” is the operative word. Not completing the items on my To-Do list. I get as much pleasure making these lists as I do window shopping. But looking at the result, the long list itself, is like picking up the bill after an extravagant meal at a restaurant (hmm…when was the last time I’ve been to a restaurant…I guess back in the days when the bill was cheaper than the babysitting!) I ask, as many others do, how am I going to get this done. In addition, like most people, I am … Continue reading →

Well, I get a mazal tov. We just had a baby boy on Tuesday, thank G-d! (we Chassidim say Thank G-d not just when getting through danger, but whenever we see a blessing in our lives). He is 6 pounds and beautiful and I am so grateful we got through fine. Every baby is truly a miracle. According to our tradition, we do not officially give a boy a name until the baby is circumcised, eight days after birth. But I will speak about the name and naming in general when this day arrives G-d willing after next Tuesday. I … Continue reading →

The basis for all of our mistakes is foolishness, says Schneur Zalman of Liadi, but what can we do about this foolishness? How can a vicious cycle of behavior be transformed into something productive, and is it necessary to uproot bad habits or to redirect impulses? Today marks 57 years since Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn accepted the leadership of the Lubavitcher Chassidim whose headquarters are in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. After his predecessor, Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, passed away a year earlier, his son-in-law refused the position of Rebbe for an entire year until the day after the anniversary of the previous … Continue reading →