We had a VERY restful Shabbos and by restful, I mean that most of our family spent it sleeping with a nasty flu that set in toward the end of the week last week. We would wake to daven and do kiddush and such, then sleep. At one point, only my husband still had his … Continue reading Fall Flu, Learning to Dress Like a Grownup, and Iggy Endures!
This week's parsha (weekly Torah portion) is a doozy. Even just from a perspective of trying to process it all, this week's parsha has 74 of the Torah's 613 mitzvahs in it, so that's a lot to take in. Interestingly, though, this week's parsha also has a lot of mitzvahs regarding women. My dear friend … Continue reading The Beautiful Captive – Parshas Ki Teitzei
I watched a really deep and profound shiur (class) once that said that the tears of a woman are the rain that causes blessings to come from above, that a woman's tears have great power to soften Hashem and call upon his mercy. Today, since it is fall and our rainy season, it is a … Continue reading Conversion Setbacks and Crying in the Rain
Yesterday, I began one of the harder parts of my process of teshuva (repentance). In Judaism, Hashem can only forgive those offenses that are against Him, not the mistakes we make that are against our fellow human beings and many people spend some time before the High Holidays seeking out those they may have wronged … Continue reading When My Yetzer Hara Tried To Be My Editor
In the past week's parsha, we read about Moses preparing the Jewish people for their next big challenge...entering the land of Israel and keeping the laws of Torah there. Over and over, he stresses how much better their lives will be if they follow the commandments and it's clear from the commentaries that he knew … Continue reading Leveling Up
My daughter is a fierce little fireball of energy. At 11 years old, she's smart and capable and living in Alaska has shown her that she can do just about anything she sets her mind to. She's cross-country skied in a skirt, ridden horseback, done a zipline, and fished for salmon. Alaska is definitely a … Continue reading Explaining Rashi’s Daughters to My Own
6 years ago tomorrow, I made the decision to begin covering my hair. It was such a momentous decision to me that I noted it on my calendar the same way I noted the day I decided to convert, birthdays, and anniversaries. It is a mitzvah for married Jewish women to cover their hair and … Continue reading Haircovering
Today is the fast day of the 17th of Tammuz, the beginning of a Jewish holiday called "The Three Weeks." To make a long story short, in most cases if something bad was meant to happen to the Jewish people, it would happen during these three weeks, culminating in Tisha B'Av, a major fast day … Continue reading 17 Tammuz and Ahavas Yisroel
This week's parsha has always been one I've stumbled over. I know I'm supposed to revile the Moabite women who seduce the Israelites and cheer on Pinchas as he becomes a righteous zealot, skewering one of them and Zimri, gaining his descendants the priesthood. Still, just something seems off about it, particularly as it comes … Continue reading This Week’s Parsha – Pinchas – A Tale of Two Sets of Daughters
Two weeks ago, I got a package in the mail that I had been anxiously awaiting. I took a deep breath before unwrapping it, nervous, hopeful. It was like I was carefully measuring hope, not wanting to get TOO hopeful and be disappointed, but still really hoping. That package was a wig and I have … Continue reading Healing My Relationship With Wigs
Recently, an app came out for Taharas Hamispacha (Family Purity) that has proved to be really controversial in Orthodox circles. The app aims to reduce the discomfort of women who need Rabbinical opinions regarding these laws by allowing them to submit photos for a Rabbi to look at and give an opinion rather than having … Continue reading Relationships with Rabbis
Without a doubt, one of the most difficult things about conversion that I've had to work on and help my children with is the reality of double standards. It's one of those things that I think every Orthodox conversion candidate has to come to a place of acceptance with because it's not something we can … Continue reading Reframing Double Standards and Painting Cabinets
The Safek 