October 2016

Is This Why American Airlines and Fedex Lost Aircraft This Past Friday?

/ On Our Mind /

An American Airlines airplane aborted a take-off from Chicago’s O’Hare,  just in time, thank God, when one of its engines exploded and caught fire this past Friday.  A few hours later, a Fedex-owned aircraft caught fire at Fort Lauderdale Airport in Florida.  Were these both cases of negligence by maintenance crew?  With modern airplanes equipped

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Moral in the Eye of the Beholder

/ Susan's Musings /

Sometimes, living in today’s world can make one dizzier than a sped up roller coaster. A few times recently, newspaper articles starkly contrasted with one  another. A short while ago, Gene Klein wrote a thoughtful article for the Wall Street Journal explaining why 94 year old Oskar Gröning, who was a paper-pusher at Auschwitz, correctly received

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Despicable Names

/ Ask the Rabbi /

Question: Why do some of the names in the Old Testament have such bad meanings?  Can’t they be self-fulfilling prophecies? Laura Answer: What a great question!  We would like to add an explanation for people who are new to ancient Jewish wisdom. We frequently mention, on our TV show and in our resources, that every

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Potatoes and Healthcare

/ On Our Mind /

Imagine if a world body declared that every country must consume the same quantity of potatoes and rice per capita as every other. No more regional preferences. Whatever is eaten in one region must be embraced everywhere. It would be ridiculous. On the other hand, if a small town made that declaration regarding the families

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Strike Them Down

/ Thought Tools /

There we were, Mrs. Lapin and I, breakfasting with friends on a rooftop patio overlooking the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.  One of our breakfast companions is well connected with Israel’s high tech community and I immediately resolved to share with you what he disclosed to me. But first, by way of introduction, I must ask

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Closing Holy Day

/ On Our Mind /

Sunday night, Oct. 23, starts the final holy day of this Jewish month that is chock-full of festivals. It seems a special gift from God this year, to take extra breaks from listening to the news and views out there. If you’re not Jewish or perhaps you are Jewish but don’t observe these holy days, why not

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Autism, TSA and the Upcoming Election

/ Susan's Musings /

Recently, my husband and I flew on Thursday to Phoenix, where he spoke for a Dave Ramsey sponsored Business Boutique event on Friday and for a local synagogue on Shabbat. Not until the next day did we read of massive TSA lines in Chicago and of 3,000 bags that missed outgoing flights from the Phoenix airport

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I Want More Children-My Husband Doesn’t

/ Ask the Rabbi /

Question: Hello, I am 41 with 2 children ages 8 and 10.  I have been begging my husband for a third child for nearly 3 years now and he will not allow it. He says he does not want another child, and I am so upset, angry and heartbroken. I feel like it’s unfair of

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Thought Tool Update

/ On Our Mind /

Thanks for your comments about needing a visual. Please check out the Thought Tool again – let us know if the Hebrew visual is helpful. While we are learning how to take full advantage of our website, one of the things that we are most enjoying is hearing from all of you through the comments

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What’s in a Name?

/ Thought Tools /

In an act of unprecedented ostentatiousness, Gerald Guterman chartered the famous ocean liner, the QE2, along with its one thousand crew members to celebrate his son’s bar-mitzvah in 1986. Our son’s bar-mitzvah was solemnized in a small synagogue built on the Los Angeles ocean front in the 1940s.  Guterman was trying to add meaning to

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