Sometimes, the passage of time makes things crystal clear. It is obvious today that there is no link between education and wisdom and, furthermore, no link between hours spent in school and education. Scores of college students and graduates constantly reveal their ignorance about basic concepts of American history, democracy and the Constitution on a...
A ‘Your Mother’s Guidance’ post by Rebecca Masinter How many times have you heard your children cry, “It isn’t fair!” Children are born with an acute sense of what is fair and what isn’t. They keep detailed track of who sat next to Mommy and Daddy last week at the Shabbat table, who got the...
You know you’re in for a rough time when you hear a speaker begin his speech by saying, “Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking.” I hope that this Musing isn’t an echo of that as I say, “Unaccustomed as I am at having nothing to say…” As an introvert, the increased isolation engendered by COVID-19...
Dear Rabbi and Susan, Thank you so much for your words of wisdom. Very dear friends of mine have a daughter in her mid 30’s. She is a modern orthodox Jew or at least Lubavitcher. She lives in the Houston area, which doesn’t have a huge Orthodox population so there aren’t that many opportunities for...
How do you like this allegory? Once upon a time, there was a wonderful country filled with happy people. It wasn’t perfect, but there was hardly a citizen who’d rather be living somewhere else. Then a wicked and ugly old witch whispered her evil curse over the land. Little by little some children stopped getting...
Last week, we discussed how parents can get on the same page when it comes to children watching TV/video or using technology. While I didn’t mention how important it is for parents to present a unified front, that is imperative. One of the biggest gifts parents can give children is predictability and security. When mothers...
It is terribly easy to become convinced that evil lurks in every heart and that cross-cultural friendships are impossible. Many rabble-rousers and politicians get rich and powerful by convincing us of such. One of our daughters mentioned that, as summer weather descended, her children (age nine and under) were playing daily in a local park....
Sadly, but readily, I’ll confess that I am no dancer. It’s not that I wouldn’t like to be Fred Astaire on the dance floor. It’s just that when I dance, more than anything else I resemble a drunk trying to trample a cockroach. One of my many problems in this arena is that I remember...
I am a 35-year-old male who is sole supporter for a household of 7 and I feel like I am at or near a mid-life crisis. I admit this probably isn’t the middle of my life, but from what I read and others tell me all indications suggest this is what I am experiencing. Are...
The following question came into our office and I think this is the best venue for a response. My question is what if your wife does not share the same thoughts of watching tv and reading. What do you do? Also if you have young children who watch tv but sometimes it’s difficult not to...
