Contradictions are amazing things. They prod us to expand our thinking and change our minds. They can also remind us that there is a huge space between black and white and even force us to hold two irreconcilable ideas in our minds at the same time. It is said that a legendary rabbi and teacher
The Writer’s Dilemma Read More »
Have you ever wished you had access to an all-knowing oracle; a kind of magic 8-Ball? Silly question! Of course you have. Who hasn’t? Should you quit your job and start the business you’ve always dreamed of? Easy—ask the oracle. Is the person courting your daughter someone she’ll grow to love and respect? No problem—ask
Just Tell Me What to Do Read More »
Question: I am in my 60’s. I live in a cul-de-sac. There are families with children. The children yell and scream, run through other people’s yards and ride bikes through other people’ s yards and grass. This really upsets me and disturbs my peace. I feel like the only way to get peace is to
Do I Suffer in Silence or Speak Up? Read More »
There are many reasons why I don’t watch late night television. Firstly, I fade in the evening. I am an ‘early to bed, early to rise’ person and need huge incentives to do anything but prepare for and go to sleep after 9:30. Secondly, profanity makes me wince, not laugh. For some reason, for many
Bill Maher Wasn’t Funny Read More »
Dear Rabbi and Susan, I saw a trending story that a woman booked her executive boss on a flight with a 4-hour layover because of a company policy that employees must take the cheapest flight available. Her boss was not amused. It wasn’t clear if she was fired or not, but it sounds like as
So Many Opinions, Part 2 Read More »
I have a question about these three reports: (i) Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, is leaving the state of Washington and retiring to Florida. (ii) Author and activist Naomi Wolf wrote a piece relating how uncomfortable she was in a hot tub when a man labeling himself as a woman sat down close
What Will Happen Next? Read More »
Want to make it as a published author? Well, if the Internet is any guide, just write a book about achieving happiness. Nearly a hundred of them are written each year. I can’t promise you’d make money writing such a book because I have no data on how well such books sell, but at least
The Real Secret of Happiness Read More »
Dear Rabbi and Susan, I saw a trending story that a woman booked her executive boss on a flight with a 4-hour layover because of a company policy that employees must take the cheapest flight available. Her boss was not amused. It wasn’t clear if she was fired or not, but it sounds like as
I broke one of my unofficial rules this month. In general, I try to reserve reading about the Holocaust for three summer weeks that are put aside for national mourning in the Jewish calendar. Call it a mental health strategy. Yet, when a request I had placed in the library for The Sisterhood of Ravensbruck:
A Book That Will Haunt You Read More »
Dear Rabbi and Susan, Ever since October 7, I’ve been wearing a kippah (a head covering worn by most observant Jewish men)—not because I’ve become more observant (I learned from you to use that word rather than “religious”)—I haven’t—but because I’m proud to be a Jew. I’ve gotten some pushback from some of the more
What Happens if My Dress Doesn’t Match My Actions? Read More »
