Over the almost two decades that we actively homeschooled, there were many times that I questioned whether I was doing the right thing or adequately preparing my children for a successful future. Then, there were those radiant moments when I inwardly shouted, “YES!!!” I remember one such moment when I found a few of our...
“Come to Pharaoh for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants so that I can put my signs in his midst, and so that you may tell in the ears of your son and your grandsons how I made a mockery of Egypt and my signs that I placed among them—and...
The third section of the book of Exodus, starting with Exodus 9 begins with God telling Moses, “Come to Pharaoh.” The obvious question is, why does God say, “come to Pharaoh” instead of “go to Pharaoh”? Surely, “go to Pharaoh” is what we expect to hear! The classic answer is that God is telling Moses...
After 210 years of enslavement, the Jewish people are finally about to be redeemed. God gives Moses his mission to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go!” What happens at the beginning of Exodus when Moses and Aaron approach the king of Egypt with their request? (Exodus 5) Not only did Pharaoh famously say, “No, I...
A 'Your Mother's Guidance' post by Rebecca Masinter Anxiety in children was on the rise way before COVID but, unfortunately, it is even more prevalent now. Fear itself isn’t a problem—it’s an opportunity to either become empowered and take action or, God forbid, to take the opposite path and become anxious and fall into dejection....
We human beings habituate very easily to new ideas and actions. Growing up, my mother taught me to grease a pan by dipping a paper towel into Crisco shortening (hydrogenated oil was not a phrase we knew) and smearing it over the pan. Years later, when I set out to bake some cookies and realized...
‘Your Mother’s Guidance’ by Rebecca Masinter After Joseph was sold to Egypt, his father, Jacob, was told that his son had been ripped apart by a wild animal. Jacob mourned deeply. We’re told “vayisabel al bno yamim rabim,” “he mourned for his son for many days. “ Over time, his children tried to comfort him. ...
A ‘Your Mother’s Guidance’ post by Rebecca Masinter Names in the Bible are not just names, When the twins, Yaakov and Eisav (Jacob and Esau) are born, their names don’t only reflect their physical traits but spiritual ones as well. Eisav’s name is from the word “asui”, meaning, made or finished. Yaakov was named from...
A ‘Your Mother’s Guidance’ post by Rebecca Masinter There are two fascinating parallel stories about Abraham, one in Genesis 12 and one in Genesis 20. In each of them, Abraham travels to a foreign land for a temporary stay, once in Egypt and once in Grar. In each of them, Abraham says that Sarah is...
Some book titles provide value even if you never read the book. (It’s quite possible that for some books, the title is the best part.) I never read All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum, but the title sticks in my mind as a clever one. I don’t know if,...
