These days, some people who for years have chanted “my body, my choice,” are insisting that the government should mandate what you put into your body. Others, who argued against the exclusive rights we each have to our bodies, are crossing now to the other camp. Whether you are on one side or the other...
What a blessings it is to be able to bounce out of bed each morning on fire to fulfill one’s purpose for living. One of the most potent antidotes to feeling low, miserable and even depressed is having a purpose, knowing it, and passionately propelling oneself towards it. As an ardent boating enthusiast, I find...
The Jewish calendar resembles a jigsaw puzzle more than it does a collage. Holy days do not stand alone, but are linked to other dates in the calendar so that we are constantly being propelled to the next notable date while still retaining fumes from the previous one. Even this chock-filled time of year with...
But everybody’s doing it.” Is there any parent who has not heard that cry? Perhaps your child wants to go to an inadequately chaperoned party. Maybe a teenager wants to read the latest best-selling book that his or her parents see as morally suspect. No matter the issue, children want to be part of a...
God spare us from these things, but have you ever wondered how someone who apparently had everything to live for, took his or her own life? A young woman recently qualified as a physician, with grueling years of training behind her and on the threshold of a promising career, throws herself off her hospital roof. ...
What if you do not want to pray for life? That thought ran as an undercurrent through my mind as I prayed the extra prayers during the Ten Days of Repentance that culminate with Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement. Many of those prayers plead with God for the opportunity to live for another...
It makes sense to live life cautiously. Rational thought precludes taking risks. Reason suggests that we carefully weigh all options and avoid stepping onto any path whose outcome cannot be clearly seen. This safe approach reduces the likelihood of wasting one’s time and money, or harming one’s health. It certainly has merit. However, if the...
That may not be the most original title, but it pretty much sums up my recent trip to Jerusalem. Arriving just a few days before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, meant starting off with an intense prayer experience. Yom Kippur is an annual occurrence, and unfortunately, it is often wrongly perceived by many Jews...
