JEWISH HOME LA

Sukkot: Keeping Cool or Crazy? Sarah Pachter Sukkot is a holiday I call “housekeeper crazy.” And no, not because the housekeeper is going crazy from all the cleaning tasks—that’s Pesach. Sukkot is “housekeeper crazy” because the housekeeper sees “those Jews” and thinks we are crazy!…

Torah Musings: Sukkot: Keeping Cool or Crazy?

In search of paper chains Rebecca Klempner Sukkos is coming, and I’m at a bit of a loss. Once upon a time, I had preschoolers. Preschoolers make actually sitting in the sukkah a bit sketchy, but they make sukkah decoration easy. Morah Rivki and Morah…

Humor: In search of paper chains

Self-Transcendence, Part 1 Rabbi Dov Heller I can think of no more enlivening and pleasurable experience than self-transcendence—and no greater pain than self-absorption. Self-transcendence is perhaps the greatest need of a human being. Individuals can transcend the self by connecting to something greater than themselves.…

Emotional Health: Self-Transcendence, Part 1

Dear readers, The loss of Ari Fuld is tremendous. Anyone who met him, even those in total disagreement with him politically, speaks of his larger than life presence and contagious positivity. A brief look at the statements made after his murder shows a deep respect…

Dear Readers..

Must tzitzis start out as valid? Rabbi Shmuel Wise, Maggid Shiur at RealClearDaf.com The daf that falls out on Yom Kippur discusses this issue. Rav Huna rules that if someone put tzitzis on a three-cornered garment (which has no tzitzis obligation) and then created a…

Weekly Daf: Must tzitzis start out as valid?

Elul in the War Years Brenda Goldstein On Friday, September 1, 1939—the 17th Elul, 5699—Germany invaded Poland, an act widely seen as the start of World War II. While Jews across Europe prepared for Shabbos and the upcoming High Holidays, their world turned into a…

Elul in the War Years

Dear Readers, Each night, year-round, we lie down in bed expecting to wake up refreshed and revitalized from the fatigue of the previous day. The same is true each Elul/Tishrei season in a more general sense: all the previous months, with their specific yomim tovim…

Dear Readers..

Does nullification apply to a mixture of similar items? Rabbi Shmuel Wise The daf of last Shabbos gave us the opportunity to review the mishnah in Zevachim that discusses this question. The mishnah there discusses a case where some sacrificial blood got mixed in with…

Weekly Daf: Does nullification apply to a mixture of similar items?

Our Spiritual Journey Brenda Goldstein When this writer heard about L.A.-based artist and master calligrapher Rae Shagalov’s “Five-Day Creative Torah Journaling Challenge,” I signed up right away. Following publication of her book Create Your Joyfully Jewish Life: A 30 Day Step-By-Step Workshop and Creative Journal…

Our Spiritual Journey: A Profile Holy Sparks Publishing Co.

Freedom to Forgive Sarah Pachter To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.—Lewis B. Smedes While researching forgiveness, I came across the following example.[1] Jennifer, 65, is very angry at her ex-boyfriend. It seems he asked her best…

Humor: Sibling Revelry Rebecca Klempner There are times when I struggle to find topics for my columns, and there are times when a topic lands in my lap in the middle of Shabbos lunch. This past Shabbos afternoon, I sat at our table, innocently arranging…

Humor: Sibling Revelry

Seven Ways Parents Hurt Their Children Rabbi Dov Heller A colleague once introduced a parenting class in the following way: “All parents make mistakes. It’s just that some make bigger mistakes than others.” Here are seven serious mistakes that parents make that hurt their children.…

Seven Ways Parents Hurt Their Children

Dear Readers, Is tension a good thing? How about nerves—do they have a purpose? All around us, we see messages telling us to relax and lead stress-free lives. Yet at the same time we’re told life is all about growing and going beyond our natural…

Dear Readers..

Westwood Kehilla Wins the OU Women’s Initiative Challenge Grant Yehudis Litvak A local synagogue, Westwood Kehilla, won the Orthodox Union (OU) Women’s Initiative Challenge Grant for its new Inspiring Women’s Leadership program. Westwood Kehilla, a small congregation with approximately 60 members, is one of 16…

Westwood Kehilla Wins the OU Women’s Initiative Challenge Grant

01

Comment