observance Archives

I’m usually too busy with the day-to-day of parenting to stop and reflect much on how the mother-I-am compares to the mother-I-thought-I-would-be. Like a lot of people (I hope, back me up here,… folks), when I was single, I was very confident about what was good parenting and what was not. Once, back in my single days, I was babysitting for a family and playing a game with the 4-year-old, who lied to my face about some small thing. I don’t even remember what it was. But I… >> Read More

Tisha B'Av

How Tisha B’Av Shows My Kids It’s OK to Experience Loss

Ilana Kurshan

A few weeks ago a street lamp collapsed in the empty Jerusalem parking lot my children and I cross through every morning on our way to their preschool. The giant light pole—at least 30 feet… tall—lay strewn across the parking lot, its wooden pole intact but its glass light shattered. I tried to navigate the stroller around the shards and the exposed electrical wires. Although we were not there when the lamp toppled, my kids were very shaken to see how the mighty had fallen, and even now, weeks after… >> Read More

challah

Why I Don’t Believe in Chocolate Challah (Or Any Weird Variation)

Carol Ungar

I’ve got no patience for chocolate challah, chocolate chip challah, pumpkin spice challah, peanut butter challah, apple pie challah, pizza challah, and the myriad other challah mutations popping up… in cyberspace each day. It’s not that they aren’t tasty—I’m prepared to believe that a peanut butter challah can taste good. It’s just that challah needs to be, well, challah. These foods—I’m not quite sure what to call them—have an identity crisis. What are they? Challahs, or some other kind of baked goods—muffins, pie, or… >> Read More

Tisha B'Av

Why I Think Tisha B’Av Is the Yoga of Jewish Holidays

Nina Badzin

So I’m pretty sure Tisha B’Av is the yoga of Jewish holidays. But before I tell you why, I first have to acknowledge that there’s debate in Jewish circles about the compatibility of yoga and… Judaism. I’ve heard arguments that elements of yoga border on idolatry, and I’ve heard other knowledgeable Jews maintain that yoga is a form of exercise, not a religion. I’m one of those Jews who attends yoga classes for the body work, not as a spiritual endeavor, but I do happen to like the closing line… >> Read More

observance

When Mom Is Orthodox & Dad Isn’t, the Kids Have Lots of Questions

Eli Mandel

On Saturday morning, as I sit on my bed with the fan and air conditioner both blowing on me, fighting to beat back the sweat I built up running on the treadmill, there’s timid knocking at the door.… “Come in,” I say. My little philosopher enters. Her head is down, she might have been crying. She sits down on the bed next to me and starts crying, perhaps for the second time. I put my arm around her neck and hold her head close and let the sobs come. “What is it?” I… >> Read More

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