Yes, it is that time of year again. Something we look forward to during the short days of winter. It is precisely the anticipation of spring that awakens the soul and gives us the realization that we made it through another winter to enjoy the fruits of spring and summer. But it’s more than that. As we face the wrath of this coronavirus we should take heed to our learning and be blessed to have

By way of full disclosure, I do consider myself a right-leaning conservative and generally moderate on many positions, erring on the side of protecting the family. I rarely get into politics in this blog, but I do think it relevant to bring a different perspective to be considered. You see, we all have opinions, really. We all do. Some choose to give a loud voice to those opinions and others user a quieter

Of course, now that I have been both a parent and grandparent for three years and eight months, I have answers. Although I still have more questions and observations than answers. In fact, I think that we often pursue answers instead of thinking about questions and making observations. It seems that is a lost art somewhere in our human development. But the Almighty gave us parents and grandparents – if we are among the lucky ones. And if you don’t

I have unfortunately been to many funerals in my life. In fact, 30+ family members in as many years. Grief and mourning have always been an interest of mine though I am not at all sure why. I lost my grandmother in 1972 just four days before my 14th birthday and birthdays just never were the same since then. Of course, there were birthday parties from time to time, but that is not the point. The passing of a loved

In the immortal words of Adam Sandler, “8 Crazy Nights….” Chanukah is here, and however you spell it, it is our time to light candles for eight nights to commemorate…what? Yes, we know the story of how one day’s oil burned for eight nights as a sign from Hashem, but what does it really mean, this Chanukah celebration? The kids get some gifts, we light the menorah, say some prayers, and play dreidel games. While it occurs around the

Throughout history the world has depended on fighting men, and increasingly fighting women, to stand up to authority and threats to personal safety and to defend cultures. Many have died for both good reasons and bad, but the injured (psychologically and physically) have carried the experience of veterans to an extreme. The quiet among us are the brave warriors who dared to live through their experiences and find ways to contribute to society. So what of all this you might

Thinking about the people I have been sharing the Jewish holidays with over recent weeks has me considering ways those moments can make a difference in the coming year.  My family is simply filled with incredible people and love that created beautiful memories. The friends we shared moments with are really like an extended family and we met many new people over the course of our holidays. Perhaps the more satisfying group of people

No, you did not miss it, yes there's still time, and maybe, just maybe, this is your year.  “Really?” you might ask. “Yes, really,” I would say. Each of us gets this gift each year if we only embrace it and make it important to us.  Last month I asked you to prepare for a smooth landing as we can begin to see the new year in sight. Now I suggest you relax

Not unlike an airplane “gearing down” for a smooth landing, this time of year finds many of us in the middle of summer preparing for all life brings in September and the fall season. Some of us are in the second camp session, college bound students are preparing for the new semester, and many of us begin to notice the shortening days. As Jews, we have even more to consider, to contemplate and find our way to prepare, for not

Why is the sky blue? There certainly are a few scientific explanations about the color of the sky and how our atmosphere interacts with the sun’s rays to play tricks on our eyes to show us “color.” But there is more to it than that. Remember, we are made in God’s image. What we see should be a reminder of His grace and goodness, something reflected onto us by Hashem himself and something we should cast out