A Journey Worth Taking

A few seats away, I noticed a man with a Mishnah in hand, talking intently into a cell phone. I soon realized the man was participating in a Daf Yomi shiur, utilizing his traveling time well.

The Lost Mezuzah

It’s written, it says, with all the segulos for shalom bayis and you gave it as a gift to a chassan and kallah.

A Tale Of Two Pigeons

As I listed the litany of tragedies, as I perceived them, my mother responded by saying: “Who’s had a terrible life? I’ve had a wonderful life. I had your father for 40 years until he was taken from us. I had you and your brother. I lived to see grandchildren.”

Fasten Your Seat Belts!

Our son-in-law e-mailed tickets for us to print out and bring along to allow us admittance. Simple enough.

The Siddur

“Daddy,” I exclaimed, “Is this how you daven?” Daddy’s response was a hearty laugh. I felt so proud of myself.

A Long Night’s Journey

There were two pokerfaced police officers standing at our door.

The Ups And Downs Of Summer

She always had a smile, and put her best foot forward – as hard as that might have been.

Shomer Pesayim Hashem

In fact, if the Mother of the Year Award featured a category for best worrier, I would be a major contender.

Lost Shidduchim

Put a coin in the Meir Baal Haness box every day and ask Reb Meir Baal Haness to find the lost kallah,” Ella told me.

Tehillim Is A Very Powerful Tool

In disbelief the doctors said it was not their doing but rather a true miracle that such a choleh could survive this illness.

A Place Called Crown Heights

I vowed that when I would grow up, I would speak Yiddish to my kinderlach and I would move to “a place called Crown Heights.”

What I Leaned From Playing Poker

Two husbands were there to instruct us in Texas hold ‘em – and we needed them.

My Father’s Photograph Of ‘Divine Providence’

As his bomber lost altitude with the ground rushing up, my father remembered his last thought: “How am I going to get out of this?

While I Was Sleeping

Even in the best of times, life is not free of calamity or crisis. But like the well-known Jewish expression goes: “It could be a lot worse.”

The Master Plan: Scripted To Perfection

Predictably, my husband agrees and is fine with either night. But after reminding him that he steadily delivers a shiur in his shul on Tuesday nights, he chooses Wednesday, offering a topic related to the Four Sons of Haggadah fame.

Frogs Were Jumping Everywhere

I insisted that one decoration, a dancing sevivon (dreidel) man, remain hanging in recognition of the chag. Some in my family questioned the appropriateness of this decision. Was it proper to have decorations hanging in what would soon become a house of shiva?

Right On Time

So this is what she got herself into: serving chicken soup and getting bits of rent on random days. She couldn’t say it wasn’t worth it, as she was earning both a chesed and a little bit of cash.

We Are Family

He exhorted all of us to continue to reach out to one another each and every day because that is what our tafkid (life’s goal) should be. And because that is what Hashem requires of us.

The Erev Shabbos Call

It is my family’s minhag, for many generations, to light the candles 30 minutes before shekiah, as opposed to the commonly held custom of 20 minutes. So I told my husband that those 10 extra minutes should not be an issue.

A Tale Of Two Todds

I was pretty open [and naïve] about accepting dating suggestions. There was the Israeli that spoke little English with whom I could barely communicate, the brilliant scholar who I discovered was manic depressive, the frum hippie that was still more hippie than frum, and a slew of others – all interesting, but not for me.

Above And Beyond

Shimon’s early years were not easy ones. His mother struggled to support both of them. She never acquired the knowledge needed to help her son through school years filled with homework and tests.

Celestial Reunion

The exact details of that nocturnal levayah have long since faded from my memory. However, one poignant story shook me to the core of my being – and remains with me still.

Thank you, Agudat Efrat

There is not even a shadow of doubt that without Agudat Efrat’s help, this child would not have been born.

A Kidney For A Stranger

Kidney transplants from a living donor are infinitely preferable over a transplant from a dead person. The chances of it being rejected by the body are much lower, the life expectancy of the newly transplanted kidney is twice as high, and the recipient’s life and diet can return to normal much faster.

Brain Freeze

Once again neither of us had the tickets, but this time we knew to follow the unusual protocol and pick up our tickets at the airline counter. So we dutifully waited in line and requested our tickets. This time, however, no tickets awaited us.

The Lost Siddur

When my very busy friend and former neighbor called to say, “I have a story to tell you,” I knew it had to be a good one. I wasn’t disappointed.

What’s In A Name?

Parents possess divine inspiration (ruach haKodesh) when naming their children. In instances wherein a child is named after a departed loved one, we take great care in our choice – in the belief that the best character traits of the person we are honoring will be reflected in our precious progeny’s actions.

Family Ties

Not long after my mother died, I was sitting on campus talking with a friend and mentioned that it had been a long time since I had seen a frog. I used to love going out into the garden with my mother and our St. Bernard dog in the autumn evenings and see the frogs come out. I have a thing about frogs – probably from reading too many fairy tales.

The Peace-Loving Principal

One thing Meir couldn’t abide was machloket. He would fight wholeheartedly on behalf of his pupils in a situation involving a dispute – but not so if it was political, educational, or religious in nature.

Winter Wonderland

We had inadvertently parked in the lot of a nearby church...

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