Lessons In Emunah

Water was put on his forehead, he was tapped here and there and spoken to and his mother, too, spoke to him, begging him to wake up, to come back. And he did.

A Job…good girls… “I’ll get one,” I whispered furtively to Blankie. “I’ll be one of those good girls.”

I slept in fits and starts that night. Thoughts were tumbling around in my mind like clothes in a washing machine, entangled together.

Chava shook her head as if to show she understood, while wondering where this monologue would lead. Was this woman also here for a job interview?!

Mordechai, a house painter in Jerusalem ("Mordechai's" name and profession have been changed to protect his identity), was self-employed for over 20 years. For the most part, business had been good. Lately, however, he was finding it difficult to make an adequate living.

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

Although it’s been more than 40 years since we last met, how could my husband and I forget Steve...

The soldiers milling around were silent, staring into the distance as if willing the ambulance to arrive faster.

I’m not moving from here until the Baal Shem Tov gives me a blessing for a child. Either he can bless me, or he can step over me, but without his blessing, I’m not moving from here!

It wasn't so much my father's problem as it was mine. The commandment to honor one's parents had always been for me simply the right thing to do. Jewish tradition characterizes it, however, as the most challenging of the taryag mitzvos. Anyone who has ever cared for a terminally ill parent appreciates the difficulty of performing this mitzvah well.

She was the first-born and by all accounts, quite brilliant. In the early 1900's, her father, Choni (Papa) had preceded his family to the shores of America to find a better life for the family he left behind in Europe. As with so many of his landsmen, he planned to send for his family when he found a livelihood and a decent place to live. Yet his wife, Ita, (Mama) had other ideas.

Everything given us is for the best. Yet some of us forget this when we should know better. I recently moved to another state and needed to see an ophthalmologist. My brother and sister-in-law have been living in that state for 10 years, and my brother's wife said she would make an appointment for me.

The doctor was too casual for a report as startling as the one he gave over.

Sophie eagerly anticipated her meanderings through the ancient streets of the Old City of Jerusalem where her ancestors had walked thousands of years ago.

In the end, though the young daughters had been crying while the verbal abuse was going on, they now saw how the effect a kind word and a smile could change everything.

Upon receiving the call from Orit, Margolit thought that her daughter had already been informed about the attack and was calling about visiting Tomer.

Our home is in the center of the Holy Land, surrounded by (what else?) green hills and valleys.

Ben Zion caught his breath and apologized to Rav Ahron for barging in on him at the airport.

As he was en route, with one scholar and one scholar-wannabe in tow, he was unfortunately involved in a too-close encounter with a huge army truck.

She called the woman over and asked her to wait. Mrs. H. went into a room and returned with a large bag, which she handed to the customer, telling her that she had already paid for it.

Mommie was distressed because praying for the welfare of her dear family was the foundation of her belief in HaKodesh Boruch Hu, whom she served everyday of her life in innocence and in purity.

It took a few months, but I finally summoned up what little koach I had to go to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt”l, for “Sunday Dollars.” I wanted to take my new baby to the Rebbe. Although he was about three months old at the time, I had not been strong enough until now to attempt a trip to 770 Eastern Parkway.

One must be honest and straight in business dealings and in any interchange involving another person, no matter what his color or creed.

Like many good Brits, come what may, Anne's father would buy a weekly ticket in the football pools. He always used the same numbers; the birthdays of his two children.

After all, the exact amount one will make throughout the year is determined on Rosh Hashanah. It was only during Rosh Hashanah davening that I realized exactly what the kaparah was for.

“Mum, you’ll never guess what happened.” My daughter Tammy’s tone of voice at the other end of the phone indicated that it wasn’t something pleasant. “Someone took my baby stroller from the bus. When I went to pick it up and get off the bus, it wasn’t there any more. I couldn’t believe it. Who would do such a thing?”

How would Liat and her husband cope with this double bris over Rosh Hashanah? Who would help them?

It was a difficult battle. Many were seriously injured and some did not survive, but Tomer came out alive and unharmed.

To be honest, I never really understand what’s happening on the screen during an ultrasound scan. But on this visit the technician was strangely quiet. I looked at the screen. “How come you’re not showing me everything?” I asked. “It’s all still there, isn’t it?” I asked jokingly.

As the news spread, more and more people joined the family in fervent prayer. The gates of heaven received all of the prayers for David, and he eventually came out of the coma.