Tick Tock
Let’s discuss the possible solutions to the pressure you are feeling. Your family believes that a certain number of dates should determine an engagement. If you believe them – propose!
Yankel And Leah – Chapter 17
Yankel’s father held on to his son’s hand for a brief moment. I was passing by and I was seized by the urge to see this place. I hadn’t planned on disturbing you, but I was recognized by one of your yeshiva bochur friends who insisted on fetching you.
Yankel And Leah – Chapter Sixteen
Yankel was a bit pained and puzzled by this question. Surely, Leah was familiar with the way things were done in the yeshiva world. She had to know that this was a complicated matter.
Dear Dr. Yael
As the caregiver, you must not fall into the trap of not caring for yourself. You do not want to get sick yourself emotionally or physically.
Supercharge Me
We don’t date in rom-coms, we don’t date in romance novels, and we don’t date through insta-stories. We date in reality.
Yankel And Leah – Chapter Fifteen
Hat on his head, Yankel walked a brisk step to Leah’s house. His thoughts kept him lively company, and the twenty-minute walk felt like five. Leah was waiting at the door. He noticed the glint of her earrings and then looked away.
Dear Dr. Yael
If you are simply reliant on someone else, it doesn’t mean that you are co-dependent. In a healthy relationship, each person can rely on the other for a variety of needs.
Worst Dressed
Kudos to you for seeing past an outfit on your dates. You knew immediately that here in fact the clothes don’t make the man” and you understand how precious his character and good middos are.
Yankel And Leah – Chapter 14
This is reality. There will always be somebody you don’t like or doing something you don’t like. You can’t walk out. What will be with us when there is a problem? Are you going to walk out on us?
Dear Dr. Yael
Are you choosing happiness? Are you focusing only on your problems? Or are you focusing on all the blessings that Hashem has given you?
Pass Please!
Yes, a Pesach program can be a wonderful opportunity for you to meet new singles. For those who are up for it, it can be a helpful gift in a dating journey. At the same time however, you need a break. You need the time to rest and you need the time away.
Yankel And Leah – Chapter 13
They waited in silence for the train to glide into the station. When they got on the train, Leah said, I missed you.
Tag Me
In a world obsessed with fame we must fiercely protect ourselves from the smoke and mirrors that is social media.
Dear Dr. Yael
It is also important to remember that these older children have been through a lot! Losing a parent is very difficult and even though they are so fortunate to have rebuilt their family, it is still a big challenge for them.
Yankel And Leah – Chapter 12
A thought, any thought, was as good as any other perhaps, but it was isolated, cut off. Binyamin was an island.
Dear Dr. Yael
When going to a therapist for premarital counseling, it would likely be more prudent to go to a neutral therapist so they can be honest with both of you.
Alternating Routes
As you get older, the circle of potential guys becomes smaller and smaller. While there might be eligible men from a similar background that you may not have met yet, the possibilities grow smaller every day.
Yankel And Leah – Chapter 11
Yankel would get out of there as soon as he could. What was there to linger for? Did his father want his approval?
Dear Dr. Yael
This woman's well-being is hostage to her ex-husband's secret life as she cannot seek the emotional support she and her child need.
Double Standards
You feel maligned by the raised eyebrows and funny looks. May I be so bold as to suggest that their reactions are merely surprise at your good fortune?
Yankel And Leah – Chapter 10
Yankel bore down so hard while slicing his perogie that his knife made a clink sound on the bone china. Could Abba actually be apologizing for… everything? He shrugged.
Dear Dr. Yael
Please share with people that ghosting is very painful.... The hurt and betrayal is devastating.
Awkward!
She did not have anything negative or worrying to share about him. Yet, you are still thinking about walking away from a guy that sounds like he might be the right fit for you.
Yankel And Leah – Chapter 9
True, he was the playful type, but his father was almost a compulsive salesman. With every word, with every gesture, he was out to prove that his way was right, that his ideology, the superior one.
Dear Dr. Yael
We never really know what other people are enduring. Life is so challenging. People often evaluate situations based on what they see, which is often not the whole picture.
Risky Business
Time to take a step back. This is the time to refocus and to take your dating story back into your own hands.
Yankel And Leah – Chapter 8
He was surprised by her self-possession. Here she seemed smitten by him and yet she was confident. She could just as soon leave him as take him.
Dear Dr. Yael
A great technique I recommend to people who deal with difficult people is to answer a negative with a positive.
Yankel And Leah – Chapter 7
Yankel had a few thousand dollars put aside from tutoring younger boys and a few summers as a camp counselor. If there was a time to spend, Yankel would spend it now on these dates.
Dear Dr. Yael
It appears to me that your stonewalling is unintentional. It could be a learned response from your childhood to avoid escalating a fight or avoid discussing an uncomfortable topic.