Word Prompt

Attending the first rally in New York City, and watching the D.C. rally, I was reminded that while we are pretty powerless by ourselves, when we join together, we shine a bright, powerful light.

Hamas tried to tear us down, they tried to cast a darkness that would scare us away from our land. But we told them no. We will not run, we will not be afraid, instead we will unite and stand together as one nation.

We live in a world in which there is plenty of darkness. Why do we need to search for more?!

In these times, I take my obligation as Ora very seriously. I strive to be a light in this world.

Israel and my Zadie have now been a constant, intertwined thought since the horrific events of October 7 as well. And now I understand what happened during the summer.

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As a frum Jewish educator, I am acutely aware of the thousands of “Yitzchaks” in our care. Each child a guarantor of Hashem’s promise to make Avraham Avinu, and by extension all Jews, into a great nation.

We really do have no place in this world. Yet our survival defies nature anchored not in military might or the validation of world leaders, but in our transcendent essence.

Whether Yitzchak or Yitzchok, the biblical explanation of the name from Sarah, in Genesis 21:6, that G-d has brought her laughter, and that everyone who hears will laugh with her, always brings a smile, if not laughter, to my lips.

Tranquility is great, but it's not a reason to live. Joy comes from conquest: from the dragon-slaying campaigns of youth, but ultimately from the self-conquest that is life's fiercest and most silent battle.

Over these past few weeks, with the loss of so many lives and the fates of so many others unknown, it's been a challenge and struggle to laugh.

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Learning, questioning and critical thinking are values that Judaism has always naturally fostered, encouraged and celebrated.

Interestingly, it is not one of the fruits for which the Torah praises the Land of Israel. So, it is no surprise that the custom of eating apples on Rosh Hashana did not originate in Israel but in France or Germany.

Apples originated in Central Asia, though not necessarily in edible form. Over time, they were cultivated as an edible fruit, grafted, and brought to Europe.

The common apple (Malus pumila) doesn't quite fit the Eretz Yisrael native bill. Some even propose that these apples might've gone through a Cinderella-like transformation over time, evolving from their humble origins into biblical superstars. Talk about a fruit with a story!

So many people enjoy taking their family out for apple-picking. It's the perfect food for this time of year with Thanksgiving coming up.

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If you mess up, miss a note, in the middle of a song, keep playing. Don’t go back and try to replay it. The rest of the orchestra is already moving on and so must you.

Sometimes, we experience what we perceive as a failure... But each failure can be repurposed creatively, and channeled into a better future for ourselves and for others.

Eventually the towels weren’t needed anymore, and although the chairs are twenty years old, they mostly remained stain free and we were spared the sticky indignity of the old school plastic covers.

But the key to stickiness is in the sharing. If there is no sharing, nothing sticks. A word can’t become a name. A second question is never asked.

Some people are willing to ignore the bad and focus on the good, while for others, their focus is squarely on the bad, despite the overwhelming good.

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It's worth asking ourselves, in this situation, is there something going on for this person that I haven't experienced? Is there something here about which I could be more understanding?

At a short lull, I tore upstairs to put on a new Yom Tov dress and yes, my sheitel. I told myself that even if I was spending my entire day in a bomb shelter, this was going to be my way of not letting Hamas take away our Shabbat and Yom Tov.

Sheitels are often necessary for work purposes outside of Israel where it would not be professional to wear a hat or a scarf. In Israel, there is no need to wear a sheitel for professional reasons.

I made the difficult decision to not wear my tichel this week as I often do, and instead opted to put on my sheitel. Fearing for my life – yes, even here in the very Jewish city of Los Angeles – I have not wanted to take any chances.

The German word derives from the Indo-European root *skeyt, meaning to cut, part, separate. That ancient root also gave us the English verb to shed, meaning to cast off.

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