If you’ve ever been in love or even excited about a new friendship, you may be able to use that experience to improve your relationship with the Master of the Universe. It’s the month of Elul which means that it’s time to consider our relationship with God. How can thinking about the Creator of the […]

When we first moved to Cleveland, people warned me about the cold, snowy winters. I was undaunted, having spent much of my childhood in Des Moines, Iowa, where snow is abundant. But to my dismay, those first winters were miserable. I was cold. My feet were always chilly or wet. My fingers were numb. My […]

I was listening to a podcast the other day about the importance of maintenance (in business, specifically, but also in all areas of life), and how easy it is to drift off course incrementally if you’re not paying attention. This is something that I find directly relevant to my life as an Orthodox Jewish woman. […]

“They’re having auditions for a community orchestra. It’s a women’s orchestra. They don’t play on Shabbat,” my teacher informed me. It sounded too good to be true. I had trained for years as a clarinetist, earning my degree in clarinet performance. I loved music, I lived and breathed it, playing classical, jazz, learning to compose, […]

Around Shavuot, my children come home from school with projects about the Jewish people accepting the Torah. Holding their sweet drawings, I am transported beyond the mundane routine of my life to my own unexpected decision many years ago to accept the Torah. Raised in a nice Midwestern non-Jewish household, I regularly attended church and […]