Dear JITC- Where does the custom of hiding the afikomen (and ransoming it, children from parents or vice versa) come from? Thanks, Lisa Dear Lisa- As you note in your question, there are different customs regarding how to play the afikomen game. In some families, the parents hide it and the children win a prize […]

Would you set out on an important road trip if you only had enough gas for the first 20 miles and no forseeable way of filling your car up for a week? If you were a Maccabee you would. I recently started wondering why the Jews decided to light the menorah with the paltry sum of oil they found. Why bother lighting an eternal light that you […]

When Chanukah came on Tuesday night, I was drained like I haven’t been drained in quite some time. My baby had begun teething the night before and had woken up half a dozen times. My older son (who’s been screaming out randomly at night) also woke up several times. Despite barely sleeping, I had to […]

“How was your yontiff?” “Great! I made an amazing new recipe from Kosher Kourageous…” “What about you, did you invest in yourself?” “Sure, I got some new clothes.” “What about spiritually?” “Well, I went to shul with the kids to hear the shofar, and I made it through the fast, but you know how it […]

The month of Elul has crept up on us, taking us on the annual plunge from summer fun to pre-Yom Tov planning. Beyond arranging for menus and buying new outfits, Elul is the season of Cheshbon Hanefesh – the accounting of our actions we do each year, in order to prepare for Rosh Hashana spiritually. […]

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. […]