“Mommy, this is the BEST activity… We should do this every holiday!” Yes, these words are music to a mother’s ears. But they are music for more reasons than you might expect. This Chanukah, while my in-laws were visiting, we made a number of plans. The kids went to the zoo. They went to an… Read More The Gift of Giving
A few days ago, Matan came home and declared that he wanted to run the 10K at the Jerusalem marathon…and that he wanted to do so for SHALVA. Now, Matan started running about a year ago and he’s completed a few 5K runs. We’ve been very impressed with his initiative and commitment and have cheered… Read More Go Ahead – Prove Me Wrong!
These were on our Shabbat table this week. “Wow,” you say, with your most sarcastic voice, “those look really unusual. So different than the thousands of olives people serve around the world every week.” But wait – they ARE different, and here’s why. This past Sukkot, in October, we went on a number of hikes… Read More Not Your Every-Day Olives
Passion, love and hope come in many forms. They come in the form of a man, willing to take his body to the absolute limit for the love of his wife. They come in the form of a community, hundreds of people, who line the streets to cheer on the man who completes his mission.… Read More Passion, Love & Hope
I am sitting in one of the boats at Disneyland, going through the “It’s a Small World” ride. And it’s not the enjoyable experience that it was when I was a kid. Let me explain. I grew up right near Disneyland and I used to love going there. My favorite ride was “It’s a Small… Read More Birthdays, Bombs & Bikes
Yesterday I had one of those moments that make for a rich life. We were at the park and Yakir was swinging next to Zeli. It was a crisp, beautiful Shabbat morning with a sky full of puffy-white clouds. Each moment, the sun would peek out from behind a cloud and then disappear again. I… Read More A Moment of Perfection
There are some truly amazing people in the world, and I feel blessed when I get the opportunity to meet one of them. We’ve been leasing a car for two and a half years and our lease is just about up. It’s our first leasing experience and we are trying to tread through the waters… Read More Just Because
Sometimes the most brilliant ideas are the simplest. A few weeks ago, a teenager in the neighborhood, Noam Shire, had the idea to make bracelets as a way to support Yarden’s upcoming ride. It was brilliant. And so an idea was born and the steps were quickly taken to make the idea become a reality.… Read More Banding Together
Last night there was a shiur (a lesson about the Torah) given at a friend’s house. I wanted to go to it, but I got caught up in work and couldn’t get away. I understood, afterwards, that the basic message of the lecture was about enjoying daily life, learning to appreciate the little things in… Read More Losing One of Our Own
This post is dedicated to the refuah shlema (a full and speedy recovery) of Mordechai Leib Ben Shayna Esther, Larry Levine. Our dear friend, Avi Levine’s, father. It’s also dedicated to Nefesh b’Nefesh, which has allowed so many of us to follow in Avraham Avinu’s footsteps. I don’t think there is a parsha (weekly portion… Read More Walking in Their Footsteps
