Unfortunately, we will all be faced with dealing with death at some point in our lives, because death is part of our journey. We just had a death in our family today and although it's a hard time all around, we have a great family and that's really all that matters in the end.

In Judaism, a child that is legally adopted, converted where appropriate and being raised in your household is considered your child. No ifs ands or buts. And for life-cycle events in the Jewish religion, the child you adopted will always be considered part of the family.

When a boy (or girl in some circles) is called up to the Torah to read for his Bar (or Bat) Mitzvah portion - and any time thereafter... more

There is a Jewish idea that saving one life is equal to saving an entire world, for each person is unique and precious. There is also a great book of stories and lessons called "Saving the World Entire" by Rabbi Bradley R. Bleefeld and Robert L Shook. I was looking for this book online and then realized I had it sitting on my shelf all along.

There are, according to the book, about 100 parables from the Talmud - the collection of Jewish law (also referred to as the Oral Law). But the one from which the book takes its name was the one I was looking... more

There is a major principle in Judaism called Tikun Olam - literally translated as "fixing the world." We believe that acts of kindness towards others, helping those in need and working towards the greater good are all forms of Tikun Olam. It is a long held belief that we should leave the world a better place for our children than the way we found it. Synagogue youth groups or Bar/ Bat Mitzvah kids often do "Tikun Olam" projects - volunteering or raising money for one group or another. I wish that more kids would stick with their volunteer... more

So, how superstitious are you? Historically, Jews were stereotypically superstitious (say that three times fast), but then again so was the rest of the world. Nowadays, I think it's safe to say that the majority of the modern world has moved away from getting worried about black cats or bad dreams or what-not.

And yet. And yet I am superstitious about some things. I will not buy someone a baby present before they have actually had the baby. I will not wish someone a "mazel tov" (congratulations) before something has actually happened. And as much as we treat Adam as our own kid, I have a hard time referring to him as 'our son' when, at the moment, he is not ours.

The other... more

Something that came across my desk - if you'll be in the New Jersey area, this looks like a good event to attend. More information at the Rutgers website.

The Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life invites you to:

The Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights A symposium addressing contemporary issues of genocide and human rights in Rwanda, Armenia and Darfur

Panelists Manus I. Midlarsky, Rutgers University Eric Weitz, University of Minnesota Helen Fein, Institute for the Study of Genocide, John Jay College of Criminal... more

Is infertility a bad thing?

Many, if not most of us, came to consider adoption after a long and arduous journey down infertility lane. I think it's best described as a roller coaster in both the physical and emotional sense, and by the time we get to the end of our journey, we are exhausted. We are grieving. We are relieved to be moving on to happier things.

Is infertility a bad thing? While I know it will never be a "good thing," as Martha Stewart would say, I still struggle to figure out where in my identity "infertility" fits. Adoption changed my life dramatically, but it did not make me any less infertile than I was before. I still read infertility blogs now and then,... more

Alright. It is time for me have a soap box moment. Chanukkah (Hanukkah, Chanukah, Hanukah or however else you can manage to spell it) is not a major Jewish holiday. Sorry. It's just not. It is a wonderful, fun, exciting, and definately important holiday to celebrate, but it's not up there on the list of what I'd call the top five holidays.

I am not a huge buff on the Christian religion, but I do know that Christmas and Easter are the major holidays in the calendar, with scattered more minor holidays. My very religious Christian friends actually feel that Easter is more of a major holiday than Christmas.

It is due to the over commercialization of Christmas that Chanukkah too... more

As we are once again at Halloween, I wanted to post my favorite article on whether or not Jewish families should let their children go trick or treating. Please note that the article really does apply to everyone - not just Jews - and as a side note, Anna's former foster family - devout Christians - do not allow their kids to go trick or treating as they feel it is not in line with thier beliefs. This article is from Kolel: The Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning and is

Decide for yourselves...

Q: Dear Reb... more

Something to consider when going through the adoption process is the name issue. Many of us adopt babies who have not been given a name, so the choice is relatively easy - we choose the name, end of story. Then it gets slightly more complex if the baby or child already has a name - do we keep the name? Do we make it a middle name? Do we change it altogether? Much of what I have read suggests that if the baby or child already has a name then one should make an effort to keep the name as much as possible - keeping the name shows that you are accepting of who they are and their heritage before they became part of your family. On the other hand, if it's a name you really can't or don't want to... more

So, there seems to be a third option in the world of diapers. First there was cloth only. Then, there were disposable diapers. Now, there are gDiapers - what seems to be an eco-friendly option. The essence of Judaism is Tikun Olam - literally fixing the world. I'm an environmentalist myself by trade and at heart, and try to do everything I can to leave this world a little better than I found it. If you're not a cloth diapering type of person, maybe this is another option to look into? It sounds interesting, but I can't decide if it would be more work than regular cloth diapers. What do you think?... more