So, no camera has been located as of yet. And I own both a digital camera (though, not really own...just supposedly in possession of) and a real camera (I happen to be one of those people who actually still likes real film). However I am encouraged by the fact that it is Memorial Day weekend coming up and my plan is to tear the house apart from top to bottom. (I really need to pay more attention to these... more

This topic is continued from yesterday's post about a woman recently ordained as rabbi in the Orthodox movement.

You may ask, why am I talking about this at all? Who cares? Or, what does it matter to me as a Jewish parent? Before I answer this, a little background information...

A brief lesson on Jewish denominations goes as follows: First there were just Jews. Although there it was never a "cookie cutter" type of a religion where everyone was the same, there weren't official splits where different movements were started until the mid 1800's in Germany with the formation... more

I'd like to share with you an excerpt from a recent Jerusalem Post article on a woman recently ordained as rabbi (which is also making news in many other blogs). Rabbi, as a word, means teacher but practically means much more than that. In today's day and age, a rabbi acts as spiritual leader, decision maker with regard to Jewish law, and officiator at life cycle events. For many people, the fact that a woman has been ordained as a rabbi is nothing new - the... more

There is something terrible going on in Sudan, Africa. In a place I have never seen, on a continent I have never visited, a people I have never met are in pain. And a I am in pain for them too.

The Jewish people are no stranger to genocide. Perhaps it is because the Holocaust is still so fresh in our memory that so many Jewish groups are involved in protesting the situation taking place in Darfur. Perhaps it is because the world stood still at the time of the Nazi Holocaust, and we remember the countless nations that stood silent while one-third of European Jewry perished that so many youth groups are lending their voice to bring attention... more

Here is one of my favorite stories. It's short and simple, but the message has stayed with me. I know it has been helpful to the mind set of many parents facing the challenge of raising children who may be disabled in some way...

Once, the great Hassidic leader, Zusia, came to his followers. His eyes were red with tears, and his face was pale with fear. "Zusia, what's the matter? You look frightened!"

"The other day, I had a vision. In it, I learned the question that the angels will one day ask me about my life."

The followers were puzzled. "Zusia, you are pious. You are scholarly and humble. You have helped so many of us. What question about your... more

I'm working on a post about the 'pros' of TV watching, but it is awfully hard considering all the 'cons' I've been able to find out there.

I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on I go into another room and read a good book. -- Groucho Marx (1895 ~ 1977)

Today, I wanted to bring you an excerpt from Lawrence Keleman's book, To Kindle A Soul - it is a great parenting book that applies to everyone not just Jewish families. He actually devotes an entire chapter in his book to talking about... more

How many of us plan our day around the TV? Plan to be back from food shopping or meetings by a certain time so we won't miss a show? How many of us make sure our kids watch something at a particular time so they won't 'freak out' from missing the show?

I know I myself have been and continue to be guilty of this. And even as I do it, I hate the fact that I follow this behavior. I know how ridiculous I sound when I tell someone I want to be home to watch such-and-such a program....and I know I am, in some ways, a slave to my TV.

We are fast approaching the holiday of Passover, when we celebrate our freedom from Egypt. 'Freedom,'... more

Sandra over at the International blog brought up a really amazing idea. "At the very minimum, every person should plant a tree, have a child and write a book." She says it's of Talmudic origins, though I can't find the direct source. Regardless it is such a simple quote but amazingly multidimensional and evokes very deep thoughts.

I can go in so many different directions on this but I think I'll start with this story that I first heard early in elementary... more

Talking about language and respect for the past two posts brought this famous story to mind. It has been told in many forms, and I didn't seem to have a copy of it in my house. Browsing the internet, I found it on the Union for Reform Judaim's site, but it is also a great story available for children in book form called "Yettele's Feathers", by Joan Rothenberg. It goes like this...

There's... more