I used to hate cliches. Now I love them. Sometimes there’s just no better way to neatly say what you’re trying to express than to catch a ride on the back of a well-worn aphorism. It’s as if an entire corpus of wisdom on a particular topic has been distilled into its essential components, bottled […]
Once again we find ourselves planted in the garden of Chanukah, being nourished by the warm glow of the Chanukah Neiros. Chanukah means inauguration, dedication or initiation. Chanukah celebrates the rededication of the Beis HaMikdash after its desecration by the Seleucid emperor Antiochus IV. Among others, Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch points out that the word […]
וַיֹּֽאמְר֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־אָחִ֗יו אֲבָל֘ אֲשֵׁמִ֣ים | אֲנַ֘חְנוּ֘ עַל־אָחִ֒ינוּ֒ אֲשֶׁ֨ר רָאִ֜ינוּ צָרַ֥ת נַפְשׁ֛וֹ בְּהִתְחַֽנְנ֥וֹ אֵלֵ֖ינוּ וְלֹ֣א שָׁמָ֑עְנוּ עַל־כֵּן֙ בָּ֣אָה אֵלֵ֔ינוּ הַצָּרָ֖ה הַזֹּֽאת: And they said to one another, “Indeed, we are guilty for our brother, that we witnessed the distress of his soul when he begged us, and we did not listen. That is why this […]
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, acheinu bnai yisrael throughout the world wait anxiously for promising news regarding the health, safety and welfare of our brothers and sisters in captivity who are still awaiting for their release. At the same time, we are all mispallel for the welfare of the IDF […]
Parenting is a lonely job. It can bring up deep feelings of helplessness, powerlessness and unworthiness. We don’t talk about this enough and when we don’t talk about our shame, we give it more power over our lives. Mold grows in the dark. When we shine a light on our stories, when we share courageously […]
Last week I had the distinct privilege of attending a two day IFS (Internal Family Systems) parenting training seminar taught by the world renowned Dr. Einat Borenstein. IFS makes the distinction between self (the Godly spark that truly defines us) and parts (subpersonalities that manage and protect us from our exiled pain). One of the […]
In a fascinating interview on Meaningful Minute, trauma expert and founder of Our Place, Sonny Perlman (shout out another old school Far Rockaway family!), gave language to what so many of us are feeling these days. In a word, unloved. And why is that so significant? Sonny brilliantly explains that self esteem is built of […]
This month is safety awareness month at GenAleph.org. One of the most important, but often overlooked aspects of keeping children is safe, is to make sure that they have a healthy sense of self. Children who have a positive self-image are less likely to be preyed upon. Here are 7 simple ways to help children […]
Helping Parents Respond and Cope with their Children’s Thoughts Regarding the Current War in Israel: Select Resources and References Dr. Chaim Botwinick, Ed.D […]
On September 6th 1970, TWA flight 741, was hijacked by the PFLP, a Palestinian terrorist organization, to Jordan. Among others, the plane was carrying Rav Yitzchok Hutner zt”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin (and some of his immediate family members). The non-Jewish passengers were freed while the Jewish passengers continued to be held […]