Seasons, The

It is the aging leaves in the fall, clinging to life with their last breathe, that truly mesmerize me. These leaves remind me of a mature individual, made wise by his life experiences...

The bare trees become full of life, lustre and hope, only to fade and fall away, returning back to the earth, gone. Is there a purpose to these revolving seasons, or are we in a cycle of endless and meaningless repetition?

When it's dark, light a candle...

The calendar is more than a measure of time; it is a cycle that charts our inner life and our relationship with our Creator.

A few years ago, my husband and I attended a winter festival in Quebec City and stayed in the famous Ice Hotel, “Hotel de Glace.” When we read about this unusual lodging in French Canada, I was mesmerized by the idea of a structure, including all the furn...

In Judaism, the natural and the miraculous are not a dichotomy

There are a number of times during the year, such as the second day of Rosh Hashanah (and, for some, the 15th of Shevat), when it is customary to eat a fruit that just came into season, which necessitates the celebratory blessing of shehecheyanu. Today, w...

The kids, however, are not nearly as thrilled, and they intimate their displeasure.

As I enjoyed the beauty of G‑d’s creation, a strange thought struck me—after the leaves change, they will fall off the trees. This vibrant display of nature only occurs when the leaves are dying!

Just when we got to the least amount of light of the entire year, it all turned around and started moving upwards. And all those small changes soon enough add up to significant changes...