Editorial & Commentary

While my day-to-day involvement in Chabad activities and programs has waxed and waned depending on what my children were up at that particular period of time (think colicky babies), there is one area that I never wanted to cut back on: the time I invested in personal relationships with community members.

Due to the potent power of our words, they can also be used to create tremendous destruction.

While it’s true that everything is directed from Above, the one thing that isn’t are our choices and reactions, and to a large extent, they help determine our destiny.

You don’t have to be a Torah scholar or expert chef to host a Friday-night dinner or Saturday lunch.

In the past few years, I have coached and mentored many women, and I am seeing a common trend among many—the fear of being judged, the fear of appearing “not normal,” fears of imperfection, and feeling misunderstood and alone.

My pain was heavily compounded by feeling like no one else knew what I was going through or could possibly understand it, so I suffered in solitude.

The dancing that had previously felt like a dishonor to the grief and sorrow now took its place in juxtaposition to the celebration. With unbelievable inner strength, he had carved out a space in his heart for both emotions to rest.

We do all kinds of things to make ourselves happy, but if we don’t fulfill our basic needs, then nothing will work and nothing will help.

Studies show that social interactions, even if very brief, leave us feeling more satisfied and happy.

When your success is linked to the success of others, you have a greater chance of success because you’re working for the common good.

There are so many stress triggers in our often overwhelming lives. Living an authentic Jewish life helps reduce our stress while heightening our spirituality.

While feeling bitter may be justified in our eyes, it’s not a way to endear ourselves to others or improve our predicament. Moreover, it punishes us more than anyone else.

What’s special about an act of kindness is that it can be done anywhere, anytime, by anyone. It is the ultimate equalizer.

I am an oasis of peace and serenity, a home to so many, a place of refuge for a nation that flees; I am the source of controversy and conflict, of fighting and bloodshed, a land that weeps in fear and pain while suffering constant beatings from the world.

It was at that moment—when she described something as “silly” instead of using a term that was a little saltier—that it struck me. My new friend never swore.

We think that it only happens to us. But most of the issues people grapple with happen to everyone. That's why G‑d sets up a system of living that help us avoid the pitfalls most people deal with.

Our sages tell us that peace is the greatest blessing, and that it’s what G‑d wants most for and from us.

"Only I can be who I was created to be, and do what I was created to do."

Recognize your weak spots, but don’t avoid them.

Surround yourself with harmonious people. You become like the people you spend the most time with.

Is your friend fuming because you disappointed them for the 100th time? Are you running late again? Did you tell an itsy-bitsy “white lie”?

Aren’t we all looking for greater spirituality in our lives?

Anyone with any knowledge about the natural way of trees would say it should have died.

As my daughter grows and reaches new milestones, I cannot help but watch my reactions to her with a kind of curiosity.

By improving my relationship with myself, there is a ripple effect in my home and an improvement in my relationships with others.

We’re given a message through advertising and social media that you can or should do it all. We’re being sold that success is doing everything right, and, of course, doing all that as you appear beautiful and calm.

Yelling causes damage, irreparable damage, to the environment, to our relationships, to our psyches and nervous systems, and to our mental and physical health.

When I follow my inner voice—what I call “a whisper from G‑d”—without question or hesitation, I never know where it will lead.

We may not remind people of their past misdeeds, insult someone, tease them, bully them, threaten them or in any way use words to cause them pain or anguish. Even hinting at something that might cause them pain is not allowed.

We live in a youth culture that idolizes youth and prizes innovation. Judaism, however, while recognizing the benefits of youth, vaunts the wisdom and experience of old age, and urges us to respect and listen to the older generation.

Loving yourself and knowing your strengths are vital to being a successful person. Here's how to do it.

The Torah instructs us to be kind to animals, and to treat them with respect and consideration because they are creations of G‑d.

We’ve all heard the expression, “Funny you don’t look Jewish,” or “I knew you were Jewish by just looking at you.” Jews seem to have internal radar for identifying one another. It isn’t just a Semitic appearance or the Je ne sais quoi of Jewishness. It is, actually, the neshama—the Jewish “soul” radiating outwards that we recognize in each other.

We need to plug in. We need to recharge our spiritual batteries. What good is our life and our actions in this world if they are devoid of spiritual energy?

The natural process that forms pearls is something many of us can relate to.

There are two ways to live life: focus on what you lack (and you’ll be miserable) or focus on what you have (and you’ll be happy). It’s as simple as that.

Modern women feel pulled in too many directions.

I usually focus more on the more powerful nuclear reactions, where there is a very evident immediate effect. But who is to say that these subtle moments of grace are not at least as powerful, if not more so?

If the pragmatic circumstances of Shalo’s life gave me pause, the physical crises he had endured and wondrously overcome from birth onward completely bowled me over.

Life is hard. So many painful, disturbing and distressing events occur to us and to the world around us. Can we really be joyful in this kind of environment?

Did you know that there are no outright jokes about a rebbetzin? Are rebbetzins taboo?

So many times in my life I had planned out my future, and so many times I had been handed the unexpected. It struck me at that moment that I was experiencing the hand of G‑d literally reaching into my life and changing the course of my future.

With a little education—and a lot of help, support and advice from friends and others in my life—I decided to take the kosher plunge.

What is that smell I love . . . the smell that cries out to my soul? It’s the smell of Shabbat cooking, whether it’s matzah-ball soup or Moroccan fish, cholent, t’fina or kibbe hamda. It’s that smell of something special and familiar. The smell of Shabbat. The smell of home.