Life Lessons

I tried to outrun my enemy the other day. He had been hidden within the words of a trusted friend, ambushing me when I'd least expected it...

She was so beautiful as she lay there on her back, perfectly still. I cradled her head in my arms as we washed her face. Her skin was smooth and her limbs remarkably flexible . . .

It is very unlike me to sit down and write something like this, and yet, I feel that I have an obligation to do so. I am a quiet person, who lives a quiet life, and until about a year ago there was nothing newsworthy or interesting about myself or my five children...

Our society has become increasingly focused on youth and external beauty. We have forgotten the value of wrinkles earned through life experiences...

Ninety is a long way down the road, twenty-nine years to be exact. No need to even give it a thought. I wasn’t about to fall into the creeping fear that so many of my friends have fallen into...

Ten seconds. That's all it takes to transport us from our safe, comfortable zone to a breathtaking view from another dimension, where lives intersect for one brief moment...

When tragedy finally came, these rules could not protect me, and it forced me to confront the real costs of playing it safe. How much had I missed out on, I wondered, as I traveled the safe route?

“Oh Debby,” she answers in delight, recognition sparking. “Please come in. I didn’t recognize you with these new glasses.” The lie stands between us. We both know she could not remember who I was...

From that moment on David surrendered spiritually- making a deal with G‑d so to speak, "If this is what You want, I accept it, but don't leave me." And He didn't...

My newly acquired teacher looks deeply into my eyes. I intuitively sense that her pain is for loss of loved ones who have fought and died so that we can live here...

I longed to join those hunched figures crying at the wall, because even though I wasn’t exactly sure what to cry about, I knew that I wanted to be part of a longing for something great. I knew that one day I too would cry for the Temple and whatever it represented. It took the journey of a lifetime to learn how to yearn for it . . .

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone could help us out? If anyone who could would just help us out. But no one is helping us out. Wait, did I just say no one?

I should go. I didn’t want to go. In all honesty, I was embarrassed to admit it, I was afraid to go. This was an antiquated, angrily disputed place; quite small, really. Though you’d never guess it by the media attention it drew. I pushed it to the back of my mind, but it lingered there, unresolved . . .

I would recall the bare beauty of the tree, and wonder again why G‑d had left the tree upside-down. What could an inverted tree possibly contribute to the world?

What kept me there for almost half a century was the realization that I had a long-lasting impact on children—and later adults—that continued over a lifetime, and, in some cases, from my theological vantage point, even beyond...

I took to heart the idea that I was created intentionally to make a positive difference to my surroundings. I couldn’t be selfish anymore; life was about blasting the world with my mission. And that year’s birthday meant I would have to come up with the biggest, grandest outreach scheme ever . . .

As things seemed to go from bad to worse, I pushed my chair away from the desk and forced myself to take a few breaths. I had to do something, or I knew I was doomed to have my day continue its downspin . . .

In my experience, I have noticed that it is a red flag when people voluntarily start a statement with “I promise,” when no one asked them to. It usually means that whatever follows those words will not come to fruition...

Properly executed and skillfully placed, a shadow can actually enhance and highlight the effects of the light . . . From this, we can derive an important lesson whenever we encounter dark times . . . we should use the negative in a positive way, so that every spiritual “shadow” should come to be recognized as a “setting” that connects us to our Creator...

She tried to chalk it up to a lesson in humility—one she was certain to remember. Occasionally, a twinge in the heart would remind: but . . . had she not once been a born teacher?

The cashier was a little out of the ordinary. Scary, actually. It was entirely possible that he was the scariest cashier I’d ever laid eyes on.

What do we do when our efforts to change our circumstances don’t succeed?

Have you ever driven 60 miles to meet a friend, only to have that friend—who lives two miles away—arrive 10 to 15 minutes late?

G-d is always there to breathe life into my soul and to help revive my connection to Him and our Torah.

"You'd best go home, Sarah. You have several days, a week at the most. I'm so sorry.”

I did not know how to deal with the loss, and I took it out on the One who was responsible. I turned my back on G‑d.

If I can help myself feel safe and respected, then I can be a big person who is other-focused.

Growing up in the former Soviet Union, like many fellow citizens, we spent our summers at a dacha—a small primitive house outside the city where most people used their days for growing fruits and vegetables, and preserving them for the winter months.

It has always been hard for me (and probably for most people) to wrap my brain around the concept of “infinity.” How does something go on forever?

When the children arrived, the doll was strategically placed in the center of the room on a chair.

Two weeks in, I sensed the students for the most part had a disconnect with the thought-provoking material, despite all of my efforts.

I need to see beyond the consciousness of division. To stay present in reality.

I entered the showroom, and as luck would have it, the first car I saw had everything I wanted.

There had never been a particularly warm relationship between the siblings, and in the years that followed, their connections became weaker.

Besides the lack of confidence in my abilities, from where would the funds magically appear?