A Family Trait

Today my five-year-old son reached a milestone, exhibiting for the first time a traditional family trait that he shares with his siblings and some first cousins. Like their parents before them, the kids in my extended family never let their teachers get away with giving incorrect information in … [Read more...]

Chag Sameach!!

Happy 59th Israeli Independence Day! … [Read more...]

Input from the inlaws

Sephardi Lady posted about her in-laws' disappointment at the most recent simcha honoring her baby daughter. Even though Sephardi Lady and Gentleman celebrated just as every other young couple in their community did, the in-laws felt it should have been fancier. Unfortunately they hadn't discussed … [Read more...]

“Tzniut” Meme– Modest dress by Jewish women

A couple of my friends recently stopped covering their hair in public (as required by Jewish law, according to most Orthodox rabbis). I wasn't privy to either one's reasons for doing so, but I can imagine some possibilities: They don't "believe" in it any longer or think that it's halachically … [Read more...]

The Orthodox Homemaker’s Quest for Flour

A few months ago a friend stopped me on the street to ask me if I knew anything about 70 and 100% flour; she had learned about it from her children living in the Jerusalem area. Many religious like-minded women in the Tel Aviv area are constantly looking for good sources of flour. Standard bleached … [Read more...]

Rabbi: These are things that are not learned at home

Update: It seems that quite a discussion is going on with the rabbi in the comments section on Moreshet, for those who read Hebrew.A commenter on my previous post drew my attention to a responsum from the Orthodox website Moreshet. Here is my translation:Love and Warmth for a ChildShalom to the … [Read more...]

Birth, Death, Illness, and Breastfeeding

The other night I attended an evening of prayer and song for the recovery of Penina bat Shimona and her premature baby, Odeya Chana bat Penina. Please keep them in your prayers. At the evening I met a woman from my synagogue, who asked me what I do. When I said that I counsel breastfeeding … [Read more...]

Haredim and Army Exemptions

Here's what Jill from Writes Like She Talks said about me: If you want to get an excellent idea of how this issue applies practically, A Mother in Israel is a fantastic blog - well-written, by a mom of five (is it five?! yes, not four, but not six I think) who made aliyah many years ago but … [Read more...]

Pesach Roundup

I plan on this being my last Pesach-related post. Thanks to a pre-Yom Tov discussion with our offspring, we enjoyed the last day of the holiday. Two out of our five guests actually showed up. On erev chag, I went around to the neighbors collecting potatoes, which they were happy to donate to the … [Read more...]

Clock of the Summer

Everyone knows about cleaning for Pesach, but "after Pesach" presents a new set of challenges for the Jewish homemaker. As I write this around midnight on Monday, my Pesach and everyday dishes are back in their places, two loads of laundry are hanging, and while I can't say the house is shining, … [Read more...]