Maybe its the isolation, but Corona seems to have spawned a lot of connectivity (and creativity!). Today, May 24th, Yeshivat Hakotel has organized a day of learning in honor of Rosh Chodesh Sivan with speakers from across the spectrum of Orthodox Judaism. You can check out the schedule and the speakers here: vayichan.com. It is going to be a veritable smorgasbord of Torah Classes with nine (!) parallel shiurim going on every half hour from 10 am to 2:30 pm EST. The titles look tantalizing and I get FOMO just

The world feels apocalyptic right now and throbbing under the surface is the intriguing message of Chazal that it was in the merit of righteous women that we were saved in the past and it is in the merit of righteous women that we will be saved in the future. Despite the heartwarming deluge of seminars, classes, series and summits linking women to geula, one might be excused—especially if one is a man—for wondering why specifically righteous women? The answer may be in understanding that all of us have both

Here is the link to my new podcast series sponsored by Mishpacha magazine and available on their website. Each episode is about ten minutes long and in it, we explore the uniquely feminine aspect of our Exodus from Egypt (and its connection to our new, Corona induced reality). I would be delighted to hear any thoughts, insights or questions you might have, either here, or in the comments section below the Mishpacha podcast

Motherhood is put on a pedestal in Judaism. This works well for the women who are naturally nurturing, who love small children, and who might choose kindergarten teacher as their dream job. But what about those women whose teeth are set on edge by board games, who—even as they’re inspired by the image of happy children braiding challa with their calm and patient mother—would find doing so a minor form of torture? What can we say to women who aren’t naturally attuned to the joys of being around small bodies

“She said no. Hey, did you sign up for the new Chase Sapphire card?” said Mr. Anonymous-Yeshivah-Bochur-Number-One (herewith referred to as AYB1) about Rochi Kichel who had finally axed the shidduch after a series of uninspiring dates. AYB1’s anonymous friends (ABY2 and ABY3), accept this with equanimity and quickly segue into a gripping conversation about credit cards and the availability of AYB1’s blue tie, while being gastronomically sustained by the ubiquitous bochur cholent. In this Kichel cartoon, there were no little bubbles over the speaker’s heads to tell us what

Vashti was probably the first radical feminist. The Maharal tells us that her very name, Vashti, comes from the word shtayim, two, and is an indication of her split loyalties. She still held on with both hands, to her identity as her father’s daughter, even after she was married. Perhaps Vashti was the initiator of the hyphenated last name! Vashti’s independent-mindedness did not go over well in ancient Persia, to put it mildly. Her bold refusal to accede to her royal husband’s demeaning demands set into motion a tumultuous series