I am always fond of reminding people that our celebrations of Jewish holidays are not about the past.  Jews don’t “live in the past”  ̶  rather, we continue to be inspired by past values and traditions, which create even brighter, richer, and more fulfilling futures! There are many moments in Jewish history that are significant, […]

The House proudly presents the 3rd Annual: JEDx “No Compromises.” We live in a Jewish generation that has its challenges. Every Jewish generation has its challenges. But one thing that I’ve always believed our generation needs more of, is a reminder of how resolute we are in the face of challenges, and how we need to […]

Sukkot – The journey is what is important… Sukkot is one of the 3 main Jewish holidays, which, along with Pesach and Shavuot are called the “Shalosh Regalim”. Pesach, as we know, celebrates God’s miraculous liberation of our ancestors from Egypt after their having been enslaved for over 200 years. Shavuot commemorates the day that […]

As we  all prepare for Yom Kippur, getting ready for the fast – I just wanted to share a quick story that will hopefully stay with you, to not only make the fast easier, but inspire you to take advantage of the opportunity that the day affords! A close disciple, amidst a group of disciples, […]

I often find that while some days might go by slowly (VERY slowly – especially when you have bedtime for 8 kids), the years ALWAYS seem to race along. Is that just me, or is your head nodding as well? As such, it is hard to believe that Rosh Hashanah is in just a few […]

On Shavuot, we commemorate the anniversary of the day God gave the Torah to the Jewish People at Mount Sinai. One of the most dramatic elements of the Sinai experience was when Moshe came down the mountain, for the first time, only to witness his people worshiping a golden calf. Moshe’s immediate reaction was the […]

I recently had the privilege of participating in a great initiative called #feedthedeed, which, as you might have heard, is a real life version of my favourite movie “Pay it Forward” (check out my “staff bio” for proof). Thanks to social media, this initiative is able to grow exponentially and that is exactly what it […]

So 2013 has come and gone…and once again we stand on the starting line of yet another year, another number, another cycle. Been here and done that for many more years than I’d like to admit! (Yep, i turned 40 – it wasn’t easy! I’ll tell you about that experience in another post maybe!) Many […]

What is happiness and how do we find it? Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, provided an answer to this question 2000 years ago and said the following: “Who is rich? The one who is appreciates what he has” (Talmud—Avot 4:1). In other words, happiness is about appreciating what we have, as opposed to focusing […]