Miriam Mystery
June 28, 2001
Like all women, Miriam is a complex human being, whom I cannot fully understand.
Rabbi Michelle Missaghieh
Healing the Sick
April 26, 2001
Now we recognize that alcoholism, spousal abuse and AIDS (to name a few) are Jewish realities. We live with their presence in our lives. Whether it is a relative, co-worker or close friend who endures these trials, we have slowly begun to move from silent suffering to communal care.
Laws of Love
February 22, 2001
My daughter is beginning to get her hands into everything. She began crawling at 10 months, but didn\’t quite understand the power of her freedom.
Dream On
December 21, 2000
Just as the morning light begins to shine through my windows, my dreams become vivid movies. They combine images from the past, worries of the present, and a confusing dialogue that takes place in a strange but familiar parallel universe in time.
Be Happy Now
October 19, 2000
I always found it difficult to respond to the command of Sukkot \”to be happy\” on the heels of Yom Kippur.
The Firstborn
June 22, 2000
Wow, that hit me. Of course it has a different heartbeat than I do, but how could it? I\’m carrying this fetus inside of me; it\’s me. Or is it me?
True Meaning of Sacrifice
March 16, 2000
Now that my daughter is 11-weeks-old, I am beginning to understand the true meaning of the word \”sacrifice.\” At seven in the evening when I have finished working a long day and I would like to sit down for a meal with my husband, instead we take turns entertaining our daughter. That is sacrifice. At two in the morning in the midst of a dream which I would love to continue, instead, I muster up my strength to feed her. That is sacrifice.
Honoring Thy Many Selves
January 27, 2000
A month ago, I gave birth to our first child, a little girl with a full head of dark hair and almond eyes. Since then I have spent countless hours struggling with the question: Whom do I serve?
Rich in Spirit
December 9, 1999
There\’s a Yiddish saying that goes: \”I\’ve been poor and I\’ve been rich. Believe me, rich is better!\” In the Midrash we read: \”Nothing in the universe is worse than poverty; it is the most terrible of sufferings.\” (Exodus Rabbah 31:14)
Separation Anxiety
October 21, 1999
\”When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant, I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.\”– Mark Twain
We laugh at this quote because we can sense its truth. Each of us passes through stages of life in relation to our parents. Whether they are alive or deceased; whether we live in close proximity to them or across the country; whether we are emotionally close to them or have grown distant — an ebb and flow often characterizes our relationship to our parents. Parental separation is necessary, but painful. God knew this when, on the second day of creation, after the division of the waters above and below, God refrained from saying \”and it was good.\” Our struggle to separate begins at the womb and continues way beyond the grave.
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