AUTHOR NAME
Mark Schiff
57 ARTICLES
What’s a Kid From the Bronx Doing Hanging Out With Sir Anthony Hopkins?
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Sir Anthony Hopkins is not only a good man, but he’s a courageous man.
Eat Pray Eat
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We Americans love our holidays and special occasions. Many non-Jews have actually told me that they have thought about becoming Jewish just because we...
I Don’t Want to Exercise
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If possible, in the mornings, try and do something for someone before you do something for yourself, even if it’s feeding a stray cat. It gets you out of yourself.
Happy Trails to You
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There are a few people in life that, every time you see them, you feel a shot of happiness shoot through your veins. Rabbi Nachum and Rebbetzin Emuna Braverman are two of those people.
Getting the Willingness to Change
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One of the keys to making almost any big or small change in your life is your willingness to make that change. Even the smallest amount of willingness can make a huge difference.
Pay Attention
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Multitasking has cut all of our attention spans. Paying attention takes practice. It means getting out of yourself and really finding out about someone else.
The Pandemic Made the Road Rocky, But I Still Love It
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Comedy, like any job, can keep you young and vital if you enjoy doing it. Most comics are on a lockdown hiatus. How do we stay sane?
The Show — and Life Must Go On
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I know there is some pain that seems unbearable but, if you look hard enough, you’ll find someone, somewhere, somehow who has gotten through.
Me and High Culture
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I have very little DNA “culture” in my bones. The few ballets I’ve attended, I didn’t leave thinking about the great artistry of the danseuse or the danseur.
Share the Kindness to at Least Two People Daily, You’ll Feel Better
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Try saying two nice things to at least two people every day — especially to your spouse and kids. They’ll appreciate it.
I Was Welcomed Into the Best Club of All, the Grandparents Club
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Every grandparent we talked to said the same thing, “Welcome to the club. You’ll see it’s the best club in the world.”
Katharine Hepburn Performed in the Theater Where I Sold Candy. She Deserved an Oscar in Kindness.
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Every day, she would delight me for five minutes with stories about James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy and other stars.
Carl Reiner Belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Comedy
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We must memorialize the Jewish comedy icon.
Don’t Fence Me In
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“The wide world is all about you: You can fence yourselves in, but you cannot forever fence it out.” — J.R.R. Tolkien
“Try to stop...
Divorces Should Be More Like Weddings
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Sometimes people need or want to call it quits. Sometimes a spouse almost or does kill the other.
How this Orthodox Jew Found Common Ground with a Palestinian Muslim
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These days, it’s difficult for a Republican and a Democrat to be friends. But how about a Palestinian Muslim and a Beverlywood practicing Jew?...
Why Is it So Hard to Tell People Our Real Age?
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At Marvin and Dora’s 50th wedding anniversary, Marvin toasts, “May my lovely Dora live till 119 and may I live till 120.” Someone asks,...
Keep Your Promises, Even to Your Dog
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If you lie to your dog, you’ll probably lie to your friends and family.
I’m well aware that during this COVID-19 pandemic people are losing...
The Need for Daily COVID-19 Updates Has Become an Addiction
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Every day, people tell me that they have to stop watching news about the coronavirus. They tell me they can’t take it. So I...
I Love You Although I Can’t Hug You
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“If one tiny virus can stop the entire world, perhaps one mitzvah can save the world.”
— Dr. Benjamin Hulkower
“When we are no longer able...
Dating During Coronavirus, Everyone is Like An Orthodox Jew
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Orthodox Jewish dating isn’t like secular dating. In the Orthodox tradition, there isn’t supposed to be any contact — no kissing, no hugging, no holding...
Don’t Let the Coronavirus Ruin Your Life
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Because of the coronavirus, it will take 20 years for sumo wrestling and bobbing for apples to make a comeback. How bad is the...
Judaism’s Meaning of Light
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Recently I was talking to my friend Ryan on the phone when I heard a strange sound from his end. He said it was...
The Perfect Circle
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Back in the ’80s, I had a friend named Mickey. Although he was a helpful and fun guy, he would pluck out a person’s...
On Being a Character
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The Talmud says that we should always judge other people favorably. We must also judge ourselves favorably. — Rabbi Nachman of Breslov
You’re being judged...
That New Car Smell
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Growing up in New York in the late ’50s and early ’60s, if a neighbor got a new car, it was a big deal....
When Bob Dylan Came to My Apartment
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“Do you ever wonder just what God requires? You think He’s just an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires?” — Bob Dylan
“You call...
The Importance of Finding a Good Couple
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My wife and I spend time with many other couples and mostly find it very rewarding. I find it’s not always easy for a...
How to ‘B’ Positive
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Imagine you’re 32 years old and one day something seems off with your left eye. You visit your eye doctor. She sends you to...
The Jewish Tradition of Haircuts
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There is a Jewish tradition called an upsherin, in which a Jewish boy gets his first haircut when he’s 3 years old. Afterward, friends...