Passover is meant to be a time of joy, but when someone you love has recently died, the thought of gathering around the Seder table can fill you with dread.  Why does a loss seem so much harder during this holiday?  Holidays are meant to be special occasions that we share with the people we love.  Of all the… read more

Does Rahm Emanuel deserve to lose his job because he used “The R word”?  Public outrage erupted, including a call from Sarah Palin for President Obama to fire Emanuel, after the Wall Street Journal reported that the White House Chief of Staff used the words “f——retarded.” He was referring to a plan by liberal special interest groups to run… read more

The images of death and devastation continuing to stream from the earthquake-ravaged areas around Port-Au-Prince in Haiti are so disturbing that a normal response would be to turn away, switch the channel, and avoid dealing with it.  However, as Rabbi Dr. Tsvi Hersh Weinreb has pointed out, our rabbis tell us to “see, feel, and act,” to “watch scenes… read more

Many of us these days are fortunate to have parents who are living actively and independently into their eighties and nineties.  But an illness, a sudden fall, or an operation can quickly throw the family equilibrium out of balance, posing challenges and causing stress. Here’s a familiar scenario.  Your elderly mother is recovering from surgery, and the hospital has… read more

A year ago, at his inauguration, Barack Obama urged Americans to get more involved in community service.  Since then, many organizations, including Jewish Community Services and Jewish Volunteer Connection here in Baltimore, have seen an increase in inquiries about volunteering.  As we observe Martin Luther King’s birthday, it’s uplifting to observe that in the current challenging economic climate, people… read more

How many times have you resolved to lose weight, eat better, drink less, stop smoking, work out, or call your family?  You’re not alone.  According to http://www.usa.gov, the most popular resolutions are: to lose weight, manage debt, save money, get a better job, get fit, eat right, get a better education, drink less alcohol, quit smoking, reduce stress, take… read more

You’ve lost your job.  Are you going to tell your mother?  You’ve achieved success in your chosen career, rising to a position that gave you a comfortable income and a sense of worth.  Suddenly you don’t have enough money to pay your daughter’s next tuition bill.  You don’t even have enough to buy a winter coat for your son… read more

It’s not in the news as much anymore.  But the fact that about 10,000 people die every day because of AIDS might be reason enough to hear about it daily. And there is still no cure and no vaccine. Some more startling news: • Since 1981 the AIDS pandemic has been responsible for at least 25 million deaths worldwide,… read more

How do you convey the reality of hunger to a child?  I recently talked with a mother who was helping her eight-year-old son go through his toys and donate those he has outgrown to less fortunate children.  This mom was concerned that, while her son is willing to part with some of his possessions, he doesn’t “get” the concept… read more

Is November a hard time of year for you, as it is for me?  With the changeover to Daylight Savings Time, it’s already getting dark when most of us leave work.  There’s no time for walking outdoors to unwind before dinner, and the long, cold evenings loom.  Even mornings are more of a rush when you have to scrape… read more