by Nalini Ibragimov I was listening to a number of eulogies and interviews this past week, trying to connect to the souls of our two great spiritual leaders who passed on to the next world – Rabbi Dovid Feinstein of the Lower East Side in…
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Our month is referred to as Mar Cheshvan, Bitter Cheshvan. That’s a pretty harsh description. And to describe it as such from the outset. Who says good things can’t happen this month?!We are taught that each month corresponds to a hebrew letter. The letter nun characterizes the…
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Elul is a very interesting month. On the one hand it’s a very spiritually charged month. It’s called Chodesh HaRachamim, the month of mercy, when the 13 Attributes of Mercy were revealed to us. It’s also called the month of selichot, forgiveness. But on the…
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by Nalini Ibragimov Happy Tu b’Shevat, the new year of the trees! On Tu b’Shevat, we often reference the verse in the Torah which compares a man to a tree of the field. Some have the custom to partake in the festivites with a tu…
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Chodesh tov – Shevat is here! I’m feeling the energy today with the gift of some spring-like weather in New York for this time of year, with a promise of rejuvenation around the corner. I can sense the sap rising. The astrological sign of this…
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by Nalini Ibragimov Women are found at turning points again and again. Sometimes centerfold. But often they can be found just behind the curtain, pulling the strings, adjusting the lights, and setting the stage for things to happen. They are the pillars of the home,…
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by Rabbi Avraham Edelstein On this day you have access to your Holy of Holies, your inner most chamber in your heart, the place where you want only goodness and pure service of G-d with nothing in the way and no distractions. I want to…
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By Nalini Ibragimov If you would ask what the most widely celebrated Jewish holiday is, would you be surprised that it’s Yom Kippur? It does seem to jive with the whole Jewish guilt thing (which is not Jewish at all!). But I’d rather Judaism be…
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By: Nalini Ibragimov Many of my favorite tunes in tefila are sung on the Days of Awe, including Rosh Hashanah. After the shofar is blown, we sing the words Hayom harat olam, often translated as, “Today is the birthday of the world”. But it means…
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