As parents, we are our children’s first teachers. Never mind the fact that I haven’t understood my son’s math homework since he was in third grade. However, when it comes to life lessons, such as teaching the value of helping others, Judaism takes our responsibility as good role models very seriously. In fact, the Hebrew word for parents, horim, shares the same root word morim, which means teacher.

Still, I have to admit that the roles are often reversed in my home, and my kids are the teachers who show me what really is important. I just have to keep my eyes and ears open at all times. (more…)

When I was a child growing up in the 70s and the television classic “Leave it to Beaver” was considered a reality show, one of my most vivid everyday family rituals was the Dinner Hour. The Dinner was the same—on Mondays, broiled chicken sprinkled with nothing more than paprika, not even salt—and so was the Hour—five o’clock when my dad walked in the back door from work and emptied the car keys in his pockets.

Charlotte, that’s my mom, followed the old-fashioned food pyramid like it was one of the Commandments: A mother shall serve her children a protein (preferably dried out), two vegetables, one starch, a glass of cold low fat milk, and, on special occasions, lime gelatin with sliced bananas for dessert. (more…)

Passover is one of the most memorable holidays of the Jewish calendar and not just because we eat matza for seven days straight. Growing up, everyone has different memories of the seder, depending on how many hours it takes to retell the story of how our courageous ancestor Israelites journeyed from slavery to freedom. What I remember most about my childhood seders is everyone being together, and that our rituals seemed long enough for the wilted parsley to look appetizing. The grownups read prayers, while my older brother Steve and I tried to keep our hands to ourselves. The only thing that kept my bobbing head from landing on Grandma Ida’s Lenox china was the anticipation of finding the hidden piece of matzah wrapped in a linen napkin. If I was lucky, I might win one of Grandpa Harry’s shiny silver dollars.

While Passover is rich in tradition, from the Haggadah to the farfel koogle, the experiences and lessons learned are brand new each year. (more…)

Nothing sends chills up my spine more than when my kids whine, “I’m borrrrred.” How is boredom possible when our three-car garage is so jam-packed with bikes, scooters, skates and every size ball imaginable that I can barely squeeze my van into it? Never mind the pogo stick, jump ropes, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, water balloons, and countless Frisbees that I can’t seem to get rid of. If the temperature is above freezing, I usually push them out the door and order them to “Go Play!”

When the fresh air becomes intoxicating, however, my kids venture indoors for something to do after they raid the refrigerator again. (more…)