by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 19, 2022 | Eikev, God, Israel, Miracles
Once, I went out to the forest next to Bat Ayin to pray, or, more accurately, to have a conversation with my Creator. Israel is a beautiful place, especially if you have the eyes to see its inner beauty. As I sat there, I saw how the thorn bushes were struggling (and,...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 18, 2022 | Eikev, God, Gratitude
What if every holiday was Thanksgiving? What if instead of the Fourth of July we celebrated Thanksgiving? Memorial Day? Nope. Another Thanksgiving. New Year’s? Thanksgiving. When Moses is about to part from the people, he reminds them of everything God did for them...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 17, 2022 | Eikev, Free Will, God, Tests and Trials
I worked for a short period of time as an English teacher in an Israeli high school. I was not very good at it. I identified more with the students in the ongoing battle between the students and the school. One time, the head of the school forced me to give the kids...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 16, 2022 | Chosen Nation, Covenant, Eikev, Israel
Who wouldn’t want free real estate? So when God first approached Abraham and said he was giving his descendants the land of Israel, of course, he said ‘yes!’ But why did God make the offer? Was it because the Jewish people were so amazing? Even with forefathers like...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 15, 2022 | Eikev, Faith, Leadership
I was thirty-nine years old and determined to get married. Being religious and in yeshiva (school for Jewish studies), arranged dates were the way to go and I had been on hundreds of them. Usually, two meetings at a coffee house were enough to determine that there was...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 14, 2022 | Education, Parenting, Shabbat, Va'etchanan
I’ll admit it. I like sleeping in on Shabbat. So when my precious ten-year-old son began nudging my shoulder at 6:00 AM on Saturday morning, I was tempted to roll over and hide under the blankets. But I didn’t. Being a parent is not a nine-to-five job, it is 24/7 and...
