by Elisheva bas Chana Sefiras HaOmer Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you come to the Land which I am giving you, and you reap its harvest, you shall bring to the kohen an omer of the beginning of your reaping. And he shall wave the omer before HaShem so that it will be acceptable for you; the kohen shall wave it on the day after the rest day. And on the day of your waving the omer, you shall offer up an unblemished lamb in its first year as a burnt offer

by Elisheva bas Chana “We are the seventh generation, the one that will realise HaShem’s reality on this earth.” — The Rebbe Ein Od Milvado – אין עוד מלבדו – There is nothing else besides Him The Rebbe began his leadership in 1950, just as America began feeling the not-so-gentle stirrings of a new awareness. This would develop into a revolution, with young people raging against the conformity and hypocrisy of their parents. The pursuit of materialism, which might have satisf

by Elisheva bas Chana Art by Karin Foreman The message of Pesach is a journey towards a place where Jews are valued, not for anything other than for who they are. As we sit around the Seder table, rethinking history that has meaning and its rituals which date back 3,300 years. But it is more than rituals; we are remembering the story and adding something of our own to it. “Who am I?” remains a question throughout the ages and for much of our history. We have always been a min

by Elisheva bas Chana Art by Sefira Lightstone Judaism does not believe in freedom of speech; there are certain ways of saying something. When we speak about other people, Kabbalah teaches us that speech itself has an effect beyond the way in which we say something to one another. The Torah prohibits speaking Lashon hara ; even listening has a negative impact, not only on the person who makes themselves guilty of Lashon hara — it affects the person spoken about as well, even

by Elisheva bas Chana The Mitzvos Understanding the concept of the mitzvos, time-bound, and the need to perform them on a particular date on the Jewish calendar or at a specific time. There are mitzvos like eating matzahs on Pesach or sitting in the Sukkah on Sukkos. Wearing tzitzis and wrapping tefilin are performed at specific times during the day. These mitzvos are vital at the time of their fulfilment. There is a specific time to blow the Shofar — only forty-eight hours o

by Elisheva bas Chana Judaica Art by Rochelle Blumenfeld Mishenichnas Adar, Marbim B’Simcha  — Taanit 29a. When the month of Adar enters, we increase our joy. Many of our holidays bring us joy, but none, apart from Purim, affects the whole month. Rashi explains that we must increase our happiness at the beginning of the month of Adar because these days are when the miracles of Purim took place. With senseless hatred defeated, and Pesach entering our minds, we celebrate the da

by Elisheva bas Chana Art by Noa Attias Judaica ~ Eretz Yisroel The beautiful 22 verses of Eshes Chayil , perek 31 of Sefer Mishlei, are traditionally sung on Friday night before kiddush  on Shabbos. The singing of Eshes Chayil  became a way of showing gratitude to the lady of the house for all the hard work she put in to greet the Shabbos Queen on time. The Great Sacrifice An inspiring story about Devorah Leah, the second daughter of the founder of the Chabad Movement, Rabbi

by Elisheva bas Chana Given a Choice to Be A letter in the scroll, a missing note makes a song incomplete. When one letter in the scroll is missing or damaged, chas v’shalom , it is incomplete. We are here for a reason, chosen by HaShem, to be part of His plan. It is not a privilege, but a responsibility to make a broken world whole again. To be part of HaShem’s plan, we have to have bitachon  and emunah , a choice to make the song complete and not to be a missing letter. It

by Elisheva bas Chana Hakaras HaTov Sitting at my desk, with a piece of paper and a pen in front of me, pondering about my next writing, “A Day of My Life.” Half an hour later, I knew nothing would come. I knew I could just start writing about “this day” from dawn to dusk—hundreds of brachos  a day, davening , and reciting Tehillim  in the midst of my busy life. But I want something more, something inspiring, showing how much simcha  is involved. Our lives are full of serving