Family, The

The obvious coefficient of Jewish identity is peoplehood. And yet the Jewish people cannot be defined without reference to the family.

When I close my eyes, I imagine that it’s all a game of tug-of-war. I am the rope that each parent is so desperate to gain. They each pull without compromise, determined to win me over.

Family life is a piece of art in of itself. It’s all about taking people, placing them on the same canvas, and making them interact in a way that creates a beautiful combination of personalities. It’s a display of the depth of life, giving a higher meanin...

As my four grandsons watched wide-eyed, I could feel all the bubbies and zaidies in the room . . .

My father did reach out to me a number of times. I, however, could not bring myself to answer his messages. I was afraid that somehow he would rob me of the peace and happiness I had found, and reawaken old and painful memories...

At the 23rd anniversary of the University of Pittsubrgh Chabad House, Rabbi Manis Friedman expounds on the organization's motto: "The warmest place away from home." What is a home and why does having one touch us so deeply?

This type of parenting requires walking a tightrope. It requires perfect self-control and vigilance against the small slips of anger and impatience that accompany even the best parenting. It requires abundant giving with delayed returns . . .

Well, maybe I am too old for camp, but whenever I think of a certain special summer of my childhood, I’m suddenly a kid again . . .

I obliterated the shadow of illness and defilement that had poisoned what I had held sacred. When I affixed the mezuzah to the doorpost of the den, I affirmed that what is created in this room, what is thought in this room, is free of lies and deception. ...