A mezuzah serves two functions: every time you enter or leave, the mezuzah reminds you that you have a covenant with God; second, the mezuzah serves as a symbol to everyone else that this particular dwelling is constituted as a Jewish household, operating by a special set of rules, rituals, and beliefs.

Nowhere do I feel more connected to my community than on those rare occasions when I find myself in a non-kosher restaurant, eating half a cantaloupe while my companions dab at their shrimp cocktails or paté de foie gras.

I know firsthand that you cannot force a six-year-old to nap if he/she is bursting with energy, and I know that the parents in B’nai Brak love their children dearly, consider children their greatest blessing, and their greatest wealth. They would never force a child to sleep.

Mordecai teaches an important lesson: How does one show gratitude and happiness? By helping to improve the lot of those less fortunate.

chanukat habayit, which means “dedication of the house.”

This is why, in many well-organized households, Pesach cleaning begins right after Purim. As Lucy L., who works full time, says each year on her way out of shul after the Megillah reading, “Well, tomorrow I’ve got to get started on Pesach.”

occasionally, we have to extend ourselves and invite those who otherwise might not have, yet would greatly appreciate, the experience of a family Shabbat.

One of the most remarkable qualities of the Jewish religion is its ability to sanctify everyday life—the routine, the mundane, the necessary bits and pieces of daily existence.

The fact that there are no neatly drawn lines is a sign of health and not of disorder.