Last month, this column discussed the myths about legalizing marijuana, and its impact on our children. A few weeks later, we were invited to attend a local meeting (sponsored by Strive Health, a new recovery program in Bergen County), of a number of community professionals, Jewish educators, therapists, recovery specialists and a few

(BPT) Mornings can be a bit chaotic as you fight the clock to get out the door on time. This is especially true if you have a big family. Wouldn't it be nice if rather than feeling like a stressful race, your morning routine was something you actually looked forward to?

Starting your day on a high note

America has a new celebrity. Esther Wojciciki is a mother, a grandmother and an experienced educator. Her claim to fame is that all three of her daughters occupy prestigious positions in male-dominated fields: Two are CEOs of major corporations and her third daughter is a professor of pediatrics in a leading medical school. She is

After capturing a candid photo of me kneeling on his living room rug, eye level with his newborn baby, Solly, situated in her car seat, my eldest son, Judd, said, “Remember Alvie always used to say to me that Tottoo went on her hands and knees to play with me? Well I guess it runs in the family.” Based closely

Step # 3

Part 1

ולפני עור לא תתן מכשל

And you shall not place a stumbling block before the blind (Vayikra 19:14)

Q1) Why are we not permitted to offer unkosher food to a

Nobody wants to spend money on things they never use, least of all clothes that take up space in the closet and never get worn. Sometimes we purchase things either online or in a store that seem like they’re just what we need: a new pair of jeans, a blouse, or a jacket. You try to wear the new item but it doesn’t satisfy you

Step # 2

Part 2

לא תשנא את אחיך בלבבך

You shall not hate your brother in your heart (Vayikra 19:17)

When teaching Step #2 to my students, I tell

So I’ve been thinking a lot about the (upcoming) legalization of marijuana and what it means for our kids.

Many of you readers know that we [the Levensons] lost our son Eric, z”l, to suicide in February of 2016, at the age of 28, after a long battle with mental illness. While Eric did not

Literacy has become a real buzz word lately. If my son can read a menu at a restaurant, or my daughter has read all eight Harry Potters, are they literate? If my spouse can create and understand spreadsheets, or my child falls within or above the average range on standardized tests, are they all set in the “literacy

Picture this: Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai sitting with his son, Rabbi Elazar, learning in a cave for 12 years. Then, as soon as they leave the cave, all they want to do is run back in and learn for another full year!

Now fast forward to your house in 2019. You are sitting with your kids after school

Step # 2

Part 1

לא תשנא את אחיך בלבבך

You shall not hate your brother in your heart (Vayikra 19: 17)

When introducing step #2 to

During a casual Sunday conversation with our son—on an east coast evening by us, which was only midday out on the west coast by him—I inquired about what he and his seven-months-pregnant wife were doing that day. “Hold on,” he requested as he asked, “What’s that word again?” “Nesting,” he soon replied.