Do Children Make Us Lose Our Minds?

by Karolyn Benger I am not an idiot.  I think.  Or at least, I am almost certain that I am not an idiot. Yet, frequently, I find myself doing things or caught in situations that make me question this assumption. For example, the numerous times I forget my keys.  I have been locked out of my own home at least four times in the past six weeks.  But I can justify this because I have three different bags depending on which role I am playing in that moment. Three bags!!! I have a purse for … [Read more...]

The Meaning of Rosh Hashanah

by Karolyn Benger The Jewish new year Rosh Hashanah has just passed and  I’ve been asked to write about its meaning...and the panic immediately set in. I have nothing to say. We eat apples dipped in honey in the hopes of having a sweet new year. We go to synagogue and pray endlessly for hours hoping to be “sealed” in the book of life. We listen to the shofar (a hollowed ram’s horn) to awaken our soul to repent. These rituals -- and there are many more -- have historical significance and … [Read more...]