Dear Aviva, I was disappointed with your response to “Strangled in Marriage” (1/27/2011). I think you missed the point and your advice was narrow-minded. When I read the husband’s letter, I heard a young wife who wants love and attention from her husband. It’s obviously hard for her to express her needs directly, but love and attention are the strongest needs of every woman. If her husband is out for FOUR HOURS it’s no wonder she makes up a reason to call him. more

In mid-October, I stopped putting out my hat in the Old City Square to play cello for personal profit. Seeing the beggars, who desperately needed donations made me realize that I did not need the money and made me feel guilty. Instead, I built a Magen David Adom sign and played to raise charity funds. Gradually the frequency of my playing lessened, as my schedule filled, and when unpredictable winter weather set in I stopped altogether. more

Open up a chumash with Rashi on this parsha, and the first thing you notice is… no Rashi. You can count on your hand the number of comments Rashi provides on chapters 36 and 37; after all, he’s already commented on these topics in parshat Terumah, chapters 25 and 26. more

The United States vetoed a UN Security Council Resolution that would have condemned Israel for its “settlements” in the disputed territories of Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem. more

I was among some 80 bloggers invited to cover the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington DC last week. CPAC is more than an opportunity to interview political figures and report on politics. It’s like a Star Trek Convention for political geeks. Instead of carrying phasers and putting on pointy ears, we carried laptops and wore fedoras. more

Dear Aviva, My husband quit smoking before we ever met, and when we dated I made it very clear that I will not tolerate him picking up the habit again. We’re married about 4 years and I’ve recently been noticing signs that he has gotten into it again. I confronted him, and he fessed up right away, but I am so mad at him! I’m worried that my kids will grow up with a bad role model while they’re inhaling second-hand smoke—which is way worse than regular smoking! How do I get him to stop? more

Mendele Mokher Seforim, the nineteenth century Yiddish writer, famously wrote, “Among Jews, a birthday is no holiday. But the anniversary of a death; that a Jew remembers.” Last Friday’s (2/11) Hebrew date was the 7th of Adar I, the date of the death of Moshe Rabbeinu, as well as the date of his birth. (Kiddushin 38a) more

“Hi, my name is Heshy; I’m a liberal-holic.” Everyone in the synagogue basement room, sitting on folding chairs, responds, “Hi Heshy!” Heshy speaks, “I’m a little bit nervous to share my story. I guess I’ve always been a liberal-holic. Ever since I was a kid I can remember not really caring about anyone but wanting to make it look like I cared.” Moans of understanding emanate from the crowded room. more

As of this writing there is only one definite result of the Egyptian protests: as of September 2011, Hosni Mubarak will be out of office. The choices to replace Mubarak are many. But the sad truth is … more

With the abundance of storms that have everybody talking about the weather, one wonders how much the global warming camp can convince their opponents that "we" control the weather. Record snowfalls across the country seem to indicate to me that G-d, and not Hummers or Styrofoam cups, is still in charge. more