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

The notion that democracy is best for all times and for all circumstances feeds into an unhealthy obesity of trouble. A gang of bank robbers can vote on who will be their leader, who will drive the get-away car, and who will load the guns and blow open the vault. more

The four-thirty morning air felt like ice-water on my sleepy flesh. The Old City stones slumbered all around me, and above me stretched a starry nighttime sky. Not a soul stirred in the square as I made my way bit by bit. more

During the hustle and bustle of Kosherfest is it easy to get caught up in the crowd and miss something. The narrow aisles are always packed with press, distributors and food enthusiasts and so often times in order to deal with the crowd you move more quickly then you should and end up overlooking something that is truly spectacular. more

Dr. Bernard Lander was one of the longest-serving college administrators in the country, leading Touro College from its founding in 1971 until his death at age 94 last February. A rabbi and sociologist by training, he used his Jewish and secular careers to create and nurture a leading institution of learning in the Jewish community. more

Ari Fleischer: My heart is with the protesters; who doesn’t hope that this leads to freedom and democracy. But my mind is cognizant of recent Middle East history and I’m wary of how this is going to play out. So this is a classic conundrum of foreign policy, American ideals and realpolitik. more