I am clearly not succeeding in finding more time to post. Or more time to write, for that matter. I used to think that when my kids got older I’d be able to get more writing done. But now that I have teenagers, they keep needing to use my computer to type up their essays for school. And not only that, they actually want me to help them with those essays! And they don’t go to sleep early either.

So as I was contemplating success, or lack thereof, Hashem sent me an amazing shiur by Rav Moshe Weinberger just on that subject. You can listen to it at yutorah.org here. I found it very inspiring. Who is called “ish matzliach,” a successful person, in the Torah? Yosef Hatzaddik. But if we think about, his life was just the opposite of success — hated by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, unjustly imprisoned. Yet, by Hashem’s standards, he was successful.

I don’t want to give away the point of the shiur. But I’d like to wish everyone much success!

There is a lot to be said about Chanuka. Having spent over two years researching Chanuka history for a novel I’m working on, I’ve come to the conclusion that not much has changed since then. Sure, the details of everyday life are very different. In this generation, we are blessed with technological advances that allow us to buy ground flour and ground meat and to travel across the world in a day. Though that might not have helped the Makabis to prepare pure olive oil sooner — according to one opinion, they had to wait seven days in order to purify themselves before squeezing the olives. So even with all the modern technology we still need miracles. But I digress.

The battles of Chanuka are still taking place, within our minds and our hearts. Because Chanuka was much more than a military victory. It was a victory of Torah over Hellenism which took place deep inside the Jews living at that time. Once the Beis Hamikdash was rededicated many former Hellenists returned to Judaism wholeheartedly. Then again, many didn’t.

Since Chanuka, Hellenism has morphed into various philosophies and took on many disguises, but it is alive and well. As it should be — when utilized correctly, within the tents of Shem, in service of the Torah, it could enhance our avodas Hashem. But when human logic is valued above holiness and faith then it becomes an end in itself rather than a means of connection to Hashem and to the purpose of our existence. But anyway, I shouldn’t be giving away the theme of my novel ;).

Happy Chanuka!

yehudislitvak.com

Here is my latest article in the Jewish Home LA — interview with Mrs. Fasman, former principal of my girls’ school and an amazing and inspiring person.

Also, a reminder — the first installment of my Chanuka story is in this week’s Inyan.

I am trying out something new for this mailing list — hope it works. Let me know if you have any trouble reading these posts by email. And if you’re not yet on my list — please subscribe! Use the link at the top of the page.

Hi everyone,

Sorry I haven’t been around — still busy talking to my kids, and helping them with homework which is more intense than last year. Meanwhile, Inyan is printing my Chanuka story in two parts, starting November 25th. (It’s the same story that didn’t fit last year, for those of you who have seen it.)

I now have nine stories set in the times of the second Beis Hamikdash, and I’m thinking about a book. I have a couple more story ideas that could go into the book. But I’m curious to hear from my readers — what would you like to see covered in a book about the second Beis Hamikdash? Any particular time or event, or aspect of the avodah? How long would you like this book to be? Would you like me to include historical notes on what actually happened? Anything else you’d like to tell me as I work on the book?

Thank you and looking forward to hearing from you!

Yehudis

yehudislitvak.com

Here is a short article on Rabbi Paysach Krohn’s talk here in LA on the subject of Jewish unity. Good Shabbos!

Just popping in to say hello and reassure everyone that I haven’t disappeared off the face of the earth. It’s just been really really busy! And if you ask me where most of my time goes — a question I asked myself recently — it turns out that I spend a lot of time talking to my children. It’s not planned or scheduled or anything. It’s just that, well, my kids always have something to talk to me about, whether a school project, a social situation, or just some deep philosophical issues they’re thinking about. That seems to run in the family — when I was their age I also used to think about deep philosophical questions. I don’t think I’ve grown out of it, either.

I homeschool my younger kids, and that certainly takes up a lot of time. We have a lot of fun exploring different subjects, learning new things, experimenting, and I love watching them grow and develop their unique personalities and interests. I’ve also been spending a lot of time driving, between schools and different homeschooling activities. And I’ve been dealing with some issues in our homeschooling group, which I would very much like to see growing and thriving.

So in the big scheme of things, I haven’t found much time to write (other than long emails to our homeschooling group), and I haven’t made much money in the past few weeks, but I feel that I’m investing in something much more precious and long-lasting. All that time spent with my children shapes them as people and as Jews, and they grow so fast that there is never enough time to invest into them in order to make a lasting impact. Because everybody can try to change the world, but we have the most influence in our own homes.

But not to worry, I have three stories coming up in Inyan, IY”H — will keep you posted.

Here is my article about Hakhel, in this week’s Jewish Home LA.

Good Shabbos, and have a wonderful Sukkos and a sweet, happy, healthy year!

yehudislitvak.com

Here’s my article on the Jewish Leap Year in this week’s Jewish Home LA.

Good Shabbos, and kesiva v’chasima tova!

My short story, Changing Course, is in this week’s Inyan (Hamodia’s magazine). Hope you enjoy it. Please share your thoughts in the comments. I’m especially curious if the readers see any parallels between the conflicts portrayed in the story and what’s happening in the world today. Who are today’s Tzaddokim?

I’d be happy to share my own thoughts, but I’d like to hear from you first!

You can comment at yehudislitvak.com.

I wrote the following for my shul’s newsletter. Feel free to comment and discuss.

The beginning of the Jewish year, which roughly coincides with the beginning of the school year, forces us to consider our goals for our children’s chinuch. For all of us, the goals are two-fold. We would like our children to develop their unique strengths and talents and actualize their potential. At the same time, we’d like them to become productive members of the community, caring and giving people. At first glance, these goals seem contradictory: the former requires focus on oneself while the latter calls for focusing on others. But both are equally necessary.  The challenge is achieving the proper balance between the two.

According to the Nesivos Shalom (Vol. 1, part 1, chapter 6), self-reflection is an essential component of Judaism. He explains that every Jew has a unique mission in life that only he or she is able to fulfill, and every one of us must examine the gifts Hashem has given us in order to determine our mission. At the same time, in the words of Hillel (Pirkei Avos 1:14), “If I am not for myself, then who is for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I?” It is important to spend time getting to know oneself, but it is also important to use that knowledge to contribute to the community.

How do we achieve this delicate balance? In her book Stages of Spiritual Growth, Batya Gallant writes (page 67), “At a lower level of middas hachessed, my self-care and care for another operate intermittently – I alternate between self-care and care for the other. Yet at a more advanced level of middas hachessed, these two modes converge into one act, where care for myself is experienced through care for the other.” For young children, expressing themselves and giving to others are two separate modes of being. Both modes need to be accessed and experienced in order to grow. But as they mature, children begin to take pleasure in giving, in using their unique strengths and talents to benefit others.

The author of the Bilvavi series similarly describes two modes of being, alone and with others (Getting to Know Yourself, page 58). He recommends setting aside time to be alone, not for the sake of being alone, but in order to connect to the unique powers of our own neshamos and then bring those powers into the world and into our interactions with other people.

As we educate our children, we can explain these concepts to them in age-appropriate ways, encouraging them to discover their own strengths while emphasizing that Hashem gave them these gifts in order to fulfill their mission to help bring about the perfection and completion of His universe. May Hashem grant all of us success this coming year and always.