To me, this parashah is probably one of the most complex parts of Torah to relate to in modern times. I also think it's what drives a lot of people away from religion — it's outdated, right!?...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2007/02/mishpatim-ruleslaws.html
I received an interesting Ask Chaviva Anything submission in September that has been on my mind since it popped into my inbox. I've been tossing around how to answer it for ages and I'm still no...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2024/01/heter-to-stop-having-kids-judaism.html
Throughout my life the most stressful and inspiring moments have thrust pen to paper. These moments made it easy for me to sit and write without pause until every single feeling and experience ha...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2023/12/what-would-happen-if-we-all-just-felt.html
So I did a thing. There's this beautiful prayer of thanks called Nishmat Kol Chai (the soul of every living thing) that many women take upon themselves to say every day for 40 days. Here's a ...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2023/02/nishmat-kol-chai-with-printable-chart.html
It's been awhile and I honestly don't even know if anyone is interested in this series, but I wanted to bring back the Ask Chaviva Anything series because I'm trying to spend more time here on th...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2022/08/were-back-ask-chaviva-anything.html
Boker tov and chodesh tov and Shabbat shalom. It's me, again, with another look at the weekly Torah portion from my favorite place in Jerusalem: the shuk! This week's parashah is Re'eh (Deva...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2022/08/parsha-reeh-gods-you-didnt-know.html
Happy Friday! I am happy to say these words are coming to you from the comfort of Machane Yehuda, aka the shuk, in Jerusalem, Israel, Planet Earth. Let's dive in. This week's Torah portion...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2022/08/parashat-eikev-are-jews-really-better.html
Yes, Sukkot has come and gone this year, but after many years of creating alliterative names for the nightly meals in the Sukkah, I thought it might be fun to compile a ton so that when next year...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2020/10/alliterations-for-sukkot-sukkah.html
Many moons ago, I sat down and studied the weekly Torah portion (parashah). I started this when I was living in Washington D.C. right after college. I'd finish my shift at the Washington Post, he...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2022/08/parashat-veetchanan-.html
I thought I'd feel something ... something more. More deep, more powerful, more. Just more. When I made aliyah in 2012, I felt it all. I felt the air differently, the mornings differently. E...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2022/07/one-month-in-israel-aliyah-without.html
It's been a while blog readers, but I've got some big ... nay ... huge news. Around this time in 2012, I decided to make aliyah to Israel. I sold everything, packed three suitcases, and mov...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2022/06/aliyah-part-deux-we-are-finally-moving.html
Back in 2019, Delish shared a coffee-and-cream colors chart . At some point, it was used to display the various colors of Indigenous peoples as a way of saying, "Indigenous people are not a monol...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2021/12/jews-are-not-monolith.html
As you all know, I didn't grow up Jewish. The first 20 odd years of my life were spent living a generally midwestern Christian/secular lifestyle. So, watching my three kiddos grow up Jewish is fa...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2021/10/you-know-youre-raising-jewish-kid-when.html
It's been a long time since I answered an Ask Chaviva Anything question, but this one came in and I thought, "Well, it's about time!" Q: HAVE YOU WATCHED THE LULAROE DOCUMENTARY? IF SO, WAS...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2021/10/ask-chaviva-anything-lularoe-documentary.html
Photo by Benny Rotlevy For converts to Judaism, one of the ongoing topics that crops up every now and again is the risk of having their conversion question, revoked, canceled, or retracted ...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2021/10/revoke-conversion-to-judaism.html
Well. The truth is often a hard pill to swallow, and this has been one of the hardest. Nay, most frustrating. Nay, most infuriating. This blog article is all about this earth-shattering news that...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2021/05/this-truth-it-hurts-michael-and-amanda.html
I wrote this little d'var Torah (thoughts on the Torah) for Chanukah for one of the local synagogues and thought I'd share here, too! Enjoy. Rambam says that the Chanukah lights are a mitzvah c...
Every November or December, whenever the 25th of the month of Kislev falls in the Jewish calendar, Jews around the world celebrate Chanukah, the festival of light. Although many know Chanukah bec...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2020/11/the-difference-menorah-versus-chanukiyah.html
Photo by Adriaan Greyling from Pexels Well, it’s officially my favorite time of year! I like to think I have reverse seasonal affective disorder — I love cold, cloudy weather. I love ...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2020/11/holiday-lights-reconciling-traditions.html
One of the biggest questions this time of years for Jews is whether Thanksgiving is a kosher holiday. Can (and should) Jews celebrate Thanksgiving? How does the secular, American holiday fit ...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2020/11/is-thanksgiving-jewish-kosher.html
NOTE: THIS STORY WAS ORIGINAL PUBLISHED ON MEDIUM IN FEBRUARY 2019. I DON'T KNOW WHY I CHOSE TO POST IT THERE INSTEAD OF HERE, BUT I DID. BUT NOW, I WANT TO SHARE IT HERE, WHERE PEOPLE KNOW ME ...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2020/08/true-story-im-on-isis-hit-list.html
As I sit and await Shabbat’s arrival I find myself filled with exhaustion and frustration. I’m asking myself why we are bringing in another Shabbat without a Temple in Jerusalem, without Mash...
I've written nearly 2,000 posts on this blog since launching it in 2006. In my life and career, I've written millions of words. I was once an influencer in the Jewish world who spoke at conferenc...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2019/05/when-you-cant-live-your-dream.html
Hey hey, it's time for another installment of Ask Chaviva Anything! Let's dig in. Q: HOW DO JEWS PARTICIPATE IN LIGHTING CANDLES ON FRIDAY EVENING WHEN THEY HAVE A SON WHO PLAYS HIGH SCHOOL...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2019/04/ask-chaviva-anything-shabbat-candles.html
I might be late to the party, as is want to happen when you've got three kids and a full-time job, but I want to talk about the Marie Kondo "KonMari" movement and that whole "does it spark joy" m...
http://www.kvetchingeditor.com/2019/03/judaism-and-sparking-joy.html