Parashat Shemini begins with the ordination of Aaron and his sons. Almost without warning or fanfare, they are brought before the entire community, washed with water, dressed up with appropriate [...]

I went to services with a group one Shabbat this summer, at a place where none of us were accustomed to going. Where we were or what we were doing together this summer are for other blog posts; [...]

For children, the plagues of Egypt have been turned into song. We all know the tune about Pharaoh waking up to “frogs in his bed and frogs on his head”. Many seder tables at Passover are [...]

A woman sits on the couch in my office explaining why she doesn’t feel comfortable speaking in class. A man, suffering from past traumas, tries to understand why it is so hard to connect with his [...]

There is no doubt in my mind that EVERYONE has the ability to learn. We just each go about it differently. From Proverbs, “Teach a child according to his/her own way.”  But how do you discover a [...]

As parents, each day has the potential for new or unexpected experiences and the resultant unintended consequences. A few weeks ago, I decided to take my younger son to the park on an [...]

Could it be that Joseph was a young man who was misunderstood because of some sort of disability that challenged him? We hear stories all too often of those with disabilities who perplex their [...]

In Pirkei Avot Ben Zoma said: “Who is wise? One who learns from every person.” This is a central Jewish value. Everyone has something to learn, and everyone has something to teach. Some people [...]

The largest minority in America is the population of people with disabilities. Children live in a world full of people who are different from each other in all sorts of ways. Helping them to [...]