JVO Blog

I Haven’t Owned A TV Since 2001

Posted on 12/19/2019 by Rivkah Lambert Adler in Beliefs and Practices

When I go back to the US for a visit, I am overwhelmed by the ubiquitousness of television in public spaces. I hear it blaring everywhere – in the airport lounge, while waiting for an oil change, in the...

Tiffany Haddish Learns Hebrew or How To Get More Hebrew Into Your Life

Posted on 12/04/2019 by Rivkah Lambert Adler in Israel

Turns out, comedian, actress and writer Tiffany Haddish has a Jewish father. In a recent interview on the Jimmy Fallon show, she discussed how she found out about her connection to Judaism.As a teenager, her...

Not Your Grandmother’s Judaism

Posted on 11/28/2019 by Rivkah Lambert Adler in Reviews

Many years ago, I attended a memorable talk, delivered by Dr. Lawrence Schiffman. Schiffman is a professor at New York University and his areas of expertise include the history of Judaism in Late Antiquity,...

The Hidden Irony of Chanukah Decorations

Posted on 11/21/2019 by Rivkah Lambert Adler in Holidays

Every year around this time, Jewish people begin to comment on social media about the availability, or lack of availability, of Chanukah decorations, Chanukah stamps, menorah-shaped cookies, Maccabee...

The Gifts of Being A Certain Age

Posted on 10/22/2019 by Rivkah Lambert Adler in Beliefs and Practices

A few months ago, I wrote about turning a new age. Four months later, I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that I am this new age.Last week, I was in the car with a wise friend of...

Guess Who’s Building A Sukkah? A JVO Photoblog

Posted on 10/16/2019 by Rivkah Lambert Adler in Holidays

NOTE: Please don't be discouraged by the image formatting in this post. The content has the potential to completely change your paradigm about Sukkot.On erev Sukkot, the Jerusalem Post’s lead...

Like Water For Torah

Posted on 10/07/2019 by Rivkah Lambert Adler in Israel

This past Shabbat afternoon, while I was taking my customary Shabbat afternoon nap, I was awakened by the rolling sound of thunder. My first thought was of the blessing for thunder: Baruch ata Hashem Elokeinu...

Potty Humor. Potty Prayer.

Posted on 09/17/2019 by Rivkah Lambert Adler in Beliefs and Practices

At least in our culture, children seem to naturally think that the human digestive system is funny. When our own children were little, we read them two books about how normal human digestion is. One was called...

With God In The Elevator

Posted on 09/08/2019 by Rivkah Lambert Adler in Holidays

Many years ago, I was living in suburban Baltimore with my family. An old friend had made aliyah about five years before. She and her husband were looking for a new apartment and had found something they...

"When Elul Comes Calling" OR "How To Do Elul"

Posted on 08/26/2019 by Rivkah Lambert Adler in Holidays

There’s a Jewish saying that’s especially suitable for this time of year. In the 19th century, Rebbe Nachman, founder of Breslov Chassidut, taught: “If you believe that you can destroy,...

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