Life lessons

This year's Seder is certainly going to be different.  Here are some new rules to help you handle it! 1.      To maintain social distancing, only two people will be allowed to attend at a time, and we will be metering entry. We will be sending a Google doc so that you can sign up for your preferred portion of the seder in 15 minute shifts: The Four Questions; The Four Kinds of Children, Dayenu, The 10 Plagues, Elijah and the Afikomen. We anticipate a lot of interest in the Plagues section so we will have to make some hard choices....

Tikkun Olam - Repairing the World - is a deeply rooted concept in Judaism that refers to a commitment to perfect and improve the world through our own behavior, attitudes and actions. Tikkun means to repair or improve. Olam means the entire world. In Jewish teachings, any activity that improves the world, bringing it closer to the harmonious state for which it was created is considered Tikkun Olam. It implies that while the world is innately good, the Creator purposely left room for us to improve upon it. Repairing the world, one mitzvah at a time Tzedakah Box In the...

Whether you call them your Sweetheart, Bashert*, Beloved, Husband, Wife or Partner, it all comes down to this - how is it if you work together everyday.  People often ask me what is it like working with my Husband?  Many say to me "Oh I could never do that".  I think even more people ask him that question.  But the truth is we did not give it a lot of thought 30 years ago when we started Beames Designs! together.  I had a passion for working in glass and Michael had a background in business.  There was no Googling "how to...

When you talk about romance, love, marriage and Judaism, one other word inevitably comes up - “bashert.” Translated as “fated,” "inevitable" or "preordained", bashert is often used to mean a predestined soulmate. But the literal translation from Yiddish is “destiny.” The concept of bashert, for those who believe in it, is much more than finding love by being at the right place at the right time. It is, in essence, fulfilling your personal destiny, thereby playing your part in the destiny of the world. What does Bashert mean?Though the term beshert can refer to any fortuitous event, it is most...

What are the customs, rituals and traditions when it comes to lighting a Channukiah or Chanukah Menorah? Some are dictated in scripture, but many have been formed into rituals by the generations before us or have been created by community and family traditions. How many Menorahs should be lit by one family? Each Jewish household is required to have at least one Menorah. However, if we go by what the ancient rabbis said, it is not customary to stick to only one as lighting more only adds to the mitzvah. Children can be given their Menorahs or heirlooms that have...