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Shalom, welcome to my blog!

Born and raised in the Mojave Desert, California, I hail from a very non-
denominational Jewish family who gave me lots of warmth and visceral awareness of
my Jewishness, but no substantial knowledge of it. The blessing in this is that I came
to realize that many people go through life with great existential vacuums. I
respectively took the first opportunity to explore my own by heading to the source –
Israel. 

 

I vagabonded with the best of 'em, did Kibbutz and archeology and eventually made
the leap into Orthodox Torah study.  I've learned in a variety of yeshivas and kollels,
the most formative being that of Ha'Rav Nachman Bulman, זצ"ל, who introduced me
to the spectacular writings of the Nesivos Sholom, by the previous Slonimer Rebbeh,
זצוק"ל, who’s community would become my spiritual home.  Academically, I've
studied at UC Berkeley and Bar-Ilan U. in the fields of Comparative Religion, Jewish
Philosophy and Educational Counseling. I've also learned marital counseling from the
YaNaR Institute, as well as Bris Mila from a variety of talented rabbis throughout the
world.

 

I teach English and Jewish Thought and couple-counsel. When I get serious, I write
and do Mila. A huge fan of children, I try to learn from them at every juncture, at the
very least from my incredibly special brood, who are all sincerely committed Israeli
hassidim, בלע"ה, and yet never stop surprising me how normal they can be.

 

I am also a passionate student of Attachment Psychology, the science of human
bonding. I believe the essence of the amazing new approach to relationship therapy
that has emerged from its research – the revelation that constant cultivation of the
connection between couples is their primary need – can be found in the word mitzvah,
which is commonly understood as religious “commandment” but is ultimately related
to the Hebrew for tsevet, team. Genuine religious growth is dependent upon quality
interpersonal connections, and vice versa.

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