Therapeutic Scrapbooking Theme June 11, 2008
Posted by janey in : self improvement , comments closedWhen we plan our scrapbooking, often times we think of albums that focus on holidays, weddings, births and special events in our lives that we want to preserve. These are days that bring smiles to our faces and laughter to our hearts. As normal as this may be to select such occasions for our scrapbooking projects, sometimes we miss out on an opportunity to use our creative outlet to express our thoughts and feelings about those unpleasant moments in our lives that are uncontrollable.
When we stop and think about the pain we have suffered, whether through physical injury or any other traumatic event, these are all part of what molds us into the people we have become. So often we choose to bury our pain instead of embracing them to discover the hidden treasures that are often overlooked.
Shortly after the birth of my second baby, I was diagnosed with severe post-partum depression. My difficult marriage that was riddled with chaos was coming to an end. The occasions that led me to the place of complete hopelessness were overwhelming at best. As part of my recovery, I began to journal my thoughts and feelings about each event that happened. What began as an attempt to sort through the pain, developed into a complete visual expression of raw emotion and the spiritual journey that accompanied my experiences. Although not your usual scrapbook project, it is one that played a considerable role for me in finding peace and healing.
Piecing it all together with photographs, carefully selected decorative paper and just the right stamping and embellishments gave each painful memory a sense of validity. It was like placing a mirror up to my wounded heart and saying, ‘Yes, that is what I felt. Right or wrong, good or bad. These emotions are mine.’ To be able to openly disclose myself this way and to have a visual memorial has made it easier to let go of the pain, forgive and move toward healing.
My scrapbook album, titled ‘A Journey Through Life’s Challenges’ does not sit on my coffee table out on display. Instead, it lies on the desk in my office, waiting for moments, sometimes through tears, when I need a reminder of where I’ve been to truly appreciate where I am today.
Torah Judaism Updates May 18, 2008
Posted by janey in : self improvement , comments closedThe Jewish Press reports:
Militant Judaism
JERUSALEM – A burgeoning bribery scandal threatens to bring down the government of Ehud Olmert, with Israeli law enforcement sources saying a development in the case is imminent.
Law enforcement sources said Tuesday’s development might lead to an indictment against the prime minister.
When the story first broke last week, Israel’s Channel 1 quoted a senior legal source as saying, “Olmert is in a grave situation. Separate court procedures related to the investigation and the gag order were held on Tuesday, with the court accepting a request by police not to lift the gag on the case.
“The investigation team must be given leeway.”
Though the near-complete news blackout on the case remains in effect in Israel, the New York Post on Tuesday disclosed that the “foreign national” mentioned in news reports is Long Island-based millionaire financier Morris Talansky, who allegedly passed money to Olmert while the latter was mayor of Jerusalem in the 1990’s.
Talansky was prepared to talk to Israeli authorities, the Post reported.
Talansky had been “questioned about the alleged scheme almost immediately after arriving in the country for Passover, and he implicated Olmert,” the Post reported.
Yitzchok noted that the difference between the current case and previous investigations of Olmert is that “here there is a witness who admits that something was done illegally, while in previous cases there was apparent proof that Olmert did something illegal but no one came forward.
Olmert tried to downplay news of the investigation, telling cabinet members Sunday that “a wave of rumors has been sweeping the country since Wednesday; some of those rumors are wicked and malicious.
Shlomo Greenwald writes:
The yeshiva and its affiliates also have a unique approach to teaching and learning Gemara. Students are encouraged to work at understanding the logical steps in any portion and to place a high value on the Gemara’ initial assumptions, even if these are later rejected.
Rabbi Leibowitz was intimately involved in many aspects of the yeshiva. For example, according to Rabbi Schwartz, several times a year he would personally travel to potential new sites for affiliated yeshivas.
Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim, which moved to Kew Gardens Hills in Queens recently, has 500 students between its high school and rabbinical schoo. A Queens elementary school that Rabbi Leibowitz started in 1957, Tiferes Moshe, has another 600 students. All the affiliates number another several thousand students.
Rabbi Dovid Harris and Rabbi Akiva Grunblatt will succeed Rabbi Leibowitz as roshei yeshiva.
“The rosh yeshiva is irreplaceable,” Rabbi Schwartz said. “It’s the combination of his warm personality, his level of Torah erudition, and his ability to develop students. He also represented a connection to the previous generation of gedolim.”
Rabbi Leibowitz’s first wife, Pesha Leibowitz, died in 2002. He had no children, and is survived by his second wife Danielle Leibowitz.
