Mommy Morah

"Red-rover Elana, red-rover, Dina. Batya started so Elana came. Elana started maybe." The chanting grew louder, quicker tempo. "Red-rover Elana, red-rover, Dina. ..." What were they on? I peered over the top of my scuffed list and stared at the girls in front of me. There were five of them now, enthusiastically chanting a string of nonsense. "Can't I study in here? There's a quiz in a few minutes!" "But we are studying!" they retorted and continued with the inane chanting. Or so I thought. My classmates had discovered the Magic of Mnemonics. Fast forward a few years. I am at the door of my Jewish History classroom, test piles tucked under my arm, when I hear it. Strange tunes being repeated, from one girl to the next. I listen closely - those words sound familiar. Ah, of course. They are studying for my test. A surge of pride electrifies me. I've made it! I've presented my students with a course of study serious ...

My little one buggied and cheered through her morning music session. She totally digged the instruments - shakers, triangles, tambourines, you name it. She went through them one by one. Most importantly, she walked across the room to retrieve those items. I find it intriguing to note that only when she really, really, REALLY wants something, when there is an all-important (fill in the blank) then she'll go for it. She hardly notices that she is walking. And that's when she makes her best efforts. Willpower!!! There is nothing that stands in the way of will

I tapped my foot impatiently. The bell had already rung, and the other class would need all the time they could get. 'Thorough Student' hurriedly scanned her last sheet, and gave me a sheepish grin as she handed in her test paper. At last! I hurried up the aisle, set to gather my materials and head into the next lesson. And stopped. Two students from the other class, Dafna* and Miriam* were reading something in the front of the classroom. I could almost feel the niggling question mark hovering in front of them. As I neared my desk, the corners of my mouth turned down into a grimace, a frown, and then a terribly astonished face. I actually felt this transformation, bit by bit. The girls sensed me approach and guiltily fled the room. What to do? What to do? I slowly piled the completed test papers and made my way into the hall. What to do? I met a teacher on the way, and whispered my dilemma. "I would fail them," she recommended, "just a full-out...

A visit to the emergency room should be enough to give a mom a fresh perspective on life and fill her with gratitude on account of her family's good health. My initiation that fateful Monday was emotionally taxing. It is a rite of parenting, they tell me, but it took at least a full week of chiropractor visits, sick days from work, tehillim, public weeping spells, countless emails and probing phone calls for me to recover. It was a minimalist Shabbos, just challah and tuna, and most often I was curled up on the couch or rejuvenating undercover. By the next week I was sufficiently back to normal. When friendly/curious/nosey people queried after her finger, I was honestly responding, "she's fine, B"H. Its just a cast, it doesn't bother her at all." At that point, it wasn't bothering me either. Then Thursday dawned. Time to trek back to the hospital... I decided to travel by public transport, and I'm glad I did, since I was able to write the next s...

The moment I pulled the car into park, Guilt knocked on my door. Actually, she just barged in unannounced. "You should have picked up Daniel!" she accused. I reached out to switch the car back on. A quick look at the clock told me it was a futile effort. 12:28, the little guy would already be nestled in his cot by the time I'd arrive. Waking him and transferring him to the car would spell the end of this nap time. Been there, done that. The result? Frustrated mother. Sort of defeats the purpose of early pick-up, if you ask me. So I snapped up Mussy's coat and headed into the house with a clear conscious. Well, almost. Guilt wasn't quite through with me yet, "Then you should leave a few minutes earlier!" Sigh. Why do I go through this again and again? As soon as my work hours have ended, I speed out of school fueled by Guilt. If only it was this easy... Why do I feel like a bad mother if I am not mothering all day? Why do I feel a need t...

Large red flames dance towards the heavens. As they cavort about, I wonder. What is the fire in my life? Where is my passion? Where is my focus? A fire is concentrated light. It is a force to be reckoned with. I want some of that energy in my life! Lag B'omer is a mystical day. A celebration of the passing of the Rashbi. Really? To celebrate death? But the Rashbi is about light, life and whisperings of the soul. The Rashbi helped access those secret whisperings of G-dliness and bring them to the light of day. I need more of that in my life. I need the oil of Torah's inner dimensions to fan my flames and keep me going. I need more Chassidus. The highlight of the day was visiting a real  bonfire. My son expressed concern about fire, so we spoke about good and bad fires all day long. Actually, we've been preparing for this day for months with these sorts of discussions. While frying eggs: "It's fire, Mama!" While lighting Shabbos candles: "Don't...

They finally convinced me. My students asked several times for permission to watch the  Young Avraham Animation Film . This would be during class time, naturally. Though I was personally interested in seeing the film, I was rather reluctant to give up class time for it. Trust me, it was worth it. Avraham's birth A video captures the heart in a way that it is hard for text to emulate. Videos speak to an emotional level; texts to the intellect. Young Avraham really brings the medrashim to life. We watched the video after learning the material, so the girls' questions were based on the material they had studied. I only wish there was a viewers guide listing the meforshim the film is based on. I would love to use that as my curriculum, then highlight our learning with the final viewing. Alternatively, we could watch and query (as they were) and WRITE DOWN the questions. Then, they should be motivated enough by their own curiosity to research the answers on their...