Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Elisha Greenbaum
Stories
“I accept that my business failure is punishment for deserting you,” he cried to Reb Zushe, “but why? What was wrong with my logic?” "At home?" said Rabbi DovBer. "Oh yes... At home, it is a different matter altogether..." As he stood at the pile of ashes and smoldering embers which was all that remained of everything he owned, he lifted his eyes heavenward and began to recite: "Blessed are you G-d...." But now he was about to do the unthinkable.
7 Adar: From Fasting to Feasting
I’m fasting today, but I’ll be feasting tonight. Today is the 7th of Adar, the anniversary of both the birth and passing of Moses, the leader of the Exodus and the greatest Jew to have ever lived. G‑d Himself, in all His glory, was the one to bury Moses, and thus the day has come to be associated with the observances and customs of traditional Jewish funerals.
Parshah Musings
Sometimes I wonder at the puny specimens passing themselves off as Bar Mitzvah boys. How, by any stretch of the imagination, can they be described as having reached adulthood?
Euthanasia, Medical Morass, and the Wickedness of Sodom - In Memory of Alta Fixler
My son was struggling for life and then an unfeeling doctor made it even worse. We feel nothing but gratitude for all the heroic doctors and nurses who supported our son, Yechezkel Nochum (may he rest in peace), throughout the time he spent in the hospital. They were uniformly professional and caring. They were respectful of the pain our family was going through and demonstrated through their actions and words that they would do anything to support him throughout his short life. With one exception.
Who’s Your Daddy? - Why is the sad month of Av named “Father”?
If you were naming the months, would you call one of them “father”? The Greeks and Romans named the months after their gods. The Islamic calendar refers to warfare, weather and camels, among other things. Though the Chinese named their years after various animals, their months are much more pedestrian and are just numbered from 1 to 12.
Yom Kippur in February
A young truth-seeker visited the famed village of Kotzk to learn from the Kotzker chassidim and to observe the way they conducted their personal service of G‑d. It was all too strange. In Kotzk people didn’t live normally orIt was all too strange act respectfully. At every opportunity they would speak about the pursuit of absolute truth, they spent all hours of the day studying Torah and would pray on their own schedules, beginning when they felt emotionally prepared to engage with G‑d.
Yom Kippur in February
A young truth-seeker visited the famed village of Kotzk to learn from the Kotzker chassidim and to observe the way they conducted their personal service of G‑d. It was all too strange. In Kotzk people didn’t live normally orIt was all too strange act respectfully. At every opportunity they would speak about the pursuit of absolute truth, they spent all hours of the day studying Torah and would pray on their own schedules, beginning when they felt emotionally prepared to engage with G‑d.
It Wasn’t Even a Sacrifice
The great Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev would routinely pay a pastoral visit to every sick person in the city of Berditchev. He would pray with them, offer his help to the family and reassure them of G‑d's essential goodness. With the love and concern he would display for the needs of every patient, his very presence would often prove the panacea that could drag someone from their very deathbed back to the land of the living.
Why I'm Not Coming to Shul - High Holidays
Subject: Why I won't be in shul next week Rabbi, thanks for the phone call, but I’m going to say no. You know how much I love you and how much _____ and I admire what you and Leah have managed to accomplish in the community, but I don’t think I’ll be coming to shul this year. It’s not you, it’s me. ;-) It is so much easier to pray at home. I have the time and space to read the prayerbook at my own pace, and I’m guaranteed a comfortable chair.
Someone Has to Pay Retail
A friend of mine used to be mortified when shopping with his mother over her insistence on haggling over each and every item purchased. She would negotiate with everyone: storeowners, door-to-door salesmen, even the check-out clerks at the supermarket. Poor kid would be absolutely squirming with embarrassment every time his mother went through her "is this the best price you can offer?" routine.
The Stolen Blessings
The story of the stolen blessings is often understood as a contest between the two brothers for the legacy of Abraham and Isaac, with Isaac mistakenly taking Esau to be the worthy heir, and Rebecca, knowing the true nature of her elder son, devising the plan that would place Jacob at Isaac's bedside at the crucial moment. However, a closer reading of the Torah's account indicates that Isaac was well aware of the difference between his two children.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Elisha
Contact Elisha, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack