Why I Cannot Follow the Advice I Give My Painting Students
The Advice Every Artist Hears Anyone who has taken a painting class has heard the same advice. Step back from the canvas. Let a piece rest overnight. Come back with fresh eyes and fix what bothers you. It is good advice. I give it constantly to students who paint with me on canvas. But it […]
What I Would Tell Someone Just Starting Out as a Scribe
The Question Behind the Question People who ask me how to become a scribe usually mean something else. They want to know how long it takes before you feel ready. The honest answer is that you don’t. You just get to a point where your teacher trusts your hand more than you do, and that […]
How I Actually Check a Torah Scroll, Mezuzah, or Tefilin
The Question People Ask Once They See the Tools When people find out I check Torah scrolls, mezuzahs, and tefilin for a living, they usually want to know one thing: what am I actually looking for? They picture me reading the whole thing straight through, like checking a book for typos. That is not how […]
Something Widely Believed About Old Torah Scrolls That Isn’t True
The Scroll on the Shelf Isn’t Automatically Fine People often assume that if a Torah scroll has been in a family or a synagogue for decades, it must still be kosher. It’s old, it’s heavy, it’s been read from a hundred times, so surely it holds up. That assumption is the single most common thing […]
Why Productivity Has Always Been Important to Me
Productivity Means More Than Being Busy I have always believed that our time is one of the most valuable things we have. We all have responsibilities, challenges, and unexpected circumstances that can change the direction of a day, but we still have a choice in how we use the time given to us. For me, […]
Preserving Jewish Heritage Through the Art of the Scribe
A Lifelong Connection to Jewish Tradition My connection to Jewish tradition began when I was very young. I was born in Russia and came to Jerusalem when I was 10 years old. Moving to Jerusalem opened an entirely new chapter in my life, and I became immersed in Hebrew language, Jewish education, and a culture […]