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
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
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,
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
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
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