HOME & FAMILY

According to the American Psychiatric Association, the diagnositic criteria for Reading Disorder (Dyslexia) are as follows (DSM-IV, 1994):...

Ripples of Eternity
by Rifca Goldberg

Watching the waves froth against the shore and ripple back out to sea, Shmuel and his young wife stood at the dock. They came a full two hours early. They drew closer, walking the length of the magnificent vessel, talking non-stop about their upcoming voyage. All the money gifts from the wedding, as well as all the money the young man had saved for the last few years were invested in this trip. A fabulous voyage to a new life in a new country. All around them, happiness filled the air.

Handwriting -- a Mirror to the Soul -- Identifying Children's Problems Through Graphology
by Rachel Gil

PART I

Although graphology is not an exact science, in 90% of the cases, it is similar to a CT of the soul, and acts as an X- ray in identifying hidden qualities as well as distress.

Teaching Love of Torah
by Tzvia Ehrlich-Klein

We discussed 1) Working at trying to connect what is happening to thoughts about Torah, good middos and Hashem, i.e. relating to Torah in our daily lives; 2) Showing love of Torah in various ways.

PARENTING WITH MENUCHA
Everyone Has Their Own Bed
by Menucha Fuchs
Author, Parent Guidance Counselor

Which parent has not had the experience of having a child sleeping in their bed? And who hasn't felt the discomfort of such a slumber? Who never asked themselves: what can I do to stop this? How can I prevent my child from coming into my bed tonight?

Picture Perfect
Taking the "Before" Chalaka Portrait
by Yonina Hall

A chalaka is much more than a haircutting ceremony -- it poignantly marks the transformation of the baby into the boy. A lasting memory of this occasion for many families is a "before" picture of their cherubic toddler, crowned by that mass of curls that refuses to be tucked up under his kipa.

Your Medical Questions Answered!
by Joseph B. Leibman, MD

Before we start on new diseases, let's speak about success with old ones. The pox virus is the largest virus, yet is still microscopic. It looks like a lollipop with an octagon on top. Two of these viruses are worth mentioning.

Poet's Corner
Overtones
by Chaim Salenger

Sitting by a forest stream
he could hear the waterfall,
reflections on his changing mind
underneath the forest tall,
"The Torah is an endless sea
I've never had a chance to sail
I'm stranded here upon its shores
forty years and now I'm asking

How could I even try
to delve into a world that
I could never have a single hope
of unraveling
My heart is like a ball of stone
unyielding to these overtones
and I don't know upon which road
I am traveling."

The water softly trickled down
How gracefully it seemed to glide
and in the hollow of his heart
he dwelled upon his new-found bride:
She'd said, "I now can plainly see
that you are bigger than your size
and greatness is within your reach
Go and gather what you're lacking."
But how could I...

The shepherd's eyes were drawn
to the water that flowed
through a hole that had worn
through a stone.
After years of relentlessly falling,
the water had cut through the stone
and the shepherd thought,
"If something
of softness and time
could eventually penetrate through
then the truth will eventually, too."

Sitting by a forest stream
he could see the water fall
reflecting on his changing mind
underneath the forest tall...

Lag B'Omer

by Rifca Goldberg

Children working together
Gathering branches
Sticks and papers
The pile towering above us
Waiting for the Zohar's light to burst forth.

Lag B'Omer

Sudden flames
Orange crystals of fire
Burning streaks speckling
The endless black sky.

Adults and children alike
Flushed with excitement
All eyes aglow.

Meiron

The crush of people
Snips of hair here and there
Vendors selling,
Pushing, pulling
Noise and more deafening noise.

Men dancing in a flaring circle
Singing melodies of silvery light
Circling faster and faster
Eyes closed tight
Aflame.

Great rabbonim and tzaddikim coming together
Dancing around the tongues of golden flames
Learning with tongues of Torah purity
Infusing this world with holiness.

In the orange dawn
Crackling branches turn to ash
The enormous fire slowly dwindles
Yet Rabbi Shimon's fire continues
Burning embers
In each person's heart.