Menachem Hojda MSW A collection of thoughts on the power of connection and attachment in our daily lives.
Subscribe to this blog to get the latest updates emailed to you
Subscription complete
Showing Results 0 - 8 (8 total)
Mamma It's Me!
Author: Menachem Hojda MSW
One of the great privileges of my life is living down the block from my Grandparents, which allows me and my family to share so many experiences with them. On the first night of Chanukah we made our annual visit to hear Opa tell the story of our family's personal Chanukah miracle. Opa celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in the Hamburg Bornplatz Shul on the first Shabbos of November 1938 which would be the last Shabbos celebrated at this magnificent struct …
Who Could Love a Skunk?
Author: Menachem Hojda MSW
2017-06-25 23:27:51
A few nights ago I was driving back from a meeting when I saw a skunk crossing the road. Following behind her in a neat row were 4 little baby skunks. While I stopped to let them cross, I noticed how the mother skunk stopped at the curb to help each one climb up this formidable obstacle. Safe inside my car I thought about how in a different circumstance coming across a skunk could ruin my night, but tonight it was a thing of beauty to witness the …
Conspicuous Connection
Author: Menachem Hojda MSW
2017-07-02 00:00:00
Conspicuous Connection
Author: Menachem Hojda MSW
2017-07-02 22:59:35
The Watusi Cattle is a striking animal. I noticed it while riding with my family on a train ride at a local zoo. The guide explained to us that this African breed is considered a key status symbol among the African tribes. Those with the widest horns may only be owned by the king, and how many Watusi one owns as well as the quality of the herd projects importance to everyone else. Certainly the animals provide important sustenance for their owner …
Stop Barkin' Listen Up!
Author: Menachem Hojda MSW
2017-07-10 18:21:55
High school is always dramatic, but when my parents divorced the summer before I left for Yeshivah it set up an interesting four years. Living away from home and trying to understand how to navigate the various dilemmas that came up I spent a lot of time talking to Rebbeim who kindly gave me wise advice, yet somehow with all the advice I was getting these conversations seemed to lead to even more inner turmoil, except when I talked to my roommate …
Going Off The Derech
Author: Menachem Hojda MSW
2017-07-16 23:52:34
A few weeks ago I was driving through Ohio on the I-80 West. Driving long distance in the winter can be treacherous because of the weather, but in the summer the construction can be almost as bad. I always try to think of the long term benefits maybe next time I drive this road it will be nice and smooth, but it always feels like next time the same road is perpetually under construction. Sometimes when construction gets too bad or if th …
I Dreamed a Dream
Author: Menachem Hojda MSW
2017-07-23 23:55:53
Some people are lucky to get their dream job, the wife of their dreams, a son who is a dream, or even all of the above. Others can only imagine what it would be like to reach that dream, still others might refuse to settle until they find the dream they are chasing. But the thing about dreams is that they only happen when where asleep, it's almost like dreams and life are mutually exclusive. The nice thing about dreams is that they aren't bo …
Taking a Stab at Holiness
Author: Menachem Hojda MSW
2017-07-30 23:14:49
On Tisha Bav we will read about the dramatic moment when Titus the Roman general entered the Holy Temple and proceeded to blaspheme in word and in deed that most holy of places. In Kinna 16 Rabbi Elazar Hakalir recounts how the evil Titus used his bloody sword to tear into shreds the remarkable curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple. This curtain had different images on each side an incredible artistic accompli …