Adventures in Mama-Land

Everyone knows writers write -- every day. So how are writers supposed to deal with Shabbos – a day that comes once a week, always at the worst possible time, interrupting the “flow” and standing in the way of creativity?  And what if you get your best ideas at a time when you’re forbidden to write them down??? I’ve dredged this old article up from the archives – published back in 2001, and maybe not how I’d write it today, but still highly relevant.  Enjoy! Gorgeous Hebrew typewriter photo © Shira Gal via Flickr . ----- Everyone knows writers write -- every day. But since I became an Orthodox Jew a decade ago, writing hasn't been an option at least one day out of every week. From sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, and on holidays, traditional Jewish law prohibits writing, whether with a pen or computer. The goal of the Sabbath isn't just "not working" but "not creating" -- as God did after making the world. It's hard enough for the busy stockb...

  There are more things in heaven and earth… Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. - Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio Before you start to wonder what this post is doing here:  yes, I realize that I have an aliyah blog , and that’s usually where I post most of my goggle-eyed musings about life in Israel. But my goggle-eyed musings about Jewish life, on the other hand, sometimes belong here.  Even if they are about Jewish life in Israel. About Jewish life… or about frum life.  A word I never, ever, ever liked.  Never, never, never.  You can find tons of old stuff on here that proves it – like this post, about ortho-BOXing me in , from 4 years ago.  Or this post, about being spiritual vs being religious . Where I am right now, frum is a word I never, ever, ever have to use unless I really want to. It turns out the problem wasn’t with me.  The problem was that there simply weren’t enough ways to be Jewish, at least where we were living....