Ruchniyus and Gashmiyus, revisited. Again.
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On My Mind
Mrs. Aliza Feder's Newsletter
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Ready to go a little deep?
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If you've been around this space for a while, you know that one of my favorite topics is the interplay between ruchniyus and gashmiyus in Yiddishkeit. We often speak about balancing the two, elevating the physical throug...
Jul 29, 2026
The Emotional Curriculum of Yiddishkeit
Every year around this time, I notice myself asking the same question.
The Three Weeks begin, the music turns off, the celebrations quiet down, and the mourning intensifies with the halachos of the nine days. I instinctively check in with myself:
Am I feeling sad enough?
Some years, the answer is...
Jul 15, 2026
Closer Than We Think
One of the most expressed challenges in Yiddishkeit is that of making our relationship with Hashem feel real. We believe that Hashem knows everything. We say it in davening. We teach it to our children. Yet it is easy for that knowledge to remain abstract, existing more as a theological principle...
Jul 01, 2026
Give Your Future Self a Break
I came across a piece in Michtav M’Eliyahu speaking about something that I think about often, and I took it as a sign that I should share it. So let’s learn through this together.
Rav Dessler opens with a statement that "a person needs to make sure that the ikkur of his avodas Hashem takes place ...
Jun 17, 2026
Playing the Mitzvah Market
I've been thinking a lot lately about investments. Not financial investments (though if anyone knows of any interesting opportunities, I’m open)— spiritual ones. It always seemed to me like a type of magic- putting in a certain amount of money, or effort, and getting back outsized rewards.Â
Good ...
Jun 03, 2026
Ahavas Yisroel, Final Installment
Good morning friends!Â
The period of sefiras ha’omer is coming to a close, and for our final installment of this three part series on practical Ahavas Yisroel (you can check out the first two parts here and here), we are going to be taking a look at the remaining 5 points in our 10 part plan. The...
May 20, 2026
Ahavas Yisroel, Take 2
Morning friends!
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Weirdly, I did not receive a glut of emails from you telling me how you've tried my first step of Ahavas Yisroel (see: speak well of and to fellow jews here). I’m just going to assume that you were all too busy to write, but you’ve been speaking only good things all over the pl...
May 06, 2026
What You're Supposed to Be Doing Now
Happy back to routine everyone!!
The Nisivos Shalom speaks about how the Yom Tov of Pesach, in and of itself, is an incomplete chag (not something one is thrilled to hear after all the cleaning, cooking, serving, celebrating and then putting it all away). As a matter of fact, he points out the fa...
Apr 22, 2026
Beware the Pocket Paroah
May I tell you something, as a friend?Â
You could really be working more efficiently. I know, I know, it’s the last thing you want to hear right now, with the lists growing and up to your ears in pesach prep. But I’m only trying to help. So I’ll point this out:
There is a particular kind of distr...
Mar 25, 2026
Raise Your Hand if You Don’t Want to Talk About Technology
What’s Missing from the Frum Tech Conversation
There is real work to be done.
And yet, somehow, the conversation keeps getting hijacked.
On one end, we hear: All tech is completely assur. Get it out. Shut it down. There is no safe way to live with it.
On the other end: All tech is fine. Just be a...
Mar 12, 2026
Growing Into Giving: From Resentment to Ratzon
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On My Mind
Mrs. Aliza Feder's Newsletter
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May I use you to flesh out something that I’m trying to get more clear about?
I’ve been learning a lot about a subtle but transformative idea: resentful giving is not actually giving. And in truth, it does not benefit either party.
When one gives (o...
Feb 25, 2026
You've Already Learned Everything You Need To Know
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On My Mind
Mrs. Aliza Feder's Newsletter
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There are so many moments when I realize that the ideas that shape me most are not new discoveries, but truths I’ve known for years—and somehow still forget. This week, I found myself returning to one of those foundational teachings, a Mishnah we al...
Feb 11, 2026
On My Mind
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