today. I would like to mention all of you by your name and contribution.
First, I thank my youngest son, Yaniv, who recorded my original Lev Moments videos diligently for an entire year at the age of eleven in 2014. Not every child would assist his mother every Saturday night, but he did. He recorded the videos using a cell phone and then uploaded them to Facebook. I am so grateful. My heart and endless love go to you, Son.
To my daughter Hadas, who patiently read and provided wisdom and brilliant suggestions for every single word, concept, and theme—you provided guidance and priceless wisdom that I will forever treasure in my heart. I love you.
To my husband, Bob, and my son Matan for reading the manuscript more than once and providing insightful observations and grammatical changes as well as patiently looking up sources—I am forever thankful. I love you both.
My heartfelt and sincere gratitude and thanks are also due to my editor, Jennifer McGrath, for her patience in leading me through the process of how to put together a book worth reading, for her keen eye and attention to every single detail, word choice, and extra space throughout this book. You have taught me much. I am blessed our paths crossed, and I cannot thank you enough.
To my dear friend Lisa Berkley, thank you for believing in me when I was unable to envision what could be. Thank you for helping me design my Facebook page which one day became this book.
To my brother-in-law Michael Horenstein, of EZWriter Documentation Services, whose detailed proofreading of the completed manuscript was nothing shy of genius. Thank you so very much!
To Rabbi Stampfer, I extend to you a special heart-felt thank you for our bi-weekly meetings, for advising me along the way, for providing resources so that this book could see the light of day, and for being my constant inspiration of what a rabbi is. I am humbled to call you my rabbi.
To Cantor Ida Rae Cahana, Mel Berwin, Allison Fowler, Dale Foster, Sharon Erez, Shirona Lurie, Barbara Slader, and Rabbi Joseph Telushkin for taking time out of your precious and busy schedule to read part or all of my work and encouraging me to keep on going—you all provided insightful suggestions that helped make this book as strong as it is. I am deeply grateful.
To Yael Dassa for spending valuable hours combing through all the Hebrew and the transliteration to make sure all were correctly written and doing so with proficiency and willingness—I thank you and I cherish your kindness!
To Keith Berne who sat by me to help find citation and bibliography information for different midrashim—thank you for being a dedicated friend.
To Rabbi Motti Wilhelm, Chabad Lubavitch of Oregon, who verified citations for different Talmudic sources—thank you so much for your dedication and time!
And my daily gratitude and thanks to God who works this universe with wonder.
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Knock! Knock!
Who is it? Hello, this is Dorice. Dorice Horenstein. Thank you for inviting me in. I know I am not your friend yet, but I want you to know me. This will make your reading of this book so much more enjoyable and meaningful. Let’s prepare a cup of tea, and let me share who I am and why I am writing this book, my first book.
I came to America from Israel at the age of twenty-one. I grew up in a wonderful family, with four other siblings and two terrific parents. We were not financially wealthy. I remember my mom worked three jobs at times just to keep the family afloat while my dad built homes as a contractor. I remember wearing hand-me-down clothes (which, by the way, I love doing with my girlfriends nowadays). I shared one room with my three sisters growing up, and I fondly recall talking late into the night, sharing secrets and crushes on boys as well as heart-wrenching love stories that went as quickly as they came. This sisterly intimacy affected how bonded we became, and there is not a week that goes by now without a phone call to my siblings or my parents.
I have always loved and felt proud of my homeland. At the age of eighteen, I enrolled in the army service. I was serving in the Israeli army when I met my husband. It was not love at first sight, but at second sight, as we often joke. Looking back at that time period, I can wholeheartedly say that my role in the army solidified who the young girl from a small town in central Israel would become. Through my service, I began to understand the complex fabric of the different personalities around me. I learned what makes a leader and what causes a leader to stay a leader. I experienced the great feelings of teamwork and togetherness, and I also saw the results and consequences of being alone and rejected from the group. Today I am the product of the experiences of that young soldier from decades ago.
Shortly after I arrived in America, with only a suitcase and $600 to my name (and with no coat in the middle of December in Portland, Oregon), it was obvious to me that I would need to do something related to my background. I earned my bachelor’s degree in English literature because I love languages (as you will see shortly) and a certification to teach English as a second language. Despite this, I actually began my professional career by teaching Hebrew and all aspects of Judaism to both children and adults.
One of the accomplishments I am most proud of is that I have three wonderful children and a supportive spouse. My husband and I raised our children (who are now more adults than children) to become independent, healthy, and contributing members of the communities in which they all live.
For the last sixteen years, I worked as an education director at a synagogue. This experience provided me with fertile ground to explore issues of ethics and morality with blossoming teenagers prior to their Bar/Bat Mitzvahs as well as with their parents and other adults. I have taught classes and led group discussions about various works by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, and others. I was fortunate to help families with their existential life questions, daily struggles, and successes! I took situations that happened to me, my children, students, parents, and other congregants and viewed them through the lens of Judaism—what would our rabbis say? Rabbi Akiva, Maimonides, Rashi, Nachmanides, Rabbi Gamaliel, as well as Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, Nechama Leibowitz, Rabbi Netter, Rabbi Joshua Stampfer and so many others were the teachers in my classes and at the Shabbat table with my children and my husband, a table we often shared with dear family and friends.
Living in America, I also have been privileged to learn from forward thinkers such as Oprah Winfrey, Gabrielle Bernstein, Brené Brown, and so many other spiritual teachers and mentors. I treasure the feeling that I stand on shoulders of giants—Jews, as well non-Jews. All of these individuals contributed to who Dorice Horenstein is.
And with that, I come to you with a new suitcase this time—this one full of advice from what I have learned by watching, doing, reading, and hearing. My suitcase full of experiences is now my gift to you. Let’s open it!
Explanation
