Author: Dov Heller

What do all three of these have in common with a human being? Like every living thing, it grows towards maturation and perfection. Shakespeare said, “Ripeness is all.” The rose emerges from under the winter ground in all its glory growing into its full pedaled beauty. The grizzly surviving the …

Judaism is a way of life built upon taking responsibility and fulfilling obligations. Perhaps the most crucial personal mandate of Judaism is to take full responsibility for one’s life. As Hillel famously said, “If I’m not for myself, who will be?” Here is a check list of the ten most …

Jim, 32 sat with tears rolling down his face, as he finally was able to acknowledge the truth about his life. “I never felt I had a right to exist, as strange as that sounds. I grew up in a home where I felt I could do nothing right. I …

Sylvia, 25 was soaring after her discovery of Judaism in Jerusalem a year ago. A new world of exciting possibilities opened up for her. She had never felt so happy in all her life. She had been searching for something real and authentic and now she was sure she found …

Stan 31 has battled depression since he was 14.  His parents were both highly successful in their careers and Stan often felt like he was in their way and had to keep his needs quiet so as not to bother them.  He painfully remembers several occasions where both parents were …

Here are three basic types of relational conversations: The Adversarial Conversation The adversarial couples fights, bickers, and attacks. Their communication style is to take a stand, stake out a position, and defend their territory. They exhaust themselves trying to convince each other to give in and come over to their …

Natasha was finding it harder and harder to control her anger with her two children, ages 6 and 8.  Particularly, she found herself yelling at her older daughter way too often and her husband had begun to point it out to her.  She was losing it and decided to take …

  Feelings are information.  In order to grow and become our best self, it is essential to listen and learn from them.  In order to grow, we must be emotionally honest with ourselves.  Here are eight ways that feelings help us grow in order to actualize our vast potential. Growing …

In Judaism, one of the most important character traits a person can acquire is being honest with one’s self. It is especially important to be honest about how we feel, particularly when we experience uncomfortable or unwanted feelings. Greg has been married for 15 years.  Over the last few years …

The one gift I would love to give to everyone is the gift of self-love.  Self-hate drains a person of his emotional energy.  He is constantly at war with himself and others.  Transforming self-hate into self-love is like taking a 100-pound weight off one’s shoulders.  One’s entire being feels lighter. …