Yali Szulanski, at The Blogs

Yali Szulanski

May 25, 2026, 3:25 AM

(image rendered by Ai- no photography on Shavuot)

There is a midrash that says the Israelites fell asleep the night before they received Torah at Sinai. They had been waiting, and they were tired, and so they slept. In the morning God had to wake them. Tikkun...

Apr 1, 2026, 9:11 PM

Every Child At The Table

There is a moment in the Haggadah that feels deceptively simple. We read about ארבעה בנים—the four children—and the text offers us four different voices, four different ways of asking, four different ways of standing in relationship to the...

Jan 22, 2026, 9:22 PM

Parshat Bo: There’s Alive, and Then There’s Living

“No one could see another, and no one could rise from where they were, for three days. But for all the children of Israel, there was light in their dwellings.”(Exodus 10:23) The plague of darkness unfolds as one of the...

Jan 12, 2026, 5:14 PM

From Hidden to Seen: Jewish Recovery Spaces Matter

“Mommy, what’s recovery?” She asked it midway through the meal, leaning in close to me, her voice lowered in that way children use when they sense that a question might be important, even if they don’t yet know why. We were...

Dec 15, 2025, 7:06 PM

When the World Feels Heavy, We Come Together

I woke up on a snowy morning with a heaviness in my chest that I could not quite name. It was the kind of feeling that signals a day will matter, even before the news alerts arrive. When I...

Dec 10, 2025, 8:50 PM

One Breath at a Time

This week I read Hostage by Eli Sharabi, the account of his 491 days in captivity in Gaza. It is a haunting and heartbreaking story. The details are plain and unsparing, and the emotional weight stays with you. One...

Nov 18, 2025, 6:38 PM

Teaching Children the Sacred Work of Repair

Two second graders sit across from each other in a quiet room, shoulders tight, feet swinging beneath low chairs. The conflict began on the bus and followed them into the classroom with a force neither had the tools to...

Nov 13, 2025, 10:14 PM

Featured Post

In this age of fear, how are your kids doing?

Can Jewish parents teach courage? 8 ways to help your kids know who they are, what they stand for, and what their purpose is

Nov 7, 2025, 6:55 PM

The Early Hours: Avraham’s Quiet Readiness

Three times in Parshat Vayera, the Torah pauses to tell us, “Vayashkem Avraham baboker”—“Avraham rose early in the morning.” It seems like a small detail, yet it appears at decisive moments. It appears before he stands at the edge...

Nov 4, 2025, 7:33 PM

The Leadership Our Children Learn From Us

Leadership lives in presence, trust, and the courage to listen. It shows up in the quiet moments when someone feels seen, or when a difficult conversation ends with understanding instead of distance. It grows when a person feels safe enough...

About Me

Rabbi Yali Szulanski is a youth and family engagement rabbi, spiritual counselor, educator, and mother whose work focuses on emotional wellness, resilience, and Jewish identity. She writes about parenting, education, and Jewish life with warmth, spiritual depth, and practical tools for families.