<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Elisheva Liss]]></title><description><![CDATA[Elisheva Liss]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/blogall</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:42:26 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.elishevaliss.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[“If your therapist does this, RUN!”]]></title><description><![CDATA[How did you feel reading the title of this post?  Did you feel worried? Excited? Curious? Anticipatorily angry?  Headlines and other media “hooks” are often designed to use a few words to generate strong emotion and a craving to hear more.  With this particular sub-genre, I’m not sure if it’s increasing lately, or if I’m just seeing more of it, but I’ve noticed professionals in multiple fields policing each other on social media.  It looks a bit like this: “Have you ever been in a therapy...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/if-your-therapist-does-this-run</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5fdd6820510c8475e6bdad</guid><category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:19:14 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Is this faith or insanity?]]></title><description><![CDATA[We’re often told that: “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”  This quote is often (mis?)attributed to Albert Einstein, but regardless of the source, it does seem somewhat logical.  Yet as Jews of faith, we are taught to pray and yearn daily for Mashiach (Messiah, also called Geula- redemption, and sometimes, Tikkun Olam- global repair).  Opinions vary about what exactly will happen in this long-awaited post-diasporic era,...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/is-this-faith-or-insanity</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5d5307e447e3bde58adbca</guid><category><![CDATA[Judaism & Spirituality]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 22:51:29 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Feeling lonely or smothered in a relationship?]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the less-discussed transitions from dating to marriage has to do with how we schedule time together and separately. When two people are dating, the structure is often fairly straightforward.  They generally live separately, work separately, manage their own schedules, and then intentionally choose times to be together. Maybe they see each other for a few hours several times a week. Maybe they get on the phone for an hour before going to bed. Whatever the routine or arrangement, there...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/feeling-lonely-or-smothered-in-a-relationship</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5681e1aa2c7341eb4b7a5f</guid><category><![CDATA[Marriage]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 18:38:28 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Marriage-Saving Art of Empathetic Rejection]]></title><description><![CDATA[Please note some words are hyphenated upon readers' requests due to filters: “There’s so much tension around this that we find ourselves sometimes avoiding going to bed at the same time. Like one of us will fall asleep on the couch and come in later or take extra long in the shower. That uncomfortable feeling we have around one of us wanting but not knowing how the other will feel, nervous about feeling rejected and lonely and disappointed. And the other one's pressure to choose between the...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/the-marriage-saving-art-of-empathetic-rejection</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a061c3f9f0dce7b5990414f</guid><category><![CDATA[Marriage]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sex]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 19:20:57 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I can't wait]]></title><description><![CDATA[Note this was originally a schmoozeletter email several years ago, inspired by this week's Torah portion: Warm weather is just around the bend here in chilly New York, and I'm so looking forward to it, because summer is my season of joy. Do you have a favorite season? I was once listening to a lecture on the power of being present in the moment. The speaker said that he is so present and mindful, that he doesn't even look forward to upcoming happy events, because he's committed to each...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/i-can-t-wait</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f3effa72dde517df29b896</guid><category><![CDATA[Judaism & Spirituality]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 01 May 2026 00:34:57 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Two Intimacy Toxins]]></title><description><![CDATA[There are many traits and behaviors that contribute to healthy relationships and many that sabotage them. There are  two specific tendencies that are especially toxic and they are: Unbridled ego and unbridled desire. (In Hebrew they rhyme: Ga’ava and Ta’ava: ) The holy sacrifices in Vayikra are called korbanot, connected to the root “karov,” meaning close, because they symbolize the different ways we build intimate relationships with the Divine, and from which we can extrapolate interpersonal...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/two-intimacy-toxins</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bb1dce523b9dc28e4232e4</guid><category><![CDATA[Judaism & Spirituality]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 22:00:20 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pesach Prep Pandemonium Prevention Pointers]]></title><description><![CDATA[A friend recently asked for a “quick pointer” to include as a paragraph or two in an article she was writing about Pesach preparation for a Jewish magazine. She wanted to address the common issue of pre- Yom Tov overwhelm. The questions she used as a prompt for this were a little challenging because responding to them helpfully would have meant writing at least two whole articles on their own.  So I gave her a couple of ideas, but then realized that I could actually write my own longer piece...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/pesach-prep-pandemonium-prevention-pointers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b2d88ef0e950e3b388877f</guid><category><![CDATA[Judaism & Spirituality]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:16:16 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["But my spouse has needs..."]]></title><description><![CDATA[“My spouse isn’t fulfilling my needs.” Have you heard people say this before? It comes up a lot working with couples. It's a complicated and sensitive topic, so it can be helpful to analyze what people mean when they say it and how the issue can be addressed productively. The first task would be to define what “needs” are.  In the strictest sense of the word, needs are indispensable resources like: oxygen, water, basic nutrition, shelter from the elements, and general safety from danger. In...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/but-my-spouse-has-needs</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a9bbd495f8968663553f40</guid><category><![CDATA[Sex]]></category><category><![CDATA[Marriage]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:55:39 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[“I do so much in my marriage, why is my spouse still not so interested?”]]></title><description><![CDATA[Or: Why acts of service don’t always translate into intimacy A common complaint that we hear from spouses who are navigating desire discrepancy goes something like this: “I know I’m not perfect, but I feel like I’m a good spouse. I work hard to support the family/ take great care of the house/ kids/ uphold my fair share of our joint responsibilities/ speak nicely/ we don’t have big, messy fights. And yet, somehow my partner still has little to no interest in physical intimacy. I’m not sure...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/i-do-so-much-in-my-marriage-why-is-my-spouse-still-not-so-interested</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699c76890ce516214dc33b6f</guid><category><![CDATA[Marriage]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sex]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 15:58:46 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Some Personal Reflections on the Epstein Files]]></title><description><![CDATA[Are you also seeing a lot of confusing and conflicting information on this deeply disturbing saga? Over the years, my own trust of the media has been eroded down to nearly zero, and yet, it’s still essentially our primary source of, at least what people say is happening in the world.  It’s not a surprise to many of us to see what appears to be confirmation that unspeakable forms of abuse are rampant in both Hollywood and broader power culture, including politicians, tycoons, and other...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/some-personal-reflections-on-the-epstein-trials</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699508c7180bb9f884cbed1a</guid><category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:48:35 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tu B'Shvat Linguistics (Wordplay)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Tu b’shvat is one the less known Jewish holidays, and is more about the symbolism than the ritual. There are no direct obligatory practices for this day, but many deep ideas. The essential one is that it’s the “ New Year for the trees”  and is used to determine which year the fruits belong to when calculating agricultural laws within the land of Israel.  Beyond that, many celebrate and acknowledge the blessing of our sustenance that grows from the Earth at the time when it’s still cold out...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/tu-b-shvat-linguistics-wordplay</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6980f384e90da4b7522c213f</guid><category><![CDATA[Judaism & Spirituality]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2026 19:02:13 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Modesty Re-visited (yikes:)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Note: some words are hyphenated per readers' requests to bypass filters. A few years ago, I was asked by a colleague to contribute to a book she was compiling. It was a series of essays, written by Jewish women, addressing the complexity of religious modesty. I respected both her and the project, but I chickened out. The topic just felt too fraught, too sensitive, too trauma-laden, and the ideological zeitgeists too shapeshifting for me to feel comfortable publishing words that couldn’t later...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/modesty-re-visited-yikes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697119478494d7d9d2181fd4</guid><category><![CDATA[Judaism & Spirituality]]></category><category><![CDATA[Judaism and Spirituality]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 21 Jan 2026 18:37:55 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[It made her question her whole life]]></title><description><![CDATA[Note: This was originally an email to my subscriber list in 2021:  Here in New York, we've been blessed with a pretty mild Autumn so far (isn't "Autumn" so much fancier and less stressful than "Fall"?) But for those who live with seasonal affect disorder, the low feeling that comes with colder weather and fewer sunlight hours, this time of year can be emotionally challenging. And that low feeling, can sometimes look like a seasonal depression. Depression can bring some unwanted, intrusive...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/it-made-her-question-her-whole-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">692089a024c04b1753dadf4a</guid><category><![CDATA[Judaism & Spirituality]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2025 15:59:10 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["I'd be fine to never have seks* again.."]]></title><description><![CDATA[*Per some readers’ requests I’ve altered the spelling of some words to bypass their filters. One of the most common complaints we hear from clients is that one partner would be perfectly happy if seks disappeared from their lives. (This complaint could come from either partner or both.) In fact, we hear this so often that it’s a question I’ll often ask clients who present with seksual aversion, disinterest, or low desire, to gauge their association with the experience: If a global rule came...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/i-d-be-fine-to-never-have-seks-again</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69165e9fc09d2131d3a94cbe</guid><category><![CDATA[Sex]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2025 22:49:53 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Money is Funny Sometimes]]></title><description><![CDATA[Note: This was originally written as a subscriber email in 2022: Over the last week or two, I noticed a couple of funny interactions. They were situations where people wanted to pay me for something, and I found myself asking them not to. Which is weird, because 1. money is useful and 2. I had done something for them that normally people pay for. But these were specific instances in which I actively prevented payment. It got me thinking about the different reasons we will opt to do stuff pro...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/money-is-funny-sometimes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69026d8bce9830dbadebb24b</guid><category><![CDATA[Judaism & Spirituality]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 20:04:54 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jackets vs Heaters]]></title><description><![CDATA[Note: This was originally published as a subscriber email in 2022: I don't really like being told what to do- do you? (Well, except when I'm stuck in decision-making analysis paralysis- then I'm wishing for a prophet to tell me what to do. And it's usually at those times that it's most important for me to make my own decisions.. sigh.) Some people are natural rule followers, and appreciate the guidance and motivation to "do what's right." But others are by nature more rebellious, and when...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/jackets-vs-heaters</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f8fb7556c9bb64e47fc055</guid><category><![CDATA[Judaism & Spirituality]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2025 15:51:03 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Two Ways to Objectify a Spouse]]></title><description><![CDATA[Once upon a time, many years ago, there was a man who didn’t understand marital intimacy very well. This man married two women. This was a time and place in which polygamy was a norm but there was more to the story. He had a “use” for each wife, both purely physical. One was for procreation, and the other was for recreation. (Mainly his own.) One wife was given ancient birth control potions but lots of beauty products and fine foods. Her body was prioritized for aesthetics and pleasure. The...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/two-ways-to-objectify-a-spouse</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f2399060ceb7e0d1024c61</guid><category><![CDATA[Sex]]></category><category><![CDATA[Marriage]]></category><category><![CDATA[Judaism & Spirituality]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:51:45 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bring Us Home]]></title><description><![CDATA[Bring Them Us Home In the aftermath of the 10/07/23 horrific massacre that Hamas waged on the peaceful people of Israel, the motto “bring...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/bring-us-home</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68d09c8cd3370fe736918afa</guid><category><![CDATA[Judaism & Spirituality]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2025 00:58:28 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Me and my big mouth]]></title><description><![CDATA[Note: This was originally written several years ago as a subscriber email. Decades ago when I was in high school, we had a school...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/me-and-my-big-mouth-1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68c2e977e0f1c98e01ae6fb4</guid><category><![CDATA[Judaism & Spirituality]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 15:32:57 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I cried about nothing today]]></title><description><![CDATA[Note: This post is more personal and less clear than usual- not sure if I'll leave it up, but sharing it for now: “Just because other...]]></description><link>https://www.elishevaliss.com/post/i-cried-about-nothing-today</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68b716e8a18887303beda6fe</guid><category><![CDATA[Parenting & Family]]></category><category><![CDATA[Education & Homeschooling]]></category><category><![CDATA[Judaism & Spirituality]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2025 16:25:46 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Elisheva Liss</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>