Journals of Faith

This is a story about thinking. How do we think about life? This is also a story about feeling. How do we feel about others — and G-d? Can we find meaning in our challenges? Can we control how we think — and feel — about the surprises that life tends to send our way? When we are faced a medical situation, should we simply rely on our doctors or research medical options ourselves? How do we “educated moderns” approach prayer and trust in G-d? Can we see the goodness of the world during a time of suffering? These journal entries by Ricki Simon and her late husband, Dr. Ely Simon, z”l, began as honest and moving reflections as they faced crisis. They have become a beautiful account of a couple’s journey, and a touching and inspirational story that will forever change how we deal with challenge, crisis, family, and belief. Enter their world and emerge stronger, deeper, and closer to G-d. “This book will give countless people inspiration, chizuk (strength), and direction in how to properly, from a Torah perspective, face adversity.” Rabbi Zev and Rivkah Leff Moshav Mattisyahu Ricki Simon is a patent agent specializing in medical devices, as well as a life coach with a focus on Jewish perspectives on coping and overcoming challenges. She received a bachelor’s degree from Stern College with a dual major in Jewish Studies and Biophysical Sciences, and then went on to study biomedical engineering at Rutgers University. In recent years, she has focused on learning Jewish texts related to self-improvement and spiritual development. Ricki made aliyah in 2000, and lives in Modiin with her family. Dr. Ely Simon, z”l, was a neurologist, neuroscientist, and biomedical engineer, who was both a hands-on clinician as well as a serial entrepreneur in the field of digital medicine. After receiving degrees in electrical engineering from Columbia University, and in medicine and biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University, he completed a residency in neurology. Before moving to Israel, Dr. Simon was a Senior Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Neural Control at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Simon made aliyah in 1996 and practiced neurology at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. He launched a company, NeuroTrax, for computerized cognitive assessment, as well as a company for managing migraine pain, and was in the planning stages of opening a brain health center for integrated care. In addition to publishing over fifty journal articles in the fields of neurology, physiology, and behavioral medicine, Dr. Simon was also very interested in the study of human emotion, self-improvement, and spirituality from a Jewish perspective and the integration of these disciplines into medicine and science.