Making Space to Receive

🫶 Hi Frum Minimalists,

Today I’m going a bit deeper than I usually do…

It’s almost Erev Shavuos, and this time of year always gets me thinking.

Not just about the cheesecake 🍰 (although YES)...But about what it really means to receive the Torah.

And how much space we actually need inside ourselves to hold something that holy.

Before we dive in…

I love hearing from you! If you ever reply and don’t hear back—feel free to resend! I’m not ignoring you, I promise!

Also… I know most of you love these emails. And if you don’t? That’s totally fine—there’s always an unsubscribe button at the bottom. No pressure ever. You do you. 💛

I know I teach minimalism… and yes, my emails are maximalist. 😂But that’s on purpose. I only send things I would actually want to open myself—aka jam-packed value, not a waste of your time.

👉 Don’t forget to check my blog for yummy recipes, tips, and all kinds of practical frum goodness.👉 And of course—grab a copy of my book Frum Minimalism (or better yet—join the course and get it FREE!)

The full scoop is in the P.S. below… and yes, the course is on SALE right now. 👇👇👇

📵 Recently I wrote about phone detoxing—and wow, it really resonated with so many of you.I got messages like: “This is exactly what I needed,” and “Why did I cry while reading this?” 

So I went ahead and put it up on the blog for easy sharing.Feel free to send it to a friend, your sisters.. whoever needs a little tech reset in their life.And while you’re at it—tell them to subscribe! The more, the merrier. 💛

😂 JUST FOR LAUGHS (LOLs I’ve heard from my students and clients...)

🧀 “Cheesecake is my love language. Also sleep. Also quiet. Also… cheesecake.”

🧽 “I cleaned my whole kitchen spotless, and then someone used it. Can you imagine.”

🛒 “I went to the store for one thing. Came home with 73. But at least I forgot the one thing.”

OK, FINALLY, LETS DIVE IN: 

What We Got… and What It Took to Get There

Every year, we talk about what we got on Shavuos.The Torah. The ultimate truth. The foundation of our whole lives.

But here’s the thing:We didn’t just get it handed to us.

We had to let go first.Before we stood at Har Sinai and said naaseh v’nishma...Before we became Hashem’s people...We had to become ready to receive.

Not just willing.

But open.

Clean.

Spacious.

That means clearing out what doesn’t belong.

🌊 Leaving Mitzrayim 

We didn’t walk out of Mitzrayim glowing with kedusha.Chazal say we were stuck in the 49th level of tumah—literally one second from spiritual extinction (Zohar Vol. 2, 182b).

Hashem took us out. But He didn’t give us the Torah right away.We needed time.To detox.To unpack the trauma.To peel off the galus mindset, the fear, the confusion, the spiritual noise.

That’s what Sefiras HaOmer is for—49 days to refine one middah at a time.Like the Sefas Emes says: we weren’t just waiting.

We were becoming.

We were creating space inside to hold something holy.

💛 How Did We Become One Heart? We Let Go.

The Torah says: “Vayichan sham Yisrael.” Singular.Rashi explains: we were like one person with one heart.

How do you get millions of people to become one?

You let go of ego.

Of jealousy.

Of silent competition.

Of old grudges.

We weren’t just standing near each other.We became a single kli.Open. Aligned. Ready.

Even Har Sinai Had to Be Humble

You know the story.All the mountains tried to show off. “Pick me! Pick me!”But Hashem chose Har Sinai—the small, humble one.

Why?

Because Torah isn’t given where there’s noise and showiness.It’s given where there’s stillness.Quiet.Space.

That’s why it happened in a midbar.

Not in a palace.

Not in a fancy city.

In the middle of nowhere—with nothing but room to receive.

👕 We Even Had to Wash Our Clothes

Before Matan Torah, Hashem told us: “Wash your clothing.”

Ramban explains—it wasn’t just about looking nice.

It was symbolic.

We were scrubbing off the past.

Washing away the grime—inside and out.Becoming clean to receive.

🧠 The Psychology Behind It (Yep, It’s Real)

There’s a concept in psychology called cognitive load.

Basically: when your brain is full, it can’t absorb anything new.

Spiritually, it’s the same thing.

When we’re stuffed with stress, pressure, guilt, or noise…The shefa can’t land.

We block it.T

hat’s why making space—physically, emotionally, and mentally—is so powerful.

When you clear, you receive.

💭 This Shavuos: Let’s Make a Little Room

This year, I’m holding this thought close:

We don’t prepare by doing more.

We prepare by being more available.

So we can hold the good that Hashem wants to give us.

📦 And Not Just in Your Drawers or Calendar…

Let’s talk about the real clutter:The emotional kind.

Especially for us as women—wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, daughters-in-law...Our hearts are full.

But sometimes, they’re full of stuff that isn’t serving us.

So maybe ask yourself:

• Am I holding a quiet grudge that’s draining me?

• Is there someone I could reach out to, but I’m not ready to forgive?

• Have I said “it’s fine” so many times I’ve buried the hurt?

• Am I replaying an old convo I wish had gone differently?

• Do I carry guilt for things I didn’t know back then?

• Am I stuck trying to be the perfect wife, perfect mom, perfect homemaker—and always feeling like I’m falling short?

• 
  

These are hard questions.

But even noticing the weight is a form of letting go

.Even that is making space.

You don’t have to fix it all today.

But you can begin.

With love, 

🤎Ellie



P.S. The Frum Minimalism Home Reset Course? It’s Changing Lives.

Right now, Frum Minimalism Home Reset is on HUGE HUGE sale for $297(normally $697).FOR NOW: No timers. No pressure-y “BUY NOW” pop-ups.Just me lowering the price because I know how much this course is needed—and I want it to be doable.

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• Raising minimalist kids

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• Time management for real moms

• Tech + phone reset

• Meal planning

  
  

  … and more.