יום שישי, כ״ה תמוז תשפ״וFriday, July 10, 2026
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Wanting to help with the maintenance of the building, Chava agreed to be in charge of collecting funds once a year for the upkeep of the roof.
My children in Cleveland set out to invite the P. family for Shabbos and, after a few weeks of scheduling conflicts, they finally enjoyed a Shabbos together and got to know these new cousins.
By Naama Klein
I would not give up until I had achieved my quest and discovered a new continent, the fastest trade route to India, and/or the missing vaccination record – whichever came first.
By T. Gestetner
This morning I entered the bank. While waiting on line, I noticed a small commotion. A number of people were standing around a young crying boy who was holding an Israeli 50-shekel note in his hands.
It seemed they didn’t feel like they needed to talk much to me, so I wasn’t put on the spot, and I felt I fulfilled my duty properly.
What could Brigadier General Samuel want to speak about in a lecture about Judaism?
By Naama Klein
Eventually I narrowed the selection down to a few interesting ones, with Barcelona, Budapest, and Venice being the top contenders.
By dvora
I realized how lucky we were that Hashem had woken me from my sleep in time to deal with the fumes which were slowly overtaking our house.
Devorah bravely faced the cameras to thank all the many people who were helping them to return to their home.
By Jolie Greiff
Ben Zion caught his breath and apologized to Rav Ahron for barging in on him at the airport.
By dvora
We were fortunate to start our trip home. What a thrill to call the insurance company and advise them, “Please cancel my service call.”
Even after all of the medical procedures, both Chaya and Daniel were left with medical problems.
By Naama Klein
The entire process seemed inexplicably doomed from the start; it was a proverbial comedy of errors if ever there was one.
By Ann Goldberg
Even if the cash was lost, it would still save endless hours of paperwork, phone calls, and visits to government offices to have all her documents returned.
It was not easy for any of them. According to Yitzhak, their lifeline was the books and letters that came from Jews in America and Western Europe.
Because Yaacov had been waiting a very long time for a kidney but no suitable one had been found until then, Rabbi Hager told him that yes, he should do the transplant.
By dvora
My mind was now racing as I decided that, to save time, as soon as we got to the Delta entrance at the airport, I would jump out of the car and run. That’s what I actually did.
I heard this amazing true story from Rabbi Yitzchak Fanger who heard it from Rabbi Yosef Levi.* Rabbi Levi regularly visits Jewish prisoners in Eretz Yisrael to uplift their spirits and strengthen their character so that they will come out of prison as better, morally stronger people than they were before. He does this by […]
By Toby Zipper
We couldn’t believe it when she told us where Chana was staying and that it was only two blocks away from her.
The receptionist, who was familiar with my story, said that they had not been able to retrieve my phone that morning.
By T. Gestetner
“I have no words to thank you,” Marcus stammered. “But, would you mind if I ask you a question? Why did you decide to bend over backwards to help me?”
G-d, in his mercy, will send you little gift-wrapped signs.
By Naama Klein
The pans of blondies had suffered minor volcanic eruptions, and chocolate chip-flecked batter hung like drapes around every side.
Then she dangled the bait in front of me: “If I pay for you to buy a gown, would that help?” Well, I guess a little bribery never hurt.
We’ve met the most wonderful, caring people who have helped us and Eli weather this draining challenge.
By Risa Rotman
I didn’t see a solution to my housing needs forthcoming. Instead of getting down, I strengthened myself with the thought that “other people manage to find a place to live, and so will I.”
The soldiers milling around were silent, staring into the distance as if willing the ambulance to arrive faster.
By T. Gestetner
David was surprised at the downright refusal, but he didn’t lose hope. He set out to another vendor and another vendor and another…
By Kobi Levi
“C’mon, Abba, do me a favor and stop saying, ‘That’s all I need...’ Look at me: I’m healthy and happy. It’s a mitzvah to be happy. Be happy, Abba.”
By T. Gestetner
As it turned out, the apartment had been a bit neglected and needed some work to clean it out and spruce it up. That had been the reason for its vacancy.
If I had had the chutzpah which I now possess, I would have loudly protested and demanded equal rights. Since I was a 15-year-old, well behaved student I obeyed him.
By dvora
When I worked in a community organization many years ago and the folks that I was attempting to assist were rude, I could hear Mommie saying: “There is no excuse for bad manners!”
By dvora
To my surprise, she thanked me again for the chizuk that I had given to her. Her comment somewhat assuaged the feeling of disappointment that I felt for having lost touch with her for so long.
Here and there, we saw a few men and boys. I still had my heart set on having a minyan. But how?
By Eliana Klein
We all said our goodbyes and exchanged lots of hugs and best wishes before heading to bed the night before her flight, just in case we would not wake up in time to see her off. Better too many hugs than too few…
When the Nazis began their hunt of on October 1, Rosh Hashana night, most Jews were already hiding in fishing villages along the coast.
By dvora
It seems, though, that The One Above recently ensured that I was compensated for the time I have spent picking up students over the years and taking them to school.
By Eliana Klein
Our daughter from the West Coast surprised her sisters and delighted us by flying in for the weekend to join the festivities and meet her new nephew and niece.
By Chava Dumas
When I sat down, this is what I was about to type. However, there in front of me, on the screen, was a post on our local community email forum stating: “Leaving for Har Nof at 5 p.m. Does anyone need a ride?”
By dvora
Where was little Yair? We searched the area and asked others if they had seen him. No one had seen him go off on his own.
It was getting late, the plane was set to take off soon, and the boy had no idea what to do.
By B. Gordon
Given that the fever had already passed – and getting the medication down my fussy baby’s throat would be a challenge of its own – I finally decided to wait it out.
By T. Gestetner
“Literally a few moments ago, while we were driving, a young boy pushed the emergency exit door of the bus by mistake and he fell out,” the driver continued.
Imagine my joy when, last year, I received an email from Linda saying that she would be coming to Israel for the first time in the fall of 2018.
By Naama Klein
I reminded him that the government had recently changed the rules and an appointment was now required.
Eli believes in reincarnation and rectifying the soul and he believes with a hundred percent certainty that this whole episode was part of his tikkun.
By T. Gestetner
Naftali nodded solemnly. He put the envelope in a safe place and Moshe left, hoping sincerely that he had left his treasure with the right person.
By T. Gestetner
He was so embarrassed! Here he didn’t even belong in the business class section, and he had inadvertently made an elderly passenger with legitimate rights to the cabin uncomfortable.
This was the Sixties, and they shared the ideals of their adolescent children. Pro-civil liberties, anti-war – the epitome of unaffiliated, liberal Jews.
By Naama Klein
Our most recent attempt at sending two greeting cards to our children in the USA proved to be a comedy of errors if ever there was one.
They get on the bus and start explaining the situation, how long they've been waiting, how tired and stressed they are, how hard it is for everyone, especially the kids and the mothers with babies in their arms.
By dvora
An outsider might expect that we would have moved out long ago, but we had put down roots there. We were educating our children there and it was where we intended to remain.
Hopefully this story will also strengthen our motivation to try to be mikarev a fellow Jew – even if it seems on the outside like it's a lost cause and there's no use in even trying.
By dvora
It was the night of Motzei Shabbos before Rosh Hashana, and my husband and I were invited to a pidyon haben in Lawrence at 8:45. Shabbos ended at 8:02, and while most people were puttering in their kitchens getting ready for Rosh Hashana, we made havdala and rushed out so we could be as punctual […]
Our daughter and son-in-law looked at each other for a second and then burst out laughing. They knew!
By T. Gestetner
In Eretz Yisrael, it is customary not to remain in a house without a mezuzah for even one day. This placed the rav in a quandary. What were they to do?
Truth be told, my kavanah was often better in the privacy of my home.
By Naama Klein
The Hatzalah volunteers administered oxygen and got the family to the hospital. B’ezrat Hashem they will all be O.K.”
By dvora
I endured a personal trial as I struggled to become a mother. In a community where just about every event is geared toward families, I felt the pain of not fitting in.
By dvora
I never questioned why he insisted that we had to meet Naomi, and immediately acceded to his request. Yet when he had suggested that I write to the Lubavitcher Rebbe to ask for a bracha for children, I feared a negative response and refused.
Off my friend and I went to search for the skirt. After trying the regular racks, we decided to search the clearance rack, which was completely disorganized.
By Eliana Klein
My son-in-law's parents live close by, so that was their first stop. But over a half-hour spent knocking with all their might yielded nothing but aching knuckles.
By Ann Goldberg
Rav Lieberman called the simcha hall to cancel their booking, but it wasn’t so simple to find another date at a suitable venue.
The tremendous blessing of Hatzolah became even more clear when the paramedic rescue services showed up at the house forty-five minutes after Hatzolah had already left!
By T. Gestetner
Finding appropriate company for Shabbos was a challenge of its own. No longer a youngster, my mother did not enjoy coming to our homes and she did not appreciate large families with many children coming to hers.
As the news spread, more and more people joined the family in fervent prayer. The gates of heaven received all of the prayers for David, and he eventually came out of the coma.
By dvora
During this period of time, Shai often drove to Lubavitch Headquarters in London to hear the Rebbe’s sichot. He was hooked.
By T. Gestetner
What disappointment! How he longed for the semi-comfort of being in his childhood surroundings. If he could not have his parents back, at least he could be in familiar territory.
Sophie eagerly anticipated her meanderings through the ancient streets of the Old City of Jerusalem where her ancestors had walked thousands of years ago.
By dvora
To have arrived at the momentous occasion, therefore, the zchut of participating in this simcha – the tears flowed freely, as my husband benched our dear granddaughter at the kabolat ponim.
By dvora
Along the way I started to feel literally drugged. It was different than feeling tired because my thinking process felt different. I wasn’t aware of this at first.
It made a profound impression on my husband and he decided he was going to call up some of his relatives and maybe even long lost friends whom he’d barely spoken to in years – not for any particular reason but because they’d just lost touch.
By Shani Pearl
I calculated on my fingers. She was now up to week 27. Yehuda hung up, but he sounded very upset. I wished I could help, but I had no idea what to do. So, I turned to my Tehillim.
I ask for her name and where she is from. She tells me her name is Orit and that she comes from Israel.
Our son understood that Aviv, up until this point in his life, had failed in everything. The army was his last chance to succeed.
By T. Gestetner
Peeling paint and mismatched chairs were not the only signs of deprivation in the Cohen’s Yerushalmi home.
Last night, my late uncle appeared to my sister in a dream and said that the reason our father is ill is because he didn’t sit shiva for my uncle.
By T. Gestetner
Hearing the argument, Reb Chaim jumped out of his seat and ran to the front of the bus. He withdrew some cash from his pocket, gave it to the driver on behalf of the anonymous fellow, and then returned to his seat.
How he finally managed to find his way home, albeit bedraggled and sleep-deprived, on Friday morning, she never did find out definitively.
I guess none of us were completely surprised when the jeweler said that most of the “diamonds” were not in fact diamonds at all and were worth very little.
Saba, as we called him, was absolutely, hands down, my favorite guest. He loved to help in any way he could.
Rafael looked up at the heavens and asked, “What am I doing here? Why do I deserve this? I am not even being helpful. I want to be able to have a Seder.”
By Naama Klein
Consequently instead of receiving the coveted call from the program organizers, we found ourselves fielding one call after another from our own children, eager to join us for Passover in the Promised Land.
It wasn't until ten years later I found my own place in Yiddishkeit. For the first time I had an inkling of what Pesach was.
In the midst of my misery it hits me. I am going about this wrong. I take a deep breath and try to control my sobs.
By Naama Klein
It was so crowded and confusing that one father, who was there accompanying his eighteen-year-old daughter, was assigned the responsibility of determining everyone’s place on the queue and then seating them in that order.
The water got warm, then hot, and then boiling hot. This was going too far. To pretend to myself is one thing. To feel like the water was hot is quite another.
Though my father lives in another area of Staten Island, he has been intermittently involved with this synagogue since its inception.
By dvora
My family always found an open and warm welcome when they flew in for a family simcha, but now due to Hashem’s goodness and kindness I am now living in close proximity to several of my children.
By Naama Klein
They were genuinely thrilled, but tempered their enthusiasm somewhat with a sobering reality check, “You know he’s flying right into a winter blizzard, right?”
By Sari Blum
She told me, pointing to a blue and orange set. It wasn’t exactly a color scheme that I appreciated, nor was it especially fancy for yom tov, but having shlepped out and waited this long, I wasn’t ready to head home without something to show for my time.
I decided to unplug my phone before davening to prevent any distractions. Finally after one on the most intense prayers I have ever experienced I went to plug in the phone. It immediately rang.
After being checked by a doctor, my father needed to undergo some minor surgery. It was clear to his two children in Israel that my father could no longer live independently.
For all the good we hopefully do in the world, we often come up lacking; our prayers are distracted, we're a bit short with the beggar, we sometimes slip with our tongues.
By Chava Dumas
Getting ready for Pesach is actually an amazing opportunity to have a really positive experience getting ready for an awesome chag!
It is known that the chassidishe boys marry young, while the Livishe boys marry a little older.
Water was put on his forehead, he was tapped here and there and spoken to and his mother, too, spoke to him, begging him to wake up, to come back. And he did.
By Eliana Klein
It looked like they were doomed to spend the first night of the joyous holiday of Chanukah stranded on the unfamiliar streets of Bnei Brak.
How could I leave Israel with her in this condition? After telling my wife how I felt, she urged me to extend my trip. My brother also urged me to stay.
The challenge of coming home to a house full of little kids and being barely able to function threatened to overwhelm me.
July 10, 2026 
