יום שני, כ״ח תמוז תשפ״וMonday, July 13, 2026
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By Mendi Glik
You know how it is when a song gets stuck into your head and you keep humming it? This song just got into my head and I had to find it.
Every individual who finds himself in challenging times only needs to know how to recognize the smile of Hashem from Above.
Today, it is critically important for people to sign an advance healthcare proxy and directive. Many choices must be made as people age or approach the end of life. People may no longer be able to speak for themselves, and sometimes decisions must be made quickly.
It’s always important to remember how different we are, and to thank Hashem that He allowed us the privilege to be part of this Holy Nation.
As the bus approached, Schein fired several shots before his gun jammed and, when Ben-Yosef tossed the grenade, it failed to detonate and the bus, with its 24 Arab passengers, drove away with its passengers unscathed.
Because the person who is betting doesn’t fully commit to losing, and therefore, when the winning bettor collects winnings from the losers, he is essentially stealing their money.
We in the Jewish community also had special concerns with Mr. Carter both during and after his one term in office that went beyond those we necessarily shared with our fellow Americans – centering around his feelings about Jews and the Jewish State of Israel.
We must recognize Israel's achievements under difficult circumstances, even as we strive in a positive way to help Israel continue to improve its relations with its Arab populations, but we must not permit criticisms for improvement to stigmatize Israel.
How can it be that Hashem made a mistake – that He originally wanted to create the world with din but then changed His mind?
The claim that Israelis are indifferent to the suffering in Gaza is false; its purpose is to demonize Jews while ignoring Palestinian support for genocide.
Historically, Greece wasn't precisely the antagonist during the Maccabean era; instead, it was the Assyrian Greeks, a faction of the Greek Empire based in Syria.
As it is written in Eshet Chayil: Sheker hachen v'hevel hayofi, ishah yir'at Hashem hi tithalal. Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the L-rd is to be praised.
By Eli Lebowicz
Sure, people will say not to drive a German car, decide to skip movies with Mel Gibson, or never listen to a Kanye song, but I've never heard of anyone protesting driving a Ford Mustang or choosing to avoid Disney World.
The mitzvah to honor parents solidifies the structure of the family. By honoring those who have sacrificed to build and nurture the family, we reinforce the values that underpin family life.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe points out that in Hebrew, the name for ancient Greece, Yavan, has another meaning: quicksand – Water mixes with sand, dirt and clay. You step in it and you can't get out. The more you try to climb up, the further down you go.
I will turn to the Greeks of this season and tell our readers an adorable thing one of my grandsons said 14 years ago, after his grandfather died a few days before Chanukah.
No United Nations resolutions are passed condemning Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Islamic State, and other such groups. Pope Leftist, who accuses Israel of cruelty to Palestinian Arab children in the name of self-defense, remains silent regarding the African Holocaust.
The doctor cautioned us that the treatment contained risks, including that it might not remedy the situation. He told us that we had to decide if we wanted to proceed with it or not.
Palestinians claim UNWRA is a vital lifeline for the needy, while Israel has determined that it is a dangerous cover for Hamas with several of its employees having taken part in the October 7 massacre and cannot be allowed to continue in operation.
Physical and political sieges are the results of spiritual separation. They are a continuation of the ancient pre-Churban siege and are due to and reflective of Hashem’s separation from us.
By Louis P Welz
COJO Flatbush certainly has plenty to be proud of, and I look forward to even greater growth in the coming decade, with more programs, services, and partnership opportunities with elected officials representing our city’s diverse communities.
For one agonizing moment, Meir thought his time in the world was about to end. But glancing at the note taped to his gun, he quickly murmured the words: Hashem Hu Elokim, ein od milvado. Then, a few meters in front of Meir, the missile changed direction in midair, as if it struck an invisible force field.
Would an older parent be able to understand when their mate is in distress requiring medical attention? Would they be able to use the Heimlich maneuver to save their spouse from choking on their food if/when swallowing becomes problematic?
But today is 2 Teves, said the printer. I tried reaching you yesterday, but you were unavailable. Because it was a rush job, I corrected the Hebrew date. But we’re getting married at night, so the Hebrew date is 3 Teves, explained Aharon. Now the date is wrong!
Rather than attempting to modify behaviors right away, Dr. Greene advocates for solving the underlying problems. That means that the challenging behaviors that we might want to change are symptoms of a larger issue that we should focus on rather than those specific challenging behaviors.
Maintaining A Library ‘He [The King] Shall Write a Sefer Torah... (Sanhedrin 21b)
As has been noted elsewhere, Shlomo Tal originally sought to produce Rinat Yisrael based on nusach Sfard so as to unite people who had different traditions, but he found himself ultimately also producing siddurim for Ashkenazim and Mizrachi-Sefardi Jews.
How can we unite our various branches while maintaining our distinct and complementary characteristics? What does it take to hold together differing tribes as we pursue our shared destiny?
Serving in the IDF can provide personal development opportunities for charedi men. Many who have enlisted report a newfound appreciation for civic duty and a broader understanding of Israeli society.
It is not enough to scream out from your pain and suffering. You must hear the cry of the person sitting next to you. You must open up the gates in shamayim for the aching hearts of those waiting for refuahs, yeshuas, simchas and shalom.
By Mendi Glik
I still love this music, but to some kids it was not appealing as it sounded kind of anachronistic. Not to mention that most (if not all) of the singers dress and look charedi; in other words, they didn’t look like rock stars.
Question: I live in a small community where it is sometimes a struggle to get a minyan together. When this occurs on Shabbos this is extremely upsetting. I am so concerned that I was wondering – may we ask some of the non-observant Jews who live in the neighborhood to join us to complete a minyan? Name withheld Via E-mail
The dynamic of talking in shul during prayer or the reading of the Torah, when all is said and done is, with regard to many congregants, a conscious willingness to pervert the fundamental spiritual decorum.
People of deep conviction and burning passion are often swept away by the force of their ideals. Drawn to lofty principles and grand visions, they can lose sight of the day-to-day emotions of those around them.
Aleinu is never recited during Mincha. However, according to the earliest edition of the Machzor from 1486, Aleinu is indeed recited on erev Yom Kippur when Mincha is observed earlier in the day. This precedent suggests that Aleinu should always be recited when Mincha is scheduled early.
As to the U.S. budget, strict judgment would require that money should be spent by the government on necessities. The problem is that there is no agreement on what is necessary; hence, the need for compromise.
It is inappropriate to date two girls at once. This applies to any number of dates that have passed. It’s wrong and there is no way to change that.
When Yehuda approaches Yosef, he touches his garment, and this is said to be a manner in which individuals may connect with Hashem when they are not at the level of achieving proper communion.
Even when Yosef believed he was right, he considered the possibility that perhaps he had done something wrong that warranted his excommunication.
Since the objective of marital unity brings the coveted blessing of the Shechina, the yeitzer hara tries mightily to block one’s marital harmony. We therefore must strive vigorously to maintain the magic of our oneness at all times.
Simple in his habits, fearless, and having an unusual capacity for hard work, Rav Hildesheimer joined his great Talmudic learning to his practical administrative ability and, financially independent, he never accepted remuneration for his rabbinical activities.
Challenging times do not necessarily stifle spiritual growth or intellectual achievement.
While the list of companies and institutions abandoning their voluntary DEI programs continues to grow, there are many that have not wavered and show no signs of doing so.
By Marc Gronich
Hochul also expressed, as only she can, her disgust with the Electoral College, calling for it to be abolished as she presided over the 60th general proceedings of the state’s delegation to the Electoral College in Albany.
Because G-d-consciousness is central to the Torah, it commands us to create and interact with objects that remind us of Him.
Fanny framed the need to share Jewish stories in terms of education. She wanted others to learn about Jews. The implied reasoning behind this is that antisemitism emerges from a lack of knowledge, and as such, teaching people about Jews would fix the problem.
The first stage is a gift, a spiritual high. It’s there to help you experience the goal, the destination. It’s a taste of what you can and hopefully will ultimately accomplish, but it’s not real. It’s given as a gift and is therefore an illusion.
Mr. Blum’s father had no idea how the American official would react to his brazen request. But he felt strongly that he could not take an oath without his head covered. This small act of courage resulted in great liberation.
Currently, the IDF is dealing with the hundreds of terrorists who remain, demonstrating the scale of the challenge posed by a well-entrenched adversary.
We should focus philosophically on Hashem’s radical oneness, that Hashem is one being and is non-physical, and thus cannot be broken down into parts but remains forever singular and perfect.
Does faith emerge from recitation of Shema in shul, daily, on Shabbat, or when belted out as Yom Kippur wanes? These are powerful moments, but I think it’s the quieter, private moments of a child’s bedtime recitation of Shema that leaves the most lasting imprint on the developing mind.
He described his deep connection to the Torah of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt"l, despite never having heard his voice. This is not surprising – many people connect to the Torah of our great commentators and leaders who lived decades or centuries earlier, whose voices they never heard.
When we say Shema we do not declare our faith as much as instruct our faith. Listen, Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One! We simultaneously declare it aloud and actively listen, accepting this as true in our hearts.
By David Curwin
In Modern Hebrew, shama typically means “to hear,” while the other two verbs convey to listen. Yet the earlier nuance of shama persists in the word mashmaut, significance, originally, that which is understood.
My family has been blessed to spend our summers at Camp Dora Golding in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, where I am part of the camp administration. The drawback was that as a shul rabbi it wasn’t easy to be away from my kehilla for two months.
Paradoxically, even as the Pope was delivering his calumnies, the Palestinian Authority, which of late has begun a crackdown on terrorists in the West Bank in order to present itself as an alternative to Hamas control of Gaza, confirmed Israel’s position.
Surely a gift that is given absolutely without any provisions one should have no qualms in re-gifting to another if it is not to one’s taste. But, as mentioned, take care not to give to someone who you think might give it back to the original party.
This article discusses the final category: federal holidays that are religious in origin but are now seemingly celebrated secularly, with New Year’s Day as an excellent example of that.
That Israel's right to defend its civilians is being questioned every day all around the world demonstrates how important books that rise beyond rhetoric are – and that’s what these books do.
Rabbi Teichman seemed almost allergic to money. He gave his time, money and ideas for the klal. And Jew and non-Jew alike saw this.
One of the side effects of years of the Corona virus has been a decline in the availability of health care workers. Many qualified staff members went on to find other careers, as did those in the hotel or the restaurant industry. Those positions had to be filled promptly, and from the reports I have received, many nurses or aides in these facilities have very little background in nursing at all.
I asked her about the baby’s name, and she said, yes, they had named him after Daniel in the Tanach, but they had also thought of my late husband Dan when naming him. She sent me several photos and videos from the bris. I was overcome with emotion as I watched the segment where the baby received his name.
Throughout Chanukah, Mr. Lichter and Shmuli lit in the glass case outside their door. On the last night of Chanukah, the flames burned brightly and warmed the winter night. The family was inside, enjoying latkes and jelly doughnuts, when suddenly they heard shattering outside.
If resilience were a trait, something you had or didn’t have, there would be little we could do to foster it in our children. Part of what is so exciting – and important – about the work of youth development is that children’s resilience is largely determined by how parents and communities raise them.
Awaiting Elijah / ‘Semicha… Is Performed By Three’ (Sanhedrin 13b)
By Irwin Cohen
Many Jews lived in his neighborhood and he picked up many Yiddish words and phrases that stayed with him. His vus machst du? was perfect and while he was a very religious Catholic, he knew more about Judaism than many Jews.
In my annual investment outlook, I always try to focus on strategies that are more practical for investors. My friend, Yoni Raab, suggested that this year I look to Parshas Mikeitz and Pharaoh’s dreams to glean some timeless Torah wisdom for investors to apply in the year ahead. As always, Mr. Raab’s suggestion turned out to be spot on.
Israel’s innovative, young commander of the Negev campaign was Yigal Allon. In order to break the Egyptian hold, he would have to get his troops to the south undetected. This was a significant challenge as the only surfaced road was bordered by several Egyptian strongholds.
Question: If one forgot to recite Al Hanissim on Chanukah, does he have to repeat the Shemoneh Esrei or Birkat Hamazon? Moshe Jakobowitz Brooklyn, NY
It seems like Hashem gave you important things in life that money can’t buy. He gave you a special husband and a good family. These brachos are invaluable. Money does not buy happiness.
Even the feckless Palestinian Authority has finally taken steps to restore order and crack down on Hamas and other rebel groups in Jenin and other cities. The PA knows it will be held up to a higher standard by Trump, and it better get on his good side before he comes back to power.
By Mendi Glik
The narrator then prays to Hashem that he’ll lead him in the right way, so everyone will see that the tefillot are get accepted. He then asks Hashem to allow him to always smile, to be healthy, and sing.
Certain truths can never be fully grasped without exposure to a perspective beyond oneself.
Indeed, most of the 47 metal detector-find dreidels on display are of this design – but not all. I have come across six and eight-sided dreidels(!) as well, which I will expand upon.
We know Yosef never forgot his father. Even though he no longer lived next to him, his father was an ever-present influence wherever he went and whatever he did.
Sit down for a minute. Just one minute, because this is going to be hard for you to hear. Date him. Date him with intention and an open mind and heart. Focus entirely on him when you date and give him the best version of you filled with enthusiasm and positivity.
It appears that killing a rodef is not only a complicated halacha, but only bidieved (a secondary choice). We are therefore left with a fundamental question: Why are we allowed to, or supposed to, kill a rodef?
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Joseph is the center of attention whenever he is, as it were, onstage, and yet he is, time and again, the done-to rather than the doer, an object of other people’s actions rather than the subject of his own.
The siddur had a number of versions from the outset – one of which was meant for schoolchildren – and at least one of which appears to have had an attached translation into Ladino, all sold in New York stores during WWI.
The Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel explains that the dream of the Royal Butler actually alluded to the redemption of the Jewish people. This being so, Yosef understood that the redemption could only come about if he, Yosef, would be released from prison.
Today, amid the suffering caused by the war, we can sometimes feel callous if we take our minds off those most affected. However, a lesson of Chanukah is that there remains space for gratitude, even in the face of ongoing grief.
The reward for fulfilling the mitzvah of Ner Chanukah properly is great indeed. It is something we strive for every day. It is, comprehensively speaking, the goal of all our toil.
Eliezer recalled how Rav Avi carried a sefer in one hand and a rifle in the other, seamlessly integrating his spiritual and physical duties. To Rav Avi, there was no contradiction – only harmony between protecting Am Yisrael and upholding Torah values.
As the State of Israel achieved more international recognition, including peace deals with Arab neighbors, many Israelis saw this recognition as the basis of our rights to the land. They no longer felt a need to rely upon the Bible as the basis of their rights and, thus, of their identity.
If the mitzvah of lighting candles is zecher l’Mikdash, then some form of mehadrin can be compared to other forms of hiddur mitzvah. But if the mitzvah is for pirsumei nisa, then mehadrin, especially mehadrin min hamehadrin, takes on new significance.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game brought Von Tilzer great fame and, by the 1920s, he was no longer writing for vaudeville. He was now composing full scores for Broadway and then, after moving to Hollywood in 1930, he wrote songs for motion pictures.
By Marc Gronich
Last week Hochul vetoed one of Weprin’s bills that he had high hopes of being signed into law. It was a bill capping co-payments on physical therapy, which is usually prescribed post-surgery and generally not covered by insurance, Weprin said.
The crowd’s enthusiasm was palpable, contrasting sharply with the struggles of major Orthodox organizations to attract diverse audiences to their conventions. Here, people weren’t begged or nudged to attend; they came because they genuinely wanted to be part of something extraordinary.
In terms of military action taking out Iran’s nuclear development sites, Israel has clearly demonstrated that the sites are well within reach of Israeli air power – and certainly that of the United States.
Before Adam sinned, he looked nothing like you or I do today... The Midrash says that he wore kosnos ohr (skin of light). When you looked at Adam, you didn’t see his body but saw Adam himself, i.e., his neshama.
July 10, 2026 
