יום ראשון, כ״ג תשרי תשפ״זSunday, October 4, 2026
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With regard to netilas yadayim, one of the points he emphasized was that we are recognizing and acknowledging the sacredness of our hands, which we use to do the daily work of elevating this world.
If one should find themselves with a doctor who is not sensitive to either the patient or to the family, unequivocally, I must recommend that the doctor be deleted from your contacts list.
Warburg, who was elected in June to the Teaneck Democratic Municipal Committee in a sweeping municipal election which saw Teaneck deliver the highest voter turnout in all of Bergen County, sees Fulop’s choice as a recognition of the local Jewish community’s efforts to gain greater political representation.
By their very existence, these siddurim attest to the fact that a general, national approach to prayer during Israel’s state holidays has yet to be established – for religious, ideological, and social reasons.
Rabbi Hutner’s correspondence is imbued with the same rich, poetic, and heartfelt language that characterizes much of his literary style.
By Alan Zeitlin
The funniest moment of the competition was when Jacobowitz questioned a member of Shevach High School in Queens, whose product was Smart Smoke Sensor. She asked who would put rice in a toaster and the student replied: Someone in my family.
While it is virtually impossible to capture the essence and greatness of the man in a single article, or even in a full-fledged tome, I think that a good glimpse of who he was and what he represented may be gleaned through his correspondence.
By Maayan Zik
The imagery of sand also illustrates the vastness and diversity of the Jewish people around the world, for there are many different types, colors, and shapes of sand, much like our people all over the world.
The Kli Yakar interprets Hashem’s comparison of the Jewish people to sand in an interesting way. He points out that sand is always subjected to forces from the waves, but it always holds together and never dissipates.
Our lives have a time limit. Some of us may have a bigger personal hourglass; some have smaller ones. Nonetheless, the sand in our unique hourglass is flowing down and our time in this world will conclude.
The Jewish people have a collective mission. Each grain of sand contributes value in restoring the world according to the Divine will.
The humble grains that mark time in an hourglass are the building blocks that make up our world.
The ride home, would be in the dark of night. The dirt road had no lighting. I was unwilling to return in a car with friends unless one of them was armed. No one thought to bring their guns to the wedding.
As we know, the Torah is valid for all time, but societal attitudes toward matrimony have changed dramatically over the past three millennia. Herein lies the tragedy of our times: Marriage is going out of style.
Halachically, there is typically a requirement that a tradition of kashrut exists for a species, even if such a tradition is upheld by a community on the other side of the world.
The odds against Israel seemed daunting, and many experts believe that it never would have made it through the Ad Hoc Committee (and ultimately, through the General Assembly) but for a passionate two-plus hour speech on May 5, 1949 by Abba Eban, Israel’s designee, to plead its cause.
By Alan Zeitlin
Josephs said it was hashgacha pratis (divine providence) that she realized there wasn’t a group to fight for Orthodox and Jewish representation and that she was able to do so. She noted that positive Jewish representation is a kiddush Hashem.
Torah Judaism makes all sorts of demands on us; of practice and belief, of moral stances that conflict with the culture around us. We have to contend with them, and prepare our children to contend with them.
Rivka. The name of my grandmother. A Holocaust survivor, a partisan, and a rebuilder of worlds.
By Solly Hess
We must be careful not to limit Rivka’s legacy to a few highlights – the switch of the blessings, her zerizus in helping Eliezer – we must see the big picture and understand the foundational role she played in our history.
By Anat Coleman
I was relieved to study the parsha further as an adult and have the opportunity to re-explore what may have actually occurred to/with Rivka.
Rivka didn’t gloat to Yitzchak about the prophecies that she received. She learned from her prophecies and from her life experience about what needed to be done in order to insure proper continuity.
When we were young, we never believed that we would one day be 70 years of age, much less over 90. It all arrives too quickly. One day we wake up and wonder who the person staring back at us in the bathroom mirror, might be.
Written by Pinchas Schon, on behalf of the Mirrer Yeshiva Association in New York, and addressed to Rabbi Eliezer Silver, rav in Cincinnati and head of the Agudas Harabonim, it pleads for his assistance in the rescue efforts.
Presumably with Gelman’s assurance that the Shabbat Congress would be apolitical, the Rebbe did send a lengthy 22 Shevat (February 9), 1942 letter to the Congress, in which he emphasized the dangerous state in which the Jewish people find themselves...
By Sandy Eller
Voting is the best evidence of visibility, and here on Long Island, the presidential and congressional election came and went, but we still have county and town and village offices, all of which are important sources of resources that our community needs every year, explained Kadinsky.
My husband Daniel and I moved from New York to Los Angeles 12 years ago, and during 10 of those years, we've had an orange tree in our backyard. This is common in LA, as the weather is ideal for growing produce.
The contest was arranged by a navel orange company. The ask? Send us a photo of your family enjoying our oranges.
By Akiva Kra
I wish I could write an easy, 150-word guide on how to peel an orange; A step-by-step process of how to get the first part of the peel off, how to peel any of it without squirting the juice everywhere and getting sticky hands, and explaining how to avoid so many of the other unaddressed challenges in this underappreciated task.
I always thought it was amazing that oranges are a winter fruit loaded with vitamin c and other antioxidants allowing us to prepare ourselves and defend ourselves from all the viruses that come our way during this time.
By hashgacha, the same day, I interviewed Nova survivor Ofri Reiner, who shared an incredible story about oranges. For many Nova survivors, oranges have become a symbol of hope.
Why can I not get it through my thick skull that Hubby eats like a four-year old now? Pizza, cookies, candy, eggrolls, spaghetti, fruit, ice cream, would all suffice for him. But not for me, and do I not matter as well?
The book itself is described by its author as the final revelation of G-d in which all answers to all remaining questions with respect to the Tanach were answered.
One significant obstacle that the prosecution faced throughout the case was that Beilis was broadly respected, even beloved, by the Gentiles in his neighborhood, some of whom referred to him affectionately as “our Mendel,” and their high regard for him as an honest man was such that many non-Jews either refused to testify against him or even testified in his favor.
Our story begins with a seemingly chance encounter on a Jerusalem street on Shabbos afternoon as Rabbi Wein was walking home from shul, when he met a man who seemed oddly out of place.
Everything changed this year, and I venture to say I'm not the only one with this experience. My eyes have been opened. I have learned so much. I have heard so many stories. I have seen so many faces.
By Sara Blau
When I think of IDF, I think of exceptional, special spiritual powers.
This sacrifice reminds me of our brave IDF members, who have had to give up so much time with their families in order to carry out the holy work of defending the State of Israel.
To fight in the IDF, the first Jewish fighting force in 2,000 years, is an amazing honor and is a life-changing experience.
The soldiers go out to war with the Shema on their lips. It's been very hard this past year and so many holy soldiers have been killed, but they went out in the name of Hashem, very devoted to the land and people of Israel.
By Marc Gronich
The U.S. House of Representatives is still up for grabs, but New York was not any help this year in keeping control of Congress in Republican hands.
By Alan Zeitlin
He criticized Jones for proposing that convicted murderers be allowed to vote from prison and wanting to defund the police and that Jones’s positions are too radical for the Hudson Valley.
Even today at the age of 95, Hubby asks where his license is, as if he is about to fly the coop and embark on an adventure on his own. To tell him that he is too old to drive, would not be a pleasant task, and hopefully can be avoided.
100% of all fallen Israeli soldiers have been identified. By comparison, to date only 56 percent of all the casualties from 9/11 have been positively identified.
One major halachic dispute, though, has left its mark in literature and history. The impetus was a publication which I recently acquired, titled Av Bachochma, authored by Rabbi Avraham Aaron Yudelovitz and published in New York in 1927.
By Eve Glover
In the past, anxiety treatment patterns were location specific, but after the October 7 terror attacks, the KSM study found that the entire nation was adversely affected, with women being 81 percent more likely than men to start taking anxiety medication.
After the Affair, the Neturei Karta lost much of its public support and it never again tried to kidnap Jewish children to save them.
Bruriah was a female scholar, but in addition to being brilliant in her knowledge of halacha, she was also considerate, brave, resilient, and defiant.
For me, as much as the name Bruriah invokes the intrepid and scholarly Talmudic heroine, it brings to mind a street. A humble, narrow lane not far from where I live.
Bruriah is touted as a daughter of one talmid chacham and wife of another, yet her mothering or wifely duties are never described or lauded.
Today, with the news out of Israel shocking and saddening us constantly, as parents we often find ourselves needing to shield our children from the anxiety we are feeling. It is hard, but it’s a must, and we can draw strength from Bruriah’s choice.
Let’s face it: in a community where Sara and Rivka are seen as the epitome of tznius, Bruriah might feel like it’s too loud, too forward. Maybe some see it as a statement.
By Jordana Baruchov Grreenfield
Perhaps this Moed – literally meaning "set time" – can indeed become a set time for creating positive family memories, rather than stress and tension. It can even be a set time for growth.
Wouldn’t you think that it would be the easiest holiday that would have the most people celebrating? Something like, say, Shavuot which has no chametz or seder and is just two days long. Shouldn’t easier be more celebrated?
By Martin Bodek
Whatever we think, whatever we do, whatever direction our hearts point us to as we come to this yahrzeit, let’s be sure to fill it all with meaning.
The intention is that Israel will be redeemed by the Torah in body and soul and mind to be entirely holy, and that the general correction will be over.
The moed is experienced through the va'ad. In other words, we only relate to and perceive that particular time within the context of our collective experience of the holidays.
Especially since I did not serve in the IDF having made aliyah later in life, the respect and admiration that I have for our brave and heroic soldiers is boundless.
For a very long time, twenty- or thirty-years employment in a corporation, resulted in the gift of a gold watch in appreciation. To those for whom the purchase of such a treasure was beyond their wildest imagination, it was very special and worn with great pride.
I fear that our need to obsess over the war may have a detrimental effect on our kids’ long-term relationship with Israel. The news is not all bad.
Is this newfound pride a response to the resurgence of antisemitism? Or is it something deeper – an affirmation of our heritage, our traditions, and our enduring contributions to the world?
Enemy and treason are defined not just by actions, but by intent. Left-wing extremists, right-wing extremists, anti-Zionist charedim – none of these groups want the destruction of Israel, the murder of groups of Jews, or to actively sabotage its existence.
Originally designed for about 150 passengers, the Struma was retrofitted to carry almost 800 people, such that its sleeping quarters lacked space for the passengers to even sit up.
By Rabbi Shimshon HaKohen Nadel
Popular songs on Israeli radio today – the songs which have become the anthems of this war – emanate from a deep spiritual place. They draw on Jewish themes, motifs, prayers, and texts. And young people sing them like tefillot.
I suppose in the back of all our minds was and is that we are still living in the Middle East – we still have to earn our place here. But nothing prepared me for October 7. Nothing.
What if it isn’t entirely true that we can’t expect a great miracle?
The first anniversary of October 7 is upon us, and in some ways, we feel like we are right back there, or maybe that we never left.
We have also realized who we can trust and who our friends really are: despite its waffle-words, its incredibly poorly thought-out hostage-cease-fire plan and a temporary hold on some weapons, the Biden administration has done a relatively good job of supporting Israel.
After Shabbat ended the news started rolling in; the numbers of people murdered, kidnapped, the pictures, the videos. Then, as we all feared, the horror began to become personal.
As I left Efrat, my anxiety kicked in. At these moments, you ask yourself questions like: should I even be leaving my house right now? Having no information on where the missile came from, I had no sense if more were on the way.
This has been a year of bloodshed. We lost so many precious young men; so many young women became widows, and little children orphans. Is this Gog U’Magog, I have often wondered?
By Nachum Lamm
Things are always on. Nothing stops. Things develop. But even as you try to put a positive spin on things, you still get those punches in the stomach.
Once antisemitism is exposed, it cannot easily be masked again. At best, it will lurk just beneath the surface; at worst, it will manifest itself in new ways.
By dvora
The air is haunted by the distant rumble of warplanes. My husband tells me, These are our planes. It’s good. It means they are doing something. But to me it’s the shriek of unquiet ghosts.
By Leah Aron and Estee Fischman
We go to Shulamith High School of Long Island and we are very proud to tell you about the hours of work and effort that our school put into creating a beautiful and powerful memorial and program for October 7. It commemorated the atrocities that afflicted our nation, Am Yisrael, a year ago.
Hubby clearly was unwilling to trust her with the pills. It was predictable, as it had been twelve hours since his last calming medications had been ingested and they only last three hours.
By Robert Isler
Kaufman said she would have been happier with almost any other candidate on the Republican side, specifically mentioning Nikki Haley, a name that was offered up by others as well.
In the world of antique Judaica, it appears that containers made specifically for the purpose of holding an etrog is a rather late development, as the oldest verified etrog boxes... date no earlier than the 18th century.
As Metziahs was expanding, I realized that while I was finding great items, there was still a gap that needed to be filled. The modest woman needs certain items in her wardrobe, like the basic black skirt, and I couldn’t find those pieces.
A few years prior, an edition printed in Venice for Sephardic Jews did include Selichot, though, as well as the additional Kabbalistic texts, and various editions in the following decades contained a variety of combinations of prayers and readings.
A mitzvah at once beautiful, mystical, symbolic, and deeply meaningful, analysis and discussion of its halachic and Kabbalistic essence are far beyond the scope of this article.
When we open our homes, we create an atmosphere that elevates not just the meal but the entire spiritual experience.
But as much as I love guests, the whole experience really makes me nostalgic for my seminary/college life when it was so easy to call up a family, or call up a friend, and make a Shabbos or yuntif chavaya (experience).
By Avi Ganz
There is no Hebrew word for "history." There is the modern Hebrew's "historiya," but the Torah doesn’t seem to afford any significance to history qua history.
Casually, he leaned over in his high chair, locked eyes with my mother and said, Hi. It was the tiniest of moments, over in a blink, one I would have missed had I continued to obsess about the food situation.
Admittedly, in my own home, I need a reminder to recite ushpizin. It's all too easy to get caught up in a myriad of other distractions while preparing to eat in the sukkah.
Does the brain have different folders in it, like a computer? When one section of the brain is full after a number of years, does another memory section become available?
There is mention of the custom of kapparot already in the 7th century, but even then, the source we have states the reason for this custom is unknown.
By Dov Bergman
Music (neginah) was integral to the chassidic court, and nearly every court featured a chazan. Although many lacked formal training in musical notation, these chazanim were accomplished cantors and composers, producing a wealth of melodies.
In a connection with Rosh Hashana – literally the head of the year – the fish head is a well-known symbol of the Yom Tov. In many Jewish legends, fish are also traditionally a sign of parnassah (prosperity), so the fish symbolizes our prayers that we be at the “head” of our luck and prosperity in the coming year.
October 2, 2026 
