יום חמישי, כ״ה חשוון תשפ״זThursday, November 5, 2026
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
By Avi Ganz
While we often think of Chanukah as a tale of great victory for the Jews (and for good reason! The Al Hanissim only mentions this aspect of the story), the fact is that Chanukah and its accompanying tails of bravery were and are about the temporary victory of a few brave and strong-hearted men.
About a week later when my melt Google doc remained blank and silent, I realized that my word was actually too good. Although theoretically I had many options, all of them fell flat when I tried to write them down.
The Chofetz Chaim said that Chazal gave us the holidays of Chanukah and Purim in the winter, representing the long and dark galus, to give us hope for eventual redemption.
By dvora
It is a metaphor for a world experiencing a severe meltdown of morals and rationality. A dangerous, combustible situation, spreading everywhere.
As I have mentioned in a previous chapter (Parallel Realities), Hubby has become very confused by the programs he sees on our television. They are too complicated for him to follow. He often thinks that they are in a different language, when they are not.
Rassco has already seen several completed TAMA-38 projects, and a number of Pinuy Binuy initiatives are in the pipeline. These developments are breathing new life into a neighborhood that has long retained its charm but needed modernization.
In 1747, Rabbi Gershon traveled to Jerusalem, becoming one of the first chassidim to establish a presence in the Holy Land. There, he aligned himself with the study of the Rashash and the Kabbalistic circle, immersing himself in the study of mystical traditions.
Klemperer was deeply affected by the plight of Jews during the Holocaust and was supportive of the State of Israel and Jewish cultural institutions. His decision to conduct the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was partly driven by his connection to his Jewish roots and his support for Jewish causes, but he did not actively engage in Zionist political activities.
When we think of the great Sages of the Talmudic (and later) eras, mathematical sophistication isn’t the first quality that comes to mind. Yet they were far ahead of their time in that regard, especially since they lived centuries before the invention of algebra.
By Solly Hess
The Judaica items around us can either be inanimate relics that turn sections of our living rooms into mini-museums, or they can be used as intended – keepers of our heritage that remind us of a full and storied past while propelling our history forward.
Each of us must ask: is this Judaica enriching my practice or serving as a status symbol? Does it deepen my joy in the mitzvah, or overshadow it?
By Hillel Fuld
When I hear the word Judaica, I think about our rich history and our indigenous land, Judea. That’s right, what the world calls The West Bank today is actually Judea and Samaria.
By Keshet Starr
On one hand, there’s a value in a hiddur mitzvah, adding elegance and beauty to our observance. But on the other hand, what happens when the focus on beauty and presentation obscures the mitzvah itself?
What about the Judaica shops! Yes, the shops that sold Jewish books, music, candle sticks, sefarim and many other Judaica.
In all fairness, I do not kid myself that wrinkles are chic. I would never have worn linen in years past because it wrinkled. So, what has changed? Everything.
Although he drew an estimated 50,000 cartoons in his life, relatively few of them were related to the eponymous machines for which he remains best known.
Descended from the illustrious lineage of Hillel and Rabbi Gamliel, who were heads of the Sanhedrin, he was famously wealthy yet he was personally content with little.
Possibly the most pertinent description of Rebbi, found in Gittin 59a, where he qualifies on the very short list of those who have Torah u’gedulah be’makom echad, Torah knowledge and political greatness simultaneously.
By Rabbanit Dr. Adena Berkowitz
Worried that the Oral Law, the Torah She'ba'al Peh, would chas v’shalom be forgotten or accidentally changed, he decided to gather the laws, organize them and compile them as a permanent record that lasts to this very day.
Most focus on the writing of the corpus of the oral Torah (which may actually not have happened until later). Yet much more significant was how he organized its contents, something one might easily dismiss as merely technical.
While we’re complaining that we don’t have time for seder because of some shtus, Rebbi was writing the Mishna with one hand, holding up the klal with the other, and still finding time to give kavod to every last talmid chacham like they were Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai himself.
Recently friends caring for their loved ones have shared with me that their spouses too are talking about their two wives with the same name. Hubby definitely refers frequently to the other Barbara, which irritates me endlessly. Now that I understand that there is a universality to this behavior, I am giving it more consideration.
While Jews in certain Western European countries were abruptly thrust into modernity during the 18th century, gaining access to universities and achieving a measure of equality as citizens, Italian Jews had enjoyed the privilege of university attendance for centuries.
We see a diminution of individuals’ civil rights, as exemplified by government attempts to curtail parents from expressing opposition to woke educational policies at school board meetings.
When the British captured Savannah in December 1778, Levi lost almost everything, and after the Americans won their War of Independence and the Patriots regained control of the Georgia government in 1782, they banished him (he relocated to Charleston) and confiscated all his property.
Living in gratitude, with intention and purpose, especially the ultimate purpose, can positively affect your mood, outlook on life, and how your day-to-day interactions are experienced in a fundamental way.
As our table is comparable to the Altar, and our bread like an offering brought on the Altar, we wash our hands before eating bread and thereby sanctify our eating.
While we wonder if the head of the household could perhaps cut a little bit quicker, we are forced to pause at the beginning of the meal, with all the things we want to share on our minds, and wait quietly to connect the mitzvah of netilas yadayim with the lechem mishne.
By Eli Lebowicz
Washing our hands is one of the most common Jewish practices, which is also why it’s one of our most disliked practices. I’ve heard that our frequent hand-washing could be why many fewer Jews were victims of the Black Plague.
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?
October 30, 2026 
