יום שישי, כ״ו חשוון תשפ״זFriday, November 6, 2026
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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.
By Adina Broder
Forgiveness by our fellow man results in him putting aside his pain and resentment, even though those feelings were justified. This is an incredible act of emotional generosity.
An apology is so much more than just saying the words I’m sorry.
Slicha takes on a different significance during Yom Kippur when we are reminded that not one human exists without fault.
By dvora
On a personal level, man to man, when you forgive someone for a perceived slight, you reclaim your peace of mind.
Why are we so stubborn as adults, who should know with so much more reason and logic, that if we just say sorry, we would be able to move on from arguments so much faster.
We will not even discuss the stains which are under the dining table from food accidents, which only compound the unique new decor.
By Alan Zeitlin
Each comic shined, discussing everything from recent attacks by Israel to the presidential election to dating.
These marranos who returned to Judaism openly were often adults, with little or no real Jewish education or knowledge. The need to integrate them in to the new communities resulted in a new phenomenon, siddurim that were completely in the vernacular, in this case the Spanish or Portuguese, of these new immigrants.
Raban (1890-1970), who acquired his reputation through the designs he made for Bezalel, was undoubtedly one of the most important artists in pre-State Eretz Yisrael.
Besides the rigors of the Depression, life in New York was complicated by Zeydie’s delicate constitution. He could only digest white bread, for example, not rye or pumpernickel. Then he lost an eye in an industrial accident and was unable to work steadily.
Perhaps it's a benefit to us that we can't see real kings today. It allows us to strengthen our desire, so as we gather in shul this year, we not only crown Hashem as our melech...
Even if we have a theoretical understanding of the sort of mighty and absolute monarch used as a metaphor for G-d, it is very distant from our actual experience.
These ideas come together when you consider one of the most powerful paragraphs we say – Adon Olam. It opens with a mind-blowing statement – Hashem is the Master of time (olam), who reigned (malach) before any form was created.
Perhaps this is why Aleinu, a declaration of faith and belief in G-d as king, is a centerpiece of the Mussaf on Rosh Hashana. In saying it, we are challenged to ask a simple yet uncomfortable question. Have we made G-d our King?
By David Curwin
It’s also notable that while the Torah mentions many foreign kings, none of Israel’s leaders, including Moshe, are ever given the title melech.
Pasha is also the name of a beautiful butterfly which exists in the Middle East and Africa. I am quite sure that it not what Hubby had in mind. The word Pasha equated with powerful, and Hubby will retain that definition.
In this correspondence written by Emmanuel and family members in Salonica and Curacao, familial matters are interspersed with much important historical material and records.
Some critics maintain that the poem was actually a prophetic pre-history of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, as Melville brilliantly considers the friction between science and issues of faith and doubt and the interplay between Jewish life and practices in the biblical past and presents contemporary Jewish life in the Ottoman empire in late-nineteenth century Eretz Yisrael.
It’s heartening to see the once virid foliage turn crackly and dull, but this is requisite needed for its overall survival.
Leaves represent the cycles of life and how where we seem to be can be deceiving, and how we are all connected.
By Keshet Starr
As a kid who grew up in a place without seasons, watching the leaves fall in autumn is still magical. And yet, the beauty of the changing colors masks the harder elements of the cold winter to come.
The question to be asked is this: how many leaves do we need to add to the table to accommodate the guests coming for the Shabbat meal?
By Hillel Fuld
Just as leaves blow in the wind and are impossible to retrieve, so to, a word. Once it’s out there, it’s impossible to get it back. But this concept doesn’t stop with words.
It was important that I began this chapter with the newsflash, or you might think that this chapter will reveal some secrets about the once teenage-heart-throb. Nope.
I recently acquired a fine copy of a first edition of his Chochmat Adam, published in Vilna in 1815. His Chayei Adam, published prior, did not contain any approbation.
De Santis stated, I am committed to deepening the relationship between Florida and the State of Israel. This specialty license plate serves as a visible symbol of our steadfast support and friendship.
He believed that when Zionism succeeds in normalizing Jewish life, Hebrew writers would become capable of producing works of literate genius; as such, as a means to fulfill his vision of national revival, he devoted himself to encouraging Hebrew writers to compose works that blended Judaism with humanism.
Nevertheless, we must face the facts. It has been said that the measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members.
...our relationship with G-d is anything but impersonal. Like a marriage, it takes body and soul, words and actions, commitments, failures, and fixing.
By Rabbanit Dr. Adena Berkowitz
A beautiful imagery developed from Chabad thought envisions G-d being in the field and this is our opportunity to come closer to Hashem, so to speak, panim el panim, face to face.
Call out to Hashem when He is found, call Him when He is close. He is not just approachable, to every Jew He is dodi, My beloved.
Enigmatically and somewhat controversially, Rambam interprets the nature of this loving relationship to depend on intellectual understanding of G-d and His works: according to the level of knowledge, so can be the love.
The gematria of dodi is 24. The gematria of Hashem’s name is 26. To reach a level of G-dliness we must add two – oneself and Hashem, in a mutually caring and giving relationship.
By Adi
By re-imagining rehabilitation, ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran is advancing ability for all – empowering children, adolescents and adults with severe disabilities and pioneering cutting edge therapeutic and recovery services for anyone touched by disability.
On occasion, Hubby decides to be an independent human being who resists my regimen and refuses to ingest even one more pill. I cannot really blame him as I look at my own selection of vitamins, prescribed meds and cure-alls and wonder how I will ever get them all down the hatch.
Originally the censors focused on religious works, particularly Kabbalastic and chasidic works. However, with time, they took on a political bent as well, promoting ideas favorable to the government and eliminating any words of opposition that were suspected in any of the printed works.
By Alan Zeitlin
The message is that politics come before the safety of the Jews, Sheinkopf said.
Kipnis was a leading pioneer of the Diaspora-negating Zionist narrative and one of its most active proponents, and much of his work was purposely designed to replace Diasporan poems, stories, narratives, culture and traditions.
Kipnis was a leading pioneer of the Diaspora-negating Zionist narrative and one of its most active proponents, and much of his work was purposely designed to replace Diasporan poems, stories, narratives, culture and traditions.
She is not only my mother-in-law, but also, the first Jewish mother I've ever known, so I'm a convert. Yes, it's different from having a non-Jewish mother, but in a wonderful way.
By Eli Lebowicz
We actually had a baby earlier this year and my in-laws lived with us for a month afterwards, because I needed more comedy material. And boy did that work.
The Gemara is reminding us of the potency of this unique relationship and that it must be treated with care.
The stereotype of the meddling, overbearing shvigger can cause tension even before the relationship has a chance to develop. For many, the fear of not meeting expectations or navigating potential conflicts is significant.
As we saw in the recent Olympics relay races, the baton is passed forward and the passer steps away; so too when a man or woman marries, parents have to let go of their biological baton.
Hubby goes to his memory-day-care center, Melabev, and the staff there have mentioned his decline over the past six years. But somehow, the past year has been the worst. Of course, how foolish of me to have expected otherwise.
The star attraction of the auction was The David Moss Haggadah, which is a masterful work of modern manuscript-making by the artist David Moss.
This week I acquired a copy of this now scarce title, titled Baruch Hagever, a memorial book for Baruch Goldstein, the perpetrator of the Hebron mass shooting.
By Alan Zeitlin
I experienced the love of G-d amid the terror, which is such a dichotomy and a mind trip, he said. It’s like, what’s going on here? If you start to think about it, it’s too much to handle, but when you are active in the moment, you just look at it and that your mission is to play music every day...
To assure that its graduating students would not experience financial problems, the school paid each of them 1,000 francs, but that largesse proved unnecessary because virtually all of them quickly gained meaningful employment, in most cases very well paid jobs, because the skills that they had gained in Mikveh Israel were in high demand.
There have always been men who exploited their power over women (or children, or other men). But this is not characteristic of all men, and saying so is a terrible slur.
By Jordana Baruchov Grreenfield
In essence, shira connects to the soul by expressing, reflecting, and amplifying the deepest aspects of our human experience, making it a powerful medium for both personal and spiritual connection.
I’d been singing Birkat HaMazon since childhood. I never had stopped to consider how it sounded to others. Which is the best way to sing of all. Now I sing all the time. On or off tune, I don’t know or care.
By Akiva Kra
Song clearly can reflect deep emotions and also can represent unbound joy. However, not every time is meant to have singing.
My name is Shira. But it’s not Shira. It’s actually Tzivya Chaya Liba. I didn’t like that name very much, and I have a feeling my parents didn’t either.
A song is the pen of the heart. It expresses the deepest parts of our hearts and souls, that which cannot be expressed through the medium of finite syllables.
It is my contention that the exasperation which so many caregivers experience is a combination of exhaustion because of the physical necessities involved while being a caregiver, and the emotional gutting which is experienced from those we loved all our lives… who barely know us now, and are treating us poorly.
This year, the camp faced another significant challenge: a dramatic increase in participants. Due to the October 7 events and subsequent Swords of Iron War, 200 newly bereaved children joined the camp, doubling the number of participants to 400.
Following his elder brother's murder, the Baba Sali was appointed head of the community, but fearing continuing antisemitism, his family and much of the community moved to the town of Boudenib, where the yeshiva he led was resettled.
By Alan Zeitlin
November said while poetry will likely remain a marginalized genre compared to fiction, those who are passionate about poetry work hard to hone their craft and take great joy in the way poetry provides a vehicle for communicating poignant truths in a compressed space.
November 6, 2026 
