יום שבת, כ״ז חשוון תשפ״זSaturday, November 7, 2026
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By JJ Eleff
This gray area is where we live most of our lives. We often face many challenges when it comes to keeping Torah and mitzvos, and if we see them as challenges as the miraglim did, then they will be! Our attitude is important.
According to Collins dictionary, a spy is a person employed to obtain secret information or a person who secretly watches others. The twelve men in Parshat Shlach (Bamidbar 13:2) were not spies.
Running Olim Advisors has been a labor of love for them and they are proud to have assisted thousands of olim and Anglos make aliyah and buy a home in Israel.
Yesterday, Violet and Hubby were sitting in the living room and he was directing her to reposition items on the cocktail tables. His brain is fascinated with his version of perfection, while I could not be less interested in his attention to such details of life.
By Alan Zeitlin
I consider it a small victory with still more to accomplish and to do, Gochin told The Jewish Press. I hope they are not simply taking it down ahead of the NATO summit only to put it up afterward.
Reading through correspondence of great Jewish leaders of old never fails to inspire, though for me, the most exciting letters are the ones that are personal in nature and that deal with challenges of the communities they led.
Even after leaving office, Cleveland continued to stand up for the Jewish people.
Above all, he wants to make his customers happy, even if it comes at his own expense.
By Akiva Kra
Glass is broken at every wedding to remind us to mourn for the Beis HaMikdash. However, people usually overlook that and scream mazal tov because the chuppah is concluding.
By Sara Blau
The story didn't exactly play out that way. Avraham became prosperous, but also too busy to help the poor.
By Martin Bodek
Did you know that nature creates glass all the time? It can form when lightning strikes sand, when meteorites impact the earth, and when volcanoes spew molten rock that rapidly cools.
By dvora
Glass, a simple object, useful and positive, took on a tragic memory for the Jewish people. Kristallnacht – never to be forgotten; never to be repeated.
Closer to the truth, however, may be that I am avoiding car-stress. I no longer have the ability to deal with additional, perceived, required, but avoidable, demands placed upon me.
While it is often compared to the Mishnah Berurah, as it served as the alternative to the Mishnah Berurah throughout the Sephardic world, it differs greatly both in structure and approach to halacha.
In honor of my grandson’s bar mitzvah, and in honor of what I hope and pray will be a long lifetime of his putting on tefillin every day, I have selected for this article some of my favorite bar mitzvah and tefillin items from my collection.
By Solly Hess
While my allergies and mop-top may have me feeling like a nazir, the fact is I’m far from it. Without Sefira and migraines, I’d be asking for a pair of scissors and a corkscrew!
Faced with the breakdown of society’s moral and ethical norms, Chazal anticipated the innate human desire to flee from the world.
By raising ourselves up to a higher spiritual level, we not only protect ourselves from temptations, but we should do so in a manner that fosters shalom, whether it is between husband and wife, between neighbors and friends, between the nations of the world or finding inner peace.
Whether good or bad, and Chazal have diverse opinions on the topic, the nazir is different. In truth, everyone is unique; we are each holy individuals at the core.
I could never be a nazir. I like to drink Moscato wine on Shabbat. And even though I love long hair, it is not flattering on me so I am forced to get a trim cut from time to time.
Concerned about what I might find when I returned home, I asked the husband of the couple who drove me home to please come with me to possibly help diffuse the situation. It never dawned on me that Hubby might think that this was the boyfriend… oops.
Despite thousands of years of exile and persecution of the Jewish people, the Tanach we have today is remarkably intact and precise and demonstrably the same text used by our ancestors thousands of years ago.
By feeding off upstanding English citizens, Stoker’s Dracula maintains the survival of his race, just as Jews newly arrived in Great Britain sustain themselves by usurping money and wealth through devious means, leaving their victims” dry.
The wonder of the Tablets, however, is that the shattered shards which remained from the first Tablets – broken when Moshe witnessed the sin with the Golden Calf – were deemed important enough to be placed in the Aron within the Kodesh Kodshim.
The lesson of all advances in technology is – moderation. Can we learn to use it when we need it and not get addicted? This is the challenge that all of us need to conquer.
By Hillel Fuld
The first tablets were shattered by Moses because the Jewish people sinned with the golden calf. Meaning, they misused their need for spirituality.
The tablets were our first tangible source of information given to us by Hashem. It is where our non-separable connection began.
By Keshet Starr
Highlighting these ten commandments on tablets is not only a choice of style and semantics. It centers our faith and practice around core concepts and values.
At 8:15 AM, a booming voice at my door announced Where is Barbara? I am here, I responded from my stupor. No! My Barbara! He responded. I thought I was his Barbara.
This tome can thus serve as a study of the evolution of the Sephardic Hebrew script, so very different from those used by the Ashkenazi Jews in the nearby countries of Central Europe.
A word of caution to collectors of Bezalel: Beware of forgeries. Since prices for some Bezalel items began reaching five figures at auctions starting in the late 1990s, an entire industry of counterfeit Bezalel items has been created by the unscrupulous...
Interestingly, by accepting the Torah, the Jewish people took on 606 new mitzvot – there were already sheva mitzvot B’nei Noach (the seven commandments that had been given to non-Jews at the time of Noah) – and the name “Ruth” in Hebrew has the numerical value of 606.
Something already touched me then; the clouds atop the hills, the winds across my face, the sun peeking between the eagle-shaped yeshiva, all contributed to a spiritual connection with Hashem, drawing me to return.
At a certain point, I realized that unless I was going to run on a treadmill, hills were inevitable.
As we approach the holiday of Shavout, it’s helpful to remember that Har Sinai was chosen because of its humility, but it was still a strong mountain.
I'm a sucker for songs that see hills and mountains as obstacles to be overcome - Still Haven't Found what I'm Looking For, Climb Every Mountain, and The Climb to name a few.
Says Elifaz to Iyov: Were you born before Adam? Were you created before the hills? (Don’t you love the ring of that?)
Hubby went on to explain the poisoning in detail. She had taken a long time in the kitchen putting the water into the glass. Therefore, it was obvious that she had put other things in it as well.
The author had messianic ambitions and the book contained many prophecies and doomsday projections of what will befall world Jewry if they do not repent.
While Cardozo accepted membership in the Century Club, an elite and exclusive Washington club that discriminated against Jews – for which he was criticized by Felix Frankfurter, his later successor on the Supreme Court, and others – he also proudly joined the Judean Club.
The hadlakot on Lag Ba’Omer, remind us of the warmth and light of the Torah.
By Rachel Kohn
I fear that I won't see a symbol of celebration when I look into the leaping flames of this year's bonfires, but an echo of the conflagrations of the past – the heat and destructive potential all too present and real.
By Avi Ganz
Before allowing something to expand, it would be advisable to make sure it has the space in which to expand. Without that space, the results can be disastrous.
While the Torah is more frequently compared to water, it is also called an esh dat (fiery law). Fire takes coarse matter and turns it into something lighter that rises towards the heavens.
Fire represents the struggle between the body and the soul, which is the essence of being human.
We all repeat ourselves. We do it partly because it is easy, and partly because we don’t realize that we have said the same things before. It is all a matter of degree.
I reiterate the statement I have made on numerous occasions... that a synagogue with a mixed seating arrangement forfeits its sanctity and its halachic status of mikdash me'at (a sanctuary-in-miniature), and is unfit for prayer...
By Alter Yisrael Shimon Feuerman
At a corner table sat his father and Gila. He had a small planning book open and she was turned away slightly with her small red pocketbook on the table. Nothing could have prepared him for the assault on his senses that he experienced. It was like a nuclear flash.
The agunah situation is an extremely understudied area, and especially since it has tremendous ramifications for those who strictly follow Jewish law, it seemed like an extremely meaningful area to explore further, said Jonathan Mintz.
During his time in office, Thant oversaw the entry into the UN of dozens of new Asian and African states, and he was a steadfast opponent of South African apartheid.
By Nachum Segal
It is the ones that are accompanied by a do-over or second chance that offer an opportunity to repair a wrong or switch gears during a challenging episode.
When someone comes to meet with me, they or someone close to them recognize that a change is necessary. Yet, they still may not fully believe they can actually make that change.
Everyone wants a second chance. It’s a gift we continually grant the people we care about in our lives.
Sometimes you can’t make up what you missed. On some views, if due to reasons out of one’s control, one cannot fulfill a positive mitzvah, they have missed out and cannot remedy that at all.
I’m sure at the beginning it was about being frugal, about coming to America with nothing and painstakingly creating something; it was about scrimping pennies so you could buy the basics that we take for granted, like milk, like fresh eggs, like a tea bag.
I ask April to focus on her reaction to these moments of disappointment. Her hubby cannot process the information that she gives him when she asks him to fulfill a task. He cannot remember what he is told.
The document was written by the Noda Beyehuda, to his employers, the parnassim (community leaders) of Prague, confirming receipt for his salary as Chief Rabbi of the city.
Some critics suggest that the Frankenstein monster was named after Jacob Frank who, at the time that Shelley wrote her novel, was perhaps not only the dominant issue in the Jewish world of Eastern Europe but was very well known in non-Jewish circles as well.
If we ever find ourselves dismissively commenting about the detail-orientation of halacha, or of other communities' halachic observance, perhaps we can remember that when we really care, we can indeed be very invested in the minute differences between Williamsburg Blue and its neighbors in the fan deck.
This leads many to suggest that language impacts the distinctions which we make and perceive. In truth, this is not a new idea.
By Maayan Zik
Blue is the color of remembrance as we acknowledge all the struggles and torments alongside all the joy and levity that has come packaged with the resilience and strength of a people loyal and dedicated to service, service of Hashem, of community, of family, of each other, etc.
As a New Yorker and a City Councilwoman, blue represents the brave men and women of the N.Y. City Police Department. They put on that blue uniform day in and day out, committed to making our city a safe place for its citizens.
It is easy to connect with people when things are good and they are walking around with their head up high and looking towards the sky. It is more difficult to connect with a person when they are downtrodden and can barely look straightforward, let alone upwards.
It is hard to respond when one has no clue what is intended to be communicated. Saying I don’t understand is a bit cruel because he cannot explain what he intended.
Occasionally there are extraordinary purchases, which cause even an experienced bookseller to get emotional.
In fact, it was not Ben Gurion who came up with the phrase but, rather, he put forth the language that Beham had used in his draft weeks earlier before the politicians became involved in redrafting the document.
Whether there’s a bumblebee circling the conference room, snowflakes flurrying outside the classroom, or an alert buzzing on all the phones in the auditorium: trying to maintain everyone’s attention is a futile battle.
Bees get a bad rap. The bee is a real blessing for its role as pollinator of the world’s produce and flowers.
By Ira Stoll
The flowers and fruit get the glory, but without the pollination help from bees, they wouldn't bloom. Sometimes what looks dangerous, like a bee, can turn out to be a blessing.
By Anat Coleman
Queen-less bees become agitated. Have we ensured that those who rely on us for clear guidelines and expectations have received them, so they don't feel leader-less?
Children grow up so quickly. Just a minute ago, my three-year-old was a newborn baby. Now, I have two daughters. Watching them grow and change is the most fascinating thing to witness.
R. Tzvi Hirsch Katzenelebogen was born in to a wealthy family in Vilna, though a rabbi and associated with many of the greatest Orthodox rabbis of the day, he was also from the first to embrace Haskalah worldview.
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the enigmatic factory, which operates behind mammoth locked iron gates – and from where no one ever comes out – continuously belches pillars of smoke out into the air, an unmistakable analogy to Nazi crematoria.
By Eli Lebowicz
Deciding to be fleishig is a tough commitment to make. And it’s pretty similar to the same fear of commitment that many people have (and often more so guys) when it comes to dating.
The guest list will be carefully curated, since the korban can only be slaughtered on behalf of its specific group.
By Jordana Baruchov Grreenfield
No one will ever get to the bottom of why we are meant to not eat milk and meat together since it’s a chok. So why have commandments we don’t get?
When you think of home, is it not in your taste buds that the most elemental memories reside? Tell me what, how, where and with whom you eat, and I’ll tell you who and what you are.
One of my favorite foods is a juicy steak prepared medium rare. The reason why is because this type of dish is tender, retains moisture, and is most flavorful, especially if the outside is caramelized and seared.
Having assessed the lump as less than life-threatening, Dr. N. kindly used the opportunity to administer the standardized Memory Test of which I have spoken. The same questions posed to Hubby, as in the years gone by, but different answers this time.
By Alan Zeitlin
One former leader, who was brought to Poland by the ACJF in September 2022, was former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was given the AJCF Fighting Hatred award. Some of his comments were shared on social media, and Simony said he was “deeply impressed” by Schwarzenegger’s words.
For this column, I thought I would share some interesting items relating to Pesach that have appeared at auction, are in a museum, or are from my personal collection.
November 6, 2026 
