יום שישי, כ״ב אלול תשפ״וFriday, September 4, 2026
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The funny thing about trends is our personal tastes and preferences seemingly go out the window.
Nestled in the brushed velvet was a chevron shaped gold necklace; a style that was very popular for a very hot second.
When someone questioned the show of wealth, R' Meir Shlomo explained, Why was gold created? For the Beis HaMikdash. With the Beis HaMikdash destroyed, gold exists exclusively for tzaddikim like him.
As it says in Tehilim 119:72: The Torah of your mouth is better for me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
The number of patients who enter a hospital with an entirely different complaint, who are then put on a catheter, which then results in sepsis which kills them, is shocking.
In 1939, escaping the Nazi invasion of Poland, Rav Baruch Ber, already in ill health, led the Yeshiva to the safe haven at the time of Vilna. Shortly after his arrival, he passed away, and tens of thousands attended his funeral in the main shul in Vilna.
Although most of the prominent Jews in colonial America were strong supporters of the colonialists and their struggle for independence, Hart was a conspicuous exception.
By Rachel Kohn
I would translate bitcachon as security. It's true that faith can be blind, trust can be baseless, and it is even possible to have a false sense of security.
Having bitachon that Hashem is doing things for a purpose, even when my brain is screaming that it is painful and unfair, is a much bigger challenge for me.
It makes sense if you are struggling with bitachon right now. We know Hashem is running the world, but we also feel hurt and confused by some of the current events.
Knowing my coach believed in me during the timeout gave me the confidence to make the free throws. Similarly in our daily lives we must remember that everything we need is already within me because Hashem believes in me.
We have bitachon that our bid on a new home will get accepted. We have bitachon that our child gets accepted into the school that they are applying to. That isn’t bitachon.
When I was truly unable to cope with caring for Hubby 24/7, social services came to assess him and decided that I was the one who needed the most help: Time to myself. Time to breathe.
While demographic shifts and the rise of the internet has eradicated any Jewish book-row, this visitor log allowed me to recreate in my mind the world that was, and perhaps one day will be again.
By Sandy Eller
After being liberated in January 1945 by the Red Army, the 51-year-old Friedmann discovered that the hundreds of works he had left behind in Berlin and in Prague were all gone, looted by the Nazis, who stole some 600,000 Jewish-owned pieces of art during the Holocaust.
Through his lawyer, Peter Zürcher, Lutz threatened SS commanders with war crime charges if the Jews of the Pest ghetto were not protected and, as a result, most of the 70,000 Jews of the Pest ghetto survived until the Russian Army liberated the city on January 18, 1945.
By Solly Hess
How often do we sit and reminisce? Reaching far back as we long to recapture those defining moments of growth and joy and to see and feel the people we no longer can.
Scientists say that smell can immediately trigger an intense emotion or vivid memory. And the Kabbalah says that smell connects the spiritual and the physical.
By Jordana Baruchov Grreenfield
Now on the flip side you can also use scent to create an emotion and hopefully evoke a memory or lasting impression.
By Anat Coleman
There is a special category of berachot on things that give us enjoyment, including fragrant scents. Such berachot are made on the object which gives us enjoyment.
To me the scent produced by the kitoret is symbolic of Am Yisrael.
I find myself laughing out loud. Hubby does not go on to read the articles, just the titles. And yet, he is actually right. Much of the news is not really new or even news-worthy.
Despite its importance, the book was not reprinted from the 16th century until the latter half of the 20th century.
By Eve Glover
Each name is a living legacy and testament of each person who once existed and made an indelible imprint on the world... Every name is also a stark reminder of how life can be cut short due to unbridled prejudice and hate.
While most of the items offered sold within the estimates set by Sotheby’s, quite a few far surpassed them.
By Aryeh Werth
We will push back against this rise in antisemitism and hate, and together we say ‘never again.’ – Mayor Eric Adams
There is also evidence that Edison's financial legacy helped to fuel the Institute for Historical Review, a movement dedicated to denying that the Holocaust ever occurred.
A good shmooze reveals ourselves to others and reveals others to us; it is a learning experience.
It’s been said that the Chofetz Chaim enjoyed a good schmooze, with the understanding that the halachos of lashon hara can and should be adhered to so that a schmooze can still serve the function of us maintaining a connection to Hashem.
By Nachum Segal
Some shmoozes result in important decisions being made, points of view being changed and relationships being solidified.
It’s the little light bulb moments, the pithy nuggets of wisdom, and the sharing of life perspective that came about during those teacher shmoozes.
The origin of the word confirms this negative association: Shmooze comes from the Yiddish shmuessen, which in turn derives from the Hebrew sh’muah, meaning tidings or rumor (read: juicy gossip).
By Jason Maoz
The point about accuracy warrants elaboration. All VITA/TCE volunteers who prepare returns must pass tax-law training that meets or exceeds IRS standards.
Hubby's avoidance tactics were so frustrating, that I began drawing a big heart on our paper calendar every time he was willing to enter the bathroom and face the ‘trauma’ of a shower.
Using the most modern method of recording, his recording device being the first such in the Holy Land, he found a group of Yemenite Jews to sing for him in return for payment.
Notwithstanding the tribunal’s strict imposition of restrictions on taking photographs... D’Addario proved to be incredibly prolific, as he took many thousands of amazingly sharp photographs in both monochrome and color.
The clerk in the registrar's office was having none of it. When she heard about the name I wanted to change, and why, she gave me a buck-up talk about having pride in my background (I had plenty, thank you), and not being worried about others' confusion.
By Maayan Zik
This venture seems like an introvert dipping her toes in extroverted waters, trying new things she’d never imagine doing before. This experience brings her tremendous blessings.
By The Honorable Rachel Freier
As Jewish mothers, we should learn from our matriarchs to use the unique inner strength we possess. Inner strength based on binah yeseirah – divinely inspired intuition.
One of the key lessons that Rivka teaches us about leadership is the importance of balancing confidence and a willingness to push boundaries with considerations of morals and character.
I see a lot of my grandmother in my daughter, who is also a preschool teacher, and it is shaping her persona, too.
Immediately after the nurses hooked Hubby up to all the monitors, he demanded to leave. He pulled out all the leads to the machines and became furious when no one would listen to him.
By WWII, there were four synagogues – one still exists today – and a well maintained Jewish cemetery.
After considering various sites in the Caribbean to deport the Holocaust survivors, including British Honduras, and Trinidad, the British decided to transfer them to Mauritius.
True kavod habriyot is not about treating well those whom we know, or like, or feel comfortable with. It is about honoring the bit of the Divine inside every human being we encounter.
Kavod, honor, respect and esteem judged by societal standards, is in fact taught by chazal, a value and sense of self-esteem bestowed by us to other creations of Hashem.
Indeed, kavod is a two-way street. We often think of it as something we give though we receive much more from showing kavod.
Kavod means honor, but it means so much more. Related to the word kaved, or heavy, it refers to things that are weighty, that are deserving of our respect.
Kavod has two translations: honor and respect, which are similar but distinct. That’s why everyone who is honored is respected but not everyone who is respected is honored.
As a businessman with three retails stores in southern California for 21 years, Hubby always walked around with a substantial amount of cash on his person. The fact that he now walks nowhere unassisted does – not daunt his imagination with its delusions of freedom.
R. Asher Anshel ben Mordecai Ashkenazi (1833-1901) was a grandson of the renowned R. Moses David Ashkenazi (c. 1780–1856) who was born in Galicia where his father Asher served as rabbi.
Perhaps inexplicably, Eliot voiced support for the State of Israel and increasingly viewed Judaism as a paradigm for the survival of diverse religious cultures in an increasingly secular world.
We need to take these awful suggestions and use them to create enough fire in our bellies in order for us to do the exact opposite.
If you ask me, it should be a wasteland for us.
I may have been too young to truly grasp the magnitude of the atrocities but I vividly see today, in my heart's mind, the pain and anguish that was.
It is no coincidence that as the number of Holocaust survivors declines, anti-Semitism surges.
By Akiva Kra
Well-known achronim, including Rav Chaim, the Netziv, Maharsham, and Tosfos Yom Tov are all buried there.
Flora Sassoon personally responded to all requests for financial assistance and helped to build a Jewish hospital in London in 1907.
Eighteen pills in a day made it a tremendous challenge for the doctor to resolve Hubby’s problem which could have any of a number of root causes.
When the German Army took Lublin during World War II, they stripped the interior and burned the vast library in the town square.
Plant into our hearts Your love and Your reverence so that we shall follow Your commands and proceed in Your way.
The world at large would lose its innocence with the terrorist attacks of 9/11 occurring just one month later. However, that summer was a time for spiritual and physical growth.
Goldberg, who successfully fought for a cease-fire that would not require Israeli withdrawal as a condition precedent to any peace agreement, recognized that Israel’s pre-1967 borders were all but indefensible as Auschwitz borders.
Created as a way to eat warm foods while still keeping Shabbat, it speaks of home, it speaks of tradition…it speaks of connection.
By Eli Lebowicz
I'm pretty sure the concept of chulent wouldn't exist if not for the Jews.
By Avi Ganz
Maybe therein lies the secret of the chulent: We Jews aren't one stereotype. Among the different backgrounds and traditions (and the many without a particular tradition) there are myriad characteristics, personalities, and (flavor) profiles.
There is nothing better than a steaming bowl of hearty, warm food when you enter your home from shul on a cold, wintry night.
Chulent shows that while our Torah is structured and dictates how and when we cook and how and when we eat, we still have enormous creative choices within its framework.
When friends with whom I meet on Zoom every Thursday share their thoughts about the possibility of a “plus side” of caring for a loved one with Dementia, the reactions of course vary, depending on the quality of the relationship prior to the present decline.
The issue Stybel encountered was crooked book dealers who were buying quantities in Poland at reduced rates and then selling them in the States at a reduced price relative to the price Stybel was attempting to sell it at.
Many critics consider 'Lincoln, the Man of the People' it to be the greatest poem ever written about the beloved and immortal president.
Have you taken the chance to appreciate the good moments which you have? Our experiences are so mixed and varied and happen so quickly.
By Keshet Starr
While recognizing the good seems like an easy task (And there are no thank-you notes involved!) recognition is actually more complicated than it seems.
By Hillel Fuld
The importance of gratitude in Judaism is paramount. The reason is that the Torah wants to teach us the importance of perspective.
You do not have to wait until you win an Academy Award to show hakaras hatov. You can thank people every single day.
It’s more than just thank you and covers much, much more than the act itself.
It is my understanding that trainees in the spy game are not just taught how to perform their missions, but also how to withstand torture if they should be caught.
While the Malbim's fame rests on his commentary on the Bible, he was first and foremost a posek and defender of halacha against the many attacks it was facing from the Reform in his era.
Your little box was one of a number of pieces that made up an olivewood lap desk set, which included an ink blotter, ink well, and more, that was marketed to tourists visiting Jerusalem.
By Chana Ford
The idea is to slowly create an operating standard: approved batei din are ones which are transparent, which don’t allow for shady deals, and which recognize abusive behaviors when they present themselves.
Always a Zionist pragmatist, he played a leading role in the first Zionist Congresses, including serving as Hebrew Secretary of the First Congress (Basle, 1897) and as president of the Twentieth Congress (Zurich, 1937).
Shabbos is sacred to me, but in the scheme of things, with all the managing and juggling I do in a day, removing the wax from waxy candlesticks is not.
Waxy is a peculiar word which can also mean flexible and yielding; an elusive but desirable character trait whose development has allowed me to grudgingly accept that it’s okay that I don’t have the potato kugel gene.
September 4, 2026 
