יום רביעי, כ״ד חשוון תשפ״זWednesday, November 4, 2026
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By Mendi Glik
Hisyatzvu features a clarinet solo in the middle, followed by a piano solo, which sounds jazzier. I can understand why it didn’t become a first or second dance song at weddings, because it is a little complex. But it’s a great song.
That Congress acted for “the legal representatives of David Valenzin, deceased” in March 1804 indicates both that a formal attempt at redress was recognized and that Valenzin had passed away by that date.
When we talk about doing something “for the klal,” we are speaking about Klal Yisrael, the Jewish people as a collective, not an abstract category but the very human, physical people that make up our religious nation.
Often, people feel that this kind of volunteerism exempts them from the need to tend to their personal development, their spiritual lives and their interior world.
It is well known that, by working together, people can accomplish far more than if they work apart. This is also true in the spiritual world and is presumably part of the reason a minyan is required for public Torah reading, priestly blessings, repeating the amidah, etc.
When ego or a sense of being worthier or more expert and thus the belief that my way is the only way infiltrates members of the community, it can lead to friction, discord, antipathy, antagonism, hostility and baseless hatred.
By David Curwin
Klal means a general rule or principle, set against prat, the specific case... A klal here isn’t just any rule. It is meant to organize and govern many cases at once, acting as an overall framework rather than a narrow instruction.
By Jason Maoz
We really do everything we can to ease the burden on the people who depend on our services, says Akazi, including, if needed, making appointments with the IRS and state tax offices to represent our clients on tax-related issues.
Overthinking triggers physical stress. Stress narrows perception. Narrowed perception produces more fear. Fear demands more thinking. It becomes self-perpetuating.
To her surprise, the Rebbetzin smiled at her warmly. You are very nice to put your sister before yourself, she said. You are both very good girls. May Hashem send you the right zivug bekarov
By Mendi Glik
Jews and Jazz takes the form of mini-biographies of the most important Jewish contributors to jazz since the 1920s. It focuses on 140 people – 136 of them Jewish, and four non-Jewish but with connections to the Jewish world – all of whom have had significant impact on jazz since its development in the past 100 years or so.
While I can’t speak to what is standard for all yeshivas, I can touch on all the points in your question, provide some background, and offer some suggestions for any employees in your situation.
Contrary to the comforting fiction often repeated, Hitler’s rise did not require years to become economically catastrophic for German Jewry. While January 30, 1933 did not immediately bring formal laws confiscating Jewish property, it unleashed something just as effective: panic, paralysis, and collapse.
Mitzvos form the basis of our relationship with Hashem; they are our bread and butter. Rabbi Weber’s sefer is intended to help us strengthen our relationship with Hashem by explaining each mitzvah based on the Chumash.
By Ron Goldman
While the Brooklyn menu does not include some Manhattan staples such as filet mignon or sushi, it more than holds its own.
One of Eshkol’s last major political battles was over the question of electoral reform. He favored a mixed system that would preserve proportional representation but introduce regional elements to strengthen the bond between elected officials and local communities, and he believed that Israel’s political fragmentation hindered effective governance.
By Jordana Baruchov Grreenfield
In sleep-away camp, I began to think of the mistakes I had made and the sins I felt I had accumulated over the years. The weight of that realization sat heavily on my heart. I confided in my sister, unsure of what to do with these feelings. She suggested that I speak to my father.
Being a father has also given me a greater understanding of my relationship with my Father in heaven.
Some communities have renamed their motzei Shabbat learning programs from Avos U’Banim to Dor L’Dor, acknowledging that not every boy has a father or has a father who can accompany him to a learning program.
In today's world, where many suffer from emotional wounds rooted in broken trust, abandonment, or confusion around fatherhood, the Torah reintroduces us to the ultimate, unchanging Father – One who sees, hears, understands, and never withdraws His love.
He was a Torah Scholar who spent his day, every day, learning Gemara until 3 p.m. in his home study. Only after that did he set out for his office at The Jewish Press.
The real value of money, beyond comfort and security, is its power to buy back time. Time to think. Time to build. Time to teach. Time to parent. Time to choose meaning over urgency.
By Mendi Glik
Chasidic music is limited. That’s the nature of the music. Think about it, Bichler says – most of the Jews in Eastern Europe were hardworking people. Many of them were in survival mode. Life was not easy. And that was reflected in the music. It was simple.
Panic is driven by the amygdala, not the thinking brain. You cannot out-logic an amygdala. But you can stop giving it reasons to stay activated. Acceptance plus anchoring signals the brain: Stand down. It listens.
The Rebbetzin eyed him skeptically. But maybe some of your friends have money? she asked shrewdly. Or maybe you can think of a way to get some people with money together to have one of those—what do you call them—parlor meetings?
Behavioral economists have long wrestled with why smart people make bad decisions. Dan Ariely and others have shown that we often act against our own interests to protect pride, defend identity, or avoid appearing weak. What begins as conviction can harden into stubbornness.
I won’t mention specific names, but if readers want to do their own research just look up the best performing funds/stock pickers in a previous year. They will rarely be on top multiple years in a row. Yet, they will still get prominent airtime to discuss their strategies, which are usually wrong or antiquated.
The great thing about Jill is she has vast experience not just from the judge’s side of the bench, but from the attorney side of the bench, New York Assemblymember Kalman Yeger told The Jewish Press at the event.
What makes Te’udah be-Yisrael especially noteworthy is its moderation. Unlike later, more radical maskilim, Levinsohn defends the historical role of the rabbis and recognizes the necessity of rabbinic authority in its time.
By Marc Gronich
Probably the most significant election result for the Jewish community was that Julie Menin, 58, was chosen unanimously by her colleagues to be the first Jewish speaker of the 51-member New York City Council.
Even more concerning is that Vice-President J.D. Vance, who is a friend of Carlson, appears at least to tolerate the woke right, as evidenced by an interview on the website UnHerd.
The habits that ordered his own days were the same ones he brought to communal decision-making.
It is interesting that Duckwitz was required to forward a simple autograph request up the chain of command and to obtain formal approval from the Reich Foreign Minister in Berlin to provide the signature.
By Anat Coleman
Time fills quickly; we find ourselves running through days packed tightly with obligations and expectations.
By Solly Hess
Growth requires three things: Vision. Planning. Running. Without the third, we’re left in that frustrating dream state of striving, struggling, and going nowhere.
By Martin Bodek
I’ve come a long way since then, and I’m proud to say that I’m the second youngest person ever to complete 25 New York City Marathons, which is completely insanely cool.
The Jewish people weren’t particularly mindful when they left Mitzrayim. They rushed so quickly that their bread had no time to rise. It was a mad dash – they ran! Today, we too have to run when we make our matzahs, like they did. You’ve got 18 minutes: Go!
We know that our yetzer hara (evil inclination) is constantly trying to bring us down, making us feel sluggish, lazy, or insecure. Our daily task is to identify where our thoughts and feelings are coming from.
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Sander’s assertion in her complaint that she was not a religious teacher for the temple was “conclusory,” the Court found. Sander’s responsibilities included teaching parsha and furthering the temple’s “mission,” by “support[ing] the development of a strong Jewish identity.”
By Irwin Cohen
The bonus baby rule allowed teams to sign amateur players for over $4,000, but the player had to stay on the big-league roster for two years. It prevented the richer teams from stocking up on young talent in their minor league systems.
Where will the market end in 2026? What sectors will be the best performers in the new year? If you had to invest $1 million in one area of the market for 2026, what would it be? Where will the market trade tomorrow? These are all actual topics that financial “gurus” discuss this time of year.
You imagine a threat, your body reacts, you interpret the reaction as confirming danger, and fear intensifies. This loop runs endlessly unless interrupted.
Now her phone was actually ringing, which was an even better excuse to ignore her reading. It was Mindy. She must be bored and in need of a chat, Chani thought.
Before you can move someone, you must understand their state of mind. Motivating someone who is emotionally depleted is like pressing the gas with an empty tank. Effort rises. Nothing moves.
Beyond its visual splendor, the Frankfurt Talmud introduced a development that would reverberate through the Hebrew printing world: the use of restrictive rabbinic approbations granting exclusive printing rights for periods of 15 to 25 years.
By Judy Waldman
Mr. Golubcow’s writing is not only captivating, but displays a talent for description, whether of personalities or inanimate objects, that draws the reader in to feel like a first-hand witness to the actions and circumstances.
By Mendi Glik
His style is different from the typical Klezmer players. He’s not only a Klezmer violinist; he’s also a jazz violinist – he mixes the two genres.
Rav Nissenbaum’s published oeuvre and editorial work give the best available access to his substantive positions on Jewish law, social practice, and the national question, as he was a prolific writer of derashot (sermons), pamphlets, articles, and at least one substantial autobiography/memoir.
The problem isn’t that those in need aren’t reaching out to The Laptop Project. It’s that the organization simply doesn’t have enough devices to give away. We have a constant waitlist that never seems to drop below 50 people, said Luchins.
Chazal and behavioral science converge on the same principle: inner strength is built up through repeated, values-aligned action – choosing structure over impulse and obligation over comfort.
If one is strong, why does he need strengthening; and if not, how will it help?
We often treat strength like a solo sport, as if needing help means we’re failing somehow. Chizuk reminds us that real strength is often built through connection.
If you want to give chizuk but feeling uncomfortable, that’s good. That discomfort means you’re resonating. The key is holding that feeling – letting it move you to reach out and care, while not letting your chizuk become about soothing your own distress.
No matter who you are, no matter where you come from, it is a gift you can give to others. It's generosity, where one person sees what the other needs, and strives to provide it, and what is more G-dly than that?
Throughout his career, Michael Reagan was widely recognized as a steadfast defender of President Ronald Reagan’s legacy – particularly his unwavering support for Israel and his firm opposition to totalitarianism and antisemitism.
Identify where anxiety first appears in your body. For some it's the chest. For others, the stomach, throat, or a sensation of unreality. Knowing your personal early-warning system is half the battle.
Mindy caught her breath. She knew this boy! He was…what was his name again? Yes, he was that guy who had been engaged to Ralph Harari’s sister…Beyda! That was it! Ezra Beyda! The one whose kallah had died so tragically in an accident right before their wedding. The one who had raved about Chani!
If an investor is approaching retirement, like you are, having some money in cash equivalents and high-quality bonds for a couple of years’ worth of expenses makes sense.
By Mendi Glik
Right after Yaakov concludes his beracha to Ephraim and Menashe, he blesses their father, his beloved son, Yosef. Va’ani natati lecha sh’chem echad al acheicha… – And I gave you sh’chem echad – sh’chem in Hebrew means shoulder. But in Yaakov’s beracha, it means that he gave Yosef more, something extra above his brother.
What cannot be denied is the devotion he inspired among the East End’s working-class Jews.
Yaakov was not favoring one brother arbitrarily. He was reading the vessel. He blessed according to potential, not position.
While it’s difficult to argue with the successes the rabbi has had in winning over antisemites, I do have several caveats. First, Rabbi Indig’s successes have been with politicians who are fellow Americans in ideology; winning over immigrant Islamist-socialists promises to be more difficult.
Slattery’s administrative record, like that of many career public servants of his era, was primarily secular and bureaucratic; he was not known as a leader of Jewish communal life nor as a voice on Zionist issues prior to the Slattery Report’s association with his name.
Given that most interpreters take the first usage to be related to the practical purpose it served rather than to the divine standard that it met, the original reference to the term also implies that good is discoverable by human reason. G
By Keshet Starr
We want what’s good – for ourselves, for our families, for our communities. But what actually is good?
Now tov was taken as good, satisfactory, a little better than average. But the truth is – tov is a fantastic grade. It tells you that you are at a certain level but there is still room to grow.
By Hillel Fuld
Like many phrases or words in modern Hebrew, the word tov, depending on the context, can mean different things.
By Irwin Cohen
Lucky for us Jews, Tisch will stay on in her current title under Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. She wants to add 5,000 police officers, to beef up the force from the current 35,000 to 40,000.
Those who project arrogance and self-assurance often battle the same cycle—driven not by appeasement but by domination.
Leah’s not old. She’s 29, Chani said, her cheeks reddening. It’s not her fault her husband died and didn’t leave her with money. She noticed Rikki slinking discreetly back towards the kitchen. Rikki had apparently chosen that moment to avoid any comparisons with present company, as Rikki was likewise thirtyish, unmarried, and unmoneyed beyond her alimony payments.
What elevates this modest booklet to near-mythic status is who studied it – and how.
Arendt shrugged off her inaccuracies and errors by arguing that much of the public onslaught was little more than a political campaign to discredit her and that criticism often misrepresented the book.
Pioneer of the Kew Gardens Hills Orthodox Community in Queens, on his 5th Yahrzeit, the 3rd night of Chanukah, 27 Kislev It is difficult to encapsulate one’s thoughts and feelings for Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld, zt”l, HaRav Mordechai Shraga Feivel ben Rav Shmuel Shabtai HaLevi, with whom I had a close relationship for over 65 […]
Legacy is powerful because it connects us to something larger than ourselves. It makes us feel proud, responsible, and committed.
What I love about this genre is when you realize that the decisions you make early on have significant consequences for sessions that take place weeks or months down the line.
By Adina Broder
The word legacy often carries a sense of weight, as though it belongs to those who have accomplished something historic or have reshaped the world in some monumental way.
Chazal say banav hem ma’asav – our children are our deeds. Maybe that’s the only balance sheet that matters.
I am proud of my family’s legacy which has prompted me to dedicate my time to serving my community.
Fear reinforces the belief that we don’t deserve love or connection, which in turn fuels anger—the ego’s counterfeit form of control, a desperate attempt to mask powerlessness.
I don’t know why Hashem put me in this position, but He surely has a reason, so my job is just to make the best of it. It could be a lot worse, you know.
What makes this particular edition especially captivating is the language in which it speaks. Judeo-Persian – the literary tradition of Persian-speaking Jews who wrote in Persian using Hebrew characters – is among the most remarkable cultural inheritances of the Jewish world.
By Max Yedid
One of the most meaningful parts of the congress was the elections for the Youth Zionist Congress Council (CC). I’m incredibly honored to have been elected as a representative from the U.S., and even more humbled to have been chosen as the Spokesperson of Hasbara.
When scholars consider whether the swastika was a Jewish symbol in the sense that the Star of David or the Menorah is a Jewish emblem, the answer from mainstream academic literature is that there is no evidence that Jewish religious authorities, rabbinic leadership, or organized Jewish communities adopted the swastika as a recognized symbol of Judaism.
Naturally, matters aren’t quite so simple. Questions arise, such as: What do we do about the 20% of Israel’s population that isn’t Jewish? What if the Muslims demand that they be judged under sharia law? And how do we deal with the multiplicity of criminal offenses that didn’t even exist in the Talmudic era?
The dreidel should be celebrated as the healthiest and financially friendly Chanukah item. The dreidel is not fattening – it is 100 percent fat-free, sugar-free and salt-free.
Regardless of our hard work, experience, and effort, we all still need a bit of mazal to be successful. You can make all the right decisions, but if your timing is off, nothing else matters.
Is the dreidel just a toy? To some, possibly. But to those who know it’s supposed history, it’s a device that allowed the safe study of Torah in a time of persecution.
By Avi Ganz
Chanukah tells us that sometimes, especially in the dark and cold of winter/Galus, we need to let go of our supposed control and let the Divine run the show.
Explanations for the dreidel's significance range from the practical to the mystical.
October 30, 2026 
