יום חמישי, כ״ח אלול תשפ״וThursday, September 10, 2026
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By Rayzel Reich
The sounds and scents of the kitchen are cozy, familiar, but loud in the silence.
By Pnina Baim
Everyone has a weakness. For some people it is the inability to walk past a sales rack without dropping a few hundred dollars. For others, it’s the inability to keep their house organized.
By Ann Goldberg
There will always be items that don’t freeze well – salads and some rice- or potato-based dishes – so you need to leave time to prepare or cook them closer to Yom Tov and ensure there is enough room in the refrigerator to store them.
By Rhona Lewis
In Uzbekistan, in the early twentieth century, it was the women who wore the pants.
This Holy Day comes once a year With prayers and begging and pleading and tears,
While multitasking is not ideal, it is often necessary and unavoidable.
Maybe now that your kids are back in school, you should start cleaning for Pesach.
Neglect, indifference or criticism can break a person's neshama.
By Sandy Eller
Scan those sale circulars either online or when they show up at your doorstep, check out the sale items and plan your menus accordingly.
By Ron Ansel
Make sure that you know what the policies are and that you adhere to them scrupulously.
In 1787 Jonas wrote a letter to Congress asking that the federal Constitution guarantee religious liberty in the state of Pennsylvania.
So many families are mourning, and all along we mourned with them.
She told me that she was busy and that he could sit in his wet clothes for the rest of the day. It would teach him to be more careful.
You’re probably wondering why the greatest advocate of fast and easy preps in the kitchen is talking about layer cakes, right?
As of late, vintage has definitely been in vogue in the Orthodox community.
By Rivka Hia
One minute you're shaving shwarma off a pit, then the shwarma guy tells you he read a (fake) WhatsApp that the boys are dead.
By Pnina Baim
The world sees the hand of God through us, and does not like it.
Is God apologizing for taking away my Father? Is God telling me that He is sorry?
If I’m going on for oven mitts, I don’t want to see sock puppets until at least page 40.
By Ayala Shemen
King David prayed to give me my destined glory from his palace; his son to mold me into the mountain that everyone faces when they call to our Creator.
Unpleasant happenings are quickly discarded if they do not affect us directly.
By Sandy Eller
In recent months I have found there are certain things not worth buying and with the help of everyone’s best friend, Google, recipes for some of them are literally at the tip of your fingers.
Like many of his contemporaries, he went through some hard years, but eventually he earned the rewards of his perseverance and integrity.
The president's message was one of living peacefully in a Jewish and democratic state, Jews of all stripes unified as brothers, with Arabs or citizens of other religions.
What Hashem desires most is that we learn to connect with each other as children in the same family.
Spending time in a society as different as the Far East, expands a person's perspective.
"Whole soybeans," was the answer. "They have all the advantages of soy without being processed with hexane," she added.
"Don't place flowers on a cold gravestone, visit me now..."
By Pnina Baim
Maybe we don't have to lose that growth and unity that we have achieved, especially with the situation in Eretz Yisrael right now.
I have always insisted that everything that happens to anyone or anything is min Shamayim.
He wondered what it was like to live in Israel, to be religious.
By Sandy Eller
The Open Kitchen is so appealing you practically want to eat the pages as you turn them.
Alternatively, you can try your absolute hardest to listen whenever she says anything.
By Sandy Eller
Glob on the sunscreen, break out the darkest chocolate you can find and let the sun shine in!
It is so hurtful to heighten people’s sense of inadequacy and guilt in a matzav that is already horrendous and difficult to bear.
These letters give us the privilege of knowing him in his old age when he is mellow, tempered in his judgments, and sagacious from long experience of dealing with people.
One thing I did know, judging from the urgency in her voice, was that she wanted an explanation fast.
By Sandy Eller
If you are spending the time in the kitchen, make it worth the effort. Make it taste good. Make it look nice.
By Pnina Baim
This summer, why don't we try to do better and cool off without blowing our retirement fund?
Help me and the rest of them Know what I really mean.
Make no mistake: in the wrong hands cars are weapons of mass destruction.
Father’s Day comes every year. How many drills can you get him?
This man, who is coming to speak to all of you today, is a holy man.
By Sandy Eller
For those of us who have no choice but to drive, we need to find ways to make that overpriced tank of gas last as long as possible.
Where once divorce in heimische communities was relatively uncommon, nowadays every family has a son, daughter, sibling cousin who is divorced – sometimes twice or even three times!
The British evacuated New York on November 25, 1783, and Congress demobilized the American army shortly thereafter.
For your average Israeli, spicy hot might be fun, but not for me. Allow me to repeat - easy does it!
By Sandy Eller
No dairy cookbook would be complete without an array of sinfully decadent treats and there are plenty of those here as well, including three cheesecakes, one of which weighs in at a very slimming 180 calories or less.
By Ron Ansel
As parents, it is a given that we love our children and want what’s best for them. How do we go about making that happen?
Many go about the business of living frum, observant lives, but they are only going through the motions.
You’ve been taken from me my child I’ve been alone for many years, That you will never return Is my deepest hidden fear.
By Blumie Abend
Shining faces and broad smiles surrounded me and I knew my own face had a silly grin plastered on it all evening.
By Pnina Baim
Do we really have that much extra money to throw away on substandard products and shoddy service? I think not.
By Samuel Shmuel Simcha Magaseyev
One by one they would come, Dressed in their scary uniform, All with the same game,
By Aliza Mayer
“Beauty is not always seen, but felt by the heart, ” said Hellen Keller.
Lately I have been hearing quiet grumblings from people who admit that they regret not encouraging their sons to get a post-high school education after a year or two of learning.
By Eden Malka
The following poem was written by Eden Malka, a student at the Yeshivah of Flatbush who will take part in the school’s Witness Theater in honor of Yom HaShoah.
By Sandy Eller
These days there seems to be an app for just about everything, making your smart phone more indispensable than ever.
“Simple, modest, altogether unassuming, Gershom spent his happiest hours with his ever-growing family who were never far from his thoughts.
By Pnina Baim
Yom Tov is about spending time with your family. And while for some families the big once-in-a-lifetime experience is great, for others something low key is the way to go.
By Chava Dumas
She was followed by the shadows of the Six Million, by the ever so subtle awareness of their vanished presence.
Pesach is so liberating (if you excuse the expression). It’s the only time I can eat anywhere in the house, guilt free! Matzah in bed!
While it would seem from his question that he is being chuzpadik and dismissive, I wonder if its possible, if just maybe, he is a struggling, confused neshama who actually wants to come back to the fold.
One important factor in helping us laugh is not taking yourself too seriously.
Are we wealthy, are we paupers? Are we kings or are we slaves?
By Sandy Eller
As much as I am all for economical meals, Pesach is definitely the time of year when I find myself making more roasts.
“Attuned to the ideal of establishing a new Zion in free America, they named their new colony Palestine.
It's no joke – Pesach is looming closer and there's still so much to do. This is definitely not a time to rest! Who isn't putting in their "all" these days? But there is just so much you can do. Keep in mind that the key to success is in the hands of Hashem, so […]
You know what’s Good Enough? Vacuuming behind the curtains is Good Enough. Taking down the curtains and washing them? That’s too much.
A young lady in her early 20’s, “Sarah” was redt to “Shlomie” a boy from her home town who learned in an out-of-town yeshiva. The families know each other well, which in today’s shidduch scene is a big plus – since it was therefore unlikely the kids would “fall in” due to misinformation and misinterpretations.
By M. Meisels
Should I make conversation with her? How should I start? A million questions zoomed through Leah’s mind until she finally said, “Shalom, do you speak English?” Leah questioned.
I walked into the trap he set, And there a terrible fate I met.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the oldest recorded use of LOL was in the 1960s and it referred “little old lady.” LOL was first used for its official meaning in the 1980s.
By Sandy Eller
Well, in the good news department, if you have kids, your dreams are about to come true. As veteran cookbook author Tamar Ansh so capably illustrates in her 96-page, kid-friendly volume titled Let My Children Cook!, your progeny can be a valuable asset when Pesach rolls around when time is at a minimum and the cooking demands are sky high.
By Pnina Baim
So, my dear sisters in the trenches, remember. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. And who is tougher than the Jewish women of today?
Although Purim is only one day long, many dieters or people who are just careful with their intake during the year have a hard time on this day. Below are some tips to help you get through it successfully.
Her faith she had to hide, To find out the king tried But no answer would ever come from His wife.
What made this apple decay and grow mold, This is a message for both young and old.
Purim around here is crazy. And I’m not just talking about the amount of questions I get.
I came to the conclusion a long time ago that I have to do what is right for me – as long as it’s “ halachically kosher” and doesn’t negatively impact on others – and not worry too much about what others think.
Everyone is always looking for cute yet simple and inexpensive ideas to enhance their table at special occasions. Here are some attractive ways to create that festive look. Whether you use china or plastic, your guests will surely be delighted with your charming setup.
By Sandy Eller
What do you do with fruit that has turned just a little soft and squishy and that no one in your household wants to eat?
Last month’s column outlined some efforts during the first half of the nineteenth century to establish Jewish agricultural colonies in America. In only one case was a colony actually established.
Having everyone home on a snow day can be a lot of fun – the first few times it happens. Once snow day number six hits, perhaps not so much and the real creativity has to come out.
By Blumie Abend
Never sacrifice the people who matter for anything of lesser importance...
They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and that is precisely what almost always happens in situations where a reference knew someone had serious but hidden emotional issues, but did not reveal the information to the person making inquiries.
Nothing says winter like a bowl of hot soup – and so many of you responded to our request for recipes back in December. The following are two more recipes we enjoyed.
By Pnina Baim
People like to say that dirt isn’t chometz, but as Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky says, if dirt isn’t chometz, how can you tell? Besides, are you really going to take apart the whole closet and then not wipe it down before you put everything back? If you’re not going to clean the mess now, when will you?
By Erica Lyons
If your hero is fictional you could be crazy. And if they happen to be real, they are likely human and, unfortunately, inevitably flawed.
When a child is trembling with fear, When guns command him to raise his hands in the air You know beyond a shadow of doubt The World Has Gone Upside Down.
By Sandy Eller
While there are those who prefer holding a printed recipe in their hands, Estee has found that a cooking website has many advantages. Aside from the obvious cost factor and the ability to fix the rare mistakes, websites have a far greater ability to offer feedback.
Time never stood still for anyone – why would I be the exception? In my hubris, I thought that somehow I would live forever – and I suspect we all have secretly felt that way, even though we know it’s a fantasy.
By Sandy Eller
I take all my challah ingredients, throw them in the breadmaker, turn on the machine and walk out of my kitchen. Ninety minutes later, I have a gorgeous batch of challah dough with no work and practically no mess to clean up.
There were very few Jewish farmers in Europe during the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Indeed, in many parts of Europe Jews were forbidden to own land. Despite this there were some Jews who always felt they should return to the agrarian way of life their forefathers had pursued in ancient times, and that America was an ideal place to establish Jewish agricultural colonies.
September 4, 2026 
