יום שבת, כ״ג אלול תשפ״וSaturday, September 5, 2026
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Oppositional defiant disorder is the diagnosis often given to kids who tantrum a lot, often refuse to do what they’re told, and do not follow rules and requests. While the diagnosis refers to specific behaviors, it does not provide any information about the problems and lagging skills that are causing those behaviors.
There are mothers who are looking for a son-in-law who will compensate for all the things their own husbands are missing. They approach the shidduch scene hoping for a do over of their own marriages and live vicariously through their children.
All the good we help bring into existence benefits us in the Next World, to the extent that the soul grows from the experience.
Over salads and pasta in a sleek, dimly lit space, Shulamis shared that she’d received reports from Velvel about how happy they were in the new house in Toms River. But she told Chani confidentially that she didn’t think it was so wonderful that Rikki would be with them for the whole summer.
In life and business, we are often asked only for water. Whether we also draw for the camels is what separates technical competence from moral leadership. Rivka became a matriarch not through words, but through awareness and action.
The announcement of Rivkah’s birth at the end of the previous parsha, preceding the Akeidah, doesn’t necessarily mean that the two events were simultaneous.
The showstopper of the sale was a truly rare silver piece: a hanging Sabbath lamp from England, dating to the year 1726, as indicated by the numerous British silver hallmarks found on the lamp.
The consequences of this election will be interesting (and perhaps scary), but instead of sitting back and complaining about the bad policies, I favor a more proactive approach.
While self-confidence is key, the ability to be humble is vital.
By Irwin Cohen
The Series winning Dodgers were outscored by the Blue Jays over seven games 34 to 26, but the final score in each game, of course, is what matters.
At the center of the storm stood Rabbi Yosef Shalom Abdallah, a distinguished and forceful personality, and a cousin of the Ben Ish Chai.
By Marc Gronich
The emotional scars are still felt throughout the Jewish community, which remains on guard to prevent copycat shooters from mounting a similar attack. The synagogue is in shambles and is in the midst of a $22 million rebuilding effort.
By Mendi Glik
Walking the streets of Hebron is a unique experience. You can see and feel the history from every street corner. Almost every place you walk has a story.
Levy was both admired and criticized within the American Jewish community. Many Jews saw him as a symbol of Jewish pride and accomplishment, proof that Jews could serve with distinction in the highest ranks of American public life, while others were uncomfortable with his duels, his combative personality, and the controversies that surrounded him.
By Maayan Zik
By providing a discreet and respectful way to meet temporary needs, the gemach truly embodies the spirit of practical, ongoing community support. It is a powerful example of how shared resources can elevate the quality of life for all.
By Akiva Kra
Gemachs can beat any company. Amazon Prime promises two-day delivery. A gemach says, “Come now.” And if Mrs. Gemach is not home, her 12-year-old will meet you outside. No membership fee, just a thank-you and maybe a babka later.
When a person gives to a gemach and allows a fellow Jew to enjoy the material pleasures you once had, for free, it’s a form of tzedakah. Through simple physical objects, olam haba is attained.
By Martin Bodek
Do you know what the actual plural for gemach is? That’s right, gemachim. However, calling them gemachs is a minhag of Klal Yisrael, and we’re very makpid to keep to those.
By Anat Coleman
These everyday exchanges have not only made life more convenient, but also reminded me again and again of the quiet generosity that lives in a community when people are simply willing to help each other out.
Companies like Enron and Theranos rose on innovation and brilliance but fell to arrogance and deceit. Their failure was not from lack of intelligence but from loss of integrity.
When they are young, children simply want to please their parents and will do their best to live up to even the highest expectations. However, repeated failure to meet inflated hopes can injure children’s self-esteem.
In life we all should focus on what we do have instead of what we don’t have. We should focus on our brachos.
Many readers may not have a background in investing and financial planning. However, you do have intuition.
And at the center of this revolution stood Daniel Bomberg, a Christian printer from Antwerp who opened a Hebrew press in Venice in 1516. Working with brilliant Jewish scholars, proofreaders, and editors, Bomberg became the single most influential printer of Hebrew classics in the early sixteenth century.
Bitachon is not an excuse for recklessness; it does not absolve a person of the responsibility to use the intelligence and discernment Hashem gave him. One who deliberately disregards danger is not relying on Hashem—he is acting negligently.
Hennie and a friend set up a round-the-clock Tehillim chat, and Mindy, never one to miss any action, insisted on driving back and forth to Monmouth Hospital the next day and throughout most of that week during the hours her children were in day camp.
I wanted the movie to be focused on Jewish joy, and I was careful not to include stereotypes as much as I could while still making it feel realistic, Peck said.
By Mendi Glik
One of my favorite singers is Yehuda Glanz, whose album Na’ale, which was released in 1993, has been one of my favorites since I was in high school.
It is not wrong for you to look for a guy who has a solid plan for the future. It is not wrong for you to look for someone who cares deeply about doing whatever it takes to provide for his family. It is not wrong for you to look for a person who is emotionally stable and diligent. Unfortunately, we cannot predict the future.
Elman participated in benefit concerts for Jewish relief organizations during and after the war, raising funds for survivors and displaced persons. In one case, he and his wife assisted in providing affidavits for the Hammberschlag family in Germany and sponsored them (the family arrived in the United States on July 13, 1939).
By Marc Gronich
The impact of the shooting still creates a lingering uneasy feeling at other nearby houses of worship. Located a few blocks from the Tree of Life Synagogue is the Chabad of Squirrel Hill. The rabbi there is doing his best not to have his prayer services interrupted by gunfire.
By Eve Glover
Since Oct. 7, many secular Jewish college students have started exploring their Jewish roots and observing Shabbat. They emulate and are inspired by the incredible stories of faith of these released hostages, many of whom are around their age.
By Rabbanit Dr. Adena Berkowitz
In 2022, Agudath Israel of America circulated on Capitol Hill a legislative memo that pointed out the unique and disruptive challenges permanent DST would present to the Orthodox Jewish community; for example having to pray in synagogues at much later times because of later sunrises and then the challenge of getting to their places of work on time.
As a student in high school, I remember looking forward to the initial “Fall back” where we roll back the clock by an hour and for one or two mornings you felt like you gained an hour of sleep!
By Jordana Baruchov Grreenfield
Hashem builds that spring into our lives; not to break us, but rather to launch us.
On a personal note, those of us with young children know that their bodies don’t respond to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s manipulation of time.
Perhaps this year we can use daylight savings as an invitation to pay more attention to those we love, and to ensure that we are not overlooking the little ordinary moments that we take for granted.
When is bullying an isolated incident and when is it considered a more serious situation in that parents and teachers should become involved?
We ask for a long life, so why ask for strong bones? I realized that being blessed with many years of life, of a ripe old age – isn’t enough. One needs strong bones – physical well-being.
In my own practice I also see grandparents who were very strict with their own children but undermine their children when they discipline their grandchildren (who are their children’s children). Perhaps these grandparents have mellowed, but they are inappropriate to undermine their children’s parenting techniques.
Healing has taught me something softer. Good does not always arrive loud or dramatic. Sometimes it is subtle, barely noticeable. I just have to slow down enough to see it.
Pachter’s talk, Love Triangles without the Romance: Fixing the In-Law Dynamic, is about mother-in-law/daughter-in law drama and how to avoid it – a universal subject if ever there was one.
When we transgress, either willingly or unknowingly, our soul becomes tarnished, and Hashem allows us to cleanse ourselves of these spiritual blemishes.
A little voice seemed to chirp in his ear: You were upset with Chani for letting her family persuade her to break off your shidduch. Now you let Avraham persuade you to date a young, immature woman, and the result was disastrous. Why didn’t you follow your gut instincts?
hTe truth is that some events are too seismic to plan for in advance. During these situations, we learn the ultimate lesson from Noach, which is to …Walk with G-d (Bereishit 6:9).
By Irwin Cohen
Because of the timing of Yom Tov a couple of weeks ago, the local Orthodox community was shut out in catching football and baseball in person, but about 20 people I know took in the opening night game of the Detroit Red Wings hockey season.
By Leah Choai
The moment I stepped inside, I was struck by how the space manages to be modern and elegant without feeling cold.
According to a 2013 study cited by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the median cost of one IVF cycle in the United States is $19,234. Some more recent estimates put this figure even higher.
Rabbi Shmuel ben Avraham Aboab, was among the foremost Sephardic Sages of the seventeenth century.
By Mendi Glik
In general, Dedi did a lot of chesed. While he was considered a chasidic singer, some of his songs are very Zionist and patriotic and talk about our zechus (right) to be in Eretz Yisrael – something we find less among other classical chasidic singers.
You are certainly in command of your own decisions. And dating is hard. And exhausting. Unfortunately, you are absolutely being short-sighted and overly selective.
In Parshat Lech Lecha, Avraham shatters the assumptions of his world. Surrounded by idol worship and inherited beliefs, he dares to ask: what if there is something greater, unseen, and just?
Sutro opened his own estate to the public and he was heralded as a populist for various astute acts of public generosity, such as opening an aquarium and an elaborate and beautiful, glass-enclosed entertainment complex called the Sutro Baths – which housed seven swimming pools (one freshwater, six saltwater), 517 changing rooms, and could accommodate an unfathomable 7,400 bathers – a museum and an ice-skating rink.
If someone would ask you if you would feel like eating pizza or sushi after eating straight for twenty-four hours, what would you think?
By Nachum Segal
I am amazed at the diverse ways we celebrate Motzei Shabbos and marvel at how many in our community feel the need to make Motzei Shabbos special.
When my great-grandfather, Rabbi Moshe Dubinsky, arrived in America, he was shocked that Melava Malka wasn’t the norm, and marched across the neighborhood, inviting people to take part.
After the tragedy of Charlie Kirk, who was Christian, I was surprised to learn of his call to honor the Sabbath as a means to transform our lives.
The meal need not be elaborate, but the table should be set elegantly. Hymns whose message is to take the Shabbos spirit into the week ahead are sung.
By Alan Zeitlin
Jewish actor Saul Rubinek talks about his role as a rabbi in the 2022 film Shttl and starring in the new Off-Broadway play in Brooklyn called Playing Shylock.
The World Bank and modern economists confirm what the Torah taught millennia ago: societies that protect property rights thrive; those that don’t decay. Trust, not gold or oil, is the real wealth of nations.
While the mitzvah of tefillah obligates us to ask for what we believe we need, we do so with the awareness that only Hashem knows what is genuinely good for us.
The hours seemed to tick by for an eternity, as the afternoon light began to soften through the windows of the hospital. They paced, they spoke a little, and they prayed, sometimes with tears.
By Mendi Glik
While many of the secular Israeli songs were influenced by the Bible and respected Jewish tradition, some of them were totally inappropriate and disrespectful, and made a mockery of our tradition.
State-of-the-art campus in Chicago inspires hundreds of students at Lubavitch Girls High School to learn deeply and live with purpose.
Use this as an opportunity to widen your circle. Share meals with new people, attend community events, and visit new places. This will allow you to meet people who are not in your direct social circle who may have new dating possibilities for you.
Across a long life that spanned the collapse of the Habsburg world, two World Wars, the Holocaust, and the founding of the State of Israel, Schick combined scientific innovation with leadership in Jewish medical institutions, philanthropic circles, and public-health education aimed at protecting children – an ethic he framed repeatedly with moral language rooted in Jewish concern for life.
By Marc Gronich
Earlier this year, Lawler decided not to run for governor against Hochul, but he didn’t hold back from attacking her.
It seems preposterous to me that an ark containing many thousands of animals – and a year’s supply of food for them – could possibly be seaworthy if it were made from reeds.
In the Torah, the term laziness is not found; rather, unwillingness is used. This is because our mindset is geared toward being high achievers and creating outcomes that meet the expectations set for us.
The truth is, what we call laziness often has wisdom in it. Your body might be saying slow down. Your mind might be signaling, This feels overwhelming or This is scary.
It is an explanation of convenience when the adults in charge are more interested in blaming than in looking for a more accurate and helpful explanation for what is going on.
Lazy is the shorthand we use when we don’t want to do that work. It’s ironically the path of least resistance – a way to explain our behavior without actually understanding it.
There’s a fine line between lazy and intentional. It may appear like we're avoiding certain tasks, when really we're prioritizing where to expend our energy and focus. (At least, that's what I keep trying to explain to my accountant!)
By Mendi Glik
As we know, Hashem created the levana (moon) on the fourth day, and it’s also the subject of one of Avraham Fried’s songs. His album Bracha Vehatzlacha was released in 1995 and is one of my favorites.
Chani tried to view this dispassionately. Why wouldn’t he date her? Lieba was a sweet, pretty girl from a good family.
Much has been written about the theatrical elements of his “reign” and the popular tolerance that allowed a self-declared emperor to roam a major American city free of serious harassment.
The Thirteen Middos are more than a prayer formula; they are a blueprint for our personal transformation.
Some of my family’s most joyous memories come from those last few minutes of the Seder, when there are just one or two pages left to turn. We’re about to finish the penultimate song, and we get to its very last stanza – Who knows thirteen?
Everyone was so focused on my brother becoming bar mitzvah that no one remembered it was my birthday too! A milestone birthday. I had become a teenager.
For me as a youngster I couldn't wait to turn thirteen. I would finally be a TEENAGER. The world was going to open up for me.
On a mystical level, 13 is not merely not unlucky, it represents fullness, holiness, and unity, specifically the unity of Hashem.
The more responsible our choices → self-esteem strengthens → ego shrinks → perspective widens → more of reality comes into view → our madreigah rises → bitachon deepens.
Since the Moskowitzes already knew and adored him, it was no big deal to pick Lieba up. Greeting her parents was friendly and informal, not the usual farher-by-the-father type of meeting.
By Marc Gronich
The new street sign is under a beautiful tree on the corner ready for someone to look up and get some shade and think about what Rabbi Halpern did for the shul, Rabbi Perelson added.
Hirszenberg was born in Łódź, in the Russian partition of Poland, the eldest son of a poor Jewish weaver, who was initially opposed to Samuel's artistic ambitions, which were viewed as incompatible with the values of traditional Jewish life.
Today, Chol HaMoed looks different. It’s about the kids. Taking them to the local jumping place, the orchard, or up to the mountains for air that feels fresher somehow when it’s wrapped in Yom Tov.
By Avi Ganz
Chol HaMoed represents the weekdays or mundane days of the holiday. It isn't less holiday and more mundane, but they are a time to see the festival as it manifests beyond the days during which creative activity is forbidden.
By Keshet Starr
When I think about Chol HaMoed trips, part of what comes to mind is pressure. Pressure to have the best, most exciting trips ever – while also cleaning up from Yom Tov, preparing for the next Yom Tov, and, oh right, working!
In Beit Shemesh we had the Rock and Soul Festival which I usually performed in. So, then we would not go on a trip during the day.
By Hillel Fuld
On these strange days, people have different customs. Some people don’t write, for example, while others do. The one thing that all Jews have in common is that on those days, there is a lot of quality family time.
September 4, 2026 
