יום חמישי, כ׳ תשרי תשפ״זThursday, October 1, 2026
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It is okay for them to see you sad sometimes. However, it is not helpful for them to feel they must take care of you.
This 13th of Adar, traditionally Ta’anis Esther, Erev Purim, marks the 22nd yahrzeit of our dear Rabbi Dr. Ephraim R. Wolf, HaRav Ephraim Reuven ben Nachum Chaim, zt”l. It’s no exaggeration to say that the Modern Orthodox community in Great Neck was shaped by him. When Rabbi Wolf became the spiritual leader of the […]
I always enjoy getting up close to a Kaufmann painting because the depth of detail in his works is so realistic and lifelike. Kaufmann was known for his portraits of religious Jews.
Effi called that he needed a few more minutes, so Ralph and Chani chatted about Beyda and Lieba as he wrapped up whatever he was working on. Finally, Effi approached them, and Chani rose and nodded self-consciously as the two of them said goodbye.
By Irwin Cohen
The spring training memories that mostly pop up in the television of my mind are from 50 years ago in 1976.
While the Megillah takes only 30-40 minutes to read, the actual story unfolded over nearly 10 years. By the time the threat becomes clear, the decree has already been sealed.
By Mendi Glik
What I like about Simche Friedman’s Purim medley, which he released last year, is that it’s not too electronic. The beat is a freilach style, upbeat, and makes you jump.
By Marc Gronich
In a recorded video message shown at the convention, President Donald Trump endorsed the candidacy of Blakeman and the Republican slate of candidates. Former Long Island Congressman Peter King and former Governor George Pataki also had prominent speaking roles.
A resume allows you to offer clear, concise, and direct information to someone potentially interested in you. It allows you to control the narrative and the information direction that others take when someone suggests your name.
Hegai provided not only access but instruction. He was not a prince or a general. But he knew the king. He understood the king. He knew what resonated, what was rewarded, what fell flat. He saw Esther’s potential and invested in developing it.
By Asher Klass
Renewal is recognized as the leading organization for all altruistic kidney donations in the United States, surpassing all other kidney organizations and all non-Jewish communities in this endeavor.
Esther believes in herself, not because she knows she’s externally beautiful or talented or popular, but because she knows that G-d believes in her.
Esther believes in herself, not because she knows she’s externally beautiful or talented or popular, but because she knows that G-d believes in her.
Liu, Hughes, and the other USA Olympians give me hope that despite our differences, we remain strong; we remain winners.
Liu, Hughes, and the other USA Olympians give me hope that despite our differences, we remain strong; we remain winners.
Hindenburg never visited Eretz Yisrael, nor did he express particular interest in Zionism.... At the same time, there is also no evidence that he was hostile to Zionist aspirations; it simply lay far outside his field of concern, as his worldview was shaped by Germany’s past, not by the national movements of other peoples.
Plainly, for this mayor, private enterprise is inherently exploitative and the enemy, while public ownership is inherently virtuous and must be cut all possible slack.
By Jason Maoz
That need to help others became the focal point of Larry’s life. Even as a young entrepreneur starting a new business... Larry made time for community endeavors, and his involvement only grew over the years.
By Nachum Segal
When one is sitting in a lecture or Torah class and tries to offer an out of the ordinary approach to one of the presenter's points, very often that can be classified as a kvetch.
The truth is no one likes a complainer. To hear constant complaints drains emotional energy and makes the listener feel bad.
By Akiva Kra
Complaints create instant connection. Someone mentions the weather, the food, or how the kugel managed to be both dry and somehow soggy, and suddenly everyone is involved.
By Ariela Davis
Why notice the things that don’t go right and instead focus on the good, we wonder?
We are admonished to live our lives, b'simcha – in joy. But kvetches wallow in misery, because they have no hakarat hatov, no recognition of the chesed Hashem has bestowed on them.
By prioritizing quick exits and a Board of Peace over the total defeat of a genocidal proxy, the United States didn’t end the war or the Hamas threat – it merely enabled the next chapter.
Some of these women have been agunot for years. They are trapped in a bizarre world where they are not single but not married.
Chanie hung her head but the damage was done. Her mother tried to pull things back on course by introducing a new game. The girls’ feeble response, however, signaled the party was all but over.
By Anonymous
You never really know what is happening behind closed doors. Knowing that, I was a bit disappointed with myself that I was even thinking all of this. I needed to reground myself and move forward.
When someone lives with insecurity, they often develop a heightened radar for disrespect. They may feel that if they don’t guard against being diminished, they will disappear.
Chani suddenly realized that Effi was also in the bakery! Her heart gave a lurch as she spied him sitting off in a corner with Ralph and the Krausses, hunched over a laptop working on something.
By Mendi Glik
A good Purim party needs music – good music. When you build your playlist for your upcoming Purim party, don’t forget to check the two columns from last year – you’ll find some good suggestions. And now let’s look at some more.
By Miriam Feit
Talking about miracles – I can definitely say: I hope for a special miracle on this Purim day!
While wealthy families may not worry about paying monthly bills, they face a different, and sometimes more complex, set of challenges. As wealth increases, so does exposure to lawsuits, taxes, poor investment decisions, complicated family dynamics, and spiritual drift. Thoughtful planning becomes essential.
Rav Menasseh is perhaps most remembered for his diplomatic mission to England, where he petitioned Oliver Cromwell to formally readmit the Jews, who had been expelled since 1290.
The big change, however, has been the increasing inclusion of free gifts presumably aimed at guilting the recipient into contributing.
Allow yourself to feel disappointed that dating has not gone as you had hoped. Forcing positivity and enthusiasm doesn’t work.
At Sinai, the Jewish people received the Torah, experienced direct prophecy, and felt G-d's presence in an overwhelming, transformative way. It was the founding moment of the nation.
By Alan Zeitlin
Canadian-Israeli David Greaves, president of the Israeli Olympic Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, told The Jewish Press: It was shameful and careless and is the reason why Jews are unsafe in the streets of many places around the world. Imagine the uproar if he did that to an athlete from any other nation.
He rarely left the apartment; his only outings were to visit his wife’s gravesite and recite the traditional Kaddish on the anniversary of her death.
How can a university like Georgetown honestly teach the history of the Middle East or the geopolitics of terrorism when its bills are largely paid by the very regime that funds the Muslim Brotherhood?
Because Mitzrayim (Egypt) comes from the word meitzar – constraint, limitation. Egypt represents the boundaries that hold us back, exactly what the yetzer hara wants: for us to be satisfied with sababa.
It seems that we need cool new words every couple of years or so to denote cool.
By Martin Bodek
If I was to translate it into modern slang, it would be no worries, which is an overused phrase, because "no problem" is now underused because it is not allowed to be used anymore. Someone declared it evil, and I'm not sure why.
By Rabbanit Dr. Adena Berkowitz
When someone will ask you how your day is going, let’s give it a twist: Baruch Hashem, sababa!
No matter where I am in Israel – whether it’s the calm of Yehuda and Shomron, the soul of Jerusalem, or the vibrant pulse of Tel Aviv – it’s always sababa.
The Mayor seems to be interested in tenant suffering only when it can be used as a cudgel against the private sector. When the suffering happens under public auspices, he spins it as a function of federal underfunding rather than a failure of municipal mismanagement and responsibility.
Our rational side, or rider, knows that we want to stop eating because we are full or get up early in order to be prepared for the day. On the other hand, our emotional side, or elephant, likes the way the food makes us feel and wants to stay cuddled under warm covers on a dark morning.
By Anonymous
Once you are eighteen, the services change. For an adult to be admitted to an inpatient facility, they need to be an active danger to themselves – or to others – because of their illness.
Getting drunk on Shabbos is not a mitzvah, not a minhag, and not harmless. While drinking a l’chaim has a place in Jewish life, drinking until one is intoxicated, especially when it interferes with davening, parenting, and basic derech eretz, undermines the very kedusha Shabbos is meant to bring.
By Mendi Glik
At age six, Harris started to play the violin. His parents sent him to music school because his uncle had given him a violin, and he joined the school orchestra, which he played in for five years.
By Irwin Cohen
Another great place to consider, as housing is much cheaper than up north in the East and down I-95, is Jacksonville, at the northern end of Florida (a two-hour drive south of Savannah). It has a community a bit larger and is also worth considering for a move and visit.
Mrs. Moskowitz surveyed Chani with admiration. You chose your profession well!” she exclaimed, putting an arm around her and giving her a little hug. “You have such insight into people!
Even under ideal conditions, managing property requires time, expertise, and patience. Once family dynamics enter the picture, routine business decisions can quickly become emotional, and disagreements that might otherwise be manageable can strain relationships.
Eruvin is not merely a legal tractate; it is a cartographic one. Its sugyot are saturated with geometry, spatial reasoning, and the precise delineation of Shabbat domains.
I know that when we see potential, when we see beauty and possibilities, we tell ourselves that we can figure this out. We convince ourselves that we need to look beyond the logistics and the minutiae to focus on the bigger picture, and the chance for long-term happiness.
When the United States entered World War I, the Army lacked an official cryptographic service, and Riverbank’s Department of Codes and Ciphers, where the Friedmans worked, became the de facto center for American codebreaking.
In the real world, allowing a mentally ill person to sleep in a tent in sub-zero weather is not respecting their rights; it is abetting their deaths.
By Marc Gronich
Rabbi Arthur Schneier, a Holocaust survivor said, I'm counting on every city and state official to establish the rule, not abolishing freedom of speech but protection of every house of worship. Every house of worship, be it a synagogue, be it a church, be it a mosque, whatever.
Many of us picture piety as passively throwing up our hands and allowing G-d to do the fighting on our behalf. The truth is that we are experiencing a deficiency of the chutzpah required to proudly advocate authentic Jewish values to the world (Kovetz Ma’amarim, vol. 1, p. 262).
There’s a classic definition, often attributed to Leo Rosten: chutzpah is the man who kills his parents and then pleads for mercy because he’s an orphan. Extreme, yes – but the structure holds.
As the world seems to fill more each day with truly heinous chutzpah (a “Globalize the Intifada” march right down the road from where Jews were just massacred!), we can take heart from the Gemara’s teaching in Sota 49b: In the lead-up to Moshiach, chutzpah will multiply.
Chutzpah, by definition, is boldness bordering on nerve. So really, expecting this article now is not ironic; it’s a live demonstration. It’s the literary equivalent of asking someone to deliver a shiur while waiting on a Disney line.
Diminishing your former spouse’s character in your children’s eyes will only diminish you in your children’s eyes. As hard as that reality may be, it’s the truth.
For Israel though, there is a special problem. By aligning with Turkey – a nation that has arguably become the primary champion of the Palestinian cause on the global scene – the Saudis are signaling that the Palestinian veto is back.
By Anonymous
I still believed that if I sat with her long enough, in the right way, she would open up. That I just hadn’t found the right approach yet. I know now that this was wishful thinking.
When we have watched one marriage unravel, especially that of our own child, the heart and amygdala become hyper-alert. What once might have registered as background noise now sounds like an alarm.
It’s important to point out that good financial planning primarily focuses on smart lifestyle planning. There is no savvy investment or tax strategy that will magically solve financial stress.
By Miriam Feit
So much hatred and evil, deception and lies – Brainwashing…so many people fail to realize.
Your body has two primary operating modes: Sympathetic (stress mode), which produces fight, flight, tension, reactivity, and worry; and Parasympathetic (calm mode), which produces clarity, composure, focus, and regulated breathing.
Wow! To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure? Chani asked. She was very happy to see her preferred sister, if confused by her sudden appearance... What had possessed them to suddenly show up on a Sunday afternoon.
Ten years is too long. Even one day is too long. For anyone who lost a rebbe, this is not hard to understand. The loss is simply irreplaceable.
This collection is more than paper and ink; it is a living testament to a world in which Jews of every background could find common cause in the sacred task of Torah learning.
Opportunity and obstacles often wear the same face. What separates those who seize the moment from those who retreat is the lens through which they interpret what they see.
By Alan Zeitlin
The 6’8” player, who weighs about 228 pounds and is nicknamed “Turbo,” previously starred for Maccabi Tel Aviv and was the Israeli Premier League MVP in the 2019-20 season – the third year in a row he helped his team win the championship.
By Mendi Glik
Katz has this unique feature that his music speaks to a wide range of people.
To your credit, you were not planning for this to happen. But you truly believe that this is something real and right and you have made a commitment to each other.
Perhaps the most enduring aspect of the Shadal’s legacy is his personal integrity.
Although Mayor Mamdani’s deep-seated problems with things Jewish emerged during his mayoral campaign, we saw a ray of hope, however faint, when he pledged to retain the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism established by his predecessor, Eric Adams.
Since the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, a line has been drawn – between those who unequivocally condemn terrorism and those who equivocate.
By Maayan Zik
The Maggid explained of his technique for creating lessons, First I decide what point I want to make, then I craft the story around it.
Spend money to enjoy life: After covering essentials and saving responsibly, use your resources to enhance your life.
I have deep gratitude for my professional teachers. But the lessons that shaped me most are the ones I learned from my students, especially those who challenged me the most.
By Eli Lebowicz
But there are informal lessons we can glean from different life experiences. Some lessons are small but still important, like make your kids’ lunches the night before so your morning self doesn’t hate your evening self.
We must learn a lesson from King David and focus on overcoming our enemies once and for all.
By Anonymous
Looking back, all I remember was thinking about how thirsty I was. Crazy, right? But I was so thirsty, and I remember seeing all of the water bottles that they kept in the back and I was too shy to ask for a drink.
Anxiety becomes something serious when your child is unable to function or takes an inordinate amount of time to perform normal every day activities.
Your husband’s parenting style is not just about kindness; it is about fear. He is afraid that if he sets limits, he will lose his children’s love.
It can feel unfair, even infuriating, seeing someone who pays less enjoying something that many others have given up in the name of paying full tuition.
Unresolved tension drains capacity. Without recovery, everything feels heavier than it is. And the effects are carried forward.
He was a total fair-weather friend! When my husband began to have business problems, Yerucham didn’t come forward to help. I tried to ask him for help—I did it behind my husband’s back, because I didn’t want Benjy to be embarrassed—but he never responded.
Rav Kotler reflects on the dramatic changes that took place in the quarter-century since the founding of Dos Yiddishe Vort. But the most striking element is not institutional growth per se; it is the profound shift in the self-perception of Torah Jewry.
By Irwin Cohen
Every person is important and welcoming. It's a great place to be a big fish in a small pond. The shul also has a great caterer, and you can eat in a big social hall or takeout.
There are inequitable and unfair judgments made by those with sons in the dating world. For reasons never fully understood, boys have an advantage in dating.
October 2, 2026 
