Baltimore Jewish Home - 6-9-16

Community Calendar

to have your future event listed in the Community Calendar please contact [email protected]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayJune2016

Iyar/Sivan 5776

1 2 3 4

5 6 7

29 30 31

8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 1 2

Iyar 24 Iyar 25 Iyar 26 Iyar 27

Iyar 28 Iyar 29 Sivan 1

Iyar 21 Iyar 22 Iyar 23

Sivan 2 Sivan 3 Sivan 4 Sivan 5

Sivan 6 Sivan 7 Sivan 8 Sivan 9 Sivan 10 Sivan 11 Sivan 12

Sivan 13 Sivan 14 Sivan 15 Sivan 16 Sivan 17 Sivan 18 Sivan 19

Sivan 20 Siavn 21 Sivan 22 Sivan 23 Sivan 24 Sivan 25 Sivan 26

8:11 PM 9:12 PM

Rosh Chodesh 8:15 PM 9:16 PM

ShavuotShavuot 9:16 PM 9:17 PM 8:18 PM 9:18 PM

8:19 PM 9:20 PM

8:19 PM 9:19 PM

Ner Tamid annual Banquet7PMTickets: NerTamid.net

TA 99th Anniversary Banquetat Beth Tifiloh 5:30 PMsee page 9

Chai Lifeline presents Kol Hanearim Boy's Choir at LJC 7 PMsee page 19

Rabbi Pesach Krohn at BJSZ 8PM

Jcc Owings Mills Block Party 10AM - 3PM

Bnos Yisroel Graduation 7PM

BJC Annual Meeting 4PM

Jcc Annual Meeting

Jewish Museum Annual Meeting 6PM

JCS Annual Meeting at Beth Tifiloh 5PM

Associated’s Annual Meeting at Beth Tifiloh 5PM

Chai Annual Meeting 3430 Associated Way 4:30PM

Ahavas Yisrael 24 Hour Charidy Event2 PM - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 PM

see Cover Page & Page 3

Shemesh Annual Meeting 7PM

Lev Shlomo Cruise 7PM

Beth Tfiloh Spotlight 7:30PM

Shemesh Bike Ridesee page 23

JulySivan/Tammuz 5776

Old Fashioned Ice Cream Socialat Tudor Heights 3 -4 PM see page 13 Alzheimer’s Support

Group; Dine & Discussat Tudor Heights 6:30PM see page 13

The Associated’s Real Estate Industry Group (REIG) Annual Eventat City Garage 6 PM

Bnai Zion Foundation Galaat American Visionary Museum 5 PM

Check out our NEW Community Calendar ........ Page 32

june 9 - june 23 . vol 3, #9 ג׳ סיון - יז׳ סיון

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Hanhalas Dirshu would like to congratulate Daf Yomi participants completing Seder Nashim. In particular, Dirshu salutes the lofty achievements by many thousands in the various Dirshu programs

that assist Talmidei Chachomim retain their learning.

The Dirshu programs tailored for Daf Yomi learners include: Kinyan Torah, Chazaras HaShas, Chazarah Chodshi, Kinyan HaShas, and weekly Gemarah tests.

With the commencement of Seder Nezikin, now is an opportune time to explore Dirshu’s various testing programs which enable Daf Yomi participants to retain their learning through proven and tested methods.

Bot

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up:

718.

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4567

For more information, contact Dirshu:888-5-DIRSHU/[email protected]

DirshuTHE WORLD OF

DAF YOMI BAVLIKinyan TorahChazaras HaShas Chazarah Chodshi Kinyan HaShas Weekly Tests Mishnayos Tests

KOLLELIMBa’alei Batim KollelimChaburas Beis Medrash GovohaAmud YomiKollel BokerChaburas Shas B’Iyun

HALACHADaf HaYomi B’Halacha Kinyan Halacha Kinyan Shmittah

YESHIVA PROGRAMSDaf HaYomi B’Halacha L’Bochurim Dirshu BokerTalmudo B’YadoiMekadshei SheviyiYeshivas Bein Hazemanim

DIRSHU PUBLICATIONSMishnah Berurah

Mahaduras Dirshu Sefer Chofetz Chaim

Mahaduras Dirshu Sefer Shemiras HalashonDirshu Shul Chumash

with RambanMa’areh Mekomos

on Hilchos Shabbos Kinyan Halacha KovetzKuntresai ChizukKinyan ShmaatsaOhel Series

ACHEINU3-Step System:

Mentoring, Enrollment & Continued Follow-Up

Acheinu YeshivosBatei ChizukInternational Kiruv Conference

נשי סדר על הדר!על והדר



HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita, reciting the Hadran Kaddish at the Dirshu Siyum HaShas. — Yad Eliyahu Stadium, Summer 2012



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1. Submit your nominations to [email protected] or by fax to 410-486-0801.2. Include an explanation of why your nominee should be awarded.3. Provide your full contact infor mation as well as your nominee’s.

Winners will be chosen at the discretion of Chesed Fund and Project Ezra.

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

The Chesed Fund Limited and Project Ezra of Greater Baltimore, Inc.

are Proud to Wish the Winners of the 3rd Annual Philip Kaufman & Rosalie Zwagil

Community Safety & Service Awardst

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▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

Thank you to Baruch Bitman of Simcha Focus, Lev Bar-Av of National Photo, Mendel Rosenblatt of Moriah Graphic, and Staiman Design

The Chesed Fund Limited is dedicated in memory of Mordechai & Rebecca Kapiloff vwwg, Dr. Bernard Kapiloff vwwg, and Rabbi Norman & Louise Gerstenfeld vwwg. Project Ezra of Baltimore is dedicated in memory of M. Leo Storch vwwg.

Safety & Service

The Chesed Fund Limited & Project Ezra of Greater Baltimore, Inc. Present

THE PHILIP KAUFFMAN & ROSALIE ZWAGIL

The Maryland Jewish Community Award for Exceptional Service, Safety, and Security

LOOKING FORWARD TO AWARDING NEXT

YEAR’S NOMINEES!

Youth Award WinnersRivkah Abedon

Yoni BakaevMoussia BelinskyFruma Belinsky

Esther Liba Belinsky

Ava Cohen

Elyana Fine

Ido Lavie

Gavriel Leichter

Louis Myers

Emma Platt

Reuven Prero

Moishy Stal

Adult Award WinnersBatya Alon

Dovid CynamonShmuel Fischler

Bracha GoetzBenyamin GoldsteinAlex “Crusty” Gross

Naomi MillerAharon/Alan

NewmanYitzy Schleifer

Mazel Tov!To our well-deserved award winners:

Around the Community

Community Safety Awards

For over 10 years, The Chesed Fund Limited and Project Ezra of Greater Baltimore, Inc. have awarded outstanding youth of our community who have made sig-nificant contributions, whether in regards to safety and security or through helping others. Beginning two years ago, deserving adults were recognized as well. On Sun-day, May 22, 2016, over 100 peo-ple gathered to celebrate and honor the winners of the Third Annu-al Community Safety & Service Award.

This year’s program began with Mr. Frank Storch thanking Mr. & Mrs. Bruce & Lois Kauffman and their family for sponsoring the event in loving memory of Phil-ip Kauffman and Rosalie Zwagil. Proud families and friends gath-ered to see thirteen youths and nine adults receive their Community Safety & Service Awards, beauti-ful plaques inscribed with the win-

ners’ commendable actions. Hon-orees ranged from Ohr Chadash second grader Yoni Bakaev, who brought food to a homeless shelter and helped at a Savers Donation Drive to Baltimore City Council-man-elect Yitzy Schleifer, who has been working tirelessly to help our community in so many ways.

Other honorees included Alex “Crusty” Gross, a leading respond-er for Shomrim, Dovid Cynamon, an inspirational Scoutmaster for our local Boy Scouts, Batya Alon, the devoted Evening Program Co-ordinator of Gevuras Yarden, and many more. Bracha Goetz, win-ner of an award for her dedication

to the Associated’s Big Brother/Big Sister program said, “Thank you so much for this beautiful and thoughtful event that you do. It tru-ly inspires more chesed.”

Frank Storch, founder and di-rector of The Chesed Fund Limited and Project Ezra of Greater Balti-more, Inc., commented, “When I was 12 years old and won a trophy it meant the world to me and was a real motivator to always try to put in 100% in all I do. Our communi-ty’s wonderful children, teens, and adults deserve our recognition. I am looking forward to next year’s event!”

Participate in this import-ant program by submitting your nominations for the Fourth An-nual Community Safety & Service Award. Email [email protected] with your nominee(s), reason why they deserve to be honored, and contact information for you and the nominee(s).

mailto:[email protected]


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CONTENTS

The Baltimore Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. Opinions expressed by writers are not neces sarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Baltimore Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The BJH contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.

Dear Readers,“Na’aseh v’nishmah – We will do,

then we will understand.” These are the words we collectively responded when G-d asked if we would accept the Torah. We knew the truth of G-d’s existence, and so taking this leap of faith was the obvious choice. Since G-d is real, so are his laws – the de-tails of which we knew would soon follow.

Here’s another way to look at it. Say, for example, someone isn’t well, and the doctor proscribes a medicine which will heal them. (For the sake of our mashal, assume this a trustworthy doctor who is 100% correct in the di-agnosis 100% of the time.) It would make little sense for the patient to take this medicine only on condition that they understood its exact mechanism and the details of how it worked:

When someone isn’t feeling well, their faculties are not 100%. If they take the medicine, they will reach their prime strength, and then it would be easier to understand.

The healing process is best under-stood when experiencing it firsthand.

Why push off getting better! The medicine will work regardless of our understanding of it.

Same is true with the mitzvot. A Jew is only 100% spiritually well when

adhering to the ways of the Torah. Its beauty and purpose is best appreciat-ed when experienced first-hand…why not get spiritually healthy now!

A few thousand years have passed since then, and by now the benefits of many of the commandments are easy to see. Shabbos observance = focus. Modesty = sanctity. Kosher = con-scious eating. Prayer = spirituality. Torah learning = constant education. Pikuach Nefesh = sanctity of human life. Tzedakah = concern for others. And so on. These benefits are some-times so obvious it can be tempting to keep these mitzvos because of logic while ignoring their G-dly origins.

When hesitating to take the next leap in Torah observance, thinking, “What’s the purpose” of adding an-other Torah class, being more careful with the blessings we make, or get-ting along better with our in-laws, we should remember na’aseh and then nishmah. If we take the plunge, we will surely come to appreciate it later.

It says matan Torah only happened once, but the secrets of the experience will only be revealed after the coming of Moshiach. Our world can use ex-actly that.

May we have an inspiring Shabbos and a joyous matan Torah,

Yaakov

COMMUNITYAround the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

JEWISH THOUGHT

Wake Up Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

No Child Left Behind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Rabbi Berel Wein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Torah Boy Scout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Bobker On Shavuos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

HUMOR & ENTERTAINMENTCenterfold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Notable Quotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

LIFESTYLES613 Seconds with Gobbie Cohn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Political Crossfire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Broken but Whole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Life Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Health & Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Dating Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Barry Good! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Forgotten Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Moroccan Chicken Cholent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Cooking for the King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

NEWSIsrael News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

That’s Odd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

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Donate year-round online at www.AhavasYisrael.org

To set up an automatic recurring monthly donation please call 443-621-0298

» $902,638 IN JUST 24 HOURS » OVER 1,500 DONORS

We are incredibly fortunate to live in a city which is a shining example of Chesed. The generosity and unity our friends and

neighbors displayed was nothing short of inspirational. We thank all the contributors, matchers and volunteers who have made a

real difference in the lives of our those in need.

Baltimoreans Truly Helping Baltimoreans.

Lightning DID Strike Twice!We Did it Again...Together!

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כל הכבוד!

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Bais Yaakov Dolphin Club Bake Sale Raises Money for Sick Children in HospitalBaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn By: BJLife/Shalomis Koffler Weinreb

I could barely get in the door of the entrance to Bais Yaakov Middle School foyer, so packed was the foy-er where the Dolphin Club girls were selling their homemade chocolate caramel cupcakes, chocolate-covered pretzels and other baked goodies. Sales were fast and furious as the dol-lars piled up in bright red and yellow plastic bowls managed with confi-dence and competence by seasoned Dolphin Club money mavens. Do-nated, almost-too-pretty-to-eat flower cupcakes were raffled off to eighteen lucky winners. The bake sale was the fundraiser for the club’s latest chesed project to help sick children at Sinai Children’s Hospital.

The Dolphin Club, known for the many tzedakah projects that are con-ceived, planned and implemented by its teenage members, makes a mean-ingful difference in the lives of Jews across the world through just such humble events as this past Friday’s bake sale.

“The girls haven’t yet settled on how they’re going to use the money raised to help the hospitalized chil-dren,” said Dolphin Club Director, Mrs. Leeba Braun. “But you can be sure it’ll be something creative, fun, meaningful and joy-producing!” she added.

Time after time through many years of successful projects, the Dol-

phin Club girls have proven that kids know what kids like and respond to.

Stay tuned to see how this chesed project unfolds in the coming months!

Baltimore Shomrim Sends Letter of Commendation to Baltimore Police Applauding the Service of Detective Melissa Warczyski Immensely Helpful in Mugging Mayhem

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn By: BJL Staff

Shomrim formally commended Detective Melissa Warczyski for her impressive actions as a positive, ded-icated and upstanding reflection of the Baltimore City Police Department.

A letter of commendation prais-ing a Baltimore Police detective was sent to Baltimore Police by Shomrim General Counsel Nathan Willner. The letter read:

Yesterday, on May 30, 2016 be-tween the approximate hours of 7:00 am and 9:30 am our Neighborhood experienced five muggings. These incidents, all perpetrated by the same

three suspects, terrorised members of the Jewish community. Most of the victims were individuals going to daily prayers at their synagogues. The suspects brandished knifes and stole cell phones, wallets and in one instance the victim’s vehicle.

As a result of community coop-eration and immediate interaction between BSSP Coordinator, Ron Rosenbluth with Detective Warczyski, within two hours of these crimes, one

suspect was taken into custody and by the close of the day, four warrants were issued. Detective Warczyski immediately communicated the excel-lent work of the BPD and was sincerely concerned that “everyone in the

community sleeps better” last night. Her quick detective work definitely assuaged many frightened community members.

Our members and our commu-nity were impressed with Detective

Warczyski’s police work, her respect-ful and attentive demeanour. The de-tective in this instance was extremely efficient, professional and sensitive to the needs of the Community. We would like to bring her excellent at-titude and this positive interaction with the Detective to your attention. We would like to formally commend Detective Melissa Warczyski for her impressive actions as a positive, ded-icated and upstanding reflection of the Baltimore City Police Department.

Crime Alert - Baltimore County Police Department

Dear Community Members,Between 6/06/16 and 6/07/16

during the overnight hours there were two overnight burglaries in the area. The first incident occurred in the 2500 block of Willow Glen Drive. The second incident occurred in the 6600 block of Shelrick Place. In both of these incidents, the unknown sus-

pect gained entry into the residences through doors and windows that were left unlocked. The Baltimore City Police also experienced an overnight burglary on Cheswolde Rd. in close proximity to the above burglaries.

Please be vigilant of suspicious subjects or vehicles roaming through the neighborhoods. If you notice sus-

picious activity, safely get a good de-scription of the subjects and contact 911. Please keep your residences secured at all times. Lock your win-dows, doors, and use your residential alarm system. The Pikesville Precinct Community Outreach Team offers free residential security surveys where a uniformed officer will respond to

your home and give you ideas and make suggestions on ways to better secure your residence. Officers from the Pikesville Precinct are actively patrolling your neighborhood. If you have any questions or would like to have a security survey, please contact the Pikesville Community Outreach Team for assistance at 410-887-6775.

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Yeshivas Bais Yisroel Yarchei Kallah

On Sunday May 29th Yeshi-vas Bais Yisroel held its first Alum-ni Yarchei Kallah event in R' Chaim Schwartz's Shomrei Mishmeres Ha-kodesh in Baltimore. Rebbeim came from Eretz Yisroel to spend a day packed with limud hatorah with former talmidim of the Yeshiva. Among the rebbeim were the Rosh Hayeshiva, Harav Doniel Lehrfield,

Rav Moshe Lehrfield, and Rav Av-rohom Kamenetsky, who all deliv-ered shiurim. Harav Aharon Feld-man, Rosh Hayeshiva Yeshivas Ner Yisroel, attended as well, and gave over inspiring divrei chizuk to the alumni, many of whom were also talmidim of his own yeshiva. With a full bais me-drash and a booming kol hatorah, the event was a noticeable success!


HaRav Sheftel Neuberger, shlita, Menahel Yeshivas Ner Yisrael Addresses Kollel Boker Nachlas HaTorah

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn By: BJL Staff

HaRav Sheftel Neuberger, shli-ta, Menahel of Yeshivas Ner Yisrael spoke on inyonei Shavuos to an over-flow crowd on Tuesday morning May 31st at Kollel Boker Nachlas HaTo-rah of Khal Machzikei Torah. HaRav Neuberger presented the various fac-ets of reaching the acceptance of Ka-balas HaTorah in our generation and how to develop the heights to maintain and grow in ahavas haTorah.

Rabbi Neuberger encouraged the entire community to join Kollel Bo-ker’s daily Torah program from 9:30 AM- 12:00 PM under the direction of HaRav Nechemiah Goldstein, shlita, in order to maintain and continue the inspiration for kabalas haTorah from the Shavuous yom tov.

For more info Rabbi Goldstein may be reached at 323.770.6363

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Exciting! Baltimore’s Jewish Children’s Library Now OpenBaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

STAR-K Kosher Certification Awards Intensive IT Job Training Grant to JET TechBy Margie Pensak

Baltimore’s Jewish Children’s Li-brary was created to be a community resource where everyone feels wel-come.

With much appreciation to HKB’H, The Moshe Kuhnreich Jew-ish Children’s Library is now ready to open its doors to the public, bringing the newest supply of Jewish books to the Baltimore community!

Geared to children ranging from toddler through middle/high school, the collection boasts newly-published books as well as reprinted classics in-cluding fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction, biographies, inspirational sto-ries, graphic novels and comic books.

Located in a bright and spacious classroom in Shomrei Emunah, the initial open hours are Sundays 10:00—11:00 A.M, and Fridays from 4:00—5:00 P.M. To expedite check-out, the library invested in laptops, barcode readers and an online data-

base. In addition, to facilitate returns, a book drop is available at all times the Shul is open.

The collective effort of a team of dedicated individuals including Fayge Hackerman, Faige Katz, Rachael Kossman, Chaya Monderer and Blu-mi Weil, combined resources in ed-ucation, administration, fundraising, logistics and design needed to accom-

plish this task.“Our goal was to create a library

that would be a community resource where everyone feels welcome,” says director Faige Katz. “That is why we are so grateful to Shomrei Emunah for graciously hosting this endeavor. Being located in a Shul in the heart of the Jewish community allows us to cater to individuals from all neighbor-

hoods.”With an ever-growing supply of

850+ brand new books, the board’s greatest accomplishment will be see-ing the books fly off the shelf and be enjoyed by many.

To explore the database and find out more information about the library including online registration, visit www.jclbaltimore.org.

STAR-K Kosher Certification has long been known for its proactive lo-cal benevolent efforts which have a ripple effect across the greater Jewish community. The latest such endeav-or for the not-for-profit organization will enable Information Technology (IT) job training for a maximum of ten students, made possible by a gen-erous grant to JET Tech (Jewish En-trepreneur Trust Technology Group). The intensive 12 week/30 class course will be held approximately three times weekly, beginning June 1, in Balti-more, and it is endorsed by Rabbi Moshe Heinemann and Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer.

JET Tech, a division of JET (Jew-ish Entrepreneurial Trust), is a volun-teer network of experienced Torah ob-servant IT professionals who provide services such as education, mentoring, networking, and job placement, to assist those considering entering the field, as well as for novice and veteran IT professionals, alike, with navigat-

ing the IT profession. JET, a one-of-a-kind business development center, was founded in 2012 by a group of young local entrepreneurs and profes-sionals whose interest is promoting the development of successful businesses and business leaders in the Baltimore community.

Upon completion of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux administration course and the associated exercises, students should be prepared to pass the Red Hat Certified System Administra-tor exam. This certification is in high demand due to the system’s perva-sive use in large internet-based envi-ronments. More than 90% of Fortune Global 500 companies and 100% of airlines, telephone companies, health-care companies, commercial banks, and U.S. Executive Departments in the Fortune Global 500, rely on Red Hat (according to Red Hat client data and Fortune 500 list, 2014). The value of this certification in the Baltimore area is only corroborated by an article

published in the May 18, 2016 edition of CompTIA [The Top Ten Markets for IT Jobs and Why You Want to Live There], in which the Virginia/Mary-land/ West Virginia area was listed as one of the top ten places to work in IT, in the nation. The area is projected to see 15% job growth when comparing 2015 to 2025.

“Our goal in developing this pro-gram was to look for a technology that is in high demand that people can find jobs in within a reasonable amount of time and that they will be able to get a decent entry-level job in that partic-ular area and they can finish learning it within a 6-month period,” explained Shomshin Refoel Weinstein, a JET Tech volunteer who is in charge of the new program. “That’s why we chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux. If you think about it, for a person with a family, it becomes very difficult for them to take off time to go to school and learn a profession. Here, within a relatively short period of time, our goal will be

to give them a profession, expertise in a technical area that is in high demand that has potential to be a full-fledged parnasah.”

“The officers and board of direc-tors of STAR-K are very pleased to work together with Shomshin Refoel

Weinstein, Chaim Harris and Dovid Meyer in seeking to provide these meaningful opportunities,” con-cluded STAR-K President Dr. Avrom Pollak. “Quite often, for instance, in-dividuals just leaving kollel cannot afford the expense and time to acquire the professional training necessary for rewarding careers in this new age of technology. JET Tech will provide young talented Bnai Torah, in a rela-tively short time, to add “Red Hat” to their “Black Hat” lifestyle.”

For more information, or to sched-ule a phone interview, please call (443) 499-2538, or email:

[email protected].


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THE BOOK EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT!

INCREDIBLE!From the Bronx to Bnei Brak:

The amazing true story of Rabbi Yossi Wallis

by Rabbi Nachman Seltzer

This is a true story so full of non-stop action, physical and spiritual courage, Divine Providence, spine-tingling adventure — and an utter dedication to Torah — that it can only be called: Incredible! It reads like a thrill-er, and, at the same time, it is an inspiring account of a spiritual journey.

NEW!

NEW!

by Yehuda Boruch

Kamenetzky

Those chilling, dreaded words marked the beginning of Yehuda Kamenetzky’s incredible journey through the world of medicine, mira-cles, and emunah. Brainstorm shows us the incredible levels of kindness and faith, chesed and emunah that a Jew can reach.

by Rabbi Yisrael Kleinman LMSW

A deadly tumor. A young man. A story of medicine, emunah — and triumph.

He was a regular, 19-year-old yeshivah guy.

And then… “I’m sorry. He has a mass growing inside his brain.”

Why did The Chofetz Chaim give a blessing … to a priest?

How did a mischievous boy cement a friendship with R’ Aharon Kotler?

How did that boy turn eggs and herring into a yeshivah education?

The Night Is Not Dark tells the story of Yitzchak Bernstein, a young ilui with a well-developed streak of mischief — and of the gedolim of Europe who took him in, taught him, disciplined him, and loved him.

Featuring warm and personal stories of the Chofetz Chaim, R’ Leizer Yudel Finkel, R’ Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky, R’ Yisrael Gustman, R’ Shimon Shkop, and R’ Elchonon Wasserman!

The true story of a young boy and the gedolim who took him into their homes and hearts

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BOOST Program Offers Scholarships To Nonpublic SchoolsBaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn By: Staff Reporter


Maryland is set to foot at least part of the bill for low-income students to enroll in nonpublic schools.

The state has set aside $5 million in scholarship money through the Broad-ening Options and Opportunities for Students Today (BOOST) Program.

But there’s a catch: Those who may qualify for the program have a little more than a month to apply for the free money.

The Talmudical Academy of Bal-timore is one of more than 200 non-public and private Maryland schools taking part in the BOOST Program.

“It’s important as a nonpublic school to be able to offer all of the students everything they can get in the public school arena,” said Rabbi Yaa-cov Cohen, executive director of the Talmudical Academy of Baltimore.

The state funding will pay for scholarships. The money will be lim-ited to students who are currently en-rolled at public schools who plan to

apply to nonpublic schools in the fall and those who may already be on the rolls.

The $5 million will be divided among students who meet strict house-hold and income guidelines. With ap-plications in hand, a state scholarship advisory board will have the last word on who qualifies.

“We’ve been hoping and asking the state to pitch in a little bit,” said

Rabbi Ariel Sadwin, with the Coun-cil for American Private Education (CAPE).

CAPE said just getting the state to put up scholarship money is a major first step toward progress.

Sadwin said it’s about “a parent having the option to send their child to the school where they think their child can thrive the most, whether it’s a faith-based school, an independent school, nonreligious.”

Baltimore’s Institute of Notre Dame has been tracking the progress of the BOOST Program and is encour-aging parents to apply ahead of the July 11 deadline.

But there are concerns at the In-stitute of Notre Dame and across the state about whether the state scholar-ship money will be on hand next year.

“If we have the $5 million pot empty by next year, then that gives reason for senators and members of the Assembly to come back and say

it was money worth and well spent,” said David Ring, president of the In-stitute of Notre Dame.

Maryland students who will be in kindergarten through 12th grade can apply for the scholarship.

Tap here for more information and to apply to the BOOST Program

The Maryland State Education As-sociation sent a statement to 11 News about the BOOST Program, calling it “a thinly veiled plan to divert tax-payer dollars from public schools in order to subsidize private schools. As has been shown in other states -- in-cluding brand new research in Indiana and Louisiana -- low-income students who receive vouchers to attend private schools perform worse than their peers in public schools. Teachers and edu-cation professionals strongly oppose BOOST for these reasons and urge legislators to discontinue the program as soon as possible.”

‘We’ve been hoping and asking the state to pitch in a little bit,’ said Rabbi Ariel Sadwin,

(shown with Governer Hogan) with the Council for American Private Education (CAPE)

June 1st, 2016

Baltimore’s contingency

at the

in Edison, NJ

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Alzheimer’s Support GroupDINE & DISCUSS

“Resources for FamiliesCaring for a Loved One”

Wednesday, June 15, 6:30 pm(Light Supper starting at 6:15 pm)

“She doesn’t have Alzheimer’s, but she’s suffering from it.”

ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE

Meat

Sherri Zaslow, Executive Director7218 Park Heights Ave, Baltimore, MD

www.PeregrineTudor.com

Caring for someone with memory loss can take its toll. This week’s discussion, led by Carol Wynne, geriatric nurse practitioner, is the perfect opportunity

to find the support and answers to help you cope.

Coming 7/6 “Maximizing the Patient/Doctor Relationship”, 7/20 “Panel Discussion for Children with Aging Parents”.

Companion care for your loved one available with reservation.

For ReservationsCall Zack Pomerantz at 410-318-8000

Come Fun! Come All! Come grandparents and grandkids. Come celebrate Shavuos with us. Enjoy your favorite ice cream flavors*, your favorite toppings, and cheesecake, too.RSVP with Zack Pomerantz at 410-318-8000

www.peregrinetudor.com Sherri Zaslow Exec Dir. 7218 Park Heights Ave, Baltimore, MD 21208

“Thou Shalt Eat FREE Ice Cream!”

Old FashionedIce Cream Social

2nd Day of Shavuos

Mon, June 13 / 7 Sivan, 3 - 4 pm

*C.Y. and Pareve available

Meat

ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE

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Baltimore’s Orthodox Community Shines on National StageBy:Isaac Draiman BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

On Wednesday, May 25, 2016, The Friedlander Group coordinated a Trib-ute to American Jewry in celebration of Jewish Heritage Month. May has been proclaimed by the United States Congress as Jewish American Heri-tage Month. President Barack Obama proclaimed, “The Jewish people’s pursuit of freedom brought multitudes to our shores…let us honor their tre-mendous contributions…And let us all find inspiration in a story that speaks to the universal human experience, with all of its suffering and all of its salvation.”

To celebrate the annual Heritage Month, an impressive roster of elected officials and national Jewish leaders gathered in the ornate Kennedy Cau-cus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building, located on Capitol Hill in our nation’s Capital.

Among the notable guests, were US Senators, Orin Hatch (R-UT), Al Franken (D-MN), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Maryland’s own Ben Cardin (D-MD).

NY Assembly Member Phil Gold-feder, Co-Chair of the event and friend to the Baltimore Jewish community, was impressed to see such a large turn-out of Baltimore community members representing the thriving community. Among the Baltimore leaders present were HaRav Sheftel Neuberger of Ye-shivas Ner Yisrael, Rabbi Ariel Sadwin Agudath Israel of Maryland, Director, Commission on Legislation and Civ-ic Action and Nathan Willner, Esq., President of the Cheswolde Neighbor-hood Association. One Baltimorean

that was specifically mentioned during his remarks and the remarks of US Senator Ben Cardin was the current

Democratic nominee to the Baltimore City Council, Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer. Both congratulated him on his recent election victory and recognized him for his willingness to take on the chal-lenge of representing his community in an official elected capacity. Senator Cardin, commented on the difficulty of the position and pledged to work closely with Yitzy in his role as the 5th District City Councilman.

Assemblyman Goldfeder, noted after the event, “I am thrilled that the Baltimore Jewish community demon-strated its unity and resolve to elect a member of its community to this very

important positon. It is clear from the comments made here today and the national attention the Baltimore City

Council race garnered that when our communities put forth the effort we can elect candidates that reflect the values and needs of our communities. Young leaders, like Yitzy, are a critical piece of making sure that our voices are heard and considered on the high-est levels. I am so encouraged by the attendance today of Baltimore leaders and askanim, like Nathan Willner. It is their tireless efforts that can really make all the difference.”

Yitzy Schleifer, was surprised by all of the attention, to say the least. “To be publically recognized in a room like this and especially by a senior leader

of the US Senate, Ben Cardin, was surreal. It did confirm however the message that we have worked so hard to relay to our community, that when we are properly represented on all lev-els of government, we can get the at-tention our communities deserve.”

Ezra Friedlander, renowned polit-ical strategist and coordinator of the impressive event, was extremely en-thusiastic to see the Baltimore com-munity so well represented. “When a qualified member of our commu-nity is elected to public office, it is a game changer. The results can be felt already, the mere fact that established members of the Baltimore communi-ty as well as a young leader like Yitzy Schleifer were invited and attended today’s event demonstrates how uni-ty, commitment and leadership can change the perception and public pro-file of a community.”

Nathan Willner, Esq., Cheswolde Neighborhood Association, President, was impressed by the roster of honor-ees and elected officials. “It was fan-tastic to be able to see our good friends, Phil Goldfeder and Ezra Friedlander. I especially, enjoyed having the op-portunity to chat with Senator Cory Booker, Senator Jeanne Shaheen and of course our Senator Ben Cardin. I, however, was particularly blown away by the specific mention of Yitzy and his successful campaign on the nation-al stage. It is definitely a sign of the influence our community will have as Yitzy’s political career develops”.


Habilitative Services Bill SB297 passes MD Legislation and becomes law

The Maryland OT Association lead and authored this bill which was a 20 year advocacy initiative led by Shoshana Shamberg, former MOTA legislative chairperson , and MOTA member in the 1990s and 2000s.

The new law mandates health in-surance policies to cover services for children from birth to 19 years for de-velopmental conditions.

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Gobbie Cohn

First off, Mazel tov on being the alumnus of the year. Your parents must be so proud of you?

My parents are very proud!

What year did you graduate from TA?

1997

So that makes you how old?

Bli Ayin Hora age 37

What was your most fondest memo-ry of going to TA?

Building friendships, especially those that last. I was also fortunate

to learn from great teachers.

How has your days at TA impacted who you are today?

The education I received at TA gave me the tools to succeed in E”Y and subsequently in Yeshiva Gedola, college and beyond.

Tell us what inspired you to start TYA?

Growing up in Baltimore, espe-cially in my teen years, I always wished there were more ko-sher outlets for myself and my friends. In 2003, I saw the oppor-tunity to give back to the commu-

nity and give the boys something structured and an appropriate outlet to support and compliment their long days of learning.

What do you do for a living?

I am a commercial insurance broker and a business consultant. I manage PPO portfolios for dentists.

How did you get into that business?

The insurance business came to fruition at the end of 2001 after a conversation with Chaim Gottes-man.

Together with other partners, the dental consulting business took shape in 2012 when a dentist was looking for someone to help him obtain more from his insurance reimbursements.

Who is your ideal client?

My ideal insurance clients are

lawyers, tech companies or Life Sciences companies. My ideal client for the dental world ranges from the single dentist office to large dental groups.

Word in main sanctuaries across Baltimore is your quite the chazan, is this true?

I am humbled at the phrasing of your question. I do daven for the amud on occasion.

What is your favorite tune to sing during davening?

I do not have one favorite tune though I would say that most of what I sing comes from the great Abie Rotenberg or Shlomo Carle-bach z”l

Anything you’d like to share with the thousands of households reading this interview?

I would like to wish everyone an uplifting Shavuos!

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Celebrating our 20th anniversary & Featuring alumni from years past!

Liberty Jewish Center7000 Rockland Hill Dr.

The Kol Hanorim Boys invites the community to a night of beautiful and inspiring music, portion

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Wake Up CallRabbi Zvi Teichman

Torah Thought

We are all familiar with the oft quot-ed verse ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר )שמות יט and Israel encamped there opposite ,ב(the mountain.

This verse describes the entire Jew-ish nation settling in at the base of the mountain in anticipation of that mo-mentous occasion, the Giving of the Torah. Rashi quotes the Mechilta that takes note of the description of the na-tion encamping in the singular, ויחן, as opposed to previous references of their encampment in the plural form of ־ויח This comes to teach us, he says, that .נוdespite their previous contentions and complaints, they arrived at the foot of the mountain כאיש אחד בלב אחד, like a single person with a common heart.

What suddenly happened that brought such unity? Was it something in the air? Was there some mystical influ-ence that brought them together?

What great teaching was taught on the day of their arrival that stimulated them so greatly towards harmony?

The Talmud ).פז -actually re )שבת ports that in contrast with all the other days that lead up to the revelation at Si-nai, where different details and lessons were instructed to them, on this very first day, מידי ולא להו אמר Moshe said ,לא nothing, zero, nada to them! The Talmud attributes this “recess” to חולשא דאורחא, they were weary from traveling.

Is that all it takes, some free relaxed time together after the hectic pace of traveling they had experienced, to create renewed friendship?

It is quoted in the name of the Sefar-im HaKedoshim, the mystical teachings, which embedded in this verse lies, the secret to their success. בספר הנתן אמרי( שפר, נכד הבני יששכר, בשם ספה"ק(

The first letters in the previous quot-ed sentiment: נגד ההר ישראל Israel ,שם there opposite the mountain, spell out the word for sleep, ש-י-נ-ה!

Was their ‘crankiness’ due, as is of-ten the case, to sleep deprivation? Could it be that all they needed was a good night’s sleep?

Why did G-d create man with the need to sleep for almost a third of one’s life?

Man being finite by nature, wears out and needs time to recover regularly. Eventually we tire completely in a pro-

cess called death. This need relates to animal as well who is limited too.

The Midrash )יא יד however )בר"ר states that for a Jew there is much more to it than that. Our soul ascends nightly to spiritually ‘recharge’ from the Source of all life. The less cumbersome our ma-terial ‘cloak’, the body, is by virtue of it being untainted with indulgence, the more quickly is the soul restored to its full charge. Think of it as corroded bat-tery terminals that disallow the “boost” to take. The cleaner our ‘posts’ the more efficient is the resupply of energy to our souls.

The Holy Arizal even asserts that there are aspects of Torah one can only absorb in a “pure” state of sleep disen-gaged from an active body, provided of course the body is cleansed from impu-rity, in deed and thought.

The verse states that the Jewish na-tion encamped ההר opposite the ,נגד mountain. This is the sole identifying aspect of this encampment. It seems odd that they would pitch their tents seem-ingly with their entrances facing the mountain rather than naturally towards the open plains. )'מעשי ה(

What is intended by this emphasis?It is quoted in the name of the Holy

Reb Dovid’l of Tolna that the image of the Giving of the Torah that must remain imprinted on our mind is that of a people facing a mountain with their backs to the world. (As heard from the Tolna Rebbe Shlit”a)

Perhaps there is more than the mes-sage of spurning worldly temptation.

In the voyage called life we often get caught up in the journey often forgetting about the destination. The pettiness we display in our hunger for recognition distracts us from reaching our goals. It is the happiness we lack within ourselves that motivates us to be validated exter-nally.

If only we would look forward keep-ing our eye on the goal would we avoid so much wasted energy and pain.

Sleep is a time when we are physi-cally inert and is often used as a meta-phor for being stuck in our ways.

The Magen Avraham )או"ח מו י( says that the blessings we recite each morn-ing thanking G-d, גוי עשני for not ,שלא having made me a gentile, and שלא עשני

-for not having made me a slave, re ,עבדfer to our souls returning from its noc-turnal journey intact as a Jewish soul and not that of an idolator nor a slave.

Perhaps this refers to our having pre-served our souls from being tainted by the quest for power and recognition, as symbolized in idolatry, and free from be-coming sullied by apathy that develops in the absence of ambition as represent-ed in the shackled state of a slave.

Often our sleep is disturbed and un-fulfilled by the anxieties and disappoint-ments we live with by day. This is the -the weariness of the jour ,חולשא דאורחאney that wears us out so.

If we view sleep as a reconnecting with our Creator who infuses us with that sense of mission and purpose by embracing and accepting us lovingly, re-alizing that the failures of yesterday are the foundations on which we rebuild our successes, we will sleep soundly.

But there is a caveat. We must awak-en daily with that realization ready and equipped to conquer our challenges.

Many ask in light of the Magen Avraham’s theory, how does one ever know if indeed one received an idola-trous soul overnight or not? Evidently if we have within us the awareness to thank G-d for each new day of challenge and purpose then indeed we have held on to our “soul”!

The Midrash )יב א recalls )שהש"ר how we slept peacefully in preparation for the Giving of the Torah and G-d had to arouse us by blowing the alarming Shofar.

The Magen Avraham )תצד )או"ח says this is the source of our custom to stay awake the night of Shavuos, so as to compensate for this failure to awaken on time.

Perhaps their intention was to achieve that special connection only a Jew can attain through sleep. The mes-sage G-d sought to impart them was that it is truly a noble sentiment but only if it is coupled with an equal eagerness to awaken with vigor to conquer the day.

Rabbeinu Bechaye quotes a Midrash that says that our original verse of ויחן and Israel encamped, refers to ,ישראלסבא our Zaide Yisroel, Yaakov ,ישראל Avinu.

Wasn’t it Yaakov who symbolically

collected twelve stones, symbolizing the twelve tribes that miraculously became one as he bedded down for the first time after fourteen years of uninterrupted study in the Bais Midrash of Shem and Ever, upon his return to Charan?

He lies down to sleep experiencing the marvelous vision of the ֻסָלם, the lad-der of angels ascending and descending. We are taught that the סלם, the ladder, is none other than סיני, Mount Sinai, both numerically equivalent to 130.

Then he suddenly awakens.המ נורא מה ויאמר משנתו יעקב ־ויקץ

טז( כח )בראשית ידעתי לא ואנכי הזה ,קום Yaakov awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely G-d is present in this place and I did not know!”

He sleeps restoratively, for he is aware that he must yet face the arduous challenge of survival against the forces of Esav who seek to destroy him in their quest for validation. He will encounter the forces of Lavan who strive to quash Yaakov’s ambition by lording over him and subjecting Yaakov to serving as his shepherd under the most difficult of terms.

Yaakov guides us by displaying his consciousness of recharging our spiritu-al batteries through sleep but awakened by a startling higher sense of purpose and mission. Yesterday’s accomplish-ments are the starting point for tomor-row’s achievement.

We must always face “Mount Sinai”, never succumbing to the temptation to look back at our successes with com-placent satisfaction nor dwelling on our prior failures with dejection and depres-sion.

With this attitude the differences be-tween us will diminish and our ability to move forward with a restored sense of confidence instilled by our nurturing Fa-ther in Heaven will increase.

If we can live by this knowledge we will sleep soundly and awaken like a lion in service of our beloved Creator, fulfilling His will and His fervent desire for our happiness.

Whether we select to stay up the en-tire night of Shavuos or not, is one’s per-sonal choice, but the more vital lesson we must take away from Shavuos is that it is time to finally ‘Wake Up’!

Happy Shavuos!

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Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim-Talmudical Academy’s 99th Banquet Celebrates the Past as it Looks to the Future

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn Photo credit: Esky Cook [email protected].


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After Stabbing Attack Baltimore Community Unites In Walk Against Crime (Photo Essay)By:Isaac Draiman BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

BT SpotlightPhoto Credit Marc Summerfield

June 8, 2016 - In the aftermath of the Memorial Day muggings at knife point, the Baltimore community was again shaken by violent crime. At about 3:30 am early Tuesday morn-ing there was a home invasion on Cheswolde. The suspect gained entry to a community member’s home and brutally stabbed him once in the left side of his stomach. Thankfully, the injury was non-life threatening. The victim, Max Liskovich, was transport-ed to Sinai Hospital where he under-went surgery. Reports are that at this juncture the victim is in stable condi-tion and improving.

The suspect - who apparently en-tered through a back patio door - is de-scribed by the victim as a black male, bald, thin build, and at the time was wearing a light blue shirt.

Cheswolde Neighborhood Asso-ciation, Vice President Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer, who is also the NW liaison to the States Attorney’s office, imme-diately went to work bringing together law enforcement officials and resi-

dents of the Cheswolde community. Over 100 community members gath-ered at Yitzy’s home on Tuesday eve-ning to hear directly from Baltimore City Police Department command staff with details on how the BPD are addressing the increase in crime and specifically the recent home invasion.

In attendance at the Police-Com-munity walk against crime, were Bal-timore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis, NWD Major Lewis, Northern District Major Gibson, NWD Captain Yerg and many other officers and de-tectives. Police commanders assured the community they will be increasing patrols in our area and will be beefing up coverage over the upcoming three

day Shavuos holiday.Many in the community attribute

sparse police visibility and slow 911 response time to the uptick in crime in the community. Baltimore Shom-rim Safety Patrol, Senior Operations Coordinator, Ron Rosenbluth, com-mended Yitzy on this initiative. “The

message we are sending to the crim-inals is that, enough is enough. By bringing public attention to the issue and demonstrating to the highest level of the Police department the need for additional Police resources, Yitzy is accomplishing his goal of a safer and more secure neighborhood.”


Roz and Marvin Weiner(l-r) SPOTLIGHT Co-Chairs Marty ‘94 and

Vered ‘95 Taylor, Myra and Bill Fox Idan Raichel

(l-r) Searle Mitnick, Rony Natanzon, Jonathan Mitnick ‘94, Deborah Mitnick

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Skulener Rebbe, Shlita, Klausenberger Rebbe, Shlita and Other Gedolei Admorim and Rabbanim Attend Dirshu Siyumim on Seder Nashim in Brooklyn

Monsey Siyum Addressed by Rav Avrohom Schorr and Rav Zev SmithBy Chaim Gold

A massive crowd joined the Skulener Rebbe, shlita, the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, shlita, and other prominent Ad-morim and Rabbanim to celebrate the Dirshu siyum on Seder Nashim in the Daf Yomi cycle at the Ateres Chynka Hall in Brooklyn.

Undoubtedly, the highlight of the event was the hadran delivered by the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, shlita, fol-lowed by Kaddish recited by the Skulen-er Rebbe, shlita.

When the Skulener Rebbe – who rarely leaves his home and beis me-drash - slowly entered the hall there was a palpable hush and electricity in the room. The fact that the Rebbe made the tremendous effort to come, infused the many hundreds of Dirshu lomdim and test takers with profound chizuk at the realization of how much the senior Gedolim of our generation value their accomplishments and what their efforts and those of their wives are doing for the entire Klal Yisrael.

The joyous, impulsive dancing was made even more inspiring by the shining countenance of the Skulener Rebbe, who despite his age and infirmity, enthusiasti-cally danced accompanied by the seem-ingly endless rows of people dancing and clapping their hands. The simchas haTo-rah of the mesaymim filled the air.

Klausenberger Rebbe: Hundreds of World Class Talmidei Chachomim in Galus America

In his Hadran Drasha, the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, shlita, said that he was profoundly moved that in ‘Galus America’ we have merited to have so many Yidden learning and constantly reviewing to the extent that they are able to be tested on masechta after masechta. He explained how his illustrious father, the previous Klausenberger Rebbe, zy”a, would say that it is a far greater accom-plishment for a person living in America to be tested on Masechtos than a person living in Eretz Yisrael, where the society is more Torah-oriented.

Rav Weinberger: No Such Thing as “Microwave Talmidei Chachomim”

The special guest speaker was HaRav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, Rav of Agu-

das Yisrael of Flatbush and R”M at Me-sivta Shalom Shachne. Rav Weinberger eloquently explained how, when a per-son pressures himself to excel in yedias haTorah he can achieve greatness. “We live in the microwave generation. People think they can become microwave talmi-dei chachamim overnight without invest-ment of time and effort. They want to be fed the entire Torah in twenty minutes or less! I feel small in front of the talmidei chachamim in this room who have in-vested so much toil and effort into their learning.”

Rav Olewski: The Creation of a New Entity, “The Dirshu Home”

HaRav Dovid Olewski, shlita, the Gerer Rosh Yeshiva, explained that “Dir-shu has created a new entity called, ‘A Dirshu home.’ A Dirshu home is one in which Torah and particularly the Torah growth of the husband and father is par-amount. When there is a family simcha or other obligation, the daily learning and chazarah come first. This creates a new entity called a Dirshu woman, who sacrifices her husband’s assistance with the children and other comforts because the ol Torah, the yoke of Torah, is par-amount. This in turn creates a Dirshu child, a child who learns from the young-est age that Torah comes before every-

thing!”Rav Hofstedter: The Only Anti-

dote is YegiahRav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita, Nasi

of Dirshu, explained that to achieve a true kinyan in Torah it is not sufficient to go through the Daf just to say, ‘I have another Masechta under my belt.’ In order to have a true kinyan in Torah a person must toil and work hard. This is what Dirshu Kinyan Torah learners have achieved. The only way we can fight against today’s considerable yetzer haras is through true yegiah in Torah.”

HaRav Shlomo Cynamon, shlita, Rav of Kehal Bnei Torah, Rosh Kollel Dirshu Flatbush, was honored with be-ginning Masechta Bava Kama.

One of the moving, very personal moments of the evening was when the Chairman, Rav Leibish Langer, R”M at Yeshiva Darchei Torah, related how the sefarim teach that when a person makes a simcha his parents come from the next world to participate in the simcha. “I am sure that at this siyum, a true simcha shel mitzvah, both my mother and the mother of Rav Hofstedter are present.” He explained that the two women were cousins who suffered through the hor-rors of Auschwitz together. At the very end of the war, during the death march when they were informed that they were headed straight to the gas chambers, Rav Langer’s mother pulled Rav Hofstedter’s mother out of the line. Together, they ran to the forest and were liberated by the Americans two days later.

Rav Hofstedter, in his remarks, con-tinued by saying that the girls were only able to remain alive due to his mother’s mesiras nefesh not to eat chometz on Pe-sach. “She was forced to hide her Pesach

rations. It was that bread that kept the girls alive on the death march as they awaited their liberation. Thus,” Rav Hof-stedter exclaimed, “We are only here to-night at this siyum in the zechus of the mesiras nefesh of these two women.”

Large Crowd of Lomdei Dirshu and Their Wives Attend Monsey Si-yum

On Monday Rosh Chodesh Sivan, hundreds of lomdei Dirshu from Monsey and Shikun Skver gathered for a beauti-ful siyum and seudas mitzvah. Drashos were given by HaRav Avrohom Schorr, shlita, Rav of Kehal Tiferes Yaakov of Flatbush, HaRav Zev Smith, shlita, Maggid Shiur Irgun Shiurei Torah and Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Nasi Dirshu.

There were also hundreds of Dirshu wives in attendance and indeed in his passionate address, one of the things Rav Schorr addressed was the impact Dir-shu has on the entire family. He asked, “How do kids in today’s world know what is really important and what isn’t? The school may be able to impart book knowledge but seeing how their parents conduct themselves is the ultimate teach-er. When a child sees that the entire home is focused around the husband’s and fa-ther’s learning seder, chazara and prepa-ration for tests, the entire home becomes a manifestation of Torah. This ability to seek out Torah and to love Torah is trans-mitted to the children.”

Another powerful address that riv-eted the hundreds of attendees was giv-en by Rav Zev Smith. He recalled Rav Pam speaking at an emotional maamad and saying, ‘A small person with a small heart but so many feelings.’

“I wonder,” Rav Smith thundered, “what he would say tonight. I look around and see Shas in front of me. I see tens of thousands of hours of limud haTorah, of yegiah in Torah. So many feelings!”

Indeed, the overwhelming feeling of all Dirshu participants at the siyumim in Brooklyn and Monsey was, “Ashreinu, how fortunate are we! Paraphrasing the Mishnah in Avos they say, “We are fortu-nate in this world and it is good for us in the next world too!”

HaRav Moshe Weinberger, Keynote Speaker at the Dirshu Brooklyn Siyum

View of the nearly 1,000 participants at the Dirshu Siyum in Ateres Chynka, Brooklyn

Dirshu

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How Accurate are Arab Figures?

Some argue that the Arab popula-tion will soon surpass the number of Jews in Israel. But recent studies cast doubt upon the Palestinian Authority’s alleged population figures, which some

experts claim have been massively in-flated and which allegedly mask mas-sive emigration figures.

At a special meeting on Tuesday of the Knesset Subcommittee of Civ-il Affairs and Security in Judea and Samaria, initiated by Subcommittee Chairman MK Moti Yogev (Jewish Home), the head of the IDF’s Civil Ad-ministration admitted he had no idea how many Arabs live in the region.

Lt. Col. Ayal Ze’evi told MKs he didn’t have any firm statistics on the number of Palestinian Arabs living in Area C – the region of Judea and Sa-maria under full Israeli control and where all Jewish communities in Ju-dea-Samaria are located.

Furthermore, a representative of the Immigration and Population Au-thority admitted that his office has “no figures concerning the matter of emi-gration abroad from the Arabs of Judea and Samaria over the past decade.”

The topic of emigration is a crucial one, given recent claims that the Arab

population in Judea and Samaria is actually shrinking as many seek better employment opportunities outside the corrupt Palestinian Authority in the Gulf States and elsewhere.

MK Yogev explained that with-out establishing precise figures on the Palestinian Arab population it would be impossible “to adapt the infrastruc-ture, for example, or the numbers of schools, to the appropriate numbers.” When he served as the commander of the IDF’s Efrai Brigade in Samaria, he was “responsible for [the Palestinian Authority-ruled cities] Kalkilya and Tulkarem, and we knew the precise number of residents.”

Lt. Col. Ze’evi said that the only figures he had were from the Pales-tinian Authority, whose Population Registry claims there are some 2.93 million Arabs in Judea and Samaria holding PA identity cards, excluding the Arab population of Jerusalem, who hold Israeli residency permits. But he noted the PA’s figures were not at all

transparent, and there is no way to in-dependently verify their accuracy. He also pointed out that many Palestinian families register their children at the Population Registry and then leave the region, resulting in an inflated count.

In contrast, a recent survey re-vealed how the Jewish population of Judea and Samaria continues to grow rapidly, defying U.S.-imposed build-ing freezes and waves of Arab terror-ism.

Bibi Denies Frenchman’s Claims

It’s the same in politics all over the world. It all comes down to money and a lot of pointed fingers.

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The controversy over contribu-tions to Israeli Prime Minister Bin-yamin Netanyahu by a French tycoon on trial for fraud deepened on Tues-day after the Frenchman disputed the premier’s version of events. On Mon-day, the prime minister acknowledged that Arnaud Mimran, currently on trial in Paris, had given him $40,000. He insisted, though, that it had all been done according to the law and that the 2001 donation was not politi-cal and did not occur while he was in public office. According to the prime minister’s office, the money was for a fund for Netanyahu’s public activi-ties, which included media appearanc-es and travel abroad to promote Israel. A political contribution of that size would exceed Israel’s campaign fi-nance limits.

But Mimran remembers some-thing different. He told Isra-el’s Channel 10 television late on Monday that the amount was actual-ly some 170,000 euros ($193,000), transferred to Netanyahu’s personal account.

He also said that previous reports that he had contributed one mil-lion euros were incorrect.

“First of all, I never said one million euros; I said one million,” Mimran corrected. “It was in 2001, so it was one million French francs – 170,000 euros. I still have the bank statements, from Arnauld Mimran, my personal account, to Binyamin Netanyahu, his personal account.”

Mimran also said in the interview that he had financed trips to France for Netanyahu and his family after the Israeli leader had already re-turned to politics.

Netanyahu left the prime minis-ter’s office in 1999 after being de-feated by Labor’s Ehud Barak. In 2002, he became foreign minister in then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s

government. He also lost the Likud primary to Sharon in 2002.

Mimran is one of the main de-fendants in a trial in Paris over an alleged scam amounting to 283 mil-lion euros involving the trade of car-bon emissions permits and the taxes on them. The tycoon’s allegations against Netanyahu are the latest fo-cused on his spending.

Last month, the Israeli state comptroller issued a critical report on Netanyahu’s foreign trips, some with his wife and children, in 2003-2005 when he was finance minister.

Bibi and Putin Shake Hands

It was smiles and handshakes for Prime Minister Netanyahu and Rus-sian President Vladimir Putin as they met in Moscow to mark 25 years since the renewal of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

After the meeting, the two leaders spoke at a press conference to reflect on the relations between Israel and Russia. “The conversations with the prime minister were constructive,” said President Putin. “We had a dis-cussion on bilateral relations and about international problems. Netanyahu is visiting here to mark 25 years since the renewal of diplomatic relations between Russia and Israel and our re-lations are deeper. The Soviet Union was the first country to recognize Is-rael as an independent state in 1948. In our statement, we mentioned that in the past quarter century, our relations developed in a quick and constructive way.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu also emphasized the strong relations be-tween the two countries, saying, “We concluded a comprehensive, useful,

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The Week In News work meeting for both sides...” Turn-ing to Putin, Netanyahu continued, “I would like to thank you for the coop-eration in these fields, and all of the fields which we are pushing forward with in a cooperation you described so well: We celebrate 25 years of re-newed diplomatic relations between (our) states today. I remember those days. Those first few years and what preceded them. I was at the meeting between Yitzhak Shamir and Andrei Gromyko [Former Soviet Foreign Minister] in New York… We will never forget the Russian people and the Red Army’s part in the East, and their part in the West in defeating the Nazis.”

Just moments before the press conference took place, Putin sudden-ly surprised Netanyahu when he told him to wait so that he could take him for a personal tour around the Krem-lin. During the tour, Putin showed Netanyahu the different halls and showed him various items depicting figures from the bible. He also treated Netanyahu to a history lesson about the Kremlin and about the signifi-cance of the various symbols.

It is expected that during the visit an agreement will be signed which will enable citizens who moved from former Soviet Bloc countries to Isra-el in 1992 to be eligible for Russian pensions. This agreement is meant to fix a historic injustice whereby Jews who left the former Soviet Union were forced to give up their Soviet citizenship, thereby making them un-able to receive their pensions.

The agreement has already been signed by Israeli Minister Ze’ev El-kin and The Minister of Labor and Social Protection, Maxim Topilin. It will begin once it is ratified by the Russian courts.

Bangladesh Says Israel behind Attacks

On Tuesday, the Bangladeshi min-ister finally found a culprit for a string of gruesome killings in his country. The force behind the attacks that just

recently killed a 70-year-old Hindu priest? Israel’s Mossad.

While the minister tried to portray the recent attacks as part of a conspir-acy involving the Israeli espionage agency, security forces waged deadly gun battles with members of a home-grown jihadist group, who many sur-mise are behind the attacks.

Speaking to AFP on Tuesday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan

again linked the main opposition Ban-gladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to the attacks, saying they were part of a wider conspiracy that also involved Mossad. “These killings are part of a national and international conspiracy. Those who are carrying out these in-cidents are communicating with Mos-sad,” he claimed.

“You must have noticed that an Is-raeli intelligence agent had a meeting

with a politician, it does not need to be verified further. All Bangladeshi know about it,” he also said, accord-ing to the BBC.

A senior BNP official was charged with sedition last month for allegedly plotting against the state when he met an Israeli government adviser.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman in Jerusalem told the BBC the allega-tions were “utter drivel.”

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Bangladeshi authorities have been coming under mounting international pressure to end the string of attacks on religious minorities and secular activists that have left more than 40 people dead in the last three years. Authorities have blamed homegrown Islamists for the attacks, which have surged in recent weeks, rejecting claims of responsibility from the Is-lamic State (IS) group and a South Asia branch of al-Qaeda.

IS claimed the latest victim, Hin-du priest Ananda Gopal Ganguly. The group said it “assassinated” the priest as he was walking to prayers. Farmers discovered Ganguly’s body in a rice field near his home. Investigators said the murder bore the hallmarks of re-cent attacks by local Islamist extrem-ists who have carried out ten other similar killings in the last ten weeks.

Although most of the recent at-tacks have been claimed by IS or the local offshoot of al-Qaeda, Bangla-desh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasi-na’s government has blamed its do-mestic opponents for the attacks.

Bangladesh is officially secular, although around 90 percent of Ban-gladesh’s 160 million-strong popula-tion is Muslim.

The Haute Dog

At the Maille Mustard Mobile truck in Australia, customers can line

up for their lunchtime frankfurter and French fries. But it’s going to cost them.

The upscale food truck is attempt-ing to unite fast food and haute cui-sine with a series of gourmet mustards and hotdogs. But while most of their menu items cost an already pricey $10 to $20, they’re also offering a $73 hot dog creation called the Haute Dog.

Why is this lowly wiener so cost-ly?

Well, it’s made out of Australian angus beef sausage and stuffed into a fluffy brioche bun. But what real-ly makes this hot dog not real street food is its mustard. The Haute Dog is topped with a black truffle-infused mustard, and comes with a 100ml jar of the mustard on the side. Since 100ml jars of the Maille black truffle mustard sell for $73 a pop and can only be purchased at a handful of bou-tique stores around the world, it’s al-most a bargain.

Think people Down Under will be too frugal to spend on their lunchtime fare? Think again. “It is a very tasty, very sought after mustard,” Maille’s Joe Barrs said. “We had a tub of it air freighted to us about a month ago ... and we’ve sold out.”

Hey, anything’s better than a Vegemite sandwich.

A Streak in Miami

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The Week In News

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chances are you’ve seen Robert “Ra-ven” Kraft. Kraft runs eight miles along the beach every day – and I mean every single day.

He’s been doing the trek since 1975 and welcomes strangers to join him. You won’t be alone. More than 3,000 people have done the run with Kraft, including the late Muhammad Ali. Grab your sneakers and work off that cheesecake!

Interestingly, running every sin-gle day actually has a name: streak running. The United States Running Streak Association keeps a regularly updated tally of people who run every day for years on end. Kraft’s streak is one of the longest on record – eighth in the nation – and he insists on run-ning much farther than the one-mile minimum for streakers.

Who has the longest streak in the U.S.? Jon Sutherland of California started his streak on May 26, 1969. I don’t envy his sneakers.

$4.9M for 1

He’s da one in Dubai.This past weekend, a license plate

bearing the number one was auctioned off in the United Arab Emirates to Emirati businessman Arif Ahmed al-Zarouni. The price tag? A mere $4.9 million.

After the sale, al-Zarouni boasted, “My ambition is always to be number one.” Sometimes you gotta pay for it.

Sadly, though, al-Zarouni is not the only number one around. Al-though Al-Zarouni’s bid was 18 times the reserve price, it is not the highest sum that has been paid for a collec-tor’s registration plate in the UAE. In 2008, $14.2 million was paid at auc-

tion for the number one plate of the richest of the UAE’s seven emirates, Abu Dhabi.

Zarouni’s plate is for Sharjah, the third-richest emirate.

Sixty sought-after plates were up for sale at Saturday’s auction. The most popular numbers were 12, 22, 50, 100, 333, 777, 1000, 2016, 2020 and 99999. The auction made a total of $13.6 million.

That’s the price for being number one.

6 Months of Our Lives on Our Clothes

Running late in the morning? That’s probably because you can’t de-cide what to wear. Does this skirt go with this top? Should I wear a vest? What about my shoes? Hmm, I just can’t decide.

Turns out, you’re not the only one contemplating your closet. According to Marks and Spencer, the UK cloth-ing retailer, women spend about 17 minutes staring at their closets every day. Add up all those minutes per day from age 18 to 60 and, according to the Daily Mail, women spend around 6 months of their lives deciding what to wear. I guess they never lived with a teenager…

Men don’t waste as much time as women, but they still can’t decide on their clothes in a flash – unless they’re Mark Zuckerberg. The aver-age man spends 13 minutes a day on his clothes, or four months over their lifetime.

Want to know what Steve Jobs, Zuckerberg and Pee-wee Herman have in common? A monotonous

wardrobe. No wonder they’re so successful.

“Can you Hear Me Now?”

Well, I’m sure Verizon is lis-tening closely.

You may not know Paul Marcarelli by name, but you certainly know him by his voice and his classic line: “Can you hear me now?” For eight years, Marcarelli, wear-ing a gray Verizon jacket and

his own rimmed glasses, was Verizon’s “test man,” wander-ing around the United States “testing” Verizon’s service.

But now Marcarelli has switched sides. Wearing a yellow shirt, Sprint’s color, and a black bomber jacket, Mar-carelli is the focus of the “Paul Switched” Sprint ads.

“It’s 2016, and every network is great. In fact, Sprint’s reli-ability is now within 1 percent of Verizon,” Marcarelli boasts, adding that Sprint offers cheap-er plans and that, like him, mil-lions of others have switched.

“Can you hear that?” he asks.

Perhaps Verizon should’ve have treated Marcarelli better. It’s been said that they fired him via email. We’re certain-ly hearing a tinge of revenge, Paul.

The Week In News

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JUNE 9, 2016 | The Jewish Home118

A Fulfilled L fe

No Child Left Behind

By Rabbi Naphtali Hoff

A few years ago I had the priv-ilege of attending a seminar for school leaders delivered

by Dr. Rick Lavoie. Dr. Lavoie is an internationally recognized expert with a particular expertise in the area of special education.

One of the key thrusts of his ad-dress focused on inclusion, that schools should be more receptive to meeting the needs of “special” chil-dren. He implored us, as school lead-ers, to orchestrate a paradigm shift within our institutions by raising the inclusionary banner. We need to im-press upon our teachers the need to assist these children and empower them to do so most effectively.

Some of the ideas that he pre-sented relate to how we perceive children with special needs. In his words, “these kids aren’t problems, they have problems.” The same way that we demonstrate compassion and understanding for children who are physically handicapped or are en-during a health crisis, lo aleinu, we must also be highly considerate of children with learning handicaps.

Sometimes this consideration must be in the form of not taking their behaviors personally, even when they exhibit disruptive or defi-ant conduct. Dr. Lavoie reminded us that “hurt people hurt people,” and that kids need love most when they deserve it least, simply because they may not get it elsewhere, or that their entire school experience has been one of shame and failure.

He also reiterated a truism that we all know but often forget – that fairness is not synonymous with equality. Rather, fairness means to give everyone what they need; we simply cannot approach education from the perspective that one size fits all. We must be flexible, resilient and willing to try new ideas. He quoted the words that once hung in FDR’s office: “Do something. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn’t work, do something else.”

There is another aspect to special education that is often overlooked, namely the significant impact that these children have on their fami-lies. Dr. Lavoie shared two reveal-

ing pieces of information that shed much light on these challenges. One was a study that concluded that “the parental reaction to the diagnosis of learning disabilities is more severe and more profound than any other diagnosis.” This statement includes diagnoses of handicap, severe ill-ness, and debilitation.

This reaction is so strong that nine times out of ten, parents engage in some form of coping mechanism before arriving at a level of accep-tance of a special needs diagnosis. Responses include, but are not limit-ed to, denial (nothing’s wrong, it’ll go away), blame (someone is at fault for this), mourning (what will become of him? Will he ever achieve indepen-dence?), anger, guilt, and envy (it’s not fair; why me?).

A primary reason for this resis-tance relates to the onset; there is typically no warning for the first con-versation with school staff to discuss a child’s challenges. Parents who thought that their child was fine and generally capable are suddenly faced with a new, daunting reality.

He then offered a startling statis-tic to reinforce just how much of an effect such children can have on their families. While the average divorce rate in U.S. is (a not insignificant) 45%, 71% of families with severe special needs kids will divorce or at least separate for extended periods! He concluded by restating the need for the educational community to do what it can to not only meet these children’s academic and emotional requirements, but to offer support to their families, the people that live with these children and are often consumed by their needs.

The importance of each individ-ual is certainly something that we are all aware of. We know from the very outset in this week’s parsha that Hashem loves each of us, inde-pendently and collectively, and views our very existence as an opportunity to demonstrate that love.

The L-rd spoke to Moshe … say-ing, “Take the sum of all the con-gregation of the children of Israel, by families following their fathers’

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119The Jewish Home | JUNE 9, 2016

Hashem loves each of us, independently and collectively, and views our

very existence as an opportunity to demonstrate that love.

houses; a head count of every male according to the number of their names.” (Bamidbar 1:1-2) Because they were dear to Him, He counted them often. When they left Egypt … when [many] fell because [of the sin] of the golden calf … when He came to cause His Divine Presence to rest among them … on the first of Iyar, He counted them. (Rashi to verse 2)

But sometimes we get so bogged down by our own needs and respon-sibilities, and forget that to be part of His nation means to share His devo-tion, compassion and love with every Jew, particularly those who need it most.

Rav Shmuel Kaminetsky, shli-ta, addressed the convention a few hours after Dr. Lavoie’s session had concluded. He commented that kab-olas haTorah was experienced not by individuals, but by an entire nation, millions of people who stood around Har Sinai with a singular sense of

purpose and destiny. They journeyed from Rephidim,

and they arrived in the desert of Si-nai, and they encamped in the des-ert, and Israel encamped there op-

posite the mountain. (Shemos 19:2) And Israel encamped there: [using the singular form, denoting that they encamped there] as one man with one heart. (Rashi ibid)

Unity and communal connectivi-ty are prerequisites for receiving the

Torah. They speak directly to its fun-damental status as a national Guide, a means through which we learn to better interact and appreciate one another. They also serve as the basis

for our own personal acquisition of its wisdom. “The knowledge of the Torah can be acquired only in asso-ciation with others.” (Berachos 63b)

There is no question that Dr. La-voie’s appeal is easier said than

done. Not only does it require a par-adigm shift, a fundamental change in the way that we think about education, but it also demands a commitment to support, academ-ically, socially, and emotionally, those who we have thus far viewed as nuisances to avoid rather than challenges to embrace. But if we, as a community, are to fully em-brace the concept of providing our children with a meaningful Jewish education, then we cannot be satis-fied with meeting the needs of only those who fit more readily within the educational box.

Rabbi Naphtali Hoff is an executive coach and consultant and President of Impactful Coaching & Consulting (www.ImpactfulCoaching.com). He can be reached at (212) 470-6139 or at [email protected].

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Political Crossfire

Lovable Bernie Whacks Israel

By Charles Krauthammer

That would bring the terror war, quite fatally, to the very heart of Israel – Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ben Gurion Airport.

Part of Bernie Sanders’ charm is that for all of his arm-wav-ing jeremiads, he appears un-

threatening. He’s the weird old un-cle in the attic, Larry David’s crazy Bernie. It’s almost a matter of style. Who can be afraid of a candidate so irascible, grumpy, old-fashioned and unfashionable?

After all, he’s not going to win the nomination, so what harm can he do? A major address at the party convention? A say in the vice presidential selection? And who reads party platforms anyway?

Well, platforms may not immediately affect a particular campaign. But they do express, quite literally, the party line, a written record of its ideological trajectory.

Which is why two of Sanders’ appointments to the 15-member platform committee are so stunning. Professor Cornel West not only has called the Israeli prime minister a war criminal but openly supports the BDS movement (boycott, di-vestment and sanctions), the most important attempt in the world to ostracize and delegitimize Israel.

West is joined on the committee by the longtime pro-Palestinian activist James Zogby. Together, reported The New York Times, they “vowed to upend what they see as the party’s lopsided support of Is-rael.”

This seems a gratuitous provocation. Sanders hardly made Israel central to his campaign. He did call Israel’s response in the 2014 Gaza war “disproportionate”

and said “we cannot continue to be one-sided.” But now Sanders seeks to permanently alter – i.e. weak-en – the relationship between the Democratic Party and Israel, which has been close and supportive since Harry Truman recognized the world’s only Jewish state when it de-clared independence in May 1948.

West doesn’t even pretend, as do some left-wing “peace” groups, to be opposing Israeli policy in order to save it from itself. He makes the simpler case that occupation is un-conscionable oppression and that until Israel abandons it, Israel de-serves to be treated like apartheid South Africa – anathematized, cut off, made to bleed morally and eco-nomically. The Sanders appointees wish to bend the Democratic plat-form to encourage such diminish-ment unless Israel redeems itself by liberating Palestine.

This is an unusual argument for a Democratic platform committee, largely because it is logically and morally perverse. Israel did in fact follow such high-minded advice in 2005: It terminated its occupation and evacuated Gaza. That earned it (temporary) praise from the West. And from the Palestinians? Not peace, not reconciliation, not normal relations but a decade of unrelenting terrorism and war.

Israel is now being asked – pressured – to repeat that same disaster on the West Bank. That would bring the terror war, quite fatally, to the very heart of Israel – Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ben Gurion Airport. Israel is now excoriated for

declining that invitation to national suicide.

It is ironic that the most successful Jewish presidential candidate ever should be pushing the anti-Israel case. But perhaps not surprising considering Sanders’

ideological roots. He is old left – not the post-1960s, countercultural New Left. Why, the man honeymooned in the Soviet Union – not such fash-ionably cool communist paradises as Sandinista Nicaragua where Bill de Blasio went to work for the cause or Castro’s Cuba where de Blasio honeymooned. (Do lefties all use the same wedding planner?)

For the old left, Israel was simply an outpost of Western imperialism, Middle East division. To this day, the leftist consensus, most powerful in Europe (which remains Sanders’ ideological lodestar), holds that Israeli perfidy demands purification by Western chastisement.

Chastisement there will be at the Democratic platform committee. To be sure, Sanders didn’t create the Democrats’ drift away from Israel. It was already visible at the 2012 convention with the loud resistance

to recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. But Sanders is consciously abetting it.

The millennials who worship him and pack his rallies haven’t lived through – and don’t know – the history of Israel’s half-century

of peace offers. They don’t know of the multiple times Israel has offered to divide the land with an indepen-dent Palestinian state and been re-buffed.

Sanders hasn’t lifted a finger to tell them. The lovable old guy with the big crowds and no chance at the nomination is hardly taken seriously (except by Hillary Clinton, whose inability to put him away re-veals daily her profound political weakness). But when he makes plat-form appointees that show he does take certain things quite seriously, like undermining the U.S.-Israeli relationship, you might want to re-consider your equanimity about the magical mystery tour. It looks like Woodstock, but there is steel inside the psychedelic glove.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post

Writers Group

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12 Brilliant Ways To Keep Your Baltimore Apartment (or Home) Cool

Without Air Conditioning!Submitted by: Ben Schwartz | Founder

VacancyFillers.com

Real Estate

Let’s face it: It’s hot out, and it’s only going to get warmer as summer goes on. While it’s tempting to crank the AC or plant yourself in front of the nearest fan, these aren’t the only tricks to keeping cool. It turns out there are plenty of ways to buffer your home from the heat without racking up your electric bill. And they’ll make you feel like a DIY champ, too. Keep your cool, and… 1. Keep your blinds closed. As simple as this tip may seem, Fam-ily Handyman notes that up to 30 percent of unwanted heat comes from your windows, and utilizing shades, curtains and the like can save you up to 7 percent on your bills and lower indoor temperatures by up to 20 degrees. In other words, closing the blinds essentially prevents your home from becoming a miniature greenhouse, which is especially the case for south- and west-facing windows. 2. Be smart about your doors. Closing off rooms will prevent the cool air from permeating these areas during the hottest part of the day. You’ll want to capitalize on the cooler night hours, too, letting air flow naturally through your home. 3. Hack a fan instead of turning on the AC. Not even an air conditioner can give off a faux sea breeze... but this simple trick can. Fill a mixing bowl with ice (or something equally cold, like an ice pack) and position it at an angle in front of a large fan, so that the air whips off the ice at an extra-chilled,

extra-misty temperature. Trust us: it’s magic. 4. Swap your sheets. Not only does seasonally switching up your bedding freshen up a room, it’s a great way to keep cool. While textiles like flannel sheets and fleece blankets are fantastic for insulation, cotton is a smarter move this time of year as it breathes easier and stays cooler. And as an added bonus, buy yourself a buckwheat pillow or two. Because buckwheat hulls have a naturally occurring air space between them, they won’t hold on to your body heat like conventional pillows, even when packed together inside a pillow case. 5. Set your ceiling fans to rotate counter-clockwise. Whether you know it or not, your ceiling fan needs to be adjusted sea-sonally. Set counter-clockwise in the summer at a higher speed, the fan’s airflow will create a wind-chill breeze effect that will make you and your guests “feel” cooler. 6. Focus on the temperature in your body, not the house. If your ancestors survived without air conditioning, so can you. From sipping tasty iced drinks to applying a cold cloth to strong-pulsed areas like your neck and wrists, cooling yourself from the inside out is not a bad idea. Other tricks include being smart about your clothing choic-es and telling your partner you won’t be cuddling until the leaves start changing color. 7. Turn on your bathroom fans. ...or the exhaust fan in your kitchen,

for that matter. Both of these pull the hot air that rises after you cook or take a steamy shower out of your apartment. 8. Heat-proof your bed. Go straight to the source, and put a cool-inducing Chillow under your head while you sleep. For feet, fill a hot water bottle and put it in the freezer before placing at the foot of your bed. And it sounds strange, but slightly dampening your sheets before bedtime will majorly help you chill out. 9. Let the night air in. During the summer months, tempera-tures may drop during the night. If this is the case where you live, make the most of these refreshing hours by cracking the windows before you go to bed. You can even create a wind tunnel by strategically setting up your fans to force the perfect cross breeze. Just be sure to close the windows (and the blinds) before things get too hot in the morning. 10. Ditch the incandescent lights. If you ever needed motivation to make the switch to CFLs, or compact fluorescent lamps, this is it. Incandes-cent bulbs waste about 90 percent of their energy in the heat they emit, so tossing them to the curb will make a small difference in cooling your home while lowering your electric bill.

11. Start grilling. It’s obvious, but we’re going to say it anyway: Using your oven or stove in the summer will make your house hotter. If it already feels like +100 degrees in your home, the last thing you want to do is turn on a -400degree oven. Besides, who doesn’t want to get more mileage out of their outdoor furniture and seasonal accessories? 12. Make a few long-term improve-ments. If you’re really, really committed to the whole no-AC thing, you can make a couple changes to your home that will keep it cooler for seasons to come. Insulated win-dow films, for example, are a smart purchase as they work similarly to blinds. And additions like awnings and planted trees or vines on or in front of light-facing windows will shield your home from the sun’s rays, reduce the amount of heat your home absorbs and make your investment nothing but worthwhile.

Are you wasting time, money and patience trying to find a tenant for your vacant property? Are you constantly being distracted from you family and career, and stressed because you are not getting results from your current placement efforts? VacancyFillers.com can help! We are your one-call tenant placement solution! For more information, please visit: www.vacancyfillers.com or call 443.333.1853

http://www.familyhandyman.com/smart-homeowner/energy-saving-tips/how-to-save-energy-and-cut-cooling-costs/view-all

http://www.familyhandyman.com/smart-homeowner/energy-saving-tips/how-to-save-energy-and-cut-cooling-costs/view-all

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24757144

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/beating-the-heat-with-low-tech-122423

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/beating-the-heat-with-low-tech-122423

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/11/nanette-lepore-new-bedding-collection_n_4933812.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/11/nanette-lepore-new-bedding-collection_n_4933812.html

http://www.ehow.com/about_5098051_benefits-buckwheat-pillows.html

http://www.ehow.com/about_5098051_benefits-buckwheat-pillows.html

http://lifehacker.com/397054/run-ceiling-fans-counter-clockwise-for-summer-savings

http://lifehacker.com/397054/run-ceiling-fans-counter-clockwise-for-summer-savings

https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=ceiling_fans.pr_ceiling_fans_usage

https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=ceiling_fans.pr_ceiling_fans_usage

http://greatist.com/happiness/tricks-to-sleep-in-the-heat



http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2013/11/06/10-ways-to-save-on-energy-costs-this-winter



http://www.amazon.com/Chillow-Original-Cooling-Pillow-Relief/dp/B0000V0E14



http://digg.com/video/how-to-stay-cool-during-the-night

http://digg.com/video/how-to-stay-cool-during-the-night

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/14-ways-to-keep-cool-in-your-home-without-air-conditioning.html?page=1

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/14-ways-to-keep-cool-in-your-home-without-air-conditioning.html?page=1

http://energycenter.org/article/seven-tips-keep-cool-and-lower-home-energy-bills

http://energycenter.org/article/seven-tips-keep-cool-and-lower-home-energy-bills

http://www.vacancyfillers.com/

http://www.vacancyfillers.com/

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home 65The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 201564

“In every situation of darkness you must see a little light, in every situation of life. G-d created darkness first and from that darkness He created the light.”

These are the words of Miriam Peretz and the philosophy

she lives by each day and every day. Since she was a little girl, Miriam made the best of every position she found herself in, whether as a house cleaner in Morocco at the age of eight or as the poorest of the new arrivals to Israel. That attitude has remained with her always; after her firstborn son Uri-el was killed in battle, after her beloved husband Eliezer died, and still after the trag-ic loss of her second son, Eli-raz. Today Miriam is bring-ing these messages of light to help strengthen others.

A FEELING OF APPRECIATION

Born in a Jewish ghet-to in Casablanca, Morocco, Miriam was 10-years-old when her parents immigrat-ed to Israel in 1963. The family made their way to an immigrant camp in Be’er Sheva. Miriam was the el-dest of five siblings, includ-ing a brother with Down syndrome whose care she later took over after her par-ents’ deaths.

Miriam’s family was poor but extremely proud. In Morocco, her mother was a servant for many years in the home of a great rabbinic family. Miriam was grate-ful for each hand-me-down and small treat she received from the family. Miriam herself was hard worker from a young age, cleaning her teacher’s home during her lunch break and using her money to buy corn for her siblings. Rather than feel shamed, she appreciated ev-ery opportunity, feeling only honor in the experience.

In Israel, Miriam was not embarrassed about needing help from the government,

feeling proud to live in a country that takes care of its poor. Always a hard work-er, she labored in the fields during school vacations. This not only deepened her connection to Israel but also earned her money to help her family.

When Miriam reached high school, she was initial-ly placed in the vocational program due to the language barrier, but was moved to the academic program through her great diligence and determination to suc-ceed. She attended Ben Gu-rion University on her path to becoming a teacher and eventually went on to be-come an Orthodox principal in a secular school of 1,200 students. Miriam worked tirelessly to infuse religion into the school system. She is currently serving as a su-pervisor in the Office of Ed-ucation of Israel.

While still in university, Miriam met Eliezer, an engi-neer and a fellow Moroccan, and they married soon after. Together, the Peretzs built a loving home and a full life with six children, starting

off in the seaside settlement of Sharm el-Sheikh. The family endured a heart-breaking displacement from the village in 1982 and sub-sequently resettled in the town of Givat Ze’ev.

When the Peretzs’ first-born son entered the Is-rael Defense Forces, the emotions of motherhood were heightened as Miriam wondered how her slender young boy could possibly be a soldier. Not only did Uri-el Peretz become a soldier, he was looked up to by his peers as a leader. He was ac-cepted into one of the IDF’s special combat forces, the Elite reconnaissance unit of the Golani infantry bri-gade, although at first only as a cook. Like his moth-er, Uriel was a determined hard worker. When the time came for him to finally be in the field, Miriam would lovingly remove thorns from his hands and feet each time he returned home, so very grateful that he was alive. Miriam and Eliezer watched with pride as Uriel con-tinued to rise through the ranks.

A TRIPLE LOSSIn 1988, tragedy hit the

Peretz family when they re-ceived the worst news any parents can hear: Uriel was killed in battle. First Lieu-tenant Uriel Peretz had led his troop on an ambush in southern Lebanon. Six ex-plosives had been hidden un-der a rock by Hezbollah and were detonated by remote control, killing Uriel instant-ly. It was his 22nd birthday.

The Peretz family was devastated. They cried, mourned and memorialized their fallen son and beloved older brother. Eliezer had led the construction project for the Sephardi congrega-tion in Givat Ze’ev and the synagogue had remained un-named for five years. After Uriel’s death, it was named Darchei Noam Synagogue in memory of Uriel Peretz. The tragedy strengthened their connection to each other; Eliezer and Miriam and their five children remained clos-er than ever.

Proud to follow in the footsteps of his older broth-er, Eliraz Peretz, was already seven months into the train-

Brokenbut WholeMiriam Peretz’s Story of Strength, Belief, and Inspiration By Tammy Mark

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ing program for the Golani reconnaissance unit when Uriel was killed. According to law, parents must give permission for another child to serve in combat in the IDF after the death of one child in battle. Second-born Eli-raz was always the livewire of the family; his energy knew no bounds and he was a born leader. Miriam and Eliezer did not want to pre-vent their son from fulfilling his ambitions, so despite their painful hesitation, they ultimately gave permission for Eliraz to continue to serve his country.

When Uriel was in tenth grade, Eliezer battled can-cer. Though he recovered, his general health declined. One month after Uriel’s death, Eliezer developed di-abetes. A year later he had a heart attack – he seemed to fall ill each year around the yahrtzeit. The cancer later returned, and on September 8, 2005, Eliezer succumbed to his illness. The anguished family sat shiva in the syna-gogue in Givat Ze’ev. Miriam says her husband died of a broken heart.

Miriam was left not only with the responsibility of the household and family that she shared with Eliezer but also with the mourning.

She drew on her reserves of strength again and again. Watching over her children motivated her to keep her moving forward.

Eliraz married and had four children, naming his first son Or-Chadash Uriel for his beloved older brother. He was a very dynamic and involved father. He was also a devoted friend who adopt-ed the children of Roi Klein who had died after jump-

ing on a grenade to save his own friends. Eliraz fought on many battlefronts but he kept the dangerous condi-tions from his mother.

Some 12 years after Uri-el’s death, on the eve of Pass-over, tragedy came to the Peretz family again, hitting even harder. On March 26, 2010, Eliraz was killed in an exchange of fire in the Gaza Strip. Not only did Miriam suffer the most tremendous loss twice, she was devastat-ed to witness her daughter-in-law, Shlomit, become a widow like her.

DANCING THROUGH PAIN

The book Miriam’s Song is a first-person account as told to Smadar Shir. A best-seller in Israel and recent-ly translated to English, it recounts the gripping story of Miriam and her person-al journey. Miriam’s most recent visit to the States on behalf of the OU organi-zation coincided with this publication and also includ-

ed stops at New York area yeshiva high schools, where she brought her empowering messages to young adults.

Though Miriam’s de-termination and strength is evident through her life story, words cannot con-vey her magnetic presence. Conversely, the warmth and charm that she exudes does not give an indication of her resilience. Wearing a huge smile and Eliezer’s wedding band alongside her own, it is apparent she is happy and full of life, yet still mourning with a broken heart.

One can’t help but won-der what compels Miriam to remain so strong – her upbringing, her parents, her nature, her belief in G-d? She believes it is a combina-tion of many things: first it’s the redhead in her, “Hashem created me with happiness. When I hear songs I begin to dance.”

She continues, “Some-thing in my background too. My life was not very simple;

I had to fight all of my life. I had to fight to learn, for my brothers – just to buy corn for them. I saw my family and something in my soul pushed me to take responsi-bility, not only for my life but also for the life of the people around me – my brothers, my community and my na-tion.”

When Miriam looks at her life she sees that G-d gave her many trials, with each one making her stron-ger than before. She likens it to a big box with many tools, and every trial provides her

with a new tool to cope with the situation at hand.

A MESSAGE OF INSPIRATION

Miriam cherishes the op-portunity to meet with peo-ple. Her life is full of love. “I love so much to live. I love my nation and my country. I love people and love to speak with them.”

She speaks to those that are grieving, soldiers and students, providing them all with appropriate messages and advice for their circum-stances. Miriam shares that for every situation that G-d gives us we can continue – it’s only a matter of choice.

She speaks with be-reaved families about how to grow from tragedy. “It is not easy to say that – it doesn’t sound normal – but each time [tragedy struck] I learned something about my strength. Sometimes I force myself to wake up, though it’s very easy to cry and stay in bed. People don’t like to hear other people cry all day. We want people to give us hope and help us to see the light.”

To the soldiers, she tells stories of leadership, tak-ing lessons from letters that Uriel’s soldiers wrote about him and his model of leader-

“Hashem created me with happiness. When I hear songs I begin to dance.”

Miriam with her sons, (from left to right) Avichai, Elyasaf and Eliraz

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ship. Some of the messages she shares are about being a human being before a leader – leaders must understand what people feel, to look into their eyes and know if they are happy or sad.

She helps the soldiers feel committed to the coun-try, reminding them that all people choose their own way and have control over their actions. “My parents dreamed about Eretz Yisra-el. I feel at home in Israel,” she shares with those who are defending their Land. She laments that her parents never felt that same comfort.

Miriam speaks to stu-dents about making good choices, that it’s a matter of will. She speaks about the responsibility to their own lives, asking them about the times they don’t succeed on an exam – did they get frustrated or push harder to succeed? Bravery is not only dying for your land, but also getting out of bed on a rainy day to serve G-d and pray. She explains that strength is displayed every day when you force yourself to do many little things, doing acts of chessed and being good peo-ple. She advises them not to waste time and not to break down over losing an iPhone or another minor difficulty – there will be many and they

can push through. Miriam challenges the students to look at their lives every day and ask what they can do to-day that is good for the class, the community, the nation and the country.

One story Miriam tells is of Uriel at age six. She describes her son as being pretty and delicate. He set off for the bus on the first day of school with a tremen-dous backpack filled with a

wood-covered siddur and a chumash, so heavy he could barely lift himself up the steps. When she retells the story, she asks young chil-dren why they think he had trouble, and they answer that the bag was heavy. Mir-iam corrects them and says that nothing is heavy in our lives, it’s only how we look at it. The stairs were high and his legs were small, but young Uriel said one simple sentence, “Mommy, I can do it.” That was his dictum in life.

Miriam admits that she struggled with math as a

child but chose to over-come it and go on to mas-ter it. “Everyone must look at themselves and see that Hashem gave us the ability, it’s a matter of attitude.” She encourages children to know that they have the ability to accomplish; we must all look at ourselves and unravel these abilities within.

Miriam views every-thing with an ayin tova, a good eye and in a positive

light. This attitude was ev-ident since childhood when she cleaned with vigor and joy at eight-years-old in her teacher’s home. She would learn about the world – for example, when cleaning an elephant statue, having nev-er seen one in real life, she would take the time to study it. As an adult, Miriam sees small miracles every day and is constantly reminded of the effect she can have on others.

CONNECTING THROUGH LOSS

Coming in contact with

so many people, Miriam ac-knowledges that everybody is not the same. She works to find the best way to con-nect with all types and reach out to them so they can hear her message. “When I come to speak with families that have lost their children, it is not normal, but they see that I continued and they see that they can continue.”

Miriam explains, “At first you can’t tell them these

things, so I tell them it will take time, and that we learn how to be bereaved parents with baby steps. One family can take one year, another two.” She admits that some moments in time are uni-versally difficult, like the first time lighting a candle or setting the table and your child is not there, “In this moment you want to be un-der the ground, you can’t ac-cept the picture of this chair that is empty. Moments throughout life like buying gifts, planning family cel-ebrations, or even eating your child’s favorite food –

how can you eat it?” Miriam questions. “But after that you continue – everyone has tools from their years on this earth. Some have many tools and others have never ex-perienced loss before.” But slowly, with strength, they will pull through.

She recognizes that the grieving process is differ-ent for all. One must learn to live again a little more each day – the first day to wake up, then get up and get dressed. She describes the pain of leaving the house after burying a child; one can’t understand how the world continues. “You want it all to stop. When you first see people in the street, you begin to cry.” How can the world be continuing in its normalcy while your world is broken?

Miriam also recognizes that there is not only one way to cope. All of her chil-dren, though they all have a passion for life, have differ-ent personalities. The Peretz children dealt with their losses in different ways. One daughter didn’t speak the names of Eliraz or Uriel for 16 years – but named her daughter Eliraz. Her Avi-chai continued to be fighter and wanted to be like them, following Eliraz’s military path.

“I also have days that I cry,” she admits. “I’m not Shimshon, I’m a mother.”

Miriam with Prime Minister Netanyahu With Haim and Cheryl Saban

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Her son, Eliyasaf, first mourned his brother keep-ing the death notice by his bed for six months. After that, he insisted on taking a trip and flew somewhere in the world. Miriam likened him to the biblical Jonah running from G-d. Though her family said he should stay put, she allowed him to go. Miriam reminded Eliyasaf to remember that when he went to India and Nepal and saw G-d in nature and all over, it is the same G-d that on the one hand took his brother but also created a beautiful world. He returned to her after one year.

Her daughter, Bat El, suf-fered a big trauma. She was eight when her older broth-er was taken from her and 16 when she lost her father. Three months before her wedding, Eliraz was killed. She was afraid of death and very fearful of everything, with crippling fear over-coming her during the birth of her first child. Once she pushed past her fears and gave birth, she finally knew she would be OK.

One family Miriam came to visit had lost their child in a recent Gaza operation. They asked her explain the meaning of the death. Mir-iam told them everything that she normally says, but the father in particular could not accept the message. She asked him what he does for a living and he explained that he works in insurance, assessing the percentage of disability for people injured in an accident. Miriam pre-sented the analogy to this grieving father in a way he could understand.

“From the moment you hear that your beloved son fell, you are handicapped, and it is a lifelong disability that you can’t change. But you can decide for yourself how much of a percentage of

disability you have – some days it may be 100%, like during celebrations and the holidays. And one day it will be low. Every day we all de-cide. Some days I thankfully feel there are zero disabili-ties.”

It’s not only to speak with them, Miriam says. “They see me, that I take responsi-bility for my life and didn’t go down. Many people ask me if death changed me – yes, I also learned to be a better person than I was before be-cause I know the meaning of evil. There is no more evil than to bury children. Be-cause I know the height of the evil, I teach myself every day to be a good person.”

She lives each day with

purpose and persistence, never resting. “I don’t want to waste my life.” She shares that her Eliraz was so much like her. “He had so much energy. Until the last day he only thought about other people.”

Miriam explains that she doesn’t rise despite of the tragedies but rather because of them. “You know, if my son Eliraz had one minute more to live maybe he could hear his daughter call him ‘Abba.’ I have this moment! So waste it? No!” She contin-ues, “Every day I ask myself what I can do to make this world better than it was be-fore. So if I can touch some-one, hug someone … then the world is a better place.”

Her bravery in the face of deep tragedy placed her in the role of a national hero-ine. Miriam’s phone is filled

with messages from peo-ple who write to her about their losses, saying they are strengthened by her words. She feels like a mentor for people who have lost some-one. Though she strengthens those around her daily, it is a role she wishes she didn’t have.

When lighting a public memorial torch for her sons, Miriam is told that she’s a symbol of strength and of those who love Israel, yet she misses what she was before – a mother with her six chil-dren in her house. She ac-cepts that G-d changed her life and she chooses to con-tinue on. She changes her perspective; instead of look-ing at her missing sons, she

looks at her grandchildren. “I’m just a woman – but

a woman whose willpower is so big. I have days that I also cry,” she admits. “I’m not Shimshon, I’m a mother.”

Miriam says she stays close to G-d and imagines dancing with Him. “Some-times He throws me, some-times He hugs me, and sometimes I put my head on His shoulder. I know that the comfort will come only from Him.” She feels that the door of the sky is open every day and speaks to Him every day from her heart.

“I don’t say it’s good – I’m not an angel, I’m a moth-er and I want my children. Sometimes I scream and say, ‘Why? It’s not fair.’ Some-times, when I see my grand-children, the four children of Eliraz, grow I say, ‘Thank You.’ Sometimes when I lose

my voice, I cry and ask G-d why He takes my tool that I work with Him with – and then I realize He is just giv-ing me a rest!”

The synagogue in Givat Ze’v gives her a degree of solace. Aside from speaking tours and her regular work in the Israeli schools, Miri-am is also working and col-lecting funds in the hopes of building up and enhancing the synagogue as a center for soldiers. This gives her an-other opportunity to lift up others.

FINDING GOOD IN EVERYTHING

Miriam has countless stories to illustrate the di-vine presence in her life.

One of the most powerful encounters occurred during the time she traveled to New York to speak for Friends of the IDF in October of 2012. Miriam’s friend suggested she get some rest during the trip and put her up by the Lawrence home of the Es-ther and Jerry Williams, her hosts in this past mission as well. Miriam was so grateful for the hospitality always ap-preciating “little miracles to meet good people.”

She soon learned there was to be no rest on this trip as the ominous news reports warned of Hurricane Sandy heading towards Long Is-land. Miriam looked up to the sky and questioned G-d, “I came here to rest! Why did You send this Sandy with me?!”

After the brief but pow-erful storm hit, the Wil-

liams’ house flooded and lost power. Miriam was shiver-ing and there was truly no rest. Again, Miriam won-dered why G-d wouldn’t let her rest. A caring friend of Miriam’s, a flight attendant, invited Miriam to join her in her hotel in Manhattan much to Miriam’s relief. It was just a small room with one bed to share – but she had electricity! The next morning, when the woman took Miriam to the lounge with other flight attendants for coffee, Miriam saw a new attendant enter the room. She always taught her chil-dren that G-d gave us the power of speech in order to connect with others and that it’s important to speak with people. The flight attendant was very tired after a rough flight and not up for conver-sation, pegging Miriam as a carefree tourist. But Miriam kept pushing until the wom-an opened up and shared her story. She was from Ramat Gan and distraught about not spending Shabbat in Is-rael. She confided in Miri-am that until seven months prior she was eating non-ko-sher, going to pubs and do-ing drugs, until she read a book that changed her life and inspired her to become religious. It was a story of a strong woman who lost two children – it was Miriam Peretz’s story. Miriam re-vealed that she was the one who wrote the book, that it was her story of strength that inspired this woman. What an amazing series of events! The two women spoke for eleven hours on the flight back to Israel.

“I learned that there are no coincidences! It was like Hashem said to me, ‘You lost two children but you have many, many other chil-dren,’” says Miriam. “So now I thank G-d for Sandy. I see the hands of G-d in every-thing.”

“There is no more evil than to bury children. Because I know the height of the evil, I teach

myself every day to be a good person.”

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1.

The state of Wisconsin produces the most cheese in the U.S.

It takes about 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese.

Mozzarella cheese is the most popular cheese variety in the U.S.

Studies have shown that eating cheese before going to bed can help you sleep because of an abundance of an amino acid called tryptophan found in cheese.

On a per person basis, people from Greece eat the most cheese in the world.

A normal cheddar wheel weighs 60-75 pounds.

Cheese is most flavorsome when eaten at room temperature.

Casu Marzu, often called the world’s most dangerous cheese, which is made in Sardinia, Italy, is purposely infested with live maggots. The cheese is typically eaten when the maggots are still alive, as dead maggots are a sign that it has gone bad. Most people eat this cheese wearing protective eyewear as the maggots can jump and land in your eye.

A Turophile is the word used to describe a true connoisseur & lover of good cheese.

The similarity between smelly feet and smelly cheese is no coincidence. It is actually due to a bacteria that is found in cheese and on feet, known as Brevibacterium linens.


TJH CenterfoldAnswer to riddle one: When Rosh Hashana falls out on Thursday and Friday. The third day is the regular Shabbos leining, the fourth day is Sunday which is Tzom Gedalyah, the fifth day is Monday, in which we always lein.

Answer to riddle two: Shechicha. In the part of the field that we harvest for ourselves we are obligated to leave over for poor people any of the produce that innocently falls from our hands. So, if one had kavanah before doing the mitzvah, the produce that fell would not be legitimate shechicha produce.

Torah Tidbits *S Noach was a vegetarian for more

than 500 years.

S Avrohom was kept in the furnace in Ur Kasdim for 3 days and nights.

S Four people were named by Hashem before their birth: Yitzchok, Yishmael, Shlomo Hamelech, and Yoshiahu.

S The guests at Yaakov’s wedding sang, “O-ley, O-ley” to hint to him that the bride was really Leah so he couldn’t blame them later.

S Yaakov was 84 when he got married.

S Each of the Shevatim was born with a twin sister that married another brother.

S Eisav was born with a mouthful of teeth.

S Yaakov and Yosef were both born with a bris milah.

S Serach bas Asher entered Gan Eden alive.

S Yaakov was the first person ever to become very ill before his death.

S Cham’s wife gave birth to the giant Sichon in the teiva.

S In order to attract guests, Avrohom planted a beautiful orchard in Beer Sheva.

S The sinews of the ram from Akeidas Yitzchok were used for the ten strings in King David’s harp.

S Most Kohanim Gedolim died within the year of Yom Kippur in the time of the Bayis Sheni.

S Rochel died during childbirth as she gave birth to triplets. (Binyamin and two girls.)

S Yaakov tied a note around Osnas’ (girl born from Dina) neck that stated, “Whoever marries this girl, marries one of Yaakov’s family.” An angel transferred Osnas to Mitzrayim where she was brought to Potifar’s home and raised. She eventually married Yosef.

S A Jewish king is required to have a Sefer Torah written for himself. The kings used to attach a mini Torah to their arms and carry it with them constantly.

! You gotta be kidding

Yentel is at a bus stop and walks up to a man, “Excuse

me,” she says. “Are you Jewish?”

“No,” replies the man.

A few minutes later, Yentel once again approaches the

man. “Excuse me,” she says. “Are you sure you’re not Jew-

ish?”

“I’m sure,” says the man.

But Yentel is not convinced, and a few minutes later

she approaches him for a third time. “Are you absolutely

sure you’re not Jewish?” she asks.

“All right, all right,” the frustrated man says. “You win.

I’m Jewish.”

“That’s funny,” says Yentel. “You don’t look Jewish.”

? Riddle me this?Riddle One:

When do we have kri’as haTorah

5 days in a row, other than on

Pesach, Chanukah, and Sukkos?

Riddle Two:

What is the one mitzvah in the Torah that you

cannot have kavanah on before doing it?

See answer on opposite page

Say Cheese10 facts to know about the dairy delicacy

Shavuos Scrambler

1. haeasn esivanmh 2. invsa3. eehesc 4. uhtr5. hellieecm6. azob7. daamosk8. hgilmisc9. aatmn rtoah10. smohe11. iaisn12. glanerin13. wfslreo14. alllhe15. ohhiascm16. oddvi17. egaarm18. hhumasc19. litebszn20. eaisrf

Answers1. Naaseh Venishma 2. Sivan3. Cheese 4. Ruth5. Elimelech6. Boaz7. Akdamos8. Milchigs9. Matan Torah10. Moshe11. Sinai12. Learning13. Flowers14. Hallel15. Moshiach16. Dovid17. Gemara18. Chumash19. Blintzes20. Sefira

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1.

The state of Wisconsin produces the most cheese in the U.S.

It takes about 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese.

Mozzarella cheese is the most popular cheese variety in the U.S.

Studies have shown that eating cheese before going to bed can help you sleep because of an abundance of an amino acid called tryptophan found in cheese.

On a per person basis, people from Greece eat the most cheese in the world.

A normal cheddar wheel weighs 60-75 pounds.

Cheese is most flavorsome when eaten at room temperature.

Casu Marzu, often called the world’s most dangerous cheese, which is made in Sardinia, Italy, is purposely infested with live maggots. The cheese is typically eaten when the maggots are still alive, as dead maggots are a sign that it has gone bad. Most people eat this cheese wearing protective eyewear as the maggots can jump and land in your eye.

A Turophile is the word used to describe a true connoisseur & lover of good cheese.

The similarity between smelly feet and smelly cheese is no coincidence. It is actually due to a bacteria that is found in cheese and on feet, known as Brevibacterium linens.


TJH CenterfoldAnswer to riddle one: When Rosh Hashana falls out on Thursday and Friday. The third day is the regular Shabbos leining, the fourth day is Sunday which is Tzom Gedalyah, the fifth day is Monday, in which we always lein.

Answer to riddle two: Shechicha. In the part of the field that we harvest for ourselves we are obligated to leave over for poor people any of the produce that innocently falls from our hands. So, if one had kavanah before doing the mitzvah, the produce that fell would not be legitimate shechicha produce.

Torah Tidbits *S Noach was a vegetarian for more

than 500 years.

S Avrohom was kept in the furnace in Ur Kasdim for 3 days and nights.

S Four people were named by Hashem before their birth: Yitzchok, Yishmael, Shlomo Hamelech, and Yoshiahu.

S The guests at Yaakov’s wedding sang, “O-ley, O-ley” to hint to him that the bride was really Leah so he couldn’t blame them later.

S Yaakov was 84 when he got married.

S Each of the Shevatim was born with a twin sister that married another brother.

S Eisav was born with a mouthful of teeth.

S Yaakov and Yosef were both born with a bris milah.

S Serach bas Asher entered Gan Eden alive.

S Yaakov was the first person ever to become very ill before his death.

S Cham’s wife gave birth to the giant Sichon in the teiva.

S In order to attract guests, Avrohom planted a beautiful orchard in Beer Sheva.

S The sinews of the ram from Akeidas Yitzchok were used for the ten strings in King David’s harp.

S Most Kohanim Gedolim died within the year of Yom Kippur in the time of the Bayis Sheni.

S Rochel died during childbirth as she gave birth to triplets. (Binyamin and two girls.)

S Yaakov tied a note around Osnas’ (girl born from Dina) neck that stated, “Whoever marries this girl, marries one of Yaakov’s family.” An angel transferred Osnas to Mitzrayim where she was brought to Potifar’s home and raised. She eventually married Yosef.

S A Jewish king is required to have a Sefer Torah written for himself. The kings used to attach a mini Torah to their arms and carry it with them constantly.

! You gotta be kidding

Yentel is at a bus stop and walks up to a man, “Excuse

me,” she says. “Are you Jewish?”

“No,” replies the man.

A few minutes later, Yentel once again approaches the

man. “Excuse me,” she says. “Are you sure you’re not Jew-

ish?”

“I’m sure,” says the man.

But Yentel is not convinced, and a few minutes later

she approaches him for a third time. “Are you absolutely

sure you’re not Jewish?” she asks.

“All right, all right,” the frustrated man says. “You win.

I’m Jewish.”

“That’s funny,” says Yentel. “You don’t look Jewish.”

? Riddle me this?Riddle One:

When do we have kri’as haTorah

5 days in a row, other than on

Pesach, Chanukah, and Sukkos?

Riddle Two:

What is the one mitzvah in the Torah that you

cannot have kavanah on before doing it?

See answer on opposite page

Say Cheese10 facts to know about the dairy delicacy

Shavuos Scrambler

1. haeasn esivanmh 2. invsa3. eehesc 4. uhtr5. hellieecm6. azob7. daamosk8. hgilmisc9. aatmn rtoah10. smohe11. iaisn12. glanerin13. wfslreo14. alllhe15. ohhiascm16. oddvi17. egaarm18. hhumasc19. litebszn20. eaisrf

Answers1. Naaseh Venishma 2. Sivan3. Cheese 4. Ruth5. Elimelech6. Boaz7. Akdamos8. Milchigs9. Matan Torah10. Moshe11. Sinai12. Learning13. Flowers14. Hallel15. Moshiach16. Dovid17. Gemara18. Chumash19. Blintzes20. Sefira

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Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

MORE QUOTES

A study by the Pew Research Center determined that more millennials between the ages of 18 and 34 are living with their parents than at any other point in history. Millennials were happy to take the poll, while their parents were proud of them for finishing the poll- James Corden

Trump criticized Hillary Clinton over the weekend, claiming that her views are “ just words” read off a teleprompter. But Hillary denied it, saying, “I’ve had these speeches memorized since I was six.” – Jimmy Fallon

He was entirely justified in his conduct, and frankly should be commended. From what I can see, he performed a public service in taking out this fella. The fella asked for what he got, and he got it.- Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler declaring at a press conference that a Pennsylvania pharmacy owner who shot and killed an alleged robber will not face charges

They’re finally catching up to our 2002 network - Verizon’s reaction to Sprint now using the actor from its “Can you hear me now?” commercials

Troubling news for Hillary Clinton. The FBI says as part of its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails, it may call her in to speak to them. No word yet on how much Hillary’s planning to charge. – Conan O’Brien

Gorilla deserved it.- Message posted on a tampered electronic road sign in Dallas last weekend

Bernie said yesterday that his critics call him “Santa Claus” because of his white hair. Then Santa said, “Yeah — even I don’t promise people THAT much free stuff.” – Jimmy Fallon

It’s the story that I witness every single day, when I wake up in a house that was built by slaves. – First Lady Michelle Obama during a commencement speech at City College in New York last Friday, while talking about diversity

It doesn’t matter whether you need insurance, pizza, a Buick. You basically can stock your whole household with stuff this guy is selling.- President Obama joking about Peyton Manning when the Denver Broncos visited the White House this week

Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun. You have my support.- Philippine’s president-elect Rodrigo Duterte during a televised address, urging citizens with guns to shoot and kill drug dealers who resist arrest and ruin their neighborhoods

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MORE QUOTES

At a rally in California yesterday, Bernie Sanders said that if he winds up being the Democratic nominee, “Donald Trump is toast.” Incidentally, “toast” is also what Donald Trump’s tanning bed is set to. – Seth Myers

We were in this land since before Abraham. I am not saying it. The Bible says it. The Bible says, in these words, that the Palestinians existed before Abraham. So why don’t you recognize my right? -Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas making a bizarre claim on Palestinian TV

Yesterday, a North Korean official turned down an offer by Donald Trump to visit the country and meet with Kim Jong Un, saying the offer is “propaganda” and “nonsense.” This doesn’t make Trump look good. You know you’re in trouble when the leader of North Korea is like, “I can’t associate myself with that guy.” – James Corden

I’m not Michael. I’m not Ali. I’m not nobody else that’s done so many great things for sport. I am who I am, and if I’m able to go out and put together a game like that, it wasn’t because I was possessed. It’s because I worked on my craft all season long and that’s the result of it. Phil’s a great coach. Mike’s a great player. But I am who I am.- LeBron James responding to Phil Jackson’s assertion that he should play more like Michael Jordan in the Finals, who played like “a man possessed”

I hope they have kidnapping insurance.- Trump on Fox News responding to the PGA moving the 2017 World Golf Championship to Mexico instead of holding it at Trump Doral in Miami

You here in this beautiful city know the horrors, the losses associated with gun violence are just unimaginable. – Hillary Clinton at a campaign rally in Saint Bernardino referring to the heinous radical Islamic terror attack that took place there last December as “gun violence”

The electronics company LG identified a new phenomenon called low-battery anxiety. People become nervous, distracted, and frustrated when their phones are about to die. If you are not familiar with low-battery anxiety, it’s a real condition that primarily affects people with no actual problems. – James Corden

According to a survey, a third of people will drop everything to go and charge their phone. Like what, is there a doctor in the middle of surgery and he’s like, “I need to split, guys, I’m at 5 percent. Ted, where you at? At 20? Cool, can you put a heart in this guy?” – Ibid.

Donald Trump is floating another conspiracy theory which suggests that Hillary Clinton is a murderer. Today Bill Clinton said, “Trust me, if that lady could kill, I would not be alive.” – Conan O’Brien

Israel’s performance has inspired the entire world, and it’s important for us to be in Israel. Technology here improves by about 10 times every five years.- Dell CEO Michael Dell at the Dell Future Ready conference in Tel Aviv this week

You couldn’t get the truth from Hillary Clinton if you waterboarded her.- Trump advisor Barry Bennett talking about Hillary Clinton’s penchant for dishonesty, on CNN

Burger King has merged a Whopper with a burrito to make a Whopperito. So take note, Donald Trump: That’s how you Make America Great Again! – Conan O’Brien

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MORE QUOTES

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said that he might run for president of the United States later on down the line. When they heard, the Republican Party asked him, “Can you start tomorrow?” – Conan O’Brien

The more active the BDS movement was in a certain market of ours, the more successful we have been. In the course of the last six to seven years, when BDS was attacking SodaStream, we grew from a $90 million revenue company to more than $400 million. I encourage any company that wants to grow its sales to be attacked by the BDS movement. – Daniel Birnbaum, the CEO of popular Israel-based SodaStream, at the Ambassadors Against BDS International Summit

Bernie Sanders campaigned in California yesterday ahead of the state’s Democratic primary, and even checked out the famous carousel at the Santa Monica Pier. But it got a little awkward when the music stopped and Bernie still wouldn’t admit that the ride was over. “This is gonna be a contested carousel!”- Jimmy FallonOCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home 23The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 201522

After weeks of hesitation, Paul Ryan finally endorsed Donald Trump for president on Thursday. When asked what influenced his decision, Ryan said, “Xanax. Lots and lots of Xanax.” – Jimmy Fallon

This is the best planet. We need to protect it, and the way we will is by going out into space. You don’t want to live in a retrograde world where we have to freeze population growth. -Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at the Code Conference

In at least a few hundred years ... all of our heavy industry will be moved off-planet. Earth will be zoned residential and light industrial. You shouldn’t be doing heavy energy on Earth. We can build gigantic chip factories in space. – Ibid.

Donald Trump is continuing to draw criticism for his claims that Judge Gonzalo Curiel’s Mexican heritage makes him unfit to preside over a lawsuit against Trump University, despite the fact that Curiel was born and raised in Indiana. And when Trump found that out, he said, “Oh, no, he’s an Indian, too?” – Seth Myers

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“He’s got a big heart but a big-ger mouth!”

“He did really well at test ‘taking.’ The teachers weren’t happy about it but the kids were – he shared them with all his friends!”

Sometimes at an aufruf we hear the strangest things about a guy. Some of it is just light humor or reminiscing. Some, really hit hard. One father of the bride said at an aufruf that I attended, “My wife usually hates to miss any event, but I’m glad she’s home with my daughter this week, and not here at this aufruf. If she heard how they are tear-ing apart this guy she’d prob-ably call off the wedding!” So how’d this tradition start and is it a good idea?

In the time of the Temple there was a special entrance made for grooms. This way people knew to bless him. Today, in temple, grooms are called up for an aliyah and given blessings by the entire congregation. Entering into this new stage of life, one is wished blessings, especially

to have a family. Further-more, a groom is likened to a king. A king was supposed to write a Torah and always have one with him. One rea-son was so that in this ele-vated status he did not get carried away with himself. This is an important time in a man’s life to be made aware of the Torah. It is their guide

for a good marriage. So why are people pok-

ing jokes at the king? Well, it’s sort of the same thing as having the inspiration with him. He needs perspective! It’s important to keep this guy humble. Today, he’s the star of the show. But in that union he’s got to remember maybe he’s the king, but he’s marrying a queen. He needs to know he’s got flaws and shortcomings too. When

someone gets stuck think-ing, “I’m the man!” he could possibly forget that he’s really the hu-man!

His cohorts are just trying to let him know: Sure you’re a great guy, but not too great.

I’m almost betting the bride’s parents put the friends up to this job time and again. Probably some secret ancient

tradition passed down from parents-of-the-bride to par-ents-of-the-bride.

Reminding him of his his-tory also conveys a message. You’ve got to see yourself as a work in progress. Look at all the crazy stuff you did in the past, and the fact that you have grown, hopefully, since doing that. So, there’s always room to grow!

He’s got to be ready to take out the garbage, pick

up his socks from his side of the bed, and tune in to the all that stuff that is not said, which, in her opinion, he should figure out anyway. Now that last job is not an easy one, and certainly not easy for someone who is too full of himself to be hearing the silences. So the aufruf makes him the center, but

also takes him down a notch or two – not necessarily the worst thing.

Strangely, usually at the same time, there is a Shab-bas Kallah going on. All the bride’s friends come over and talk about what an amazing person she is. Only! Not a negative word is on the ros-ter! Could the bride’s parents be behind this tradition as well? Or does she just have a better PR person?!

Aufruf means “calling him up” but maybe what they really meant to be saying is “calling him out.” You know, not letting him get away with stuff. Whatever the reason is for this tradition of teas-ing, cajoling, poking fun at, or gently nudging the guy, I think the important thing is to remember it’s all done in good faith. These are his best of friends doing it, not some random strangers.

Maybe the real message they are there to convey is: no matter what your flaws are, you are a lovable guy! So if sometimes you feel a little unattended to, underappre-ciated, or called out about something, remember you are still a lovable guy. You’re with your new best friend, and just like us, she can love you even when you’re not perfect!

Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and ca-reer and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or [email protected]

Life C ach

Blessed or Blasted?Musings of a Groom

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

When someone gets stuck thinking, “I’m the man!” he could possibly forget that he’s really the hu-man!

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Dear DiaryBy Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

Health & F tness

There are many new ways to track what you eat, such as var-

ious apps, FitBit, and even the classic Weight Watchers program. However, many dietitians advise sticking to the good old fashion meth-od: a food diary. A food diary is exactly what it sounds like – a log of every item you put into your mouth, the time and place you eat it, the oc-casion, your satiety level, and the mood setting. Keep-ing an organized food diary is useful for tracking calories consumed daily, food aller-gies, food patterns, habits, and areas of weakness.

A food diary can be kept for anywhere between 3 days to several months. Many di-etitians will request a three day food diary upon an initial consultation to get an idea of one’s typical diet. However, when keeping a food diary for weight loss purposes, the longer you keep to it, the bet-ter off you’ll be.

What’s the purpose of keeping a food diary? First of all, the idea of writing down everything you eat in and of itself might be a weight loss technique since

you don’t want to have to run and write down everything you eat. You might just say to yourself, “I’ll save my-self the trouble of writing it down and skip this chocolate bar.” However, the real idea of a food diary is so that you can clearly see everything you ate by the end of the day. It might not seem like a lot

when popping small snacks left and right, but when you see it all written down on pa-per, it adds up. You are able to easily track what you ate throughout the entire day, and suddenly it all stares at you in the face.

Second, this method also enables you to easily calculate your daily caloric consumption and see areas where you can cut foods out. What I love about a food di-ary is you can see where you

went wrong. For example, one day you realize that you snacked a lot in the late af-ternoon or evening. When reviewing your day, you no-tice that lunch was eaten at 3:15pm, and at that point you were already starving and therefore pigged out the rest of the day. Or, one night you had 3 pieces of chocolate

cake. When reviewing that day’s entries, you remem-ber that at 8:30pm you got a dissapointing phone call from your daughter’s school. Most often, overeating is a result of certain feelings. A food diary enables one to track what causes specific di-etary downfalls.

Third, a food diary helps view areas of weakness and habits. Reviewing a consis-tent food log enables one to see patterns. For example,

when skimming through your food diary, you notice that every Monday you snack a lot throughout the day. Then you think for a mo-ment and conclude that on Mondays you tend to be tired from the weekend which causes you to snack a lot to compemsate for lack of ener-gy. Without a food diary, you

might overlook that trend. With the help of a food diary, you are able to observe: were you hungry because it was dinner time? Or were you just bored at home so you ended up in the kitchen? The idea of a food diary is to raise our consciousness.

All in all, a food diary is a great weight loss technique and highly recommended by dietitians. Try keeping a food diary for at least a week. Be consistent; don’t skip days

or meals. Be thorough; write down how the food was pre-pared and be sure to include all toppings and condiments. The most important part of keeping a food diary is to be honest; don’t skip the slice of cake you had for breakfast. Nobody is judging you. Food diaries can be very helpful when kept accurately and consistently.

So what are you waiting for? Go grab a pen and pa-per!

Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Regis-tered Dietitian and Certified Di-etitian-Nutritionist. She grad-uated CUNY Brooklyn College receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nutri-tion and Food Sciences. Her Di-etetic Internship was completed under Brooklyn College primar-ily in Ditmas Park Care Center and Boro Park Center where she developed clinical and educa-tion skills to treat patients with comprehensive nutrition care. She is currently a dietitian at Boro Park Center and a private nutrition consultant. She can be reached at [email protected].

It might not seem like a lot when popping small snacks left and right, but when you see

it all written down on paper, it adds up.

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Although there is no real ac-curate way to measure the relative importance of the

holidays of the Jewish calendar year, I think that we can all agree that the holiday of Shavuot appears to be the least dramatic of them all. The Torah describes it as an agri-cultural feast day commemorating the grain harvest and the greening of the first fruits of the season as an offering in the Temple in Jeru-salem.

Jewish tradition and rabbinic sanction has emphasized and la-belled the holiday as the anniver-sary of the granting of the Torah to the Jewish people by G-d at the rev-elation at Mount Sinai. With the ab-sence of the Temple, the holiday has taken on this commemoration as the center point of its observance.

Secular Zionism attempted to restore the primacy of its agricul-tural component in commemorat-ing the holiday but was singularly unsuccessful. So, even today in the Land of Israel, once again fruitful and bountiful, this agricultural as-pect of the holiday is still very sec-ondary to its historical commem-oration of the revelation at Sinai. And in this there is an important lesson that repeats itself through-out Jewish history.

The great Gaon, Saadya, suc-cinctly summed up this message when he stated: “Our nation – the Jewish people – is a nation only by virtue of its Torah.” All of the oth-

er facets of our nationhood exist only because of this central histor-ical moment – the granting of the Torah to the Jewish people by G-d through Moshe at the mountain of Sinai. This was and is the pivotal moment in all of Jewish history. Everything else that has occurred to us over these three and a half millennia has direct bearing and stems from that moment in Jewish and human history.

Therefore it should be no won-der as to why the holiday of Shavuot is the day of commemoration of the giving of the Torah at Sinai. Look-ing back over the long centuries of our existence, we can truly appre-ciate how we have been preserved, strengthened and enhanced in ev-ery way by our studied application of Torah in every facet of our per-sonal and communal lives.

Those who forsook the values and denied the divinity of Torah fell by the wayside of history and are, in the main, no longer part of our people. Unlike Pesach and Succot, Shavuot carries with it no special ritual or commandments. It cer-tainly is the least dramatic of all the holidays of the Jewish calendar. But, rather, it represents the every day in Jewish life – dominated by study and observance of Torah and its eternal values.

The name of the holiday means “weeks” – units of time that mea-sure our progress on this earth. It is not only the seven weeks from

Pesach to Shavuot that is being re-ferred to, but rather we are remind-ed of all of the weeks of our lives that compose our stay in this world. Time has importance to us when we deem it to be meaningful and well spent. The purpose of Torah, so to speak, was and is to accomplish just that. And therefore the day of com-memoration of the granting of the

Torah to Israel is very aptly named for it is the Torah that gives mean-ing to our days and weeks.

The customs of the holiday also reference the scene at Mount Sinai on the day of revelation. Eating dairy foods, decorating the syna-gogue and the home with flowers and greens, and all night Torah study sessions have all become part of the commemoration of the holi-day itself. They all relate to Sinai and the revelation. The Jewish peo-ple, through long experience and centuries of analysis, have trans-

formed this seemingly physical ag-ricultural holiday into the realm of spirituality and eternal history.

On this day of festivity we are granted an insight into the past and the future at one and the same time. We are able to unlock the se-crets of our survival and eternity as a nation, and as the prime force in human civilization for these many

millennia. So it is the holiday of Shavuot that grants true meaning and necessary legitimacy to all of the other holidays of the Jewish calendar year.

Shavuot is the cornerstone of the entire year, for without it all the days of celebration and commemo-ration remain devoid of spirituality and eternity. It does not require for itself any special commandments or observances because it is the foundation of all commemorations throughout Jewish life and time.

Chag sameach.

Shavuot

Torah Thought

By Rabbi Berel Wein

We are able to unlock the secrets of our survival and eternity as a nation, and as the prime force in human civilization for these many millennia.

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Dating Dialogue

What Would You Do If…Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

My question is not typical for this column, but I need some advice and figure

that the panel can shed some light on my question. My son recently returned

from his second year in Israel. The first year was a bit touch and go, but I believe

his second year was very worthwhile for him and he did a great deal of maturing

while away, aside from, of course, his learning.

My son is twenty and believes he is very mature. He is definitely more mature

than he was when he left two years ago, but I still believe that he is young in many ways and needs pa-

rental guidance. My husband and I are having a serious problem with him now because he is of the belief

that since he spent the past two years on his own to a certain degree, he no longer wants to be treated as a child.

He is used to calling his own shots in many regards and is not taking well to us giving him rules or advice.

For instance, we have strict curfews in our home. We believe they are reasonable, but he doesn’t believe that

at his age, especially after in many ways answering to no one, that he has to abide by our rules. Or if he decides

he wants to go away for the weekend, he doesn’t have to ask us if it’s O.K., but can just inform us that he won’t be

home. Of course, we’d rather he asked, or at least check in with us. He doesn’t seem to want to be questioned

too much about his comings and goings. Again, he insists he’s a grownup and should be respected as such and

allowed to come and go as he pleases.

My husband and I are wondering whether you think we have to back off and let him do his own thing or

whether we are still allowed to give him rules to follow. We’re really feeling uncertain at this point and can use

some direction.

Dear Navidaters,

The feedback from our readers has been remarkable. In order to facilitate further discussion, you can now continue the conversation anon-ymously on our website. Every Sunday, we will upload the weekend’s most recent edition of What Would You Do If to the dating forum at thenavidaters.com. Join The Navidaters and your fellow TJH readers in a comprehensive dialogue with regard to dating, relationships and marriage. The forum will be moderated daily for everyone’s comfort and safety. See you there!

Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise offer resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, but to offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.

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The Panel

The Rebbetzin

Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.

Clearly, your son has gone to Isra-el as a teenager and is back now

as a young adult. You all need to talk and to readjust to this new reality which means a new way of relating. Old rules are no longer relevant and permission may not be the operative word. The goal is to communicate in a healthy way so that you avoid standoffs and showdowns but are comfortable and understand each other’s needs.

Prepare beforehand with your spouse and then open up a discus-sion with your son that will be the first of several discussions. Use the “sandwich method” first – be positive about his accomplishments during his two years in Israel. Be specific about the changes you have noticed in him – responsibility, politeness, neatness, davening, etc. Express your pride and your optimism in his continuing to grow and mature.

Then get into the heart of the mat-ter. Tell him that he is now a young adult and you want to treat him that way but you also have needs. Then tell him that some of the matters that you want to discuss with him are car use, money, school, neatness, Shab-bos plans, food needs, etc.

You want to hear his needs and you will be telling him your concerns and needs. Make sure he under-stands that all of you will try to work things out so that everyone’s needs are met. Obviously, he is living in your house and you are paying for his tuition, support, etc., but you should not need to bring this up. Keep it fo-cused on mutual needs and a process for working things out and tweaking as you go. Use phrases like “what do you think is reasonable in this area?”

This will open the door to nego-tiations about staying out late, inter-net use, responsibilities around the house, and the like. You don’t have to cover everything in one sitting. Start the discussion and keep communica-tion going at all times.

If there are other children at home, you may have implemented some house rules. These will apply to him as well, even though he is an adult. Some things may need to be tweaked but living at home means responsibility to the family and home. Be open to talking and nego-tiating but don’t give your son a free pass and a credit card. There are no privileges without responsibility.

This is a normal rite of passage for both parents and child. If you have a healthy parent/child relation-ship and understand that this is an evolving process, you will do fine.

The Mother

Sarah Schwartz, Schreiber, PA

Rabbi Kramer, dean of Bnos Cha-va Seminary, made the following

observation. Girls returning home from Israel perceive themselves as ten years older than they actual-ly are. Their parents, on the other hand, perceive their daughters as ten years younger. The challenge for both sides, that first year back, is to navigate that illusory 20-year age gap.

You son, like many of today’s young bochurim, had a free pass for two years. You supported him in Israel while all he had to do was learn – which he did for one year. So now he’s back, twenty-years-old and smarter than his parents. I’ve got news for him: in most cultures Maturity entails Responsibility. Ma-turity entails Courtesy. Maturity en-tails expressing Appreciation.

Time to convene the Cohen/Schwartz/Friedman (fill in your name) Roundtable; it doesn’t have to be in your dining room, sometimes the local pizza place works better. You can start by saying, “Moishele, you’ve been away for a while, so we’d like to remind you about the House Rules and, yes, they apply to anyone sharing our living space (even Aunt Bertha!) Apprising parents of your

whereabouts and abiding by a curfew are not only protective measure but a courtesy to the parents who give you shelter and lose sleep worrying about the safety.” At the Roundtable, you may outline your expectations in terms of contributing to the house-hold (carpooling, shopping, cleaning, babysitting). Finally, urge him to get a job. Nothing encourages respon-sibility, courtesy and good manners more effectively than a demanding boss and an honest day’s work.

The Dating Mentor

Rochel Chafetz

You sent your son to Israel for two years. He grew up and is now a

full-fledged adult. I understand it must be hard for you to realize that and to let go because that means you have to let go of some of the control you have had as a parent and that may mean a little bit of loss of iden-tity for you.

Well, now it is time for you to grow up as well and take some steps back. This is just the beginning. Lat-er, when he will bring home a fine, nice young lady, you will have to take a few more steps back and it will con-tinue on like that. He is 20-years-old. You cannot micromanage his life, like you did when he was 15, 16 or 17. He has to be able to feel in-dependent, and yes, to come and go without telling you or asking you ev-ery step of the way.

But you should sit down with him and tell him you view him as an adult and you understand his desire for independence but it would make you guys feel a bit more secure if he just told you about when he planned on going out or to let you know when he’s going to be away for the week-end. This way you can start to devel-op an adult relationship between the three of you instead of you being his mashgiach all the time. Otherwise he will resent you and he could pos-sibly take steps back away from you.

When he comes in, ask him how his day was. In the morning, ask him what his plans are. Wish him a great day. Tell him you love him and say goodbye, be safe and enjoy. You have to begin to cut the strings. Start now, little by little so that later, it won’t be as traumatic for you and you can still perverse and develop the connection between the three of you. Good luck.

The Single

Irit Moshe

You sent your little boy away to learn and to grow into a man and

he did. Now that he is home, you’ll have to get re-adjusted to the new young man he has become. What he is exhibiting and how he is behav-ing is very normal and to be expect-ed. However, there is one thing you should make sure he does not forget while exerting his new found matu-rity and that is respect. Respect is a two way street and as much as he is looking for you to respect his new-found maturity and now wishes to live his life as an adult, in your house-hold, you are still entitled to have set rules in which all dwellers, including him, need to abide by. Otherwise, it is time for your young man to move to the next stage of maturity, which consists of him getting a job, moving out and paying his own bills. In the meantime, invite him to a meeting to discuss and negotiate how you all can live together in harmony, under the same roof and feel respected, un-til he is ready to move onto the next adult stage as mentioned above.

Be open to talking and negotiating but don’t give your son a free pass and a credit card.

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I like the advice of the panel, who are in unanimous agreement that your

son is a twenty-year-old young man who requires more freedom than what you are accustomed to giving. You sent off a boy to Israel and an indepen-dent man returned. If he is your oldest child, this is a new experience for all of you. And with new experiences, come periods of trial and error. There is no book for this one … (maybe there is one at the local sefarim store.) As with any parenting issue, there are usually multiple opinions out there. It is our job as parents to find the game plan

that works for our unique family, tak-ing into account the unique needs of both parents and children.

The first step that I believe may be in order now is a bit of “reframing.” There are now three adults that live in your home. You, your husband, and your son. As a twenty-year-old man, he should have certain rights. There are certain things that should be un-derstood. For example, you knock on his door upon entering, you don’t open his mail, when his phone rings, you

don’t ask, “Nu, who is it?” What do you get in return? Well, if he is being treated like an adult, he returns the gesture by behaving like an adult. On his end, he will be respectful, keep his belong-ings tidy, take on responsi-bility around the house, be courteous. The details will

be worked out as a family, and they are different in every fam-

ily, but the general idea is that your son is now a young adult. Hopefully, when you genuinely start thinking of your son as an adult in your own thoughts, the message will be deliv-ered loud and clear to your son. You want him to rise to the occasion.

And now for the “details” that I mentioned a moment ago. I think you and your husband need to discuss amongst yourselves where you can find some wiggle room. For instance, you mention a “strict curfew.” This may be an area where you can practice flexi-bility. When your son was away, you had no idea where he was at any hour of the day. Sometimes that makes life easier. What you don’t know about, you can’t worry about. Now that he is home, and you see how the sausage is made, so to speak, it is unnerving. However, I encourage you to bend on curfew. Give a little, get a little.

Respect his desire and right to spend Shabbos where he pleases. As I see it, at twenty-years-old, he doesn’t have to ask permission to go away for Shabbos. But don’t take a back-seat and play the victim either. If you would like him to spend a Shabbos with you, ask him. Encourage him to invite his friends over. Tell him you would love to meet them. Respect his life and he hopefully will welcome you in. This is wonderful practice for you. One day, G-d willing, your son will be married and not living at home at all.

As you become more yield-ing, the goal is that he become more respectful and courteous in response. But as the parents, you will set the tone for this new dynamic. If your son is exhibiting behavioral problems, is a bad example for his siblings (which I am not sure he is based on your email. I got the feeling that he is solely having a hard time with you wanting to know his whereabouts and wanting permis-sion to go away for Shabbos), then you

can reevaluate his living situation and how much financial support you will give him. Though not typical practice in our circles, remember that at 18 you are no longer financially responsi-ble and he is welcome to find a place of residence that he finds suitable for himself.

Finally, give this some time. Ev-eryone is readjusting to your son’s re-turn, including your son. Imagine you are a caterpillar your entire life, and you become a butterfly; with beautiful wings that grant you the freedom to fly. Suddenly, you are told you mustn’t fly anymore but must once again be-have like a caterpillar. Impossible. Or possible with enough enforcement and punishment, but you will wind up with one depressed butterfly.

I encourage my clients to explore the alternative as a way of coping with a current situation. Explore your al-ternative – that your son has returned from Israel and needs his hand held every step of the day. That he asks your permission for every little thing, that he isn’t spending time out of the house. That he calls you asking you for permission, “Mommy, I’d like to go away for Shabbos. Can I?” Now, that would be a problem in my opinion. Mazel tov Mom and Dad … it’s a man!

Sincerely,Jennifer Mann

Esther Mann, LCSW and Jennifer Mann, LCSW are licensed, clinical psycho-therapists and dating and relationship coaches working with individuals, cou-ples and families in private practice in Hewlett, NY. To set up an appointment, please call 516.224.7779. Press 1 for Es-ther, 2 for Jennifer. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email [email protected].

Pulling It All TogetherThe NavidatersDating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

Suddenly, you are told you mustn’t fly anymore but must once again behave like a caterpillar. Impossible.

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Between the Lines

By Eytan Kobre

Torah Boy Scout

If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my axe. -Abraham Lincoln

There is a legend in the law firm world, at least among asso-

ciates, about a large firm in New York that was looking to hire a junior-level attorney. After reviewing hundreds of applications, the firm’s recruiting department nar-rowed its search to three candidates, all unmistakably qualified for the position and each of whom had impressed during multiple interviews at the firm’s offices. The fi-nal determination would be made by a mock oral ar-gument to the firm’s hiring partners.

Each candidate re-searched thoroughly and prepared a compelling slideshow to accompany the argument. The first two candidates demonstrated impeccable lawyering skills and a commanding demean-or; the third was clearly not on their level.

But, about halfway through, a loud pop! inter-rupted the third candidate’s presentation. The bulb of the

firm’s projector blew, and the slides went dark, along with the third candidate’s already dim chances of securing the position. Just then, he opened his briefcase calmly and produced a spare pro-jector bulb. In no time at all, he replaced the broken bulb and resumed his argument.

Apparently, during his prior visits to the firm, the third candidate had sur-veyed the conference room and noted the projector mod-el. The night before the mock argument, he purchased a spare bulb “just in case.”

What the third candidate lacked in substance, he made up for in preparation. The partners recognized that his devotion to preparation would always compensate for what he lacked in innate talent. And the following week he received an offer to join the firm.

There is no substitute for preparation. While there is great value in the ability to “wing it,” that value pales in comparison to the bene-fits of preparation. Prepa-ration readies you not only for what you expect but also for what you never saw com-ing, and it attaches added significance to that which is being prepared for (Michtav M’Eliyahu, Vol V, pg. 191).

“Before anything else,” ob-served Alexander Graham Bell, “preparation is the key to success.”

All this is underscored by Shavuos. Shavuos derives its name from the seven weeks that served – and still do – as preparation for receiving the Torah (Da’as Torah, Bamid-bar, pg. 24-25). Indeed, inas-much as Shavuos has no date certain – it is identified only as seven weeks or 49 days after Pesach (Vayikra 23:15-21) – the lead-up to Shavuos is an integral part of the hol-iday itself.

Shavuos’s timeless lesson on preparation dates back to when we first received the Torah. Although it already had recorded that the Jewish people were encamped at Re-fidim (Shemos 17:1, 8), in de-scribing their final approach to Mount Sinai, the Torah re-iterates that the Jewish peo-ple “traveled from Refidim and came to the Sinai Des-ert” (Shemos 19:2). It did so “to compare their departure from Refidim to their arrival at Sinai: just as they depart-ed Refidim penitently, so too they arrived at Sinai peni-tently” (Rashi, Shemos 19:2). They departed Refidim with the right mindset, they ar-rived at Sinai with the right mindset, and, as a result, they merited to receive the

Torah (Ha’amek Davar, She-mos 19:2, 28:3 and Devarim 17:18). The preparations for receiving the Torah contin-ued even after arriving at Sinai, as Moshe Rabbeinu, only later with G-d’s acqui-escence, established a third day of preparation before the Jewish people would receive the Torah (Shemos 19:10; Shabbos 87a).

(More recently, the Tzad-dik of Sanz was once on his way to shul, when he stopped abruptly and returned home, only to immediate-ly set out for shul again. To his bewildered followers, he explained, “I realized that when I left, I did not have in mind the right intentions. So I returned home and depart-ed once again, having made the proper preparations.”)

Preparation is out-come-determinative.

Consider a painting: the quality of the painting does not reflect the quality only of the “finish coat”; it reflects the quality and thorough-ness of all the preparatory steps it took to get there.

Spiritual pursuits are no different. Shabbos and yom tov require preparation (Shemos 16:5; Shabbos 117b). Prayer requires prepara-tion; the “pious ones of old” would prepare intensely for an hour before prayer (Be-

rachos 30b). Torah learning requires preparation (Avos 2:12; see Nefesh HaChaim 4:7). And perhaps that is why the Jewish people were exiled “for not making the blessing on [learning] To-rah” (Nedarim 81a; Bava Metzia 85b). It was not merely that they neglected a simple blessing; it was their failure to grasp the value of preparation and the value that preparation adds to that being prepared for. Indeed, some are even accustomed to recite before fulfilling al-most any commandment, “Behold, I am prepared and ready…” (Pele Yo’etz, “Hachana”). The boy scouts’ motto – Be Prepared – per-meates every aspect of the spiritual life.

The amora Chiya went to extraordinary lengths to ensure the faithful trans-mission of the Torah (Bava Metzia 85b). He planted and cultivated flax; then he har-vested it and used its fibers to thread nets; with those nets, he trapped deer; he slaughtered the deer, dis-tributing the meat to the needy and using the hides to make parchment on which he wrote the Torah; he then traveled far and wide to teach Torah to children. Now surely he could’ve purchased the parchment and gone

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about teaching Jewish chil-dren in much the same way as he did. But he understood that matters of significance demand the investment of preparation (Sichos Mussar

No. 49). Each preparatory step in the process would later be determinative of his entire venture. And he pre-pared accordingly.

A penniless man named Yankel once traveled to the big city in search of business

opportunities. As luck would have it, Yankel arrived just as one of the city’s wealthiest Jewish citizens was to marry off his son. As a visitor, Yan-kel was invited to attend.

Yankel arrived at the re-ception to find the host sit-ting at a raised dais. When the host rang a small sil-ver bell, dozens of wait-ers rushed out with trays weighed down by an assort-ment of delicacies.

When the host rang the bell again, yet more delica-cies appeared. Incredible, Yankel thought. I must get my hands on such a bell.

So the next day, Yankel bought a bell just like the one owned by the wealthy man, and he returned home to his little town and gathered his wife and children. “Don your very best and set the table for a feast, for today we dine like royalty.”

Yankel took his place at the head of the table and, with an air of self-impor-tance, rang the bell cere-moniously. Nothing. Yankel rang again. Still nothing. Yankel rang a third time. Si-lence.

Yankel fell into his chair. “I’ve been duped.”

The next morning, he headed back to the city to confront the shopkeeper

who sold him the defective bell. “You’ve made a laugh-ingstock of me! You sold me a faulty bell!”

When Yankel told the shopkeeper what had hap-pened, the shopkeeper laughed. “Don’t you under-stand? The wealthy man had prepared all the food and delicacies before ringing the bell. He rang the bell simply to signal when it was time to bring forth all that he had prepared ahead of time.”

Too often, we act just like Yankel. We demand success, but we won’t invest the time and effort necessary to pre-pare adequately to achieve it. At best, we ring a bell and expect the results to follow. And when they don’t, we be-come disheartened or disil-lusioned.

In a sense, preparation for life’s mundane tasks is a

metaphor for the most im-portant preparation of all: that for the true and ever-lasting life. “Prepare your-self in the hallway so that you may enter the palace” (Avos 4:16). “Those who do not prepare before Shabbos, what will they eat on Shab-bos?” (Avoda Zara 3a). “If one does not prepare on dry land, what will he eat at sea? If man does not prepare in populated locales, what will he eat in the desert?” (Rus Rabba 3:3).

These are just the sorts of metaphorical preparations that Shavuos should encour-age us to make.

Eytan Kobre is a writer, speak-er, mediator, and attorney liv-ing in Kew Gardens Hills. Ques-tions? Comments? Suggestions? E-mail [email protected].

Yankel took his place at the head of the table and, with an air of self-importance, rang the bell ceremoniously.

Renovations Additions New Construction

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There is a beautiful Sephardic custom of writing a love song in the form of a marriage contract between

G-d and the Jewish people and reading it on Shavuos. The piyut was composed by Rabbi Yisra-el Najara, a great Jewish gram-marian and 16th century versa-tile poet from Tsfas who served as the Rav of Tsfas. Rav Najara modeled it after Shir Hashirim, a metaphor of romance for the relationship between G-d and Is-rael that we say on Shabbps chol hamoed Pesach.

Ironically, despite the sig-nificance of Shavuos, it is the only Jewish holiday that lacks

a clearly defined date: the exact calendar day of the “marriage” of the Jews to the Torah remains unknown. This calendar uncer-tainty is extraordinarily unusual in a religion so centered around dates and times; for example, the first commandment the Jews re-ceive as a people is time-orient-ed (Rosh Chodesh) as is the first Mishnah (a discussion on the right time to say the Shema).

What do we know about the date of Shavuos? Only the year (2488) and the day of the week (Shabbos) when the Jews reach Sinai. What date was that? Ah, that’s the question! It was either in the “third month” of Sivan or “on the third new Moon” after leaving Egypt. Thus, depending

on which formula one chooses, the encounter at Sinai could have occurred on the sixth, twelfth, or fifteenth day in Sivan. We go with the sixth, in the diaspora the seventh, day of Sivan, how-ever, it was not always so.

The various complexities in the Hebrew calendar explain why there is no mention of a “fixed” calendar anywhere in the Mishnah or Gemara and why such important Babylonian scholars, for example, R’ Abaye of the late third century, had to ask his colleagues what to do if Tisha b’Av falls on a Friday. We take it for granted today and for-get that the job of the early rab-binic astronomers was far from simple. Today, because of their

predecessors’ incredible knowl-edge and persistence, no com-munity rav is concerned about calculating “circuits” of seasons or lies awake at night worrying about where the sun is in rela-tion to the equator.

Gone are the days of antiqui-ty with calculating the passage of time.

Imagine: Two Roman sol-diers are guarding the Temple. One asks the other, “Do you have the time?” Sure he replies, “It’s XX past VII.”

Here’s a trivia: What was the bestselling Jewish book in Jewish communities in pre-war Europe? The siddur? No. Chu-mash? No. Gemara? No. It was the Luach! Every Jew needed to

BOBKER ON SHAVUOS

The Undated Anniversary

By Joe Bobker

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know the times of the day and the days of the month.

When Rosh Chodesh was determined by the testimony of two independent witnesses each month, Shavuos fluctuated be-tween the fifth and seventh of the month. Why? Because of the number of days in the months of Nissan and Iyar. Shavuos is thus the only festival whose date fluc-tuated year by year, anchored by halacha not to a specific calen-dar date but to a length of time, specifically, the 49 days of se-firas ha’omer which begins on the second night of Pesach.

Shavuos’s position, even as late as the final days of the Tal-mud, still lacked its own iden-tity, being viewed simply as a “closure” (atzeres) to Pesach, in much the same manner that Shemini Atzeres “closes” the Sukkos yom tov. Once the cal-endar was fixed by R’ Hillel II in Judea and amended in Bab-ylon by R’ Saadia Gaon in the ninth-century, any calendar doubt regarding the exactitude of Rosh Chodesh and the yom tovim went away forever. But new pressures emerged.

Some Diaspora communi-ties felt the second day, yom tov sheni, the obligation to keep two days of Sukkos, Pesach, and Shavuos, was an unnecessary burden when the Jews of the Holy Land only kept one day. Consider the unusual events of 1854 in the community of 2,500 Jews in Mantua, Italy, the birth-place of R’ Azariah dei Rossi, physician, scholar, and famous author (Me’or Enayim).

All the Jewish shopkeepers and merchants were angry they had to miss a second day of busi-ness when all knew when the right date of yom tov was. They brought the issue to a beis din. A total of 100 rabbis got involved. They refused to change the cal-endar. But they had a problem. The rabbinate knew the majori-ty of the Jewish community who

were in business intended to go ahead and open their stores with or without their “blessing.” The rabbinate did not want to see the masses ignore a rabbinic ruling so they worded their psak by ad-vising the community to “act ac-cording to their understanding.”

Have you noticed? The Torah’s three designated titles of Shavu-os – Chag Shavuos (The Fes-tival of Weeks), Hag HaKatzir

(The Harvest Festival), and Yom HaBikkurim (The Day of First Fruits) – were never explicitly connected to the giving of the Torah (Matan Torah). Why not?

Rabbi Yehuda Loewy of Prague (Maharal), the seminal thinker of the 16th century, states that although Jews are automat-ically obligated to embrace all Jewish festivals with simcha, such an emotion cannot be leg-islated or coerced. Rather, he ex-plains patiently, they must come

from within. Therefore the con-nection to Sinai is not revealed in Shavuos’s name, leaving it up to the Jews, individually and communally, to find their own way to celebrate the yom tov and conclude that the gift of Torah is worth rejoicing over.

This conclusion is easier to reach because of the yom tov’s uniqueness. Consider: It is the only Jewish festival with no specific Torah-derived halach-

ic rituals. It does not celebrate a part of Judaism or only a few particular mitzvos but rather the Torah as a whole. And so we read the exquisitely beautiful poem called Akdamus, penned in Ar-amaic by the eleventh-century German Rabbi Meir Nehorai, Rashi’s teacher, whose son was killed by the Crusaders. Akda-mus defends the truths of Ju-daism to a hostile audience. It praises G-d who gave Israel the Torah, describes how the nations

try to entice the Jews away, and ends with a lyrical account of the Messianic era and the mystical banquet of the mysterious sea monster Leviathan.

Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter, a 19th century Talmudic gaon (who changed his name from Roten-berg to avoid arrest by the Rus-sians after he took the wrong side in the Polish–Russian War of 1830), and the first Rebbe of Ger, affectionately known as Reb Itche Meir, had an interesting in-sight into Shavuos.

Its date, he argued, cannot be precisely pinpointed because the very nature of the festival re-sists time. This is why Shavuos is referred to as Zman Matan To-raseinu, “the time of the giving of the Torah,” and not “the time of receiving.” With each giving comes a bit of receiving, Rav Al-ter continues, and that “the giv-ing of the Torah happened at one specified time but the receiving of it happens at every time and in every generation.”

To the Rav, R’ J. B. Soloveit-chik of YU, Shavuos was just a beginning of an unfolding and timeless “season of Torah knowl-edge.” Since this was a contin-uum, designed to link genera-tions, it required no fixed time, no fixed laws, and no dated “re-ceipt.” Rav Moshe would refrain from calling Shavuos a “Torah Day” for fear of giving the im-pression that Torah was special only on this day.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, the brilliant Rav who saved German Jewry from total assimilation, went one step fur-ther: he saw an actual danger in creating a specific holiday dedi-cated to Mt. Sinai and the Torah, concerned that this would some-how “box in” G-d’s words to one specific time, in contradiction to the Torah’s own wish that it be with Jews at all times.

Shavuos is an annual re-minder. Jews are to replicate the giving of the Torah from gener-

“The giving of the Torah happened at one specified time but the

receiving of it happens at every time and in every generation.”

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ation to generation “in the same manner that it was first given.” So here’s the question: given to who?

The Shechina appeared not once but twice at Sinai. The first time was on “the whole mountain in sight of all the people,” replete with such dramatic and awe-in-spiring imagery as trembling, thunder, lightning, and dense clouds. The second appearance is at the “top of the mountain;” this time everything is more subdued, all the fire-and-brim-stone rhetoric is conspicuously absent. This is not for the entire nation of Israel but reserved for such individuals as Moses and his brother Aaron who are in no need of the fiery rhetoric.

To whom then was G-d speaking? At a time of no in-stant twitters or cable coverage, it’s unclear. Let’s see what the possibilities are. According to R’ Ibn Ezra from Tudela, Spain, the entire nation heard all Ten Commandments. But the Ram-bam claims that only Moses un-derstood its contents; the Jewish people hearing, but not actually comprehending. Rashi argues that the Jews only heard the first two (“I am the L-rd” and “You shall have no other gods”) di-rectly from the Source and the remaining eight from Moses. He bases this on the Torah’s switch from first-person singular to third person.

Meanwhile, the Ramban, who vigorously defended the Rambam from detractors who were burning his writings and is credited with preventing a seri-ous rift amongst the scholars of his time, suggests a compromise: All ten of the Aseres Hadiberos were given by G-d, however only the first two were understood by the children of an Egyptian poly-theistic culture, the other eight requiring further explanation by Moses.

After the fall of the Second

Temple, the Torah’s agricultural underpinnings, from joyful har-vest pilgrimages to mandated laws of fruits and offerings, also collapsed. With Jews in golus and no longer active tillers of the soil of the Land of Israel, some-thing had to fill the vacuum. The spiritual aspect of Shavuos was

upgraded from an emphasis on agriculture to an emphasis on the giving of the Torah, a daz-zling act that combined Torah and land, Sinai and harvest, G-d and nature. And yet...

There was still something lacking in Shavuos, something missing – epes felt, as my moth-er would say in Yiddish. It was not until the 16th century that this spiritual void was brilliantly filled by the kabbalists of Tsfas who cleverly weaved together four mystical tenets to create one new custom: a Tikkun Leil Shavuos, which literally means “repair of the night of Shavuos.”

What were the four tenets? That Jews of all time were pres-

ent at Sinai; that the Torah was given at daybreak while Jews slept, making it necessary for G-d Himself to awaken them; that the Heavens open at mid-night, thus allowing prayers to go directly to G-d; and that, since Israel is compared to a groom and Torah to a bride,

one must prepare the bride with sweet words in anticipation of the wedding day.

Tikun Leil Shavuos, a (non-obligatory) all-night Torah study, was a pragmatic activity aimed at helping Jews re-experi-ence the Revelation on a recur-ring annual basis. But wait! Why should learning Torah be unique to this holiday alone, especially since v’higita bo yomam v’lay-la, the order to “study it day and night,” already applies?!

Today, the all-night learning is provincial: each shul has their own (loose) program. It was not always so. Originally there was a specific order to Tikun Leil Shavuos wherein each section of

the Tanach, as well as each of the six books of the Mishna, was be-gun and concluded before day-break. By learning the beginning and end of each part of the Torah it was as if one had learned the Torah in its entirety, a reaffirma-tion of the Jews’ connection and devotion to G-d.

Surprisingly, even having Yizkor on Shavuos (let alone cheese blintzes) didn’t bring the masses. Nor did the fact that on Shavuos we can eat what, when, and where we want in contrast to Pesach when we can’t eat what we want, Sukkos when we can’t eat where we want, Rosh Hasha-na when we can’t eat when we want, and Yom Kippur when we can’t eat at all!

During my career, start-ing at a public school in Sydney through into the business com-munity of Los Angeles, non-Jews, and many secular Jews, were clueless when I told them “I’m off” for two days because of a Jewish holiday. At the Uni-versity of New South Wales even Jewish professors doubted my claim it was a holiday. The offi-cial Department of Education calendar listed every Jewish holiday on which “teachers of the Jewish faith” were entitled to take a day off without any pay penalty – but Shavuos was not one of them.

I explained it was pronounced Sssssh-vuos, the keep-quiet hol-iday.

Joe Bobker, alumnus of Yeshivas HaR av Kook in Jerusalem, is the former publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Times, author of the popular Torah With a Twist of Humor and the 18-volume “Historiography of Orthodox Jews and the Holocaust,” the first of which, “War Against the Rabbis: Hitler’s As-sault Against Judaism,” will be pub-lished this year around Shavuos. Mr. Bobker can be reached at jbobker@ gmail.com.

“I explained it was pronounced Sssssh-vuos, the keep-quiet holiday.”

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Barry Good! By Allan Rolnick, CPA

Your Money

Humorist Dave Bar-ry entertained millions of readers

with his nationally syndi-cated column from 1983 to 2004. Along the way, he earned a Pulitzer Prize for commentary, inspired a television series (Dave’s World), and even, after mocking the cities of Grand Forks, South Dakota and East Grand Forks, Minne-sota, earned the honor of having a sewage pumping station named after him. Dave’s slowed down in re-cent years, but he always had a lot to say about tax-es. So here are some of our favorite Dave Barry quotes for your quick enjoyment:

“It’s income tax time again, Americans: time to gather up those receipts, get out those tax forms, sharpen up that pencil, and stab yourself in the aorta.”

“We’ll try to cooperate fully with the IRS, because, as citizens, we feel a strong

patriotic duty not to go to jail.”

“Big business never pays a nickel in taxes, according to Ralph Nader, who rep-resents a big consumer or-ganization that never pays a nickel in taxes.”

“[American tax laws] are constantly changing as our elected representatives seek new ways to ensure that whatever tax advice we receive is incorrect.”

“The IRS spends G-d knows how much of your tax money on these toll-free information hotlines staffed by IRS employees,

whose idea of a dynamite tax tip is that you should print neatly. If you ask them a real tax question, such as how you can cheat, they’re useless.”

“The question is: What can we, as citizens, do to

reform our tax system? As you know, under our three-branch system of government, the tax laws are created by: Satan. But he works through the Con-gress, so that’s where we must focus our efforts.”

“If our government is go-ing to be able to provide for the common good, every-

body has to contribute his or her fair share in the form of taxes. And when I say ‘everybody,’ I mean, ‘not ev-erybody.’ Because the truth is that a lot of people don’t pay taxes. Poor people, for example. Also many rich people. Also a fair number

of middle-income people.”

“Q. At 9 a.m. today, I made large cash contribu-tions to both major politi-cal parties. As of 1:30 this afternoon, the federal gov-ernment had still not enact-ed special tax-break legisla-tion just for me. What kind of country is this?

A. Unfortunately, be-

cause of the high demand, the federal government can no longer provide “same-day service,” but if you do not see action by noon tomorrow, you should contact your personal con-gressperson; or, if you are staying in the Lincoln Bed-room, simply stomp on the floor.”

This week it seems es-pecially appropriate to re-mind you that there’s noth-ing funny about overpaying your taxes, and there are no Pulitzer Prizes waiting for people who do it. The solu-tion, of course, is a plan to pay less. So make sure you have a plan of your own and have a laugh at the ex-pense of everyone else who doesn’t have one!

Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 yea rs in Queens, NY. He wel-comes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at [email protected].

“We’ll try to cooperate fully with the IRS, because, as citizens, we feel a strong

patriotic duty not to go to jail.”

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Forgotten Her es

The BUFFA Look at the B-52 Stratofortress Bomber

By Avi Heiligman

Air forces around the globe have various types of air-craft in their arsenal. These

planes and other flying vehicles fall under many categories with fight-er/attack and bomber aircraft being the most well-known. The lifespan of planes that hit full production can be between a couple of years and three or four decades. Two no-table exceptions are the A-10 Wart-hog and the B-52 Stratofortress bomber. The B-52 is particularly notable because by the time they will be replaced in 2040, the planes will be 90 years old.

One advantage that the U.S. had over the German Air Force in WWII was their long range four en-gine bombers. The B-17 Flying For-tress, the B-24 Liberator and the B-29 Superfortress all played a key part in the air victory over the Axis powers. One mission of the B-29 which stood out was the use of the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The long range bomber

was able to take off from bases over a thousand miles away and drop the bomb without refueling. This capa-bility was one of the major charac-teristics in the new bomber require-ments sent out to manufacturers in the months after WWII ended. It needed to have long range, a large payload (the amount of bombs or armament it could carry), decent speed and a large crew.

Boeing’s first attempt at the bomber was rejected because the plane would be too big. The six pro-posed engines were reduced to four, the speed increased to 400 MPH and the nuclear-only type was changed to an all purpose bomber. The design went through several more changes, including jet engines instead of turboprops, before being awarded the contract and first be-ing flown in 1952. Finally, in 1954, the first three B-52A bombers were delivered to the air force.

Over the next nine years, eight different models of the B-52 were

introduced and a total of 744 air-craft were built by Boeing. Pro-duction was done at both of their facilities in Seattle and Wichita. Since there were many parts of the innovative plane, over 5,000 com-panies were involved as direct con-tractors or sub-contractors in the development and building of the Stratofortress. Currently the USAF employs 76 B-52H bombers in the Air Combat Command, the last of which rolled off the production line in 1962. The five person crewed plane weighs in at 185,000 pounds, has a current payload of 70,000 (maximum) pounds, an 185-foot wingspan, 50,000-foot ceiling and an unrefueled range of 8,800 miles.

The first few years of the B-52 were filled with many pitfalls and a few triumphs. Along with technical and engine issues, the plane was so heavy that it literally cracked up runways. Other issues includ-ed faulty computer systems and leaky fuel tanks. An alternator is-

sue caused the first crash in 1956. Some in the air force were predict-ing that the Stratofortress would be out of service very quickly. Then in May 1956 a B-52 dropped a thermo-nuclear bomb over the Bikini Atoll in a test run. Long range missions, including the use of the new mid-air refueling system, and speed records quieted the doubters and the Stratofortress was there to stay. Since it is one of the largest planes in the USAF, the B-52 has been used as a “mother ship” to launch other aircraft.

Escalating operations in Viet-nam were the backdrop for the first combat missions of the B-52. Striking Communists strongholds and other valuable targets deep into enemy territory struck fear in the North Vietnamese. Soon the payload for the B-52 was increased from 10,000 pounds to over 22,000 pounds so it could execute “carpet bombing” raids. The average mis-sion lasted from 10 to 12 hours.

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In total, 31 B-52s were lost over Vietnam including 15 during the Linebacker raids. Despite being heavy and much slower than Sovi-et-built fighters, the Stratofortress was able to fight back. During the Linebacker raids in 1972, Staff Ser-geant Samuel Turner was a tail gun-ner on a B-52 that had just finished its bombing run. A MiG-21 Fishbed approached and Turner trained his quad .50 caliber machine guns on the enemy and the MiG exploded. He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions. At least one other MiG-21 was shot down by a B-52 gunner over Vietnam making it the last air-to-air kill with machine guns. The B-52 is also the largest aircraft in history to have air-to-air kills.

After the Vietnam War, the remaining B-52s received an up-grade. Night vision capabilities, GPS, improved viewing systems, weapons control and other units

that greatly enhanced the perfor-mance of its bombing runs all made their way into the revamped bomb-er. The older models B-52A until the B-52F models were gradually retired by 1983. “G” and “H” mod-els were mainly on nuclear standby. After the fall of the Soviet Union, all B-52G were retired in accor-dance with the reduction of arms treaty. Other bombers, such as the B-1, replaced the aging the B-52s but there was still a purpose for the remaining Stratofortresses.

Operation Desert Storm in 1991 provided the backdrop for the next major conflict. In a record flight time of 35 hours of contin-uous flight, seven B-52s made the 35,000 mile round trip from Barksdale Air Force Base in Loui-siana to target over Iraq and back. The trip was supported by tanker planes that required the bombers

to refuel several times. The result was the destruction of enemy bun-kers, instillations and the lowering of morale among the Iraqi Republi-can Guard. Since then, the B-52 has bombed targets in Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to its bombing role the Stratofortress also provided Combat Air Support (CAS) during Operation Enduring Freedom. The bombers were able to drop precision guided munitions on targets spotted for them by ground troops.

More recent missions of the B-52 have seen them “exercising” over disputes on islands in the South China Sea. Earlier this year, Superfortresses were sent to Korea to collect air samples after North Korea claimed they detonated a hy-drogen bomb. Currently they took over the bombing missions from B-1 Lancers that had been pound-ing ISIS strongholds in Iraq.

There have been many inquiries and studies done by the air force to try to replace the B-52. How-ever, the alternatives aren’t cheap and may take decades to produce. The B-52 isn’t scheduled to be re-tired completely until at least 2040 which makes them older than any navy ship currently in commission (save for parade ships). Known as the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fellow), the B-52 Stratofortress has provid-ed the U.S. with a long range, long lasting and a very large payload ca-pacity more than any other plane in history.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contribu-tor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at [email protected].

Talmudical Academyof Baltimore

Positions AvailableImmediate Opening:

Receptionist/Administrative AssistantEmail resume to [email protected]

For the 2016-2017 School Year:Preschool Morah - Rare Opportunity

Email resume to [email protected]

Elementary General Studies TeachersEmail resume to [email protected]

Elem. Special Ed. Teachers & Asst.Email resume to [email protected]

Talmudical Academy invites qualified teachers with acollege degree and experience to be a part of our

stimulating, stimulating, warm, and engaging educational environment.

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JUNE 2, 2016 | The Jewish Home100OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home 59The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 201558

Moroccan Chicken Cholent

Servings 12This chicken cholent has less than half the calories of traditional

cholent, and has so much more flavor it will be your new favorite.

Ingredients◊ Cooking spray◊ 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 2-inch pieces◊ 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets or 4 cups frozen florets◊ 1 large onion, chopped◊ 4 cloves garlic, chopped◊ 2 pounds chicken legs◊ 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt◊ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper◊ 1 cup raw brown rice◊ ½ cup dried chickpeas◊ 1 teaspoon paprika◊ 1 teaspoon ground turmeric◊ ½ teaspoon ground cumin◊ ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper◊ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon◊ ½ teaspoon ground allspice◊ 4 large eggs in their shells, washed ◊ 1 quart chicken broth

Instructions

1. Grease a slow cooker insert with cooking spray.2. Layer sweet potatoes, cauliflower, onions, garlic, and chicken.3. Season salt and pepper.4. Sprinkle in rice and gently shake the slow cooker so rice

settles into all the crevices.5. Add chickpeas and repeat the gentle shake.6. Sprinkle with paprika, turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper,

cinnamon, and allspice. 7. Gently nestle in eggs.8. Pour in chicken broth; add water if necessary to just cover

everything.9. Cook on low for 12 to 20 hours.10. Just before serving, remove and peel eggs.11. Scoop cholent into individual bowls or serve family style in a

large serving bowl. 12. Cut eggs into quarters and arrange on top of cholent or in a

bowl alongside.

Nutritional Information / Per Serving510 calories, 12g fat, 262mg cholesterol, 1218mg sodium, 56g carbohydrates, 8g fiber, 8g sugar, 44g protein

Vegetarian: Swap extra ½ cup dried chickpeas for chicken.

Parsley Salad

Servings 6Parsley is rich in many vital vitamins, including vitamins A, B12,

C, and K. This means parsley keeps your immune system strong.

Ingredients◊ 8 cups chopped fresh parsley◊ Zest and juice of 1 lemon◊ 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil ◊ 2 teaspoons honey◊ Kosher salt◊ Freshly ground black pepper◊ ¼ cup sunflower seeds

Instructions

1. Place parsley in a medium salad bowl.2. Whisk together lemon zest and juice, oil, and honey.3. Drizzle dressing over parsley, toss, and season to taste with salt

and pepper. 4. Top with seeds.



Servings 6Keep dessert easy and light with malabi made from almond milk

and top with healthy fruit and nuts.

Ingredients4 cups almond milk, divided1 ⁄3 cup silan¼ cup cocoa powder½ cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder 1 tablespoon rose water

Instructions1. In a large microwave safe bowl whisk together 3 ½ cups almond

milk, silan, and cocoa powder and heat for 2 minutes.2. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and remaining ½

cup almond milk. 3. Whisk cornstarch mixture into warm milk mixture.3. Place back in the microwave for 4 to 6 minutes more, whisking

every 2 minutes until pudding consistency is reached.4. Remove and whisk in rose water.5. Pour into decorative cups for serving and cool in fridge.


Chocolate Rose Malabi

THE BALTIMORE JEW


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Cooking Kingfor theby Renee Rousso Chernin

Recipies from:

www.�eKosherChannel.com

Peeling tomatoes, chopping lots of veggies, getting the seasoning just right. Gazpacho, that cool, refreshing, low fat Spanish soup, can be such a potchke. Not this recipe~& here's the secret: �is easy gazpacho recipe tastes even better using canned tomatoes than fresh. Really. Plus there is a health bene�t in using cooked tomatoes as they have an even higher level of antioxidants than fresh!

Onion Soup with melted cheese is a favorite for Shavuos but his year, with the holiday arriving a�er Shabbos, it will a challenge to serve on Shavuos night. Not with this tip: Mock Hollandaise sauce blends easily into the soup to create that rich creamy goodness we adore. Plus it’s ideal

to serve with either a meat or dairy meal.

Soup Ingredients:1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes seasoned with garlic2 tablespoons tomato paste1 tablespoon mayonnaise1 tablespoon curry powder1 teaspoons sugar1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon pepperdash liquid hot pepper sauce, optional1 cup water

Curry Cream Ingredients:1/4 cup (pareve or dairy) sour cream1 tablespoon mayonnaise2 teaspoons curry powdergreen onions, cilantro or parsley, chopped, optional

Soup Ingredients:6 large yellow onions, peeled,

quartered and thinly sliced2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, melted

2 tablespoons olive oil1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper10 cups (pareve) beef broth

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or lemon juice12 ounces beer

8 toasted baguette or challah slices

Mock Hollandaise Sauce:3/4 cups mayonnaise

1/3 cup lemon juice ¼ cup water

makes 4-6 servings | must make ahead | active time: 15 minutes

Preperation:1. Place all soup ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until well blended but not pureed. Remove to a 2 quart plastic container. Stir in up to 1 cup water until desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate several hours or overnight, if possible.2. In a small bowl, stir together ingredients for Curry Cream sauce. Set aside until ready to serve.3. Serve cold, topped with a small dollop of Curry Cream and chopped green onions, cilantro or parsley, if desired.

Preperation:1. Place in a large slow cooker or soup pot the onions, garlic, butter or margarine, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Stir and cover for 12

hours on low in the crock pot, or for 1 hour over low heat in the soup pot. Stir occasionally until the onions are very so� and dark

golden brown. 2. Add broth and vinegar or lemon juice. Crockpot method: Cover and continue cooking on low for 5 hours and up to 10 hours until ready to serve. Longer cooking will intensify the �avors. Taste and

season with more salt and pepper or add warm water if �avors need mellowing. Stovetop method: Bring to a boil, lower heat and

simmer for 20-40 minutes, uncovered. 3. Just before serving add beer and heat until warmed to serving

temperature. 4. In a medium bowl, whisk together all Mock Hollandaise Sauce

ingredients. Bring to room temperature before adding to soup.5. Ladle soup into 8 bowls. Top with toasts and 2 tablespoons of the

Mock Hollandaise sauce.

French Onion Soup

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Gazpacho with Curry Cream •••••••••••••••••••

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Slow Cooker or Stovetop

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