Baltimore Jewish Home 12-26-24

Shomrim’s

Chanukah Safety Precautions

IMPORTANT!

” “

Chanukah candles need to be lit to last for half an hour after night. You are allowed to put them out after half an hour if a danger exists, or if you have to leave the candles unattended.

Rav Moshe Heinemann, Shlit”a

IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE

• Unless it is a minor contained fire, do not attempt to put the fire out yourself.

• If there is smoke, get as low to the ground as possible and keep your mouth covered.

• Call 911 once you are in a safe area and do not re-enter the house.

• If you or your clothing catch fire, don’t run. Cover your face and “STOP, DROP, AND ROLL.”

ALWAYS

DBefore Chanukah, practice a family fire emergency escape plan.

DHave working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers.

DBe mindful of loose clothing, sleeves, ties, and hair when lighting the menorah.

DUse only non-flammable menorahs that are not made from wood or plastic.

DIf using oil cups with wicks, make sure the cups are properly secured into the menorah.

DSet menorahs up on a sturdy heat-resistant surface with aluminum trays or foil underneath and keep out of children’s reach.

DLight the candles only in areas that are 4 feet away from any flammable items such as curtains, draperies, blinds, cabinets, etc.

DUse long barbecue style matches to light the candles, especially if children are lighting.

DMake sure all children’s menorahs are set up in front of other menorahs so children don’t have to reach over a menorah to light their own.

NEVER

U Never leave lit candles unattended.

U Never leave children or pets alone in a room with a lit menorah.

U Don’t set the menorah up in an area where it can be easily knocked over.

U Don’t use any types of tablecloths underneath the menorah.

U Don’t leave matches, lighters, candles, wicks, or oil near the candles.

U Don’t move menorahs while the candles are lit.

&

The Chesed Fund Limited is dedicated in memory of Mordechai & Rebecca Kapiloff,

Bernard Kapiloff,

and Rabbi Norman & Louise Gerstenfeld,

Project Ezra of Greater Baltimore, Inc. is dedicated in memory of M. Leo and Hannah Storch,

Dedicated in loving memory of Rena Baron, ה׳׳ע.

Dear Readers,

Chanukah, a festival of miracles and resilience, holds profound lessons about overcoming challenges and embracing growth. The story of Yosef HaTzadik, coupled with the triumph of the Maccabees, illuminates the power of perseverance and the beauty of incremental effort. Both narratives highlight that even in the darkest moments, the human spirit, guided by faith and determination, can rise above adversity.

Yosef HaTzadik’s life epitomizes the struggle and triumph of growth amidst hardship. Betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery, he found himself isolated, without sustenance or support. Thrown into a pit and later into the depths of an Egyptian prison, Yosef faced trials that could have easily broken him. Yet, Yosef’s strength lay in the unwavering prayers and tears of his father, Yaakov. Refusing to believe that his beloved son was gone, Yaakov’s faith nourished Yosef’s spirit from afar, enabling him to rise above his circumstances. Yosef emerged not merely unscathed but flourishing, like a seed buried in the ground that bursts forth with life after being watered.

This resilience mirrors the story of Chanukah. The Jewish people faced immense oppression under the Yevanim, who sought to extinguish their spiritual identity. Stripped of their ability to openly serve Hashem, they clung to their faith. This perseverance is symbolized by the Pach Shemen—the small jug of oil that burned for eight days. Just as Yosef drew strength from Yaakov’s unwavering belief, the Jewish people drew strength from their unyielding commitment to their values. Their small but mighty light continues to inspire generations, reminding us that even the smallest spark can illuminate the darkest of times. Chanukah also teaches us the value of effort over perfection. The Yevanim celebrated precision, perfection, and human supremacy. In contrast, Yiddishkeit values striving and upward growth, even when outcomes fall short of perfection. The Neis of םיטעמ דיב םיבר the many over-

come by the few—underscores this truth. Hashem values our attempts, no matter how incomplete, as demonstrated by the Pach Shemen. Though insufficient by human standards, its flame was sanctified, embodying the idea that effort, coupled with divine intervention, can achieve the impossible.

This perspective is further reflected in the mitzvah of lighting the Menorah. While increasing candles each night is how we’re encouraged to do the Mitzvah, even a single flame fulfills the mitzvah. The emphasis lies not on the quantity or perfection of the act but on the sincerity of the effort. Rabbi Yissocher Frand’s timeless wisdom—“Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good”—reminds us that our mission is to do our best with the resources and circumstances we are given.

The challenges faced by Klal Yisroel, whether on the global stage or in our day-to-day lives, can feel overwhelming. Yet, the stories of Yosef and Chanukah remind us that even when buried under the weight of hardship, we can grow. Our tears, prayers, and efforts—no matter how small—nourish seeds of resilience and hope.

As we light the menorah and reflect on its flickering flames, we’re reminded of the enduring spirit of our ancestors. Their determination to persevere, their recognition of the value of every effort, and their unwavering faith in Hashem inspire us to rise above our challenges. In doing so, we become part of a legacy that celebrates growth, sanctifies imperfection, and transforms even the smallest lights into beacons of hope. May we carry these lessons forward, striving to grow, illuminating the world with our actions, and ensuring that the miracles of the past continue to guide our future.

Wishing everyone a Freilichin Chanuka Aaron Menachem

STARTING

Experience Kabbolas HaTorah this Purim like never before by joining Oraysa for Maseches Megillah. Learning these sugyos together with thousands of other lomdei Oraysa worldwide is a true fulfillment of הרות וז - הרוא התיה םידוהיל. In anticipation of Purim, Oraysa is learning Megillah followed by Ta'anis

Horav Noach Isaac Oelbaum shlita Nasi,

Horav Dovid Cohen shlita Nasi, Eretz Yisroel

Horav Avrohom Gurwicz shlita Nasi,

Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz Founding President

Around the Community

Chaverim Of Baltimore Hosts Memorable Pre-Chanukah Gathering For Chaverim Volunteers And

In a heartwarming display of gratitude and camaraderie, Chaverim of Baltimore recently hosted a special pre-Chanukah get-together for its dedicated volunteer responders, dispatchers, and their families. The event, held at Ohr Hamizrach in a beautifully arranged venue, welcomed over 150 attendees who gathered to celebrate and connect.

The evening featured a delicious spread of food, with donuts, meat wraps, chicken platters, meat platters, latkes, and an array of salads. There was an atmosphere of camaraderie and connection. Adding an extra layer of excitement to the evening, guests were treated to a professional mentalist show by renowned mentalist Ronnie Baras. The event’s seamless execution was made possible through the professional service provided by Delightful Service by David. From the setup to the flow of the evening, every detail was handled with care, ensuring that attendees could fully enjoy the experience.

During the event, any unit or dispatcher that responded to or dispatched over 300 calls this year received an extra token of appreciation. Six units

surpassed this impressive milestone, including Chaim Margolese, unit 97, who topped the list with an astounding 987 calls this year! He was followed closely by Binny Margolese, unit 34; Neal Gerstman, unit 40; Dovid Spatz, unit 81; Yehuda Klein, unit 44; Yaakov Benyowitz, unit 63; and Shimz Balakani, unit 101.

Similarly, six dispatchers were recognized for dispatching over 300 calls this year, including Jackie Wolf, dispatch 2; Naomi Miller, dispatch 4; Avi Mutterperl, unit 92; Bracha Rotberg, dispatch 30; Yehudis Perlman, dispatch 16; and Miriam Benyowitz, dispatch 31.

These extraordinary individuals exemplify the commitment and dedication that make Chaverim of Baltimore such an invaluable part of the community. Chaverim of Baltimore’s pre-Chanukah gathering served as a meaningful opportunity to express appreciation for the selfless efforts of its responders and dispatchers. Their dedication to assisting the community throughout the year is a cornerstone of Chaverim’s mission, and this event was a well-deserved moment of celebration.

Their Families By: BJLife Newsroom

Siyum Celebration On Masechta Bava Basra at Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

By: BJLife Newsroom

The lomdei haDaf at Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah celebrated a siyum on Masechta Bava Basra. The evening’s highlight was the keynote address by Rabbi Avraham Goldhar of Zichru, who spoke about how Zichru is revolutionizing the Daf Yomi experience.

Rabbi Goldhar, a renowned memory expert and creator of the Goldhar Method, shared his journey of discovering extraordinary success

in his own learning through these innovative techniques. Inspired by the transformative impact of his methods, he launched Zichru to help Daf Yomi learners access entire Mesechtos with ease and motivation. Since its inception, Zichru has empowered thousands of learners, raising the bar for what lomdei Daf Yomi can achieve.

Rabbi Binyamin Gerstengeld and Rabbi Yehoshua Weinhaus both shared how Zichru has profoundly

transformed not only their Daf Yomi learning but also their entire lives.

As the program gained recognition, Zichru partnered with the OU’s Daf Yomi platform, All Daf, to expand its reach. Together, they’ve equipped learners worldwide with tools and strategies to remember the Daf, making the learning experience more accessible and impactful than ever. Zichru’s mission remains simple yet ambitious: to empower learners

to retain and excel, unlocking the full potential of Daf Yomi study.

Daf Yomi mesayem, Rabbi Meir Beller, who has faithfully delivered a nightly Daf Yomi shiur, will be stepping down as he begins a new role as a Magid Shiur.

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Around the Community

JUSA Installs 9-Foot Menorah At Aberdeen Proving Ground

By: BJLife Newsroom

Thanks to Rabbi Chesky Tenenbaum, director of the Jewish Uniformed Service Association-Chabad, a 9-foot Menorah has been erected at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

The Menorah stands on one of the base’s busiest streets, bringing festive light to the more than 20,000 U.S. Army personnel who live and work at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

In addition to the Menorah installation, a Pre-Chanukah celebration was held at the base. APG Garrison Chaplain Major Kim, along with soldiers and employees from the APG community, attended the event. Guests received Menorah kits to help celebrate the holiday.

The Jewish Uniformed Service Association (JUSA) expressed its gratitude to the APG Main Post Chapel for their ongoing support of the Jewish community at Aberdeen Proving Ground throughout the year.

WEEKLY CALENDAR DECEMBER 30TH- JANUARY 3RD

L CHAIM

Stimulating Activities For Adults - Delicious Kosher Meals

Tuesday December 31th Monday December 30th Wednesday January 1st

10:00 am

Baking with Ms. Hirschman

11:00 am Mini Golf

1:00 pm

Arts & Crafts with Shifra

2:00 pm

Music with Mr. Fried

10:00 am

Chanukah Jeopardy

11:00 am

Discussion Group with Rabbi KarpHalachos of Chanukah

1:00 pm

BINGO

1:45 pm

Guitar with Yossi K

9:30 am

Yoga with Deborah Bandos

10:30 am

Bais Yaakov Middle School Visit

11:00 am

Discussion Group with Rabbi Karp - Chanukah History

1:00 pm

Arts & Crafts with Shifra

1:45 pm

Guitar with Yossi K

Thursday January 2nd

9:30 am

Yoga with Deborah Bandos

10:00 am Board Games

11:00 am

Discussion Group with Rabbi Karp - Great Chanukah StoriesModern Era

1:00 pm

Arts & Crafts with Shifra

1:45 pm

Guitar with Yossi K

Friday January 3rd

10:00 am

Baking with Ms. Hirschman

11:00 am

Discussion Group with Rabbi KarpHello to the parsha of Vayigash

1:00 pm

Music with Aharon Grayson

THE PLACE FOR

NEW GIRLS’ SCHOOL FOR THE 2025-2026

SCHOOL YEAR: PRESCHOOL & LOWER ELEMENTARY

INTERVIEWS ARE ONGOING

SPOTS ARE FILLING UP!

JCFL By “Your Kitchen Spot” Playoffs Provide High Level Of Excitement; Teams Prep For Championship On “Chanukah Sunday”

With two exciting games played in the “Goldberg’s/Mama Leah’s/Taam Thai” playoffs, the only question left to ask is – “Who will take home this year’s “Multicom Capital” Trophy?”

Come out on “Chanukah Sunday” (12/29) to the turf field at Pikesville High to find out!

Read on for some of the highlights from the playoffs:

Allstate Insurance – Yaakov Schmell 22

AMP Solutions 13

After opening the season with two heartbreaking losses and sitting in an 0-2 hole staring down the barrel of another lost season for this veteran and aging team, Team Sponsor Yaakov Schmell summoned QB Avi Yudkowsky and backup punter/honorary team captain Dany Donaty to his office and admonished them for their subpar performance. He laid into them telling them that Allstate Yaakov Schmell is associated with excellence, winning, and outperformance, and they were letting down the brand. Changes were coming, if there wasn’t rapid improvement.

At the time, sport books pegged their odds to win the championship at 75-1. Critics were calling this team old and washed up. ‘Zaslow’s on one leg and can’t get no separation’, ‘Yudkowsky can’t move and is being tackled by the turf’, ‘Donaty’s got no feeling in most of his fingers and couldn’t punt a beach ball’. ‘Lerner’s hamstring can’t hold up’, ‘Schnitzer can’t see without his glasses’. And on and on it went. Lesser teams would have folded. But not this group. Not this year.

Allstate-Schmell promptly responded by winning their next 4 games to clinch a playoff spot and entered the playoffs against the 2 seeded AMP Solutions, looking to avenge their last second loss in week 2. It looked like the Cinderella story might finally come to an end as Yudkowsky threw picks on their first two possessions, aiding AMP in jumping out to a 7-0 lead. However, like they have done all season, Allstate-Schmell fought back.

Yudkowsky hit Josh Zaslow on a long catch and run and then Ezra Rosen on a short pass on consecutive possessions to give Allstate a 14-7 lead. The teams traded defensive stops and AMP Solutions pulled to within 14-13, on a long TD pass to Dovi Salzburg. Allstate-Schmell got the ball back with 3 minutes left, looking to close out the game. Some thought they might try to bleed the clock but on a day where temperatures hovered in the low teens, the coldest thing on the field was the ice water running through Josh Zaslows veins as he came into the huddle on a crucial third down at midfield with under two minutes left and said, “throw me the ball.” The rest is history as Yudkowsky hit Zaslow on a 50-yard bomb to extend the lead to 20-13. Allstate then went for the jugular and went for 2 to ice the game.

Menachem Dalfin and Nossi Gerstman did what they do and gave their QB plenty of time to find cousin/ acquaintance Dany Donaty in the end zone to extend the lead to 22-13. Allstate closed it out with a big-time sack from Ezra Rosen to send them to the championship game.

Evergreen Benefits Group 40 Y & L Landscaping 21

On the coldest day of 5785, Evergreen Benefits Group defeated Y&L Landscaping 40-21 on the frozen “Tripping Kosher Fields” tundra to advance to the championship game on Chanukah Sunday. Evergreen utilized a dazzling array of passing and running plays, and some punishing lead blocking to end the landscapers’ season. It was tough sledding all day for Y&L’s aging veterans.

Y&L struck first, with QB Dan Gutman hitting Mordechai Schiermeyer for a TD and 2-pt conversion to go up 8-0.

Evergreen evened up the score on a TD pass from league co-MVP (as voted by the Camp Shoresh board), QB Chaim Finkelstein with some artful lead blocking by WRs Yoni Finkelstein and super-sub Shmuel Artman. WR Sammy Cohen caught the 2-pt conversion.

With DLs Avrami Freund and Nosson Waldman providing the heat on Dan

Gutman, Evergreen’s D forced a Y&L “punt”. Evergreen then marched down the field and scored on a short TD pass from Chaim Finkelstein to go up 14-8.

Yoni Finkelstein intercepted an errant pass and Evergreen scored on the hook-and-ladder (trademark: Avrami Freund) after an unexpected lateral to go up 20-8.

Just before halftime, Y&L scored on a catch from an super-charged Akiva Stutman to narrow Evergreen’s lead to 20-14.

After fueling up with some much-needed hot chocolate and an emotional “chizzuk-providing” speech from nearly professional team videographer Zeke Scheinfeld, Evergreen came out blazing in the 2nd half.

Sammy Cohen caught a long completion from Chaim, leading to a short TD pass from Chaim to regain its 2 TD advantage.

Following strong defense from Benzion Shamberg and Yehuda Schochet, Y&L was forced to punt. On the ensuing possession, Chaim completed a long pass to league coMVP Shloime Scheinfeld and then hit Avrami Freund for another TD. After another Cohen 2-pt conversion, Evergreen had a 3-score lead and didn’t look back.

In a case of the too-little, toolate, Stutman caught another TD and Baruch Dollman, who was previously famous for contributing to a Grade-3 shoulder separation of his own teammate in 2018 (this article’s author), caught the 2-pt conversion.

Evergreen would put the icing on the (40th anniversary of Chaim and Yoni’s parents - Rabbi Dave and Debbie Finkelstein) cake on his 5th TD throw of the game, a 50-yard dime.

Part Memoir, Part Stories – and Total Torah Inspiration from Rabbi Yaakov Bender

Rabbi Yaakov Bender is unique. He’s a nationally acclaimed Rosh Yeshivah who has changed the face of chinuch, as well as a close talmid of many gedolei Torah.

This book is also unique, an entirely new genre in which he shares stories and memories of seven decades of fascinating encounters with great men – and great women, starting with his mother, the beloved Rebbetzin Bender — all rooted in beautiful Torah ideas. It’s like enjoying a one-on-one conversation with the Rosh Yeshivah!

RAV ZVI KUSHELEVSKY: AN ELECTRIFYING STORY OF CHIZUK

88 years old... he waited, he davened, and he never lost hope. And then he finally held his miracle baby in his arms.

This is the incredible true story of Rav and Rebbetzin Zvi Kushelevsky, whose emunah electrified and inspired the Torah world. The story of how faith and prayer can bring miracles. And, of course, the story of little Eliyahu, the baby he waited for all his life.

Told in part by Rebbetzin Kushelevsky herself, Miracle Baby is more than an uplifting story with a “happy ending.” It’s a source of chizuk and inspiration for all of us, a guide to finding strength in tefillah and trust in Hashem’s plan.

Greater Washington: Around the Community Torah School Of Greater Washington Celebrates 30th Annual Dinner

The Torah School of Greater Washington (TSGW) recently celebrated its 30th Annual Dinner with an unforgettable evening at Beth Sholom. This milestone event honored the school’s rich history, celebrated its vibrant present, and looked ahead to a promising future. Parents, volunteers, staff, and community members gathered in a warm and optimistic atmosphere to mark this special occasion.

Meticulous planning by Dinner

Chairs Bayla Goodman and Yaffa Koff, along with TSGW’s Director of Development, Matthew Manes, ensured the event’s success. Upon arrival, guests were greeted by a stunning, custom-designed tree, symbolizing the theme: “Planting for Our Future.” The elegant décor set the tone for the celebration, while Signature Caterers elevated the experience with high-end cuisine that perfectly complemented the festive ambiance.

Following the dinner, the program continued with an engaging presentation led by MC Meir Kramer, a devoted parent volunteer. Meir’s humor and heartfelt connection to TSGW’s mission created an inclusive and festive atmosphere, drawing the audience into the evening’s celebration.

Several individuals were honored for their remarkable contributions to the school. Mrs. Toba Cohen and Mrs. Becky Keller were recognized for a decade of outstanding service to TSGW. Rabbi Hillel and Mrs. Naomi Shaps received the Harbatzas Torah Award in recognition of their dedication to spreading Torah throughout the Greater Washington community. Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Yitzchak and Becky Langer were presented with the Guests of Honor Award for their extraordinary volunteer service and leadership in building the Torah School PTA over the past ten years.

Rabbi Lichtenstein, Head of School, added depth and inspiration to the evening with his remarks. He reflected on TSGW’s strong foundation under its founder,

Rabbi Yitzchak Charner, while presenting an exciting vision for the school’s future. His speech, enriched with divrei Torah and insights into chinuch , highlighted the staff’s unwavering commitment to excellence and their devotion to nurturing “every child, every day” academically, spiritually, and emotionally. Rabbi Lichtenstein emphasized TSGW’s mission to foster a deep love of Torah and mitzvos , ensuring that every student feels valued, supported, and empowered.

The evening concluded with a shared sense of fulfillment and unity. Attendees reflected on TSGW’s growth and felt inspired by the road ahead. The 30th Annual Dinner was not only a celebration of past achievements but also a reaffirmation of the school’s bright future.

Greater Washington: Around the Community

Kehillas Shaar Simcha Hosts Pre-Chanukah Night Of Unity With Soulfarm Concert To Benefit Kulam

In a heartwarming celebration of community, music, and unity, Kehillas Shaar Simcha hosted a pre-Chanukah Night of Unity, bringing together a diverse crowd from the greater Washington area. The evening, which combined lively performances and meaningful connections, provided a powerful reminder of the strength found in coming together as a community, especially as Chanuka approaches.

The evening kicked off with an intimate acoustic performance by three local musicians—Elan Brenholtz, Matt Tonti, and Ary Katzenstein— who each took the stage to perform some of their original songs. The audience was treated to an array of heartfelt melodies, setting a laid-back, yet energizing tone for the evening.

The night then transitioned into the much-anticipated performance of Soulfarm, an energetic and dynamic band known for their fusion of Jewish music, rock, and soul. The group, led by Grammy-winning guitarist C Lanzbom and talented multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Noah Solomon, delivered an unforgettable performance that captivated the audience. The setlist was as diverse as the crowd, ranging from original songs to beloved Carlebach and Chabad melodies in honor of Yud Tes Kislev. The performance blended contemporary sounds with traditional Jewish music in a way that had the entire room singing along.

Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum opened the evening with inspiring words and spoke about the spiritual significance of the lights of Chanukah and their power to bring light into the world. His words set the tone for the evening, reinforcing the theme of unity and illumination as the community gathered together to share in the celebration.

The high-energy atmosphere was palpable as the crowd erupted into spontaneous dance at many points throughout the night. Soulfarm’s members expressed their deep appreciation for the evening, remarking that it was one of the best venues and crowds they had ever performed for,

with the energy and warmth of the audience creating an experience that resonated deeply with them.

A significant aspect of the evening was the purpose behind the event. Proceeds from the night went to support Kulam, a local youth organization dedicated to providing positive and healthy outlets for young boys in the community. Kulam’s work has been instrumental in offering mentorship, recreational activities, and guidance to help young people grow into confident and empowered individuals.

Dana Sicherman, a parent whose children benefit from Kulam’s programs, took the stage during a brief intermission. With heartfelt words, Dana spoke poetically about the profound impact Kulam has had on her children, describing how the organization has provided them with not only the tools for personal growth but also a supportive environment where they can flourish. Her testimony was a moving reminder of the importance of nurturing the next generation and supporting organizations that make a tangible difference in the lives of young people.

As the night came to a close, the energy and excitement lingered long after the last note was played. Feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive, with many sharing that they were still singing Soulfarm’s songs throughout the week. The uplifting melodies and infectious spirit of the evening had clearly left a lasting impression. In fact, several people were already asking, “When are we going to do this again?” The event not only brought the community together for an unforgettable celebration but also created a sense of anticipation for future gatherings. Stay tuned!

The LEV Experience, directed by Rabbi Shlomo and Devorah Buxbaum, hosted a memorable pre-Chanukah weekend with international mentalist Michael Samen. Organized by women inspired by their recent LEV trip to Israel, where they first met Michael, the event brought his “magic” to a wider audience.

The weekend united Jews of all backgrounds through song, laughter,

“Magical” Pre-Chanukah Event

Torah, and friendship, setting the perfect tone for ushering in Chanukah.

A Story Of Survival, Faith, And Family

my was honored to host Ron Siesser (‘95) for a powerful presentation of his grandfather’s incredible journey, as told in his

The story of Alfons Sperber, who at just 11 years old narrowly escaped the German Anschluss of Austria in 1938, is one of courage and resilience. Hidden in a Christian monastery in

France, crossing the Alps into Switzerland, and eventually reaching the United States in 1948, his tale is both heart-wrenching and inspiring.

Ron, uncle to current Berman students Yael, Kelilah, Gidony, and Kiki Siesser, shared rare video footage featuring Alfons, who now resides in Queens, NY, making this event deeply personal and unforgettable.

613 Seconds with the Directors of Reyus: Building Lives, Destroying Bullying

BJH: Rabbi Beren and Rabbi Baldinger, please tell us a little about yourselves.

Rabbi Beren: I attended Yeshiva of Greater Washington and later received semichah, a Master’s in Education, an MBA, and a law degree. I’m currently living in Baltimore with my wife and family. Rabbi Baldinger also received semichah from YGW and a Master’s in Education from George Washington University. He was a Rebbe in Memphis and at the Torah School of Greater Washington and now lives in Silver Spring with his family.

BJH: How did the two of you meet and decide to start this organization together?

Rabbi Baldinger: We first met at GWU grad school, where we both pursued a master’s in education. We also got to know each other at Yeshiva Gedolah of Greater Washington.

We had noticed that there were many local middle school aged boys who were off of school without any structure in the summertime. Rabbi Beren and I both grew up going to camp and recognized the

importance of growing and being productive in the summer. We felt that we could make a difference in these children’s lives by starting a local day camp.

So, around 15 years ago, we started Jewish Teen Camp intended to promote unity among campers, inspired by Harav Aharon Lopiansky and Rebbetzin Yaffa Lopiansky’s vision of one day opening an overnight camp.

BJH: What made you decide to dedicate yourselves to children and combating bullying, among all the other important causes and issues in our community?

Rabbi Baldinger: When we decided to make the big transition from day camp to overnight camp, we asked ourselves the following questions:

• How do we identify ourselves as leaders and role models?

• What makes our camp special and unique beyond the typical fun and activities?

• What are some issues in Klal Yisrael that we feel we can help resolve through camp?

We knew we wanted to be a place where children felt good about themselves. We knew we wanted our camp to be a place of achdus and warmth.

After a few successful summers, we noticed and heard from parents that so

many children in Camp Chaverim experienced an incredible boost in self-confidence over the summer. The positive effect of camp was palpable to all of our staff.

We took some time to reflect and analyze what exactly we were doing that was helping so many individual children feel special and valued. We were able to identify some concrete steps towards building up children and preventing/stopping bullying, which we ultimately turned into a program called Buildup. After running Buildup in camp for a few summers, we brought it into schools, which has also made a tremendously positive impact, Baruch Hashem.

BJH: Can you give me an example of how Reyus has impacted a child’s life?

Rabbi Beren: There was a boy who applied to Camp Chaverim a few years ago, who had significant social/emotional challenges in school. With the implementation of our Buildup program, this boy had remarkable growth in his ability to relate to others, and manage challenging situations. This growth enabled him to become socially accepted and appreciated by his peers. Buildup turned around his life, and he Baruch Hashem, continues to flourish not only during the summer in Camp Chaverim, but the entire year!

BJH: Just this past year you’ve taken your program national. What made you take the leap at this time? How has it been going?

Rabbi Beren: Thank G-d, we have successfully implemented Buildup in eight different schools in the Baltimore/ Washington area. We recognized that it was time to expand and to give schools in other cities and communities the opportunity to benefit from this program.

Thank G-d, we have already been able to connect with 3 schools that are outside of Maryland. We hope to continue to broaden Buildup to more schools across the country!

BJH: What inspires you to stay passionate and dedicated to this work?

Rabbi Baldinger: With Hashem’s help, we have been given an opportunity to teach and model for children how they can feel good about themselves and appreciate others. It’s hard to think of something more meaningful and satisfying than to watch your hard work truly change the trajectory of a child’s life.

Reyus is dedicated to building up children and recognizing their individual value to empower them to live with confidence and joy. Their groundbreaking programs, Buildup and Camp Chaverim, counteract and prevent the destructive consequences of bullying by allowing children to appreciate their own distinctive value and provide them with the tools to succeed.

To learn more or make a donation, go to reyus.org.

The Week In News

The Week In News

Cargo Ship Collapses

A cargo ship weighing 5,215 tons collapsed onto its side on Monday at a port in Istanbul, Turkey. The boat narrowing missed hitting its crew by just a few meters. The vessel, Amnah, rolled over in the early hours of the morning because of uneven load.

Five crew members jumped into the sea to save themselves and swam to safe-

ty. Ten others jumped on the port and ran away from the ship. One worker suffered minor injuries.

As the ship started to tilt perilously to one side, the steel containers were seen sliding towards the edge of the port. Dozens of containers were lost in the water

Footage showed dozens of them tumbling like dominoes and falling in the churning water.

After just a few minutes, the Amnah began to sink.

Amnah was built in 1996 and was operating until recently for the Russian Fesco shipping company. Until 2024, it was used to transport cargo between Russian ports, like St Petersburg, Petropavlovsk and Vladivostock, and China.

Honda and Nissan to Merge

Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Corp. are exploring a merger to create one of the world’s largest auto groups as they seek to better position themselves for the expensive technological transition

reshaping the automotive industry.

On Monday, Honda and Nissan signed a memorandum of understanding to formally begin talks aimed at deepening a partnership that began this year. Over the next six months, the companies will discuss combining their operations under a holding company, with the goal of completing the merger in August 2026.

Honda and Nissan, Japan’s secondand third-largest automakers, would join a growing number of legacy auto giants, including General Motors and Volkswagen, that are deepening ties to share the financial burden of developing next-generation vehicles. The deal is seen as a lifeline in particular for Nissan, which has been slashing jobs and production amid faltering sales.

Honda and Nissan have decided they

can better handle research and development and new investments as a combined force, Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said at a briefing in Tokyo on Monday.

“Current business models are being upended. It is not going to take 10 to 20 years for that to happen — it will come much faster,” Mibe said. “We need to have the right artillery in order to be competitive on that battlefield so we’re starting today.”

Nissan sells more than 3 million vehicles a year, while Honda sells nearly 4 million. A merger would position them as the world’s third-largest automaker group, behind Toyota, whose brands sold 11 million vehicles last year, and Volkswagen, which sold 9 million. Honda and Nissan together employ about 325,000 people.

The key question is whether even large, combined entities like Honda and Nissan can keep up with newer competitors. American company Tesla and China’s BYD have already established a commanding lead in electric vehicles and car technologies.

The new parent company of a merged Honda and Nissan would be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Mitsubishi Mo-

Greater Washington Weekday Minyanim Guide

6:15 am Young Israel Shomrai Emunah M-F

6:25 am Southeast Hebrew Cong., Knesset Yehoshua M-F

6:30 am Beth Sholom Congregation M-F

Beit Halevi (Sfardi) M, T

Chabad of Silver Spring M-F

Ohev Shalom Talmud Torah OLNEY M-F

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah S YGW M, Th

6:35 am Ohr Hatorah M, Th

6:40 am YGW S, T, W, F

Magen David Sephardic Congregation M-Th

6:45 am Beit Halevi (Sfardi) S, T, W, F

Kemp Mill Synagogue M, Th

Ohr Hatorah T, W, F

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah M, Th

6:50 am Woodside Synagogue/Ahavas Torah M, Th Silver Spring Jewish Center M-F

Chabad of Upper Montgomery County M-F

6:55 am Young Israel Shomrai Emunah T, W, F

7:00 am Kemp Mill Synagogue T, W, F

Southeast Hebrew Cong., Knesset Yehoshua S Silver Spring Jewish Center S

Woodside Synagogue/Ahavas Torah T, W, F

Young Israel Ezras Israel of Potomac T, W, F

7:05 am Kesher Israel M, Th

7:15 am Kemp Mill Synagogue M, Th

Kesher Israel T, W, F

Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah/The National Synagogue M-F

Ohr Hatorah S

7:30 am Chabad of DC M-F

Chabad of Potomac M-F JROC M-F

Kemp Mill Synagogue T, W, F

Southeast Hebrew Cong., Knesset Yehoshua M-F

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah S

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (Sfardi) M-F

7:45 am YGW (Yeshiva Session Only) S-F

8:00 am Beth Sholom Congregation S

Kemp Mill Synagogue S

Kesher Israel S

Ohev Shalom Talmud Torah OLNEY S

Southeast Hebrew Cong., Knesset Yehoshua S

Chabad of Upper Montgomery County S

Woodside Synagogue/Ahavas Torah S

8:00 am YGW (High School; School-Contingent) S-F

Young Israel Ezras Israel of Potomac S Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (Sfardi) S

8:05 am Ezras Israel Congregation of Rockville M, Th

8:15 am Ohr Hatorah S Ezras Israel Congregation of Rockville S, T, W, F

Kehilat Pardes / Berman Hebrew Academy S-F

Silver Spring Jewish Center M-F

8:30 am Chabad of DC S Chabad of Potomac S JROC S Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah/The National Synagogue S Silver Spring Jewish Center S YGW (Summer Only) S-F

8:45 am Young Israel Shomrai Emunah S-F

9:00 am Chabad of Silver Spring S Kemp Mill Synagogue S

12:30 pm YGW Sunday

1:00 pm Silver Spring Jewish Center M-F

1:10 pm YGW M-Th

3:00 pm YGW Middle School School Days mincha

mincha/maariv

Before Shkiah (15-18 minutes), S-TH

Beit Halevi (Sfardi)

Beth Sholom Congregation

Chabad of Potomac

Chabad of Silver Spring

Chabad of Upper Montgomery County

Ezras Israel Congregation of Rockville (20 min before, S-F) JROC

Kemp Mill Synagogue

Kesher Israel

Magen David Sephardic Congregation

Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah/The National Synagogue

Ohr Hatorah

Silver Spring Jewish Center

Southeast Hebrew Congregation, Knesset Yehoshua Woodside Synagogue/Ahavas Torah

Young Israel Ezras Israel of Potomac

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (Asheknaz) Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (Sefarhadi) maariv

6:00 pm YGW School Days

7:30 pm Young Israel Shomrai Emunah

8:15 pm OSTT (OLNEY) S-Th SHC, Knesset Yehoshua M-Th

8:45 pm Silver Spring Jewish CenterFall/Winter

9:30

shacharis

The Week In News

tors, a smaller Japanese automaker and longtime partner of Nissan’s, said it would also consider joining the new group.

Under the automakers’ current market valuations, the combination would be worth more than $50 billion. (© The New York Times)

Sentences for Jew-Hunters in Amsterdam

This week, a Dutch court convicted five men for their involvement in last month’s assault against Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam. The violence shocked the world and sparked accusations of antisemitism.

The Amsterdam district court found the five men guilty of a range of crimes, from kicking fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv in the street to inciting violence in chat groups. The heaviest sentence imposed was six months in prison to a man identified as Sefa O. for public violence against several people.

According to Israeli officials, ten

people were injured in the violence, while hundreds more Israelis huddled in their hotels for hours, fearing they could be attacked. Many said that Dutch security forces were nowhere to be found, as the Israeli tourists were ambushed by gangs of masked assailants who shouted pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel slogans while they hunted, beat and harassed them.

Police said they were investigating at least 45 people over the violence. Some social media posts had included calls to “hunt Jews,” according to police.

Images of the violence went around the world and sparked a furious reaction in Israel, including accusations of a “pogrom.”

The most serious case under consideration on Tuesday was that of O., who prosecutors said played a “leading role” in the violence. The court saw images of a man identified as O. kicking a person on the ground, chasing targets, and punching people in the head and the body.

The prosecutor said the beatings had “little to do with soccer” but added that “in this case, there was no evidence of…a terrorist intent and the violence was not motivated by antisemitic sentiment.”

“The violence was influenced by the situation in Gaza, not by antisemitism,” declared the prosecutor.

Another man identified as Umutcan A., 24, received a sentence of one month for assaulting fans and violently ripping a Maccabi scarf from one of them.

A 22-year-old identified as Abushabab M., 22, faces a charge of attempted murder but his case has been postponed while he undergoes a psychiatric assessment. He was born in the Gaza Strip and grew up in a war zone, his lawyer told the court, while M. cried in court.

Six other suspects are set to appear at a later stage. Three of these suspects are minors and their cases will be heard behind closed doors.

On the morning after the attacks, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said the city had been “deeply damaged” by “hateful antisemitic rioters.”

She later said that she regretted the parallel she had drawn between the violence and “memories of pogroms,” arguing that this word had been used as propaganda.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the violence at the time

as a “premeditated antisemitic attack,” a description repeated by the Lawfare Project Jewish civil rights organization during the court proceedings.

Assad’s Wife is Done

Asma al-Assad was married to former Syrian President Basher al-Assad for 24 years. But the last few weeks haven’t been too rosy for the British-Syrian national, as she and her family were forced to flee to Russia after rebel forces finally reached Damascus and took over the country.

Moscow granted the family asylum. Bashar al-Assad is still reportedly subject

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to severe restrictions. He is not permitted to leave Moscow or engage in any political activities. Russian authorities have also frozen his assets and money. His assets include 270 kilograms of gold, $2 billion, and 18 apartments in Moscow.

Now, Turkish and Arab media have reported that Asma filed for divorce from Bashar and is seeking to move to London.

Asma applied to the Russian court and requested special permission to leave Moscow. Her application is reportedly currently being evaluated by Russian authorities

Asma is a dual British-Syrian national who was born and raised in London by Syrian parents. She moved to Syria in 2000 and married Assad in the same year at the age of 25.

Bashar al-Assad’s brother, Maher al-Assad, has not been granted asylum in Russia, and his request is still under review, according to the Saudi and Turkish reports. Maher and his family are under house arrest in Russia.

The Assad family had been ruling Syria since 1971 until earlier this month when rebels from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terror group advanced on key cities in Syria and finally reached the palace in Damascus ousting their dictator.

thousands of Hezbollah pagers, leading to the deaths and injuries of scores of terrorists. During a “60 Minutes” interview which debuted Sunday, two recently retired senior Israeli intelligence agents explained how the operation worked.

The operation began some time ago, according to one of the interviewees, who identified himself as “Michael.” Ten years ago, Hezbollah began unknowingly purchasing walkie-talkies, with explosives hidden inside, from Israel, the Lebanese-based terror group’s sworn enemy.

According to “Gabriel,” the second interviewee, the operation’s next stage started in 2022 when the Mossad discovered that Hezbollah was purchasing pagers from a company based in Taiwan. As part of the plan, Israeli intelligence created pagers big enough to fit hidden explosives and repeatedly tested the pagers on dummies, fine-tuning the amount of explosives to ensure that only Hezbollah terrorists were hurt. Additionally, the Jewish state experimented with different ringtones to find the most urgent one, so that the terrorists would immediately check the device when it rings.

How Did Israel Pull Off the Exploding Pagers?

Three months ago, Israel pulled off an unprecedented stunt, remotely exploding

Gabriel said that Hezbollah was convinced, after two weeks, to buy Israel’s bigger pager, after the Jewish state created fake YouTube ads, advertising the pagers as waterproof, dustproof, and equipped with a long battery life. As part of the scheme, the Mossad created several shell companies, one of which was based in Hungary. The Hungary-based shell company convinced Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese company that sold pagers to Hezbollah, to unknowingly partner with the Mossad.

All the while, Hezbollah had no clue that it was purchasing pagers from Israel.

Five thousand pagers were in the pockets of Hezbollah fighters by September 17. Once Israel set off the explosions, the pagers started to ring, prompt-

- Yael S., OCA Parent

The Week In News

ing terrorists to push two buttons at the same time to hear a message. Even if the terrorists didn’t push the buttons, the pagers exploded. But if the terrorists did push the buttons, the pagers inflicted the most damage, since both of their hands were on the device.

The day after the pagers exploded, the Mossad triggered the walkie-talkies to do the same, with some devices exploding during funerals for terrorists neutralized during the pager explosions.

According to the two interviewed agents, the attack was primarily meant to trigger fear among terror groups.

“If he [a terrorist is] just dead, so he’s dead. But if he’s wounded, you have to take him to the hospital, take care of him. You need to invest money and efforts,” said Gabriel. “And those people without hands and eyes are living proof, walking in Lebanon, of ‘don’t mess with us.’ They are walking proof of our superiority all around the Middle East.

“When they are buying from us, they have zero clue that they are buying from the Mossad. We make like the ‘Truman Show,’ everything is controlled by us behind the scene,” added Gabriel,

referencing a movie about a man who unknowingly lives his entire life as the star of a meticulously scripted reality TV show. “In their experience, everything is normal. Everything was 100% kosher including businessmen, marketing, engineers, showroom, everything.”

Gabriel added that the attack had a profound psychological impact on the now-deceased Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was soon thereafter killed by Israel.

“We want them [Hezbollah] to feel vulnerable, which they are. We can’t use the pagers again because we already did that. We’ve already moved on to the next thing. And they’ll have to keep on trying to guess what the next thing is,” declared Michael, noting that after the explosions, some Lebanese people feared their air conditioners would also start to explode.

Former Hostage Dies

Hanna Katzir was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, by Hamas terrorists. The se-

nior citizen was held in Hamas hands for seven weeks, during which her health deteriorated considerably. She was released on November 24 as part of a temporary ceasefire deal – just days after the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group falsely claimed she had been killed in an IDF airstrike.

This week, Hanna passed away at the age of 78. Her family said that when she returned home from captivity she had been in extremely poor health and had to be hospitalized for heart issues that she hadn’t had before she was kidnapped, adding that “difficult conditions and starvation” had caused the deterioration.

“Mom was a loving woman, wife and mother who gave nothing but love,” her daughter Carmit Palty Katzir said in a message sent out by the Hostages and

Missing Families Forum. “Her heart could not withstand the terrible suffering since October 7.”

Hanna’s husband, Rami, 79, was killed during the massacre, and her son Elad was taken hostage and later killed. According to the IDF, Elad was likely killed by his captors in January. His body was recovered in April.

Hanna only learned about her husband’s murder and her son’s abduction after returning from captivity.

Hanna was born to a family of Holocaust survivors and worked in the kibbutz laundromat. She is survived by three children and six grandchildren.

More Heartbreak

On Monday, three Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip.

The three heroes were named as: Cpt. Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, 22, from Kiryat Motzkin; Staff Sgt. Netanel Pessach, 21, from Elazar; and Sgt. First Class (res.) Hillel Diener, 21, from Talmon. They all served in the Kfir Brigade’s

Yossi and Sara Attar

Come EXPERIENCE

The Week In News

Shimshon Battalion.

According to an initial Israel Defense Forces probe, the soldiers were killed by an explosive device in the Beit Hanoun area.

Sadly, Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 391. The toll includes a police officer killed in a hostage rescue mission and a Defense Ministry civilian contractor.

The Kfir Brigade had just wrapped up an operation against Hamas in nearby Beit Lahiya earlier this week. Troops advanced to the Beit Hanoun area “following intelligence information about the presence of terrorists and terror infrastructure in the area,” the IDF said on Sunday.

According to the IDF, a Hamas leader, Tharwat Muhammad Ahmad al-Bayk, was killed in a targeted strike this week while he was at a Hamas command center embedded within the Musa Ibn Nusayr school, in Gaza City’s Daraj neighborhood. He had served as the head of the security directorate in Hamas’s General Security Service.

The school was serving as a shelter for displaced Gazans, and Palestinian media reported at least eight dead in the strike.

“Al-Bayk was considered one of the main links in the mechanism, and

port on Monday, organized looting is increasingly threatening aid delivery in war-torn Gaza, with armed groups taking advantage of the chaos and lack of governance to steal basic items. This is no longer just a ragtag bunch of individuals stealing the aid; armed, organized groups are now responsible for much of the looting.

The growing threat has led the UN and other aid groups to halt operations, contributing to rising hunger and leaving tens of thousands of people without critical supplies, the report said.

So far, Israel has completely demolished all 4,000 buildings in Gaza that had been within one kilometer of the border with Israel. Channel 12 aired satellite footage this week from Hebrew University GIS specialist Adi Ben Nun that it said showed 100 percent of the 19,000 buildings in the northern Gaza city of Jabalia had been destroyed.

The Netzarim Corridor bisecting northern and southern Gaza has also been flattened of almost every building that once existed there and has been expanded to nearly 32 square kilometers as the IDF has reportedly built dozens of military complexes there.

Hamas kidnapped 251 people on October 7 and brought them into Gaza. It is believed that the terror organization is still holding onto 96 of those who had been taken into captivity. Thirty-four of those have been confirmed dead by the IDF.

The Week In News

the first time – that Israel was behind the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran over the summer.

Haniyeh was killed on July 31, in a blast in the Iranian capital, hours after he attended the inauguration of new Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian.

According to The New York Times, the terrorist had been killed by a sophisticated, remote-controlled bomb that was smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse he was staying in months before the assassination and finally detonated when the Hamas leader was present.

The assassination was a huge embarrassment for Iran, which supports Hamas and Hezbollah, along with other terror proxy groups.

Haniyeh was replaced as Hamas political leader by Yahya Sinwar, until

several missiles at Israel in recent days leading to retaliatory airstrikes by both Israel and the U.S.

“In these days, when the Houthi terror organization is firing missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have blinded the defense systems in Iran, and damaged the [missile] production systems,” Katz said at a commemoration event for local security officers.

“We have overthrown the Assad regime in Syria, we have dealt heavy blows to the ‘axis of evil,’ and we will also severely strike the Houthi terror organization in Yemen, which remains the last one standing,” he continued.

Though Israel was not directly involved in overthrowing the Bashar

rael will have their hand cut off, and the long arm of the IDF will strike them and settle the score,” he pledged.

Party City

Leaving the Party

has also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than two years “to maximize value for the benefit of the company’s stakeholders.”

“The decision was made following exhaustive efforts by the company to find a path forward that would allow continued operations in an immensely challenging environment driven by inflationary pressures on costs and consumer spending, among other factors,” Party City said in a statement.

Party City also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2023. That move allowed for a restructuring that eliminated nearly $1 billion in debt. But “macroeconomic headwinds more recently proved too severe” to overcome, the company said.

For now, the company said it will keep

Special

The Week In News

boarders were stuck on the lift at Winter Park Resort when the crack was found in a structural piece of the lift just after noon on Saturday.

Thankfully, no one was hurt, although many of the skiers had to wait five hours to be lowered down by ropes to safety.

Ski patrolers entered the cabin of each gondola from above and lowered people’s equipment to the ground before using a rope equipped with a seat to lower each of the 174 passengers to the ground.

On Sunday, workers replaced the section of the lift that cracked as state regulators and the lift’s manufacturer worked with resort officials to investigate what caused the crack. The resort still had 21 other lifts open.

All guests trapped on the gondola were given a $10 voucher and two lift passes for this year or the next.

Feinberg as Deputy Defense Secretary

Stephen Feinberg is set to be Trump’s deputy defense secretary, the president-elect announced on Sunday on social media.

Feinberg is the co-CEO of Cerberus Capital Management, which has invested in hypersonic missiles, and previously owned the private military contractor DynCorp, a company that was acquired by another defense firm, Amentum, in 2020.

Feinberg was also involved in the first Trump administration, leading the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, which provides the U.S. leader advice on intelligence assessments and estimates and counterintelligence matters.

In his announcement Sunday night on Truth Social, Trump said Feinberg is “an extremely successful businessman” who will “help Make the Pentagon Great Again.”

Trump has already nominated Pete Hegseth as his pick for the top Defense Department post, a position that requires confirmation from the Senate.

The deputy defense secretary typically manages day-to-day operations of the massive bureaucracy with a combined workforce of more than 3 million service members and civilian employees. The search for a capable No. 2 took on heightened significance as lawmakers weigh the pick of Hegseth, a former Fox News personality, to be defense secretary. Hegseth has been among Trump’s most controversial picks.

Feinberg was born in the Bronx and moved with his family to Spring Valley, NY, when he eight years old.

Nordstrom Buyout

Nordstrom, one of the country’s oldest department stores, said Monday that

it would be taken private by its founding family and a Mexican retail business, reaching an agreement after months of speculation over a potential buyout of the business.

The company will be acquired by members of the Nordstrom family and El Puerto de Liverpool, a Mexican real estate and department store company that has owned a stake in Nordstrom since 2022. Including debt, the deal values Nordstrom at $6.25 billion, the company said in a statement.

Shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock, the company said. That’s about 42% higher than its closing price on March 18, when news of a potential sale was first reported, the company said. A month later, Nordstrom formed a special committee of

Yosef Miller (Silver Spring) & Sara Lowenthal (Baltimore)

Avram Ferleger & Chana Pollock

Eli Wolf & Elisheva Hirschman (Both Baltimore)

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Noam Lewis (Baltimore) & Sussi Lipschitz (Monsey)

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Yitzchok Sperling (Baltimore) & Leeba Gold (Savannah)

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its board of directors to weigh an offer from Erik and Pete Nordstrom.

The company said Monday that it would also authorize a special dividend of up to 25 cents per share if the transaction closes.

The deal will leave the Nordstrom family with a majority ownership stake in the company, which was founded in 1901 in Seattle, the company said.

In a statement, Erik Nordstrom, CEO of the company and the fourth generation of his family to run it, noted the chain’s longevity in the retail industry.

“Today marks an exciting new chapter for the business,” Erik Nordstrom said. “On behalf of my family, we look forward to working with our teams to ensure Nordstrom thrives long into the future.”

Department stores have struggled to find their footing as e-commerce continues to eat away at their market share. Nordstrom has fared better than its competitors, in part because of its favorable real estate and higher income clientele, but even it has faced challenges. The sale price is well below the $78 a share that Nordstrom fetched in public markets about a decade ago.

In November, the company said

its net sales had expanded in the third quarter, as did its gross profit, as it was able to sell more merchandise at full price rather than having to discount it.

Its off-price Nordstrom Rack business has also been strong, nabbing a 3.9% increase in comparable sales last quarter. (© The New York Times)

A Good Egg

This is no yolk.

An egg bought from a supermarket was donated to a British charity and fetched $250 at auction due to an unusual feature: its “almost perfectly spherical” shape.

The egg was originally found in a dozen bought from a grocery store in Ayr, Scotland, and was purchased by Lambourn, Berkshire, resident Ed Pownell for $187 via auction house Thomson Roddick Callan.

Powell didn’t egg-xactly buy the egg with good intentions. He had a few

drinks, which made the egg purchase tempting to his fried brain. Realizing that the egg wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be, he donated it to the Iuventas Foundation, a charity that supports young people in Oxfordshire.

The charity group sold the egg as part of a fundraiser auction. It sold for around $250. Other items were also auctioned off for the charity, which netted around $6,250.

Sounds egg-citing.

Too Late

Sometimes, even the library has no patience for long-lost books.

Recently, Chuck Hildebrandt was looking through the books on the shelves in his home when he noticed a library book. Baseball’s Zaniest Stars by Howard

Liss had been checked out of the Warren Public Library on December 4, 1974.

“I was so embarrassed,” he said. Hildebrandt now lives in the Chicago area, but when he returned to Detroit for Thanksgiving, he attempted to return the book to the library from where he had checked it out 50 years before.

Librarians couldn’t find the book in the system, which was good because Hildebrandt wouldn’t be responsible for the 25-cents per day overdue fee, which would have amounted to $4,563.75.

And the librarians told him he could keep the book.

Hildebrandt is now attempting to raise the amount of that waived fee to donate to nonprofit literacy group Reading is Fundamental. He put in the first $457, about 10% of the amount, himself, and is trying to crowdfund the rest. Word.

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Pikesville Jewish CongregationT, W, F

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6:35 AM Aish Kodesh (downstairs Minyan) M, TH

Ohel Moshe M, TH

6:40 AM Aish Kodesh (downstairs Minyan) T, W, F

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6:45 AM The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei IsraelM, Th

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Beth Abraham M, TH Greenspring Sephardic Synagogue M-F

Ner Tamid M-F

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6:50 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore M, TH

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Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh M, TH

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation T, W, F

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh M, TH

Derech Chaim M-F

Kol Torah M-F

Ohel Moshe S

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] M, TH

Shomrei Emunah Congregation M, TH

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center M, TH

6:55 AM The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei IsraelT, W, F

Beth Abraham T, W, F

Kol Torah M, TH

7:00 AM Aish Kodesh (upstairs Minyan) M-F

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F

Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] T, W, F

Arugas HaBosem (Rabbi Taub's)S

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh T, W, F

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh T, W, F

Greenspring Sephardic Synagogue S

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach TzedekS

Kol Torah T, W, F

Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah M-F

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S, T, W, F

Shearith Israel Congregation S, M, TH

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Shomrei Mishmeres Hakodesh M-F

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center T, W, F

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7:05 AM Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's) M, TH

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Baltimore Weekday Minyanim Guide

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7:20 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore M, TH

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7:30 AM Agudah of Greenspring S

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F

Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] S

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S-F

Bais Hamedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore S-F

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh S

Beit Yaakov [Sefaradi] S

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion CongregationS

Chabad of Park Heights S

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh S-F

Darchei Tzedek S

Kedushas Yisrael S-F

Khal Bais Nosson S

Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Mechina) S-F

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S, T, W, F

Shomrei Emunah Congregation T, W, F

7:45 AM Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation M-F

Talmudical Academy S-F

Darchei Tzedek M-F

Mesivta Kesser Torah S-F

Mesivta Shaarei Chaim S-F

7:50 AM Derech Chaim S

Ner Tamid S

Ohel Moshe M-F

8:00 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore S-F

Bais Dovid-Bais Medrash of Summit ParkS

Beth Abraham S

Chabad Israeli Center M-F

Darchei Tzedek S

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach TzedekS

Kehillas Meor HaTorah S

Ohr Yisroel S

Pikesville Jewish CongregationS

Shearith Israel Congregation S

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F

The Shul at the Lubavitch CenterS

Tiferes Yisroel S

Tzeirei Anash S Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah S-F

8:15 AM Kehilath B'nai Torah S Kol Torah S

8:20 AM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S-F

8:25 AM Ohr Chadash Academy (School Days Only) S-F

8:30 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore S-F

Chabad Israeli Center S

Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's) S-F

Ohel Moshe S

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F

Shomrei Mishmeres HakodeshS

9:00 AM Aish Kodesh S

Agudath Israel of Baltimore S-F

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S

Beth Tfiloh Congregation S

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion CongregationS

Moses Montefiore Anshe EmunahS

Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim S-F

Mincha

Mincha Gedolah Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/Tzemach Tzedek

12:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F) Kol Torah

12:50

PM One South Street, 27th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202

Mincha

continued

1:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F)

10045 Red Run Blvd Suite 295

Milk & Honey Bistro 1777 Reisterstown RD

1:25 PM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

1:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F)

1:45 PM Ohel Moshe

Wealcatch Insurance

1:50 PM One South Street, 27th Floor (M-Th)

2:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F)

Big Al @ The Knish Shop Party Room

Kol Torah

Market Maven

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

Reischer Minyan - 23 Walker Ave 2nd Floor

2:15 PM Pikesville Beis Medrash - 15 Walker Ave

2:30 PM Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh

Tov Pizza Mincha Minyan

Ner Israel Rabbinical College

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

Mesivta Shaarei Chaim (Etz Chaim Building)

Shearith Israel Congregation

2:45 PM Kollel of Greenspring

Shearith Israel Congregation (S-Th)

3:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F)

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

3:05 PM Kedushas Yisrael

3:15 PM Hat Box

3:22 PM Ohr Chadash Academy (School Days Only, Call to Confirm)

3:30PM Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

4:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-Th)

Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah

10 Min Before ShkiAh Chabad Israeli Center

14 Min Before ShkiAh Kol Torah

Mincha/Maariv

Before Shkiah

Aish Kodesh

Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Agudah of Greenspring

Bais Dovid-Bais Medrash of Summit Park

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

Beth Abraham

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation

Darchei Tzedek

Kehillas Meor HaTorah

Kehilath B’nai Torah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek

Machzikei Torah (Sternhill’s), 5:00pm Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah

Ner Tamid

Ohel Moshe

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] Ohr Yisroel

Pikesville Jewish Congregation

Shearith Israel Congregation

Shomrei Emunah Congregation

Shomrei Mishmeres

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim

The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel

The Shul at the Lubavitch Center

Tiferes Yisroel

Maariv

6:00

PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

6:30

7:00

PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

7:30

PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

8:00

8:30

PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

8:45

PM Darchei Tzedek

Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Mechina)

Ohr Yisroel

8:50 PM Mesivta Shaarei Chaim (Etz Chaim Building)

8:55 PM Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh

9:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Arugas Habosem

Bais Dovid-Bais Medrash of Summit Park

Shomrei Emunah Congregation

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim

9:20 PM Kol Torah

9:30 PM Agudah of Greenspring

Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Kedushas Yisrael

9:40 PM Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi]

9:45 PM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim

Kollel Erev Birchas Yitzchok (Luries)

Kollel of Greenspring

Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's)

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi]

Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah

9:50 PM Aish Kodesh

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh

Ohel Moshe

10:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

Darchei Tzedek

Kehilath B'nai Torah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek

Shearith Israel Congregation

Shomrei Emunah Congregation

10:05 PM Kol Torah

10:10 PM Ner Israel Rabbinical College

10:15 PM Derech Chaim

Khal Bais Nosson

10:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

11:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore

11:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore Maariv continued

Agudah of Greenspring - 6107 Greenspring Ave

Agudath Israel of Baltimore - 6200 Park Heights Ave

Ahavat Shalom - 3009 Northbrook Rd

Aish Kodesh - 6207 Ivymount Rd

Arugas HaBosem - 3509 Clarks Ln

Bais Dovid-Bais Medrash of Summit Park- 6800 Sylvale Ct

Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim - 3120 Clarks Ln

Bais Hamedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore - 6823 Old Pimlico Rd

Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh - 6618 Deancroft Rd

Beit Yaakov - 3615 Seven Mile Ln

Beth Abraham - 6208 Wallis Ave

Beth Tfiloh Congregation - 3300 Old Court Rd

Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation - 6602 Park Heights Ave

Chabad Israeli Center - 7807 Seven Mile Ln

Chabad of Park Heights - 3402 Clarks Ln

Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh - 3800 Labyrinth Rd

Darchei Tzedek - 3201 Seven Mile Ln

Derech Chaim - 6229 Greenspring Ave (Weekday)

Greenspring Sephardic Synagogue 6611 Greenspring Ave.

Kedushas Yisrael - 6004 Park Heights Ave

Kehilath B’nai Torah - 6301 Green Meadow Pkwy

Kehillas Meor HaTorah - 6539 Pebble Brooke Rd

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek - 6811 Park Heights Ave

Khal Bais Nosson - 2901 Taney Rd Kol Torah - 2929 Fallstaff Rd

Kollel of Greenspring - 6504 Greenspring Ave.

Machzikei Torah - 6216 Biltmore Ave

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah - 6500 Baythorne Rd

Mesivta Kesser Torah - 8400 Park Heights Ave

Mesivta Shaarei Chaim - 3702 Fords Ln

Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah - 7000 Rockland Hills Dr

Neuberger, Quinn, Gielen, Rubin & Gibber One South Street, 27th Floor

Ner Israel Rabbinical College - 400 Mt Wilson Ln

Ner Tamid - 6214 Pimlico Road

Ohel Moshe - 2808 Smith Ave

Ohel Yakov - 3200 Glen Ave

Ohr Chadash Academy - 7310 Park Heights Avenue

Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] - 6813 Park Heights Ave

Ohr Yisroel - 2429 Lightfoot Dr

Pikesville Jewish Congregation - 7644 Carla Rd

Shearith Israel Congregation - 5835 Park Heights Ave

Shomrei Emunah Congregation - 6221 Greenspring Ave

Shomrei Mishmeres Hakodesh - 2821 W Strathmore Ave

Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim - 7504 Seven Mile Ln

Torah Thought

Music To My Ears

By Rabbi Zvi Teichman

As the famine intensifies the children of Yaakov are forced to descend once again to Egypt, to provide food for their families. They take with them the money they discovered in their sacks, together with a ‘present’.

They arrive and are taken surprisingly to the private palace of Yosef.

Twice the Torah mentions their entering the palace:

Then the man brought them into Yosef’s house. (דכ גמ תישארב)

They brought the tribute that was in their hands to him to the house. (וכ םש םש)

Between these two verses the Torah describes how they busily attended to ‘preparing’ the gift, and they prepared the tribute.

Rashi clarifies by informing us that they first entered a רודזורפ — an anteroom, where they evidently spent time dressing up their gift. Later when they were summoned, they made a second entrance into the ןילקרט — the salon itself, where Yosef dined with them.

What is the significance in reporting these seemingly inconsequential details?

In what seems totally out of character for the entire episode, they wine, dine and become drunk!

They drank and became intoxicated with him. (דל םש םש)

What is going on here?

Although Yosef observed Binyamin previously when they first arrived and stood before him, he displays no emotion. Only after entering his parlor is he overwhelmed with emotion.

Then Yosef rushed because his compassion for his brother had been, and he wanted to weep. (ל םש םש)

Why did he cry first now?

In preparation for the brother’s encounter with the Egyptian viceroy, Yaakov Avinu directs his children to take a gift.

Take, ץראה תרמזמ — of the land’s “praised” produce in your baggage and bring it down to the man as a tribute. (אי םש םש)

The Torah goes on to enumerate the exact items sent, a bit of balsam, a bit of honey, wax, lotus, pistachios, and almonds.

The Midrash Rabba describes these as powerful essences, oils and fragrances with exceptional qualities. This was certainly a far cry from the type of gift Yaakov presented to Esav in his effort to pacify him.

What is the deeper significance of this meagre in size, yet intensely potent present?

Yaakov instructs them to take 'ץראה תרמז'מ. The word רמז has a double meaning. It can mean to prune or to sing. Rashi explains, based on the Targum, that here it has a double meaning. The fruit about whom all ‘sing’ its praises as soon as it comes into existence.

These items are not the fruits that our land was blessed explicitly with, as contrasted with the ‘seven species’ the land is more closely associated with.

What were the secret ingredients specifically used here to capture the heart of the viceroy?

There is a famous teaching from the wondrous Reb Nachman of Breslov,

that is echoed in many of the great Chassidic master’s writings (see לארשי בהוא), that ascribes to this gift of Yaakov a particular mystical quality.

The ץראה תרמז, refers to the ‘niggun’ of the holy land, that calls out to see its fulfillment in bringing about a symphony of glorious tribute to the Creator of our world. He Writes:

Every shepherd has his own unique melody according to the herbs and grasses in the place where he pastures his sheep... For every plant and every blade of grass has its own song. It is from the song of the grass that the shepherd gets his song. “From the corner of the earth we hear songs”(Yeshayah 24:16). Melodies and songs come from the “corner of the earth”! For it is from the herbs that grow on the earth that music is made. Indeed, it is the shepherd’s musical skill that puts strength into the herbs and grasses, providing the animals with their food. These... melodies are of benefit to the shepherd himself. Being constantly surrounded by animals, the shepherd could easily descend from the human level to that of an animal. But his songs and melody save him from this. For song refines the soul, elevating the human being above animalistic tendencies. Music has the power to refine and elevate the human soul, and this is why the shepherd’s melodies save him from falling to the level of an animal. (גס ב"דהמ ן"רהמ יטוקיל)

Perhaps we can apply this teaching on a simpler level.

Life is extremely perplexing, yet when properly deciphered, allows for the most beautiful of songs to erupt. It is the song the earth itself exclaims in Pirkei Shira: "האולמו ץראה 'דל", the earth is filled with a tangible joyous presence of Hashem.

The Abarbenel, quoting Josephus, claims that the inventor of music Yuval, ...the father of those who handle the harp and flute, developed his musical talent by listening carefully to the clamor of his brother’s instruments, Tuval-Cain, who sharpened implements of copper and iron. He heard the ‘song of the earth’ and enhanced it further. (בכ-אכ ד

The industry of life is a cacophony of conflicting notes, it is our job to discern the beautiful music that lays beneath the most annoying of tones. It is ‘The Great Conductor and Maestro’ that is performing!

Yaakov gave over the mystical secret of music. In this present was embodied the understanding of the deeper essence and fragrance that lies within the most nondescript of items, symbolic of the magnificent melody that underlies every challenge and circumstance in life.

, Prepare yourself in the lobby before you enter the banquet hall. This world is not just a place to ready ourselves for entrance to the world to come, it is a spot where one can hear the music even as we wait!

The brothers as well as Yosef, in a moment of heightened awareness sensed the presence of the Shechinah and heard that music. They transcended their differences even without yet being fully aware. Yosef cries tears of ‘joy’, not bitterness, uplifted as he hears the band playing. They eat, drink and become intoxicated with the music of life. (רומה רורצ)

The Greeks were famed for their music, one that produced creative harmonies, but denied a composition that was penned by a Creator.

They refused to even consider the possibility.

The Chashmonaim — the descendants of the tribe of Levi were able to hear an exquisite chorus of הכמ

— Who is like You,

among the heavenly powers, Hashem, that penetrated the darkness, empowering them to victory.

Then I shall complete with a song, a hymn, the dedication of the Altar!

You may reach the author at: Ravzt@ ohelmoshebaltimore.com

PARSHA

OVERVIEW

Yosef is taken out of prison and interprets Pharaoh’s dreams. Yosef is revered and appointed as ruler of Egypt, second in command to Pharaoh. Menashe and Ephraim are born to Yosef in Egypt. Famine ensues. Yosef’s brothers come to Egypt. Brothers unite. Goblet is found by Binyamin. Brothers are sent home.

Quotable Quote “ ”

No soul was ever saved by hate. No truth was ever proved by violence.

TSorahparks

Inspiration Everywhere

Parshas Miketz/Chanukah

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt”l

GEMATRIA

There are 146 peskukim in Parshas Miketz, the parshah that always falls out on Shabbos Chanukah.

Ironically, there are also 146 pesukim in Parshas Bereishis, the very first Parshah of the Torah.

There is indeed a connection between Chanukah and Creation, after all, the word Chanukah -

- means inaugural and beginning.

The word םקו - to get back up - is also gematria 146. Chanukah is an auspicious time to create a new flame, and re-spark your connection with Hashem.

Rabbi Ori Strum is the author of Ready. Set. Grow. (Mosaica Press).

His shiurim and other Jewish content can be found on Torah Anytime and Meaningful Minute. He also likes your feedback: rabbistrumo@gmail.com

Pesukim - 146

Letters - 7,914

QUICK VORT

Rashi says: “All other rivers are not called canals, only the Nile. For all of the land is made into many manmade canals, and the Nile goes up into them and waters them.”

From a deeper perspective, we are meant to realize that although it may not seem as obvious, even man-made things are FROM HASHEM. Hashem gave humans the capacity and mental knowledge to come up with ideas, inventions, or creations, but it doesn’t take Hashem out of the picture!

R’ Yochanan Rudensky shlit’a pointed out that in Pirkei Avos, we are taught: Don’t stop learning and say, ‘Wow, look at that plowed field.”

Why did it choose a plowed field, something man-made? To teach us that we can see Hashem’s beauty in this world even through man-made things!

Yavan only saw the human side of creation. We must learn to see the Hashem side of creation !

The Kotzker Rebbe points out that the difference between a Jew and a goy is how they wake up in the morning.

By Yaakov, it says:

he got up and said Modeh Ani.

By Pharoah, it says:

- he got up and went right back to sleep!

It is important that we ask ourselves if we are awake or sleeping through life.

Yaakov Avinu teaches us the importance of being awake and truly experiencing life to its fullest.

Most Chumashim, at the end of the Parshah, record the number of pesukim. At the end of Parshas Miketz, it is unique in that it also records the number of words!

Why do you think this is the case?

Does the number of words 2,025 remind you of anything?

Scan the QR code to join the Torah Sparks WhatsApp Chat for more content!

The origins of the custom of giving Chanukah gelt date back centuries, with the Magen Avraham and Pri Megadim discussing various aspects of this cherished tradition. While the details of who should receive, why it’s given, and other considerations are beyond the scope of this article, it is worth noting how the custom has evolved over time.

What began as an act of giving charity to Torah scholars during a yom tov has transformed into a widespread practice of expressing gratitude to children’s (Torah) teachers, especially on Chanukah. This time-honored tradition, deeply rooted in Jewish communities for millennia, reflects the enduring value placed on appreciating those who teach Torah.

However, this practice has gradually shifted, reaching a point where it has become disproportionate and unbalanced—a perspective this article aims to explore.

I am not saying that a parent should or should not express appreciation. I believe that is a personal decision. While, as we have already pointed out, it may be in the realm of a custom, a minhag, the point is not to take a side on whether to express appreciation or not. A parent remarked to me several years ago, “My boss does not say thank you to me, so I don’t feel it necessary for me to say thank you to my children’s teachers.” To that, I say: You do you! One who feels that they don’t need to express gratitude, that is their prerogative.

However, for those who choose to give something to the Torah teachers of their children, it is surprising that the gifts given to rebbeim often contrast sharply with those given to moros. It has become the norm to give rebbeim generous gifts, yet many feel that a mug, picture frame or small tchatchka is sufficient for a morah. This disparity likely reflects broader societal norms, but that doesn’t mean it should remain un-

Voice N tes

An Attitude of Gratitude Appreciating Our Moros

By Rabbi Yehuda Deutsch

changed. The value of a teacher of Torah, regardless if they are teaching our sons or our daughters, should be recognized in a way that aligns with the appreciation they truly deserve.

Yes, people have attempted to make logical arguments and say that a rebbi is the primary breadwinner and subsequently needs additional assistance. To that argument, we pose several responses:

1. Many moros in girls’ schools are from chinuch families. As such, they are not living opulent lifestyles, and every penny matters.

2. In today’s economic climate, many families—certainly those that are working in education—are multi-income families, requiring both parents to earn a living.

3. Gratitude is about the giver’s values, not the recipient’s financial needs.

4. Most crucially, expressing gratitude is a teachable moment for our children to see the value of saying thank you meaningfully to people who are truly deserving of our thanks.

It’s an authentic chinuch moment. We can demonstrate to our children: You are so important to me, and your learning is so important to me. Look at how much it matters—I am going out of my way to say thank you to your morah

in a real way.

There is not a rebbe or morah that I know of who doesn’t have a shoebox or an album filled with cards they have received throughout the years. These come from caring parents who spend less than three minutes writing down their thoughts on how impactful the teacher has been. Better yet, when children themselves write the cards, those melt a teacher’s heart faster than anything else. Why not give a gift that truly matches our words?

Remember, whether this can or can’t be done from ma’aser money, the purpose of giving a gift on Chanukah is not to be charitable. It’s an attitude of gratitude.

Then there are some who may argue that an unmarried morah doesn’t need the money. To that, I refer to the prior arguments. But even beyond this, why can’t a single girl save up towards her future? What if she commutes and needs money for gas and tolls? What if she wants another outfit to wear for work, but clothing is prohibitively expensive, and now she can treat herself? Why is it anyone’s business what she does or doesn’t do with her money? This should not be viewed as supplemental income. It’s an opportunity to say thank you.

Should a suggested tip for a waiter for one month in a boy’s summer camp be equated with a year’s worth of learning from a morah? Why is it that a parent is comfortable giving a substantial gift to a rebbe who teaches his son, yet the same parent may opt for a trinket or a platter of cookies for the morah who teaches his daughter? The thought behind the gift matters, and it’s important to reflect on what that thought communicates. Is it acceptable to give more to a bus driver or a trash collector than to someone who dedicates their life to shaping the future of our children? This is not a barber or a waitress who relies on this money as a form of their salary. Isn’t it pitiful to demonstrate to our children that we have more appreciation for a mailman who brings us bills than for a woman who dedicates her life to bringing our children to Olam Haba? This is a critical opportunity to demonstrate to our children that the chinuch of our girls matters just as much as that of our boys.

It’s time to recalibrate our priorities and give a strong message to our moros: Thank you for caring for our girls. We value you. We can demonstrate this beyond a mug that says “#1 Morah” or a picture frame. Let’s change things for our girls to show them that their chinuch matters to us. Let’s change it so moros get the positive feedback they deserve. Perhaps in doing so, more girls will consider entering this barren field that is losing out prospective talent to more lucrative positions, exposing the frightening thought of who will be the teachers of the next generation if we don’t take the steps to improve a bleak picture—one that ought not be framed.

Having previously been a rebbi and principal, Rabbi Yehuda Deutsch, M.Ed., is currently the Assistant Dean at Torah Academy for Girls in Far Rockaway, NY.

who have made over 14,000 visits to hospital patients, delivered over 12,000 meals to hospitals, prepared and delivered over 3,000 meals to families at home, and provided over 2000 rides to medical appointments.

To Raise a Laugh

Chanukah Gelt

We’re lucky to be living in an age where we have products that can do things that our grandparents never even dreamed of, probably because they had priorities. They weren’t sitting around, going, “I wish I had a way to make Chanukah cookies into actual Chanukah shapes.” Because sometimes you make Chanukah cookies, and people are like, “I don’t want to eat these. They’re round. What is this, Rosh Hashana?” So nowadays, you can buy a package of cookie cutters that comes with a menorah shape, a dreidel shape, a Magen David, a shield, and a Maccabee. At least we think it’s a Maccabee. We’re not sure what the Maccabees looked like, but they probably looked like gingerbread men.

There are also lots of awesome items with Chanukah print on them, I guess so you don’t accidentally forget that it’s Chanukah. This is a common problem, apparently. On the other hand, no one really buys these products for themselves. No one says, “We really need to buy oven mitts for Chanukah. The ones we own don’t have dreidels on them.”

For example, one item I saw recently was a set of Chanukah print juggling balls. Really? This is what you’re encouraging near the candles? Maybe wait until after Chanukah.

And it’s not just Chanukah print. There are also lots of Chanukah messages. For example, I saw a mug that says “Happy Chanukah” on it, but in one of those spellings that make it obvious that the secular world has no idea how to spell Chanukah. It’s different every time. But my point is that this mug is great for Cha-

nukah! And that’s it. No one’s drinking out of it in July. I’m not even sure why you’d put that message on a coffee mug in the first place. Who are you buying this for? Is someone buying it for themselves, because they want to wish everyone around them a Happy Chanukah, but they don’t want to stop drinking coffee? Or are you supposed to buy it as a gift? (“Well, I wanted to get you ‘World’s Best Bubby,’ but I didn’t want to offend my mother-inlaw. Happy Chanuqqah!”)

Also, you know those bibs and pacifiers and onesie undershirts that say things like “My First Chanukah”, like that’s not plainly obvious?

“Oh, I couldn’t tell it was his first Chanukah. He didn’t say anything. I handed him a menorah, and he had no idea what to do. He was shaking it like a gragger. But now I get it! It’s his first Chanukah. I just have to explain things to him. Like, “We don’t eat the dreidel.” I thought he was just being difficult.”

Well anyway, I saw a mug this year that said, “My First Chanukah.” Who is this for? Are you giving your baby coffee? Even the most secular Jews celebrate Chanukah. It’s their biggest holiday, because it doesn’t involve fasting or unplugging devices. My guess is it’s for geirim.

“Is he drinking the oil?”

“Yeah; it’s his first Chanukah.”

But the good news is that there are tons of new products you may not even know about. For example, you can buy a donut maker. Because for years, people have been asking, “Why buy donuts at the store when you can make your own donuts at home in only about 3-4 hours

By Mordechai Schmutter

of patchking and trying to figure out whether to stick the jelly into the donuts or build the donuts around the jelly?”

So now you can buy a special sandwich-maker type device to make them in, and the best part is that the donuts you make won’t be as good as the stores’! The donuts you make at home can never be as good as the stores’, because if someone figured out how to make awesome donuts at home, he’d be dead within the week.

Another product you can buy is dreidel-shaped ice cubes, in case you want to cool off your “Happy Honnikuh” coffee. They’re also great for parties. And the ice cubes are reusable, which is disgusting. They come in several different colors, and they’re plastic, so they look like actual plastic dreidels. You just put them in your drink, and then you stand around at Chanukah parties with a dreidel floating around in your cup while the other person has to maintain eye contact and pretend nothing’s weird. At least until you take a sip and accidentally choke on it.

Another thing that you can actually buy is a set of 9 Chanukah candle finger puppets, which, if you put them all one at once, make it very hard to light the menorah. Especially since they’re flammable. But you could definitely wear them if your house is cold. It’s also great to wear with your fingerless gloves, and you still have one finger free to push your dreidel ice cube to the side while you take a sip of your oil.

Mordechai Schmutter is a freelance writer and a humor columnist for Hamodia and other magazines. He has also published eight books and does stand-up comedy. You can contact him at MSchmutter@gmail.com.

School of Thought

By Etti Siegel

Q:Dear Etti,

I am dreading Chanukah.

My parents give my kids individual gifts. First of all, my kids don’t always like the gift, secondly, they sometimes like what a sibling got better, and thirdly, they complain about what they see their friends got and how unfair it is that they did not. The whole situation is yucky. Is it only me?

- Disappointed

A:Dear Disappointed,

As we approach Chanukah, the temptation to give in to our children’s requests becomes stronger than ever. With gifts and celebrations around us, it’s easy to feel like we should say “yes” to everything to ensure our children feel happy and part of the festivities. However, this time of year offers an excellent opportunity to reflect on why it’s just as important to say “no” as it is to say “yes.”

During Chanukah, children are often excited to receive gifts and see their friends or peers exchanging presents. It can be difficult when our children see other kids receiving more or different gifts, and they may feel disappointed or ask for things they haven’t received. In these moments, it’s tempting to give in to avoid their disappointment, but this is exactly when the lessons of “no” become so valuable.

1. Teaching Gratitude and Perspective

Saying “no” during gift-giving occasions can help children develop a sense of gratitude and perspective. When a child sees their friends receiving gifts, it’s a perfect moment to explain the value of what they have and why it’s important to appreciate what they already have, rather than expecting more. Psychiatrist and author Dr. David Walsh emphasizes that learning to handle disappointment and not always getting what you want is a crucial life lesson. The holiday season is a great time to reinforce that self-discipline and gratitude lead to happiness rather than the constant pursuit of more.

There are families who make a point of having a one in/one out activity before allowing anyone to take any gifts to their rooms. A child must first pick something they are ready to give to someone else less fortunate before they are allowed to accept ownership of a new item. This reinforces the idea that we have so much and others have less. Try to take your children with you to drop off the items at a toy drive (located in many stores and schools) or at organizations that are always distributing gifts to others.

2. Delayed Gratification and Self-Control

Chanukah is also a time of excitement and anticipation, especially when gifts are involved. While it’s natural for children to want presents right away, learning how to wait is an essential skill. Manning points out that delaying gratification is important for long-term success, and it’s an invaluable lesson to teach children early. Whether it’s waiting for a particular gift or enjoying a special moment after finishing a task (like homework before fun time), saying “no” or setting limits teaches children how to manage their impulses and be patient.

Learning to handle disappointment and not always getting what you want is a crucial life lesson.

Having the children plan a party, or even having them make a regular supper after candle lighting more Chanukah-festive, helps children learn to plan, prepare…and wait.

3. Boundaries in the Face of Holiday Pressures

This time of year can create additional pressures to “keep up” with what other families are doing—whether that’s the number of gifts given or how many parties a family goes to. When children see other kids receiving gifts, they might ask for more or feel disappointed if their experience doesn’t look the same. Here, setting boundaries and saying “no” is crucial. Consistent boundaries help children feel secure, as they know what to expect. They also learn that celebrations are about more than just receiving gifts; they’re about spending time together, creating memories, and appreciating the meaning behind the holiday.

For all 25 years that I taught in BYQ, one of the most exciting events of the year was the present-making day we had around Chanukah time. I explained that while adults giving gelt is really the minhag, hakaras hatov is always appreciated. They got to make their family members gifts! I provided them with the basics, and they created beautiful tefillas haderech car hangings,

recipe books of Chanukah related foods, fun mazes for siblings, cards with riddles and/or rebuses… there were so many choices, and the children would come back after Chanukah break telling me how much fun it was to give everyone their handmade gifts.

4. Building Healthy Relationships with Gifts

Finally, gift-giving itself is a valuable lesson. Rather than seeing gifts as an entitlement, teaching children to appreciate the thought and care behind a gift helps them form healthy attitudes about material things. By saying “no” to unnecessary or excessive gift requests, you help children understand that gifts are a thoughtful gesture, not something to be expected or demanded. It can also be a moment to teach the importance of giving, whether it’s sharing with siblings or thinking about others who may not be receiving as much.

So, while Chanukah is a time for joy and celebration, it’s also a great opportunity to teach kids that hearing “no” is not a negative thing. It helps them grow into responsible, compassionate, and resilient individuals who understand the true spirit of the season and the value of what they have. Saying “no” not only supports their emotional growth but also strengthens your relationship with them as you guide them through the lessons that will shape their future.

Maybe have your children focus on giving your parents gifts this year? Teach them, proactively, how to react when they get their presents (I advise actual practicing before you go), but let the gifts they get be less important in the scheme of things.

May this chag be a wonderful one for you and your family,

- Etti

Mrs. Etti Siegel holds an MS in Teaching and Learning/Educational Leadership and brings sound teaching advice to her audiences culled from her over 35 years of teaching and administrative experience. She is an Adjunct at the College of Mount Saint Vincent/Sara Shenirer. She is a coach and educational consultant for Catapult Learning, is a sought-after mentor and workshop presenter around the country, and a popular presenter for Sayan (a teacher-mentoring program), Hidden Sparks, and the Consortium of Jewish Day Schools. She is a frequent contributor to Hamechanech Magazine and The Journal for Jewish Day School leaders. She will be answering your education-based questions and writing articles weekly for The Jewish Home. Mrs. Siegel can be reached at ettisiegel@gmail.com.

Mental Health Corner

Adult ADHD And Shalom Bayis

By Rabbi Azriel Hauptman

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a disorder characterized by short attention span, hyperactivity, impulsivity, fidgeting, disorganization, and other symptoms. Many children who have ADHD will eventually outgrow it in adulthood. However, many do not

and will continue to suffer from ADHD. Although they usually outgrow hyperactivity and certain types of impulsivity, many of the other symptoms remain.

Theoretically, there is nothing wrong with having Adult ADHD as long as one

is able to function well and be in a happy marriage. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for Adult ADHD to wreak havoc on a marriage and cause severe Shalom Bayis problems. To help us understand this a little better, let us examine this topic through the prism of the marriage of Moshe and Devorah.

Devorah had dated many boys before she met Moshe, and none of them ever clicked with her. When she met Moshe, they instantly connected. She loved his brilliance, sharp wit, and his appetite for adventure. She also felt that he really paid attention to her in ways that no other boy had. After a relatively quick dating process, they were engaged, and within a few months they were married.

Shortly after Sheva Brachos, everything turned sour. Moshe stopped paying as much attention to Devorah, and she started feeling ignored and lonely. It seemed as if everything else in the world was more interesting to Moshe than his own wife. Furthermore, he never followed through with his promises. If he would promise to take care of something, it would never get done unless she nagged him endlessly. Additionally, although Moshe was generally kind and gentle, sometimes Moshe would get a little snappy when he was frustrated. Although Moshe was overall a good husband, this is not the man that Devorah thought she had married.

Years went by, and Devorah made peace with the fact that her husband will never be the man she thought he was. That all changed when their daughter, Chana, started fourth grade. Chana was very bright like her father, but as the years went by, she struggled with school work and consistently received low grades. The school recommended that they have Chana be evaluated. Chana was diagnosed with ADHD, and when the psychologist described Chana’s difficulties to Devorah, a light bulb went off in her head. This sounds exactly like her husband Moshe! Is it possible that Moshe is also suffering from ADHD?

Devorah gently discussed her insight with her husband Moshe, who eventually agreed to go for a professional evaluation. Devorah was not surprised to be told that there is no question that Moshe has ADHD.

This insight completely changed her perspective about her husband. Devorah now understood that Moshe paid less attention to her because individuals with ADHD are only able to focus on that which is exciting and new. Therefore, when they were dating, she was Moshe’s entire focus, but that changed once they transitioned into the daily doldrums of marriage. She also realized that Moshe’s difficulty in executing tasks on time is quite typical of adults with ADHD. Furthermore, that which Moshe would uncharacteristically become snappy on occasion is because of the inner impulsivity that can manifest with adults that have ADHD which makes it difficult for them to keep their emotions in check.

One of the psychologist’s recommendations was for Moshe to consult with a psychiatrist about taking ADHD medication. The psychiatrist recommended medication for Moshe. The day that Moshe started his medication, he became a new man. He no longer seemed disinterested in Devorah, he was able to complete tasks on time without being nagged, and gone were the occasional snappy reactions.

The story of Moshe and Devorah has a happy ending. It doesn’t always end so magically. Some people do not respond to medication. Sometimes the marriage had been dysfunctional for so many years, the damage cannot be undone. The bottom line is that early detection is critical. Even if someone does not respond well to medication, there are other ways one can manage their ADHD, and there are ways that couples can manage their Shalom Bayis once they are armed with the knowledge that this is a psychiatric condition and is not their spouse’s fault. But one thing is for sure. If your spouse has ADHD and you are both unaware of the cause of your Shalom Bayis problems, you are driving your marital car with a frosted windshield. Only by knowing the road ahead can you know how to proceed.

This is a service of Relief Resources. Relief is an organization that provides mental health referrals, education, and support to the frum community. Rabbi Yisrael Slansky is director of the Baltimore branch of Relief. He can be contacted at 410-4488356 or at yslansky@reliefhelp.org

Common Cents Financial New Year’s Resolutions That Actually Work

The clock strikes midnight, the confetti flies, and suddenly, you’re filled with a sense of possibility. This year, you think, will be different. You’re ready to get serious about your finances. But by February, that ambitious financial resolution—to save $10,000, pay off all your debt, or stop eating out completely—has fizzled into frustration.

Why does this happen? More importantly, how can you set financial New Year’s resolutions that actually work? Let’s explore how to identify the right goal, build a plan to achieve it, and set yourself up for lasting success.

The Problem With Traditional Resolutions

Most New Year’s resolutions fail because they’re too broad, too ambitious, or lack a clear plan. Saying, “I want to save more money” or “I’ll never use my credit card again” is well-intentioned but vague. Without specifics, it’s easy to lose focus or motivation.

What works better? Resolutions that are specific, realistic, and tied to your values.

Step 1: Identify the Right Resolution for You

Your financial goals should align with what matters most to you. Here’s how to find the one that fits:

1. Reflect on Your Priorities

What is most important to you right now? Paying off debt, saving for a home, building an emergency fund, or preparing for retirement? Pick one goal that feels meaningful and urgent.

2. Evaluate Your Current Situation

Be honest about where you’re starting. If your emergency fund is empty, focus there before tackling your mortgage early. If you’re carrying high-interest debt, paying it off might take priority over investing.

3. Set a SMART Goal

Make your resolution:

• Specific: Define exactly what you want to achieve (e.g., “Save $5,000 for an emergency fund”).

• Measurable: Track your progress (e.g., “Save $417 per month”).

• Achievable: Start with a goal that’s challenging but realistic.

• Relevant: Choose a goal that fits your life and values.

• Time-bound: Set a deadline (e.g., “Save $5,000 by December 31”).

Step 2: Build a Plan That Works

Once you’ve set your goal, break it into manageable steps and create a system to stay consistent.

1. Start Small

Big goals are overwhelming. Focus on small, actionable steps. If your goal is to save $5,000, commit to transferring $125 each week into a dedicated savings account.

2. Automate Your Progress

Automation is the easiest way to stay on track. Set up automatic transfers for savings or investments so you don’t have to rely on willpower.

3. Find a Partner

Share your goal with someone who can hold you accountable—a spouse, friend, or financial advisor. Knowing someone else is rooting for you makes it easier to stay focused.

4. Reward Yourself

Celebrate milestones along the way. Reaching your halfway point or completing your goal deserves recognition, whether it’s a fancy coffee or a small treat.

Step 3: Stay on Track All Year

Resolutions tend to fade because life gets busy, or unexpected expenses arise. Here’s how to maintain momentum:

1. Anticipate Challenges

What could derail your progress? Maybe a car repair or overspending during vacations. Plan for these obstacles by building flexibility into your budget.

2. Review Regularly

Set a monthly “money date” to check your progress, adjust as needed, and celebrate wins. Reviewing keeps your goal front and center.

By Elliot Pepper, CPA, CFP®, MST

3. Focus on Progress, Not Perfection

Missed a month? Don’t give up. The road to financial success is rarely straight. Adjust your plan and keep going.

Resolutions That Work

Here are a few examples of achievable financial resolutions:

1. Start an Emergency Fund

• Goal: Save $1,000 in 6 months.

• Plan: Save $40 each week.

2. Pay Down High-Interest Debt

• Goal: Pay off a $2,000 credit card balance in 1 year.

• Plan: Pay $167 monthly plus any windfalls (e.g., tax refund).

3. Increase Retirement Contributions

• Goal: Contribute an extra 2% of your income to a 401(k).

• Plan: Automate payroll deductions and revisit annually.

4. Build a Budget

• Goal: Track expenses and create a realistic spending plan.

• Plan: Use an app or spreadsheet and review every two weeks.

A Resolution You’ll Actually Keep

Financial New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be grandiose to be effective. In fact, the simpler and more intentional they are, the more likely they are to succeed. Choose a goal that fits your priorities, break it into manageable steps, and commit to consistency. By this time next year, you’ll be amazed at how far you’ve come.

So this year, skip the lofty promises. Choose one small, meaningful change, and watch as it transforms your financial life.

Subscribe to Common Cents digitally on LinkedIn @CommonCents613

The decision to start saving and investing is yours, but the “how” can be hard. Email commoncents@northbrookfinancial.com to schedule a financial planning consultation with our team.

Elliot Pepper, CPA, CFP®, MST is Co-Founder of Northbrook Financial, a Financial Planning, Tax, and Investment Management Firm. He has developed and continues to teach a popular Financial Literacy course for high school students.

Jewish Thought Letters Flying in the Air

By Yedidya Meir

This week, many festive celebrations marked the siyum of Masechet Bava Basra across the Jewish world. Yet, one man commemorated it alone.

“I’d appreciate it if you could spare me a couple of minutes,” Dr. Yonatan Schussheim wrote to me this week. “I’d like to share something that I think will interest you.”

Dr. Yonatan Schussheim, an OB-GYN, is the son of the late Dr. Eli Schussheim, zt”l, the legendary founder of EFRAT. Initially, I assumed he wanted to discuss something related to the organization’s activities, but I was mistaken.

“I’m speaking to you as the father of Emunah, who was engaged to Yehonatan Deutsch, Hy”d,” he began.

He didn’t need to refresh my memory. Even in a year of immense loss, Yehonatan’s story is hard to forget: A young man full of promise, tragically murdered in a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley just weeks before his wedding and only days after returning from combat in Khan Yunis. I recalled, too, that on Simchat Torah, Yehonatan had been deployed to Nachal Oz, where he and his unit saved lives during house-to-house operations.

“You write often about the Daf Yomi,” Schussheim said. “This morning, I was zocheh to complete Bava Basra , and I penned a few thoughts about my experience.”

As I began to read, it became clear to me that despite the many other noteworthy milestones celebrated this week, Schussheim’s story held a unique significance.

“The Most Difficult Siyum of My Life”

“This was undoubtedly the most difficult siyum of my life,” Dr. Schussheim began, “and no, it wasn’t due to the complexity of the masechet—I’ve completed more challenging ones. Nor was it its length. It was the first siyum I performed after my previous one.

“One might naturally ask: doesn’t every siyum follow the previous one? Indeed, when I prepared for this siyum, I

couldn’t disconnect from my prior one— the siyum of Bava Metzia, which accompanies me daily.

“I celebrated that siyum on Friday, the 15th of Sivan, Erev Shabbat Parshat Beha’alotcha of 5784 (2024), during the engagement party of my daughter, Emunah, and her fiancé, Yehonatan Deutsch.

“To give the young couple a meaningful, spiritual gift, I completed Bava Metzia during the celebration. I connected the tractate’s opening Mishnah to themes of a harmonious marital life, but what lingers most vividly in my heart and mind are the words I said to them afterward:

“‘In life, as in the Talmud, we transition from one “masechet ” to another: childhood, followed by adolescence, and so on. Each has its own unique challenges, moments, and lessons. You are now entering the “masechet ” of engagement—a profound, formative experience that prepares you for the next stage. Invest in this tractate, so it remains a cherished foundation. I have no doubt that there will be times when you’ll wish to revisit this period.’

“I could never have imagined the weight those words would carry in the future.”

Learning Amidst Unimaginable Pain

“I began studying Bava Basra immediately after completing Bava Metzia. I looked forward to the long, fascinating journey through one of the Gemara’s lengthiest masechtos. I couldn’t have known it would become the hardest learning experience of my life.

“On Sunday, the 7th of Av 5784, Yehonatan was murdered in a terror shooting at the Mechola Junction while on his way to visit our home in Ofra. He had planned to see Emunah and continue preparing for the ‘masechet of marriage.’

“There are no words to describe the magnitude of our grief, shock, and pain during those horrific days. After several days, I attempted to return to my Daf Yomi routine, only to find the effort nearly impossible. Waking early after sleepless

nights, holding the Gemara with trembling hands, and struggling to focus on the text—all I could see were ‘letters flying in the air.’”

“Standing Shiva”

This year, tragically, we’ve heard from many bereaved parents and widows – too many. But Dr. Schussheim didn’t even sit shiva for the man who was almost his son-in-law. In fact, he is in the secondary circle—the one that is meant to strengthen the mourners.

I recently heard Dr. Yossi Ben-Gal, grandfather of fallen hero Captain Ro’i Beit Yaakov, Hy”d, say that he, as the grandfather, does not sit shiva but “stands shiva.” What an apt description. The grandparents of the fallen stand around the grieving parents, supporting them, caring for them, giving encouragement. But they, too, need strength and solace.

Perseverance in Honor of Yehonatan

“How did I continue studying daily and reach the finish line of Bava Basra this week?” Dr. Schussheim asked rhetorically. “The simple answer is: because of Yehonatan.

“At first, the desire to honor his memory gave me the strength to start again. But I needed more.

“Then one morning, Yehonatan’s father, Uri, shared a message he received. A friend had recalled Yehonatan’s words at his engagement party:

“‘The battles we fight, the extraordinary moments—they’re the easy part. What truly builds a country, a nation, a people, are the small acts: another home, another family, everyday routines. That’s the real battle, and I feel privileged to contribute to it.’

“Reading those words gave me the strength I desperately needed. I couldn’t let Yehonatan down. I had to carry his legacy forward.”

A Quiet Victory

“Each morning since, as I sit with the

Daf Yomi despite exhaustion and heartache, I think of Yehonatan’s message. It sustains me. Though my focus isn’t what it once was, this daily learning is a victory—a testament to the small acts that build lives and nations.”

“Symbolically, just before completing the masecheta, we learned of the capture of Yehonatan’s murderers. While it doesn’t bring solace, it delivers justice and reaffirms the values foundational to masechet Sanhedrin, which I will begin next.”

Dr. Schussheim concluded his letter with a poignant reflection:

“If a siyum is meant to be a celebration, for me, it was a deeply personal and complex moment. I completed the final lines, recited the traditional declaration quietly to myself, and immediately opened Tractate Sanhedrin to begin anew.”

A Resonant Message

Festive siyumim bring joy to the learners, their families, and honor to the Torah. Yet, this solitary siyum—uttered in a choked voice, alone in a quiet room—surely resounded loudly in the heavens.

Dr. Schussheim’s story illustrates the resilience of the Jewish spirit and the eternal power of Torah study, especially in times of hardship.

His closing words echo powerfully:

“May this learning, along with all my studies, elevate the soul of Yehonatan Yaakov ben Uri Yosef, Hy”d. And if it inspires even one struggling individual to persevere in their learning, it will be to Yehonatan’s merit.”

Yehonatan Deutsch Hy”d at his engagement party

Toys of the Decade

According to Couponbox.com, the following toys were the most popular presents in the decade they arrived. Match the toy with their respective decades from the 1900s through 1990:

Eight Ball; 1950- Mr. Potato Head;

Alexander Dolls; 1930s- Monopoly;

Crayons; 1910s- Raggedy Ann Dolls;

"I made a terrible mistake…. My wife made me swear that I wouldn’t give her a fancy gift. And I didn’t." – Milton Berle

1960s-

1940s-

1920s-

1900s-

Answers:

Crayola

Madame

The Magic

Etch-A-Sketch; 1970s- Star Wars Action Figures;

1980s- Rubik’s Cube; 1990s- Game Boy

Raggedy Ann Dolls Game Boy Crayola Crayons Monopoly

Rubik’s Cube

The Magic Eight Ball Mr. Potato HeadStar Wars Action Figures

Etch-A-Sketch Madame Alexander Dolls

Talmud Bavli Trivia

1. What is the longest Masechta in Shas?

a. Shabbos

b. Yevamos

c. Bava Basra

d. Kesubos

2. In which Masechta is the famous Gemara about Chanukah which starts off with the question “Mai Chanukah? What is Chanukah?”?

a. Masechtas Chanukah

b. Masechtas Rosh Hashana

c. Masechtas Shabbos

d. Masechtas Chagiga

3. How many Masechtos are there in Talmud Bavli?

a. 12

b. 24

c. 37

d. 49

Hey Underlings,

4. What does the “Raish” in “Raish Lakish” stand for?

a. Reb Shimon

b. Reb Shlomo

c. Reb Shimshon

d. Reb Shmaya

5. How many words of Gemara are there in Nazir Daf 33B?

a. 0

b. 9

c. 123

d. 1,043

6. What is the first Masechta in Shas?

a. Berachos

b. Kedushin

c. Megila

d. Chagiga

7. How many daf (full pages) are there in the entire Talmud Bavli?

a. 795

b. 1,311

c. 2,711

d. 4,056

Answers:

Wisdom Key:

5-7 correct: Eli Stefansky would be proud!

2-4 correct: You have a Gemara kup, but you have been going to shiur every other day.

0-1 correct: Rabbi Akiva didn’t know the Alef-Bais until he was 40. You still have time!

Say “cheese!” No, let’s try that again. Yanky, stop playing with the yoyo… Esther, put down your phone… Gavriel, you don’t need to wear your hat for the picture… Dovid, you don’t need to be in the picture— I mean wipe the tomato sauce off of your face, and let’s take a great family picture to send into TJH!

Yes, yes, all families are the same. If you are thinking that this is not you, well, you know what Mr. and Mrs. Perfect? Why don’t you send your picture to the Museum of Perfect Family Pictures. Everyone else, have a good time, take some pictures, and send them into TJH, so that you are part of our Chanukah photo album.

Oh, and we will give you a $10 gift certificate to Berrylicious! See details on the Letters to the Editor page (the place serious people air their grievances). You must send your pictures by email. We don’t accept photos by snail-mail. And, no you can’t drop it off in my office either, I’m not into interacting with humanoids.

Happy Channuuukkkcckckhhaaa!

Your Favorite Centerfold Commissioner

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

There have never been enough consequences, and that’s what we need to be talking about with these people: You take an American, you illegally detain them if you’re a nation-state or if you’re a terrorist you hold them hostage, there is going to be all [heck] to pay, there are going to be nothing but consequences for you, financially and maybe even a bullet in your [darn] forehead if you take an American, period.

- Incoming U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in an interview with Ben Shapiro while talking about the hostages being held by Hamas

It’s always good to do a good thing. Let me just start by saying this: All of you MAGA minions and you MAGA maniacs and MAGA monsters are the so-called evangelicals who believe in G-d, and G-d says forgive.

- Democratic political analyst Lisa Durden on NewsNation responding to outrage over President Joe Biden’s commutation of 37 death row murderers, including one who murdered two little girls riding bikes and many others who committed heinous crimes

I’m going to win with you or without you.

- Teamsters President Sean O’Brien on a recent podcast disclosing what Vice President Kamala Harris said to him when she met with him to try to get his endorsement for president

The Panama Canal is considered a VITAL National Asset for the United States… The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S. This complete “rip-off” of our Country will immediately stop.

- Trump in a Truth Social post

The United States has a vested interest in the secure, efficient, and reliable operation of the Panama Canal, and that was always understood. We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands! It was not given for the benefit of others, but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama. If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question. To the Officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!

- Ibid.

In response to the Pope’s statement today: Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children while trying to murder Israeli children; cruelty is holding 100 hostages for 442 days, including a baby and children, by terrorists and abusing them.

- Statement by Israel’s Foreign Ministry in response to the Pope calling Israel’s actions in Gaza cruel

Unfortunately, the Pope has chosen to ignore all of this, as well as the fact that Israel’s actions have targeted terrorists who used children as human shields.

- Ibid.

If he [a terrorist is] just dead, so he’s dead. But if he’s wounded, you have to take him to the hospital, take care of him. You need to invest money and efforts. And those people without hands and eyes are living proof, walking in Lebanon, of “don’t mess with us.” They are walking proof of our superiority all around the Middle East.

- A Mossad agent on “60 Minutes” explaining why the beeper bombs were calibrated to injure but not to kill

We have an incredible array of possibilities of creating foreign companies that have no way of being traced back to Israel. Shell companies over shell companies to affect the supply chain to our favor. We create a pretend world. We are a global production company. We write the screenplay, we’re the directors, we’re the producers, we’re the main actors, and the world is our stage.

- Ibid., when asked how Israel got Hezbollah to buy the pagers from them

I just try to be nice to people and try to go one day at a time – that’s all.

- Florence “Fireball Flo” Hackman of Ohio, at the celebration of her 106th birthday

If you get that one day in, then you can go on to the next one.

- ibid.

So that’s what you’ve got to do – one day at a time – think what I’ve got to do today. You’ve got to keep moving as long as you can. - ibid.

In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day. Since deploying the @ NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up.

- Tweet by NY Governor Kathy Hochul, hours after a subway rider was killed in brutal fashion by an illegal alien from Venezuela

These days, when the Houthi terrorist organization is firing missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them at the beginning of my remarks: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have blinded Iran’s defense systems and damaged the production systems, we have toppled the Assad regime in Syria, we have dealt a severe blow to the axis of evil, and we will also deal a severe blow to the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen, which remains the last to stand.

- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz

We will behead their leaders – just as we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar and Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza and Lebanon – we will do it in [Yemen’s] Hodeidah and Sanaa.

- Ibid., publicly acknowledging for the first time that Israel was behind the assassination of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran

President Biden yesterday publicly addressed the recent uptick in drone sightings and said, “We’re following this closely, but, so far, no sense of danger.” Well, no offense, but you haven’t been great at sensing danger. When it comes to sensing danger, I’m not sure I trust an 81-year-old man who still rides a bike.

-Seth Meyers

How many of the things the government insisted were conspiracy theories in recent years have turned out to be totally true: the Covid lab leak theory, the Chinese spy balloon, Hunter’s laptop being Hunter’s laptop, Joe Biden being sharp as a tack.

-Kat Timpf

Dating Dialogue What Would You Do If…

Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

Dear Navidaters,

My older brother started dating a girl two months ago, and things are proceeding well. I am very close with him, and he shares details with me, but I have advised him for many reasons NOT to tell our parents. Our parents are very picky and in the past have found every opportunity to nix his shidduchim. They believe what they believe and don’t have the ability to think outside the box. For example, since we all have light eyes and are tall, they only want a girl with light eyes who is tall so that she looks like the family. We are also very academic and they won’t accept a girl for him like the girl he is dating who is “just a teacher.”

My brother is 34 and is very happy with this girl and wants to move things along and tell our parents. I think it’s a horrible idea to tell them, because they will beat him down about it by putting her down until he second-guesses and breaks up with her.

What do you suggest that he does in this situation?

Thank you!

Tzipora*

Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, rather 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.

The Panel

Dear Readers,

We want to offer YOU an opportunity to be part of the discussion! Please email us at MichelleMondShadchan@gmail.com, subject line “reader’s response,” if you would like to participate in the new “A Reader’s Response” columnist spot. We will send you a question and publish your answer in an upcoming Navidaters edition. If you have a question you would like the Navidaters to answer, please reach out to this email as well.

Looking forward!

Michelle, the “Shadchan”

The Rebbetzin

Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.

meet the girl’s parents first and be fully committed to marrying the young lady before letting your parents know. However, this is his life, and he is an

The Shadchan

Michelle Mond

In the 15 years that I have been making shidduchim, there have been a handful of cases where the single guy and/or girl had not told his/her parents until things were already set in stone regarding going through with engagement. In all of these cases, it had been made abundantly clear by the parents’ words and actions in previous shidduchim that they were not acting in the single’s best interest. Many times, the parents have so much anxiety surrounding encouraging a shidduch that the single is actually doing them a favor by going through with it without getting their two cents. In some cases, it is merely a mental health issue that prevents the parents from living in a reality where their child wants something different

While it’s important to maintain peace within your family, your brother needs a partner who aligns with his own values.

from them. In other cases, the parents are just so set in their ways about specific things that they refuse to accept it.

Your 34-year-old brother has to jump into this with you, his loving sister’s, help, without the encouragement of his parents, unfortunately. You can tell them together, once it has been finalized and they know there is no room for their opinions, that he’s getting engaged.

I cannot emphasize enough that he must work on building up his own sense of self and learn to smile and nod and completely disassociate with the words that will come out of their mouth. When they begin rambling, “But she’s only a teacher! But she’s short and has brown eyes!” he must learn to truly feel bad for them, looking at them with sympathy rather than taking them seriously.

He will be very glad he moved forward in this way. When your parents see and feel the nachas, they will thank you and your brother a million times over for bypassing their opinions and allowing this simcha to happen.

The Zaidy

Dr. Jeffrey Galler

Did you know that my Hebrew name is Yosef? And, did you realize that dreams are a prominent feature of last week’s and this week’s Torah reading?

As I was thinking about this week’s Navidater question, I fell asleep and had a dream. This is what I dreamt:

Your brother called his parents and said, “Mom, Dad, I know that you’ve been concerned about me being 34, independent, and still not married. But I have good news! I have a wonderful girlfriend, and I’d like to bring her over for dinner so you can meet her.”

Mom (beaming with joy): “That’s wonderful, son! Can you come tomorrow at 6:00?”

Promptly at 6:00 your brother rang the doorbell, accompanied by a 6-foot,

Pulling It All Together

The Navidaters

Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

Hi Tzipora,

First, I want to acknowledge how deeply you care for your brother and how hard it must be to see him navigating this. It’s clear you want to protect him and your concern for how your parents might react comes from a place of love and wanting what’s best for him.

That said, your brother is 34 and seems genuinely happy with this woman. It’s important to honor his agency in making decisions for his life, even if they might bring challenges. While your con-

cerns

about how your parents will re - spond are valid, shielding him from their potential negativity might not serve him—or his relationship—in the long run. At some point, he will need to learn to set boundaries and advocate for his happiness, even if it’s uncomfortable.

I would suggest encouraging your brother to take some time to think about how he wants to approach telling

5-inch, blonde, blue-eyed woman, who had a look that can only be described as…unique.. She had five earrings in each ear and her hair was dyed blue with a streak of orange. Her bare right arm was tattooed with the words, “From the river to the sea.”

Your brother exclaimed, “Mom and Dad, this is Christina. She is a Columbia University professor and teaches Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Isn’t she wonderful?”

Two weeks later, after a lot of disapproval and pressure from your parents, your brother brought home a much more traditional, short, dark-eyed teacher.

Your parents exclaimed, “We know you’re an adult and can make your own choices, but we just love her! Please, marry her! We’ll pay for everything—the wedding, the ring, the honeymoon.”

So, Tzipora, while it’s important to maintain peace within your family, your brother needs a partner who aligns with his own values—whether or not that meets his parents’ exact standards. Encourage him to have an honest conversation with your parents and

He will need to learn to set boundaries and advocate for his happiness, even if it’s uncomfortable.

explain that while he respects their expectations, he wants to make a decision that feels right for him. If he can calmly communicate his stance, he’ll be more likely to gain their respect and support, without sacrificing his own happiness. And, tell your brother that actresses like Christina are available for rental at rent-a-model.com. And, for a slight additional fee, he may wish to hire a professional dream interpreter.

your parents, rather than whether he should or not. He could focus on presenting the relationship from a place of confidence and emphasizing the happiness this woman brings him. If he’s prepared to handle their reactions calmly and firmly, it might help minimize their ability to sway him.

For example, he could frame it as, “I’ve met someone who makes me really happy, and I see a future with her. I hope you can support me in building this relationship, but either way, this is my decision.”

It might also help to prepare him for the possibility of pushback and remind

him that his parents’ approval, while meaningful, doesn’t define the success or value of his relationship. Reassure him that he has your support and that he doesn’t need to face this alone.

Ultimately, Tzipora, as hard as it is to let go, your brother has to navigate this dynamic on his own terms. Your role can be one of support and encouragement, helping him find strength in his choices and confidence in his happiness.

Sincerely, Jennifer

Jennifer Mann, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and certified trauma healing life coach, as well as a dating and relationship coach working with individuals, couples, and families in private practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 718-908-0512. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email JenniferMannLCSW@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

Carrying the Light Forward

With a group of women at the Met

Rebbetzin Tzipora Weinberg Helps Jewish Women Illuminate Their Souls

BY MALKIE SCHULMAN

“There was a chassid known as Shabse Kreshov’er who was a yoshev in my great grandfather, the Bobover Rebbe’s, beis midrash,” relates Reb. Tzipora Weinberg, rebbetzin of Khal Lev Avos in North Woodmere. (A “yoshev,” literally meaning “sitter,” is someone who remains near his Rebbe all week learning Torah, typically leaving his wife to tend to the family only coming home for Shabbos and holidays.) “One time, after Shabse returned home for Shabbos, his wife turned to him and said, ‘I will only allow you to go back to the Rebbe’s beis midrash if you sign this shtar (contract) that I will receive half of your Olam Haba.’ Her husband agreed to discuss her conditions with the Rebbe. After recounting his wife’s words, the Rebbe responded, ‘Definitely you can sign. But you would do much better if you would get your wife to sign a shtar that you will get half of her Olam Haba!’”

“Being a woman doesn’t mean you don’t have a legacy,” maintains Reb. Weinberg. “A woman’s mission in life is not any less because it’s different than a man’s. That was the message that I grew up with in my home.”

With that internalized principle, Reb. Weinberg strives to impact as many women as possible, bringing home to them the innate powers and gifts they possess.

In her role as educator, Rebbetzin Tzipora Weinberg wears a few different hats. She is rebbetzin alongside her illustrious husband Rabbi Shmuel Weinberg, as well as lecturer and teacher of Torah and Jewish history to their con-

gregation, in school classrooms and to audiences worldwide. Recent engagements include lectures for a kollel in Beit Shemesh, summer programs in Latvia and Lithuania, and a recent trip to Italy with the women in her shul. She is involved in doctoral studies in Jewish history with a focus on Lithuanian Jewish women’s spiritual productivity during the Holocaust era.

Additionally, Reb. Weinberg hosts Veiled Reference, a podcast in which she features female Jewish historians, professors and authors to discuss well-known and not as well-known prominent Jewish women of the past. For example, in February of 2024, she hosted Dr. Elisheva Carlebach, Salo Wittmayer Baron Professor of Jewish History, Culture, and Society at Columbia University, in conversation about Gluckel of Hameln, a Jewish woman who lived in the late 1600s to the early 1700s – known as the pre-modern era. Gluckel, a “typical” Jewish woman of that period kept a diary after the death of her young husband detailing her rich and full life running a day-to-day business while raising and marrying off her many children.

A Childhood Steeped in History

Reb. Weinberg shares that her strong historical consciousness stems not from what she learned in a school setting but for having lived history in a very personal way every day in her parents’ home.

“My father never formally taught us history. Nevertheless, he spoke about his forbears constantly. I knew my grandparents, all powerhouses, and though I’d never met them, my great-grandparents as well. We lived and breathed their stories in our home. I knew the Eastern

European cities that my antecedents had lived in so well that when I took a group of women on a tour to Bobov, I knew exactly where to find the cemetery. I recognized it. I knew these towns with deep familiarity without ever having seen them.”

It was this experiential engagement throughout her growing up years where every mitzvah, every minhag was performed with the acknowledgement that she was part of an illustrious lineage, stretching back to the Divrei Chaim, the Sanzer Rav, on her father’s side and the Magen Avraham and Taz even further back on her mother’s side that’s given Reb. Weinberg the sense of historical mission to remind and teach women who they are, where they came from, and what they can be.

Reb. Weinberg’s father, Rav Chaim Halberstam, shlita, rav of Sha’arei Zion of Flatbush, trained psychologist, mechanech and human being par excellence, had a broad-minded perspective on the role of going to school—it was to teach you about people. “I could keep you home if I just wanted you to learn Torah,” he’d say. “School is there to teach you how to get along with others.” Tzipora wasn’t sent to school for ideological affinity.

Nevertheless, Tzipora’s schooling was far from easy. They lived in Flatbush, and she attended a “regular” Bais Yaakov.

“It was hard,” she admits. “I’m hassidish to my core, and my classmates and teachers were not.”

She vividly recalls one particularly painful experience when a teacher spoke disparagingly of Chassidus, claiming it had been created just to keep the ignorant masses from straying.

“At her words, I got up and walked out of the room. I came home shaken. I remember my father saying, ‘Call up Zayde and ask him to tell you the truth.’ Of course, I knew her words weren’t true—my home was filled with a constant stream of divrei Torah from my father and grandfathers—yet, my teacher’s words alienated me. I felt marginalized.”

Nevertheless, this painful experience served as a catalyst in forging Tzipora’s identity and the role she would later embrace.

Even today there are many people out there, not just secular, who have no understanding of how and why Chassidus began.

“As Chassidim,” she explains, “we see the Ba’al Shem Tov as unveiling the holiness of Chassidism in a way that’s comparable to Ma’amad Har Sinai. The light that he revealed is a light that was hidden until then, and just as Matan Torah was intended for all levels of Klal Yisrael wherever and whenever, the Torah of Chassidism was intended for everyone who could benefit from it. Did that include more simple people? Yes. But even a cursory knowledge of the generation of disciples of the Ba’al ShemTov (which clearly my teacher was missing) proves the intellectual brilliance of the tzaddikim who codified and disseminated the Toras haBa’al Shem.

“People without access either to those written tomes or the Kabbalistic background necessary to understand them would have to take Chassidus at a level they could grasp: people using simcha shel mitzvah in a demonstrable way in their performance of avodas Hashem. To them, that looked like simple people singing and dancing. It’s all in the perspective which may be limited without the proper education about Chassidus.”

Tzipora’s father taught her many Judaic subjects himself and a lot of what was discussed at school was explored at home.

“I still remember learning with him in the summertime, the sunlight streaming onto the page as we studied Chumash and Rashi,” she recalls warmly.

He also never shied away from pointing out when the teachers were off the mark.

Seeking to find her footing through intellectual conversations with her brothers even as a young child, Tzipora once overheard them discussing a sugya in Gemara with their father.

“I asked what they were talking about, and they described an incident about a bull that gored a cow. I was horrified, demanding to know what happened to the poor cow. My brothers laughed, but my father held up a hand to stop them, insisting that my perspective was valid and just as important as their lomdish calculations. He gave me the space to find myself in the Torah’s holy words. It was the most beautiful gift I could have been given.”

Family Legacy

“One of my first memories,” Reb. Weinberg shares, “is of my mother sitting with me on Friday night, relating the story of Bas Pharaoh reaching her hand across the Ye’or to save Moshe Rabbeinu crying in his basket. The image of her as she extended her hand with such drama and modulated the tone of her voice with such grace has stayed with me all these years. She always encouraged deep immersion in the parsha – as an eldest daughter of her father, Rav Yitzchak Isaac Liebes, a revered posek, as rebbetzin of her own shul for many years, she also grew up surrounded by Torah and constant learning. She took the Chumash and Rashi seriously, delving into the words of the peirush with each parsha, always finding an interesting comment or an important question, modeling a deep engagement with learning as a woman and a leader.”

This is the house Reb. Weinberg grew up in.

“My grandmothers were queens. Each one exemplified the grandeur of the lost world of Eastern Europe. They were part of illustrious families, and both lost their families of origin in their entirety, all of them killed in the Holocaust. But to me, their granddaughter, they radiated only joy. Only goodness and giving. They

were larger-than-life personalities whose frumkeit and finesse simply has no parallel today. Despite all that they went through, they remained thoroughly involved in the production of a beautiful life for their children and grandchildren. One grandmother presided over a salon of the Bobover aristocracy in Boro Park each Shabbos. The other led her kehila with warmth, hosting my grandfather’s numerous talmidim and visitors in and out of his study on 54th Street (in Boro Park). Their homes were happening places that I loved to visit as a child. There was always something delicious brewing, literally and figuratively.”

Rebbetzin Weinberg’s great-grandfather, the Bobover Rebbe, Rav Ben Zion Halberstam (the Kedushas Tzion), was a holy and dynamic presence who led his community and the network of over 40 Polish yeshivos he founded, from the town of Bobov in southern Poland. After the Germans murdered and chased out the remaining Jews from the town, the family, which included Tzipora’s grandparents, their son and mother, the Bobover Rebbetzin (the Bobover Rebbe had already been murdered in 1941), were forced to flee to the ghetto in Bochnia, another town in southern Poland. There, her courageous and righteous grandfather Rav Chaskel David Halberstam facilitated the escape of many Jews. In 1944, however, with his wife expecting their second child, it was time for them to make their escape. The gentile woman who had agreed to smuggle them over the border, claimed she could take only two people at a time.

“My great-grandmother couldn’t bear to travel alone. So, my grandfather accompanied her. This meant that my grandparents were separated. For the duration of the war my grandmother had no idea if her husband was alive,” shares Reb. Weinberg.

Ultimately, her grandmother ended up in Yerushalayim where Reb. Weinberg’s father was born. Since she didn’t know if her husband was alive, her grandmother wasn’t sure if she should name her newborn son after her husband. She was advised her to call him

Chaim after the Sanzer Rav who, until that point, had no descendants named for him because the name had been deemed too holy. In that merit, she was told, she’d discover her husband alive. And so, it was. The family was reunited after the war.

Not long afterwards, while still in Jerusalem, Reb. Weinberg’s grandfather was crowned Bobover Rebbe. However, when he heard that his older brother in New York had been crowned the Rebbe, he immediately removed his Rebbishe clothing, fully acknowledging and supporting his brother’s position. When he later relocated to America, he did all he could to help his brother recreate the Bobover dynasty.

Bringing History to Life

Reb. Weinberg uses all the means at her disposal to disseminate her message and bring history alive, believing strongly that elements of the larger world can be raised and elevated l’shem Shamayim. It’s about looking at the world through the lens of our historical mission as Jews and as Jewish women.

As a child, young Tzipora was exposed to the beautiful cultural meccas of New York. Her parents took her on many visits to New York City museums.

“My father grew up on the West Side of Manhattan. His backyard was the Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium. He would take us to witness the astrological wonders of Hashem’s world.”

Reb. Weinberg will often take her students on trips to the Met and other museums to enhance their understanding of their roles as Jewish women in today’s society.

“Material artifacts bring history to life,” she claims. “They help to underscore the message of our continuity and resilience.”

Before Pesach, for example, Reb. Weinberg described how she worked with the women in her shul to deepen their understanding of yetzias Mitzrayim.

“We prepared for praying from the machzor by vis-

iting the Metropolitan Museum of Art and analyzing an illuminated manuscript of an Italian machzor. We also viewed displays of archival haggadot and a vast array of Egyptian artifacts from the era of our Exodus, fulfilling the charge for each of us to view ourselves as if we ourselves had left Egypt.”

Filling Their Cup from The Well

For many years, Reb. Weinberg taught at the high school and seminary levels and, in 2018, she opened The Well, the first women’s space in the Charedi world

“Learning about the remarkable women who came before us allows us to see ourselves as part of a glorious chain, reinforcing the values and resilience that have defined our people since the beginning of time.”

dedicated to Torah study, fulfilling a long cherished dream to establish a place for women to come together and learn. More recently, her focus has shifted to historical research.

“I’ve realized there isn’t enough scholarly information about the Orthodox experience during the Holocaust,” she explains.

In many scholarly works, the Orthodox perspec -

tive—especially that of Orthodox women—has been overlooked. Women are often portrayed as an oppressed minority, subjugated to male dominance. But in her life, Reb. Weinberg has seen an entirely different narrative— one that hasn’t been accurately represented. Her goal, she shares, is to recenter the stories of survival and resistance that need to be revisited and told truthfully.

“I’m dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of Orthodox women. My goal is to show women their place in the continuum of greatness and strength. Learning about the remarkable women who came before us allows us to see ourselves as part of a glorious chain, reinforcing the values and resilience that have defined our people since the beginning of time.”

Interestingly, even as Reb. Weinberg was familiar with the Chassidic experience through her own family’s legacy, her archival work brought her to unearth an entirely unknown chapter of record – the existence of intellectually accomplished Litvish women during the period between the two world wars. Through her historical research, she has discovered many such women and feels fortunate to uncover their stories and share them with Jewish women today. She named her project “Still, Small Voices” to describe the powerful yet, to the uninitiated, undetectable holiness of their actions.

While traveling to Lithuania, Reb. Weinberg discovered a journal published in 1933 titled “Bais Yaakov of Lithuania.” In one article, a founding rebbetzin wrote: “It is our hope that the kol d’mama daka—the still, small voices of our sisters—will be heard until the arrival of Moshiach.” Reb. Weinberg was amazed to discover that the name she’d given to her project was already expressed in the identical words and sentiments of the movement’s founders, almost a hundred years earlier. These holy women—Ella, Hadassah, Lieba and others— were all tragically murdered in the Holocaust. Yet Reb. Weinberg believes they left a message for us: to continue their work, to never stop supporting one another, to give tzedakah, and to be neshei chayil.

“These women were far from country bumpkins,” she emphasizes. “They were deeply intellectual, engaging with the cultural challenges of their time and redoubling their efforts to remain strong in Torah and mitzvos. They wanted their sisters to embody the same strength and commitment.”

Through her research, Reb. Weinberg is bringing these remarkable women back to life.

“I strongly believe they want their message to be heard once again, and I feel a sacred obligation to bring their voices back to life,” she maintains.

Carrying the Light Forward

Jewish women have always carried the light forward, often in challenging and obscure ways.

“One historical Jewish woman whose story is veiled in mystery is Tzipora, the wife of our great leader Moshe,” says Reb. Weinberg. “Her individuality, the fact that she was marginalized, different, from a foreign land, and her ability to step in when needed in a variety of ways make her stand out to me. She lived the ultimate life of separateness and loneliness, yet some might say she was one of the most important figures—she was married to our forever teacher. Moshe Rabbeinu was half an angel and living that kind of life is something I often think about.

She also points to the holy mothers, the Imahos, who struggled with the realities of Yiddishkeit in their times. It was not easy for any of them, but the beauty they created and fostered became a legacy that continues to empower Jewish women for all generations to come.

Kindling the Flame of the Soul

It’s important to encourage women to find the place within themselves that spiritually lights them up and do whatever they can to nurture it. Self-care isn’t just about physical nurture, like going out to eat or treating yourself to something special; it’s also about spiritually taking care of yourself. If your value is prayer, then find the time to daven Shacharis and perhaps even Mincha

and Maariv. If learning Torah ignites your soul, go to that shiur or get to shul for kriyas haTorah on Shabbos.

“I find,” Reb. Weinberg says, “that women who make more time to, let’s say, go to a shiur are often more sensitive to the nuances of their children’s behaviors because they’re working on themselves. A woman who is mindful of her spirituality is often more sensitive and caring to those around her. She’s filled her spiritual cup, so she has more to give. Nevertheless,” she insists, “it’s not just about learning or praying so you can be better to others—do it for your own soul.”

The Chanukah lights give us the opportunity to lean into our predestined journeys in life and to rededicate ourselves to the values of home, hearth, and heart— the values of kedusha.

Rebbetzin Weinberg recounts a Chassidic message that is especially meaningful to her. The Sfas Emes teaches that we were given the days of Chanukah because the miracles of then are meant to light up our spiritual darkness today. The power of those miracles, which happened so long ago, is not just a memory. They actually renew themselves each year, lighting up our darkness with potential to tap into the spiritual energies of those times and reenergize ourselves. The three regalim, the Sfas

Emes states, were insufficient to illuminate the darkness and the coldness that threaten to overwhelm us in this long galus. These additional days of Chanukah given to us by Chazal were a necessary antidote to illuminate the long winters of the soul .

When we celebrate Chanukah, it’s not just about retelling the story but about understanding these events as a source of spiritual life in the present moment. These miracles, that we live and breathe today, give us a new perspective.

As women, we are active participants in the Chanukah obligation— af hen hayu b’oso ha’neis—we too were a part of that story. We must find within those lights our own personal victories: victories over the tendencies within us that threaten to bring us down, over the challenges that weaken our resolve to grow in service of Hashem, and over the negative or critical voices that surround us. The Chanukah lights give us the opportunity to lean into our predestined journeys in life and to rededicate ourselves to the values of home, hearth, and heart—the values of kedusha.

“In the olden days, in certain ways, it wasn’t as challenging for women to find their rightful place as it is today,” contends Reb. Weinberg. “Back then, there was more of a sisterhood between women. Women gave each other respect and support. That doesn’t happen as much today. Both working women and stay-at-home mothers, for example, often feel isolated. It’s incumbent upon us in the frum world to respect women’s contributions to the world. Women should be respected and not judged for their choices as long as they are l’shem Shomayim.

“And, by the way,” she adds, “it’s not a new concept that women do the heavy lifting. Jewish history is replete with women taking on a lot. Some women received recognition for their contributions and some did not, but they had a support system among themselves that’s lacking in many communities today. Our women today need to celebrate the reason Hashem created them women.”

Little Jerusalem, Pitigliano, Italy

Pitigliano, Italy

Racheli Schwartz, 3

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