Five Towns Jewish Home - 3-10-22

March 10, 2022

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

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Yevamos With All Daf Begins Wednesday 3/9 10:30 Yevamos 2

Choose a Masechta

Wednesday - 9 March 2022 - 6 Adar II 5782 WATCH: Daf Hachaim Mesechta Overview

DAF HACHAIM INTRO & REVIEW

SHAS ILLUMINATED •

Highlights important perspectives on the daf that are not covered in the standard daf yomi shiur

ZICHRU DAF SIMANIM

• With R' Shloime Schwartzberg • Explanatory graphics • Synopsis of the central discussions & conclusions of each daf

Daf Yomi Shiurim

Rabbi Shalom Rosner

Rabbi Moshe Elefant

50:28

DAF ACADEMY • With R' Ari Tabak • Visual and in-depth explanations of the daf • New to All Daf for Maseches Yevamos

47:52

• Remember three key points on every daf • Points are connected to a creative story or picture

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Jewish History with Dr. Henry Abramson Reid Bites with R' Sruly Bornstein Reid Bites Parparaos HaDaf with R' Pinchus Gross And more

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers,

T

he theme of Purim is “v’nahafoch hu,” and we can surely relate to living in an upside-down world.

The past two years have been tumultuous, to say the least. One of the hardest parts of the events that have been swirling around us is the lack of clarity that we encounter. At times, it seems as if we are floundering in the dark, trying to find our way.

But even more than that, the uncertainty that Amalek represents is so prevalent in our world today. What we had taken for granted in the past generations is now no longer acceptable. We are forced to question and we are told to doubt even the most undeniable realities. Morals are fluid and subject to change and bend on one’s whim.

Truth, it seems, is no longer. Truth is now subjective. Events are swayed by people’s opinions and viewpoints. Facts are influenced by individual preferences.

It seems that we can no longer be certain of anything – except that we need to doubt much of what we’ve been told.

But, as Jews, we know that – despite what the outside society asserts and declares to be an ever-changing “truth” – our Truth has withstood generations.

Our values and our principles have never swayed or changed. There is no doubt as to what we believe.

The joy of Purim stems from the era-

sure of all doubt. The genuine happiness that we experienced was the extreme clarity that we witnessed as the geulah came about. Truth and all that Jews represent were highlighted and exalted on that day.

And it was apparent that Hashem was the Orchestrator of all those seemingly unconnected events that culminated with Haman’s demise and the Jews’ salvation.

Perhaps we can bring the simcha of Purim with us throughout the year by standing strong in the face of doubt and uncertainty. When we are proud of the Truth that we represent, we won’t crumble in the face of the shifting winds that attempt to topple our principles.

Purim is the ultimate day of prayer, a time when we connect with our Creator and ask Him to clearly bring us the yeshuos we so badly need. But even more than that, it’s a time when we should think not just for ourselves but for others as well.

As we give our mishloach manos to our neighbors and friends – and to those who could benefit from knowing that we are thinking of them – let’s keep a prayer on our lips that Hashem will send all of those in our nation a ruchniyus Mishloach Manos of yeshuos, gezunt, mazal, and genuine happiness.

Wishing you a freilechen Purim, Shoshana

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

Contents Letters to the Editor

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COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

8 42

Community Happenings NEWS Global

12

National

32

That’s Odd

38

ISRAEL

102

Israel News

22

A Bourbon Produced in Israel?

by Doni Cohen 134

JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha

92

Parshas Zachor by Rav Moshe Weinberger

94

Delving into the Daf by Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

98

The Eternal Secret of Our Purim Triumph by Rav Yaakov Feitman

100

The Great Light of Megillas Esther by Rabbi Daniel Glatstein

102

PEOPLE The Wandering Jew

106

Purim in 2022 by Avi Heiligman

146

HEALTH & FITNESS Getting Over Resentments by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

126

How Does Sleep Impact Your Health? by Aliza Beer, MS RD

130

FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Purim Seudah Crockpot Dinner

136

LIFESTYLES Teen Talk

120

Dating Dialogue, Moderated by 122 Jennifer Mann, LCSW

146

Parenting Pearls

132

Your Money

156

A New Date Night Menu by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS 158

HUMOR Centerfold Purim News & Views

90 110

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

138

Gen. Mark Milley: Why No-Fly in Ukraine is a No-Go

by David Ignatius

142

Putin’s War Reminds Us Why Liberal Democracy is Worth Defending by 144 Fareed Zakaria CLASSIFIEDS

150

Dear Editor, I was horrified to read the email in this week’s paper, especially the one criticizing the Biden administration’s response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. I implore you to stop printing only letters from people who tout only the former Trump administration party line. It is unfair to the rest of your intelligent readership. President Trump’s top advisors have already stated that Putin was waiting to invade the Ukraine during Trump’s second term, once Trump pulled out of NATO, as he, in fact, promised. It is the NATO response to what is going on in the Ukraine right now that is fortifying the defense of this country and others in the alliance. Sanctions and the NATO response on the ground have kept hope alive for the defense of Ukraine up until now and the record should be clear. Trump, in fact, withheld critical defensive weapons from Ukraine in 2015, an action that led directly to his impeachment, as we all remember.

Thank goodness for a strong NATO. Betty Atlas Dear Editor, I was both curious and disturbed reading the panelists’ responses to last week’s Navidaters’ question.

While I overall agree with the response and attitude given by the panelists that a rabbi/rebbi should be consulted for halachic decisions and not life recommendations, I think that there is some hypocrisy among

each of the panelists’ attitude.

I think most religious Jews were taught the concept of emunat chachamim – faith in our sages. Those of us who had the opportunity to personally visit the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt”l, went to him not just for a bracha but personal advice. Many of us seek our own rabbi, a rebbe, mekubal or some other holy person for answers to personal and sometimes, lifechanging advice. There is a general intrinsic trust that we place in these people that they know or see something that we do not, and they, therefore, advise us actions that for our personal best interest. If we had any doubt in anything these sages would advise, why would we spend the effort and the money to visit them and ask?

Thus, I would say that while the boy’s mother may not agree with the rebbe’s advice not to continue the shidduch with the girl, I think it is commendable that the mother has advised and the boy has upheld the concept of emunat chachamim. I think that if the rebbe wanted to explain his response to the boy or his parents, he would have done this, voluntarily. If he is not explaining his decision, they should implicitly trust that the rebbe knows what is best for the boy, unless there is clear evidence of malice. (Sadly, this does occur, but it’s infrequent.)

I’d like to read other people’s response to the parameters of emunat chachamim, especially as it pertains to this or similar situations.

Daniel Feldman Continued on page 10

Around how many mishloach manos do you give out each year?

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

Be included in the TJH Purim Photo Album We love how you look in that banana costume! And your brother looks even better in his Waldo-at-the-Siyum-Hashas outfit.

Send in your Purim photos to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Deadline: Monday, March 21, at 5pm Continued from page 8

Dear Editor, A few weeks ago, a personal loss that once was seen as unfathomable became a reality. A person that was so special in my life was unfortunately taken from us. My Zeide, Chesky Guttman, a man that many knew as Harry, “The sandwich man” or Ta/ Zeide, unfortunately, passed away.

One of his greatest middos that encompassed who he was was that in every interaction he had with others, he always made the other feel unique and special. It didn’t make a difference if the person was religious, non-religious, family, friend, or someone that he never met before.

My zeide was truly a role model for so many, but specifically to me.

To the few that have read my political thoughts the past few years, the person most responsible for my interest in politics was my zeide. Baruch Hashem, there were many things that I gained from my zeide besides politics, but one of the most unique parts of our relationship was our appreciation for politics. Throughout the Obama years, my zeide’s dislike of Barack Obama was known to all that knew him, but the expression of love that my zeide had for a better country was something unique that I never was exposed to. When Donald Trump announced his run for president, I was the only one in the family that initially supported him fully, but my zeide encouraged my opinion regardless. After the nomination, we both became massive Trump supporters, and we were both proud to watch the election of Donald J. Trump.

Our love of politics eventually became the bulk of our Erev Shabbos phone calls which lasted between 20-45 minutes, weekly. Those conversations initially started as an idea from my mother to call my zeide on Fridays to become how our relationship developed in many ways. Those phone calls were just phone calls in the beginning, but they eventually turned to, in addition, going to my Baba and Zeide for Shabbosim fre-

quently, which also extended our love for each other in so many other areas.

My zeide was special not for his politics, or his car, or his house; he was special because of how he treated people. In an era where politics is so divisive on all sides, if there was one person that had passionate beliefs but still gave the other side respect, it was my zeide. Despite all the double standards in politics or the foolish arguments from some politicians, my zeide never got caught up in it.

Instead, he did it his unique way of believing what he did but treating everyone with dignity.

As I write this letter, I think about the dozens of email replies that I got from him for the letters that I have written in the past. Every one of them made me always want to continue and to improve. It is so sad that he is not here for many reasons, but it is even sadder that I won’t be able to read this letter to him.

Dedicated to my Zeide, Yechezkel Menachem ben Baruch Moshe, z”l.

Donny Simcha Guttman Dear Editor, I would like to thank the volunteers of the Rockaway Nassau Safety Patrol for their attention to detail at the Dirshu Siyum this past Thursday evening. I found that RNSP was on-hand to facilitate ease for the rabbonim at the main parking lot and for guests within the arena. They were there for the entire klal in a special way. Their coordination with Chaverim of Bergen County and Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol was also noticed. Yasher koach to the coordinators and members.

Shabsie Saphirstein Kew Gardens Hills, NY Dear Editor, The ghostwriter who prepared President Biden’s State of the Union address must have flunked math at school. Biden’s claim that “he was the only President to ever reduce the deficit by a trillion or more in a single year” had no merit. In March 2021, there was the $2 trillion COVID Relief bill, December 2021 another

$900 billion, and $2 trillion more in March 2021. Most of these funds were borrowed and added to our long-term debt. Biden’s proposed Build Back Better bill would cost another $2 trillion.

On a bipartisan basis, both Democrats and Republicans are to blame for our national debt growing from $4 trillion in 1992 to over $30 trillion in 2022. It is time to install a national debt clock with daily updates in both Congress and the White House. They can see daily how much they are adding to long-term debt every time they pass spending bills dependent upon borrowing to pay the tab.

Our national debt has reached $30.293 trillion and is on a path to grow by $1 trillion or more for years to come. Today’s tab averages $91.046 per citizen or $241.611 per taxpayer. (Source: March 3, 2022 National Debt Clock) Who is going to bail out Uncle Sam to pay for this? Government, the private sector, and citizens must make difficult financial decisions on how to use existing resources. Americans prioritize their own family budgets.

They make the difficult choices in how existing household financial resources will be spent.

The world’s favored currency is our dollar. This could end if Washington will not control annual increases in spending and debt. If things continue the way they are, don’t be surprised if China surpasses us, and the yen becomes the world’s favored currency. Our reign as the #1 superpower will come to an end like all empires.

Sincerely, Larry Penner Great Neck, NY Dear Editor, Recently, I have found myself working with a few women in the community whose plight I’d like to bring to everyone’s attention. These women, some middle-aged and some past that point, have unique struggles that, despite so much time invested and so much effort expended, we

can’t seem to get them through.

Most of the women I’m referring to were divorced during a time when divorce was frowned upon even more severely than it is these days; so their journey started as a very lonely one.

They raised their children to the best of their abilities, alone on an island with minimal support both emotional and financial.

Now their children are grown; remarriage seemed too scary a prospect year after year, match after match. Now the loneliness and solitude is creeping in. Many of their children moved out of state; they tried to leave their painful past behind. The single moms are now completely alone. They dread every Shabbos and every Shabbos meal that they’re alone. They dread every Yom Tov and every Yom Tov meal when they’re alone. They don’t have a shul to call their own being that they’ve never forged a real connection with a rabbi or rebbetzin. Going to shul is in itself a lonely pursuit. No child to sit with, no spouse to wait for. Just trying to look relevant and like they belong to someone while knowing inside that they’re going home alone to sit alone.

The women will think back to the days when they were relevant to the community – an important part of their shul’s Women’s League, their children’s schools PTA, and how their phone rang non-stop with important tasks being assigned to them. Now the phone is quiet.

These women’s loneliness is so profound that it affects their jobs (if they’re lucky enough to have one), their mental health, and even their physical health suffers.

Please look around you. Please notice the women who are alone. Please include them in your life. Invite a single to a Shabbos or Yom Tov meal with your family friends who you’ve hosted many times. You may literally be saving a life.

Esther Miller Esther@JCCRP.org Project Director Success Space for Women

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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The Week In News

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In a statement last week, AIIB explained that “in the best interests of the bank, management has decided that all activities relating to Russia and Belarus are on hold and under review.”

The statement added that AIIB is “actively monitoring the situation” in Ukraine and that the bank’s management will do the “utmost to safeguard” the institution’s financial integrity.

“AIIB stands ready to extend financing flexibly and quickly and support members who have been adversely impacted by the war,” the bank added.

Russia is a founding member of AIIB and holds about a 6% vote in its operations, as well as a seat on the bank’s board of directors. It is the bank’s third-largest stakeholder, surpassed by only China and India.

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The price of crude oil rose nearly 20% on Monday, nearing $140 a barrel. It is the first time since July 2008 that prices have reached this high.

The surge came after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the U.S. and Europe are discussing banning imports of Russian oil.

According to the International Energy Agency, Russian oil accounts for about 10% of the world’s

supply, placing Russia as the world’s third-largest oil producer.

The Financial Times quoted Scott Sheffield, CEO of Pioneer Natural Resource, a top U.S. shale oil producer, as warning that oil prices could reach $200 a barrel. The U.S. would not be able to make up for the shortage caused by such a ban.

Sheffield told the Financial Times, “The only way to stop Putin is to ban oil and gas exports. [But] if the Western world announced that we’re going to ban Russian oil and gas, oil is going to go to $200 a barrel, probably — $150 to $200 easy.”

Meanwhile, in a press release last week, the AAA warned, “Increasing oil prices continue to play a leading role in pushing prices higher. Pump prices will likely continue to rise as crude prices continue to climb.”

On Tuesday, Shell announced that it plans to withdraw from the Russian oil and gas industry. It is set to shut down all of the company’s service stations in the country.

It will also close its aviation fuels and lubricants operations in Russia straightaway, it said.

“We are acutely aware that our decision last week to purchase a cargo of Russian crude oil to be refined into products like petrol and diesel — despite being made with security of supplies at the forefront of our thinking — was not the right one and we are sorry,” Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said in the release.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dymtro Kuleba, tweeted in response to Shell’s announcement, “Grateful to Shell for taking this moral and responsible step and encourage other world businesses to follow suit.”

On Tuesday, both the United States and the United Kingdom – without the participation of European countries – said that they will both ban the imports of Russian energy. The ban is to include Russian oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal. It will not include Russian gas.

“There will be cost as well here in the United States,” President Biden said on Tuesday in announcing the ban. “I said I would level with the American people from the beginning, and when I first spoke to this, I said defending freedom is

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

going to cost, it’s going to cost us as well in the United States. Republicans and Democrats understand that alike. Republicans and Democrats alike are clear we must do this,” the President said from the White House.

Last week, Russia warned against the banning of its oil.

“A rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market,” Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said. “We have every right to take a matching decision and impose an embargo on gas pumping through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline.”

War in the World’s “Breadbasket”

The war raging in Ukraine is threatening the livelihoods and food supply of those living in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

The area around the Black Sea is fertile farmland, known as the “breadbasket of the world.” But as Ukrainian farmers are forced to flee the war with Russia, their crops are left neglected. Meanwhile, ports closed due to the war mean less exports, and sanctions against Russia may strip the world of that country’s agricultural produce as well.

Supply has not yet been impacted, but prices have risen 55% since a week before the war began. International Grains Council director Arnaud Petit notes that if the war is prolonged, some countries could see wheat shortages beginning in July. Such shortages could force more people into poverty, especially in countries such as Egypt and Lebanon. At the same time, in Syria, the government announced that it would slash spending and ration basic food items.

Together, Ukraine and Russia contribute nearly one-third of the global wheat and barley exports. They also account for 75% of global sunflower oil exports and 10% of all cooking oils, IHS Markit said. Russia also provides the European Union with 40% of its natural gas needs, as well as fertilizer, wheat, and other staples. The European Union receives a bit less than 60% of its corn from Ukraine.

Russia Deploying All Troops

According to the Pentagon, Russia has committed nearly all its combat power stationed along the border into Ukraine. With President Vladimir Putin intensifying operations, the U.S. Defense Department also warned that Russian strikes on civilians were mounting and that Moscow was seeking to recruit foreign fighters, notably Syrians, for the war.

But the deadly invasion has slowed, and apart from some wins in southern Ukraine, Russian forces “really haven’t made any noteworthy progress in the last few days,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

Kirby reported that the U.S. will be sending 500 more U.S. troops to Europe to boost NATO security. The

United States has already deployed 12,000 additional soldiers to Europe since February.

“These additional personnel are being positioned to respond obviously to the current security environment caused by Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” Kirby noted, “and certainly to help reinforce and bolster deterrence and defense capabilities of the NATO alliance.”

Kirby said the Defense Department has assessed that of the Russian forces built up along the border – estimated by Western nations at over 150,000 troops – Putin has “got nearly all the mass combat power that he had assembled inside Ukraine.”

With Ukrainians trying to hold the assault at bay, Russia has engaged in more long-range attacks – a mix of bombardments, rocket launches, artillery strikes and more than 625 missiles – to make up for their lack of movement on the ground.

Bombardments have increased around the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv in the north, and Mykolaiv and Mariupol in the south, and they “are having an increased effect on civilian casualties” and destroying homes, churches, hospitals and schools, Kirby said.

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

Ukraine Rejects Russia’s “Evacuation Corridors” presents

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Ukraine has rejected a Russian offer to create humanitarian corridors to Russia and Belarus, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

On Monday, Russia agreed to create humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to escape the fighting.

However, Ukraine rebuffed talk of allowing its citizens to flee into Russia or Belarus, both of which invaded Ukraine.

Vereshchuk explained, “This is not an acceptable option.” Civilians “aren’t going to go to Belarus and then take a plane to Russia.”

Earlier that day, a spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the proposal was “completely immoral.”

According to the Times of Israel, the Ukrainian government is instead seeking eight humanitarian corridors which would allow civilians to travel safely to Ukraine’s western regions, where the war has not yet reached.

ies, where many citizens have been trapped with dwindling supplies of food, water, and medicine since Russia’s full-scale attack began.

“The Ukrainian city of Sumy was given a green corridor, the first stage of evacuation began,” the Ukrainian state communications agency tweeted.

Russia’s coordination center for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk both said a slight ceasefire was agreed to starting Tuesday morning in order to allow some civilians to evacuate, but it was not clear where all the corridors would lead to amid disagreement between the two sides.

With efforts underway to help civilians flee the continuing Russian onslaught, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said that 406 civilians have been killed, including at least 45 women and 27 children.

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As the Russian invasion of Ukraine stretched into its thirteenth day on Tuesday, the number of refugees fleeing to neighboring countries has reached at least 2 million, according to the United Nations.

Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration, tweeted that 2 million people have now fled, including at least 100,000 people who are not Ukrainian.

The United Nations has described the exodus as the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. Evacuations were underway on Tuesday in Ukraine’s major cit-

Protests have been rocking Sudan since a military takeover led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on October 25. Since the coup, there has been a broadening crackdown on civilian and pro-democracy figures in the north-east African nation. This week, Sudanese security forces arrested a senior opposition leader.

At least 85 people have been killed and hundreds wounded by security forces during the four months of protests demanding civilian rule and justice for those killed in demonstrations, according to medics.

On Tuesday, security forces fired a barrage of acrid tear gas at crowds heading towards the presidential palace in the center of the capital Khartoum, with several people injured.

Ironically, Tuesday was International Women’s Day. Crowds chanted slogans in support of Sudanese women – who have played a key role in the recent protest movement, as well as in the rallies that paved the way to the 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

Widows, orphans, and poor families have serious hang-ups about Purim. Everyone around them is getting ready to celebrate, but they’re afraid they won’t be part of the fun. Many will celebrate their first Purim alone, hashing and rehashing memories of last Purim, when COVID lurked beneath the joy.

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Omar al-Bashir.

“Long live the ‘Kandakas,’” the crowd shouted, using the name for ancient Nubian queens.

Also on Tuesday, prominent politician Babiker Faisal was arrested while he was attending a funeral in North Khartoum, according to Sudan’s Unionist Alliance. Faisal was a member of the committee tasked with recovering properties seized during Bashir’s three-decade long rule.

Last month, several senior committee members were arrested, including Mohamed al-Fekki, who was also a member of Sudan’s Sovereign Council before he was ousted in the October coup.

“The Sudanese authorities must cease to use excessive force and live ammunition against protesters,” said UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said, calling for the release of detainees this week.

The ambassadors of the European Union, Canada and the United States slammed “attempts to unduly limit freedom of expression” in Sudan.

“We therefore call on the de facto Sudanese authorities to return to commitments made to defend media freedom ... and respect the right to peaceful assembly,” the diplomats said on Monday.

Romania: Fatal Military Aircraft Crash

Eight military personnel died after their aircraft crashed due to bad weather in eastern Romania last week.

The two aircraft, a helicopter and fighter jet, crashed separately in eastern Romania near the Black Sea. According to the Defense Ministry, the helicopter, an IAR 330 Puma, crashed near Gura Dobrogei, seven miles from the airfield, while searching for a fighter jet which had lost contact. All seven of the helicopter’s crew were killed.

The aircraft it was searching for, an MiG-21 LanceR, was part of a formation of two such planes but lost contact and disappeared from radar.

The MiG-21 LanceR was later found to have crashed near Cogealac, an uninhabited area near the Black Sea,

the country’s Defense Ministry added.

The jet’s pilot was killed in the crash.

Meanwhile, speaking to local television, spokesman General Constantin Spanu warned, “It is premature to discuss possible causes. Certainly, there were unfavorable weather conditions, but we can’t comment now.”

According to the Ministry, both models of aircraft will be grounded until the cause of the blast becomes clear.

Drug Wars Escalate in Ecuador

Ecuador’s intensifying drug war has led to increasing violence in the country’s streets.

Two crimes committed within a single month are reminiscent of Mexico’s drug gangs, experts said. In one

of those crimes, two bodies were left dangling from a bridge.

Daniel Ponton, dean of the security and defense school at Ecuador’s IAEN university, noted, “The cruelty is something new.”

Ponton explained that the local gangs quickly learn that “violence has a value in itself” and can “intimidate rival criminal gangs” and “diminish the will of the State ... and the general population” to fight crime.

In addition to the grisly way some bodies have been left to be found, there have also been neighborhood shootouts – something which previously was a non-issue.

The violence, according to Ponton, is “a kind of cumulative and growing time bomb” for the country.

“The problem of Ecuador is that the state’s response capacity is totally weakened in key areas: intelligence, criminal investigation, arms control,” he explained, adding that this was partly due to corruption.

During the months of January and February 2022, some 468 people were killed in Ecuador, representing 277 more than during the same period last year. Since the start of the year, authorities have confiscated 37 tons of drugs, compared to 210 tons during the entirety of 2021.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

ly-motivated investigations against the other side if they win.

In the meantime, campaign teams and supporters for both candidates have filed lawsuits charging, among other things, libel and the spread of false information.

The election is set to take place on Wednesday. The candidate who garners the most votes will take office on May 10 and will lead for a five-year term.

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A Bitter Election in South Korea The presidential campaign in South Korea has the two leading candidates throwing insults at each other and has even deteriorated to the point of lawsuits.

The race is between Lee Jaemyung from the liberal governing Democratic Party and Yoon Suk

Yeol from the main conservative opposition People Power Party. Lee is a former governor of the populous Gyeonggi province that surrounds Seoul, while Yoon is a former prosecutor general who entered party politics last year.

Among the insults used by candidates against their opponents are “Hitler,” “beast,” and “parasite.”

Some people have taken to calling the election “The Squid Game Election,” in reference to a Netflix drama

in which people are pitted against each other to win games.

In addition, there is speculation that the losing party in the elections will be arrested.

In a Facebook post, senior opposition politician Hong Joon-pyo wrote, “It’s a dreadful presidential election when the losing contender faces prison. Please survive this dogfight in the mire!”

During a recent TV debate, the two agreed not to launch political-

England’s Queen Elizabeth II will make Windsor Castle her permanent home and main residence and will not return to Buckingham Palace.

The 95-year-old monarch moved to Windsor Castle at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, for the purpose of isolating with the Duke of Edinburgh.

Previously, Windsor had been her weekend home and her residence for Royal Ascot week and Easter.

Queen Elizabeth is continuing her official duties, however, and a royal source said that Buckingham Palace will remain the “central base of the monarchy.”

The queen recently recovered from her own battle with COVID-19 after testing positive for the illness on February 20. She returned to work for virtual meetings three days later, and on Tuesday, March 1, she was spotted spending time with Prince William and Duchess Kate.

Windsor Castle has been in the hands of successive monarchs for over 1,000 years. William the Con-

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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Don’t Be Fooled By Appearances

querer first took up residence there, choosing the site for his castle because it sat high up above the River Thames and next to a Saxon hunting ground.

The castle was later extended by Edward III, and it was even used as the headquarters for various Parliamentarian commanders in 1642, during the Civil War. In the 1840s, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert spent much of their time there. Before them, the castle was simply a private home, but during Victoria’s reign, they opened up the State Apartments for public visits.

Windsor is also where the current Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret, were sent during the Second World War as children, while their parents remained in London.

Ten former monarchs are buried on its expansive grounds.

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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said last week that it believes Iran has significantly increased its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium.

Such a stockpile would be a breach of the 2015 nuclear agreement.

In its confidential quarterly report, the IAEA said that Iran has an estimated 73.1 pounds of uranium enriched to up to 60% fissile purity, representing an increase of 34.2 pounds since November 2021.

In a report seen by the Associated Press, the IAEA estimated that as of February 19, Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium reached 7048.4 pounds, an increase of 1559.6 pounds. The exact size was not able to be verified, due to limitations placed by Iran, the IAEA said.

These limitations continue to “seriously affect” the IAEA’s monitoring and verification activities, the report emphasized.

Bennett Wants to Mediate

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett did not find Russian President Vladimir Putin to be irrational or suffering rage during their Saturday meeting, the Times of Israel reported.

Putin was “not conspiracy theorizing or irrational, nor is he suffering from rage attacks,” a source close to Bennett was quoted Sunday night by Israel’s Channel 13 News as saying.

Bennett left Israel for Moscow early on Shabbos morning in the Mossad’s private jet, during hours when it is forbidden by halacha to travel other than in cases where lives are at risk. The two leaders supposedly spent three hours together before Bennett took off for Berlin, Germany, where he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

During the Bennett-Putin meeting, the two discussed Israelis in Ukraine, as well as the local Jewish communities.

The meeting was cleared with the U.S. before it took place and received the American government’s blessing.

According to Channel 13, Bennett did not present a mediation plan of his own and is instead playing messenger, carrying messages between the sides. It added that according to Bennett’s office, the mediation efforts are being led by Bennett and Scholz.

“We will continue to assist as needed,” Bennett said at a Sunday cabinet meeting. “Even if the chance is not great — as soon as there is even a small opening, and we have access to all sides and the capability — I see this as our moral obligation to make every effort.”

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

this now. I expect tens of thousands of Jews to arrive in Israel in the coming months.”

Welcoming Ukrainian Refugees Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked (Yamina) on Sunday hinted that the country may move to cap the number of Ukrainian refugees allowed to enter the country.

Speaking at a Knesset meeting on the issue of absorbing both Israeli

citizens and refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, Shaked noted that the vast majority of the 2,034 Ukrainians who have arrived in Israel since the war started are not Jewish: Only about 10% are eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.

At the current pace, Shaked said, there may be 15,000 refugees within one month.

“It’s impossible to continue with an entry rate such as this,” Shaked asserted. “We need to set down a policy.”

She added: “Relative to its size,

Israel has brought in more [Ukrainians] than any country in Europe besides those bordering Ukraine.”

Immigration and Absorption Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata (Blue and White) noted, “We are trying to offer the best possible conditions to Jews and those eligible [to immigrate] under the Law of Return. We are not [even] asking them to come with visas.

“The main, massive absorption [of the immigrants] will be for the long-term, and we are working on

New immigrants from Ukraine will be granted special status and receive a one-time payment of approximately $1,800 per immigrant, $3,350 per couple, or $4,580 for a family, in addition to the standard payments new immigrants receive, the Immigration and Absorption Ministry announced on Sunday.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other cabinet ministers were on hand at Ben Gurion Airport to greet a group of 90 Jewish orphans who fled Ukraine after Russia invaded last month.

El Al, Israel’s largest airline, said the flight was part of a special operation to rescue some 300 Jews from the fighting in Ukraine. The airline said Ukrainian-speaking staff were on board the flight to assist. Some of the orphans have family members who are still in fighting areas.

Bennett, who was accompanied

by Immigration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, entered the aircraft to welcome the children, introducing himself to one boy by saying, “I am Naftali, prime minister of Israel.

Would you like to come into Israel?”

“We are now seeing children immigrating to Israel. It is the most moving thing there is,” Bennett told media at the bottom of the steps from the plane as the children disembarked.

He later tweeted that he had told the children, “You are safe now, you have reached safe shores.”

The children fled the city of Zhytomyr with the help of local Chabad groups last week and crossed the border to Romania, staying in the city of Cluj-Napoca. From there, they flew to Israel. The children, the eldest of whom was around 12 and the youngest just 2, walked 400 meters through the snow in below-freezing temperatures in order to cross the border.

The KKL-JNF Jewish National Fund is paying for the newcomers to stay and enjoy activities at a field school outside Jerusalem for a month.

Ronen Cohen, the director of the Immigration and Absorption Minis-

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try, told Army Radio on Sunday evening that 400 refugees had landed in Israel in the previous six hours.

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On Tuesday, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked announced a new plan for the entry of Ukrainian citizens into Israel.

For the 20,000 Ukrainian citizens who were in Israel before the conflict, many of them illegally, they will be able to stay in the Holy Land until the war ends. A 5,000 person quota will be set for Ukrainian citizens who arrived or will be arriving in Israel since the war broke out. For those coming to Israel from Ukraine, they will be receiving a temporary visa for a period of three months.

If the fighting does not stop, Ukrainian citizens will later also be allowed to work in Israel. This is valid for Ukrainian citizens already in Israel and those who will arrive later.

Israeli citizens will be able to apply to invite Ukrainian citizens, up to one nuclear family per applicant, and they will receive as much priority as possible.

In total, Israel will temporarily host about 25,000 Ukrainian citizens until the conflict passes.

It should be noted that beyond the unprecedented number of Ukrainian civilians who will be able to stay in Israel until the fighting ceases, the State of Israel is preparing to receive about 100,000 civilians from Ukraine, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States who are fleeing the fighting in the region according to the Law of Return.

Shaked noted, “Israel is expected to be one of the leading countries in the world in absorbing Ukrainians fleeing the battles, certainly compared to its size.”

During a press conference in which she presented the new policy for the entry of Ukrainian citizens into Israel, Shaked asserted, “The sights of the war in Ukraine and the suffering of its citizens are terrifying

and do not allow us to remain indifferent. These difficult events also have a direct impact on the State of Israel, which is currently preparing to absorb, according to estimates, about 100,000 Jews and those entitled to the Law of Return and their family members fleeing the battle zones.”

She added,“It can be determined with certainty that no other country is expected to deal with an event of this magnitude. For example, in terms of population size it is equivalent to granting citizenship to threeand-a-half million people in the U.S., or over seven-hundred-thousand new citizens in England. But as the State of Israel has proven more than once in the past, we can meet this historic challenge.”

Stabbing Attack Near Temple Mount

Two police officers were moderately wounded on Monday evening in a stabbing attack in the Old City of Jerusalem, near the Lions Gate.

The terrorist, a resident of Jalazone near Ramallah, exited the Temple Mount armed with a knife, stabbing and wounding a nearby policeman. A Border Police officer nearby attempted to fight off the terrorist and received a stab to his head. The police officer then recovered and shot the terrorist, eliminating him.

A recording of the incident shows the terrorist swearing in Arabic and shouting, “Allahu akhbar!” as officers gathered at the scene.

According to police, “A terrorist recently arrived at the Lions Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem armed with a knife and stabbed two policemen.

In response, the police returned fire at him, and he was neutralized.

Medical officials are now treating the wounded. Following the incident, access routes were blocked.”

Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics and medics provided initial treatment to the wounded.

According to MDA EMT Baruch Wiseman, “Upon arriving to the

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Following the diagnosis, the Health Ministry urged parents whose kids are behind on the vaccination schedule to immediately get them the necessary inoculations.

Polio spreads mostly from person to person or through contaminated water. It attacks the nervous system and can sometimes paralyze people within hours. The disease mostly affects children under five and has been largely wiped out in wealthy countries.

Saudi Crown Prince: Israel is “Potential Ally”

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Lions Gate, police officers were already providing medical treatment to two males in their 20s suffering from stab wounds. We took them to the Western Wall area and provided medical treatment, bringing the bleeding under control. MDA MICUs evacuated them to the hospitals in stable condition.”

Arutz Sheva noted that Monday’s terror attack mirrors a similar attack carried out at the same location early Sunday morning. In that attack as well, two police officers were stabbed.

Polio Case Diagnosed It’s been several decades since the State of Israel had a confirmed case of polio. This week, the Health Ministry said that a case of polio was discovered in the country.

A mutated form of the virus, which can cause illness in the unvaccinated, was discovered in a 4-yearold boy in Jerusalem, the ministry

said. He had not been vaccinated against the disease.

The case was believed to be the first polio diagnosis in Israel since 1989, after Israel largely wiped out the disease through an aggressive inoculation campaign.

In 2013, traces of the virus were detected in sewer systems across Israel, but no human diagnoses were made. The discovery, however, pushed Israel to launch a mass vaccination drive among young children. Like much of the world,

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman named Israel as a “potential ally” last week, the Times of Israel reported.

Speaking to The Atlantic in remarks carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, bin Salman said, “For us, we hope that the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is solved.”

He added, “We don’t look at Israel as an enemy, we look to them as a potential ally, with many interests that we can pursue together.

“But we have to solve some issues before we get to that.”

Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations, but the Saudi Crown Prince has allowed Israeli commercial aircraft to travel through Saudi airspace.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

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U.S. Gives Protected Status to Ukraine Refugees

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is expected to grant temporary protected status to Ukrainians in the U.S. The Justice Department has also ceased the deportation of Ukrainian nationals who lack U.S. documentation.

The move took effect on March 1.

In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas re-

marked, “Russia’s premeditated and unprovoked attack on Ukraine has resulted in an ongoing war, senseless violence, and Ukrainians forced to seek refuge in other countries.

“In these extraordinary times, we will continue to offer our support and protection to Ukrainian nationals in the United States.”

According to the Migration Policy Institute, the move could affect around 30,000 Ukrainians living in the U.S. on non-immigrant visas or without visas.

There are over 1 million people of Ukrainian ancestry in the United States, according to 2019 census estimates. Traverse City, Michigan, has become one of the destinations with a large Ukrainian community.

Truck Convoy to Loop Around D.C. A line of trucks, recreational vehicles, and cars on Sunday circled Washington, D.C., in preparation for a week of traffic disruptions to protest COVID-19 restrictions.

The “People’s Convoy” includes

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around 1,000 vehicles which plan to drive around the Beltway at minimum legal speed.

The protest takes its lead from a similar, recent protest in Ottawa, Canada, which disrupted trade between the U.S. and Canada for over a week. The U.S. convoy began assembling in California, attracting similarly-minded participants as it traveled eastward across the country.

Since the U.S. has already relaxed most of its COVID-19 restrictions, however, the U.S. convoy is demanding more diverse aspirations, though it still demands an end to workplace vaccine mandates.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned the truckers’ convoy may hinder emergency services.

Organizer Brian Brase told The Washington Post that he is not sure how long the protest would last, but that the drivers “don’t want to shut D.C. down.”

“We’re not anti-vaxxers. We’re not,” he assured. “We just want freedom, freedom. We want to choose.

We just want the choice. So tomorrow is a basically a show of just how big we are and how serious we are.”

Battling Wildfires in Florida

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Evacuation orders remain in place for around 600 homes in the Florida panhandle, as firefighting crews battled at least four dangerous wildfires over the past few days.

On Sunday, the Florida Forest Service said nearly 10,000 acres were ablaze in the Panhandle. Officials added that two major wildfires were burning in Bay County and that additional resources had been deployed.

The larger of the two wildfires, the

Bertha Swamp Road fire, had burned about 8,000 acres by Sunday and was only around 10% contained. Another fire, the Adkins Avenue Fire near Panama City Beach, had reached 841 acres and was 35% contained, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis said.

On Saturday, DeSantis expanded the state of emergency declared in Bay County to include two additional counties, Calhoun and Gulf, which were also impacted by the fires.

The cause of the Bay County fire is under investigation. A burn ban has been issued for the county. According to Bay County Sheriff Tom Ford, the fire began when someone burned trash in their backyard, and the fire began to spread out of control.

Thankfully, there have been no reported fatalities due to the fires.

Minneapolis Teachers Strike

Minneapolis educators began striking on Tuesday after failing to reach a deal with Minneapolis Public Schools, canceling classes for more than 30,000 students.

The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) and Education Support Professionals (ESP) are seeking “a living wage,” “lowering class sizes, and for safe and stable schools,” according to a post on the teachers union’s Facebook page.

“We are going on strike tomorrow for the safe and stable schools that our students deserve,” MFT President Greta Callahan said on Monday in a news conference.

“We have continued to do so much more with so much less,” Callahan said. “Those at the top of this district continue to hoard power – continue to do so much less with so much more. And if we don’t intervene, we believe that the Minneapolis Public Schools will cease to exist. We are in the fight for strong public schools for our city, for our students.”

The district has 31,598 students, 3,266 teachers and 1,223 education support professionals, per its website.

In the meantime, all classes for pre-K through 12th grade will be

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

YOUNG ISRAEL OF LAWRENCE-CEDARHURST & ISRAEL BONDS INVITE

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Tonight we have asked Ben to interview the former Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat.

NIR BARKAT is an entrepreneur, former Jerusalem mayor and is a Knesset member of the Likud party.

He served his military service in the Paratroopers, was injured during an operation in southern Lebanon, yet returned to become a company commander seeing action in the First Lebanon War. He went on to establish BRM, one of Israel’s leading investment funds and is a founder and the first chairman of the board of CheckPoint Technologies, the cyber security giant. For many years now, he has been involved in philanthropic activities, primarily focusing on ventures in education and social affairs.

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

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canceled “for the duration of the strike” starting Tuesday, the district said.

Teachers in St. Paul, Minnesota, Minneapolis’ twin city, were also ready to strike, but the Saint Paul Federation of Educators and Saint Paul Public Schools announced late Monday they had reached a tentative agreement on new contracts.

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web down and moving them to the side, but they’re just going to be back next year.”

Benjamin Frick, co-author of the study and an undergraduate researcher in the School of Ecology, said: “The way I see it, there’s no point in excess cruelty where it’s not needed. You have people with saltwater guns shooting them out of the trees and things like that, and that’s really just unnecessary.”

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If the spider crawling up the waterspout in your bathroom looks a bit different, it may be the Joro spider, a species native to east Asia that has been finding itself on the east coast of the United States.

The spider, Trichonephila clavata, is known for its ability to spin highly organized, wheel-shaped webs. Females have blue, yellow and red markings and can measure up to 3 inches when fully extended.

According to the new study, Joro spiders, which predominantly hail from Japan, will likely survive on the U.S. east coast because Japan has a very similar climate and is located approximately on the same latitude.

It also has a higher heart rate than other spiders and can survive colder temperatures.

“Just by looking at that, it looks like the Joros could probably survive throughout most of the eastern seaboard here, which is pretty sobering,” said Andy Davis, a research scientist at the Odum School of Ecology and co-author of the study.

Last year, the spiders made their way through the yards of northern Georgia, spinning webs up to 3m deep.

It is unclear how the spiders traveled from east Asia, but researchers say their proliferation is likely due to changes in weather conditions.

According to Davis, the Joro does not appear to have much of an impact on local food webs or ecosystems and may even serve as an additional food source for native predators like birds.

“People should try to learn to live with them,” he said. “If they’re literally in your way, I can see taking a

After 20 years in custody, a Saudi prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center who was suspected of trying to join the 9/11 hijackers was sent back to his home country for treatment for mental illness this week. Mohammad Ahmad al-Qahtani was flown back to Saudi Arabia, to a treatment facility, from the U.S. base in Cuba after a review board including military and intelligence officials concluded he could be safely released after two decades years in custody.

The 46-year-old prisoner says he has suffered from mental illness, including schizophrenia, since childhood. The U.S. dropped plans to try him after a Bush administration legal official concluded he had been tortured at Guantanamo.

There are now 38 prisoners left at the detention center. Al-Qahtani is the second released under President Biden, who has said he intends to close the facility.

“The United States appreciates the willingness of Saudi Arabia and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts toward a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing of the Guantanamo Bay facility,” the Department of Defense said in a statement announcing the repatriation of al-Qahtani.

Only half the men held there have been cleared for release,

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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YOU DON’T KNOW WHO STRUGGLES. Every year we all look forward to celebrating Purim.

But for those in the throes of addiction, or in recovery and struggling with sobriety, Purim can be the most difficult day of the year.

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

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and no decision has been made about what to do with the rest, including those who still face trial by military commission.

In August 2001, al-Qahtani was turned away from the U.S. at the Orlando airport by immigration officers who were suspicious of his travel. The lead 9/11 hijacker, Mohammed Atta, was going to pick him up to take part in the plot, according to previously released documents.

U.S. forces later captured al-Qa-

E XC L U S I V E F O R M A L A N D E V E N I N G W E A R

htani in Afghanistan and sent him to Guantanamo.

Supposedly al-Qahtani was subjected to beatings, exposure to extreme temperatures and noise, sleep deprivation and extended solitary confinement at Guantanamo.

An FBI official in 2002 observed al-Qahtani speaking to non-existent people, hearing voices and crouching in a corner of his cell while covering himself with a sheet for hours at a time.

FL: No Vaxx for Healthy Children Florida is now the first state to recommend against using the COVID-19 vaccine for “healthy children,” according to Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo on Monday.

Children face little risk from Covid, with hospitalizations or deaths caused by the virus being

“The Florida Department of Health is going to be the first state to officially recommend against the COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children,” Ladapo said.

“We’re kind of scraping at the bottom of the barrel, particularly with healthy kids, in terms of actually being able to quantify with any accuracy and any confidence the even potential of benefit.”

Children face little risk from COVID-19, with an ever-growing trove of data showing that they are not nearly as affected by it as adults are. The CDC reports that children only account less than 0.1 percent of Covid deaths in the U.S. since the pandemic first began.

A study from the University of Utah last year found that 50 percent of pediatric Covid cases are asymptomatic. The study was performed before the more-mild Omicron variant emerged, meaning the risk for children to even feel symptoms is likely lower now.

Children may also be less likely to spread the virus when infected, with a German study finding that they release as little as only 25 percent of virus particles as adults do.

Data revealed by New York state officials at the end of last month also found that the shot was only 12 percent effective at preventing Covid infection for children aged five to 11.

Fremont, CA, Happiest in the Nation Out of a study of 182 large cities in the United States, Fremont, California, is considered the happiest city in the nation.

The WalletHub study ranked each location based on residents’ emotional and physical well-being, income and employment, and the local community and environment

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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– which includes the local divorce rate, the weather, and crime.

Fremont ranked number one among all U.S. cities when it comes to emotional and physical well-being. The city also ranked second in community and environment and finished in the top 50 in terms of income.

Rounding out the top five happiest cities in the nation are Columbia, Maryland, and California’s San Francisco, San Jose, and Irvine.

What do all these cities have in common? Interestingly, they all ranked in the top five for emotional and physical well-being in WalletHub’s study.

New York, NY, came in at the 58th spot on the list.

Cities with a high-income workforce did well when it comes to their happiness scores, with cities like Seattle, Washington (#2 in income), Charleston, South Carolina (#3), and Austin, Texas (#4), all finishing within the top 30 happiest cities in America.

When comparing the new study to a recent WalletHub report on the neediest cities in the U.S., it quickly becomes clear that when Americans have less problems, they’re happier more often. In that report, Detroit, Michigan, finished as America’s neediest city. Unsurprisingly, Detroit ranked as the least happy city – finishing dead-last out of 182 cities.

Tornado Rips Through Iowa

Residents of the Madison County town of Winterset, Iowa, were shocked over the weekend when a tornado racing through the community left at least six people dead, including two children under age five.

A seventh death was reported in Chariton in Lucas County.

During a Sunday news confer-

ence, Madison County officials released the names of the six victims who died in the tornado: Melissa Bazley, 63, Rodney Clark, 64, Cecilia Lloyd, 72, Michael Bolger, 37, Kenley Bolger, 5, and Owen Bolger, 2.

Authorities added that the tornado spanned 13.7 miles.

According to Madison County Emergency Manager Diogenes Ayala, as of Sunday, six victims were still being treated for their injuries, and at least 52 homes had been damaged or destroyed by the tornado.

In a statement, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said, “Our hearts ache during this time, but I know Iowans will step up and come together to help in this time of need. They already are.”

The storms that swept through Iowa on Saturday were the deadliest to occur in the state since May 2008, when one tornado destroyed nearly 300 homes and killed nine people in the northern Iowa city of Parkersburg. Another tornado a month later killed four boys at the Little Sioux Boy Scout ranch in western Iowa.

Saturday’s storms damaged or destroyed other homes and downed powerlines and trees, causing some power outages.

The tornadoes were followed by winter storms that dropped about 5 inches of snow in central Iowa and 6.5 inches in Mount Vernon.

Swenson last won the race in 1991 and has not participated in it since 2012. Seavey, who is participating this year, is seeking to break their shared record and become the first-ever musher to hold six titles.

After this year’s race, however, he expects to take a break to spend time with his daughter.

Also participating in this year’s race are two four-time champions, as well as Joar Leifseth Ulsom and Pete Kaiser, winners of the 2018 and 2019 races, respectively.

Seavey set the record fastest time for the Iditarod in 2017, crossing the line in Nome in 8 days, 3 hours, 40 minutes, and 13 seconds, while also becoming the oldest winner.

Alaska’s Iditarod Kicks Off

President Joe Biden does not have to worry that his name will ever be forgotten. Scientists recently named an extinct 10-armed octopus after the current President of the United States.

The syllipsimopodi bideni was discovered in a fossil in the Bear Gulch Limestone in Fergus County, Montana, in 1988. It wasn’t until recently, though, that scientists from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and Yale University’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences examined fossil.

The fossil, which is several centimeters long, indicates the syllipsimopodi bideni had a gladius, or a hard internal body part, 10 arms with suckers, two of which may have been elongated.

Vampyropods are a group of cephalopods that includes octopuses and vampire squid. Turns out, the specimen is the oldest vampyropod ever discovered.

Maybe as old as our president?

The 50th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race kicked off on Sunday with 49 mushers eyeing the western coast of Alaska.

The race will span two mountain ranges, the Yukon River, and the Bering Sea. The winner is expected to reach the finish line, located in Nome, after about nine days.

Last year, the race, which usually ends in Nome, began in Willow, went to Iditarod, and then doubled back to Willow, due to the pandemic.

That race was won by Dallas Seavey, who, with his fifth victory, matched musher Rick Swenson’s record for highest-ever number of wins.

A Biden Octopus

Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Missing your Walkman from the ‘80s?

Have no fear. Sony is here to help you remain as cool as you were when leg-warmers and permed hair were the height of fashion.

Recently, Sony announced the debut of two new Walkman music players, for the audiophile with an eye for nostalgia and some quite deep pockets.

The NW-WM1AM2 and NWWM1ZM2 are priced at $1,600 and an eye-watering $3,200, respectively, but those price tags come with some pretty fancy bells and whistles.

The more “affordable” NWWM1AM2 features an extremely strong aluminum alloy frame that resists to electrical noise and other interference while delivering high-quality sound.

Want more from your Walkman?

The NW-WM1ZM2 is made with a 99.99% purity gold-plated oxygen-free copper chassis, prioritizing nuanced sound for a premium listening experience.

Lest you think Walkman are just about mix-tapes, both music players feature Wi-Fi capability for downloading and streaming and can read Mp3 files and files in high definition.

For the true audiophile, both devices also use the 3.5mm headphone jack, have a touchscreen, and offer loads of storage.

Talk about a walk down memory lane.

Face Lift

Police were confounded when they were notified that a box of human heads was stolen from a truck that was heading to a medical re-

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

THIS PURIM

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

search lab in Denver, Colorado.

The incident took place last week, although officials are not quite sure when the box of human remains was lifted. The suspect had broken into the truck and took the container labeled “Exempt Human Specimen.”

“Pretty shocking. I guess I don’t see too many strange things happening around here usually, but you know, you never know,” Isaac Fields, who resides in the area where the box was stolen, said.

For now, police are still searching for the suspect. When they do find him, though, we’re sure that heads will roll.

“When they get together it’s always a really good time. There’s a lot of humor and it’s always a party atmosphere,” Bulger Cowan said.

And that’s something that never gets old.

Oldest Siblings

Better late than never, they say.

And in some ways, it’s true. This week, a British library was overjoyed when they received an overdue library book.

Turns out that the book had been missing for 65 years. A young reader had found it abandoned on the side of the road years ago and then never got around to returning it – until this week.

The book, appropriately titled Forgotten Submarine, was found by young Jill Davies at the side of Portsmouth’s Fratton Road in 1957. Davies took the book home to read it and then return it to the proper place.

“As an avid reader, there was no way I was going to return the book until I had read it – which I did, and thoroughly enjoyed. But the one thing I never got around to doing was taking it to the library,” Davies said in a letter to the Portsmouth City Council.

The book has been sitting on a shelf in Davies’ house – even moving with her numerous times throughout the years – until she rediscovered it recently.

Thankfully, the library waived the fees that had been due on the book. We’re happy they didn’t throw the book at her for being so late.

It’s nice to grow old together.

Four siblings are now being crowned by Guinness World Record for earning the record for the highest combined age. They total 383 years that they share together.

Gerry Bulger, 100, of Greenfield, WI, the eldest, was excited to learn that the sibs earned the prize again this year.

“I can’t wait to see it,” she said. “I saw last year’s issue, and I realized I’m going to be in the next coming issue.”

Bulger will be joined in the book by siblings Marjorie Gilmartin, 97; Robert Goebel, 95; and Richard Goebel, 93.

“We all ended up very healthy,” Bulger noted.

Ginny Bulger Cowan, Gerry’s daughter, said her mother’s family members help keep one another feeling young.

Overbooked

Did you know?

The National Library of Israel in Jerusalem has one of the world’s oldest megillahs, dating back to around the year 1465.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

Around the

Community Touro’s Lander College for Men Beis Medrash L’Talmud Chag Hasemicha and Gala Dinner

T

he theme of the evening was mesorah as 350 people gathered to celebrate with the honorees and applaud the achievements of 26 young men who received rabbinic ordination at Touro’s Lander College for Men Beis Medrash L’Talmud Chag Hasemicha. Family members, alumni, rebbeim, supporters and honorees came together to recognize, reflect, and rejoice at the Gala Dinner which was held at Terrace on the Park this past Sunday.

A reception where old friends, talmidim and rebbeim reconnected was followed by a formal program honoring Lander College for Men supporters and musmachim, and celebratory dancing.

Alumni and honorees spoke of the warmth and feeling of family that those who make Lander College their academic and spiritual home enjoy.

Their words were brought to life as the various rebbeim called up each of the newly-ordained rabbis to receive their semicha certificates, recounting individual accomplishments, anecdotes and milestones and showcasing the personal connection forged

between rebbeim and talmidim.

“During the past two years, we’ve experienced tremendously difficult times…can we really celebrate tonight?” asked Dr. Alan Kadish, Touro University President. Answering his own question, he continued, “Over the last three millennia, Jewish people have been subjected to tremendous challenges and our response is to turn to our tradition, to continue our mesorah and the granting of semicha is a critical part of that. Our response to tragedy is to strengthen our relationship with Hashem and that is what our rebbeim and musmachim are doing as well as everyone here who recognizes the importance of our mission and supports it.”

Embracing the Next Generation of Leaders HaRav Yonason Sacks, shlita, Rosh HaYeshiva of Lander College for Men Beis Medrash L’Talmud, shared insight into semicha, which means “placing of the hands” by pointing to the original semicha and the relationship between Moshe Rabbeinu and his protégé, Yeshosha. He

explained that Moshe did not simply declare Yehoshua as his successor in leadership of the Jewish people; he also placed his hands on Yehoshua, showing the importance of nurturing a personal relationship.

“Moshe was only commanded to place one hand on Yehoshua, but he reached out with both of his hands.

With one hand, you can greet a talmid, and with two hands, you can embrace a talmid. Tonight, we embrace each and every one of our talmidim who have risen to the challenge of learning for semicha,” said Rabbi Sacks.

“My charge to all of you as you enter the world as rabbis is to be agents of Hashem and of Knesses Yisrael.

That balance is essential – you will represent Hashem and in the most empathetic and compassionate way, you will stand for the Jewish people.

You now have the tremendous zechus to be part of our glorious mesorah and pass on our tradition to the next generation. May you all be the most worthy shluchim and may your avodas hakodesh bring all of us much nachas,” continued Rabbi Sacks.

The evening also included vid-

eo presentations showcasing the achievements of the dinner’s honorees including Harav Moshe Bamberger, mashgiach of Lander College for Men Beis Medrash L’Talmud, who was lauded for the love and connection he shares with his many talmidim, or his “living seforim” that extends for years beyond their time at Lander College; alumni awardees Jordan and Shoshana Kaplan and Ira and Sara Suss whose sterling character and unwavering commitment to giving back to Lander College on an ongoing basis is legendary; the Goldmeier family of St. Louis who were presented with the Family Legacy Award and whose personal values of charity, kindness and honesty are emblematic of Lander College where they chose to send five of their six sons; and Rabbi Lavi Greenspan, Community Service Award recipient, whose constant presence at Lander College is an inspiration to the students, staff and faculty.

For more information on Touro’s Lander College for Men visit lcm. touro.edu.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

Maran Sar HaTorah HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, shlit”a, contributing to Kupat Ha’ir on Purim day immediately after Krias Hamegillah

A CLEAR DIRECTIVE

e should give onruling and where "That is Letter matanos le'evyonim" from Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, Shlit"a:

I was asked, "where is the proper place for matonos le'evyonim

and I replied that I give

to Kupat Ha'ir, since they distribute to the desperately poor, the Gabba'im are like Rabi Chanina ben Teradyon, and they distribute to all circles. That is where matanos le'evyonim should be given.

and that is where one should give matanos le'evyonim" Chaim Kanievsky

Maran Sar HaTorah Harav Chaim Kanievsky shlit"a along with a minyan of Talmidei Chachamim

AT ASHMORES HABOKER OF PURIM DAY on behalf of contributors to Kupat Ha'ir

1-888-KUPATHAIR

Donations can be sent to: American Friedns of Kupat Ha’ir – 4415 14th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11219

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8

7

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www.kupat.org

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‫קו‬ ‫העפת‬ ‫יר‬

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Around the Community

Rav Elya Brudny, rosh yeshiva at the Mirrer Yeshiva, addressing the yungeleit of Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s Kollel Tirtza Devorah on Tuesday

An Emotional Reunion

Last week, County Executive Bruce Blakeman kicked off a gun drive for Ukrainian citizens

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n Thursday, as part of its first-ever chartered humanitarian aid flight to assist Ukrainian refugees in Moldova, United Hatzalah airlifted 160 refugees back to Israel.

One such woman, Raisa, a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor who has difficulty walking, was living on her own in Odessa. Her son had passed away two years ago due to illness. Her only remaining family was three granddaughters all of whom live in Israel. When the fighting broke out and people fled the city, her granddaughters reached out to United Hatzalah and asked them to help save their grandmother’s life. Rabbi Hillel Cohen, Director of United Hatzalah in Ukraine, arranged for an ambulance to bring her to the Moldovan border where she met United Hatzalah’s volunteers who brought her food and clothing and checked her medical status. On Wednesday, she was brought to a shelter in Chisinau run by the local Jewish com-

munity. Early Thursday morning, together with other Ukrainian refugees, she was brought by bus to the Iasi airport in Romania, where she boarded a flight to come back home to Israel to be reunited with her granddaughters.

“When the plane arrived in Israel, there were a lot of tears,” said Vice President of Operations Dov Maisel who accompanied the refugees for the return trip. “I’ve seen my fair share of disaster zones and I don’t get emotional easily, but seeing Raisa reunited with her granddaughters brought me to tears as well.”

“What happened here was a miracle,” said Michal, one of Raisa’s granddaughters. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

To support the organization’s efforts helping Ukrainian refugees click here: https://thechesedfund. com/unitedhatzalahofisrael/safetyukraine

HANC Celebrates with iMove with Naz

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his year, on Rosh Chodesh Adar, HANC Middle School celebrated in style! Excitement filled the air as the girls walked into the building in the morning, lighting up the hallways with their colorful costumes. After a busy morning of davening, Hallel, breakfast, face painting, and production practice, the party was finally ready to begin!

Our Chagigah began with a special Adar lunch, and then we were ready

to roll! Led by the incredible Naz and her team, the girls and their Morot had the most amazing Adar celebration, complete with circle dancing, Persian dancing, and dancing competitions. The Chagigah ended off with a beautiful kumzitz, which continued well into lunch. We just couldn’t get enough of the fun!

The seventh and eighth grade girls really brought the house down with their unbelievable spirit!

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JSL Sports Corner: Week Eight Recap

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he final week of the regular season featured some great games as teams jockey for playoff seeding!

In K/P Soccer, Camp Funshine and The Rebbe’s Choice shut out Simcha Day Camp and KolSave 4-0.

In 1st/2nd Football, Krauss Dentistry and The Designer’s Group battled to a 4-4 tie. Krauss leads the division with a 4-2-1 record. PIP Printing beat The Rebbe’s Choice 5-2.

In 2nd/3rd Soccer, Krauss Dentistry beat Home and Stone 3-2, improving to 6-0-1. John’s Automotive defeated Maidenbaum 3-1.

In 3rd/4th Basketball, PEYD battled hard and earned a 16-16 tie against Island Roofing, the 2nd-seeded team. RestoMax was the only team in this division this week that didn’t score 16 points, as they doubled up Maidenbaum 33-16. RestoMax is the 1-seed with a 6-0-1 record.

In 5th Basketball, Triple Net Group bounced back this week with a tight 27-23 victory over 5TownsCentral. Triple Net Group is now 6-1. But Betzalel Ingber of 5Towns Central excited the crowd with a 25foot buzzer beater at the end of the game. Wisnicki-Neuhauser defeated AutoClick 38-19 to improve to 5-2 on the season.

In middle school basketball, John’s Automotive scored 67 points to Gourmet Glatt’s 38. Home and Stone won 38-23 over JRM Development, but Shua Friedman had an impressive behind-the-back pass in the game for JRM. The entire division is separated by only 3 games in the standings with no clear favorites. It should be an exciting playoffs!

In Hockey, CNSLT won 9-5 over Alpert Financial. Believe and Achieve beat Executive Dry Cleaners 5-1. Believe and Achieve is now 5-1-1 and CNSLT is 5-2. The hockey playoffs should be thrilling!

MVPs Yehuda Aryeh Suleymanov Yisroel Zev Abraham Mayer Labrie Moshe Simcha Bersson Yisroel Seigel Zev Richman

The bochurim of Yeshiva Kol Torah enjoyed festive singing and dancing at their Rosh Chodesh Adar Mesiba and heard Divrei Torah in preparation for Purim from Rabbi Moshe Katz, shlita, Rav of JCCI of Inwood

Dovid Balter Mordy Kiss Kalman Wisnicki Moshe Frisch Nissan Koncepolski Yisrael Lesser Ali Belsky Benjy Somerstein Yaakov Neuman Shaya Kohn and Eli Sherman Aryeh Singer Shimshi Goldman

HALB Lev Chana Celebrates Literacy

Men’s Recap Hewlett Auto Body beat RestoMax 57-55. Island Roofing beat Built by Nate 65-33 to improve to an undefeated 7-0. Alpert and Associates Financial beat Rentastic 68-40.

Maidenbaum defeated PIP Printing 65-52. Executive Dry Cleaning is now 6-1 after beating Home and Stone 94-54.

Game of the Week In 3rd/4th Basketball, PEYD and Island Roofing battled to a thrilling 16-16 tie after overtime! Mordy Kiss of PEYD put them up 16-14 with a shot in OT. Michael Schaffer answered with a shot of his own. The defenses held on tight, and the game ended in a tie.

Hockey Fun Fact Rod Gilbert is the all-time NY Rangers goal leader with 406 goals scored. Mike Bossy leads the NY Islanders all-time with 573 goals.

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ALB Lev Chana students enjoyed a week of fun activities devoted to their favorite authors, Eric Carle, Kevin Henkes, Mo Willems, Jan and Stan Bernstain, and Dr. Seuss. Our children and teachers laughed and giggled at the silly hats, funny socks, animal prints, and Topsy Turvy Day outfits.

Staff members from all four HALB Divisions entertained our children by sharing their favorite books with their children and grandchildren’s classes. The highlight of the week

was when the kindergarten children read their just-right books to either their siblings or the three- and fouryear-old nursery children. Our kindergarteners were fantastic! They practiced reading their books slowly, pointing to pictures, and smiling, just like their Morot modeled for them.

Students experienced a week of joy and appreciation of authors and literature. As Dr. Seuss said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

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BBY Students Go On Worldwide Tour

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ast Tuesday, BBY students 1-8 were treated to an amazing learning experience! Through the use of virtual reality headsets, they had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit places they would otherwise never be able to see. They visited continents, countries, and environments around the world and even beyond, learning about Africa, outer space, the ocean, and even the aurora borealis! Just another example of the way BBY’s general studies department uses unique modalities to help our girls learn about the world around them.

The girls were amazed. They learned so much, and they couldn’t believe how real the experience felt!

A tremendous thank you to the BBY PTA for generously co-sponsoring this incredible event!

YSZ Mother-Daughter Melava Malka

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iddle school students and their mothers filled the lunchroom last Motzei Shabbat at Yeshiva Shaarei Zion annual Mother-Daughter Maleva Malka. The lunchroom had been transformed into a regal hall for the evening, and the aroma of delicious food wafted through the air. Upbeat music played in the background, welcoming each and every guest.

The event started with a powerful speech from sought out speaker Mrs. Rachel Shaool, who spoke about the koach of looking at others with a good eye and the role of a wife and mother in bringing positivity, warmth and joy into her home.

“I needed to hear [Mrs.] Rachel Shaool’s message,” said one parent.

The uplifting message was fol-

lowed by a moving performance by the fifth grade girls who sang a song about the Shabbat candles that their mothers light each week. The sixth grade girls performed a Shmitta song and dance, where each girl had a chance to shine with her own solo

or duet. How beautifully put-together and harmonious they sounded! The seventh grade girls sang the song “Never Alone” by Bracha Jaffe and Shaindy Plotzker, tying in the message of Shabbat and Shmitta. The riveting eighth grade finale left every-

one on a high as the girls acted out their eight years at YSZ to the song “Home” by Duvie Shapiro, depicting the transformation they underwent from their humble Pre-1A year all through their final year at YSZ. The evening ended with a mother-daughter activity where each participant designed trendy cookie tarts, choosing from a large array of toppings.

“I am so grateful to have had this bonding time with my daughter,” one mother shared. “We had such a fun night!”

We have so much gratitude to Hashem for the inspirational and uplifting event. Special thanks to Morah Kitzia Pahlaef for organizing the event and to all the incredible YSZ teachers and parents for enhancing the experience!

students and teachers to bring an alternate version of a backpack to carry their books. Students and faculty were very creative with this, some rolling their books in baby strollers, crates, bicycles, and even trash cans.

These two days were the perfect way to bring in the spirit of Purim.

Everyone could feel the excitement permeating the building, and students are eager to continue celebrating Adar Bet!

Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet at HAFTR

By Eva Czegledi

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n honor of Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet, HAFTR High School students participated in fun activities to get into the Purim spirit. Adar is a particularly joyous time, and HAFTR students had the opportunity to dive into the excitement with two days of unique activities.

On Thursday, March 3, students dressed up in clothing from different eras. Each grade was assigned a specific decade to represent, and nostalgic outfits could be seen in the

halls. The freshmen wore 1990s inspired attire, sophomores wore dapper clothing from the 1950s, juniors dressed up in funky clothes from the 1970s, and seniors decked out in clothes from the 1980s. Faculty joined the trend and wore clothing to represent colonial times. It was such a fun experience for students and teachers to rummage through their wardrobes and find styles that could fit their particular decade.

The festivities continued on Friday, March 4, with “Anything But a Backpack Day,” a day designated for

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YOSS ECC Brachos Hunt at Gourmet Glatt

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ver the last few weeks, the Pre-1A at Yeshiva of South Shore boys learned all about different brachos. They tasted assorted grape juice and different types of bread. They cut, sliced and chopped vegetables and created fruit shish-kabobs. They also enjoyed hands-on math lessons as they baked cupcakes, added in chocolate chips, and had delicious lessons while sorting and counting Mike and Ikes.

The unit culminating with a Brachos Hunt as Gourmet Glatt as well as a detailed kashrus lesson by Rebbe Elie Herzberg at the Ossie’s Fish Department.

CAHAL Brachot Bee Winner

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AHAL congratulates all the Shulamith School for Girls Brachot Bee participants and champions. A special mazal tov to Atara Goldberg in Mrs. Esty Freund’s CAHAL 3-4 grade class for winning both the class and gradewide contest.

The boys of Yeshiva Nishmas Hatorah recently enjoyed a skiing trip

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BYAM Brings Shmittah Home

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n honor of Rosh Chodesh Adar and in conjunction with this year’s G.O. theme of Shmittah,

BYAM brought a farm to school! The lobby was beautifully decorated as a farm, including real hay, lifelike

animals, and barns. The girls were treated to pony rides and a chance to pet the farm animals. We even man-

aged to dress the workers as Haman, leading Mordechai on the horse!

functioning.

She began the school year with an overview of the cluster of skills that fall under executive functioning, and then moved on to focusing on specific skills each month. As Mrs. Isaacs explained, “Executive functioning, in simple terms, is any skill that we have that allows us to carry out a task efficiently. The great news is that since these are brain-based skills, they can

actually be taught to our students to ensure that they can be the best students they can be!” Each month we delve into one of these skills and provide teachers with strategies to promote it in their students. Some of the topics covered to date include organization, time management, planning for long term assignments, promoting retention, and following directions.

Mrs. Tova Ackerman, the JHS

General Studies Principal, shared, “Our teachers are passionate about educating our girls on a high level in terms of both content and skill. They jumped at the opportunity to participate in this new initiative of year-long professional learning and growth. In addition to being experts in their respective content areas, the JHS staff is fast on their way to becoming executive functioning specialists!”

Executive Functioning at TAG

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his year, TAG middle school is running monthly trainings with all our General Studies teachers on executive functioning skills.

Executive functioning is a buzz word that floats around a lot, but many people do not have a clear understanding of these skills or the profound impact they have on a child’s ability to succeed in the classroom.

Dena Isaacs, TAG’s occupational therapy consultant, gives a monthly class on different areas of executive

Become a Chessed Agent

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orah L’Kulanu had the privilege of welcoming Micah Kaufman who spoke to the students about the importance of doing chessed. Micah, a living miracle who survived a major accident, is someone who personifies a real baal chessed. He provided the students of many examples of how one can perform chessed and explained to them that since he is not able to be a giver as much as he was prior to his accident, he requests that others serve as his chessed agents. His presentation was extremely moving and inspirational!

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Hachnasat Sefer Torah at HALB

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he Altmark, Kupchik and Slomnicki families, all with deep connections to HALB, dedicated a Torah in memory of their beloved father, Chaim

Slomnicki, a”h, to be housed in the HALB Beit Medrash. The students, their rebbeim, and the many guests danced with incredible enthusiasm and showed tremendous kavod

haTorah. Rabbi Adam Englander, Head of School, spoke about the inspiring story behind the Torah which involved disciplined savings over many years, and Dr. Jonathan

Last week, the junior high boys at Siach Yitzchok heard from, and gave shalom to, Rav Kolodetsky, shlita

A group of eighth grade talmidim of Rav Zvi Soroka on Rosh Chodesh Adar Beis at Yeshiva Darchei Torah

Did you know?

The world’s largest hamantashen was baked by IDF volunteers in 2006 and weighed 650kg.

Altmark spoke about his fatherin-law and his dedication to Torah, community, Jewish education and family.

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Rosh Chodesh Adar at MAY

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esivta Ateres Yaakov celebrated Rosh Chodesh Adar Bais in true MAY style. After a beautiful Rosh Chodesh break-

fast, including bagels, cream cheese, eggs, orange juice and chocolate chip cookies, the entire Mesivta gathered together for an incredible kumzits

and concert from the one and only Joey Newcomb! In true form, Joey began with a stirring kumzits which transformed into leibidik,

ground-shaking singing and dancing. The ruach could be felt throughout the Mesivta building and kicked off Adar in a truly amazing way.

YOSS Invests in their Future at 65th Annual Banquet

There was a special presentation of golden shovels to Mr. & Mrs. Yona Tepper and Mr. & Mrs. Shmuel Berry to recognize their efforts in the facilitation of the new Friedman Family Building of Yeshiva of South Shore

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n overflow crowd of hundreds of guests – alumni, parents, former parents, friends and supporters – joined together to invest in the future of Yeshiva of South Shore at their 65th Annual Banquet at The Seawane Club in Hewlett Harbor.

The enthusiastic crowd who came to pay homage to the distinguished honorees had a wonderful evening of camaraderie, enjoying a delectable menu from Oasis Catering, all while supporting Torah and the children of the yeshiva through the scholarship fund.

Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Dean and Rosh Yeshiva, melded the events of the day with the beautiful occasion, weaving divrei Torah about the Mishkan and Purim with the work of the Yeshiva and the graciousness and generosity of the honorees. One of his ideas related to the fact that, unlike the menorah, Moshe Rabbeinu could not throw a block of gold into the fire to form the keruvim in miraculous fashion, just as he did for the menorah.

He explained with the theme of

the evening – one that resonated throughout the night: He quoted his father, Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l, the founding Rosh Yeshiva, that when it comes to educating a child, there are no shortcuts. Every single detail must be painstakingly molded and crafted. Chinuch is a labor of love, and every mechanech and every parent must take the time to lovingly carve and mold each and every child.

This is the mission of YOSS, where they know the stories behind every child and they take the time to understand and mold each child individually, with genuine devotion, excitement, and the signature warmth of YOSS. He recognized the Guests of Honor, Ari and Miriam Goodman, who have been integral pillars of YOSS for countless years, and Parents of the Year, Pinny and Yael Farkas, who are dynamic leaders in the Yeshiva, both as parents and as educators of the Talmidei HaYeshiva.

In a beautiful video presentation, Rabbi Natan Farber, recipient of the Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky Alumnus Award, spoke about the love and

warmth he received at YOSS and how he uses what he learned to impart to his students as a tenth grade rebbi and Director of Student Programs at DRS Yeshiva High School. He is a proud talmid of Yeshiva of South Shore whose affiliation goes back to his great-grandfather, Nathan Farber, one of the original founders and supporters of the Yeshiva and the Five Towns community.

The Yeshiva also honored BankUnited, represented by Mr. Charles Marchica and Mr. Gene Sullivan, with the Community Builders Award for providing the financing for the Yeshiva’s construction of the Friedman Family Building as well as helping other Torah institutions in the neighborhood.

The exciting highlight was the presentation of the Man of the Year Award to Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County Executive, who spoke about how he cherishes the close connection he had with Rav Binyamin, zt”l, and currently has with Rav Mordechai Kamenetzky, ybl”c, and the Jewish community at large. Congress-

man and Republican gubernatorial candidate of the Republican Party Lee Zeldin presented Mr. Blakeman with the award, while addressing his vision for the future of the state, one that will greatly benefit parents of yeshiva and parochial students.

A beautiful video by award-winning producer Gi Orman of Big Productions was another highlight of the evening. Skillfully crafting the voices and faces of the children the large audience reveled in “Genuine South Shore.” The evening ended with a delicious Viennese spread and the fourth grade’s choir performance, led

by Rabbi Shlomo Drebin. Once again, they boys performed fabulously, and there was a standing room only crowd watching and enjoying.

All the guests left with a reinforced good feeling about their children’s education as well as an appreciation for the Yeshiva and its accomplishments.

Once again, Yeshiva of South Shore orchestrated a perfect event, and lived up to their reputation for having an enjoyable dinner year after year.

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“Sharing the Nachas” at Mesivta Shaarei Chaim Melava Malka

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e, at Mesivta Shaarei Chaim, are overcome by the tremendous show of support evident in the attendance to our Melava Malka this past Motzei Shabbos. It reinforced what we already know to be true, that chinuch is a sacred partnership, a partnership that reaps great results and shapes and impacts futures.

Together, we were mechazek our primary goal: to channel all of our energy and ambition towards our children’s growth and shteiging in learning.

Celebrating at TAG

Rosh Chodesh at Chelsea Piers

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he Ganger Early Childhood Division of TAG was so excited that there were two Adars this year and they were able to celebrate their siyum on Sefer Shemos as well as usher in Rosh Chodesh Adar 11. With their happy, painted faces, they invited Kitah Alef to admire their artwork on the parshios of Sefer Shemos and join in the refreshments and fun.

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TA sophomores and juniors had a blast celebrating Rosh Chodesh Adar Beis at Chelsea Piers Connecticut!

The day began with Shacharis and shiur and continued on to this incredible fun-filled trip that featured ice skating, rock climbing, sports, a ninja warrior course, batting cages, trampolines, and so much more!

Talmidim enjoyed bonding together as a grade, spending quality time with their rebbeim outside the classroom as well as the opportunity to hang out with friends who they may not share classes with. Talmidim were greeted with pre-Mishmar chulent and kugel when they returned to yeshiva to end the day the way it started – with talmud Torah!

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Meir Panim Is Looking Forward to In-Person Purim Joy

By Hadassah Bay

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s Covid appears to wind down (hopefully!), Meir Panim’s branches are gearing up with renewed energy to welcome patrons back to the branches for an especially joyful Purim feast.

“After two years of socially distanced Purim, we’re eagerly anticipating to celebrate the holiday in person at all our branches – in Jerusalem, Tiberias, Dimona, Tzefat and Or Akiva,” said Mimi Rozmaryn, Director of Global Development at Meir Panim.

In its two decades of operations, Meir Panim has consistently endeavored to bring holiday joy to people in need — poor families, as well as the elderly and Holocaust survivors.

During the pandemic, Meir Panim continued its activities, although due to health restrictions, all meals were packaged for take-out or delivery.

Today, as Covid numbers continue to drop, Meir Panim has reopened its Restaurant-Style Soup Kitchens, although take-out and delivery meals are still available for those who are homebound or prefer to eat at home.

Purim at Meir Panim starts long before the piles of treats appear in the stores. Racks and racks of colorful, shiny costumes are prepared for the week of Purim, when each branch sets up its own mini costume boutique.

Where do they get so many costumes?

“Meir Panim has a partnership with the Lavender dry-cleaning chain,” Mimi explains. “People who want to donate their used costumes bring them to Lavender, which drycleans and delivers them to Meir Panim, free of charge.”

Just one more creative way that Meir Panim succeeds in recruiting the support of the community.

One of the hallmarks of the holiday is Mishloach Manot, the exchange of prettily wrapped packages of treats.

Meir Panim has made it a tradition to present each patron with not one but two Mishloach Manot packages — one to enjoy and one to share. “This beautiful initiative was the brainchild of our CEO here in Israel, Binyomin Ibenboim,” says Mimi. “It allows our patrons to be part of the mitzvah, enabling them, too, to be on the giving end!”

Adding to the festive atmosphere and the joy at Meir Panim, the Tel Aviv-based DLA Piper international law firm has sponsored trays and trays of delicious fresh hamantaschen. On Chanukah, they sponsored fancy sufganiyot, and this time, part of their team will be coming down to personally take part in their distribution.

Meanwhile, all five branches have been working around the clock to cook and package the huge amounts of food that are distributed daily to needy individuals and families. Patrons come from across the spectrum of Israeli society, including the elderly, who can’t make ends meet, as well as single-parent families, people on disability allowances, and the working poor, whose numbers have skyrocketed since 2020. “While it feels like the pandemic is improving healthwise, the financial crisis continues,”

Mimi observes. “We’re still preparing at least double the pre-pandemic amount in all our branches.”

Can anyone believe that something good came out of the pandemic? “In the last two years, the kids and counselors couldn’t meet at our three Sderot Youth Centers for teens at risk, but they were allowed to do so for volunteering,” Mimi explains. “Since the start of Covid, the teens have committed to integrating a strong volunteering component into their regular activities.”

As a result, the Sderot teens have been in charge of packaging and distributing care packages for the isolated and elderly as well as for soldiers at the local military outpost. Recently, they’ve been working frenetically to finish preparing all the Mishloach Manot packages that will be distributed all over town.

“We can only hope that the situation continues to improve and that the people who have suffered for two long years in isolation will finally feel safe and secure enough to once again gain from the social interaction at Meir Panim,” Mimi reflects.

Donations can be made online at www.mpdonate.org, through our tollfree number at (1877) 736-6283, or by mail to American Friends of Meir Panim at 88 Walton Street, Suite B1 Brooklyn, NY 11206-4479. All donations made in the U.S. are tax-deductible under EIN# 20-1582478.

HANC HS Kicks-off Adar with a Jammed Packed Excitement By: Sivan Pyle, Madeline Schwartz, Chava Lampert

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n Friday, February 25, the Boys’ Retreat at HANC High School began with an exciting outing to Chelsea Piers in Stamford, Connecticut. From there, the boys headed to the Heritage Hotel in Southbury, Connecticut. Words cannot describe the energy which permeated the Shabbat, as students enjoyed amazing food, powerful singing, Torah learning, a late night oneg and Tish, and meaningful bonding among all the participants.

The retreat culminated in a pizza melava malka with a live music chagiga which could have gone on for hours. Students are already talking about Retreat 2023.

Thank you to Rabbi Daniel Mezei, Rabbi Judah Hulkower, and to all the faculty who worked to make the retreat a huge success. Thank you to the HANC Alumni who came as advisors and enhanced

the retreat atmosphere.

Recently, the girls at HANC High School enjoyed a fun-filled pre-Purim chagiga featuring iMovwith Naz and a sweet Adar waffle, cereal, ice cream and coffee bar. Students enjoyed a wonderful dvar Torah

by Morah Adina Waldman on the topic of true happiness and a game of Who Is Most Likely To…hosted by Caity Davis and Yael Bassili. The girls then danced to festive Adar music, played jump rope.

The event culminated with a beautiful Kumzitz.

This week’s Rosh Chodesh Adar II was simply awesome. The morning began with tefilla and a spirited Hallel. A school-wide breakfast and Game Show hosted by Rabbi Slomnicki was enjoyed by all.

Game winners received HANC swag. Thank you to Adam Sadikov (‘23) who delivered a wonderful dvar Torah before the entire school.

Thank you to Student Life for preparing these amazing events. We can’t wait until dress up week and for our annual Shushan Purim Chagiga.

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HANC Vocabulary Parade

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ANC’s Samuel and Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School in West Hempstead was exploding with simcha and excitement in anticipation of another magical and fun week in school. On Wednesday, March 2, the school inaugurated the HANC Vocabulary Parade to coincide with Reading Appreciation Day. Coordinated by Mrs. Dara Reiff, all of the students in kindergarten, first, second and third grade classes read the book The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds.

In this fascinating tale, Jerome discovers the magic of words that are all around him. He recognized that some words are short and sweet, some are two-syllable treats, and some multisyllabic words sound like songs. At the end of the book, Jerome released his collection of hundreds of words into the air for all to enjoy.

The challenge for the HANC students was to find a word that could be turned into an interesting costume. Provided with word lists as a guide, the children were encouraged to select a word that may not be well-

known and then design a costume that would illustrate the word.

As the children arrived at school, the excitement could be felt the minute the children stepped out of their cars or buses. The level of creativity was positively astounding, and the children couldn’t wait for the parade to begin. The older students were delighted to see the incredible costumes and cheered for the students as they passed by. The delighted expressions on the marchers’ faces were simply priceless. As the parade neared its conclusion, each class assembled for a group photo, serving as a keepsake for the children to remember this exciting event.

On Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet, the students entered the lobby to the accompaniment of festive Purim music. After the children dropped off their backpacks and coats in their classrooms, a spontaneous dance party erupted in the lobby. The children danced and sang with such exuberance, it was truly a special sight to see. Dressed in tie-dye clothing to set a festive mood, the children

were treated to hamantaschen that was provided by the PTA and also enjoyed a special performance at the weekly Shabbat assembly. The HANC choir sang a beautiful song that was truly inspirational, accompanied by Mrs. Kari Levine, HANC’s talented music teacher and choir director, and was assisted by Gavi Zahler, the assistant choir director.

In addition, many classes had their own celebrations to commemorate Rosh Chodesh as well as the completion of Sefer Shemot.

The children and staff had a spectacular beginning of this happy month, and the students can’t wait to see what fun activities HANC has planned to keep the simcha flowing throughout the month of Adar Bet.

Celebrating Purim Safely: Purim and Underage Drinking Awareness Campaign from Saving Lives Five Towns Coalition

By Susan Blauner

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urim is a time of celebration and festivities, but in recent years has also become an opportunity for dangerous behaviors with devastating outcomes.

Saving Lives Five Towns Drug & Alcohol Coalition and Hatzalah of the Rockaways and Nassau County have joined together for an urgent community-wide “Purim 2022 – Let’s Unmask Underage Drinking” campaign, to make a difference now.

Purim is right around the corner.

It is very important for parents to know how to talk to their teens about underage drinking and substance misuse, which should not be a onetime effort but, rather, an ongoing conversation.

Be a positive role model. Any type of discussion about teenage drinking is most effective when it comes from a strong and caring relationship. Conversations are more influ-

ential when parents are responsible about their own drinking. Kids learn best by example. Parents should set a positive model on Purim for their children and not drink to excess.

Keep the lines of communication open and create Family Rules which should include not drinking alcohol before the age of 21 and not getting into a car when the driver has been drinking. Teens need to learn to think for themselves. If they come up with rules and regulations for their own behavior, they are more likely to stick with them. Before Purim and any other social event where there might be drinking make sure to go over the rules that you have put in place with your teens.

Be your teens’ safety net. Know your teens whereabouts and plans on Purim. Remind them that they can call you at any time if they feel they are in an uncomfortable situation.

Reassure them that you will not be angry, just happy that they called you

when they needed you. Teens need us to be supportive and loving as they move through these years towards adulthood. Talking to them in respectful ways about tough issues and having those rules in place can help.

There is no mitzvah on Purim to drink irresponsibly and unfortunately, there continues to be an increasing problem of alcohol, marijuana, and other substance misuse among Jewish adolescents. Youth who start drinking before the age of 15 are more than 5x likely to become alcohol dependent as adults.

Discussions about drinking should also include information about the harms of drinking and driving. One out of four fatal teen car accidents involve underage drinking and driving.

Teenagers should be aware that alcohol is a depressant, causes disinhibition and intoxication, impairs thinking and coordination, and can lead to possible alcohol poisoning

and death.

Please call your local shuls and schools to encourage active participation and discussion in this vital Underage Drinking Campaign.

If you suspect that your teenager is drinking secretly or may have a drinking problem, please contact his or her pediatrician, school counselor, or another health professional.

Saving Lives Five Towns Coalition, under the auspices of the Marian & Aaron Gural JCC, is here to assist and can refer you or your teen for the professional help you may need.

Join our Coalition and become a part of Saving Lives!

Wishing you and the entire community a safe and joyous Purim.

Chag Sameach!

Susan Blauner is the Director of Substance Abuse Prevention, Awareness and Education for the Saving Lives Five Towns Coalition. savinglives5townscoalition.org

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

Purim 2022 Let's Unmask Underage Drinking e ar die e s r o av ive ly t y h r e d ike l th l en Te ore hen oho .08% c f w X m sh d al n o ) a 17 it o r io a c blo rat l lim in a ent ga e nc e l co (th

NO

Pl ea Pr D To ovi o N se d o NO You e Al t T E th co VE Un ho N A der l DR OP 21 !

Teens & Drinking Should be one big no!

IN THE EVENT OF A (SUSPECTED) MEDICAL EMERGENCY Call 718-387-1750 or 718-230-1000 or 911

KNO

WY OU R WH TEENS ERE AB AND PLA OUTS PUR NS ON IM

Monitor the alcohol in your home and at your family meals.

Set clear expectations about avoiding alcohol.

Remind them of the risks and consequences of underage drinking.

Talk to your teens about celebrating a safe, responsible, and happy purim.

Mazer Family Fund

savinglives5townscoalition.org

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Bnos Yisroel Create Mammoth Kiddush HaShem at the Kosel 10,000 girls take part in Atzeres Tefillah arranged with the support and encouragement of Gedolei Yisroel

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en-thousand girls packed the Kosel Plaza this past Friday morning, Rosh Chodesh Adar Beis, for an atzeres tefillah arranged with the encouragement of gedolei Yisroel.

The gathering was orchestrated to coincide at a time when the leaders of the American Reform and Conservative movements were to be gathering at the Kosel. The atzeres tefillah served as a counter to the provocation against Jewish law and tradition carried out by those from the Reform and Conservative communities and others who wish to compromise the kedusha of the Kosel.

This event of kiddush Sheim Shomayim was arranged and sponsored under the auspices of Eretz Hakodesh, on the instructions of Rav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita, and Rav Gershon Edelstein, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of the Ponovezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak. Thousands of seminary girls in Yerushalayim, both native Israelis and those from abroad who are studying in Eretz Yisroel, participated in the tefillah rally.

“Friday morning’s tefillah event at the Kosel was so inspiring,” commented one Menaheles of an American seminary. “Our girls returned on such a spiritual high that remained with them the entire Shabbos.”

This atzeres tefillah was designed, based on a directive handed down some years ago by Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman, zt”l, to Rabbi Pesach Lerner. At that time, a week before Sunday, Rosh Chodesh Sivan 2013, Rabbi Lerner had an idea that he personally shared with Rav Shteinman: instead of battling with the liberal elements seeking to arrange all-female minyanim (with their various antics) at the Kosel, why not simply fill the Kosel Plaza with those who are chareidim l’devar Hashem? By filling the women’s section and the plaza with true bnos Yisrael, by default, there would not be room for those who wish to cause a provocation and desecrate the Kosel. Rav Shteinman liked the idea very much.

(Rabbi Lerner also received a bracha for his endeavor, at that time,

from Rav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita and the Ger Rebbe, shlita.) The next day, Rabbi Lerner received a phone call from the administrator of Rav Shteinman’s seminaries, ”The Rosh HaYeshiva wants to know: would you sponsor buses to take the girls to the Kosel for this atzeres tefillah?” Rabbi Lerner responded in the affirmative and committed to raise the necessary monies to cover the expenses of the busing. That atzeres tefillah, which was an assembly of kiddush Sheim Shomayim, was followed by several similar ones over the years, always at the direction of gedolei Yisroel.

Last week’s gathering was the latest such event, and the largest todate. This time around, Rabbi Lerner was called upon to raise the projected $50,000 needed to pay for the busing of high school and seminary girls. A call went out in the Israeli Yated Ne’eman newspaper and elsewhere, asking bnos Yisroel to gather at the Kosel on Rosh Chodesh morning. Rabbi Nechemya Malinowitz, of the Igud Yeshivos and Seminaries of Bnai Chul, reached out to all the seminaries in Eretz Yisroel with whom he has worked so closely over the last two years of Covid, conveying the desire of gedolei Yisroel for the girls to take part in this gathering. Arrangements were made by Degel HaTorah representatives to ensure that there would be sufficient Egged buses for those who would be taking public transportation to the atzeres. Preparations were made with the proper authorities to guarantee maximum security and decorum.

What was unique this time was that the leaders of the Reform and Conservative movements from the United States had come to Israel to participate in the Jewish Agency for Israel annual Board of Governors meetings. Their agenda included an appearance at the Kosel on Rosh Chodesh, when the so-called “Women of the Wall” have infamously held “minyanim,” with krias haTorah and while wearing talis and tefillin. The provocateurs were not quite prepared for what they would encounter at the Kosel, a massive crowd of 10,000

bnos Yisroel, including close to 1,500 American seminary students – who had arrived by bus to daven Shacharis at the Kosel.

“I arrived at the Kosel at approximately 5:30a.m.,” Rabbi Malinowitz related. “By 6:15a.m. the women’s side of the Kosel, the plaza, every available space, began to fill up with girls, and the official Rosh Chodesh minyan for Shacharis, under the direction of Rav Shmuel Rabinovich, Rav of the Kosel, complete with loudspeakers, began at about 6:40a.m.”

Noted chazzan Avremi Roth led the davening, which featured a beautiful, inspiring Hallel. Among those present were MK Yitzchok Pindrus, who was integrally involved in coordinating the gathering, and Rav Rabinovich.

The Reform and Conservative representatives, along with the Women of the Wall, were cordoned off in a far corner of the plaza, away from the thousands of bnos Yisroel, with many police on-hand to maintain the peace.

“The gathering made a significant statement,” observed Rabbi Malinowitz. “The Reform and Conservative movements have consistently attempted to paint a picture of strong support for their cause from the Diaspora. The presence of so many frum American girls was therefore

significant. The fact that the Reform and Conservative couldn’t muster more than a paltry crowd of about 50 people spoke volumes. Indeed, the head of the Reform movement remarked that he was disgraced and embarrassed.”

It was just a couple of months ago that Eretz Hakodesh revealed, in a stunning exposé, that in an informational video distributed by the Reform movement, its leaders fully admitted that despite the struggle that they are waging to revise the layout of the Kosel, the Kosel actually does not interest them at all and that they are merely using it in a symbolic fashion in their effort to reshape the entire Jewish culture of the State of Israel.

“Especially now that the chareidi parties are out of the governing coalition,” said Rabbi Lerner, chairman of Eretz Hakodesh, “the Reform movement is trying to exert pressure ‘in the name of Diaspora Jewry.’ They wish to change the character of the Kosel, of Shabbos, of kashrus, of geirus, of the entire jewish state. It is critical at this point in time to recognize the vital role of Diaspora Jewry to raise our voices and prove to the Israeli government that Diaspora Jewry wishes to maintain the status quo at the Kosel and the Jewish integrity of Israel.”

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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Around the Community

RARE EVENT: Maran Sar HaTorah Rav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita, Baked Matzos Mitzvos For Supporters Of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo in a Special Bakery Established In His Study

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aran Sar HaTorah Rav Chaim Kanievsky, shlit”a, Nasi of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo, prepared a special gift for the yeshiva supporters: three matzos mitzvah for the leil ha’Seder that he baked in a bakery in his study.

Last year, for the very first time in history, Rabbeinu, shlit”a, agreed to bake matzos mitzvos within his home for yeshiva supporters. The matzos were baked with all the hiddurim and dikdukim of Rabbeinu’s matzah chaburah. Maran Sar HaTorah, shlit”a, personally sent these matzos mitzvah to the yeshiva supporters to be used at the Seder table.

This year, the tradition continues, and the yeshiva supporters will once again receive matzos that Maran Sar HaTorah baked within his own home as he gave brachos and davened for cheirus, geulah and yeshuah for these supporters.

The momentous event took place within Rabbeinu’s home, in his study. The yeshiva administration arranged all the logistics necessary to turn his home into a matzah bakery, with Maran Sar

HaTorah overseeing their work.

A full-fledged bakery was established, with a “water room” for the mayim shelanu, a flour room, rollers and table and an oven. The bakery bears the sterling kashrus of Shearis Yisroel.

Maran, shlit”a, commenced the matzah baking by pouring the water into the flour. He then supervised the kneading and all other steps of the dough preparation, rolled out the dough and checked each and every matzah when it came out of the oven.

During the baking process, Maran, shlit”a, said that the zechus of the matzos mitzvah together with the zechus of Torah should stand by all the yeshiva supporters and generate yeshuos, even yeshuos that are above nature.

At the end of the baking process and after taking challah, Rabbeinu, shlit”a, gave a bracha to the Yeshiva’s Roshei Yeshivah, rabbanim and thousands of talmidim. He then gave a loving brachah and davened for the yeshiva supporters who will receive the matzos for the leil ha’Seder. He davened that they merit extra shemirah from the

leil shimurim, cheirus, geulah and davened for a sha’as rachamim and eis ratzon for all machzikei haTorah. And then went back to learning Torah.

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YOSS celebrated the month of Adar with entertainment, laughter, and games with Rabbi Yitzy Haber from the Shnitzel Guys this week

SKA Wins at Yeshiva League Model Congress

SKA Model Congress winners Batya Kimyagarov, Hannah Greenberg, Aliza Zilberberg, Yael Szlafrok, Chaya Sarah Lelonek, Sima Ross and Sarah Owadeyah

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n Tuesday, March 1, SKA participated in the annual Yeshiva League Model Congress hosted by HAFTR. More than 175 students from around the country competed in this tournament, which took place on Zoom for the second year.

SKA students Noa Naumberg and Dina Cohen acted as presiding officers, running a Zoom room of competitors, while SKA students Annabelle Engel, Hannah Greenberg, Batya Kimyagarov, Chaya Sarah Lelonek, Talya Lippman, Rachel Loike, Ariella Miles, Tari Moskowitz, Sarah Owadeyah, Sima Ross, Yael Szlafrok, Aliza Tokayer, and Aliza Zilberberg competed in various committees.

The students prepared bills and speeches, then debated many issues facing the United States. They practiced compromising and even faced a few crises, and at the same time, learned procedures used by Congress and the Senate.

Out of 15 schools, SKA won the most awards! Congratulations to Hannah Greenberg, Batya Kimyagarov, Chaya Sarah Lelonek, Sarah Owadeyah Sima Ross, Yael Szlafrok and Aliza Zilberberg on their seven committee wins.

Thanks go to SKA Model Congress coach, Mrs. Shani Butler, for her outstanding support.

After a lavish breakfast and amazing mesiba in honor of Rosh Chodesh Adar II, the talmidim of Yeshiva Ateres Eitz Chaim enjoyed the day at RPM Raceway

New! NCSY Presents Jumpshot Israel 2022

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his year, incoming ninth and tenth grade boys will have the chance to experience their most impactful summer yet, with the launch of NCSY’s Jumpshot Israel 2022, a premier Israel-based summer basketball experience. The program will focus on cultivating excellence in basketball and instilling an understanding and personal connection to Israel and Torah through athletics, all while cultivating personal growth and leadership skills. Participants will include boys from all across the United States, Canada, and Israel.

Prospective participants can expect to engage in drills, scrimmages, and competitive league games, under the leadership of Rabbi Zak Lenik, currently a rebbi at Yeshivat Torat Shraga and an all-star athlete. In addition, basketball pros and other basketball personalities are slated to be an integral part of the program.

Rabbi Lenik shared, “I am so excited to be a part of this incredible program and look forward to the opportunity to bring together an incredible group of young men who share a commitment to growth in Torah and in basketball.”

Jumpshot Israel will share a cam-

pus with NCSY’s Kollel program, which enrolls over 200 campers each summer and is located in Beit Meir, just outside of Jerusalem. Newly renovated basketball courts and a swimming pool are on-campus amenities.

Off0campus trips will be unique and specifically tailored to the design of this new program.

Participants can expect to have the “most incredible summer of their lives,” according to David Cutler, NCSY’s Director of Summer Programs. “NCSY is committed to constantly assessing the needs of the current Jewish teenager and responding accordingly. We provide our teens with rich educational environments that encourage learning, and in this case, growth both on and off the courts.”

Applications are now open and interested athletes and their parents are encouraged to apply at summer. ncsy.org, or to reach out to Elliot Tanzman at summer@ncsy.org for more information. The cost of the five-week program is $7,499, including a two-way ticket from JFK. The extended early bird rate through March 16 is $6,999. Financial aid applications are available.

News Flash: Four Nights of Harmony with JEP/Nageela Additional performance added due to popular demand

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EP/Nageela is proud to present a fourth night of Harmony Jr. 2022 to the community with a new performance added on Motzei Shabbos, March 19! Choose from four nights of Harmony: March 19 at 9:30pm, March 20 at 7pm, March

26 at 9:30pm and March 27 at 7pm.

Reserve your tickets now at jepli. org/harmony.

Thanks to our generous sponsors for their support: Five Towns Builders, Pin It Realty, Premier Assist, Precision Auto Body, Junee’s/

Junee’s Jr., Caring Professionals, Gourmet Glatt, Spring, Sweat With Shana, Steven Krauss, DDS, Rubin Orthodontics, Fame, Yaeli Fine Art, Traditions, Prism Insurance, Comprehensive Audiology, The Jewish Home, Vent Right, Mosquito Shield,

Vacation Wigs, HHS, Catering by Michael Schick, and Onyx. You can still be in good company in upcoming publicity. Contact jenr@jepli. org to set up your sponsorship.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

NCSY SUMMER PRESENTS

EARLY BIRD ENDS THIS WEEK!

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YIJE Winter Family Fun

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t takes willpower to wake up unbearably early on a Sunday morning, pack up your gear, and head up to the Mountains. But the families at Young Israel of Jamaica Estates who summoned the energy were treated to a bright sunny day on the slopes. Catamount greeted the YIJE skiers of all ages with some fresh snow and friendly faces all looking to take advantage

of that last bit of wintry fun. The event was organized by hard-working YIJE youth director Jacob Herskowitz, who worked to make the day hassle free and affordable for all.

One week later, many of the same families were back at the YIJE building for another YIJE Family Mitzvah Mornings to kick off the Purim season of fun and giving. Harness-

ing the shul’s culture of service to the community, fun and tzedakah, Rabbi Dov and Miriam Lerner were on-hand with their daughters to lead the chessed charge. This month, YIJE kids and parents decorated and packed 50 mishloach manot packages for Tomchei Shabbos. These will be delivered on Purim day to local families. The entire program was spon-

sored by Jennifer and Jeffrey Daniel in honor of their daughter Emily’s bat mitzvah and coordinated by Yael Schrieber who works tirelessly to keep the Mitzvah Morning program going each month!

To learn more about events for both kids and adults at YI Jamaica Estates, visit yije.org.

One of The Greatest Gifts to Your Family is the Plan For Incapacity

By Monet Binder, Esq.

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hen it comes to estate planning, if you are like most people, you automatically think about taking legal steps to ensure the right people inherit your belongings when you’re gone.

Although that thought is not wrong, it does leave out a very important aspect: planning for life. Planning for life is perhaps the most critical part of planning.

Planning that’s focused solely on who gets what when you’re gone is ignoring the fact that death isn’t the only thing you must prepare for. You need to consider that at some point before your eventual death, you may be incapacitated by accident or illness.

Whether we want to think about it or not, each of us could be faced with a devastating accident or disease that renders us incapable of caring for ourselves or our loved ones. But unlike death, which is by definition a final outcome, incapacity comes with an uncertain outcome and timeframe. This is why planning for incapacity is so important.

Where To Start Planning for incapacity requires a different mindset and different tools than planning for death. The most important thing to remember is that you must choose someone and include your choice in legal documents.

If you don’t legally name someone to make medical and financial decisions during your incapacity, the court will choose someone for you. If this happens, things can get extremely difficult for you and your loved ones.

The person a court chooses could be a family member you’d never want managing your affairs or a professional guardian who charges exorbitant fees and could even potentially decimate your estate. Either way, the choice of who will serve is out of your hands. As with most court proceedings, the process of naming a guardian is often time-consuming, costly, and emotionally draining for your family.

What Won’t Work You need to keep in mind that one planning tool that’s totally worthless when it comes to your incapacity is

a Will. A Will only goes into effect upon your death, and then it merely governs how your assets should be divided. So, having a Will does nothing to keep your family out of court and out of conflict in the event of your incapacity.

The Proper Tools for the Job There are multiple planning vehicles to choose from when creating an incapacity plan. This shouldn’t be just a single document. Though the planning strategies you ultimately put in place will be based on your particular circumstances, it’s likely that your incapacity plan will include some, or all, of the following: Health Care Proxy: An advanced directive that grants an individual of your choice the immediate legal authority to make decisions about your medical treatment in the event of your incapacity.

Living Will: An advanced directive that provides specific guidance about how your medical decisions should be made during your incapacity.

Durable financial power of

attorney: A planning document that grants an individual of your choice the immediate legal authority to make decisions related to the management of your finances, real estate, and business interests.

Revocable living trust: A planning document that immediately transfers control of all assets held by the Trust to a person of your choosing to be used for your benefit in the event of your incapacity. The trust can include legally binding instructions for how your care should be managed and even spell out specific conditions that must be met for you to be deemed incapacitated.

While each of these documents is important, they are often of limited usefulness without the counsel and guidance of a personal lawyer who knows you, knows what’s important to you, knows how to locate your assets, and who can guide your family when they don’t know where to turn.

If you’ve yet to plan for incapacity, call 718.514.7575 right away and schedule your Family Estate Planning Session and get started.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

hi@hifive.nyc

‫בס“ד‬

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Makor Care and Services Network and Sixty Years of Jewish Music An Evening to Remember and to Be Remembered

By Ahava Ehrenpreis

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t was an evening of remembrance and an evening to remember for nearly 2,000 attendees. So many of us were delighting in — and for an all-too-brief time returning — to childhood memories, replete with adolescent obsessions with songs and with the enthusiastic performers whose glowing joy and spirituality echoed our own searching youthful fervor!

I closed my eyes and heard my father singing the Melaveh Malkah songs of the late Rabbi Benzon Shanker, which echoed the Melaveh Malkah tunes of the European shtetl of his youth. “Welcome Simchatone, Regesh, the Rabbis’ Sons …,” just a few of the iconic names of my adolescence and that of others in attendance.

I wonder if the younger attendees, hearing the songs that celebrate a chassan or kallah or that they chant at their Shabbos table, realize that

these songs were not dropped from heaven to fill our moments of joy and simchah with spiritual melodies.

No, these now-traditional songs— Eishes Chayil, Kol Sosson V’simcha, Ka Zidmrokon, etc. — created by talented and spiritually motivated young men, to share their devaikus, their drive to reach their fellow Jews, those who recognized the Ribbono Shel Olam and those who had not yet done so. Their youthful love of folk music, the rhythms and world in which we were growing up, were, lehavdil, vehicles to bring their message of a life glorying in Torah and mitzvot to the world.

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach’s seemingly simple tunes gripped my teenage soul and, later, created a shared joy with my son Akiva a”h, as he excitedly informed me of a Carlebach davening at a local shul; though on opposite sides of the mechitza, it was our special shared experience. Akiva even chose “HaNeshama Lach” as his chuppah melody.

The charming accents of the London Boys Choir won the hearts of so many with the tunes of its founder, Mr. Yigal Calek. I see my son, Saadya a”h, in front of a mirror, mimicking the fancy footwork of Miami Boys Choir and the motions of its enthusiastic director, R’ Menachem Begun.

Country Yossi and Mr. Abie Rotenberg shared moments of memories with fellow musical pioneers — and the music of our memories evokes the warmest moments of the past.

The talented new generation showcased their talent as the evening bridged time and generations.

Rabbi Boruch Levine, Benny Friedman, Joey Newcomb, Uri Davidi, and Sruli Unger elicited wild applause. But what drew us together in this state-of-the-art venue? Makor Disability Services, originally Women’s League Disability Services, was the initiator.

The need to disseminate the message of the critical value of this or-

ganization to Klal Yisrael motivated the renowned producer of Jewish musical performances, Mr. Sheya Mendelowitz, to stage this groundbreaking event.

Almost forty years ago, Mrs. Jeanne Warman founded what became an extensive organization to help parents of children who needed a level of care that parents were hard-pressed to provide. She recognized a vital need and met the challenges. She broke social and emotional barriers rather than negating and closeting individuals with disabilities!

Still today the motto, remembered and practiced by every staff member, is: “No child should be left behind.” But that is an inadequate description, just as the term “Jewish music” cannot begin to even remotely describe the enrichment of our lives resulting from the work of the artists represented at last week’s event.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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Congregation Beth Sholom Parent Child Learning Celebration

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his past motzei Shabbos, the kids and parents of Congregation Beth Sholom Parent Child Learning held their final learning of the season. We had a wonderful time each week – learning, hearing from rabbeim, winning prizes and eating

pizza, but this week was extra special! We each received a prize to celebrate the end of some amazing learning! We each also received a Seasons Express gift card, and we had a final raffle for Amazon Gift Cards. We then moved into our special dinner

with pizza, fries, onion rings, garlic knots and for dessert – doughnuts!, We would like to thank the sponsors, speakers and participants of our Parent Child Learning! We are very much looking forward to next year’s learning.

Our next event will be our Purim Celebration. Come join us for our interactive megillah reading and Powerhouse Entertainments Twisted Sports Spinoff! Hope to see you Purim Night in the CBS Ballroom.

Megillah reading begins at 7:40PM.

Alternatively, the Noam Elimelech interprets the words “Pischu li shaarei Tzedek” to mean that that the righteous always live with the feeling that they have not yet accomplished anything and are still standing at the entrance to the gates, just beginning their service of Hashem. But if a person always feels that he is standing at the gate, that itself is a sign that he is a tzaddik: “Zeh ha’shaar la’Hashem tzaddikim yavo’u vo.”

era had recorded him removing the merchandise from the factory.

The owner summoned this employee to his office and asked him, “Do you know who the thief is?”

Again, the employee feigned innocence. The factory owner then played the video before his astonished eyes, and within a few seconds, the man collapsed in a faint.

A moment earlier he had denied any connection to the theft, and suddenly, he was confronted with the bitter truth, as he witnessed his own disgrace. Overcome with shame, he fainted.

After recounting this story, R’ Shteinman turned to R’ Shlomo Levenstein and said, “There is a powerful lesson here for us. All our actions and thoughts are documented, down to the very last detail. Even our subtlest innermost thoughts are recorded, and they will all be presented to us in the future to come. When we arrive in the World to Come and

view our own personal video, how many times will our souls depart from us, as we faint from seeing the bitter truth before our eyes?

How ashamed we will be!”

R’ Shteinman then burst into tears and told R’ Shlomo, “You are still young — you can still rectify yourself and fill in what you have lacked, but I am already old, and soon I will have to give an accounting. What will be with me?”

He continued to weep bitterly.

Indeed, tzaddikim always live with the feeling that they have not yet accomplished anything; they are sure that they are still standing at the gateway. Their achievements, and the spiritual levels they have attained, are meaningless in their eyes.

Only One Gate

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e came until the front of the king’s gate for it was forbidden to enter the king’s gate in a garment of sackcloth (4:2) Whenever the Megillah mentions the word melech, it is alluding to the King of the universe. Accordingly, “the king’s gate” alludes to the gates of Heaven. How can a person enter the gate of Hashem?

We can answer this according to R’ Yechezkel Abramsky’s explanation (cited in Peninei Rabbeinu Yechezkel) of the verses, Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter them and thank God. This is the gate of Hashem; the righteous shall enter through it (Tehillim 118:19-20).

Why do these verses begin with the plural form – the gates of righteousness — and conclude with the singular form, this is the gate of Hashem?

These verses actually contain a question and answer. David HaMelech requested, “Open for me the gates of Heaven” — in plural, for he sought many gates and paths to serve Hashem. But the answer he received was that there are no “gates”; there is only one gate to serve Hashem, and that gate is la’Hashem, meaning that your motivation should be to act for the sake of Heaven. That is the one and only gate through which a person can enter to serve Hashem.

*** R’ Shlomo Levenstein related: Once, when I came to R’ Shteinman’s house, he told me this story, which he heard from the owner of a factory.

A theft took place in this man’s factory, and he suspected that a certain employee was responsible, so he approached him and asked him innocently if he knew anything about the matter, and who the thief might be.

Of course, the worker pretended he had no idea.

The owner decided to install hidden cameras throughout the factory, without the knowledge of the workers. A while later, another theft took place, and merchandise of great value disappeared. The owner scanned the footage and discovered that this employee was indeed the thief: The cam-

This excerpt is from the sefer, Reb Aharon Leib on Purim and Megillas Esther, reprinted with permission from the publisher, ArtScroll/Mesorah.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

IT’S LIKE BUTTA’

The only kosher “Buttery” Chardonnay Available at Liquor & Wine Warehouse 343 Rockaway Tpke, Lawrence

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Yeshiva of Central Queens 81st Anniversary Scholarship Dinner

Guests of Honor

Distinguished Educator Award

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ver 750 parents, alumni, and friends of the Yeshiva of Central Queens (YCQ) joined together to celebrate eighty-one years of harbitzat haTorah to the Queens Jewish community with a festive motzei Shabbat Dinner to support the Yeshiva’s scholarship fund. The Dinner coincided with the Parsha of Vayakel and Parshat Shekalim, which refers to the fundraising for and the construction of the Mishkan.

The program featured a video presentation, “Your Piece Counts,” to illustrate that just as Bnei Yisrael collaborated with their generosity when the Mishkan was assembled, so do the members of the YCQ family, each in their own way, join to help the Yeshiva thrive and grow in their mission. Thanks to Mrs. Devora Baer, YCQ Director of Grants, for conceptualizing and producing this entertaining and meaningful presentation.

In his dvar Torah prepared for delivery at the event, YCQ Principal Rabbi Mark Landsman borrowed a thought from Rav Yisocher Frand, who said that at the time of cCeation, Hashem reduced the size of the moon, but then, to console the moon, He added the kochavim, the stars, in order to console the levanah. So too, at the Yeshiva, in addition to their roles as educators, the faculty of rabbeim, morot, and teachers help the children thrive, not only in their studies, but also in their emotional health and wellbeing.

In his remarks, Rabbi Landsman paid special tribute to Mrs. Melissa Cohen, Elementary School Assistant Principal of General Studies at YCQ, who was the recipient of the Distinguished Educator Award, amid the enthusiastic applause of her colleagues. She was cited for her outstanding middot, compassion, and genuine concern for each student and faculty member.

Receiving the Midor L’Dor Award were Guests of Honor Lena and Richard Harris, and their parents Riva and David Yakubov, for their long association as parents at YCQ and their heavy involvement in the Jamaica Estates community. Most notable was their tremendous growth in Yiddishkeit, having previously arrived from Tashkent, where Jewish education and observance was virtually non-existent.

Rounding out the roster of awardees were

Parents of the Year

Proclamation

Devora and Bruce Stiefel as Parents of the Year for their multi-faceted contributions to the Yeshiva and community. A member of the YCQ Board of Education, Devora has been a mentor in the area of literacy education, imparting much knowledge and enthusiasm to the language arts teachers.

Bruce has been active in the safety and security programs in the North Woodmere neighborhood.

The highlight of the evening was the performance of the Israeli musical sensation Gad Elbaz, who offered a wide repertoire of musical selections which were enjoyed by the enthusiastic audience.

The evening reached its crescendo with the announcement of the names of the raffle winners: $10,000 Grand Prize – Mr. Jeff Klein; Travel Package ($3,600 value) – Mr. Alexander Niyazov; Weber Grill ($1,500) – Mr. Isaac Katanov.

A robust Scroll of Honor was published to

commemorate the generosity of the many contributors to the Scholarship Fund.

Dr. Joel Wein, YCQ President, opened the festivities with warm words of welcome. Rabbi Lawrence Teitlman, YCQ parent, member of the YCQ Board of Education, and rabbi, Young Israel of New Hyde Park, led the guests in special tefillot on behalf of the Jews of the Ukraine and the world over. Mr. Israel Glaser, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, made the award presentations to the guests of honor. Rabbi Moshe Hamel led the audience in singing the American and Israeli anthems. A Proclamation was presented to the honorees by New York State Assemblyman David Weprin. Mrs. Reize Sipzner graciously continued her service to the Yeshiva as Chairperson of the Dinner Committee and commended all the Dinner Committee members on a job well done.

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Thank you, Inspector Richie Taylor, a frum high-ranking NYPD officer for proudly inspiring our YOSS second graders

We Wear the Mask

A

s part of the HAFTR Middle School Advisory Program, under the leadership of Dr. Yali Werzberger, students enjoyed an engaging activity related to Purim.

Teachers and students discussed how each of us have a mask (an outside persona) that we show the world, as well as our inner thoughts, feelings, hopes and dreams. Each student

decorated a masquerade mask with words relating to their outside self on the outside of the mask and words characterizing their private world on the inside of the mask. Inspiring and

lively discussions about the different aspects of ourselves and about judging others favorably then ensued. We thank our teachers for facilitating this fun and engaging session!

“You Must Tell Other Women About This!”

F

ollowing the highly successful U.S. trip, N’shei Keren Hashviis brought its program to England last week, where it inspired crowds of women across the spectrum, from Golder’s Green to Stamford Hill to Manchester. Farmers’ wives Ilana and Chagit shared their stories and gave women an up close and personal understanding of what it means to keep Shmitah.

The trip started with a packed Sunday night event in Golder’s Green. Women became very emotional as they watched the video about the lives of Shmitah farmers and lined up for brachos from Ilana and Chagit. The event was so successful that, on the spot, an additional event was organized for the following evening in Stamford Hill.

While the audiences were diverse – from Modern Orthodox to Yeshivish to Chassidish – the message resonated with every woman. At an intimate gathering at a private home in Hampstead, one woman in the audience came in questioning the ne-

cessity of supporting these farmers.

“Why don’t they just do heter mechira like everyone else?” she asked. “Why do we need to support them for doing nothing all year?”

As she was about to leave, Ilana approached her, and they spoke for a long time. Afterwards, the woman came over to the N’shei Keren Hashviis representative and said emotionally, “Thank you for bringing this to us. I never understood what Shmitah was until now. You’ve opened a whole new world to me!”

As she made a donation of 365 pounds, she added, “You MUST tell other women about this!”

It wasn’t only the audiences who were inspired; the inspiration went the other way as well. In Manchester, one woman came over to the N’shei representative to ask for a bracha from one of the farmers’ wives. She showed the representative her certificate from Keren Hashviis that she’d adopted a farm. She told the representative that in order to come up with the 7,500 pounds,

they’d remortgaged their house.

“My husband felt strongly that we need to support Shmitah,” she said. “That we had to do our part to bring the Geula.”

Aside from the events for women, the N’shei came to two girls’ high schools, each of whom had undertaken to raise money for the N’shei Keren Hashviis fund. In Tiferes High School, the girls held a raffle, while in Menorah High School, each girl received 5 pounds to invest in some way in order to raise money.

Some girls baked and sold cookies; others bought cleaning supplies and ran car washes, and more.

Many other schools were eager to bring the N’shei Keren Hashviis event to their girls as well. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time on this trip, but, seeing the enthusiastic reception, plans for a future trip to England are already in the works.

N’shei Keren Hashviis is a separate women’s division of Keren Hashviis, whose goal is to connect women around the world to the mitzvah of

Shmitah, by providing support, both emotional and financial, to the heroic farmers and their wives. The Keren Hashviis stipends cover about forty percent of the farmers’ budget and tend to go towards the big expenses in maintaining a farm – the land lease, mortgage, equipment rentals and more. All too often, there’s nothing left for the wives to cover their basic household expenses – food, clothing, utilities.

The N’shei Keren Hashviis’s goal is to raise $2.5 million to open a fund to help farmers’ families pay for their household expenses – a place for farmers’ wives to turn to when they have no money to pay their grocery bill or to buy their child a new pair of shoes.

If thousands of women around the world donate just one dollar a day, together, we can give our farmers the financial support they need to last out the year. More importantly, we can show them that the women of Klal Yisrael are here to support them!

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

to our dedicated committee members that made our campaign a success!

Simone Ambalo Hillel Axelrod Moshe Aron Bauman Heshy Blachorsky Ephraim Diamond Greg Duftler Chaim Ehrlich Isaac Englander Shea Farkas Scott Farrell Asher Feigenbaum Adina Fischlewitz Pinky Friedman Gadi Fuchs Steven Giller Dr. Jonathan Herman

Joey Hoenig Moshe Horowitz Yitzi Hoschander Burri Itzkowitz Mordechai Jacobs Toby Jacobs Brian Jedwab Shlomo Katz Uri Katz Harvey Kaufmann David Klein Lisa Kuflik Yaffa Kuflik Neil Kugelman Rob Kurtz Steve Landau

Moshe Lamm Jeanette Lamm P.J. Lamm Mordy Lent Dr. Hylton Lightman Yaakov Lipshitz Moshe Mashiach Julia Maryles Shykie Monczyk Jay Nathanson Menash Oratz Mitchell Ozieri Avram Pultman Jenny Rosenberg Shlomo Rosenberg Yehuda Ruzohorsky

Avrumi Sax Andrea Schecter Shmuli Schecter Ari Schonbrun Naftali Solomon Avram Stavsky Jake Walden Yisroel Wasser Nati Weider Avi Weinstock Arielle Wolfson Benny Wolfson Dovid Wolfson Srully Wolfson Zack Wolfson Yehuda Zachter

And to our corporate sponsors– thank you!

EMERALD

DIAMOND

GOLD K AT Z

C AT E R E R S

SILVER

PLATINUM CORPORATE

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Around the Community

Executive Director Position Position Summary: The Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula (JCCRP) provides support to help meet the human and social services needs of the indigent elderly, vocationally disadvantaged poor, impoverished youth and immigrant populations of Rockaways and Five Towns, and surrounding communities. It assists in coordinating development, civic affairs and economic revitalization in the area.

To be the professional staff leader of the JCCRP. Manages the day to day operations, implements vision and policy of the board and engages government official’s funders’ stakeholders and community leaders in supporting the council. Develops the operating budget through grant procurement, and fundraising.

Principal Responsibilities: • • • • •

• • • • • • • •

Oversees and monitors compliance of contracts and grants; assures meeting of deliverables and adherence to required standards and procedures Plans and develops all of JCCRP programs and procedures Maintains proper records; ensures timely submission of reports as required by board of directors and funders Supervises JCCRP staff to ensure adherence to personnel policies and procedures Provides general office management; oversees ordering and purchasing of supplies, services and equipment in accordance with all relevant procurement procedures; assures proper maintenance of physical plant Convenes and organizes Board of Directors meeting and provides all relevant information to board to ensure proper oversight Creates promotional materials for funders elected officials and other stakeholders Identifies Community programmatic needs and how Council can respond Directs Public relations in promoting agency through dissemination of press releases announcements and advertisements in local media, email blasts, and social media platforms Prepares proposals and develops agency budget Fundraises from individuals and corporations Liaises with government officials and prepares requests for funding Responds to request for proposals and grant opportunities

Competencies:

High Energy Individual with the ability to manage diverse partnerships, and understand the Rockaways & Five Towns community Able to set tactical and strategic direction Must be able to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment Exceptional organizational skills Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal Must be able to think sequentially and understand impact of data

Skill and Education:

Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy or related field Experience in non-profit Jewish communal service and/or government

Please email cover letter & resume to raltabe@gmail.com

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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n one enthralling story after another, Rabbi Yechiel Spero enlightens us, touching our hearts, opening our eyes, invigorating our neshamos. He finds untold determination in the steaming buildings of wartime Shanghai and breathtaking hashgachah pratis on a Haifa street.

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SYEP is back!!

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• NYC residents between the ages of 14-24 by July 5, 2022 may apply for the SYEP lottery online by going to application.nycSYEP.com • Select “BEGIN ONLINE APPLICATION” then enter your “email address” and create a “password” • When you fill out the application, you will be asked to choose a provider. Click on “Brooklyn” or “Queens” (if you live in Queens).

Select “Council of Jewish Organizations of Flatbush” • Complete the application, click “Submit,” print a copy of your application and receipt

• Prepare your required documents

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Even if you are not sure where you want to work, apply so that you don’t miss this opportunity.

Submission of an application does not guarantee acceptance into the program.

Applicants selected for SYEP will have to upload their “Required Documentation” in the SYEP Document System. See the application for the list of required documents.

Online applications will be accepted from March 1 to April 22.

If you are not able to apply online you may obtain a paper application from our office at 1523 Avenue M, 4th Floor, Brooklyn, NY.

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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HAFTR Early Childhood celebrated Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet with a special hamantash treat from the PTA and a Topsy Turvy Day

Pre-Purim spirit at Shulamith ECC

This Little One Will Be Great

By Gabriel Geller, Royal Wine

P

urim is upon us, and we are now deep into the preparations. Which costumes will our children wear, the menu for the seudah, who the guests will be, the megillah reading times, etc. And, of course, the mishloach manos. Including a bottle of wine in the mishloach manos is customary for many, but it is not always simple.

A bottle of wine is big and heavy, and when you give dozens of mishloach manos to friends and relatives, it can get quite expensive and tedious. Thankfully, the selection of

smaller wine bottles and cans has grown tremendously. Many wines are available in small format to fit nearly every budget and palate. In fact, the classic Bartenura Moscato is available both in a 375ml bottle and in a trendy can.

Let’s discuss wines that you do not typically expect to find in a smaller size. Take, for instance, Château Roubine. This is a winery we have discussed several times in this column. Located in France’s Provence region, it is one of the world’s best producers of rosé wines.

Think about this lovely newlywed couple to whom you would like to

gift a thoughtful package. The Château Roubine Premium Cru Classé Rosé is now available in a 375ml format, perfect for a picnic. They will be thrilled. If perhaps they prefer a sweet wine, the small bottle of Herzog Late Harvest Chenin Blanc is an amazing choice. This is not the only option in the dessert wine department. For those who appreciate a more luxurious wine, the Covenant Zahav Late Harvest Chardonnay and the Carmel MacPhee Vineyard Late Harvest Gewürztraminer are both fantastic, and they come in a 375ml bottle, as well.

But, you must be thinking, what

about the reds? Well, thank G-d, there is also a lot to choose from in that category. Shiloh winery now offers its Shor Cabernet Sauvignon in a small bottle. It is a rich, opulent wine with ripe black fruit, spices, and toasted oak notes. On the higher end of the spectrum, the elegant and complex Herzog Single Vineyard Kabb Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon is long sold out in the standard 750ml format, but it is still available in 375ml.

If you are looking for a nice, elegant, restrained French wine to gift for Purim but without breaking the bank, then the 375ml format of Château Les Riganes is certainly worthy of consideration.

Last but certainly not least, frozen wine and cocktail pops are yet additional and appropriate items to consider this Purim season. Bartenura has the delicious Froscato wine ice pops. Please be advised that this product is not approved for Passover consumption. Another favorite is Cooloo, with their frozen cocktail pops in several expressions such as Cosmo and Pina Colada.

With such a vast array of wines and spirits to choose from, you can be sure to put a great smile on the faces of those who will receive your mishloach manos this year. Happy Purim!

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

A Frailichan Pur m!

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Crescendo of Simcha and Emotion as Thousands Celebrate Siyum on Machzor Sheini of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha at the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton, NJ Senior Gedolei Yisrael Representing all Shevatim of Klal Yisrael Address the Multitudes ciple by which a person must lead his life. Mesiras nefesh is amazing, but Hashem says a ‘mitzvah b’zemana is chaviv, is truly dear to Me.’ “This is the simcha that we are celebrating tonight. When a person learns Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim, he learns how to perform mitzvos l’chatchila. The difference between l’chatchila and bidieved is like the difference between $100 billion and $1,000! That is our simcha tonight. Yidden are learning halacha and are thus empowered to perform Hashem’s ratzon, the ultimate ideal that we must all strive for in the most l’chatchila way!”

By Chaim Gold

I

t was a surprise that sent the many thousands in the Cure Insurance Arena into a frenzy of cherdas kodesh and simcha. In the middle of the siyum, Rabbi Leibish Lish, the chairman of the evening, in a voice trembling with emotion, announced that the venerated Rachmastrivka Rebbe of Boro Park was about to enter the arena. To say that the stadium erupted would be an understatement. All craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the holy countenance, the wisdom and temimus of the Rebbe as he slowly entered the stadium and was brought to the middle of the table of Gedolei Yisrael.

The nonagenarian Rebbe, who rarely leaves Boro Park or travels, is the zekan Admorim of America.

Despite his frailty, he still invested the tremendous effort and exertion to come to Trenton, New Jersey, to encourage lomdei Dirshu and give his bracha.

That was just one highlight of multiple highlights at the Dirshu World Siyum of the Second Machzor of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha this past Thursday night at the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton, where thousands came from the entire Tri-State area and beyond to celebrate a true evening of simchas haTorah.

Diversity of Gedolim in Attendance Represent Klal Yisrael One of the most moving, inspiring, and integral components of any major Dirshu event is the profound achdus that it represents. Achdus both among the wide-ranging crowd that spans the entire gamut of Torah Jewry and achdus among the Gedolei Yisrael who came to encourage, strengthen and express their admiration for lomdei Dirshu.

The greatest Roshei Yeshiva from the Litvish Torah world addressed the event, including HaGaon HaRav Aharon Feldman, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Ner Yisrael Baltimore; HaGaon HaRav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas South Fallsburg; HaGaon HaPosek, HaRav Hillel David, shlita, Rav of Shaarei Torah; HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Feivel Schustal, Rosh Yeshivas Tiferes Yerachmiel; Hagaon HaRav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood; and numerous others.

There were the great Admorim and Rabbanim of the Chassidishe world, the Rachmastrivka Rebbe, shlita; the Skulener Rebbe, shlita, who made the siyum and gave over such sweet words of chizuk, the Chernobyler Rebbe, shlita; the Kossover Rebbe, shlita; the Vienner Rav, shlita; HaGaon HaRav Yechiel Mechel Steinmetz, shlita, Skverer Dayan and senior Posek of Boro Park; and HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Zalman Gips, Rav of

Khal Birchas Avrohom of Boro Park.

There were prominent Sephardic giants such as Hagaon HaRav Shmuel Choueka, shlita, Rav of Khal Ohel Simcha; HaGaon HaRav David Ozeri, shlita; and numerous other prominent rabbanim.

The diversity of the crowd was limited to externals, because in truth, there was no diversity!

When everyone was singing and dancing after the siyum and clasping hands, there were no Chassidim and no Yeshiva types. There were no Sephardim or Ashkenazim. They were all just Torah Jews, Yidden united by the Torah we learn and the halacha and Daf HaYomi B’Halacha that they all learn and observe.

Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel: The Ultimate Power of a Mitzvah Done B’Shleimus The venerated Rosh Yeshiva of South Fallsburg, Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, brought out the magnitude of the simcha and accomplishment that the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Siyum represents. He cited the well-known Medrash wherein Yitzchak Avinu and Yishmael are arguing. Yishmael claimed that his mitzvah of bris milah at age thirteen was much greater than Yitzchak’s because his mitzvah required mesiras nefesh. He could have run away without undergoing the pain and difficulty, but he didn’t. “You, Yitzchak, were only eight days old, and didn’t even have a choice,” Yishmael argued.

Yitzchak replied, “My bris milah is dearer to Hashem because it is a mitzvah b’zemanah, it is a mitzvah done in the right time.”

“What kind of answer was Yitzchak giving?”

Rav Wachtfogel asked. “Isn’t mesiras nefesh more important?” He replied, “Mesiras nefesh is a tremendous feat, and a person will earn great sechar, reward for it, but it is not an ideal in and of itself.

A mitzvah b’zemnah, performing a mitzvah in the most l’chatchila way possible, is an ideal. The ultimate ideal is to perform every mitzvah exactly the way it is supposed to be performed. That is a prin-

Rav Shlomo Feivel Schustal: “Knowing Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim Is Not Optional. It Is Obligatory!”

A hush permeated the stadium as the venerated senior Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Shlomo Feivel Schustal, made his way to the podium. Rav Schustal, who spoke in English, eloquently impressed upon the large crowd of thousands and the women who were livestreamed for his address what it means to learn halacha so one can actually live. Halacha, knowing Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim that covers the daily halachos, is not optional. It is obligatory! It is an absolute necessity. Without halacha one cannot move his hands or feet. It as if he is paralyzed. He doesn’t know what he is or is not allowed to do.

“Some people say it is so hard to learn large amounts, to chazer and be tested. It is indeed difficult, but if you really want to, you can get everything done – you can find the time that you never thought you had to learn to review and to know!”

The Skulener Rebbe: “Dirshu Yidden Have Much Better Olam Hazeh!”

The Skulener Rebbe, shlita, was then called upon to be mesayem the entire six chalakim of Mishnah Berurah.

The Rebbe then related that a person once came to his father for a bracha. The Rebbe asked him, “Do you have a shiur? Do you learn Torah every day?”

The man said, “I would love to, but I just don’t have the time. I am so busy. I have no time.”

My father exclaimed, “You are right. You have no time as it is indeed not your time! It is the Ribbono Shel Olam’s time!

“People think that if you learn in Dirshu and are a lomeid Torah who learns and chazers, you are working for Olam Habaah, but the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey, zt”l, once told me that this is a mistake.

“These yungeleit have a much better Olam Hazeh! A Yid who learns, chazers, and is tested has the most wonderful Olam Hazeh, aside from Olam Habaah!”

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Around the Community

Rav Hillel David: “Every Day That We Are Able to Learn Hashem’s Torah is a Tremendous Gift!”

The venerated posek, HaGaon HaRav Hillel David, Rav of Khal Shaarei Orah of Flatbush, was honored with reciting the Hadran.

Rav David encouraged the thousands gathered in the arena and the tens of thousands who joined by livestream to recognize the great gifts of life and of time and to utilize the time that Hashem has given them by sharing a story. A grandson of the Chofetz Chaim related that he once asked the Chofetz Chaim, “Zeidah, how old are you?” The Chofetz Chaim smiled, but did not answer the question.

“Later,” the grandson continued, “My Zeidah saw me playing again in front of the house. He called me in and gave me a present, a whole fistful of coins! Elated, I was about to run to show my mother. My Zeidah, however, asked me, ‘I gave you so many coins and you didn’t count them?’ I replied that it was not nice or proper manners when someone gives you a gift to count it in front of them. My Zeidah then told me, ‘Remember when you asked me how old I am this morning? I want you to know that at my age, every single day and every year is a gift from Hashem. It is not nice for me to count…’

“We must appreciate,” explained Rav Hillel emotionally, “every single day that we have, every day that we are able to learn Hashem’s Torah is a tremendous gift!”

Rav Malkiel Kotler: “A Person Who Learns Halacha Every Day, Lives His Life ‘Olam Habaadig’” After Rav Hillel David completed the Hadran, Rav Malkiel Kotler, Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Medrash Govoha of Lakewood, was called upon to say the Kaddish. Before the recitation of Kaddish, Rav Kotler said, “Chazal teach us that he who learns halachos every day is assured a place in Olam Habaah.

Chazal,” Rav Kotler continued, “do not only mean that after his lifetime he will go to Olam Habaah, rather, they are giving us a message for this world, too. A person who learns halacha every day, lives his life ‘Olam Habaadig,’ he lives his life in this world with an eye above the world.”

There was nothing, absolutely nothing, that could have prepared the crowd for the eruption or – better put – explosion of simchas haTorah that permeated the cavernous stadium upon completion of the Kaddish. The orchestra began to play…but it was

the regular people, the people in the audience who set the tone, infusing a ruach that it seemed would take off the roof through its enthusiasm.

Looking around, you saw thousands upon thousands, bobbing up and down, dancing with such a feeling of deep satisfaction and simcha radiating on their faces.

Rav Dovid Hofstedter: “Achdus Through an Inner Bond with Torah is the Key” The enthusiastic dancing continued and continued for over half an hour the crowd barely able to contain their excitement. Finally, the chairman of the evening, Rabbi Lish, was able to call upon Rav Dovid Hofstedter to address the siyum.

Rav Hofstedter pointed out, “This siyum is taking place between the parshiyos of Shekalim and Zachor. We know that the Bnei Yisrael were counted through the machatzis hashekel. There is an issur to count the Bnei Yisroel and we find in the Navi that when that prohibition was transgressed, a mageifah, a plague came about. Why?” Rav Dovid then suggested, “Perhaps the reason is because counting people is a form of separation.

Each person is counted alone, separated from others by his individual number. When there is separation from the klal, challilah, an ayin hara can come giving reign to the malach hamaves. When there is no chibbur, no achdus, no connection in Klal Yisrael, that is when challilah, the malach hamaves has power.”

Rav Dovid went on, “Last month, we were in Vilna for a siyum. We visited Vilna and Kovno, the places where Klal Yisrael was almost wiped out eighty years ago. Sadly, the world is once again in turmoil. There is sinas Yisrael and sinas haTorah everywhere, even sadly in Eretz Yisrael where there are designs to make so many gezeiros against Torah learning and Torah observance. r”l. What is our response? The only eitzah is to come together with achdus, an achdus defined by a shared spiritual goal and bond. A true chibbur penimi, a spiritual bond of achdus, ‘Dirshu Hashem v’uzo bakshu panav tamid!’ A bond through leaning the Torah hakedosha together and building Torah together.

“If they want to close ten yeshivos, we will open one hundred new yeshivos! If they want to close 100 kollelim, we will open a thousand new kollelim! If they want to push Yidden away from Torah, we will bring close thousands of new baalei teshuva to Torah!

Rav Aharon Feldman: “When We Keep Halachas We are Testifying That Hashem Created the World and Runs the World!”

Rav Aharon Feldman, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Ner Yisroel of Baltimore, was honored with being the maschil, beginning the third machzor of the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha.

Rav Feldman said that the ultimate goal of mankind in the world is not only to attest to the fact that there is a Borei Olam, but that our daily conduct, from the minute we wake up in the morning until we go to sleep at night, should attest to the fact that there is a Borei Olam.”

With great feeling, Rav Feldman said, “We do not have to wait until Moshiach comes for this goal to be realized and to show all that Hashem runs the world. We can show it right now! How? By keeping halacha. By showing that how we go to sleep is dictated by Hashem and how we wake up is dictated by Hashem. By showing that how we do business is dictated by Hashem and how we raise our families is all dictated by halacha which is Hashem’s world. When we keep halachos, we are testifying that Hashem created the world and runs the world!”

Rav Yechiel Mechel Steinmetz: “Halacha is the Only Time in Shas that we are ‘Promised’ a Place in Olam Habaah” The final speaker of the evening was the senior Skverer Dayan of Boro Park, HaGaon HaRav Yechiel Mechel Steinmetz, shlita.

Rav Steinmetz emotionally pointed out something profound. “Chazal teaches us,” he said, “that whoever learns halacha every day is muvtach, is assured a place in Olam Habaah.” With his knowledge of the entire Shas, Rav Steinmetz said, “There is no other place in the entire Shas where the word muvtach, assured is used. Only with regard to halacha is Hashem giving you an absolute guarantee, a guarantee that you can take to the bank, that you are assured a place in Olam Habaah. What a zechus! What an obligation!”

As the massive crowd exited the Cure Insurance Arena, it was clear to all that they had been part of a historic experience. What they had experienced was not only a siyum on the entire Mishnah Berurah, but a demonstration, a testimony by Klal Yisrael, that they deeply want to bring Hashem into their daily lives.

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BUILDING BLOCKS OF ETERNITY Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s new capital project will encompass a Mesivta Beis Medrash and its first-ever Residence Hall.

BEIS MEDRASH + CLASSROOM BUILDING Will serve 500 talmidim in grades 8-11 34,200 Total square feet 4 Stories 5200 sq. feet Beis Hamedrash for Mesivta 12 Classrooms

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

T H E S E V I S I O N A R I E S H AV E A L R E A DY S T E P P E D F O R WA R D. W I L L YO U J O I N T H E M ?

MR. & MRS. BERISH & HANNAH FUCHS

THE BIVETSKY FAMILY SHAAR HATORAH

MR. & MRS. YUSSIE & SUSAN OSTREICHER

RESIDENCE HALL AND TORAH CENTER

‫ה ליב ע”ה‬-‫לע”נ שלום ראובן בן ארי‬

MESIVTA BEIS MEDRASH BUILDING

MESIVTA BEIS MEDRASH

ANONYMOUS

Entranceway to Mesivta Beis Medrash Building

Camp Oraysa Sports Complex

ANONYMOUS Residence Hall Cornerstone

ANONYMOUS

‫לע”נ נחמן יהודה בן יעקב דוד ע”ה‬ ‫ואשתו לאה בת יהודה אשר ע”ה‬ ‫ולע”נ יעקב ליב בן שלמה ע”ה‬

Dedication of Rosh Kollel’s Office

MR. & MRS. MOTTY & HADASSA JACOBOWITZ Promenade Vestibule

‫לע”נ הרה”ג ר‘ דוד בן הרב אברהם בנדר זצ”ל‬ ‫והרבנית בתיה חיה בת הרב יעקב הלוי ז”ל‬ ‫לע”נ זעליג בן מרדכי ע”ה‬ ‫לע”נ משה אלעזר בן נטע שלום ע”ה‬ ‫לע”נ דוד בן משה ע”ה‬ ‫הר‘ משה נתן בן יחזקאל ע”ה‬ ‫וישראל בן אברהם ע”ה‬ ‫ לע”נ‬The children, bochurim,

and all 45 neshamos of the Miron tragedy, Lag Baomer 5781

Dedicated by Mr. & Mrs. Yaakov & Rivky Jacobovitch

MR. & MRS. CHAIM & BRACHA SCHULHOF MR. & MRS. NISSAN & SARAH GITTY PROFESORSKE

‫לע”נ ישראל הלוי לעווין ע”ה‬ ‫ואלישבע בתיה קפלן ע”ה‬ Beis Medrash Vestibule Entrance

MR. & MRS. URI & ESTHER KAUFMAN

‫לע”נ חוה בת דב ע”ה‬

THE BLOOM FAMILY

‫לע”נ ר‘ ישראל‬ ‫בן ר‘ בנימין הכהן ע”ה‬

MR. & MRS. CHAIM SHOLOM & RIVKY LEIBOWITZ Associate Dean’s Office

MR. & MRS. SHMULI & MIRIAM MENDEL Sha’ar of New Beis Medrash

Ner Tamid

Mr. & Mrs. Barry & Paula Bokow

Dedication Wall Mesivta Beis Medrash Building

MR. & MRS. NASSAN & DEVORAH TREITEL

Gymnasium Wing

Preschool Cornerstone

Basketball Court in Elementary School Gym

MR. & MRS. ALON & CHANIE GOLDBERGER

MR. & MRS. NACHMAN & ESTHER GOODMAN

Sha’ar of New Beis Medrash

MR. & MRS. SHIA & ELANA OSTREICHER Beis Medrash Building Vestibule

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NAYMAN FAMILY

MR. & MRS. CHAIM & ROCHELLA TREITEL

MR. & MRS. NACHUM & HENNY FUTERSAK

MR. & MRS. MENASH & MIMI ORATZ

DEDICATED ANONYMOUSLY

In Memory of Mrs. Marta Schron ‫ע” ה‬

Lobby, Mesivta Beis Medrash Building

Cornerstone, Mesivta Beis Medrash Building

MR. & MRS. URI & DEVORAH DREIFUS

DEDICATION OF CAMP ORAYSA CAMPUS

MR. & MRS. MOTTY & HADASA MENDELSOHN

DR. & MRS. YOSSI & ZIVIA SCHWARTZ

MESIVTA OTZAR HASEFORIM

THE SCHRON FAMILY

MEMORIAL EXHIBIT TO THE YESHIVOS OF PREWAR EUROPE

GYMNASIUM WING

MR. & MRS. BENZION & MIRIAM HEITNER

MR. & MRS. DOVID & LEAH BRECHER

MR. & MRS. BENJAMIN & JUDY LANDA

MR. & MRS. YITZCHOK & SHOSHANA GANGER

Entrance of Beis Medrash Building

Plumbing Training Center Dedicated

‫לע”נ אברהם שלמה בן יחיאל מיכל הכהן ז”ל‬ ‫לע”נ הר‘ אברהם בן הר‘ חיים מנחם בן ציון זצ”ל‬ ALL BORO CONSTRUCTION

Mr. & Mrs. Ephram & Ilana Ostreicher Mr. & Mrs. Mutty & Bracha Ribowsky Mr. & Mrs. David & Sima Rosenfeld Mr. & Mrs. Dovid & Chani Roll Dr. & Mrs. Zvi & Dina Schreiber Mr. & Mrs. Andrew & Stephani Serotta Mr. & Mrs. Marvin & Judy Sigler Mr. & Mrs. Morris & Devora Smith Mr. & Mrs. Yehuda & Mindy Zachter

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‫לע”נ מוהר”ר יחיאל מיכל‬ ‫בן ישראל יהודה ע”ה‬

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1.

TJH

*

Centerfold

Hey Underlings, Try to think how you would feel if

Just letting you know before you plan my mishloach manos that

you were stereotyped. (Hey, your

this year I’ve gone green. I’m

Borsalino is a little too tilted to the left.) Also, please make sure to

like totally, you know, into the

provide a safe space where people

whole global warming thing.

who are insulted by your costumes

So, I am vegan, cage-free, glu-

could cry. The truth is, it’s best not to

ten-free, straw-free, dairy-free, fun-free, and

dress up at all because it’s insensitive of

brain-free. Also, please don’t send me anything that has any plastic or other particles that will burn a

you not to be as miserable as the PC police. But if

hole in the ozone. As it is, we only have 12 years left

you are inclined to dress up – share your pictures.

until the heat turns us all into sunny-side ups. Seri-

Be bold! Don’t let them intimidate you! Your fellow

ously, just think about how hot it was this winter in

underlings want to see how you dressed up. So,

New York!

send your pictures of you dressed up in your Pu-

Now, let’s talk about dressing up. You should all try to be sensitive with your costumes. I notice a lot of stereotyping of pirates, Thing #1 and Thing #2, Wizard of Oz, Waldo and, of course, Spider Man. Remember, Buggs Bunny has feelings, too!

rim finest to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com. In the Subject line write: Purim Pics.

Have a Happy Purim!!

Centerfold Commissioner forever

(yes, that’s my signature...impeccable penmanship!)

You Gotta Be Kidding Me !

A man went to see his doctor because he was suffering from a miserable cold. His doctor prescribed some pills, but they didn’t help.

On his next visit, the doctor gave him a shot, but that didn’t do any good, either.

On his third visit, the doctor told the man to go home and take a hot bath. As soon as he was finished bathing, he was to throw open window.

“But doc,” protested the patient, “if I do that, I’ll get pneumonia.”

“I know,” said his physician. “And I know how to cure pneumonia.”

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2022 2015

Megillah Trivia 1. What title did Haman NOT have? a. Bath attendant b. Barber c. Slave d. Prime minister e. god f. Army chief g. Uber driver 2. What did Achashveirosh NOT have at his feast? a. Gold beds b. Vessels from the Bais Hamikdash c. Flowing wine d. Music 3. At what time of year did the Jews of Shushan join in Achashveirosh’s feast? a. Pesach b. Lag B’Omer c. Purim d. Aseres Yimei Teshuva

a. b. c. d.

3 years old 40 years old 75 years old 80 years old

5. On what day was Vashti killed? a. Yom Kippur b. Shabbos c. Taanis Esther d. Kaf Shevat 6. How did Bigsan and Seresh attempt to kill Achashveirosh? a. They sprinkled a dried mold on his pillow so he would breathe it in when he slept b. They ground up glass and put it into his food c. They extracted venom from a snake and put it in his cup d. They poured oil on the marble floor of his bedroom so he would slip and be killed

4. How old, according to some, was Esther when she married Achashveirosh?

7. After Bigsan and Seresh were killed, how much time did it take Haman to rise to power? a. 3 months

Answers: 1-G (Nor did he work for Lyft.)

2-D (Reason? He wanted everyone to be present and enjoy. Sometimes music gets annoying… Think of the guy singing, “Mishe..Mishe…Mishe…Mishe” in your ear for five hours straight.)

3-D 4-B, C, D 5-A and B

6-C (Book depository seems simpler.)

7-C 8-C (It was on Pesach. Think about breaking your fast on matzah and cream cheese and hardboiled eggs… yikes!)

9-D (Hashem made those drawing water from wells in Shushan drown and those drying clothing on roofs in Shushan fall

b. 1 year c. 5 years d. 21 years 8. The original Taanis Esther took place in what month? a. Av b. Tishrei c. Nissan d. Adar 9. When the word got out about Haman’s evil decree, the Jews of Shushan began to cry. Who else was crying at that time as well? a. Vayzusa b. Hagai c. Bigsan d. The people of Shushan 10. How many people did Haman consult with about what to do with Mordechai? a. 1 b. 10 c. 18 d. 365

and die.)

10-D Wisdom Key: 8-10 correct: Charvona?

4-7 correct: You are right in the middle… good thing you are not one of Haman’s kids.

0-3 correct: You give new meaning to “Ad deloh yadah!”

The questions above were based on various Medrashim found in the book titled, “Let My Nation Live,” by Yosef Deutsch

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Torah Thought

Parshas Vayikra

By Rabbi Berel Wein

O

ne of the categories of sacrifices that are described in this week’s Torah reading describes the offerings that are meant to bring about forgiveness for sins that one committed inadvertently. The Torah details for us how the sacrifice was to be brought, and what its effects regarding forgiveness from Heaven would then occur.

Even though we live in a time when such animal sacrifices are not possible, one of the main lessons which is pertinent to us is that all forgiveness for wrongdoing requires true “sacrifice” on the part of the perpetrator of the sin. There is no free lunch involved here. The ability to request forgiveness for wrongdoing is completely contingent upon the true,

contrite feelings of the sinner.

And in our time, being remorseful can be expressed by one’s willingness to sacrifice one’s own time, wealth, abilities, and even social standing to achieve the forgiveness so necessary for spiritual and physical survival.

In many ways, we are accustomed to sacrifice to achieve goals that we have set for ourselves. We are willing to sacrifice much of our youth and its pleasures, in the hope that we will survive and live comfortably and nicely in our later years. We restrain

wrongs and trying to engender heavenly forgiveness for transgressions and sins.

Even though we no longer can bring such animal sacrifices on the altar of the Temple, we, nevertheless, can perceive ourselves as being the necessary sacrifice to accomplish our atonement and forgiveness. And this can only be accomplished through regret for the past misdeeds and the stronger permanent commitment of restraint over our future actions and behavior.

We understand fully that, without sacrifice, it is useless to expect forgiveness.

ourselves, no matter how strong our desires may be, in the hope and belief that this will somehow bring us to a better future. We understand fully that, without sacrifice, it is useless to expect forgiveness. And since human beings are, by their nature, imperfect, we are engaged in a continual process of sacrifice and self-restraint.

Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, the Rambam, expresses the idea that the sacrifice of an animal on the altar of the Temple should engender in the mind of the sinner who brought forth the sacrifice that the sinner himself or herself should be brought on the altar.

The animal being sacrificed is to be seen merely as a substitute for one’s own self in attempting to redress past

It is this deep understanding that we ourselves are the sacrifice that can bring us to a true attainment of forgiveness, in terms of heavenly judgment. In so doing, no detail of our behavior and actions can be considered insignificant or unimportant.

Just as the animal sacrifice cannot contain any blemish or imperfection, so, too, the mental, spiritual, and physical sacrifice entailed in obtaining forgiveness for our sins must be, as far as humanly possible, free from blemish and imperfection. This is a lofty goal to achieve, but it is the only sure path to goodness in life in this world and to the achievement of eternity in the Next World.

Shabbat shalom.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

Those who know, know.

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From the Fire Parshas Zachor

Remembering Each Jew’s Holiness

By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

T

he inyan of Parshas Zachor is to remember, and we also find the inyan of remembering when the Torah talks about the Urim v’Tumim. “You shall place both stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, stones of memory for Bnai Yisroel. And Aharon shall carry their names before Hashem on both his shoulders as a remembrance.” (Shemos 28:12). “Aharon shall carry the names of Bnai Yisroel on the choshen mishpat on his heart when he approaches the kodesh as a constant remembrance before Hashem.” (Shemos 28:29). The Ramban explains that the letters of the Urim V’Tumim would light up.

They were called Urim because they would light up before the eyes of the Kohein Gadol, and Tumim because with his ruach hakodesh and temimas halev, pureness of heart, the

Kohen Gadol knew how to combine the letters in the proper way.

Mordechai is called Mordechai ben Yair ben Shimi. The Gemara in Megilla (12b) explains that the Megilla calls Mordechai “Ben Yair” because he illuminated the eyes of Yisroel with his tefilla. Similarly, it calls him “Ben Shimi” because he was a son whose tefillos Hashem heard, from the word “shema.”

Through Purim, we see a wondrous idea in the koach of tefilla.

We see that “kimu v’kiblu” did not just apply to Torah, but to tefilla as well. Up until the time of the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah, everyone davened according to their heart’s desire. The Anshei Knesses HaGedolah, which existed around the time of Purim, established the letters, words, and form of davening that we are familiar with today in or-

der to allow us to properly fulfill the mitzvah of tefilla. The sugya regarding the establishment of tefilla is found davka in masechtas Megilla.

This is explained by R’ Yonasan David, the Rosh Yeshiva of Pachad Yitzchak and son-in-law of R’ Hutner, zt”l, who says that with the yom tov of Purim, Hashem revealed to us the kedushas haguf, the holiness of the bodies, of Klal Yisroel and of every single Jew. The pasuk in Yeshaya (51:21) says, “Therefore, hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine.” The Gemara in Eruvin (68a) uses this pasuk to state that since the Bais Hamikdash was destroyed, Klal Yisroel should be patur, exempt, from tefilla/davening because we are drunk from the trial and tribulations of galus, exile, and we don’t have the settled mind re-

quired to daven properly.

Haman’s decree was “to destroy, to slay, and eradicate” (Esther 7:4), to simply destroy every Jewish body and eradicate them from this world.

To Amalek, Haman, Hitler and even the current rasha in Iran, the thoughts of a Jew do not make any difference – they do not care what the Jew is thinking. These reshaim want to simply remove the physical presence of the Jewish people from this world.

The Gemara (also in Megilla 9a) refers to the letters of Aleph-Bais as gufin, bodies. The Anshei Knesses HaGedolah, by arranging the letters/bodies into tefillos in the format that we now know, infused the tefillos with all of the kavanos and sodos which enable a Jew to daven without even understanding the meaning of the words he is saying.

When a Jew simply focuses on the form of the letters, he accomplishes wonders with the letters themselves.

Purim revealed the kedusha of the body of a Jew. After we read the Megillah, we sing “Shoshanas Yaakov” in which we say, “You have been their eternal salvation.” On Purim, it was revealed that even when the body of a Jew is in a state of non-wine-induced drunkenness due to galus, the body, not just the neshama, is eternal. On Purim, we learned that Jewish eternity is not exclusively for the soul but for the body as well. The salvation of Purim extends to our holy bodies, which are themselves letters of the Torah.

Chazal say, “yesh shishim ribo osios laTorah, there are 600,000 letters in the Torah,” corresponding to the 600,000 Jewish people who left Mitzrayim.

Even though a Jew might not know what he’s saying when he davens, by saying the letters and words of the tefillos in the seder established by the Anshei Knesses HaGedola, his tefillos light up and wonderous combinations are made.

This is connected to the inyan of drinking (a little bit) on Purim. Even though we might be slightly drunk and might not be fully aware, the letters themselves are automatically combined in a wondrous way. This is the secret of the Urim V’umim, which were simply letters that were illuminated. It was only through the ruach hakodesh of the Kohen Gadol that he was able to see the proper combinations and understand the meaning behind the message. However, the koach of Amalek confuses us and causes us to misread the letters and prevents us from believing in the eternal remembrance of kedushas Yisroel.

Even though a Jew does not understand the tefilla he is saying, the tefilla is still filled with an unbelievable kedusha and ohr. This is what was shown to us on Purim by Mordechai, who was a member of the Anshei Knesses HaGadola who illuminated our eyes with tefilla.

In the paragraph that is recited after leining the Megillah, it says, “Hashem saw the tefilla.” Usually, tefilla is heard. But here, following the miraculous events of Purim,

Hashem saw the osios, the letters, of the tefillos, which Mordechai had illuminated in the eyes of Klal Yisrael.

There was a time when the Baal

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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sound was coming out. According to the Gra, Eli inquired of the Urim V’Tumim, but he misread the letters and read “shikora, drunk” instead

On Purim, we learned that Jewish eternity is not exclusively for the soul but for the body as well.

Shem Tov, zy”a, was traveling with his shamash and suddenly lost all his madraigos of learning and ruach hakodesh. He turned to his shamash and said, “Repeat after me.” The Baal Shem Tov started reciting the letters of the Aleph Bais one by one, with the shamash repeating the letters after him. When they completed the entire Aleph Bais, the Baal Shem Tov’s ruach hakodesh returned. The Baal Shem Tov’s simple recitation of the letters of the Aleph Bais had a wonderous result because the letters themselves are holy and powerful.

I remember, while on a trip to a Holocaust museum, hearing someone read just the names of those lost in the Churban. Just hearing the names being read aloud had a profound effect on me.

Now we can understand how the names of the Shvatim that were written on the Choshen served as a constant remembrance before Hashem. The letters are the gufim of every single Jew that the Kohen Gadol wears on his shoulders and on his heart, as a constant reminder of each and every Jewish guf no matter what state of awareness he is in. Hashem, the “Kohen Gadol,” takes every letter and every guf, and constantly weaves wonderous combinations with them. The result is a magnificent garment of Kiddush Hashem that Hashem proudly wears.

Everyone remembers that in Mishkan Shilo there was the Kohen Gadol named Eli, who misread the holy Jewish letter/guf of Chana.

When Eli saw Chana in the Mishkan, her lips were moving but no

of “kesheira, kosher.” He said to her, “You’re a drunk. Leave the house of Hashem!”

Chana responded, “No, my master. You are misreading the letters (the ruach hakodesh is not resting upon you).”

Eli misread Chana’s letter/guf.

Chana ultimately went on to give birth to Shmuel Hanavi, who cut off the head of Agag, King of Ama-

lek. Shmuel, whose mother was misinterpreted as an unimportant guf, was the one who destroyed the King of Amalek, whose very koach, strength and essence, is misreading and destroying Jewish gufim.

We are certain and trust that Hashem is mitzaref our osios for us even though we are in a state of drunkenness by lacking full awareness of the reality of life due to our golus. We are confident and trust in the eternity of Yisroel.

“And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation.” (Esther 9:28) We should be zocheh to see the final downfall of the reshaim and the lifting up Klal Yisroel, b’mheira b’yameinu. Amen.

Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the founding Morah d’Asrah of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, and serves as leader of the new mechina Emek HaMelech.

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COMING THIS WEEK FROM YOUR CHILDREN'S FAVORITE SERIES! SHRINK WRAPPED!

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Delving into the Daf

Yibum and Tzitzis

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

D

af Yomi recently began learning Masechta Yevamos. The Zohar in Parshas Ki Seitzei discusses the paucity of Torah that will exist in the times of Moshiach.

The Zohar refers to someone who mastered Shas as an “ani,” a pauper.

Ani is spelled “Ayin-Nun-Yud.” The Zohar explains that this word is an acronym for Eiruvin, Niddah, and Yevamos. Even someone who mastered the hardest masechtos in Shas, and by extension the other masechtos as well, is still considered poor. There are many secrets of the Torah that the scholar still has not learned. It is telling that Yevamos is regarded as one of the hardest masechtos to learn.

Rav Yaakov Emden notes that the difficulty is not in mastering the complicated scenarios, of which there are many. Rather, the difficulty is to master the fine reasoning behind the various scenarios. The scholar should not feel ashamed if he cannot fully comprehend the logic of every daf.

Yevamos is full of apparent contradictions, and many have been unable to master this masechta.

Many find the scenarios discussed difficult to visualize. The Mesivta edition of the Gemara has 168 pages of diagrams for the first 19 blatt!

Rav Nosson Kamenetzky reported that his father, the great Rav Yaakov, zt”l, was able to visualize the scenarios fairly easily. As a young yeshiva bochur, Rav Yaakov found it difficult to learn Yevamos with a chavrusa in Yeshiva who could not match his skill set. However, apparently, he was able to overcome this difficulty, as that was the only time he reported having an issue learning with a particular chavrusa.

Tosfos Yeshanim wonders why Seder Moed begins with Masechta

Yevamos. After all, the main topic of the masechta is the mitzvah of Yibum. That mitzvah only applies in a sad circumstance where a husband dies without children. In Tosfos Yeshanim’s version of the Talmud, Yevamos followed Moed Katan. One main topic of Moed Katan is mourning.

Therefore, Tosfos Yeshanim suggests that Rebbi juxtaposed the laws of mourning to Yevamos, as they both deal with sad topics.

The very first Mishna in Masechta Yevamos deals with which women a man may not marry. In the event that one of those women were married to the Yavam’s brother, the mitzvah of Yibum would be precluded. The Tosfos Yeshanim, therefore, suggests an alternate answer. It is actually logical to begin Seder Nashim that discusses the laws of marriage with a list of women a man may not marry.

Of Sha’atnez and Tzitzis The Gemara (Yevamos 4a) discusses the Biblical prohibition against wearing a garment that contains a mixture of wool and linen. The Torah states, “Do not wear sha’atnez” (Devarim 22:11). The very next verse discusses the mitzvah of tzitzis. The Gemara derives from the juxtaposition of the two verses that one may violate the biblical prohibition of sha’atnez in order to fulfill the mitzvah of tzitzis. In the Mishnaic era, if someone had a four-cornered linen garment, he would be permitted to put wool tzitzis strings on it. In fact, the Gemara points out later, he would have no choice but to do so. There is a mitzvah to place tzitzis strings colored with techeiles together with the white strings on the corners. These blue-colored strings had to be made out of wool. Accordingly, the only

way to completely fulfill the mitzvah of tzitzis with a linen garment would be to place wool strings dyed with techeiles on the corners (in addition to the obligatory white strings).

Sadly, we no longer have definite techeiles, thus we are unable to completely fulfill the mitzvah of tzitzis.

Consequently, the Shulchan Aruch rules that we may no longer violate the prohibition of sha’atnez to fulfill the mitzvah of tzitzis. If one has a four-cornered garment made of linen, he should attach linen tzitzis strings to it. (Our tzitzis strings are generally wool.)

Rabbi Akiva Eiger raised an interesting question. Back in the days of techeiles, if one had a four-cornered wool-and-linen garment, would he be able to put tzitzis on it and wear it?

The Gemara only discussed putting wool strings on a linen garment or linen strings on a wool garment, but the Gemara did not discuss the fabric content of the garment itself. Rabbi Akiva Eiger explained that even back then, sha’atnez was not permitted in the garment itself.

There is a “lumdishe” order of operations for tzitzis. The mitzvah of tzitzis is technically to attach tzitzis strings to the garment. (Still, if they were already attached before the garment was put on, that is also fine.) So, step number one is to put on a four-cornered garment. Step two, which follows immediately, is to attach tzitzis. In Talmudic times, if one needed to violate the prohibition of sha’atnez to fulfill step two, he was permitted to do so. However, if the garment itself contains wool and linen, there is no license to put on the garment in the first place. Step two, the mitzvah of tzitzis, only comes after the garment is already being worn.

So, the mitzvah of tzitzis can’t help with the initial wearing of the wool and linen garment.

Some people order custom-made suits and rely on the assurances of the tailor that there won’t be any linen used in the suits and therefore the suits will not have an issue with sha’atnez. A lawyer who frequently makes trips to Hong Kong had, over time, purchased ten custom-made suits. He initially relied on the assurances of the tailor and the local populace that the suits contained no linen.

He later became wary and brought them into the lab. All ten suits were sha’atnez. True, the main fabric itself was not sha’atnez, but the collar and shoulder supports were.

Thinking like a lawyer, he kept all his receipts for the checking and removal of sha’atnez. He further kept his receipts for the tailoring necessary to mend the suit. The bills came out to around $750. On his next trip to Hong Kong, he presented his tailor with the bills and demanded reimbursement. The tailor demurred but offered two new suits to the attorney.

The offer was accepted on the condition that these two new suits were absolutely free of linen. The tailor promised and gave his assurances that there would be no linen used in these new suits. Upon his return to America, the new suits were brought straight to the sha’atnez lab, and they were both sha’atnez!

Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow is a rebbe at Yeshiva Ateres Shimon in Far Rockaway. In addition, Rabbi Sebrow leads a daf yomi chaburah at Eitz Chayim of Dogwood Park in West Hempstead, NY. He can be contacted at ASebrow@gmail.com.

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The Eternal Secret of Our Purim Triumph

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By Rav Yaakov Feitman

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verything about Purim is a mystery.

From the beginning of the Megillah until the end nine long years go by. Even Klal Yisrael forgot why Hashem was angry at them (Megillah 12a). All they could see was that Mordechai had incensed Haman, bringing about his enmity and a vicious decree of genocide against us. Esther’s rise to the throne is an enigma, for many reasons including her actual age and other factors indicating that miracles were happening.

Of course, Hashem’s Name is absent from the Megillah because this is a nes nistar – a hidden miracle – and Purim teaches us that Hashem is always with us, even and especially when He is not readily apparent.

But there is another aspect to the Megillah which is also concealed from open view. That is the secret mesiras nefesh of Mordechai and Esther. First of all, Mordechai risked death when he wouldn’t bow down to Haman. Later, Esther equally endangered her life by appearing uninvited to Achashveirosh. It has been suggested for many centuries that Mordechai and Esther both took these drastic steps as an antidote to

the fact that Klal Yisrael benefitted and even enjoyed Achaveirosh’s party even though he was parading in the garments of the Kohain Gadol and gloating over the holy utensils of the Bais Hamikdash. Some say that we had no choice; after all, he was the king and could have us executed for lack of participation. Others point to the fact that all of the food was kosher, under the supervision of Mordechai, the ultimate mashgiach. True enough, but they should have put on a smiling face, crying inside over the chillul Hashem. They apparently did not, and so their fate was sealed. The B’nai Yissaschar famously teaches that this is the source of the masks of Purim. We should have put on a mask then, but since we didn’t, we do so today as a kaparah. According to the Gemara, Mordechai and Esther also paid a personally great price for their heroism, since they became forbidden to each other as husband and wife at the end of the saga.

Yet, this is only part of the story.

Chazal (Megillah 15a) teach that Esther told Achashveirosh that Mordechai had saved his life and thereby brought about the salvation of Klal Yisrael. From this noble act, the Ge-

mara derives that whenever someone repeats anything in the name of the originator, he or she brings a geulah to the world. The Imrei Emes of Gur is surprised. Would we really think that Esther would lie? Why was this conversation so extraordinary? His answer goes to the heart of the Megillah and our eternal triumph.

Chazal (Sanhedrin 89b) teach that when Hashem reveals a prophesy all the other nevi’im of the generation receive it as well, although each in their own unique form and understanding.

Thus Esther, who was one of the seven Nevi’os, also knew of the plot against the king which had been revealed to Mordechai. Esther could morally and ethically have claimed credit for the revelation and cemented her position as queen. Instead, she took no personal credit and attributed the king’s rescue to Mordechai alone. That was her moment of greatness.

We should also add here the insight of my rebbe, Rav Yitzchok Hutner, zt”l, (Pachad Yitzchok, Purim No. 13, page 56). Mordechai seems to warn Esther, “Do not imagine that you will be able to escape in the king’s palace any more than the rest of the Jews. For if you persist in keeping si-

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lent at a time like this, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from some other place, and you and your father’s house will perish.” The Rosh Yeshiva points out that we cannot even consider that Mordechai suspects Esther of cowardice or lack of caring for her brethren. So what was this mussar shmuess all about?

He answers that we know (Bava Kamma 92a) that one who prays for someone else and he requires the same salvation, the one who is davening is answered first for his own trouble. We also know (Sotah 5b) the tremendous power of a prayer which emanates from a broken heart. He or she who gives away their own priority to someone else does not forfeit that power. On the contrary, they are answered first and only later is the one for whom the original prayer was uttered helped and saved. Esther thought that since she was the queen and immune from persecution, she is not the best person to represent her people. However, Mordechai pointed out to her that Vashti, too, was a Queen and that didn’t work out so well. Therefore, she can certainly be the one to represent Klal Yisrael in

their moment of need.

What we therefore see about Esther is that her every thought, strategy and plan was based upon what best for Klal Yuisrael, certainly not for herself. Mordechai, too, at the end of the Megillah (see Megillah 6b) is rejected by some of his colleagues in the Sanhedrin because he is not

was an impoverished bochur who became engaged but had absolutely no means to make a wedding and begin his married life. After the engagement, many of his friends tried to raise funds and help, but it became very difficult and soon most of them gave up and lost interest. One of the older boys who had encountered dif-

It is also a story of personal triumph using the middah of mesiras nefesh. learning as much Torah as he used to.

For Mordechai, as great and successful as his efforts were, the personal loss at the end of the Purim story was very great.

Purim is the story of Klal Yisrael’s redemption from the hand of the evil Haman, but it is also a story of personal triumph using the middah of mesiras nefesh.

In the Tshebiner Yeshiva, there

ficulty finding a shidduch himself decided to take on the project. He reasoned that if he himself could not seem to find a wife, at least he could help someone else who had already discovered his life’s helpmeet.

Things here, too, were not going smoothly, and he was not succeeding in Eretz Yisrael. He asked his rebbe for permission to travel to America to raise the funds. His rebbe thought

it would be a good idea and granted the permission and the use of some of the funds raised for travel expenses.

On one of his stops, a wealthy family asked him the obvious question.

“Are you the chosson’s relative or best friend?”

His answer came readily but surprisingly. “No, we are not related, and I never even spoke to him before his vort in the Yeshiva.”

“Then why are you doing this?”

His answer simply was, “I cared, and I would like to help him.”

At that moment, the lady of the house thought of her amazing niece who had also been having difficulty with shidduchim. The shidduch was suggested, found favor with both, and they got married, eventually raising a beautiful family.

When Hashem sees mesiras nefesh for others, with no personal gain in sight, He brings the redemption rapidly. That is the story of Mordechai and Esther, and that is the mysterious history of Klal Yisrael.

A freilichen Purim to all.

Rav Yaakov Feitman is the rav of Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi in Cedarhurst, NY.

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The Great Light of Megillas Esther

BY RABBI DANIEL GLATSTEIN

Because

of the importance of the mitzvah of hearing the reading of the Megillah, the Gemara teaches that even if one were engaged in the greatest of all mitzvos — the study of Torah — one would be required to stop learning and go to listen to the Megillah reading.

Likewise, the Gemara states that the mitzvah of reading the Megillah supersedes the Avodah in the Beis HaMikdash. Hence, Megillah has precedence over both talmud Torah and Avodah.

The Baal HaTurim writes that these halachos, this hierarchy of mitzvah observance, is alluded to in the pesukim. Regarding the bells that were placed at the hem of the Me’il of the Kohen Gadol, the pasuk says, “Its sound shall be heard when he enters the Sanctuary.” The Baal HaTurim comments that the Masoretic note records three instances in Tanach where the word “v’nishmah, shall be heard” appears. One occurrence is in the above pasuk; the second in the pasuk regarding Kabbalas HaTorah, “Everything that Hashem has said, we will do and we will obey”; and last, in the pasuk in Megillas Esther: “Then the king’s decree shall be heard.”

These three mentions of the word v’nishmah articulate the primacy of mikra Megillah. When there is a conflict of v’nishmah pitgam ha’melech (i.e., mikra Megillah) and talmud Torah (na’aseh v’nishmah), mikra Megillah has priority. When there is a conflict between mikra Megillah and v’nishmah kolo b’vo’o el ha’kodesh (Avodah), mikra Megillah takes precedence once more – “it is greater.”

The Baal HaTurim adds that this remez is uniquely compelling, as “rabba” is the baal ha’meimra, the one who stated in the Gemara the preeminence of mikra Megillah over talmud Torah and Megillah. (However, see our version of the Gemara that reads rava and not rabba.)

The comments of the Baal HaTurim are deeply

perplexing. Is it possible that mikra Megillah is greater than talmud Torah and Avodah? Mikra Megillah is Rabbinic in origin, while learning Torah and performing the Avodah are mandated by the Torah. How can a mitzvah mid’Rabbanan be greater than a mid’Oraisa? Granted, we would still stop learning and interrupt the Avodah to perform the mitzvah of mikra Megillah, but that is because we interrupt the study of Torah for the performance of any mitzvah whose time is passing. That doesn’t indicate that the other mitzvah is greater. But the Baal HaTurim says mikra Megillah is greater — rabba — and adif, better. Can that be?

Let us digress slightly to focus on another aspect of this Gemara.

The wording of the Gemara is of interest. The Gemara says “mevatlin,” a reference to the transgression we refer to as bitul Torah. The Gemara seems to reckon the act of stopping one’s learning to go to hear the Megillah as a sin of bitul Torah.

Isn’t reading the Megillah a form of Torah study? Megillas Esther is one of the twenty-four books of Tanach that every talmid chacham must learn and in which he must be proficient. The Megillah is a part of Torah like any other. Why would the Gemara refer to the fulfillment of one of the most beloved mitzvos as “mevatlin Talmud Torah”?

This question has been posed and discussed by many of the Torah luminaries of the generations and debated in the hallowed halls of yeshivos, and each answer yields a great gem of Torah insight.

We will present a number of approaches.

Rav Shlomo Kluger addresses this question in a number of his sefarim. In the Sefer HaChaim, he offers what he considers a simple and obvious answer. Rav Kluger agrees that reading the Megillah is considered Torah, but there are different levels of learning Torah. The ideal form of Torah study is through rigorous analysis and probing scrutiny.

The optimal limud haTorah requires ameilus and yegiah, toil and mental exertion. Thus, relative to the study of Torah in the preferred manner, merely “reading” the Megillah is comparatively bitul Torah.

This is the basis for the adage in the yeshiva world, “There is bitul Torah b’kamus, in quantity, and there is bitul Torah b’aichus, in quality.” Reading the Megillah instead of engaging in in-depth Torah study is considered qualitative bitul Torah.

This notion is one that poses a challenge to every individual, as we can never allow our study of Torah to be more superficial than we are capable of, as that would place our learning in the undesirable category of bitul Torah.

The Approach of the Aruch HaShulchan

An Alternative Approach of Rav Shlomo Kluger

The Aruch HaShulchan explains that certainly the reading of the Megillah constitutes Torah study. However, it takes time until everyone reaches the beis haknesses, and until all are gathered

In Chochmas Shlomo, Rav Kluger advances an extremely original chiddush. Certainly, reading the Megillah is a fulfillment of talmud Torah. However, one is not halachically able to fulfill two distinct

there. All that downtime is considered bitul Torah.

Therefore, Chazal must legislate a special dispensation to be “matir” this bitul Torah for the sake of mikra Megillah. Although one may have overlooked that stretch of time and considered it inconsequential, we learn from the Aruch HaShulchan the significance of even a brief period of time.

Allowing even a few moments to slip away is considered bitul Torah.

The Approach of Rav Shlomo Kluger

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mitzvos simultaneously. That is, if one intends to fulfill the mitzvah of talmud Torah by reading the Megillah, while one would be accredited with that mitzvah, one would not be fulfilling the mitzvah of mikra Megillah. Conversely, if one is intent on fulfilling the mitzvah of mikra Megillah, he would not be accredited with the mitzvah of talmud Torah.

While ordinarily reading the Megillah is considered learning, under the circumstances in which one would be attempting to fulfill the mitzvah of reading the Megillah, one would not be accredited with the mitzvah of talmud Torah and it would be correctly deemed by the Gemara to be bitul Torah.

The Approach of Rav Efraim Zalman Margolis Rav Efraim Zalman Margolis develops an innovative approach to answer this question. Maseches Megillah records that Esther petitioned the Chachamim, “kisvuni l’doros”; that is, allow my book to be reckoned as part of the corpus of the written documents of the Jewish people.

The Chachamim were hesitant to accede to Esther’s request, as they thought that the subject of combating Amalek was already sufficiently addressed in Tanach, and the requisite mentions of the subject had already been met. It is not clear, and it remains a subject of debate among the Amoraim if the Sages ultimately allowed Megillas Esther to be canonized.

Shmuel, in Maseches Megillah, maintains that Esther is not reckoned as one of the twenty-four books of Tanach. Tosafos explain that in the opinion of Shmuel, Megillas Esther is recognized as an acceptable document only mid’Rabbanan.

Rav Efraim Zalman states that while we rule in accordance with R’ Eliezer that, in fact, Megillas Esther was canonized and is incorporated into the Kisvei HaKodesh, it was deemed one of the sifrei Tanach only in respect to the specific mitzvah of reading the Megillah on Purim for pirsumei nisa, publicizing the miracle. However, in any other regard, in terms of personal Torah study and analysis, it was not canonized and it is not part of the Torah.

Hence, if one were to interrupt the study of a recognized portion of the Torah to read the Megillah, it would be considered bona fide bitul Torah, as Megillas Esther is not considered Torah in the view of Rav Efraim Zalman Margolis and is not considered part of Tanach (for anything other than the reading of the Megillah on Purim).1 Understandably, Rav Efraim Zalman’s proposal was met with vehement disapproval. The Avnei Nezer writes that he does not even believe that the tzaddik the Beis Efraim would ever have uttered such an approach. Following the logic of the Beis Efraim, the Amoraim and Baalei HaMidrash who expounded on the Megillah wasted their time, as explicating the words of the Megillah would merely be academic without any Torah or religious val-

ue. Who permitted these great rabbis to engage in bitul Torah to elucidate the Megillah? Therefore, the Avnei Nezer emphatically concludes: “But certainly Megillas Esther is Torah just like the rest of the Prophets and the Scriptures. ... It is part of the Tanach in which every Torah scholar must be proficient.”

An Approach Based on the Akeidas Yitzchak I believe an alternative approach can be gleaned from the words of Rav Yitzchak Aramaah in his introduction to his commentary to Megillas Esther, Akeidas Yitzchak.

He advances that the reason Hashem’s Name does not appear in Megillas Esther is because initially the Book of Esther was written as a secular document in the chronicles of Persia and Media.

Esther asked the Chachamim to select with their Divine spirit the elements that should be recorded

“The spiritual light latent in Megillas Esther is in reality much greater and more honorable than that of the Torah itself.” and entered into our Torah for posterity. Therefore, the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah did, in fact, sift and select out the narrative as we have it today, but they left it as it was, without the Name of Hashem.

According to the Akeidas Yitzchak, we can suggest that there is a special chiddush in stating that we interrupt regular Torah study to read the Megillah. One may have thought that since the Megillah did not originate as a component of the Torah, but began as a secular document, perhaps it would not be considered on par with the study of Torah that was rooted in holiness; that is why the Talmud teaches a special ruling that irrespective of the source of the Megillah, “mevtalin Talmud Torah u’ba’in l’shmo’a mikra Megillah.”

Understanding the Baal HaTurim Let us now return to the challenging comments of the Baal HaTurim, who articulates “ki rabba hi,” i.e., the reading of the Megillah is actually greater than other Torah portions. Is that, in fact, so?

The Chasam Sofer makes an astounding statement that supports the above assertion: “The

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spiritual light latent in Megillas Esther is in reality much greater and more honorable than that of the Torah itself.”

This is such an earthshattering statement that who but the Chasam Sofer could presume to say such a thing. Rav Pinchas Friedman characterizes this as a stupendous chiddush the likes of which we have never encountered.

Yet, such a statement defies all conventional Torah thinking. Can the light of the Megillah be greater than that of Torah itself?

Let us preface the foundational concept behind this teaching with the mysterious words of the Midrash Rabbah. The Midrash teaches that there are items in this world that are semblances of the entity in its full, complete form in all its glory: Sleep is a semblance of death. A dream is a semblance of prophecy. Shabbos is a semblance of the World to Come.

R’ Avin added another two examples. The orb of the sun is a semblance of the supernatural light … and the Midrash mysteriously concludes … the Torah is a semblance of the chochma shel Ma’aleh, the Torah is a mei’ein of the wisdom On High.

This is a revolutionary statement, as common thinking is that the Torah is the highest form of chochmah, and here the Midrash is teaching that it is merely a semblance of a branch of wisdom known as Chochmah HaElyonah.

Although these are mystical concepts that transcend our limited faculties, nevertheless the concept can be simplified as follows. The Torah that we learn has been filtered down so that it can be assimilated by the human mind. But the wisdom of Hashem is even more supreme and sanctified in its original form.

Now, this is the million-dollar question: Is there any way that we, mortals, can access and bring out to some extent the wisdom of Hashem in its original form? Is there any information that we are privy to that is unfiltered, directly from the Chochmah HaElyonah?

There is. Rav Aryeh HaKohen, one of the “lion cubs,” the students of the Arizal, reveals in his sefer Tur Berekes that indeed there is one segment of Divine information that was given to Klal Yisrael that can in fact activate and make manifest the Chochmah HaElyonah: Megillas Esther. The Megillah derives from the Chochmah HaElyonah itself. Thus, it defers talmud Torah and all other mitzvos as it is sourced in an even more sublime and rarified dimension of Chochmas Elokim.

This is the mystical reason why mevtalin Talmud Torah u’ba’in l’shmo’a mikra Megillah.

Thus, the words of the Chasam Sofer are to be taken at face value. The light contained in Megillas Esther is actually greater than that which is contained in the Torah itself.

This would account for the overwhelming reactions I find that people have when exposed to

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some of the hidden secrets of history that seem to be revealed and blatantly alluded to in Megillas Esther. (See the essay “Purim Fest 1946 — And the Ancient Origins of the Megillah Codes,” about which someone once commented to me that this historical reference is the most obvious proof of the Divine origin of the Torah.)

This earthshattering chiddush about the nuclear energy and light contained in Megillas Esther is sourced in the astounding teaching of the Ari HaKadosh. The Arizal teaches that the light that the Ribbono shel Olam graciously illuminated for the Jewish people on Purim was unprecedented and unparalleled. It even surpasses the light of Shabbos and Yom Tov. But Hashem wanted that incomparable light to forever shine for the Jewish people

on Purim — and therefore, “these days of Purim should never cease from among the Jews,” and every year on Purim this brilliant and unrivaled light shines again for the Jewish people. It is an eternal light that will never dim. As the Arizal concludes, “For it is a light the likes of which had never existed.”

And, just as the light of Purim transcends the light of any other holy day on the Jewish calendar, the light of the Megillah surpasses that of the light of any other segment of Torah. Hence, in a conflict between mikra Megillah and any other mitzvah, mikra Megillah is paramount.

“But I will surely have concealed My face on that day.” Alas, at first the Al-mighty was hidden as the Jews faced national extermination. The Ribbono shel Olam was The Concealed.

Through the miraculous salvation and brilliant light of Divine revelation — v’nahafoch hu, And it was turned about! The Ribbono shel

Olam and the secrets of the Torah became The Revealed.

This approach of Rav Efraim Zalman Margolis would give us insight into the phenomenon we encounter in Maseches Megillah (10b–11a), where we are told that various Amoraim. They initiated their discussion on the Megillah by offering insight into some other place in Tanach from which they would springboard into expounding upon the Megillah.

Is the subject of Megillas Esther not rich enough that they had to begin their discussion elsewhere?

1

Perhaps, if one takes the position of Rav Efraim Zalman, these Amoraim would not give a discourse directly on the Megillah because as such it would not be reckoned as talmud Torah. By expounding upon other areas of Torah and incorporating the discussion on the Megillah into parts of Torah that are recognized parts of the corpus of Moshe kibeil Torah mi’Sinai, they elevated the entire discourse into one of talmud Torah.

Rabbi Daniel Glatstein is the Mara D’asra of Kehilas Tiferes Mordechai in Cedarhurst, NY, and author of numerous seforim in Lashon Hakodesh and in English for ArtScroll. He is an international lecturer and maggid shiur. His thousands of recorded shiurim are available on Torahanytime. com, podcast, his website rabbidg.com, and other venues.

This article is an introduction to Rabbi Glatstein’s newest sefer, The Concealed and The Revealed, published by ArtScroll/Mesorah and reprinted with permission.

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The Wandering

Jew

Mini Trips Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

By Hershel Lieber

I

n the course of traveling, we have made many journeys that spanned anywhere between one and two weeks and, at times, even longer. Most trips were in conjunction to our participation in projects in Poland and Russia. Many times, we added other European cities to our itinerary since the additional costs did not involve airfare. We also traveled extensively to many destinations within the United States. When we could not afford the time to travel for longer trips, we settled on mini trips within New York, New Jersey, and adjoining states.

Though these trips were typically for two or three days, they nevertheless were very enjoyable and usually included quite a bit of sightseeing and other activities. Somehow, we were not the type of people that were content with just relaxing in the sun, taking long strolls, or going shopping. We were always looking for interesting places or things to do. Surprisingly, we found enough interesting sites even in places where others would question why we went there in the first place.

I am reminded of the time we went to Pittsburgh for three days, and I received a call on my cellphone from an as-of-now infamous politician asking if I would join his $1,000 a plate dinner to fund his reelection. The first question he asked when he reached me was “So, where am I catching you now?” When I replied, “Pittsburgh,” he remarked sarcastically, “And you went willingly?” Joking aside, we enjoy art museums, botanical gardens, historical places, city architecture and distinct neighborhoods, so there are always places for us to appreciate. In addition, we try to connect to Jewish people at shuls, kosher restaurants, and other venues, so that our trips are more meaningful that just plain sightseeing.

Touring the Ephrata community

Pennsylvania has been a favorite state for us for over fifty years. Most areas that we have visited over the years were between two- and fourhours’ distance from our home. When our children were young, we took them a number of times to the Poconos, Scranton, Philadelphia, and, of course, to Hershey Park and Lancaster in the

with our dear friends Rabbi David and Suzy Avigdor for a three-day trip to Philadelphia. Six months after the lockdown from Covid-19, during the summer of 2020, we went with my son Mechel, our daughter-in-law Leah, and their five children for three days to the Poconos. I already mentioned our trip to Pittsburgh, which was re-

When I replied, “Pittsburgh,” he remarked sarcastically, “And you went willingly?”

Amish country. A number of years ago we took our children and grandchildren to the Philadelphia Zoo, the Benjamin Franklin Institute, and on a different occasion for a walking tour of Independence Mall and the sites associated with the founding of our country. We also went a long time ago to Gettysburg, where we were traumatized by the sites of the horrific battles that took place during the Civil War. About two years ago, we went

ally excellent in many respects, and I hope to write about it in the future.

One city that we passed while driving on the nearby highways somehow was never on our itinerary. That city was Harrisburg, the capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

On April 30, 2018, we set out for a two-night trip to Harrisburg and its environs. After a three-hour drive, we arrived at our hotel late in the af-

ternoon. Except for walking around for a while downtown, we did not do anything noteworthy that day. When we walked past the State Capitol, I had a feeling of deja vu and immediately recognized it. It took a while until my memory kicked in and recalled that we stopped to tour this very building during a trip we took to York, Pennsylvania, almost twenty years earlier. We generally enjoy visiting State Capitol Buildings since they are provide a good introduction to the history and culture of each individual state. We returned to our room, had supper, and spent an entire fifteen minutes in the gym!

The following morning, I went to the shul. Kesher Israel Congregation was led by Rabbi Elisha Friedman, a musmach of Yeshiva University, at the time. The rav was very friendly, and he showed me the main sanctuary, which is used only on Shabbos and yom tov.

He also told me the brief history of the shul, which was the first pulpit of the Gaon Rabbi Eliezer Silver, zt”l, from 1907-1925. Rabbi Silver’s son David took over as the spiritual leader for over fifty years from 1932-1983. Besides the regular local congregants, many shochtim come to the shul from time to time when they commute to the Empire slaughterhouse in nearby Mifflintown.

After breakfast in our room and learning the Daf, we headed out for the day. Our morning schedule was light and included a stop at a shoe outlet. We continued on to a town called Adamsville, which is known as the antique capital of the USA. It supposedly has over 5,000 antique dealers! We only visited two of them.

One was extremely large, but there was nothing there of great interest to us. While browsing among old-fashioned food cans and boxes, I came across an item that made me break

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022 The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

out in laughter. Placed beside an original can of Campbell’s soup and a cardboard box of Baker’s laundry starch was a blue and white pushka from the Bobover Yeshiva. I guess the antique dealer had no idea what it was and figured that it may be a food container.

After eating our lunch in the car, we went to see the grounds and buildings of the Ephrata Community. This religious society was established in 1832 and centered on the belief of living a monastic life. The original members did not marry, which doomed the movement to a declining membership, until they reluctantly accepted married members and their families. Members slept on wooden benches with wooden pillows from 9 P.M. until midnight when they would rise for a two-hour religious service. Then they resumed their sleep from 2 A.M. to 5 A.M. They ate only one small vegetarian meal a day, with lamb being served only during religious holidays. They worked the fields and engaged in carpentry and printing while keeping their Sabbath on Saturdays. At their height, they only had eighty non-married and two hundred married members. Pesi and I

Can you spot the Bobover pushka?

An antique Bentley

At the Story Slam

and another couple were the only ones on this fascinating guided tour.

The next day after shul and breakfast, we drove to Mechanicsburg.

There, we took a private tour of the Rolls-Royce & Bentley Museum. This modest museum features many models of the famed automobiles. The guide told us interesting historical facts about these cars and their association with the wealthy. From there, we went to visit the National Civil War Museum. This museum represents a most comprehensive and even-handed overview of America’s greatest trage-

107 273

Speaking about my mother at the Story Slam

dy. Though we have been at a number of sites and museums which focus on the Civil War, this museum is truly the largest and includes a wealth of artifacts and a variety of exhibitions.

With the exception of very large cities, there is really not much one can do or see during the evening hours. None of the above attractions were open at night, and Harrisburg did not have even one kosher restaurant. Normally, we would stay in our room reading, and I would also learn the Daf or prepare the parsha. Browsing the Patriot-News, the local newspaper, I noticed an advertisement for a monthly event called “Story Slam.” This event, which was scheduled for that evening at the Hilton Hotel, centered on people who would get on stage and tell a five-minute story based on a chosen theme. There was a ten-dollar charge to attend the event, and it included a bottle of beer. To me, this sounded interesting and entertaining. We had thirty minutes to get to our destination which we rushed to and made it with time to spare.

When we entered, we were asked if we would like to volunteer to tell a story. The theme was “Mother,” in honor of the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday. I immediately stepped up to the challenge. As we sat down near the bar and were handed bottles of beer, my mind was organizing the words of wisdom that I would deliver. The M.C. spoke first and informed us that this program was also a contest between the participants, and the audience would vote for the one they felt per-

formed the best. The program was even being filmed on YouTube.

There were three people who proceeded me. All of them, in a sense, made fun or even disparaged their mothers. Then I was called to the stage. I opened my remarks by stating, “No, I am not Amish.” After a bout of laughter and a short pause, I continued, “Rather, I am an Orthodox Jew.” I spoke reverently about my mother, her Holocaust experiences, and her life as an artist. I spoke lovingly about her passion for life, her love of people, and her sense of adventure. I ended my five-minute soliloquy with a very funny story which was typical to my mother’s nature of trusting everyone and believing everything. I was given a round of applause and returned to my seat. There were five people who followed me onstage, and all but one, had mostly negative things to say about their mothers.

After the contest, there was a vote by the judges, and lo and behold, I was declared the winner of the evening’s contest. I won two tickets to a fine local restaurant which I discreetly gave away to a non-Jewish couple sitting near us. After the program, we had a number of people approach us and tell us that they, too, were Jewish and shared some personal information with us. This is known as “bageling,” and we, as noticeable Jews, are subject to this time after time.

The next morning, we were on the way back home but, as usual, we were returning with a treasure trove of memories.

Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

1

News and Views Around the Five Towns

BY TZVI DEAR Israel’s Sunflower Seed Covid Rules Take Effect The Israeli government on Wednesday announced that it’s changing its Covid policy from earlier in the day, that changed the second policy from yesterday, which was a reversal of the policy of the day before.

From now on, Israel will be open to everyone, not just glow-in-the-dark people who received all 37 boosters, one for each masechta in Talmud Bavli.

Until the policy is changed twice tomorrow, everyone will be let into Israel without restrictions. But, if

your flight into the country lands on an odd-numbered time, you will need to quarantine for seventeen days and then take four Covid tests before you can finally go visit your daughter who is in seminary and who hasn’t had a hot meal since the last twenty-three times she went out to eat this month on your credit card. The policy is subject to change so make sure to check in with Eretz Hakodesh often.

According to reports, the ever-changing policy is based on Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s morning routine of spitting garinim.

Basically, Bennett wakes up in the morning and sees how far he can spit his sunflower seeds. If they land past four feet (that’s hard…you really need to know the wind patterns), then he will change the policy again.

Bennett is actually an expert sunflower speed spitter. That’s about all that he is good at. (Well, he’s also great at photo ops with Putin, but that’s another story for another day.)

Recently, he spit a sunflower seed so far that his bottle cap yarmulka flew off. This made him realize that that it was time to stick a new piece of Bazooka gum under his yarmulka to keep it affixed to his shiny skull.

Bennett is a big boy version of Zvika, the pesty character of those “really funny” Bazooka gum wrapper jokes. Nothing that Zvika guy ever made any sense. Some people

turn to books like The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People to get their inspiration. It seems like Bennett literally took one of those gum wrappers and used it as his guide to life. “Em, Zvika, I have bubble gum under my yarmulka.” “Wy, wy, you can be prime minister.”

Although from a political perspective, Bennett was supposed to only last in the premier’s seat for around 12 sunflower seed spits, it doesn’t help that the head of the opposition is dealing with more charges than You-Know-Who Swindler. But Bibi will definitely be victorious in the end – he bribed the judge! (Just joking!

I like Bibi…ever see his speeches from when he was young? If you didn’t, how did you avoid THAT YouTube rabbit hole?)

Well, what Israel is lacking in politicians, they have in musicians. Over the past few years, the songs of Israeli artists have come to the Five Towns like a beautiful crushing wave from the Splitting Sea. The Israeli artists have great voices and nice tunes, but they all have such dramatic lives –o they have these deep conversations in their songs about who they are existentially...

“Ani Kemoh rose petal floating

in the wind trying to find my way to judge everyone favorably, including myself…”

Um, hello? Someone ought to tell them that the Beatles sold over a billion albums with lyrics like, “You say hi, I say low.”

How do I know that it’s “hi” and not “high”?

I’m a Beatles expert; my Zoom background screen is the crosswalk in Liverpool.

OK, not sure that exists, but it should.

Maybe the secret society of Zoom background screen creators can work on the Liverpool background. It certainly beats staring at colleagues hovering a hundred feet over the Golden Gate Bridge. Every time that she moves her hand, I’m not sure if my colleague swatting a fly or did the actual Golden Gate Bridge behind her just completely crumple, taking the whole left side of her body with it. Hey, they do have earthquakes in San Francisco?

The first time that happened, I called 911: “911, how may we help you?”

“Yes, I know that this may sound weird…but, I’m on a Zoom conference and…I think I may have just…seen the Golden Gate Bridge collapse.”

2

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022 OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Hey, somebody has to call it in, no?

Maybe the Israelis could start making some cool Zoom background screens in their hi-tech industry. I’m tired of telling every non-Jew that Waze was made in Tel Aviv. I need some new material. Israel’s hi-tech is huge!

Chello Chummus Israelis are not only good at hitech, they also make good chummus.

Did you know that PepsiCo bought Sabra Chummus for tens of millions of dollars?

I do feel proud when I pass the Sabra display in the non-Jewish supermarket. I want to scream out, “Hey everyone, please stop and listen for a second. Do you see all of this chummus? It comes from my community.

Now do you see how smart we Jews are?”

It’s not that chummus is such a crazy invention but the fact that the food whose express purpose is to sit sadly, lid-free on the shalosh seudos table three and a half hours after Shabbos ends was sold to PepsiCo for $60 million.

Seriously, did PepsiCo also get in the deal those poor, stubby carrots that are always strewn on the battlefield near the congealing chummus?

The truth is, I shouldn’t mock PepsiCo. In fact, I’d love to work in their Sabra Chummus division because I’d want to chime in on whether to put two cucumber slices on the container top of the in-

dividual chummus package or three thin pretzels. I could only imagine the meetings: “Steve, we considered your proposal for three thin pretzel chips and are pleased to let you know…. We are going for it! You are a rising star in our organization!”

Hey, maybe it’s those pretzel chips that made Sabra Chummus so popular.

In fact, at a recent hi-tech convention in the Five Towns there was a full chummus display set up to make the non-Jews feel comfortable.

Tech Titans Converge on Five Towns The convention drew all of the big names in the tech industr y. Jack Dorsey took time off from his 21-day kombucha bath to attend the convention and talk about how to blow your nose when you have a massive nose ring in it. Although he is the final call on who has a voice in this world, he looks more like the pathetic cousin who never found his place in life. “Jack is really not doing well emotionally. Don’t tell anyone, but he’s thinking about getting a nose ring.”

Nothing says, “I endeavor to work the night shift at Wawa” like getting one of those nose rings. Yet, somehow, Dorsey is the final arbiter on all things moral, testifying in front of Congress every three days. With that nose ring, the only thing he should testify in Congress about is: “Sir, please tell this committee why you think that the choco-

late ring-a-dings are overpriced?”

Mark Zuckerberg, another genius who controls the world, was at the conference as well. He gave a speech on the topic of how to always look like a cardboard cutout of yourself. He also disclosed the thought process of changing Facebook’s name to Meta. Basically, it was a weekend of heavy drinking combined with kidney stones; never a good idea when you are a cardboard cutout.

Bill Gates, who just finished ravaging the world with Covid, also participated in the Five Towns conference. He discussed with the audience how you can be worth $100 billion but still wear the same pair of beige p a nt s ever y day. I guess it makes sense that the mo s t c om pelling photo for Windows he was able to come up with over the past twenty years was a patch of grass and a partially cloudy sky. OK, I’ll hit Control-Alt-Delete to that all day, every day.

The convention also featured Elon Musk, who has a great name – I still have to think twice to recall that he’s not Jewish.

Imagine if he would be Jeff Zuckerberg’s kid – his name would be Meta Musk. I’m much more comfortable flying around the world in an autonomous mode vehicle made

by Elon Musk than Meta Musk.

Warren Buffett, who is the only guy in America who has not aged in the last several decades, was spotted at the convention sucking down a three-thousand

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calorie root beer float. That’s why he is Warren Buffett, and you are selling knishes.

Several decades ago, Buffett said to himself that instead of always thinking that he’s starting to look old, he’ll just look like he’s 87 when he is forty. This way, he won’t have to worry every time he gets another white nose hair.

It seems to be working.

Buffett doesn’t look like he holds back on his grease-burgers, and his belly still stops right before it pops off a button. That means that he may technically go through his entire life and never actually pop the button off.

We’re all in suspense.

The entire reason that there’s a trillion-dollar nutrition industry in the Five Towns is because people are trying to make sure that the button doesn’t pop. Buffett is almost at his expiration date, and his button still hasn’t moved an inch.

Rumor has it that Buffett is looking into buying all nutritionists’ books of business and renaming them Berkshire Hathaway Nutrition.

What would a business convention in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood be without Mark Cuban, the classic Jewish-looking billionaire with great hair? Cuban spoke about the interesting topic of “how to look like a mixture of every yeshiva guy who

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ALTHOUGH THE PANDEMIC MAY BE OVER, WE ARE STILL OPEN TO ALL THOSE WHO WANT TO BE STUCK IN 2020

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was ever entrepreneurial…well, most of them at least.”

One secret he did not give away was how he maintains his luxurious locks. Truthfully, even if Cuban would have shared his top-secret tips on how-to-almost-star-in-a-Pantene-ad, there’s no way yeshiva guys would be able to replicate his techniques. Full heads of hair are certainly not hereditary when it comes to the frum community. Hey, didn’t your grandmother tell you that it’s good for you to not excel at everything? Pooh, pooh, pooh.

The convention featured football field-sized charcuterie boards and 3,000-year-old scotch for the frum participants. There was also a karaoke machine so that the frum guys could get all excited and remember the time that they sang karaoke in Netanya once during bein hazmanim.

For the non-Jews at the convention, there was Sabra Chummus.

Jeff Bezos came to the convention because he was in town for other business. He is looking for a Five Towns facility to house an Amazon warehouse.

Most people have never seen the inside of an Amazon warehouse and have absolutely no idea how big they are. (Settle down – you are not an expert just because you once snuck a peak into an Amazon warehouse under construction. “Squawk Box” isn’t exactly calling you in as an expert.)

The Five Towns warehouse will solely handle deliveries and returns relating to Chanukah presents. Much like the

one flask of oil found in the Beis Hamikdash lasted for a full eight days, the Amazon Chanukah present season lasts eight months, factoring in returns and repurchases.

Bezos was interested in the location at the corner of Rockaway Turnpike and Central Avenue, since it is one of the largest spaces in the Five Towns. However, that space was recently taken by a juice shop. Supposedly, their milk shake machine is going to be pretty large.

Although the Five Towns is pretty low-tech – other than talking parking meters – t here were some hi-tech att r ac t ion s for the titans of business to see. Some members of the convention went to Bais-Ment in Lawrence to observe the announcement board. None of them have ever seen an algorithm quite like that before. (It is best to get approved by your optometrist before looking at that thing.) Others ordered food from Chimichurri where you can “skip the line and order online” and feel like you are in England while ordering friend chicken, for some reason.

The convention was held at the new space on Central Avenue called

The Cheese Shop which is the only large enough space to host an event of this size. The Cheese Shop recently hosted a Dirshu Siyum Hashas as well.

Honda Odyssey Convoy Halts Traffic While the tycoons were in town, a truck brigade formed on Central Avenue.

The tycoons noticed it at around 10AM on Friday when there was a huge influx of Honda Odysseys on Central Avenue. The Odysseys moved at snail’s pace throughout the day. Most of the Odysseys had their w indshields entirely blocked by hanging paper miniature minivans from their reaview mirrors, and had their bumpers completely blocked by Thank You Hashem and Glick bumper stickers, with the occasional pickle bumper sticker, just to spice things up. Most of the drivers in the convoys stopped to allow passengers out of their vehicles at various teenage girls clothing stores.

(Do you have to do that on Friday?

Come on! I gotta get to Gourmet Glatt for another jalapeno dip!)

With the convoy not moving each

Friday, the expert on crushing such convoys, Canada’s Justin Trudeau, came to the scene. He blended in well because he looked like every other Modern Orthodox man that davens at the young professional’s minyan in Woodmere.

Trudeau actually stopped in a new shul called Koof. (How’s that for the shortest shul name in this neighborhood?!) Trudeau’s solution was to shut down social media on Central Avenue. This way, people would stop looking at their phones while driving.

Oh, wow, she makes deli roll without deli and without roll. Oh, wow, I gotta try that…and I really have to look at this post while driving on a congested street with tons of pedestrians because it’s really important.

Here’s a good rule that drivers on Central Avenue should start following: when a light is green, you go.

When it’s red, you stop. Can we stipulate to that?

I guess it would also help if you didn’t have to slow down when you pass every store to see what is going on inside.

Hey, is that a J.K. Rowling signing books in Blue Door? No. It’s not.

Please keep driving.

Hmm, how many people are in the pizza shop right now? Mind your own business. Just because you pack a small guacamole (my invention when I worked for Sabra) and two whole wheat crackers doesn’t make you any better than anyone else.

Who’s enjoying life like Warren Buffett?

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A very generous philanthropist speaking at the Pesichas Hakollel

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Also, you don’t have to stop your car in the middle of the Avenue every time that you get a phone call. Why do you need to pick up the call anyway? You are only getting one of three types of calls anyways: -Your kids because they want Chickies. No! -Nyrantine from India (or is it Pakistan? Or maybe Bangladesh?) because she is very concerned that your car warranty is almost up on the vehicle that you returned to the leasing company six years ago. No!

-And… “Hi, um… my brother’s sister’s uncle was in yeshiva with you. Do you want to buy a raffle ticket from me? Sure! By the way, I was only roommates with him for a month. Now I’m on the hook for his whole extended family’s bike-a-thons? Whoever made the cost-benefit on that friendship way back when really did a bang-up job!

Sourdough Skyscraper on Central Aside for the weekly convoys,

things on Central Avenue are about to get busier. A massive pencil-shaped skyscraper is going up at the former location of Sushi Metzuyan. Gourmet Glatt has reportedly leased the bottom 10 floors.

There will be four floors for parking, five floors for shopping, and one floor for sourdough bread. Hachayim V’Hashalom, which is located on Cedarhurst Avenue, is also taking out a few floors because they need storage facilities for their Moroccan spices. There will also be a helipad so that people from Lakewood can fly into town to go to Doma…because “wherever you go, you gotta go private.”

Mask Forwarders is also taking

MASK FORWARDERS

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out space in the new tower. Now that Blazing Guns Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County’s new country executive, engaged in the extremely reckless behavior of terminating the mask mandate two days before the rest of the country followed suit, many people gleefully ditched their masks. Some, though, feel very connected to their new friend that adorned their faces for the past two years. Well, now, there is a marketplace for those that are emaskapated to sell their masks to those that are emasckulated.

The builders for this building to tower over Central Avenue only obtained the permit to build the intothe-sky structure after they agreed to take the Mets log off the horse at Cedarhurst Park.

“Since the Mets have not won in 30 years, it makes no sense to have a fake horse at the entrance of our park with a Mets logo,” said a town official.

In its place, the horse will be adorned with a Yankees logo. Now, it won’t seem so strange when people see a horse with a Yankee logo…

“Eh, typical Yankees fan.”

The truth is that both Yankees fans and Mets fans really have nothing to argue about this year because neither team will win any games. You see, while you are busy hustling for every penny, the major league owners and players can’t figure out how to split the cagillion dollars that they make.

So, I have a great idea: how about closing the whole thing down?

The whole goi ng-to - C it iField-and-paying-$18-dollarsfor-a-steamed-hotdog is pretty overrated. I’d rather watch Bennett spit garinim. He can certainly spit them farther than any Mets player can hit a ball.

New Seasons Express to Open After much success throughout the Five Towns, Seasons Express is taking it to the next level with a new flagship store. The new store, which is slightly better than the existing locations, is going to be at the edge of civilization, on the corner of Rockaway Turnpike and Brookville Boulevard.

“It’s time for kids to stop messing around with 3,400-calorie super-sized Slushies,” said Mr. Moe Sugar, who is overseeing the project. “They need to up their game and go for the 12,000-calorie lifesized Slushies. Hey, once it doesn’t fit in the cupboard anyway, might as well get the biggest one.”

The Slushies will come in garbage can-sized cups. They will have wheels on them so that the kids don’t have to hold them. Since the store is located within the confines of New York City, though, the only straws available are the ones that evaporate upon contact with the Slushies. This will require the kids to at times lift the cans up to their faces in order to drink.

The truth is that kids in the Five Towns are very healthy and strong these d ay s. T he y stopped t h e i r steady daily diets of six potato knishes, individualized chocolate cakes, umbrella lollypops and Devash chocolate milks and have replaced them with really healthy food in school – three bowls of Fruity Pebbles for breakfast, six cookies for snack, pasta for lunch every single day, followed by endless bags of pretzels.

Oh, and apple juice to complete the diet menu.

The new Seasons Express will be fully stocked so that every time a kid gets a prize for not beating up a sibling, saying thank you, flushing the toilet, going to school two days in a row, or tying at least one shoelace, they can go to Seasons Express and get two treats – one small one and one medium one.

“Wait, can I get one big treat and two small ones?

How about a medium and a drink?

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What about a squishy sponge toy that looks like a strawberry shortcake and a candy?”

Now you know why they think we’re nuts in China.

“Chi chi wah chi cho che che…”

In Chinese, that means: “OK, listen up folks who don’t really have a say in the matter. Today we are making squishy spungies that look and smell like strawberry shortcakes…

Don’t ask, but that’s what the Americans want!”

And we laugh at fortune cookies?

There are many instances of people winning millions by playing their fortune cookie numbers.

(Dude, you’re really supposed to just wrap those papers around your finger, they’re not meant to be taken seriously, but kudos to you.) On the other hand, how many people won the lotto by reading the serial numbers on the squishy sponge that looks and smells like strawberry shortcakes?

“Honey, I think I found the winning numbers on this squishy strawberry shortcake...000374” “No, sweetheart. That’s your weight, not the winning lotto numbers.”

By the way, shalom bayis in gematria (numerical value) comes out to the same gematria as “squishy strawberry shortcake spungies.”

OK. It’s not the same gematria.

But you’re the genius who checked – sniffing squishy strawberr y

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really no reason to try and get into shape anyway.

Ruben’s: Click. Click.

Click

shortcakes spungies from Seasons Express is not good for your brain cells.

The location of the new, flagship store of Seasons Express is optimal for people turning right onto Brookville Boulevard, which is not advisable unless you have an amphibious land-sea vehicle. However, many have gone in their Honda Odysseys, desperate to get to the Rebbe’s Ohel where they have unlimited Ostreicher’s cookies. (If you never scraped the top of an Ostreicher’s cookie with your teeth, you haven’t lived. You know you look like a chipmunk when you’re doing it, but nothing beats scraping that cookie down until you hit the first chocolate chip. It’s like finally reaching pay dirt!)

The trip down Brookville Boulevard, which is like a drive-through Ikea for homeless furniture, is only possible if it hasn’t drizzled for the past week, otherwise, the entire roadway becomes part of Jamaica Bay. It is also dependent on none of the mattresses strewn on the side of the road moving an inch over and blocking the whole road. (I get why people try using air mattresses to float in the swamps, but don’t they realize already that it never works with a regular mattress?)

Additionally, the roadway is fertile grounds for people to dump their old ellipticals, so that is another thing that drivers must avoid. I guess if you are traveling on a road in which you will end up in Jamaica Bay if you sneeze wrong, there is

Seasons Express is bringing an upgrade to the whole area. Ruben’s Barber Shop is moving into a new Bucharian structure being built right near the new Seasons Express location. However, until that building is ready, Ruben’s will be located inside of Lowes.

Now, the next time you go to your barber, you will be able to buy a new generator in addition to batteries for your 1980’s calculator watches and a funky brush that slides onto your finger. (Although the orange comb will still be missing from the barber’s cardboard display set. Is there some guy who goes to every barber shop and buys the orange pocket hairbrushes? I could just imagine the interview with the neighbors after this guy finally “goes postal.” “I mean he was a good neighbor, totally normal. I never noticed anything strange about him. I mean, he had a thing for orange finger combs, but other than that, he seemed totally fine.”)

Now you will be able to stop in for a danish at Seasons Express and a haircut at Ruben’s while on your way to work. If you are there early enough, you will be able to listen to the barbers talking intensely to each other in Bucharian (or maybe it’s Russian? Ukrainian? Wait, I definitely hear some Hebrew words in there, too).

As you sit helplessly in the barber chair overhearing their Bucharihebrewenglish discussion, you want to believe that your barber is solving some serious international Bucharian crisis, because this conversation is intense and serious. You don’t want to believe that they are just talking about everything that happened to them since the last time that they saw each other ten hours ago because if that’s what they are talking about, they have some pretty dramatic lives.

What could have happened between 8PM and 7AM… Did his wife burn the Chebureki?

What is so riveting that is making the barber supposed to be giving you a haircut turn towards the other barber and bang his comb against the scissors three times.

Click. Click. Click.

That is definitely a sign that

something really serious is being contemplated. Click. Click. Click.

I always wanted to get scissors and a comb so that I could try that move. It seems so contemplative and therapeutic.

“The bank just called that they are repossessing the house tomorrow morning.”

Oh, really now? Click, click, click.

(Uh oh, now you think that I have a thing for combs… and you think that I have a thing for orange combs so I must be the Unibomber. Let me confess, I do like orange combs; don’t know why.

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This could be you…

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2. We will take a video of you recording the story in a dramatic fashion.

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Call (1800) INS-PIRATION now for an AMAAAAZZZIIINGGG QUOTE!

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But I am not the Unibomber. The worst crime I ever committed was dumping a mattress on the side of Brookville Boulevard. I tried calling the Sanitation Department to pick it up from in front of my house, but I’m way too intimidated by the guy that picks up. “Sanitation, what do you need? Dead fish? Cement boots?”

“Uh, um...nothing. I’m good.”)

Talking about the barber, why do they need to rip off the corner of a paper every time they finish giving a haircut?

Is that some Bucharian custom?

May your hair follicles have a good month and stay deeply ensconced in your skull. That is a blessing that many in the Five Towns need. After all, every middle-aged guy that is a big player in his shul has a combover that looks like it’s been stuck in position longer than the Verrazano Bridge cables. Trust me, those few strands are not going anywhere.

Although Ruben’s – which gives the best haircuts in town – currently has ample space to service the entire Five Towns community, the new, larger space will have enough room for a whole set of the Ben Ish Chai as well as a new Chitas set and every volume of Breslov pamphlets.

Most of all, there will be enough barbers that within 30 seconds of walking in, Ruben will point to you: “My friend, sir, you are next!”

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Teen Talk

Rabbi Zvi Soroka

Dear Teen Talk, I’m a teenager who just can’t the day

Teen Talk , column in

a new

TJH, is geared to wards the teens in o ur commu nity.

Answered by a rotati ng roster of teachers, rebbeim, clinicians , an d peers (!), te ens will b e hearing answers to many que stions the had perco y lating in th eir minds wished th an d ey had th e answers for.

started off on the right foot. I’m popular, have great friends, am good at sports, and do well in yeshiva, but I struggle with getting up on time in the morning. My day often gets off to a really late start. My parents and teachers are losing patience (detention and consequences don’t seem to be effective), and I’m beginning to hate myself for having this challenge. Any ideas?

D

ear Bachur, Congratulations on being normal. If one is jumping out of bed in the morning and super-excited to tackle a new day, he’s one lucky guy. If you’re like the rest of the 99% of us, you’re in good company. A tired or over-exhausted kid is not a bad kid. He might just be not as well-planned, mature, or structured as others. Even the Chofetz Chaim states in the Mishna Berura that the yetzer hara operates in turbo mode, working overtime on persuading a person not to get out of bed in the morning. He tells you it’s too cold in the winter and that you didn’t sleep enough in the summer.

When confronting weight loss challenges, the simple, practical solution is obviously eating healthily and partaking in regular exercise.

Yet, there are thousands of books written and billions of dollars spent yearly on this issue. That’s because it’s not so simple. Getting up in morning is very similar. The easy solution is: Go. To. Bed. EARLY. If only it were that easy. It requires great discipline and the maturity of knowing that one will accomplish more if he gets up earlier than staying up late functioning on half a brain.

It is vital to understand that most successful and productive peo-

day in advance will already feel accomplished even if the day doesn’t turn out be the most productive one.

Like all middos, getting up on time is really tough to tackle but will be most rewarding when you succeed. Here are a few tips: • Daven that Hashem gives you strength and injects you with a jolt of zerizus to jump out of bed in the morning.

• Screen time in bed must be avoided. Studies demonstrate that it affects sleep cycles and keeps you up

Most successful and productive people start their day early. ple start their day early. They plan to make this happen. A person who arises early to learn and prepare his

much longer than you intended.

• Find a chavrusa/buddy who also struggles and create an incentive plan

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Are you a teen with a question?

If you have a question or problem you’d like our columnists to address, email your question or insight to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com, subject line: Teen Talk. together with rewards. Maybe your parents would be open to you taking a skiing trip or something you enjoy if you’re consistent with getting up on time for 50 days straight.

• A llow yourself (w ith permission from school) to choose one day a month they will be flexible and allow you to come late if your behavior improves the rest of the time.

• Get a 750-page book

detailing migration patterns of the West Indies blue-tailed pigeon or ancient basket weaving techniques of the Mayan Empire. It will knock you out quickly so you can go to sleep on time.

• There are also alarm clocks that fly like a drone and hide somewhere in your room. They proceed to violently wake up the neighborhood,

registering at least a 6.4 on the Richter scale. Perhaps that will get you out of bed in time for Shacharis.

• Lastly, it’s important to remember, there will be days that you will fall and wake up late again. Don’t be disillusioned. You will rise up again!

Tomorrow is a new day!

Hatzlacha!

Rabbi Zvi Soroka is a rebbe in Yeshiva Darchei Torah and head counselor at Camp Le’mala.

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Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters,

Although this isn’t a shidduch question, I would love your panelists’ perspective.

I am married with a few kids b”H. We have a single neighbor who loves popping in on us, spending time in

our apartment, and crashing our meals. It’s nice she feels comfortable with us and being assertive doesn’t come easy to me so I’d never kick her out. My husband is super nice and doesn’t want to pretend we’re not home, since it’s clear when we are and when we’re not. I know I will have to face her afterwards when she asks why we didn’t answer the door, etc.

I just want quiet Shabbosim to ourselves. We’re super busy during the week, and on Shabbos I love to just have family time.

Do you have any advice on how we can avoid the situation in the future? Or should I just not care?

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.

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The Panel

Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. t seems you are looking to find a balance between your need for privacy and your neighbor’s needs without being insensitive. For whatever reason, your neighbor is lonely and lacking social skills because she is not picking up on cues and does not recognize that she may be intrusive.

Without knowing more about her situation, I would suggest a few strategies that you might consider. Which ones you choose depends a lot on the reasons for the neighbor coming over –age, lack of peer group, lack of interests, etc. Inviting her with others for a meal will give you an opportunity to begin to put boundaries to the situation because when they leave, she will have to go. You can walk her to the door with the others if necessary. You can also ask these others to help you expand her social circle. You can also inquire of other neighbors to invite her by citing her obvious loneliness. You can also say on other occasions, “Thanks for the visit. We need some quiet in our apartment now.” You might consider asking her to babysit occasionally while the two of you have a date night.

At the same time, remember that you never lose out by giving to others. Perhaps, this is a chance to focus on your good fortune at having a family and being able to share the warm atmosphere you have developed in your home. This is also a good opportunity to work out a challenge as a couple.

there is a lesson here that can help people from every walk of life.

A famous quote comes to mind: “When you say yes to others, make sure you aren’t saying no to yourself.”

There are a million reasons you can argue in favor of having her over even though it’s not good for you, but there is one reason you can’t: boundaries.

Setting boundaries is essential in order to properly take care of yourself and your family. Your neighbor sounds lonely and is probably going through a lot if you are her only lifeline. You are truly doing her a chessed by opening your home to her for company, a chilled atmosphere and a warm meal. However, when a chessed turns into a burden, whether it be on you or on anyone in your immediate family, it is time to reevaluate.

If her wish is to come to your house on Shabbos, and your wish is to have alone time, you are putting her wishes before yours. Here are some practical tips that might come in handy.

Come up with a few “one-liners” which express your wishes briefly, so she starts to see you as a person who has boundaries and confidence.

“Sara! So good to see you! This Shabbos won’t work for an impromptu get-together, but I’ll let you know the next time we are.”

“Thanks for coming over last week! This week won’t work for our family - next time, let’s plan ahead to see if we’re both available.”

Work hard on asserting yourself to others in general; it will be good for you and your family. Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup!

The Shadchan

The Single

Michelle Mond ou started your letter with a preface that this is not a shidduch question per se, but I believe

Tzipora Grodko ust because something feels uncomfortable, doesn’t mean it’s the wrong thing to do. Even though

The Rebbetzin

I

Y

J

being assertive doesn’t come natural to you, it’s an extremely empowering muscle to learn to exercise.

Communicate to your neighbor that it would be best if she can schedule Shabbos visits in advance as you prefer to spend some weekends resting and alone or with your spouse.

Additionally, practice exercising boundaries. Even if she “pops by,” you can kindly say, “I would love to spend time with you, but now is not a good time.”

Practice having these conversations with your husband and in time you will look back and take pride in your growth and the amazing influence it had (and continues to have) on your life!

The needs of your family have to come first.

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler

S

uggestion #1: Buy Laura Numeroff’s book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Slip it under your neighbor’s door after you highlight the page that reads: “If a hungry mouse shows up at

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your house, you might want to give him a cookie. If you give him a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk. If you give him a glass of milk, he’s going to ask you for a straw. If you give him a straw…”

Suggestion #2: Hang a sign on your door, saying, “Caution Radiation Area – Authorized Personnel Only.”

Suggestion #3: When she knocks, answer the door while you, your husband, and your kids are

wearing pajamas and see if she gets the hint.

Suggestion #4: Explain that the baby’s pediatrician is worried that the newborn might be suffering from Longinquitas Secretum and cannot be exposed to strangers.

Yes, yes, I know. These suggestions are mean-spirited and completely out of synch with this column’s usual empathetic understanding of sensitive issues. So, instead: Suggestion #5: Say, “How about if you join us for lunch on every Shabbos M’vor-

Pulling It All Together The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

T

hank you for writing into the panel. It’s never easy to turn someone away, especially when that someone is alone. You and your husband have gone above and beyond for your neighbor, opening your home to her every Shabbos.

With regard to your question of whether you should ”just not care,” the answer is that you are absolutely allowed to care. I think it’s perfectly human to want to have time as a family, without any guests. As a matter of fact, I believe that time is imperative and sacred to the health and wellbeing of your family, and every family.

Families need bonding time. And you are allowed to not only be in touch with that need but to take measures to safeguard it.

This is one of those situations where there is no one right answer.

Every family will have different desires for the amount of “alone” time they need.

And even within families, spouses may have different needs with regard to alone time.

First and foremost, it would be ideal for you and your husband to sit down and come to a working agreement about how much quiet time you would like as a family on Shabbos. I don’t think you have to be on the exact same page, but the same neighborhood would be nice.

The next step is to discuss a strategy with regard to how you will convey this new order to your single neighbor. It goes without saying that her feelings will be hurt, so sensitivity and wording will be key. We often

chim? You are such a warm, friendly, understanding person. You understand, of course, that we can’t do this every week, because we work so hard during the week and treasure our quiet time together on Shabbos.”

And, you may wish to offer to have a morning coffee with her once a week.

And, you may wish to mention to your local rebbetzin that your neighbor seems lonely and socially needy; perhaps she can ask some other folks to invite her every so often.

want to be there for the people we care and worry about, but it does not make you selfish to put the needs of your family first. The needs of your family have to come first.

For starters, you may want to make a shift from “pop ins” to scheduled visits. You may also want to think about the message you have been conveying to your neighbor about popping in. I have a hunch that you and your husband are so accommodating and welcoming that she truly has no idea you need your alone time.

It’s hard to be assertive, but making boundaries around your family is necessary.

You have two options, as I see it.

The first is to take a proactive approach which would involve speaking with your neighbor before next Shabbos.

The second is a reactive approach.

The next time she comes to the door you can tell her that it isn’t a good time.

I’m personally a fan of the proactive approach, but I don’t think there

Explain that the baby’s pediatrician is worried that the newborn might be suffering from Longinquitas Secretum.

is a wrong option (other than not saying anything at all). We love having you over on Shabbos. As the kids are getting bigger, we’re finding that we need more family bonding and unwinding time. (You can also mention that you’re trying to get the kids on a routine. That may be the least harmful way to make your boundary.)

Next time you think you’d like to come over for a meal or hang out, let’s try to make plans during the week to see if it’s a good Shabbos for all of us.

As I’m rereading my little script here, my stomach did a flip, worrying that it is insensitive. And the truth is that it’s a firm boundary, which may not land well on your neighbor. She may be hurt. It also may be the impetus for her to make other plans and get out there more. I think if she is a reasonable person, she will intellectually understand that your family needs some alone time. And...the next time you do have her over on Shabbos, for a meal or hanging out, you and your husband will be less resentful and able to enjoy the company even more.

All the best, 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. She also teaches a psychology course at Touro College. 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.

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Dr. Deb

Getting Over Resentments

By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

O

kay, so you now have all the tools you both need: You’re kind to each other; you can talk honestly without getting triggered – or causing them to be triggered, either. You feel good about yourself. You are experiencing joy in your day. You’re basically happy.

Except for one thing: You can’t get past the resentment you feel for the past.

Do you know what that really means?

It means two things: One, you have past pain, and two, that you’re hiding it from yourself. The resentment is what “shows” on the surface; it’s the tell-tale sign, the ticking of the bomb, that lets you and the world “know” that there’s something more, something beneath the surface.

Why in the world do we do this?

Why would we hide pain from ourselves, let alone from someone else?

Why, indeed. You tell me; you know the answer.

I remember a lecture I heard when Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twersky, z”l, came to Florida years ago. He said that he would often tell residents of his alcohol-abuse recovery centers that addicts were more sensitive people than others. They couldn’t take the pain, so they drank.

But the problems surfaced in a big hurry when they were inpatients there (since they weren’t allowed to drink) – because they had to confront overpowering and painful feelings that they weren’t used to feeling.

But there are many people who don’t need external methods of dulling their emotions. They’ve learned the fine art of forgetting…. “What me?

I had a happy childhood,” they say.

Or worse, “I had a rotten childhood, and I’ve done everything I can to dissociate myself from it, so don’t tell me I have to work with you and remember it. I’m not going there!”

Except for the anger. Or the night-

mares. Or the resentment.

Any of those pop up to remind us that our work isn’t done.

I ask myself every day: Why would G-d do this? Why would He cause so much pain – and then make us open it up to “deal” with it? Why would the people who suffered the most in childhood, and therefore have the most pain, be the ones who everyone avoids because of their anger or resentment? Why are they suffering twice? And making everyone they love suffer, too?

(If I had the answer, I wouldn’t still be asking the question.)

But here is something I have noticed: When people do gather the courage to do the work, they end up living their lives, not just passing time. And that is something that the other people, the ones who don’t go to therapy, generally don’t get to do.

There are the Viktor Frankls and the tzaddikim of this world who don’t need therapy. They have a connection to Hashem which carries them through life’s torments. Perhaps they also had loving childhoods with parents who validated them.

But then there’s the rest of us.

The rest of us may need a bit more help to get through the traumas and tragedies of life. So what is it that resentful people will get out of therapy that would help them past their resentments?

To answer that question, we first have to ask another one: what is the value, the gain, in holding onto resentments?

When people look deeply – and honestly – inside themselves, they realize that resentments keep them feeling safe.

How so?

If you have resentments, your good, kind heart wants you to overlook them, forgive, and move on, right? But see, the resentments keep you on the alert for more problems down the road. They put a barrier between you and the person you love who wounded you.

This is not always a bad thing. After all, they hurt you once, so how do you know they’ll never backslide?

But the real answer to why you have the resentments is deep within you. It may be just what I’ve heard people say, which is what I’ve written above. But it could be something else

that only you would have access to.

And then, you might not even know, at least you might not consciously even know what the reason for your resentments is.

That’s what I meant in the beginning of this column that you must have past pain but you are hiding it from yourself. That is, you’re hiding the fact of the pain as well as the reason for it.

But the clue that the pain is there is the resentment.

Because otherwise, there would be no reason to keep those resentments, right? Sure, they’re protective, but if you feel completely safe, then what do you have to protect?

Does this make sense to you?

There’s a piece missing from all the wonderful work you’ve done. And it’s hidden in order that you don’t quickly toss it out. It is hidden to keep you safe, but you aren’t quite sure why. That is where soul-searching is needed. And it isn’t easy. After all, it’s hidden enough that you yourself don’t know what exactly is in hiding.

But it comes out just enough for everyone else to feel it and know there’s something going on. And that is why it takes the knowledge and sensitivity of a therapist who knows exactly how to gently unearth the hidden stuff.

Gently and with your own permission every step of the way.

What I have experienced is that trust in the safety of being with your therapist builds up over time. And when you and all the parts of you feel safe enough, you’re ready to expose the pain that’s been in hiding, covered up with resentment.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. If you want help with your marriage, begin by signing up to watch her Masterclass at https://drdeb. com/myw-masterclass.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

FAR ROCKAWAY AND FIVE TOWNS COMMUNITY

Motzei Shabbos Tanach Shiur Please join us for our 25th season!

MARCH 12, 2022 7:30 PM

‫ ויקרא‬,arp e"amun

PROGRAM HOSTED BY: Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst 8 Spruce Street

R’ Yoel Jacobson will be learning

Perakim 99-100 of Tehillim

Last Shiur of the season!

v"g jubn rzghkt crv ,c kyhd ,nab hukhgk

Dedicated in memory of Rabbi Mordy Kriger z”l Founder of the Tanach Shiur

Co-Sponsored By: Agudah of the Five Towns Rabbi Yitzchok Frankel Agudah of West Lawrence Rabbi Moshe Brown Bais Haknesses of N. Woodmere Rabbi A. Lebowitz Bais Medrash D’Cedarhurst Rabbi Dovid Spiegel Chofetz Chaim Torah Center Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginzberg Cong. Bais Avrohom Rabbi Osher Stern Cong. Anshei Chessed Rabbi Simcha Lefkowitz Cong. Bais Ephraim Yitzchok Rabbi Zvi Ralbag Cong. Bais Tefila Rabbi Ephraim Polakoff Cong. Beth Sholom Rabbi Kenneth Hain Cong. Kneseth Israel Rabbi Eytan Feiner

Cong. Shaaray Tefila Rabbi Uri Orlian HILI Bais Medrash Rabbi Dov Bressler Kehillas Bais Yehuda Rabbi Yaakov Feitman Cong. Tifereth Zvi Rabbi Pinchas Chatzinoff Y.I. of Bayswater Rabbi Eliezer Feuer Y.I. of Far Rockaway Rabbi Shaul Chill Y.I. of Hewlett Rabbi Simcha Hopkovitz Y.I. of Lawrence-Cedarhurst Rabbi Yaakov Trump Y.I. of North Woodmere Rabbi Yehuda Septimus Y.I. of Woodmere Rabbi Shalom Axelrod

A Priority-1 Community Initiative

For more information or dedication opportunities, please call the office at 516.295.5700 x108.

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Health & F tness

How Does Sleep Impact Your Health?

By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

R

esearch suggests that there is a significant connection between weight and sleep.

There is a positive correlation between good sleep and a healthy body weight. Conversely, having less than 6-7 hours of sleep nightly is associated with an increase in weight and body mass index. A lack of sleep can lead to impaired decision-making capabilities. This can impact impulse control and self-control, which can make balanced eating and watching your weight more difficult.

1. Sleep and Appetite: Appetite is controlled by neurotransmitters, chemical messengers that allow nerve cells to communicate with each other. Neurotransmitters called leptin and ghrelin are the appetite controllers. Leptin is a hormone that decreases your hunger, while ghrelin increases your hunger. Sleep plays a huge role in regulating these hormones. Short sleep – less than 7-6 hours nightly – is associated with low leptin, which means there will be diminished feelings of fullness. Additionally, short sleep leads to increased ghrelin, which means an increased appetite.

Thus, those that are sleep deprived are more likely to have increased hunger and decreased fullness.

2. Sleep and Metabolism: When we sleep, our bodies burn about 50 calories per hour. Thus, the less we sleep, the fewer calories our bodies can burn. Moreover, poor sleep quality and insufficient sleep have a detrimental effect on the metabolism. The body has more oxidative stress, higher blood sugar intolerance, and insulin resistance when it’s not well-rested. This can eventu-

cording to one study, those that are sleep-deprived find weight loss difficult. The study also found that participants who slept fewer hours snacked more, craved carbohydrates, and had difficulty maintaining self-control.

Foods to Help Induce Sleep

ally lead to type 2 diabetes. Too little sleep also triggers a cortisol spike, an increase in the stress hormone that signals your body to conserve fuel. Cortisol increases your appetite and can lead to weight gain.

Therefore, sleep is essential for our metabolisms to function optimally.

3. Sleep and Cravings: Have you ever noticed that you feel hungrier or crave certain foods after a bad night of sleep? Studies have indicated that sleep deprivation affects food preferences. Those who aren’t well-rested are more likely to choose foods that are high in carbohydrates and calories. Those extra calories can lead to weight gain and can be detrimental to your health.

Sleep helps give you energy. Therefore, when you don’t get enough energy from sleep, your body will attempt to eat more to fill that gap and give you an energy boost.

4. Sleep and Physical Activity: When you don’t sleep well or

enough, you may not have the energy to exercise the next day. It is easy to fall into a negative cycle of bad sleep and no physical activity. On the other hand, regular exercise can improve sleep quality, and a restful night can also improve your exercise by allowing you to feel rested and not too tired to work out. They positively reinforce each other.

5. Sleep and Late-night Eating: Research has shown that when people are sleep-deprived, they snack more at night. This is because their rhythms are disrupted due to a lack of sleep. Additionally, if you go to sleep earlier, you’ll do less late-night snacking.

6. The Big Three: A healthy diet, physical activity, and sleep are the three pillars of a healthy life. They are also the most important factors in maintaining a healthy weight.

Sleep loss makes working out less appealing and makes it more difficult to choose healthy foods. Ac-

1. Complex carbohydrates like whole-grain bread and grains are a better option than simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates reduce serotonin levels and do not promote sleep. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in preventing rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and therefore helps you get into a deep sleep.

Because complex carbohydrates keep blood sugar levels stable, they will help you stay asleep.

2. Tart cherries have a large concentration of melatonin, a hormone that helps promote healthy sleep. They have been proven to increase both sleep time and efficiency for people with insomnia. All cherries contain melatonin, but studies have shown that the highest quantity is in tart cherries.

3. Nuts like walnuts, almonds, cashews, and pistachios contain melatonin, zinc, and magnesium, which will help people sleep better.

Eating nuts will tax your digestive system and boost the hormones that contribute to tiredness.

4. Oatmeal is high in carbohydrates and has been reported to help induce drowsiness when eaten before bed. Oats contain tryptophan, an amino acid that the brain converts into serotonin, which is a natural mood stabilizer.

5. Bananas contain potassium and magnesium, which are both

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muscle and nerve relaxants. Bananas also have tryptophan and vitamin B6, which both have been linked to improved sleep.

6. The nutrients in dried prunes – calcium, vitamin B6, and magnesium –help make melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate sleep.

7. Herbal teas have a lot of sleep-promoting properties. Chamomile, lavender tea, and passionflower tea are good options. Having a cup of tea before bedtime can help create good sleep habits, and the brain will recognize this as a signal to wind down.

8. There is evidence that consuming moderate amounts of protein before bed is associated with better sleep. Lean proteins including turkey, chicken, and low-fat cheese are high in the amino acid tryptophan, which increases serotonin levels.

9. The combination of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids in fatty fish can help enhance sleep quality and has been shown to increase the production of serotonin, a chemical that helps induce sleep. Types of fatty fish include salmon, bluefin tuna, striped bass, herring, and whitefish.

Vitamins and Minerals that Help You Sleep 1. Magnesium plays a key role in the bodily function that regulates sleep. It is the most powerful relaxation mineral out there and is surprisingly not consumed enough.

Magnesium deficiencies have been linked to trouble falling asleep.

There are many foods high in magnesium, but some people need to take a supplement to ensure they are getting enough. Magnesium helps regulate the production of melatonin, a hormone that improves sleep quality. Foods high in magnesium include dark chocolate, spinach, pumpkin seeds, cashews, bananas, whole grains, and tofu.

2. A potassium deficiency can be the cause of you waking up in the middle of the night. Potassium works together with magnesium to keep you sleeping. Good sources of potassium include beans, lentils, dried fruits, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, bananas, and avocado.

3. Calcium has a sedative effect

that helps ease the body to sleep. A calcium deficiency can cause you to be restless. Therefore, consuming foods high in calcium or a supplement is essential for good sleep.

poor sleep quality and a longer time falling asleep. Establish a nightly routine that includes some low intensity exercise to help achieve a better night’s sleep.

Those who aren’t well-rested are more likely to choose foods that are high in carbohydrates and calories.

Kale, cabbage, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cheese, milk, and yogurt are all calcium-rich foods. Many people give their kids warm milk before bed to help them sleep, and scientific evidence suggests this may really help them!

Tips to Help You Sleep 1. Don’t eat too late: When you eat close to bedtime, your body will still be digesting food, which can make it hard to sleep. Eating heavy meals close to bedtime can cause heartburn, which can hinder you from falling asleep.

2. Limit caffeine intake: Having more than 1-2 cups of coffee each day, especially later in the day, can keep you up at night because of its stimulant effects.

3. Create a restful environment: Try creating a night-time routine that helps indicate to your brain that it is time to relax. This may include listening to calming music, reading a book, taking a hot shower or bath, and making your room extra dark.

4. Shut down all electronics 30 minutes/1 hour before bed: Blue light from electronics can negatively affect your sleep because it restrains the production of melatonin, which controls your sleep-wake cycle. It also makes you more alert, which makes it more difficult to fall asleep.

5. Low-intensity exercise: Research has shown that evening exercise can help people fall asleep faster and spend more time in deep sleep. However, high-intensity workouts less than an hour before bedtime has been shown to lead to

Adequate sleep plays a key role in a healthy weight and an active routine. Thus, it is advisable to aim for eight hours of sleep at night.

This will ensure your appetite is stable, your metabolism is running optimally, and you don’t have extra cravings for unhealthy food. Getting enough sleep will help you have the

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energy necessary for physical activity and everyday tasks. Sleep deprivation can also lead to weight gain due to increased appetite and cravings for carbohydrates and high-calorie foods. There are different foods and supplements that can help you fall asleep and sleep better. Many times, deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals can affect your sleep. There are also different tips that will help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep.

Sleep is a necessity that will ensure that the body is well-rested and healthy.

Aliza Beer is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @alizabeer.

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Parenting Pearls

A Safe and Happy Purim

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

E

ach year we read the Megillah and then walk out partying.

Screams of delight and streamers accompany us on the way home to celebrate. It’s amazing how much we can pack into one day as we extend the festivities long past sundown.

Children wait all year for Purim, and it’s easy to understand why. Between imbibing mounds of sugar and creating a ruckus with noisemakers, Purim has it all.

Each year, various organizations put out safety messages for the community. I urge you to take a few minutes to read them in advance, when it’s quieter, and you can give each one the appropriate attention. As each organization will share their own expertise, I will only focus on a few points here.

Megillah The megillah is not only a chiyuv but also a chance to focus on the real life events that turned potential tragedy into joy. Young children often have trouble sitting still or quietly for extended periods of time.

Children who are excited for the upcoming yom tov will have even more difficulties maintaining the appropriate decorum. It can be unfair to the child, the parent, and others present to have a child at the megillah reading who isn’t ready for it. There are child-friendly megillah readings for those children or the parent can go to a second reading. It’s tempting to bring the little one and hope for the best, but that doesn’t usually work out so well.

Children Aren’t Hefker Purim is such fun, and there’s so much happening. Please keep track of your children. It’s only natural that children expect (and receive) some extra freedom on Purim. With everyone flying in and out of the house, along with deliveries galore, it can be hard to know where everyone is at all times. As busy as it is, you still want

to know who is in your house and where your children are going.

On Purim, we tend to invite many guests into our homes. When else do families welcome a bunch of drunken young men to dance in their home?

Whether the visitor is a long-time family friend or stranger, you want to know where your child is when they are there. Know where your guests are in relation to your children. Unfortunate situations have happened, lo aleinu.

Prior to the big day, ensure children have clear guidelines of where they may go on Purim. They need to know where they can go independently, where they need a buddy or older sibling, and where they require adults. Every family will find their own system that works for them to ensure each child’s safety. Communicate with your child in advance to make sure they fully understand their limitations. Earlier discussions can help prevent fights on Purim day itself.

Make sure your child’s driver will be sober. It’s easy to make sure the person bringing your child to their intended location hasn’t had anything to drink. It’s harder to make sure the person driving your child back is sober. Take the time to verify

that the driver will not be indulging at all. Too often, someone drinks but thinks they’re fit to drive. Driving after drinking is never OK. Please don’t let your child go into that car.

Kids and Alcohol I am not going to discuss the general concerns that arise with adults drinking on Purim as that is beyond the scope of these articles. I want to focus exclusively a bit on how this aspect of Purim affects children and teens.

There is an inyan of drinking on Purim. Unsurprisingly, this is one of the more debated aspects to the day. While there’s no need to discuss whether or not we give extra money to the poor (feel free to do so), there certainly is what to discuss about whether one imbibes more than the halacha requires. The key here is halacha. You or I may not personally be a fan of the bottle. Alternatively, someone may feel that Purim is a time to “let loose” or “act hefker,” but again, halacha is our guide.

Children should not be drinking alcohol. It is unhealthy and dangerous on many levels; it can also be illegal. It is not one of the mitzvos we are mechanuch children on from when they’re toddlers. Please

bring your child to deliver mishloach manos. Share the megillah reading with your youngster when appropriate. But don’t pass them the booze.

Please don’t take my word on this. Ask your rav for clarification or look up many of the sources readily available online such as Halachically Speaking (Vol. 10, Issue 3), Rabbi Abraham Twerski’s zt”l many statements (such as the one dated February 13, 2014), Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb on the OU website (such as statements dated March 4, 2009 and February 12, 2014), Rabbi Yakov Horowitz’s videos, and Dr. Hylton Lightman’s website.

Please do not give liquor to anyone else’s child. When teens collect, they go house to house, and the homeowners will often let them drink. Even though the baal habayis doesn’t know how much the teenagers already had, they will still offer more.

You don’t want the responsibility for intoxicating anyone, certainly not someone’s child. I’m going to be boring and suggest you have something else prepared to share with your teenage guests.

Our Teenagers I am zoche to many wonderful neighbors, a number of whom are mechanchim. Each Purim, I see droves of drunk bochurim. It’s a miracle of nature that they magically get younger and younger each year.

Drunk driving is often not the issue, since many of them are so young they’re not even eligible for their permits.

Many of us have consulted our personal rabbonim about how the inyan of drinking is applicable to our teenage boys. While this is completely anecdotal, those I’ve spoken with were not encouraged to allow their teenagers to imbibe meaningful quantities of alcoholic beverages. In other words, our rabbis did not feel our sons should get drunk. There seems to be a very big difference be-

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tween the words of our rabbonim and the behavior of our youth.

Every family will handle this differently, and I can just share what our family did. We explained to our boys that we were approaching this as a halachic issue, similar to any other questions that come up in our lives, and trying to follow the ratzon Hashem. Acting hefker or drinking just because their friends were was not the appropriate approach.

It would be misleading to think this talk only started before Purim.

The truth is that our values regarding drinking (on Shabbos and in general), along with our views on drugs and smoking, are something we periodically discuss with our children yearround. Ironically enough, this often happens at our Shabbos table. Often a kiddush club or drunk mispallel is the impetus for the discussion coming up. Appropriate use of alcoholic beverages should be as much a part of your child’s chinuch as any other matter that will come up.

Our Message Our children watch us and learn from our behavior. We may intend to give one lesson, while our actions convey a completely different message. As an example, years ago I was

messages we are subtly teaching our impressionable youngsters. What message is being taught when our children watch men leave during the rav’s speech for the kiddush club?

Speaking more lovingly about our

You don’t want the responsibility for intoxicating anyone, certainly not someone’s child.

talking to a young mother when her child hit a sibling. She immediately spanked the child and said that it was because he/she hit. The mother meant to impress upon her child that hitting is wrong, but I don’t think that was the lesson learnt.

We have to be careful about what

Shabbos table l’chaim than we speak about the parsha conveys more than we realize.

Wine is traditionally used for kiddush and often for havdala. I’m not indicating our long held minhagim are wrong, chas v’shalom. Prohibition hasn’t been successful anywhere,

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for many reasons. Ensuring we teach our children a healthy perspective on alcohol is important. We can most effectively educate our long-held values when our behavior is consistent with our intended message.

Anyone who even just suspects they may have issues with alcohol should not be embarrassed to seek help. Addiction is a real issue like any other medical matter and should be treated by a professional. A child benefits from a healthy parent and will learn much about personal strength seeing a parent’s journey to sobriety.

Have a wonderful Purim with your child. Enjoy seeing Hashem’s yeshuos, and may we merit to see the ultimate geulah, bimheira b’yamienu.

Sara Rayvych, MSEd, has her master’s in general and special education. She has been homeschooling for over 10 years in Far Rockaway. She can be contacted at RayvychHomeschool@gmail.com.

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A Bourbon Produced in Israel?

BY DONI COHEN

I

srael – an ancient land of legends. It is almost impossible for one to walk for any length of time without retracing the steps of one legend or another. And this is certainly the case in the Ella Valley, where David slew Goliath, thereby creating an image which has been etched into our national consciousness and which continues to inspire our people through every national experience.

It is here, in this bucolic valley, where Legends Distillery is producing Israel’s first “bourbon,” Slingshot.

Patterned after a traditional Kentucky bourbon recipe with an innovative twist, Noam Cohen and Alan Cohl are taking what others have done for centuries, but doing it as no others have, producing a spirit that is unmistakably bourbonesque in character but one which rewards the drinker with a complex and layered taste heretofore unknown. Legends’ logo, depicting a colonial-era wagon wheel resting on an olive tree, sets the tone for their vision, one which combines American tradition with Israeli innovation.

As Cohen says, “There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel. We just want to take what others have been doing but do it much better.”

And they are.

“Slingshot pays homage to probably our greatest national legend, David’s unlikely triumph, which symbolizes Israel’s resurgence in the world against all odds. It is legends like this that inspire us to work harder and to achieve that which we might have thought impossible,” explained Cohen.

The company plans further products in the years ahead, each one named for a different Jewish legend. The distillery has recently completed

its first bottling and plans to expand to several hundred stores in Israel by the spring, as well as the U.S. market very soon. Many orders have already been placed on the company’s website from the U.S.; Legends ships bottles every week overseas.

N

oam Cohen made aliyah about nine years ago from Bergenfield, NJ, and still works in finance during the evenings, unless he’s running a tasting event or attending another at a local bar. Alan Cohl arrived in Israel 27 years ago from Queens and practices architecture and design, assisting many Americans who have purchased homes or vacation apartments in Israel over the years. For now, they’re holding onto their “main” jobs, and intend that, in the coming years, they’ll be devoting all their time to the distillery.

Many of their production methods were geared to solve their main concern about how scotch drinkers might take to the new product.

“Corn, while sweet, can come off as somewhat harsh to those who are used to scotch or Irish whiskey, which is made primarily from barley.

Therefore, we decided to craft a mashbill consisting of a high wheat component. Wheat is a mellower grain, even creamy, and it helps soften the overall effect, while preserving the sweetness of the corn, even allowing the fruity notes of the wine from the barrel to show through. Indeed,” explains Cohl, “many of our initial customers have been lifelong scotch drinkers. Once they taste Slingshot, their initial reservations dissipate, and they find themselves asking if they can purchase a bottle.”

Besides sales of its spirit through retail outlets as well as online, Leg-

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“My great-grandfather bootlegged for many groups in his community during Prohibition.” ends hopes to lure many visitors from Israel and abroad to the distillery for a relaxing tour and tasting. Already, many Jewish and Christian groups have requested to visit the facility, and, due to its location near the country’s main artery, the distillery seems like the perfect place to wind down after a day of visiting the local biblical sites.

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egends began several years ago during an “aha moment.” Shortly after a late evening gathering of several friends in Efrat, Cohl and Cohen were sitting and enjoying a cigar and bourbon, discussing its various flavor nuances, when they both turned to each other and asked, “Why aren’t we doing this?”

One thing led to another, and several years later, Israel’s first “bourbon” was created.

“Actually,” explains Cohen, “my association with whiskey began about a hundred years ago. My great-grandfather bootlegged for many groups in his community during Prohibition. My grandfather would often recall, as a young child, hearing folks arrive in the middle of the night to their Lower East Side tenement to purchase spirits clandestinely from his parents. But we’ve evolved – we don’t make our whiskey in a bathtub.”

Legends does not call its whiskey “bourbon” because it is not made in the United States, but also because the spirit does not age in conformance with another of bourbon’s guidelines – the use of brand new charred white oak barrels, as prescribed by U.S. federal law.

“Instead,” explains Cohl, “we utilize used cabernet barrels from a cou-

ple of local kosher wineries to age our spirit, a process that adds unforgettable complexity to our spirit’s flavor. And we char our barrels to a very high degree, way more than anyone else, delivering a much smoother, mellower taste and texture than that traditionally associated with bourbon.”

The company currently must import its grain but has plans to begin growing its own corn very soon. Several area kibbutzim have already discussed providing their fields to Legends for this purpose.

“Of course,” explains Cohen, “we prefer to source all of our components right here in Israel. But two very important components, the water and the aging process, are 100% Israeli – in fact, we are asked about those two components more than any others. People want to know what we do to the water before we use it. And they also want to know how long the whiskey has been aged.

“Actually, the water in our area is uniquely suited for bourbon production, because like the streams and rivers of Kentucky, the aquifers in our area are situated amongst limestone, which naturally removes iron from the water, an element which can potentially harm the taste of bourbon.

And our climate, particularly in the Ella Valley, allows us to naturally age our spirit to maturity in only a couple of years, a process that would take at least 5-7 years in many other locales.

“There’s a palpable excitement about our product and the future,” says Cohen, “as more and more people join us online and ask about future products as well. There’s a lot of work ahead, of course, but for now, we’re just looking to enjoy the ride.

“L’chaim!”

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In The K

tchen

Purim Seudah Crockpot Dinner

By Naomi Nachman

Purim is a super-busy day, especially when

it falls out at the end of a week. On top of the usual hectic Purim activity, we also have to prepare for Shabbos. In order to save some time and reduce stress, why

not throw a brisket and potatoes into

a crockpot together before Megillah reading on Purim

morning? You’ll have a side dish and main course all in one pot simmering all day.

Ingredients ◦ 3-4 pound second cut brisket ◦ 8 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered ◦ 2 onions quartered ◦ Garlic powder ◦ Onion powder ◦ Paprika ◦ Salt ◦ 1 cup red wine ◦ 1 cup ketchup

Preparation 1.

Place all vegetables in the bottom of a large crockpot and season with spices.

2. Season brisket on all sides with spices and place on top of vegetables.

3. Mix wine and ketchup in a bowl and pour over meat and vegetables.

4. Set crockpot to high and cook for 6-7 hours.

5. Remove meat and slice. If it’s very soft, you can just pulled it apart with two forks.

6. Place meat on platter and place potatoes around the meat. If you have an immersion blender, blend the vegetables in the crockpot to make gravy and pour it over the meat.

Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website, www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.

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Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

Ikea has announced it will temporarily pause manufacturing and retail operations in Russia and Belarus due to the invasion of Ukraine, while Ikea in Ukraine is opening their doors to Russian soldiers and hoping they can’t find their way out.

— Seth Meyers

Ikea said they’ll do whatever it can to throw a useless tiny wrench into Russia’s economy.

— Jimmy Fallon

They’re gonna go up. Can’t do much right now. Russia’s responsible.

- President Biden when asked about rising gas prices

This is an important reminder that we, as international civil servants, have a responsibility to be impartial…. Some specific examples of language to use/not use at the moment. Use “conflict” or “military offensive” and NOT “war” or “invasion” when referring to the situation in Ukraine…. Do NOT add the Ukrainian flag to personal or official social media accounts or websites.

– From an email by the UN’s Department of Global Communications to all staff, obtained by the Irish Times

Russian envoy to the Vienna talks Mikhail Ulyanov said this week that “the Iranians got more than they asked for – they are fighting like lions over every word and every comma.” And over here? No one is fighting. The Iranians are fighting like lions while Bennett, Lapid and Gantz are surrendering like rabbits.

- Opposition leader Bibi Netanyahu

Tesla has created over 50,000 US jobs building electric vehicles & is investing more than double GM + Ford combined.

– Tweet by Elon Musk to President Biden in response to the president’s State of the Union speech which touted the combined $18 billion investments by Ford and GM to build electric vehicles

On Friday, we witnessed the largest turnout of protesters in our 33 year history. These agitators’ leaders demanded that they come just to disturb our prayer. They are great in number, but we remain unafraid. The values of equality, pluralism, and peace will overcome the hatred and violence on the other side. This is why we continue our fight.

– Post by Women of the Wall in response to thousands of frum girls gathering at the Kosel to daven on Rosh Chodesh Adar Sheni

Today, the average gas price in America hit an all-time record high of over $4 per gallon. OK, that stings, but a clean conscience is worth a buck or two. It’s important. I’m willing to pay $4 per gallon.

Hey, I’ll pay $15 a gallon because I drive a Tesla.

- CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert, who is worth an estimated $75 million

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It’s certainly not sacred. Alright, let’s start there. The Constitution is kind of trash.

Again, let’s just talk as adults for a second.

- Elie Mystal, journalist for The Nation, on “The View”

Simply, I do not care. We don’t have the right to lecture you in America. The same goes the other way.

-Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in an interview with The Atlantic

Somebody in Russia has to step up to the plate. Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?

- Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Fox News advocating for someone to take out Putin

The only way this ends, my friend, is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out.

You would be doing your country a great service and the world a great service.

- Ibid.

Look, I understand the economic consequences that the president is trying to avoid for the American people. I share that concern. But there [are] places like Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, as well as domestic production that has already been licensed, that should be able to [offset] the consequences of the loss of Russian oil. You don’t have to go to a dictator that, ultimately, has created enormous consequences for his people, that kills people, that imprisons them, and for which President Biden extended the decree that declared Maduro and his regime a national security threat.

- Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) on MSNBC reacting to the Biden administration looking to increase oil imports from Venezuela

That issue hasn’t come up.

- House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (DNY) when asked at a press conference what Democrats are saying on the issue as prices rise due to the war in Ukraine

The first attempted solve was “Feather in your hat” which, by the way, is how a lot of people say it. So all three players thought it was a good solve and were stunned when I said it was wrong. Imagine you’re on national TV, and you’re suddenly thrown a curve and you begin getting worried about looking stupid, and if the feather isn’t in your hat, where … can it be? You start flailing away looking for alternatives rather than synonyms for “hat.”

– “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak tweeting in defense of 3 contestants who were unable to figure out the phrase “Another feather in your cap,” even though the board had the following letters filled in: ANOTHER FEATHER _N YO_R _A_

Very glad to see Israel will be supporting the UN resolution against Putin’s destruction of Ukraine. I was very disappointed to hear yesterday that Israel turned down a request to supply the Ukrainian military with Stinger missiles.

– Tweet by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

Every time I go to these places, I’ll be in these big events, and you have all these people having such a good time and the poor servers are forced to mask and I will ask them, “Are you allowed to take the mask off?” They say not yet…. A 9 to 5 job should not be a N-95 job.

- Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL)

Coors Light is ditching plastic rings on its six-packs and replacing them with an environmentally friendlier option.

- From a CNN article with the headlined “Coors Light is ditching those nasty plastic six-pack rings”

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Vladimir Putin was counting on being able to split up the United States. Look, how would you feel if you saw crowds storm and break down the doors of the British Parliament and kill five cops, injure 145 — or the German Bundestag or the Italian Parliament? I think you’d wonder. That’s what the rest of the world saw. It’s not who we are. And now we’re proving under pressure that we are not that country. We’re united.

- President Biden during a speech in Wisconsin suggesting that Putin was inspired by the events of January 6, 2020 (although no cops were killed during the protests)

I was at the State Department. The president was the vice-president the last time Russia invaded Ukraine. This is a pattern of horror from President Putin and from the cronies around him.

You do not have to wear those masks. Please take them off.

Honestly, it’s not doing anything. We’ve gotta stop with this COVID theater. So if you wanna wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous.

- White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki on CNN, perhaps not realizing the irony of her statement

- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis chiding University of South Florida students for wearing masks during a press conference last week

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Political Crossfire

Gen. Mark Milley: Why No-Fly in Ukraine is a No-Go

By David Ignatius

R

ebuffing Ukrainian pleas for Western protection of its airspace, the United States’ top military commander said NATO has “no plans that I’m aware of to establish a no-fly zone” over the country.

The comments Saturday from Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for such an air embargo and Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that he would treat imposition of a no-fly zone as “participation in the armed conflict.”

“If a no-fly zone was declared, someone would have to enforce it, and that would mean someone would have to then go and fight against Russian air forces,” Milley explained. “That is not something that NATO Secretary [Jens] Stoltenberg, or member states’ political leadership, has indicated they want to do.”

Milley made his remarks in an interview Saturday with Latvian journalists at a military base here,

as part of a visit to Europe to assess the Ukraine conflict. His rejection of the no-fly zone echoes comments by other Biden administration officials, who have argued for weeks that although the United States wants to help Ukraine resist Russian aggres-

meant to check rising tensions about Russian escalation, spawned by Putin’s announcement last Sunday that he was putting Russian nuclear forces on “special combat readiness” because of “aggressive comments” from the West.

Putin has appeared to want to keep these escalatory tensions high, as part of his psychological pressure campaign against the West to gain dominance in Ukraine

sion, it won’t make any moves that might place U.S. military forces, including Air Force planes, in direct conflict with Russia.

Milley made another comment to journalists here that was perhaps

Despite Putin’s threatening language about nuclear weapons, Milley said, “we are not now seeing anything out there in the alert postures of the actual nuclear forces of Russia that would indicate any

increased set of alerts.” He said the United States was monitoring the situation closely.

The remarks here by America’s top military leader illustrate once again the delicate balance the United States and its NATO allies are trying to strike between supporting Ukraine with lethal weapons and other aid – but avoiding direct confrontation with Russian forces that could lead to a wider conflict and increase the cataclysmic risk of nuclear war.

Putin has appeared to want to keep these escalatory tensions high, as part of his psychological pressure campaign against the West to gain dominance in Ukraine. Milley and other U.S. officials, in contrast, want to check these anxieties. But that’s becoming increasingly difficult as Russia broadens its assault on a defiant Ukraine, whose people and president have become heroes around the world. (c) 2021, Washington Post Writers Group

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Political Crossfire

Putin’s War Reminds Us Why Liberal Democracy is Worth Defending

By Fareed Zakaria

R

ussia’s utterly unprovoked, unjustifiable, immoral invasion of Ukraine would seem to mark the end of an era – one that began with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. In that post-Cold War age, Western ideas about politics, economics and culture spread across the world largely uncontested, and American power undergirded the international system. It was not a period of tranquility – think of the wars in Yugoslavia and the Middle East. But it was a time in which American power and liberal democracy seemed triumphant, and the international system seemed to work more cooperatively than at any previous point in history.

The Pax Americana began to wane for many reasons, including the rise of countries such as China and India, the disasters in Iraq

and Afghanistan, and financial and democratic crises in the West. But the most disruptive force has been the return of an imperial Russia, determined to re-create a sphere of influence in which it could dominate its neighbors. For the past decade, President Vladimir Putin’s Russia has been the world’s great geopolitical spoiler, actively attempting to unravel the rules-based international system.

For many commentators, the current crisis is proof that this system has collapsed and that the democratic age was a brief fantasy.

David Brooks writes that “history is reverting toward barbarism.”

Robert Kagan has said that “the jungle” is growing back. But is that kind of pessimism justified? I am more hopeful that within the terrible news of today lie some powerful

positive forces.

After all, what caused this crisis in the first place? It’s very simple: the overwhelming desire of Ukrainians to live in an open, democratic society. Let us not forget what it was that enraged Putin and led him to invade Ukraine for the first time in 2014. It was not a Ukrainian declaration to seek NATO membership; it was the efforts of the Kyiv government (a pro-Russian government at the time) to finalize an “association agreement” with the European Union. When the president of Ukraine ultimately balked at this deal – under pressure from Russia – he was greeted by massive street protests, and the parliament voted him out of office. That is what triggered Putin’s first invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine was not alone in choos-

ing a pro-Western path. Over the past three decades, most of the countries that were part of the Soviet bloc have chosen one by one to become more open, liberal, democratic, and capitalist. None are perfect – some far from it – but from the Baltic States to Bulgaria, from large countries such as Poland to tiny ones such as Moldova, most have adopted some versions of democratic politics and open, market-based economics. There has been backsliding in countries such as Hungary and Poland. But in broad terms, the movement of those countries toward Western values since 1989 is surely an affirmation of the vitality of the liberal democratic project.

Putin’s reaction is a bloody, brutal effort to stem this tide of democratization. He has watched with horror as the movement swept across

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2022 2015 The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Ukraine, Georgia and, even by 2020, into Belarus, which experienced the largest pro-democracy protests in that country’s short history. They were savagely repressed, with help from Russia, and now Putin has one more country in which he can maintain control only through fear and force.

As for the liberal international order, it has more defenders than one might imagine. The most eloquent statement in support of it came this week at the U.N. Security Council, not from one of the Western powers in the room, but rather from Kenya’s ambassador to the United Nations, Martin Kimani. He said that almost all of Africa’s countries have borders that are deeply flawed. They were drawn by colonial powers, often dividing ethnic and linguistic groups. But, he pointed out, African leaders had decided that they would live with their imperfect borders, because to

challenge them would have been to invite an endless series of wars and insurgencies. Instead, these countries chose to honor international law and the U.N. system. Kimani

crux of the problem between China and Taiwan? It is the fact that the Taiwanese people want to live in an open, free, liberal society, and they fear that their way of life would be

The people of Ukraine are showing us that those values – of an open society and a free world – can be worth fighting for and even dying for.

said, “Rather than form nations that looked ever backward into history with a dangerous nostalgia, we chose to look forward to a greatness none of our many nations and peoples had ever known.”

Far from Europe, what is at the

snuffed out by a communist dictatorship.

I don’t want to minimize the troubles that democracy and liberalism face. Almost 25 years ago I noted with alarm the rise of “illiberal democracy” and spotlighted in

7 145 7

particular the nasty turn that Russia (among other countries) was taking. I have seen the erosion of liberal democratic values that I hold dear in the country of my birth, India, and the country in which I am a proud immigrant, the United States.

But what the backlash shows is that liberal democracy and the rules-based international order need to be defended – robustly, even aggressively. With the voices of nationalism and populism so loud, it seems that liberal values have few willing to defend them unabashedly. To those who dwell on liberal democracy’s problems rather than its promise, I say, “Let them go to Ukraine.”

The people of Ukraine are showing us that those values – of an open society and a free world – can be worth fighting for and even dying for.

The question for all of us is, what will we do to help them? (c) 2021, Washington Post Writers Group

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Forgotten Her es

Purim in 2022

By Avi Heiligman

W

ell, hello again to my readers, especially to those who only read this column once a year and tune in just for the Purim issue. In previous Purim articles, we have dug into longlost medrashim on the Megillah and have found transcripts from reporters actually at ground zero during the Purim story. For this year, we had to put on our thinking caps (with built-in masks provided by Dr. Fauci), and this is our version on how some of the events during the Purim story would have looked like if they occurred in the 21st century.

Achashveirosh became king over 127 countries by winning the kingship election which, of course, he did not rig in any way (wink, wink). The ballot boxes were totally secure, and the count did not stop in the middle of the night despite reports from ballot watchers wearing red hats. The press is still trying to figure out what happened to his opponent, but they don’t believe that he ran away with Prince Harry when he abdicated.

Anyway, to celebrate his victory, Achashveirosh decided to make a

lavish inaugural banquet, so they booked the largest stadium in land for the event of the century. The stadium concourse was normally packed with shidduch dates, so the dates had to relocate to the hotel lobby near the airport. The large grand ballroom had political campaign signs all over the place, and banners featuring the local soccer teams were hanging proudly. Right above the king’s throne was a poster depicting the colors of the king’s favorite team – the Shushan Shakshukas – and their mascot, which is a purple egg named Gritty.

The rabbis said not go to the feast but people still went because they heard that this was the Kiddush to End All Kiddushim, aka the Ultimate Kiddush Club. Charcuterie boards, foie gras, sushi with real caviar, and the latest Rebbe’s Choice herrings along with finest Scotch and bourbon were all served.

A lot of people were hesitant to go, because they knew that the king was sponsored by Nike and they all wore Adidas. But they went anyway.

At this lavish party, both the vaxxed and unvaxxed mingled together, which drew the ire of the

greatest doctor in the land. The doctor, whose first name was Jill and no one knew what type of medicine she practiced, conspired to come up with a way to get back at the people, but ultimately it was the secretary of war, Haman ibn Soleimani ibn Osama bin Laden, who came up with the idea to get rid of the queen. He hated her, because she constantly beat him at Wordle.

The next day, when the king woke up from his Russian-made vodka-induced hangover he realized what he had done and decided to make a beauty pageant to decide who will become his next wife. We all know that Esther won, because it was broadcast on CNN Network which rightfully earned the nickname Cover No News. Then again, it was CNN, and no one watched the network anyways.

During this time, two brutes from the king’s personal security detail decided they had enough with his requests for Red Bull in the middle of the night and decided to kill him. Brute No. 1, Vladimir ibn Putin aka Putty Put, said they should use the latest Russian-made weapons to kill the king. Brute No.2,

Kim Maniac Un aka Little Rocket Man, said fine, but Mordechai understood their gibberish and told the king. The king immediately had them banished from the kingdom and sent them to Somalia.

At this point, Haman was getting fed up with Mordechai not joining in his “peaceful protests” that were organized to protest anything he didn’t like. Haman asked his wife Press Secretary Jen Zeresh for help, and she said to build a skyscraper, but he didn’t know who would finance it. Zeresh’s opponent said Mexico should pay for it, but they only know how to climb walls and not build them. In the end, Haman had to sell his huge stockpile of toilet paper that he had been hoarding for two years in order the finance his killing machine.

That night, he went into the king’s man-cave where he saw Achashveirosh looking at his personal diary. The king was pondering what it would take to become a social media influence, and then exclaimed, “I got it!” Haman replied, “Six feet and put on a mask because your breath smells. Oh, and the answer to the question as to what shall

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be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor is simple” and whispered the grandiose plan. The king said, “Do these things to Mordechai because he saved my life.”

The next day, Haman, against his will, was forced to go to the local rental car place and forked over a fortune to rent a Tesla. He then went to the Beis Medrash, scared the daylights out of all the kids because he was wearing bell bottom pants (Haman had no real sense of style), and got Mordechai ready for their road trip. They drove around town with “Thus shall be done to whom the king wishes to honor” blaring out of the speakers. As they passed the house where Haman’s daughter was living on the third floor, she looked down and saw two men were driving around. She thought Haman was wearing the king’s crown and Mordechai was the chauffeur, so she spilled her garbage can which was filled with junk mail and weeks’ old turkey sandwiches on top on him.

Haman looked up and she saw him shouting. What she didn’t realize was that there was incoming missile from a drone that headed her way and that was the end of her.

Haman returned home dejected

didn’t want to touch him because he smelled so bad, so they poked him with hockey sticks. At the party, Haman didn’t want to eat mainly because he didn’t like cholent and potato kugel (Esther had an Ashkenazi

In the end, Haman had to sell his huge stockpile of toilet paper that he had been hoarding for two years in order the finance his killing machine.

mainly because one piece of mail landed on his lap, and he realized that the water bill had went through the roof. As he walked in, everyone fainted because of the stench. The king’s men came to take him to a party with Esther and the king but

background). Then Esther accused him of trying to kill the Jews, and the king then had Haman electrocuted.

Later, authorities found strong evidence that Haman was wanted for war crimes. Thirty years earlier

he had been hiding out in a compound in Abbatobad, Pakistan, but upon further inquiry, Pakistani authorities vehemently denied any association with him. They also found proof that he was possibly building a biological bomb in his home but upon further inspection it was determined to be his stinky clothes.

This, my friend, is the Purim story befitting for true news sources like ABC and NBC. The Babylon Bee actually originated in Shushan and can trace back its roots to this story.

Have a Happy Purim everyone!

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.

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HEWLETT new to the market This home in SD#14, was expanded and completely renovated in 2008, with all the bathrooms redone in 2016. It consists of 4 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, fin-ished basement with separate rooms. Detached garage and park-like private backyard. Upgraded CAC, hardwood floors, hi-hats all around, ceiling fans in all the bedrooms, security system, in-ground sprinklers, new washer/dryer, many closets, PV solar electric panels, and smart home features.

200 amp service, auto surround sound system. The kitchen has granite countertops and custombuilt wood cabinets, top-line appliances. The First-floor bedroom has an adjacent full bathroom. Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom with radiant heat. Close to schools, shopping, and transportation.$799k Hewlett Avenue Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

HEWLETT BRIGHT AND SUNNY 2 bedroom 2 bathroom co-op, elevator, doorman building, in ground pool storage, card room, indoor and outdoor parking, washer/dryer in the apartment, renovated kitchen with granite countertops, ss appliances, master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, formal living room and dining room, close to all $479k Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hatha-way Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

WOODMERE Beautiful & Spacious 2 Bedroom Apartment Across From The Golf Course. Ele-vator Building, Updated Kitchen, Gas Cooking, Granite Countertops, Washer/Dryer In Unit, High Ceilings, Great Closet Space, Storage in Basement, Close To RR, Shopping & Houses Of Worship.$349K Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

HEWLETT NEW TO THE MARKET 5 bedroom 3 bathroom colonial, open floor plan, large eat-in kitchen, formal living room and dining room, main floor den and playroom, master bedroom suite w/full bath& sitting room/nursery close to the schools, railroad, shopping and houses of worship $899K Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

Small Ads at Work Classifieds

Hewlett two 3 bedroom 2 bath co-ops with central air conditioning, terrace, washer/ dryer, hard-wood floors, recessed lighting, magnificent kitchens, ss appliances, l/r, d/r, close to the railroad, shopping, and houses of worship.

Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

COMMERCIAL RE INDIVIDUAL OFFICE SPACES AVAILABLE IN GREAT LOCATION. Rental fee includes electricity, taxes, internet, cleaning and parking.

Large corner office $950 mo.

Smaller interior office $625 mo.

Please respond to 516-902-8006.

INVESTORS WELCOME GREAT DEAL IN WOODMERE, amazing location, double lot, low taxes ,SD 14 Asking $599, won’t last 25 CONKLIN AVE, WOODMERE Call Alexandra at Realty Connect 1-516-784-0856

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

COMMERCIAL RE

APT FOR RENT

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

LOWEST PRICES IN TOWN! 500-7000 Square feet gorgeous office space with WATERVIEW in Inwood! Lots of options.

Tons of parking. Will divide and customize space for your needs!

Call 516-567-0100

FAR ROCKAWAY: House For Rent. On Beach 12th.

3 1/2 bedrooms. Just renovated, Central HVAC,LR/Dr, Finished basement.. $3300/m Call Raphael 917-822-1726

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT RE Management Office (Five Towns) seeks f/t admin to handle all aspects of office management.

Email resume and salary requirements to jordan@imc.net

HEWLETT TOTALLY RENOVATED 1 and 2 Bedroom Apartments with washer/dryer, kitchen with quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances. Recessed lighting, hardwood floors, storage in basement. Close to RR, shopping, and houses of worship.

Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hatha-way Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

Gesher (located in Cedarhurst) is looking for a part-time Rebbe beginning in January for First Grade boys. · Approximately a half-hour a day, Monday through Friday · Small group lessons · The goal of the Rebbe is to provide faster paced exposure to higher level kriah and chumash skills · Curriculum support provided · One-on-one private pay tutoring opportunities may also be available Please email your resume to jobs@gesher-ecc.org or contact (516) 730-7377 to set up an interview.

DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT A multi-tasker needed for general office work. The ideal candidate is someone who is detail-oriented, responsible, and can take ownership. Looking for someone who is eager to learn, and expand his/her skill set while possessing the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Experience with Excel required.

Five Towns location. In-office position only, not remote.

Please send resume to 5tpart.timecareer@gmail.com

SF MEDICAL OFFICE SPACE Available, Reception Area, Waiting Room, Kitchenette, 2 Consult, 4 Exam Rooms, 2 Bathrooms, 30 Car On-Site Parking, For Lease …Call Ian 516-295-3000 www.pugatch.com EAST ROCKAWAY: Retail Stores on Busy Corner, 1000SF& Up Available, Great High Visibility Location, For Lease…

Call for More Details Broker (516) 792-6698 WOODSBURGH Magnificent 2K sq. Ft. Co-Op. 3br/2bth, eik, lr, dr, w/d in unit, gar, 2 stor units, elev, near all $775k 516-846-1032 no brokers

CEDARHURST 1,2 and 3 bedroom apartments, totally renovated, private entrance , central air condi-tioning, hardwood floors, washer/dryer, garage parking, dishwasher, recessed lighting, private playground, close to railroad, park, shopping and houses of worship.

Call for more details Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS CAHAL is seeking a secular studies MATERNITY SUBSTITUTE for February for a small boys 6th grade class and a PERMANENT AFTERNOON SUBSTITUTE. Email resume to shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666.

U

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D

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CO

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AC

FUNDRAISING & DEVELOPMENT Manager (part -time -25 hours/wk) The Marion & Aaron Gural JCC seeks an individual with experience in setting and executing an annual fundraising and development plan, identifying and developing prospective donors, creating fundraising events and maintaining a donor database.

Please send resumes to hir-ing@guraljcc.org

T

Under Contract! Magnificent 18,500 sq ft property in desirable “Tree Streets” location in Woodmere.

New exclusive! New construction in Academy Area of Woodmere! Classic center hall colonial, 6 bedrooms/ 3 baths on 2nd floor, full finished basement. $1.95M

New exclusive! Charming colonial on an oversized lot in prime Woodmere location.

New kitchen, new bathrooms, CAC, IGS, beautiful block! $1.399M

New exclusive! 5 level split in Saddle Ridge in Woodmere! Gorgeous EIK & baths, large family room with radiant floors, great yard! $999K

Leah Scheininger Realty Connect USA Licensed Real Estate Salesperson (516) 884-6530 Lscheininger@realtyconnectusa.com

Jordan Goldschmidt Guaranteed Rate Vice President of Mortgage Lending (516) 998-6201 Jordan.Goldschmidt@rate.com

NMLS 2012660 Licensed by The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act. nlmsconsumeraccess.org 1400 Old Country Rd Suite 206N, Westbury, NY 11590, (212) 318-9432, Guaranteed Rate, Inc. NMLS 2611 3940 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL 60613 (866) 934-7283 • rate.com Equal Housing Lender www.rate.com/privacy

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

S H a lO m Ta S k FO r C e

You Are NoT ALoNe Confidential Hotline

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

Expanding Healthcare Company Seeking to fill full time positions in our Bookkeeping Dept ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND PAYROLL SUPERVISOR Must be detail oriented analytical, organized, outstanding communication & leadership skills Great Pay & Benefits.

Located near the 5 towns area.

Email resume: adass@carenetworkhealth.com

Job description: Great Opportunity. Fast growing.

Amazing team and work environment.

Must be organized, positive & comfortable on the phone.

Flexible schedule. Competitive compensation with room for growth.

516-430-5503 hello@goventright.com

Accounts Payable / Payroll Director Healthcare facility in Far Rockaway is seeking a full time accounts payable/payroll director. Please email your resume to hrresumes2022@gmail.com.

888.883.2323

General administrative support needed for busy Five Towns office.

Part Time, in-office position.

Flexible hours. Looking for someone who is detail-oriented and dedicated. Proficiency in Excel/Word a must.

Please send inquiry/resume to flexiblestaffpositions21 @gmail.com

Call. Text. Whatsapp

Call our Confidential Hotline to discuss any issues about relationships or domestic abuse. We provide a listening ear to all.

Our referrals help our callers gain access to helpful resources, including legal assistance, counseling, and safe shelters. For more information and to speak with a trained advocate, please visit www.shalomtaskforce.org.

No oNe Deserves To Be ABuseD

Seeking Asst. Editor New York-based publication seeking assistant editor. Strong administrative and organizational skills required as well as solid understanding of Orthodox Judaism. Ideal for student graduating in May with B.A. in journalism, English or related field. Copyediting, proofing and clerical du-ties.

Email renee@ou.org.

Whether buying or selling real estate get...

Give me a call today!

516-298-8457 Licensed Associate Broker, G.R.I.

mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

I am proud to be recognized as a top Berkshire Hathaway network agent for 2021.

Top 1/2 of 1% of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network agents nationwide!

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2BR, 1 Bath Elevator Bldg., Corner Unit, Pet Friendly, HW Floors, New Windows, Beautiful Renovated Kitchen w/SS Appliances, 3 A/C Units, Close to all $199,000

OPEN HOUSE SUN 3/13 - 11:30AM-1:30PM

Totally renovated, 3BR, 2 Bath Co-op, Gorgeous Kitchen, 2 Sinks, SS Appliances, Quartz Countertops, CAC, New Floors, W/D, Terrace, Close to all $339,000

Co-Ops:

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5 CLUBSIDE DR., WOODMERE

5BR, 3Bath Colonial, Open Floor Plan, Large EIK, F L/R & D/R, Den, MBR Suite w/ Full Bath & Sitting Room/Nursery, Close to all. $899,000

3BR, 3 Bath Bright & Sunny Townhouse with a Finished Bsmt, Garage, MBR Suite, Formal L/R & D/R, EIK, CAC, Community Pool & Tennis Court.

Close To All. $719,000

WOODMERE

4BR, 3FBath Beautifully Maintained Split Level Home in the Heart of Woodmere, EIK, F D/R, L/R, Finished Bsmt., CAC, P.O.R.

Cedarhurst Cedarhurst Hewlett Hewlett Hewlett Lawrence Lawrence Lawrence Lawrence Woodmere Woodmere Woodmere

1589 Hewlett Ave, Hewlett 4BR, 3Bath & Finished Bsmt, Smart Home, CAC, IGS, Surround Sound System, Kitchen with Granite & More! $799,000

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And many more...Call for details!

Atlantic Beach Lawrence

4BR • 4BA 8BR • 9BA

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7BR • 4BA 4BR • 3BA 4BR • 3BA 4BR • 4BA 4BR • 3BA 7BR • 6BA

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Cedarhurst

2BR • 2BA

$3,495/monthly

Rental:

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3BR • 2BA JR4 Furnished 2BR • 1BA 5BR • 3BA

$1,695,000 $P.O.R.

$3,695/monthly $3,200/monthly $2,500/monthly $8,200/monthly

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

JOB OPPORTUNITY Looking for a female worker to work with a high functioning 6 y/o female in the Far Rockaway area, twice a week from 2:30-5:00pm. Hours are flexible.

Great pay!

Please call: 718-854-2747 Ext 1110.

Refer to job ID 6666

Shulamith School for Girls in Cedarhurst, NY, is looking for teachers for the 2022-23 school year in elementary school, special education, and all middle school subjects. For Torah Studies and Lashon teachers, fluency in spoken and written Hebrew is required.

Also looking for bright, motivated assistant teachers to help classroom teachers by working with the students either directly or indirectly; some substitute teaching is involved. Looking for all grade levels. P/T - perfect for college students.

Salaries are competitive and commensurate with experience.

Please send resumes to tshapiro@shulamith.org

ASSISTANT TEACHERS CAHAL is seeking PM Assistant Teachers for young classes in 5-Towns and Far Rockaway.

E-mail resume to Shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666.

NEW YESHIVA IN QUEENS SEEKING SECRETARY Must be detail-oriented, have great organizational skills, able to multi-task. Experience in school programs a plus.

Send resume to: office@yeshivatbneitorah.org or call/text: 347-351-4573

Early Childhood Center Full-Time & Part-Time Staff Needed in Lawrence Due to 2 new classrooms opening (1 infant, 1 toddler), the Gural JCC's Early Childhood Center is actively looking for full-time & part-time staff to fill these positions.

Interested and qualified candidates please call (516) 239-1354 or e-mail JCC.Nursery@guraljcc.org.

PEYD is seeking a full-time Executive Sales Assistant.

The candidate must be detail oriented, creative, personable, able to articulate clearly and possess excellent written and verbal communication skills, interpersonal skills, organizational and time management skills, and effective customer service skills.

Candidates should submit their resume and inquiries to admin@getpeyd.com.

GIRLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE FIVE TOWNS is seeking warm, dynamic, experienced preschool teachers for the school year beginning September 2022. Competitive salaries and benefits.

Please email resume to job.preschool.director@gmail.com

Experience in not-for-profit Jewish organizations is a plus.

Excellent part-time opportunity with competitive hourly compensation.

Candidate will work with the director in developing budget and fundraising initiatives and generating reports to present to our Board of Directors.

Send resumes to info@legacy613.org ASSISTANT REBBEIM and TEACHERS CAHAL, the community Special Ed program in Five Towns and Far Rockaway yeshivas has immediate openings available for: AM ASSISTANT REBBES for a 4th-5th grade class and a 6th grade class PM ASSISTANT TEACHERS for a 2nd-3rd grade class and a 6th grade class We have small classes and flexible hours.

Email resume to shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666.

SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS CAHAL is seeking afternoon maternity leave substitute secular studies teacher for a small 6th grade boys class and PM secular studies permanent substitute.

E-mail resume to Shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666.

General administrative support needed for busy Five Towns office.

Part-Time, in-office position.

Flexible hours.

Looking for someone who is detail-oriented, dependable, and dedicated. Proficiency in Excel/ Word a must.

Please send inquiry/resume to flexiblestaffpositions21 @gmail.com 5 TOWNS BOYS YESHIVA SEEKING ELEM GEN ED TEACHERS Excellent working environment and pay. Only lic/exp need apply.

Email resume to yeshivalooking@gmail.com SPEECH THERAPIST CAHAL is seeking a Speech/ Language Therapist for Special Ed classes in 5-Towns /Far Rock yeshivas. E-mail resume to Shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666 Growing Back Office Accounting firm looking for experienced accountants and bookkeepers.

Please email us at jobs@riveredgeadvisors.com or call 516-548-1622

Seeking a middle school STEM teacher for next year in a warm, supportive teaching environment. Excellent pay.

Call 917-742-8909 ISO a Pre1 A and Grade 3 teacher for the 2022-2023 School year.

Experience preferable but not a must.

Seeking a seventh grade math teacher from 3:15-4:50 four days a week. Fine salary.

SHULAMITH EARLY CHILDHOOD is looking to hire a full time teacher assistant for the current school year.

Please email resume to earlychildhood@shulamith.org Shulamith Early Childhood Center in Woodmere is looking for lead teachers and assistants for the 22/23 school year. Warm, nurturing working environment with full support and guidance provided to new teachers.

Please send your resume to ekirschbaum@shulamith.org Junior Accountant/ Full Charge Bookkeeper RE Management Office (Five Towns) seeks junior accountant.

Hours 10-4 (Flexible).

Email resume and salary requirements to jordan@imc.net

155

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

Girls elementary school in the five towns is seeking warm, dynamic, experienced preschool teachers for the school year beginning September 2022. Competitive salaries and benefits.

Please email resume to job.preschool.director @gmail.com

MDS REGIONAL NURSE: 5 Towns area Nursing Home management office seeking a Regional/Corporate level MDS Nurse to work in our office.

Must be an RN. Regional experience preferred. 2-3 years MDS experience with good computer skills required.

Position is Full Time but Part Time can be considered.

Great Shomer Shabbos environment with some remote options as well.

Email: officejob2019@gmail.com

Special Care seeks patient Male or female com/hab worker 5:30-7:30 P.M. for 7-year-old boy with autism in Bayswater, full or partial coverage.

718-252-3365 ext: 102 or renay@specialcarefor.com

MISC

Gemach Zichron Yehuda In memory of R’ Yehuda Aryeh Leib ben R’ Yisroel Dov We have a library of books on the subjects of loss, aveilus, grief, & kaddish. We have sets of ArtScroll Mishnayos to assist with finishing Shisha Sidrei Mishna for Shloshim or yahrtzeit.

Locations in Brooklyn, Far Rockaway, & Lakewood.

Email: zichronyehuda@yahoo.com

ELDERLY GENTLEMAN WOULD LIKE TO BUY A USED DODGE DURANGO, Preferably a 1999, 2000, 2021, or a 2022 dents or body damage is ok.

Call Bruce 1-516 239-7444 COTTON CANDY PARTY MACHINE FOR RENT $100 an event.

All Proceeds to tzedakah For more information call or text 917-923-0011

JOIN OUR TEAM! NurNursing Home Management Company in Brooklyn Looking to fill the following positions: Administrative Assistant MS office suite proficiency required Administrative Assistant experience required WE ARE LOOKING FOR AN EXPERIENCED FULL TIME BOOKKEEPER Excellent growth potential Frum environment Excellent salary & benefits Email resume to: resumetfs1@gmail.com Please put position title and FTJH in subject line

se inating rvices; d r o It’s not about co al impact. e r g it’s about creatin

Great Rate Van & Truck Rentals Cargo Vans • Trucks 10’ to 26’

Refrigerator/Freezer Trucks 16’ or 26’ Flatbeds Trucks

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Join Comfort Health as an HCBS coordinator and help children acquire the services they need to gain daily living and coping skills; while ensuring their ongoing success.

Requirements: Organizational Skills

:

Communication and Interpersonal Skills No degree required

Why you’ll love it here: Seamless training process Multiple growth opportunities Fast-paced, supportive environment

Ready to make a difference?

Email your resume to: Williamsburg positions: stessler@comforthealthny.org Boro Park positions: cgreenfeld@comforthealthny.org Five Towns positions: Claufer@hamaspikkings.org

WINTER SPECIAL

WE DO HAVE TRUCKS! Business & Personal Rentals

We Rent to 18 Years & up

16 Foot Truck

$350

per week

Shulamith School for Girls in Cedarhurst, NY, is looking for a 7th and 8th grade math teacher to fill a leave replacement position beginning April 1, 2022 through the end of this school year.

It is an AFTERNOON position.

This placement could potentially lead to a permanent position at the school. We are looking for someone who is professional, dynamic, creative, highly skilled and nurturing with relevant degrees and teaching experience.

Please send resume to egross@shulamith.org

MISC

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Your

Money

No Good Deed

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

T

he ancient Greeks believed that sometimes life calls for sacrifice. In Greek mythology, King Minos of Crete forced the people of Athens to send him seven young men and seven maidens in retribution for the death of his son Androgeos.

They couldn’t have been happy to board the boat, knowing they were destined to become monster chow for the half-human, half-bull Minotaur. But they swallowed their hopes and dreams for the promising futures they had lost, and they did their duty for their fellow citizens.

A thousand years later and halfway across the world, the Aztecs made human sacrifice a core of their religion. Priests would take the victims’ hearts out while they were still alive. (That grisly practice lives on still in American politics. Two years ago, six Democrat presidential candidates gathered on a debate stage to compete for the right to face Donald Trump. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren plunged her bare hand into former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s chest and killed his campaign in less time than it would have taken him to bleed out had this been more than just a colorful metaphor.)

Today, of course, life is considerably cushier. Most Americans consider it a sacrifice to go an hour without their iPhone. And, of course, we grumble when it comes to the civic duty of paying taxes. But sometimes, we volunteer to make sacrifices we don’t have to. What sort of reward do we get for those selfless acts?

billion. The sale cost Musk billions in tax and pushed the stock price down as much as 15%.

Musk’s sale looks like the sort of genuine sacrifice we can all applaud.

But scratch the golden surface, and you’ll see workaday stainless steel.

Back in 2012, Tesla gave Musk the option to buy 22.8 million shares at

That’s right – if you can’t get rich by picking your parents, maybe there’s still time to do it by picking your siblings!

Elon Musk has been the richest man on Earth for most of the last year and a relentless attention hound for as long as anyone can remember. Last year, he polled his 75 million Twitter followers with an unusual question: “Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock. Do you support this?” 57.9% said yes, and Musk cashed in $16.4

$6.74 per share. Now they’re worth $30 billion. Unfortunately, they expire this year – and because he earned them as part of his compensation, exercising them will cost $15 billion in tax. It turns out that Musk unlocked the gain on his stock just to pay the tax he already owed on his previous gains.

At least Uncle Sam is happy, right?

Not so fast! The IRS may be posting

Musk’s picture in their “Man of the Year” frame. But now, the SEC is investigating Musk’s civic sacrifice. It turns out that Elon’s brother, Kimbal, who also sits on Tesla’s board, sold $100 million worth of shares the day before Elon’s poll. (That’s right – if you can’t get rich by picking your parents, maybe there’s still time to do it by picking your siblings!) Here’s the question: did Elon tip-off Kimbal that he would be making an announcement that might affect share prices?

If so, Kimbal’s sale could violate insider-trading laws.

The good news is that you may not have to sacrifice as much as you think to the IRS to achieve your financial goals. We have all sorts of legal, moral, and ethical ways to avoid or offset tax when you sell a stock or any other appreciated asset. Call us before you sell and save your sacrifices for where they can really count!

Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Life C ach

A New Date Night Menu

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS

D

ate night…ah!

Let’s be honest. You’re probably just going out to a restaurant again. Not the worst thing, of course. In fact, it is great to get out.

But maybe it’s time to spruce things up a bit. After all, you’re probably just going to discuss one thing. The kids, of course! And no one’s saying that’s the worst topic either. But, maybe

you’re feeling you can do a bit better.

Listen, date night is a good idea.

Not cooking – a good idea.

Being served – a great idea!

And sure, when you were dating, you did do restaurants and you had plenty to talk about. But remember, back then everything was brand-new.

How many brothers you had – new!

What kind of car you used to drive – new! Who you thought was smarter than you in school – new! Every piece of information…new! It was all so fresh and fascinating. An easy night out.

Any other fun idea?

Here’s another fun idea…go to an arcade. It’s a real opportunity to bond and giggle. Unless you’re way too competitive and wind up not talking at all. Then you might as well stick with the restaurant and at least talk about the kids.

Do you see what I’m getting at? You can change it up. Think of another way to spend time together and maybe give it a try. Like to paint? Make pottery?

Walk over the bridge? Ice skate?

Of course, you can always do the restaurant route. But give it a differ-

Don’t get stuck in monotony.

But now, you don’t want to sit and be chozer all the stuff you already know. So how about exploring some new ideas?

How about bowling for a change?

Nah, forget it. If you want your fingers stuck, securely, inside something way too small, you might as well try sticking your fingers in a piggy bank. At least you don’t need to leave home to get hurt or frustrated.

How about playing pool for a change? It can be such fun. Just make sure you’re not standing in the line of fire if a ball flies off the table. After all, we’re going for laughter and levity, not a black eye or a concussion.

ent dimension. Try a new place. Eat something new. Play a game.

Just don’t get stuck in monotony.

I thought I’d try and give you some food for thought. And in that way, spice up your date night menu. Bon appetit!

Rivki Rosenwald is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist working with both couples and individuals and is a certified relationship counselor. Rivki is a co-founder and creator of an effective Parent Management of Adolescent Years Program.

She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or at rivkirosenwald@gmail.com.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 10, 2022

Truly Outstanding Tabor Winery, winner of 9 medals in the Israeli Best Value Competition 2019

- Better Together

159

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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home

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