South Florida Community Voice - October 31, 2024 by Jewish Link Marketing Solutions

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YOUNG FAMILIES SHABBATON

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS NEW DATE

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Meet & Greet BBQ

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• Tour our villas

Community Kiddush

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• Grand Melava Malka

• Entertainment

Come spend an inspiring Shabbos with us in Eden Gardens and explore what makes our growing community unique.

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Beyond the Headlines

A weekly glimpse into the Israel you won’t read about in the news

My Takeaway from Sukkot

Of all the amazing, joyful and meaningful events on Sukkot, two powerful moments stand out in my mind. One was on the morning of Simchat Torah at the Ramada Hotel in Jerusalem. Over 100 survivors of the Nova festival-turned-massacre had gathered to celebrate the holiday together with the Kesher Yehudi organization. On the walls hung photos of those killed and kidnapped on that tragic day— friends close to their hearts.

One of the participants held a Torah scroll in his arms and danced with it, his face glowing. He said to me: “Last year, look where we danced. And today, look where we are dancing…”

Then came the Torah reading. Each person stood before the open Torah and recited a blessing. Many did so with tears in their eyes. At the conclusion of the Torah reading, everyone declared together: “Chazak, Chazak, Ve’nitchazek” ("Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened"). It felt like a prayer, a declaration of choosing life: Out of brokenness, we will be strong.

The second moment occurred half an hour later, in a large tent that had been set up for bereaved families. A large prayer gathering was held, centered around families who had lost their loved ones. After completing the Torah

By Sivan Rahav Meir

reading on Simchat Torah, the Torah is immediately begun again from the beginning. And so, verses resonated in the air, bringing order to the world and to the heart: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” – the world is not an abandoned jungle; it has a purpose. Chaos cannot reign forever. And even if, at first, “the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was over the surface,” we await the proclamation: “And God said: Let there be light—and there was light.”

In the Torah portion, we read how from the darkness, light breaks forth. May it also break forth in our lives.

entire Torah on Simchat Torah and then immediately begin to read it again, starting from Bereshit.

“I was very taken by this idea,” she wrote, “and I decided that I too would start to read the weekly parasha, starting from Simchat Torah. But we all know what happened that day…”

Despite the shock and horror, Shiri resolved to continue with her Torah study. “Throughout the turbulent year, the weekly parasha became my anchor,” she said.

Each week, she searched for an idea that resonated with her. “In the parasha of Ki Teitzei, for example, we learn about returning a lost object. I told my students, young counselors from the Israel Nature and Parks

Starting Again from Bereshit

Shiri Vidan is a tour guide from Kibbutz Na’an. Last year, she heard me explain how we complete the reading of the

Authority, about this mitzvah, adding that I had recently discovered a lost object in my car—a flashlight — and had yet to find its owner.

Sha’arei Bina Torah Academy for Girls

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“One of my students asked, ‘Is it a large, black flashlight?’ and I replied that indeed it was. Then she said, ‘I’m so happy that you found it- I’ve been looking for it, it’s mine!’”

She went on to say how gratifying it was to return a lost object to its owner specifically during the week when we read about this mitzvah in the Torah.

Shiri continued: “In a deeper sense, it seems that many of us have ‘lost’ our flashlight - the weekly parasha - which helps to light our way. We need to return this precious ‘object’ to ourselves. Looking back on this challenging year, I feel so fortunate to have been able to begin reading the weekly parasha and I recommend it strongly to everyone. This past Shabbat, I started again from Bereshit [the beginning]!”

One

Quote from One Remembrance Ceremony

This Sunday was marked nationally as the remembrance day for Simchat Torah — the day last year when so many dear members of our nation lost their lives. On such a painful day, when we remember so many wonderful, precious souls, here is a quote from Miriam, widow of the heroic soldier Uri Shani:

“It’s exactly one year since Uri fell. Our baby, Ro’i, is just starting to walk. I watch him as he tries to take steps—falling, getting up, taking a few more steps, falling again, and rising once more. I look at him—and I think about myself. This is a message for me, a message for all of us: We must

fall and get up again, stubbornly persevering, so that we can walk and grow.”

Words of Parting from the Father of a Terror Victim

Betzalel Carmi, 72, was murdered in Sunday’s terror attack at the Gelilot Junction outside of Tel Aviv. His father, Avraham, a 96-yearold Holocaust survivor, eulogized him: “You merited 26 grandchildren at your funeral, this is a great thing. That evil man wanted to destroy the Jewish People but we continue to live.”

Our Tears Are Powerful

I received so many stories about the many soldiers who fell recently – it’s impossible to cover them all or to do justice to the unique character of each one. In times of such indescribable sadness, it’s worth focusing on a powerful statement from the Talmud: “Anyone who sheds tears over the loss of a righteous person, God counts and stores those tears in His treasury.”

When we cry over these terrible, painful losses, we must bear in mind that every single tear is counted and preserved in Heaven. Rav Kook explains that there is significance to our

grief and sorrow. The tears we shed now are not in vain. This is not just sadness over something trivial or frustrating; it is sacred sorrow, connected to eternity and to the deepest part of our soul and of our people.

When we mourn the right things, God counts each tear. These tears are not a sign of weakness — to the contrary, they testify to the depth of our connection to all that is good and holy. Each tear is a commitment to continue bringing light into the world. That is why these tears don’t fall to the ground, they rise Above.

May we merit the fulfillment of the verse “You turned my mourning into dancing.” May all these eulogies and tears be transformed into joy and celebration.

Translated by Yehoshua Siskin, Janine Muller Sherr

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The War against Silence: Israel’s resilience in

I am Fabián Basabe, your State Representative, please indulge me sharing my thoughts and also a recent experience.

These pages don’t need any explaining, as our community knows too well that Antisemitism - the prejudice, discrimination, persecution and violence the Jewish people have faced due to their religious beliefs and cultural identitydates back centuries and has been a pervasive force in many societies around the world from the Spanish Inquisition to the Holocaust. Yet, it continues to be a significant issue in our society, one that threatens the peace and unity of our communities. American Jews are shocked to see the amount of antisemitism still existing on our soil.

Recently, a constituent of our District had an incident at the T-Mobile store in Aventura. He was refused service and thrown out for being Jewish and therefore a culprit of genocide, in the opinion of the sub-humans working behind the counter.

He explained to me what happened in a voicemail I had to listen to a couple of times to grasp. I could not believe it. It filled me with rage. This form of hate is an alarming symptom of a clear and present danger, a discriminatory behavior that speaks loudly of a slithering, profound malaise threatening to

current times

us all.

Evil has shown its face again on October 7th, 2023. Hamas broke all rules of engagement with their crime against humanity. They attacked, raped, murdered innocent civilians on a day of celebration with, let’s not forget, the alleged help of five United Nations officials, and only two weeks after, I believe, our current USA administration traded in five Iranian hostages for five American hostages plus $6 billion, currently held in Goa and to be released to Iran exclusively on the contingency of humanitarian relief.

Many Jewish sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends are still captured, hostages under their clutches, beaten and raped, unsure to live another day, maybe not even wanting to. So many American

citizens, and so many from other countries.

Yet, the backlash fell on the Israeli people, the consequence of a mass manipulation aimed to paint victims where victims are none, in need of humanitarian relief to access funds although true humanitarian relief will never be received.

Israel is fighting a much bigger war, for all of us. Since the attack, I have been supporting our Jewish community and keeping it as safe as possible with all State resources at my disposal. Then I got the call, understanding I cannot do this alone, and am here reaching out to you, the community, to participate actively.

He is not a high-profile name, yet a respected one. He is not an agitator, does not belong to any organized group, he is not politically involved in any way, nor has any intention to be. He is, simply, a citizen. He is you and he is me. And now more than ever, we owe each other to protect one another, in honor of a Nation that is being decimated to protect all of us. We owe more to each other than abandoning one another and expect one person to fight the battle of marginalization, discrimination, persecution and harassment alone. We cannot turn the other way any longer. Stupidity beyond imagination is surrounding us, but I still choose

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to believe in the inherent goodness of people. I believe no one wants to be silent, no one wants not to fight the good fight in coming together as a nation and as a people, and stand for what is good and decent in our world.

I spoke in front of Holocaust survivors and acknowledged we all must accept the responsibility that letting someone hurt another in fact letting them think they can do monstrous acts without consequences.

Our strength lies in having the opportunity to engage with the power of dialogue, to open conversation and learn from each other, as word of mouth is very important. Most importantly, I urge you, do not stand indifferent to privileges that you hold in your hands: the power of accusing, testifying, bearing witness, and voting. Today your vote is our power!

Know and understand that if you accuse, you intimidate. If you testify, you rectify. If you witness, you validate. If you vote, you participate. This upcoming election is not about partisanship but

about right and wrong. If you know your history, you know peace can be achieved through strength and leadership, but these days we witness an administration proclaim themselves pro-Israel at one meeting and sponsor and market Antisemitic Associations at the very next, allowing pro-Hamas and pro-Palestine protests in our streets and, worse, in our universities, institutions responsible of shaping the adults of tomorrow.

Strength and leadership must be steady, coherent and honest rather that filled to the political rim with compromises, hypocrisy, double standards, and pandering. There is no honor today only political assassinations of character, which is the first cause of the character assassination that happened in the store around your own area.

The smear campaigns, misinformation, lies, and cheating created an environment where Antisemitism is normalized.

This is the election of our lifetime. Vote. Vote for the honorable people who fought and fight for us, who died and die for us, who survived and survive the unimaginable. Vote for our children, our grandchildren and each other. While voting is still a privilege, don’t take it for granted.

“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must—at that moment—become the center of the universe.” Elie Wiesel – Nobel Price Acceptance Speech, December 10th, 1986.

Please get out and vote, help me ensure only good wins from now on.

Am Yisrael Chai Fabián Basabe Your State Representative

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SOUTH FLORIDA GEARING UP FOR ELECTION DAY

US Congressional Candidate Chris Eddy meeting voters at the polls

SOUTH FLORIDA GEARING UP FOR ELECTION DAY

ELECTION FACTS:

Abraham Lincoln was 6 feet, 4 inches (1.9 meters), making him the tallest U.S. president.

The only president who studied to become a medical doctor was William Henry Harrison, the ninth president.

HISTORICAL ELECTION FACTS FACTS ABOUT OUR PRESIDENTS

The United States is ranked 139th out of 172 countries in voter participation.

The first left-handed president was James Garfield, the 20th president.

The 18th president of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, was given a $20 speeding ticket for riding his horse and buggy too fast down a street in Washington, D.C.

George Washington was the only president who did not represent a political party.

Millard Fillmore, the 13th president, was the first president to have a stepmother.

The White House’s first website went online in October 1994 during President Bill Clinton’s administration.

The first election to use a voting machine was in 1892.

UPCOMING ELECTIONS

HISTORICAL ELECTION FACTS

Jimmy Carter was the first president born in a hospital.

It wasn’t until 1856 that Congress removed property ownership as a requirement to vote in elections.

Herbert Hoover approved “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem.

In 1845, Congress decided that voting day would be the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, which was after the fall harvest and before winter conditions made travel too difficult.

Cartoonist Thomas Nash is credited with creating both the Republican and Democratic symbols, the elephant and the donkey, respectively, when he lampooned the political parties in a cartoon in Harper’s Weekly magazine in 1874. Soon people everywhere began using those symbols to represent the parties.

George Washington blew his entire campaign budget on 160 gallons of liquor to serve to potential voters.

UPCOMING ELECTIONS

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ELECTION DAY

1. George Washington and Election Day drinking

In 1758, a young candidate in Virginia for the House of Burgesses footed a huge liquor bill to woo voters on Election Day. George Washington spent his entire campaign budget, 50 pounds, on 160 gallons of liquor served to 391 voters. Buying votes with booze was already a custom in England. Washington also was following a Virginia tradition where barrels of liquor were rolled to courthouse lawns and polling places on Election Day.

2. Not all states vote on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November

In years when federal elections aren’t held, not all states feel the need to have an election on a traditional Election Day. In 2015, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Louisiana held elections later in the month.

3. The weather and farming dictated when elections were held

In the 1800s, the agrarian economy was an important factor, and farmers weren’t able to travel easily until the harvest was over. Also, the onset of winter conditions in areas that had winter conditions made travel a problem, so elections happened in the late fall.

4. We wouldn’t recognize an Election Day about 200 years ago

Not only were eating, drinking, and parading common, votes could be conducted as public voice votes. Also, political parties would hand out pre-printed ballots for voters to cast, to ensure that people voted for a party ticket. It wasn’t until the 1890s that the Australian ballot, also known as the Secret Ballot, became commonly used in America.

WHITE HOUSE FACTS:

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE

The white house contains 132 rooms, 32 bathrooms, and 6 levels to accommodate all the people who live in, work in, and visit the White House. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 7 staircases, and 3 elevators.

DESIGN

The White House was designed by James Hoban, an Irish immigrant, and modeled after Leinster House, the home of the Irish Parliament.

WEST WING

Teddy Roosevelt created the West Wing, though Thomas Jefferson had originally proposed the idea.

BOWLING ALLEY

President Richard Nixon had a one-lane bowling alley built in the basement of the White House in 1969.

FIRST RESIDENTS

George Washington was inaugurated as the first president in 1789, but the White House was not yet built. John Adams, Washington's successor, was the first president to live in the White House.

PAINT

The White House exterior is repainted every four to six years, using 570 gallons of paint.

KITCHEN

The White House kitchen can serve a full dinner for up to 140 guests, or hors d'oeuvres for more than 1,000 people.

FIRE

During the War of 1812, British soldiers burned the White House in retaliation for an American attack on Toronto. First Lady Dolly Madison refused to leave the building until she saved a portrait of George Washington.

POOLS

The White House has an indoor pool that was installed for Franklin D. Roosevelt, and an outdoor pool that was installed by Gerald R. Ford.

OTHER AMENITIES

The White House also has a tennis court, movie theater, game room, jogging track, and putting green.

Getting To Know Our Presidential Candidates

Donald Trump

WHEN DID DONALD TRUMP TAKE OFFICE?

Donald Trump took the presidential oath of office on January 20, 2017.

WHERE IS DONALD TRUMP ORIGINALLY FROM?

Donald Trump was born and raised in New York City.

WHERE WAS DONALD TRUMP EDUCATED?

Donald Trump attended New York Military Academy (1959–64), a private boarding school; Fordham University in the Bronx (1964–66); and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School (1966–68).

WHEN DID DONALD TRUMP GO INTO POLITICS?

From the 1980s Donald Trump periodically mused in public about running for president, but those moments were widely dismissed in the press as publicity stunts. In 1999 he established a presidential exploratory committee; though he ultimately declined to run in 2000, he co-authored a book that year, "The America We Deserve," in which he set forth his socially liberal and economically conservative political views. In June 2015 Trump announced that he would be a candidate in the U.S. presidential election of 2016, and, after winning the

general election in November, he took office on January 20, 2017.

WHEN WAS DONALD TRUMP ELECTED?

Donald Trump won the general election for the U.S. presidency on November 8, 2016.

HOW MANY ELECTORAL VOTES DID DONALD TRUMP GET?

In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump won the Electoral College by 304 votes to 227. In the 2020 presidential election, Trump lost by 306 electoral votes to 232.

HOW OLD WAS DONALD TRUMP WHEN HE WAS INAUGURATED?

Donald Trump was 70 years old when he was inaugurated as president.

WHEN DID DONALD TRUMP DECLARE HIS CANDIDACY?

Donald Trump announced that he would be a candidate in the 2016 presidential election campaign on June 14, 2015, at Trump Tower in New York City.

WHERE IS DONALD TRUMP'S MAR-A-LAGO RESORT?

Mar-a-Lago is located in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump purchased the 118-room mansion on the site in the 1980s; he floated a plan to his creditors to convert the estate into a luxury housing development consisting of several smaller mansions, but local opposition led him instead to turn it into a private club, which was opened in 1995.

WHAT DID DONALD TRUMP STUDY?

Donald Trump majored in economics at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1968.

DID YOU KNOW? FACTS

• In 1999 Trump switched his voter registration from Republican to the Reform Party and established a presidential exploratory committee; he ultimately declined to run for president in 2000, however, and he later rejoined the Republican Party.

• Trump has said that he decided to abstain from drinking alcohol after seeing its effects on his older brother Freddy, whose alcoholism led to his early death at the age of 43.

• In 1989 Trump teamed with the Milton Bradley Company to release a board game called

Trump: The Game, which shared some similarities with the popular real-estate board game Monopoly; the Trump-branded game saw disappointing sales and was soon retired, though it was rereleased 15 years later after Trump had found increased fame as the star of the reality television show "The Apprentice."

• When the U.S. economy fell into recession in 1990, many of Trump's businesses suffered, and he was forced to surrender his airline, sell his 282-foot yacht, and take out second or third mortgages on nearly all of his properties; during this period, estimates of Trump's net worth ranged from $1.7 billion to minus $900 million.

UPCOMING ELECTIONS

WHAT DOES KAMALA

HARRIS'S

FIRST NAME MEAN?

Kamala Harris's first name, which is pronounced "commala," means "lotus" in Sanskrit.

WHERE DID KAMALA HARRIS GO TO COLLEGE?

Kamala Harris earned a bachelor's degree (1986) from Howard University, where she studied political science and economics. She then attended the University of California Hastings College of the Law, where she graduated with a law degree in 1989.

IS KAMALA HARRIS MARRIED?

Yes; Kamala Harris married attorney Douglas Emhoff in 2014.

She’s short. Five-foot-four, to be exact. If elected, she would be one of the two shortest presidents in American history (The other is James Madison). But her height checks in at just about average for an American woman.

She knows how to deliver fries with that. Ms. Harris worked at McDonald’s between her freshman and sophomore years in college. She fried the fries, worked the ice cream machine, and staffed the cash register.

She loves Doritos. In her memoir, she described the night in 2016 that Donald J. Trump won the presidency (which was the same night she got elected to the U.S. Senate). “No one

Kamala Harris

really knew what to say or do,” she wrote. “I sat down on the couch with Doug and ate an entire family-size bag of Classic Doritos. Didn’t share a single chip.”

She attended both a Black Baptist church and a Hindu temple as a child. “My mother understood very well that she was raising two Black daughters,” she wrote in her memoir. “And she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud Black women.”

DID YOU KNOW?

• Harris and her younger sister relocated from California to Montreal with their mother, Shyamala Gopalan, after Gopalan accepted a teaching position at McGill University; accordingly, Harris attended middle school and high school in Montreal.

• Harris, who married attorney Douglas Emhoff in 2014, is stepmother to Ella and Cole

Emhoff, who both refer to Harris as "Momala."

• In 2010 Harris became the first female and the first Black American to be elected attorney general of California; the election was so close that her Republican opponent, Steve Cooley, declared victory on election night, only to concede three weeks later after all the ballots had been counted, revealing that Harris had won by a margin of less than 1 percent.

Operation Inspiration: Don’t Just Sit There

By Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

There’s an old joke attributed to various Nineteenth-Century American writers that essentially says, “Lots of people talk about the weather, but they never do anything about it.” The humor lies in the fact that while the nastiness of a New England winter, or the heat of a South Carolina summer, may be brutal, for all the time people spend discussing it, they aren’t getting anywhere because they can’t change the weather.

The humor of the quip presents this as a failure in willingness, when it’s truly a lack of ability. At the same time, the underlying message is that when you see something that CAN be fixed, you ought to fix it. Ironically, though, many people spend so much of their time focused on things they can’t change. For example, politics. While you may be able to influence some people to vote a certain way, there’s no guarantee you’ll get the elected politicians to see things as you do. At least, not the vast majority of us. Despite this, people will pontificate for hours at a time what the correct path to

peace in the Middle East might be, how the President ought to handle a specific problem, or how the world should stand up to dictators. Go ahead, but nobody who can do anything is listening to you.

I had a Rav once who said, “My wife and I split responsibilities. She worries about the little things: what we’ll have for dinner; who’s coming to us for Shabbos; how we will pay the mortgage; I focus on the big issues, like crime and world hunger.” Sure, the pundits providing their approach to solving the world’s issues may have a point, but they don’t have the power to change things, least of all the

minds of people who think differently than they do.

How about sports? So many people say things like, “We need to get this player; fire that coach; focus on our running game.” That’s great, but guess what? Woody Johnson isn’t going to listen to you any more than he listens to his coaches and managers. All your insight is wasted not just on a game, but on a game you’re not influencing.

I have some diehard sports fans in my family. Sometimes I check the scores to see what’s going on as the games are played. But then I realize that I’m not influencing the game and it doesn’t matter to me whether I find out whether they won or lost afterwards, or if I spent my time taking the journey with them.

But you know what? There are so many things we CAN do things about. There are myriad opportunities to make a difference and put our ideas into motion for the benefit of Mankind. You can complain about the high prices of restaurants, but if you patronize them anyway, you’re wasting your breath. If, instead, you

COMMUNITY NEWS

try to find ways to feed people who can’t pay their grocery bill, you’ve done a lot more.

If you see someone struggling with an issue, maybe even one you can’t solve, but you can spare some time to listen to them, you are actually doing something about the problem. Talk is cheap, but it depends what kind. If it’s someone going on and on about how they would do things differently if they were in power, then yes, it’s rather valueless. But if someone is focused on providing suggestions to better the lives of others in ways that can be implemented, then it’s a very different story.

Let’s say you have a brother-

in-law who is a deadbeat. He has no ambition, no drive, and he just mooches off everyone else. Talking about it is not just Lashon Hara, but it’s a waste of your time and energy. Instead, move on to things you can take action on. Maybe you can find a way to motivate him, or ensure that someone else doesn’t end up that way. There’s no trick to complaining about the rain, anyone can do that. But if you can find a way to redirect it to make things grow, then you’ve done something about it.

Don’t complain about people who aren’t doing the right thing. They won’t listen to you anyway in most cases. Sure, it may frustrate you, but what

does that get you except more frustrated? Sharing the misery with others - again, still bigger than the biggest of sins - just makes everyone else miserable. Please. When it rains, do something about it. Be the silver lining; be the bright sunshine that banishes the clouds. Winter is coming, and there will be enough gloominess and dreary gray skies. You can’t help that. But by focusing on what you CAN change, you and those around you will be able to weather any storm.

Did you enjoy this column? Feedback is welcome and appreciated. E-mail info@JewishSpeechWriter.com to share your thoughts. You never know when you may be the lamp that enlightens someone else.

Did You Miss The Boat?

By Shmuel Shayowitz

In this week’s Torah portion, Parshas Noach, we read of a generation that, despite warning after warning, “missed the boat.” They stood by, indifferent or even skeptical, until it was too late. And while we may shake our heads at their blindness to impending disaster, there’s a valuable lesson here for us today. Many people - especially in the realm of personal finance - are likewise “missing the boat” on critical opportunities, standing on the sidelines while others capatalize.

Consider those who keep substantial sums in accounts earning little to no interest. With inflation persistently elevated, money left idle in low-yield accounts is essentially losing value over time. Financial advisers often urge clients to make their money work for them by investing in various opportunities, whether through stocks, bonds, or real estate. By simply “waiting it out,” this money remains stagnant, eroding with each passing month instead of growing through even conservative investments.

Another common example involves homeowners with mortgages. When interest rates dipped briefly in August, millions of mortgage holders had the opportunity to refinance at lower rates or consolidate debt. I reached out to many clients, encouraging them to seize this

rare window of opportunity. While a handful took action and are now enjoying substantial savings, many others left my calls, emails, and texts unanswered, hoping perhaps for a better offer or planning to revisit the decision “someday.” For them, that day came and went, and so did the chance to save.

Aspiring home buyers are also missing the boat by waiting for interest rates to drop before buying a property. Yes, a lower rate would be ideal, but waiting indefinitely might mean they’ll never get into the market. In the meantime, the cost of renting continues to climb, and home prices could increase even further, ultimately negating any future rate savings. When we weigh financial decisions too heavily on uncertain future possibilities, we risk losing out on the present, which, ironically, may be the best opportunity we’ll get.

Credit card debt is another area where too many people miss the boat. With interest rates on credit cards often exceeding 20%, simply paying the minimum each month does little to dent the principal balance. Meanwhile, options exist to consolidate debt, negotiate lower rates, or employ strategies that can help pay down these obligations far more effectively. Yet, countless people

continue making minimum payments month after month, drowning under compounding interest while other solutions remain unexplored.

Then, there are those who believe that market performance hinges exclusively on the outcomes of elections. While historical data may suggest certain trends based on which party is in power, this year is unlike any other. With unprecedented circumstances like post-COVID economic shifts, massive inflation, and two extraordinarily polarizing candidates, there’s no reliable “blueprint” to predict what might follow. Waiting on the sidelines in hope of a specific political outcome may mean missing out on today’s opportunities without any guarantee that tomorrow’s market will align with their expectations.

The lesson from Parshas Noach is clear: don't be a bystander. When opportunities present themselves, take action. Hesitation may feel like a safe bet, but it can lead to missed chances that never come again. Whether it’s securing your financial future, building equity, or simply making a commitment to manage debt, don’t let the fear of “what if” keep you from taking the steps needed today. Because once the door closes, there may be no going back.

Sticky Silan Short Ribs

By Jamie Geller

INGREDIENTS

Short Ribs:

• 3 lbs. short ribs

• 1 recipe Moroccan-style spice rub (recipe follows)

• ½ cup Silan

• 1 cup pomegranate seeds

• Handful of parsley, roughly chopped

Moroccan-Style Spice Rub:

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika

• 1 tablespoon cumin

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 ½ teaspoons pepper

• 1 teaspoon allspice

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne

Did you know that when the Torah mentions honey, it is actually referring to date honey, or silan?

Silan is a staple of the Israeli diet and is used for both sweet and savory applications. With its deep molasses flavor and thick syrupy consistency, silan works well as a honey replacement. When celebrating Rosh Hashanah, let date honey take center stage with these sticky silan-glazed ribs. With their beautiful presentation and sweet and smoky flavor, they are sure to make a statement on your holiday table.

PREPARATION

Short Ribs:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Rub the spice mix generously over the ribs and let them sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Place the ribs snugly in an oven dish with the fat side facing up. (optional: add 1 cup water or broth to ensure there is enough liquid in the pan especially if your ribs are not very fatty)

2. Cover tightly with a few layers of foil and bake for 3 hours, until ribs are tender and falling off the bone.

3. Remove the ribs from the oven and raise the temperature to 425°F. Pour out most of the juices from the pan, leaving about ½ cup. Drizzle the ribs generously with silan and bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, basting every 5 minutes with silan from the pan.

4. To serve, garnish with pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley.

Moroccan-Style Spice Rub:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Jamie Geller is the Chief Media and Marketing Officer at Aish. She is also a best-selling cookbook author, celebrity chef, television producer and businesswoman. She is an author of 8 cookbooks and the founder of Kosher Media Network.

Deep Slumber Mattress Pad

Deep Slumber Pillow

KID’S ZONE KID’S ZONE

KEVER RACHEL

Create a drawing or piece of art of KEVER RACHEL

First place: $30 gift card | Second place: $20 gift card | Third place: $10 gift card

Email your artwork to info@tsfcommunityvoice.com

Make sure to include your name, age, and city. Entries must be received by November 6, 2024

This type of contest encourages creativity, education, and community engagement while celebrating important Jewish themes. It allows kids to express themselves through their art and writing, and it also provides an opportunity for their work to be showcased in the magazine.

Sponsored by: SMASH HOUSE BURGERS smashhouseburgers.com (305) 351-9545

PARSHAS NOACH

DID YOU KNOW?

The words of Davening and learning Torah create a protective Teivah from the world’s challenges.

IMAGINE

Taking a trip in a giant submarine. You are standing in the cockpit in front of a large glass window, where you can see the ocean’s vastness teeming with all types of fish swimming past: big, small, colorful, and even spiky. There are beautiful sea plants, including sea anemones and coral. Suddenly, an enormous shark comes your way. It has hundreds of teeth and looks quite scary. But you aren’t afraid because the shark can’t touch or hurt you. Even though it sees you, and the shark may think you would make a very tasty meal, the shark can’t harm you since you are inside the submarine, surrounded by its solid walls.

DELVING DEEPER

BRING IT HOME

What is one way to improve the way you Daven?

In our Parsha, Noach builds a Teivah to protect himself from the waters of the Mabul. Today we don’t have to build a physical Teivah because there is no Mabul that threatens us physically. There is a spiritual Mabul, the challenges of the world that can surround and even drown us. These challenges refer to any obstacles that distract us from serving Hashem and convince us that the world around us exists for itself. For example, if your mother needs your help but you want to finish reading your book, the book is distracting you from doing the mitzvah of honoring your mother. To protect ourselves from this flood of distractions we need to build a spiritual Teivah. Our Teivah consists of the words of Torah and Tefillah (in Hebrew, “Teivah” also means “word”.) Connecting to Hashem through these words, instills within us the knowledge that Torah and Mitzvos are the true reason for the existence of the world. Everything else only exists to be used for the purpose of fulfilling this intent. Immersing ourselves in the words of Torah and Tefilla therefore strengthens our Neshama, protecting it from the Mabul “waters.”

Open the photo frame, remove the slip of paper and the backing, ensure there is no film on the glass. Place the glass back into the frame, and then close the frame back up.

Flip the photo frame so that the sparkly Teivah is facing the table. Then, use a popsicle stick to pour the light blue glue onto the frame to create streaks of blue.

Cut a long piece of ribbon (approximately 12 inches) and attach each end to the top of the photo frame using tape.

Mabul Suncatcher PARSHA

Cut out the Teiva template and stick it to the back of the frame facing down. Then, turn over the frame with your black glitter glue trace, and fill in the Teivah. Let it set for approximately 45 minutes.

Take the purple and dark blue glue and mix them together slowly to create a marbled, multi-colored effect.

Now, you can hang your suncatcher in the window and watch your Mabul art sparkle!

In three small cups pour 1 tbsp of clear glue. The first, add one drop of blue dye and the second add one drop of purple dye. For the third, take a small amount of blue glue and mix it in, creating light blue. Mix well.

Sprinkle a small amount of blue and purple glitter onto the glue, then allow the frame to dry for 24 hours.

SUPPLIES

Food Coloring: Blue and Purple

Glitter: Blue and Purple

Black Glitter Glue

3 Popsicle Sticks

Picture Frame

3 Small Cups

Clear Glue

Scissors

Ribbon Tape

*We would love to see how your Parsha Studio Project came out!

Send us pictures to, info@jcm.museum