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| Index |

............................................. page 3 Torah and Hashkafa Page 3: Parsha Perspectives

.................................. page 13 page # Daily Living Page 13: The Consummate Consummer

Page 4: Tasting The Heat Of Torah

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Advice and Opinion page 6 Page 5: Dear Dr. Yael

Page 14: Kosher In The Kitch

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Teens & Twenties Talk

page 15

Page 15: Gittela Welcher

Page 6: Over Coffee

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Puzzles and Games

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Features Page 7: The Person Behind The Chair...

And Beyond Page 8-9: Jewish Arts

Page 16: Crossword Puzzle Trivia Quiz

page 9

............................................. page 18 Kid's Corner

Page 10: Perspectives

Page 17: Midrash and Talmud

Page 11-12: Whose Simcha Is It Really?

Page 18: From Klutz to Wiz Parsha

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Page 19: Family Fun World of Chelm

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Published by The Jewish Press Inc. 4915 16th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11215 718-330-1100 magazine@jewishpress.com All material in this section has been copyrighted and is the exclusive property of The Jewish Press and cannot be reproduced without the due consent of the publisher.

Articles printed in this section are for general information purposes only. In matters of health, halacha or kashrus a person’s rav or doctor should be consulted.

Chumi Friedman Magazine Editor

Myrna Jaffe Jodie Maoz Copy Editors

To submit articles or recipes for publication or to contact our columnists, e-mail magazine@jewishpress.com To submit articles for Teens and Twenties Talk e-mail: teens@jewishpress.com For advertising information e-mail heshy@jewishpress.com November 4, 2011

Dear Readers, Welcome to our inaugural edition.

While The Jewish Press has had a magazine section in some format since 1975, this change is special. We have increased the size of the magazine – going from 12 to 20 pages – and, for the first time, every page is in full-color. As the weeks pass you’ll get to read new features and meet new writers, but don’t worry, we have kept many of the columns you have come to enjoy. (For those of you who follow our political columnists, Professor Louis Rene Beres and Professor Paul Eidelberg, their articles can now be found in the regular pages of the newspaper.)

In our goal to be interactive we are including a special area for recipes submitted by you, our readers. But we want more than just your recipes; we want to hear your thoughts and ideas – and comments.

As part of the change, in this space you will find a potpourri of choices including an Editor’s Note, a letter from a reader we wish to highlight, and on occasion “A Glimpse Into Next Week…” a short dvar Torah related to the following week’s parsha for those of you who are teachers, lecturers or who just like to “read ahead.”

So sit back with a glass of tea or a cup of coffee and enjoy reading The Magazine. Then send us an e-mail and let us know what you think.

Chumi Friedman Editor

| The Magazine |

| Torah

and Hashkafa |

Parsha Perspectives

3

Lech Lecha: Trust And Respect

By Rochel Holzkenner

I

n Wendy Shalit’s book, A Return to Modesty, she marks the demise of male courtesy. Crude talk and selfcentered behavior has largely replaced chivalry. “The need,” she writes, “is for a good dose of sexist upbringing, how to relate as a man to a woman.” She calls for a revolution of modesty, where “young rebels with self-esteem” feel confident enough to reclaim their feminine power and individuality.

The Torah speaks this message very clearly. In Bereishis our biblical heroines are powerful in a modest and discreet way; their husbands, in turn, are respectful and protective. Women are cherished and honored. Such has also been the Jewish tradition ever since the days of our Avos and Imahos.

Which makes one story in Bereishis really stand out.

“He relied on her merit that he would not be hurt and she would not be touched...”In an intimate glimpse into their relationship, we read about Avraham and Sarah, who, at the ages of 75 and 65, respectively, travel south towards Mitzrayim. As they travel, Avraham tells Sarah how beautiful she is, and expresses his concern that her allure would entice the Mitzriyim to murder Avraham in order to make her available for the king’s harem.

Avraham makes the following suggestion to his wife: “Please say you are my sister, in order that it go well with me because of you, and that my soul may live because of you” (Bereishis 12:13).

Avraham’s plan would effectively remove himself from Paraoh’s hit list... and make Sarah available for Paraoh’s hedonistic abuse! What’s more is that Avraham mentions that it would actually be of benefit to him if Sarah would be taken: “that it go well with me because of you”?! As the mefarshim explain, if Avraham was thought to be her brother, he expected to be flattered with gifts of money and cattle.

Talk about a lack of chivalry! Is this Avraham, the first Jewish husband and the ultimate mentch? The man whose selfless generosity had him hinge four doors to his tent, making it accessible to wayfarers from all directions?

Nearly two thousand years ago, the au-

thor of the Zohar asked this same question (a question echoed by almost every other biblical commentator): “Rabi Eliezer asked: Would Avraham, who feared G-d and was loved by G-d, say that about his wife for his own benefit?

was worthy of being saved from death, but he was fully confident that G-d would never allow his holy wife to be violated. She faced no danger. b) Avraham also knew the Divine rule that a man’s wealth is earned through his wife’s merit. In this case, a lucrative

This provides us with a fascinating parallel between the story of Avraham and Sarah’s journey to Mitzrayim and our journey through life.

“Rabi Eliezer explained: Even though Avraham feared G-d, he did not rely on his own merit. He did not ask G-d to save [Sarah] in his own merit but rather in hers.

He [also] knew that it was through her merit that he would accumulate wealth from the other nations since a person acquires money in the merit of his wife… He relied on her merit that he would not be hurt and she would not be touched and because of this he was not afraid to say, ‘She is my sister.’”

Based on the Zohar, Avraham’s reasoning was twofold: a) Avraham was not confident that he

opportunity was presenting itself – one that would come about directly through Sarah. Her abduction would bring them wealth.

And this is in fact what happened.

Sarah was taken; but few hours later she walked away untouched. And Paraoh showered Avraham with an abundance of wealth.

While chivalry is the sense that a man should be courteous and defend his wife’s honor and safety, at times a man is asked to stand back and trust that she will be able to protect herself. In fact she may be able to gain more without his involve-

| The Magazine |

ment. In Shlomo HaMelech’s famous poem Eishes Chayil, he describes Avraham’s strategy when he writes: “The heart of her husband trusts in her, he lacks no profit.”

But a smart man knows that his wife is quite safe...The Zohar compares the union of Avraham and Sarah with the union of the soul and the body. This provides us with a fascinating parallel between the story of Avraham and Sarah’s journey to Mitzrayim and our journey through life.

The soul descends to earth and partners with a body, as the soul looks out to protect her body from harm. But the body has a job to do, one that is riskier than the soul’s. As a material being, the body is best equipped to cultivate the material world. Its job is to plow, plant, shop and cook – all the while bringing awareness of G-d into the material world.

The soul’s instinct may be to shield the body from coarse materialism, but it is forced to let go. The profits gained from the body’s work will be of awesome benefit to the soul as well.

Avraham, the ultimate husband, and Sarah, the quintessential Jewess, expose an important paradigm shift. Womankind is often heavily involved in materialistic pursuits. Like the body, we construct, create, organize, strategize and delve into the practical and physical. Like Sarah we can appear to be abducted into Paraoh’s palace, where materialism rules supreme and what looks good is worshipped.

But a smart man knows that his wife is quite safe. Women have a gift: the ability to see materialism as a means to a greater end, to a G-dly end. With this focus she brings the consciousness of the Creator into every facet of existence.

Rochel Holzkenner is a mother of two children and the co-director of Chabad of Las Olas, Fla., heading its educational department. She is also a freelance writer – and a frequent contributor to Chabad.org – and lectures on topics of Kabbalah and feminism, and their application to everyday life. Rochel holds an MS in Brain Research from Nova SE University November 4, 2011

4 |Torah and Hashkafa| Tasting The “Heat” Of The Torah

By David Gruber

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s a Baal Teshuva who discovered the “emes” about eight years ago, I am often asked by my FFB friends in my very FFB neighborhood to describe what inspired my wife and I to take the plunge and more specifically, what it feels like to lead a Torah observant life after so many years of living on the “other side.” After enlightening them with our story, which I must admit never seems that awe inspiring to me, I can almost always predict where the conversation will go from there. “You are so fortunate” is usually how the next sentence begins followed by something along the lines of “I can never feel what you feel” or “Having grown up this way we just do what we do because that is what we were taught.” On cue, I feebly attempt to describe the feelings I have when I daven, learn, celebrate Shabbosim or Yomim Tovim, or take our children to yeshiva. I use words like “inspired,” “true happiness” or “fills a void” yet in each instance I feel like I failed to appropriately and adequately capture the true essence of what it feels like to be a novice at Torah observance.

I am always struck by the irony of this exchange. After all, I would give anything to have been brought up frum from birth!

The thought of never having to ask, “What page are we on” during davening or learning, or have my best friend translate a yeshivish colloquialism during the rabbi’s shiur would be shamayim on earth. Yet those who can easily answer these questions somehow envy my position, since I am able to feel November 4, 2011

something they simply cannot.

This past Shabbos I finally had the chance to help my friends experience the sensation I feel in regards to yiddishkeit. I will admit that it occurred, at first, inadvertently, but it played out like a charm…

Like many communities in the frum world, ours is passionate about food, and specifically, a tasty post-Shabbos morning davening kiddush. In the rare instance when our shul does not have a community simcha kiddush planned, a few of us rotate hosting a kiddush in our homes. What began as a few men getting together for chulent and a l’chaim has, baruch Hashem, blossomed.

One of my weaknesses, or perhaps it is a strength, is my appetite and passion for extremely spicy foods. So much so, in fact, that I dedicated almost an entire garden this summer to growing jalapeno and habanero peppers. Most are familiar with the green jalapeno and the punch it packs when added to salads, sauces, or served on top of nachos and cheese. Well the habanero is the stronger, meaner and much more intimidating “big brother” to the jalapeno. In fact

the habanero packs 10 times the heat level of the garden variety jalapeno…with just a morsel of this pepper causing even the most experienced “hot foodie” to recoil. I have found that a tiny slice of habanero adds an incredible edible kick to a chulent and decided to share my discovery with my chevra last Shabbos.

Almost lost on the large table of cakes, kugels, herrings and bowls of chulent was

the small plate of finely chopped bright orange habanero peppers, courtesy of yours truly. In response to the many, “hey, what are those” questions I received, I let my friends know what was on the plate, where they came from and attempted to describe the powerful punch they pack when added in miniscule doses to the chulent. I stood back as the initial daring few took a small pinch and added them to their plates. The even more courageous, despite my warning, popped a small portion directly onto their tongues! Slowly but surely the plate of peppers disappeared, and the shock induced tears increased. Yes, my friends were experiencing a “sensation” they never experienced before.

Despite the heat, they continued to want more! I heard things like, “That thing made a really good chulent great…. I can’t get enough”, “That pepper shook my core… like fire throughout my body”, “That sure was Hot…I am sweating…but I want more!”, “You have changed my palate forever”, and my personal favorite, “Wow, I can’t believe such a small piece can be so powerful!”

I will admit that the parallel of tasting the heat of the habanero to tasting the heat of the Torah did not come to me until some days later. Then it hit me hard… and the more I thought and the more of my thoughts I shared, the more the link materialized.

| The Magazine |

Yes…small doses of something new and potent, a penetrating fire that strikes your core, a life altering experience leading to a permanent change, and finally an insatiable craving for more. Indeed, that is how it feels to taste the fire of one of the world’s hottest peppers for the first time. And that

is also how it feels, albeit on a much higher echelon and with a different type of sweat, to taste the fire of the Torah!

David Gruber lives in Wesley Hills with his wife and three children.

He can be reached at magazine@ jewishpress.com

| Advice

and Opinion |

Dear Dr. Yael

5

By Yael Respler, Ph.D. with Orit Respler-Herman, Psy.D.

Our Son-In-Law Hates Us Dear Dr. Yael: We have, Baruch Hashem, six married children – evenly split between girls and boys. We are very close to five of the married couples. However, our middle daughter, who was always well behaved and a wonderful child, married a monster for a husband. He claims to be very frum and has decided that we are “toxic parents.” He has therefore broken our relationship with our daughter and her children. He told his rav that we are difficult and intrusive parents, and are destroying his marriage. His rav then gave him a p’sak that he should cut off all ties with us. My daughter was told that since she is married it is her obligation to listen to her husband – and not to her parents.

Why is it that our other children adore us and that all of our other in-law children are close to us – as are all of our other grandchildren? This p’sak now includes all of her siblings, meaning that she is not allowed to talk to any of them as well. He does not even allow her to accept any gifts from us.

Our daughter got married at 19, and is a passive person and people-pleaser. We thought that her outgoing husband would bring her out of her shell. However, we did not realize that he is a domineering tyrant.

They and their two young children live

of the relationship that our daughter had with us. He has a strenuous relationship with his own parents. I know that he visits them and has them over to their home. Unfortunately, everyone who can help us is afraid of his anger and worried that they will intervene and destroy their marriage. We do not want to destroy their marriage and never spoke against him to our daughter. But any display of warmth from us at the outset of their marriage was perceived as a threat to him and the marriage.

Please help us! We do not want to hurt their marriage, but we want a relationship with our daughter and our grandchildren.

What can we do?

Abandoned Parents Dear Abandoned Parents: I hear your pain and feel for your challenging dilemma. It is possible, as you suggest, that your son-in-law may be threatened by the warm and close relationship you had with your daughter. You conclude your letter by writing that you crave a relationship with your daughter and grandchildren. Perhaps your son-in-law, jealous that his wife has such loving parents, is transferring the unexpressed anger he may harbor toward his own parents onto you. I have unfortunately heard similar sagas in my practice.

Think about how Yaakov Avinu approached Eisav. He knew that Eisav wanted to kill him and his family, but he came to him with gifts. nearby, but we never see them. Our hearts are broken. His parents are part of the problem, since they have a poor marriage and envy our loving home and affluence.

Baruch Hashem, our daughter’s husband is financially successful, so she is not struggling.

How can a rav hand down such a p’sak without even meeting us or hearing our side of the story? We think our son-inlaw is an insecure person and is jealous

Have you ever tried to “kill” your sonin-law with kindness? You may think that this is a crazy idea, but I believe that the only way to possibly resolve this dilemma is by being loving toward your son-in-law.

I am sure you are intensely angry with him, but if you can think of some positive qualities that he possesses and you send him a special gift with a note enumerating those qualities, it may be the first step to shalom.

Think about how Yaakov Avinu approached Eisav. He knew that Eisav wanted to kill him and his family, but he came to him with gifts. Although your son-inlaw is hurting you, if you can rise to the occasion and show him true kindness, he may start to come around. Certainly, at first, he may appear hostile and either ignore your attempts or even return your gift. However, if you persist with kindness, he might eventually see that you are sincere and perhaps this will rectify the situation.

different ruling. The rav must have all the pertinent information in order to give a proper p’sak. It is incumbent upon us to reveal all of the specific information when asking our she’eilos, in order for the rav to give proper guidance. As your son-in-law probably did not supply his rav with all of the relevant information, explaining your side of the story may help the situation.

Professionally I have dealt with numerous problems like yours and, Baruch Hashem, have helped many families re-

Why is it that our other children adore us and that all of our other in-law children are close to us – as are all of our other grandchildren?

In reality, you will have to work on truly trying to feel more positive about him. Only with warmth toward him will you perhaps be able to heal this problem. Please view him as a child in pain who is directing his anger at you.

My dilemma is that I am only hearing your side. Are you in any way meddlesome? Does he have any complaints about you that may contain an element of truth?

Saying “I am sorry” and trying to examine if you have elicited any of these problems is also a beginning to repairing this painful relationship.

Maybe you should try explaining your side of the situation to his rav. He may have no idea of the pain you are enduring. I find that our wonderful rabbanim are very overburdened with our community’s problems and often get blamed when they do not hear all of the particulars of a situation. Please approach the rav with the greatest respect, and not with anger. If you address him with kavod, he will more readily listen to your situation.

Remember that you are not certain of the rav’s p’sak since you heard it secondhand. It is possible that the rav never gave such a p’sak. I often call the rav that my clients are consulting and after giving him all the particulars, I get a completely

| The Magazine |

unite – within certain boundaries. In many cases, rabbanim were helpful in guiding both the families and me. One must examine his or her middos in order to achieve shalom. All those involved must look at what he or she has done to contribute to the problem.

Please seek professional help to guide you in this challenging situation.

Hatzlachah!

Dr. Yael Respler is a psychotherapist in private practice who provides marital, dating, and family counseling, and deals with problems in the intimate marital relationship. Dr. Respler utilizes cognitive-behavior therapy and hypnosis for phobias, smoking cessation, anger management, and weight loss and is also available for speaking engagements. She can be reached at 718-259-4965 or at DearDrYael@ aol.com. Dr. Orit Respler-Herman, a child psychologist, co-authors this column and is now in private practice providing complete psychological evaluations as well as child and adolescent therapy. She can be reached at 917-679-1612.

Previous columns can be viewed at www.jewishpress.com November 4, 2011

6 |Advice and Opinion| Over Coffee

By Rachel Bluth

‘Lawyers, Liars And Loot’

W

ill wonders never cease? I am still reeling in shock and amazement after reading an interview with Rav Hershel Schachter in Ami Magazine. The article was titled ‘The Breakdown of the Bais Din System,’ and in it Rav Schachter openly and without mincing words, lays out the terrible and disastrous state of our Batei Din. I have been privy to this horror for over twenty years, working with agunos and seeing first hand how very often a terrible, life-devastating “justice” is meted out. As much as I spoke out though, the Klal would not or could not believe that a Bais Din, a bastion of Daas Torah and yashrus would stoop to the scandalous, unscrupulously prejudiced and money-grubbing tactics I was familiar with.

Now, miracle of miracles arises Rav Schachter and with one interview rips the lid off the whole rancid and foul institution to which we give our trust and whose judgments we faithfully accept as truth.

Rav Schachter is an esteemed member of the rabbinate, Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshivas Rabbenu Isaac Elchonon, one of the main halachic consultants for the Orthodox Union, as well as being recognized as a renowned posek, marbitz Torah and mechaber seforim. He has often been called on to take part in cases as a dayan or to sit in as an educated observer, so his scathing observation on the complete failure of the Bais Din

November 4, 2011

system is astoundingly credible.

Rav Schachter conveys his abhorrence at the practice of the sliding scale of monies that often influences the outcome of a din Torah and of huge and grave injustices in the get process that nearly always decimate women and children.

He describes, from personal experience, the “cancer” that has overtaken the Bais Din process and is ultimately an encouragement for many people to choose to go to secular court. I was floored by the candid observations, the searing language and the sincere intent that Rav Schachter so bravely and sincerely presented, even after he mentioned that by doing so he laid himself open to verbal and possibly physical harm. May Hashem protect him and keep him safe.

So now there are two of us soldiering in the battle for truth, justice and daas Torah and for the first time in forever, I’m feeling hopeful that we’re going to see some movement for change. With a giant like Rav Schachter standing up, unafraid to speak the truth and offering ways to bring back the integrity and purity that should permeate the Bais Din, I feel confident that something will begin to happen. I truly believe that there is a way to fix anything that’s broken; all it takes is action after the thought.

On a different note, I’ve only just started to see clients again, since the loss of my mother, and in these few days I’ve been witness to a number of miracles, breakthroughs that make the difference between weeks and months of therapy and the sudden turn towards healing. The child who sat silent-

ly for weeks without uttering a word, suddenly spoke and a door opened to let out the demons that imprisoned his tongue.

A couple that was going to get divorced realized they still loved each other and committed to work it through. A teenager who resorted to cutting and mutilation, who hadn’t cried in years, found her tears awakening the strength and the will to live and get better. These are the signs I look

ginning with the progress of the people I mentor and many other signs that we are about to embark on the road of geula and yeshua. Already evident of G-d’s greatness is the fact that Gilad Shalit has survived the almost five years of captivity and has returned home to his family and his people.

And if we but look around us, there are the countless little daily miracles we take for granted, from the simple act of rising in the morning to the tiny miracles we experience throughout our day, the ones we just breeze through without fully appreciating them, to when we close our eyes at night – we have so much to be thankful for, so much to look forward to and so much yet to see.

I believe that in the coming months, we will experience wondrous happenings, starting with the changes in the Bais Din system, that will, in turn, lead to other changes, such as improvements in the areas of bein adam laMakom, bein ish le’ishto and bein adam le’chavairo. Ultimately, we will be zoche, this year, to fly first class al kanfay nisharim, and return to Yerushalayim Habenuya, amen.

I truly believe that there is a way to fix anything that’s broken; all it takes is action after the thought. for, hold onto and believe in – that partnered with the Ribbono Shel Olam, everything is possible – if we beseech Him for His help, He will make boulders fly and rivers run purple. I truly have been witness to Hashem’s great love and the miracles He makes happen.

For me, the old year went out with the loss of my mother and the new year has brought with it the promise for many wondrous and miraculous happenings, be-

| The Magazine |

Make sure to be ready, pack light, and don’t forget the coffee!

Rachel Bluth is an independent writer/journalist and lecturer with an active practice in the Five Towns, offering advice and resources to couples, young adults and children.

She can be contacted via e-mail at mamarahu2@aol.com or at 516 371-0290.

| Features | The Person Behind The Chair... And Beyond

7

By Ann Novick

Knowing How To Give Back (Names and places altered for privacy)

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e, as Jews, have been brought up to care for each other. Bikur cholim (organizations that help care for the sick), Tomchei Shabbos (an organization that supplies essential foods to the poor for Shabbos and holidays) supplying food for shabbos to the poor), free loan societies and gamachim that offer the loan of everything from wedding gowns to bicycles and car seats, dot the landscape of our communities. No matter where we live in the world, no matter how small our community, we are taught from a very young age to care for our neighbors, to give back, to be there for others. Today, in these poor economic times there are many people in need – many for longer periods of time than we can remember. Sometimes, those who have been the long-term recipient of a community’s kindness develop a keen desire to find a way to give back to their neighborhood, if not financially, then through their time or skills; they long find a way to be makir tov.

Or, conversely, being a long-term recipient of community help may make a person see that role as normal and being helped becomes an expectation.

After Chaim lost his job because of a long-term illness he had barely enough money to provide for his family’s basic needs. Paying tuition for his children was impossible. And so the community helped out and for three years Chaim paid nothing for his children’s education. During that time, he and his wife offered the school whatever they could. They volunteered wherever they were able – whether it was accompanying a class on trips, filing papers, running off materials or helping out at the school yard, they never said, “no” to

what they were asked to do, as long as they were able to do it. Giving back was their way of saying “thank you” to a community that had been there for them.

didn’t pay his share, someone else would have to. Chaim, so grateful for the tuition break when it had been desperately needed, didn’t feel that he could ask for it in

Summer was the time to leave New York and go up to the country. Those that didn’t own their own summer place would rent, but everyone left the hot, smelly city during the summer. Chaim’s children wanted to join their friends in the mountains.

They begged their parents to rent a summer place, at least for a month if not for the whole summer. Now that Chaim was back at work and paying tuition again he was faced with a dilemma. If he rented a bungalow he would have to ask for a break in tuition. He knew that a break in tuition didn’t come without repercussions. After all, teachers still needed to be paid, as did the water and electric bills. If Chaim

order to give his family luxuries. Going to the mountains, to his way of thinking, was a luxury.

Maureen, a well spouse, was very grateful to her community for the help she received during her husband’s chronic illness. Her neighbors had been there for her with hospital visits, babysitting, doctor appointments and handholding.

Unfortunately, Maureen’s husband passed away after three years of constant deterioration. A few months later, the local bikur cholim organization asked Maureen to make hospital visits and deliver meals to the sick. They thought she would be the perfect person to accompany people to

doctor’s appointments. After all, she had a wealth of experience and knew firsthand how important this form of assistance was. Maureen felt guilty saying no. The first time she went to visit someone in the hospital it ended up being in the same hospital where her husband had been a patient a few months before. It was the very hospital she had visited on a daily basis – the hospital her husband had passed away in.

Maureen parked her car in the lot and as she walked to the entrance tears began to stream down her face. Her mind kept yelling, “Stop. Don’t go in.” Her heart began to pound and her breath became labored. Seeing a bench, Maureen sat down until her body and mind stopped reacting so negatively to being there. She finally got up, went back to her car and headed home.

Maureen called the person at the bikur cholim organization, but she couldn’t bring herself to explain what happened. She just said that hospital visits and doctor appointments were something she was not yet ready to volunteer for. However, instead of simply pulling her name off the volunteer list, she told them she would be better in an office setting and volunteered to help out in any way that did not include a visit to the hospital or doctor.

There is always a way to give back. If we are asked to volunteer for something that we are not ready to do, there is always something else that needs doing. With a little creativity, good will and the desire to give, we can all find a way to be on the giving end no matter what our circumstances.

You can contact me at annnovick@ hotmail.com

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8 |Features| Jewish Arts Menachem Wecker

Rain In Biblical O

ne of the most iconic works of art I have ever seen is Japanese painter and printmaker Katsushika Hokusai’s c. 1831-1834 Cresting Wave Off the Coast of Kanagawa. The woodcut – which has held up remarkably well even as it has become an object of kitsch, plastered all over t-shirts, mugs, and posters – depicts an enormous wave (a tsunami perhaps) about to engulf a boat. The wave and foam are rendered in such a stylized manner that they resemble snow and icicles. And in the background, one can just make out the mountain.

A short essay on the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (under the banner, “Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History”), which refers to the print’s “sheer graphic beauty,” notes the unusual perspective, where the wave dwarfs the mountain. “Hokusai characteristically cast a traditional theme in a novel interpretation,” the timeline states. “In the traditional meisho-e (scene of a famous place), Mount Fuji was always the focus of the composition.

Hokusai inventively inverted this formula and positioned a small Mount Fuji within the midst of a thundering seascape.”

Hokusai’s print often pops up in my mind around the holiday of Sukkot, when the prayer over rain (Tefilat Geshem) is recited at the end of the holiday. The prayer, which addresses the angel Af-Bri, who is appointed over the rainclouds, comes to a crescendo in the statements: “For a blessing and not for a curse! For life and not death! For plenty and not dearth!” Therein lies the dual nature of water. It is simultaneously the bearer of all life, and a force that can – and recently has – destroyed in unprecedented ways.

Perhaps the greatest biblical example of the destructive power of water is from the original Flood.

English painter John Martin’s Noah Giving Thanks After the Flood shows Noah’s sacrifice in front of a rainbow – the symbol that divine retribution would never again take the form of a flood – that emanates from the ark and calm waters. A waterfall, the symbol of the receding floodwaters, dominates the foreground, while in the background, receding storm clouds dissipate. Martin’s decision to juxtapose the stormy and calm waters underscores how quickly peaceful water can become a nightmare, and how, with Divine help, it can again be-

Crossing of the Red Sea. Rylands Haggadah. 14th century.

Katsushika Hokusai. “Cresting Wave Off the Coast of Kanagawa,” or “The Great Wave,” from the series 36 Views of Mt. Fuji. Color Woodcut. C. 1831-1834.

November 4, 2011

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come harmless.

The Schoken Bible, published in Germany in the 14th century, also juxtaposes good and bad waters. On the bottom of the frontpiece for the book of Genesis, depictions of the parting of the Red Sea and the drowning Egyptians appear on the end of a row of illustrations and the beginning of the next row respectively.

As Moshe waves his staff at the Red Sea, two other men – stand-ins for the rest of the Israelites – follow behind him with their hands on his shoulders, hora style.

In the next circular frame, the Jews have safely passed through the dry path in the ocean, and the waters have come crashing in on the Egyptians. The Egyptian soldiers drown in the ocean with their feet up in the air.

The same waters which proved saviors to some were the undoing of others.

The role of water in Jewish art might be most controversial in the 1740 illustration of Yosef ben David in the so-called Leipnik Haggadah. On the page devoted to the humbling passage about the idolatrous past of the Jewish people, the artist, a Moravian scribe and artist who worked in Hamburg, shows a man bearing an axe

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9

Art (Avraham perhaps?) destroying idols. The idols that lie ruined in the foreground look almost like human carcasses, which is perhaps why some of the idolaters in the background sacrifice to other idols, which they confuse for powerful forces. (There might even be a pope posing on an altar.) But the most provocative element of the work is a bearded man wearing a crown, carrying a trident, and pouring water from a jar that feeds into a series of waterfalls.

Here is a reference to a river god, a visual element that surfaces in countless paintings by both secular and Christian artists, who often clung to pagan iconography and embedded it into religious contexts. At first blush, Schocken Bible: ms. 14840, fol. 1v: Detail of frontispiece to Genesis.

Early 14th century. Southern Germany, Jerusalem: Schocken Library.

the river god might be part of the larger group of idols, but upon further inspection, the idols in the foreground are being decimated, while all the idols on the horizon are being worshipped by prostrated figures. The river god stands alone. He doesn’t seem to be destined for destruction, as he appears to be a real figure and not just a stone sculpture.

How this sacrilegious figure found his way into the section devoted to the stain of an idolatrous past is mysterious, but perhaps it has to do with the Prayer for Dew, offered on Pesach. Water plays such an important role in yetziyas Mitzrayim – the central episode of the Pesach narrative – but it also surfaces in the prayer offered for dew, which runs parallel to the rain prayer offered on Sukkot. Perhaps the crowned man who serves as the source of the river is no man at all, but the angel Afh-Bri. Even with the holiday of Sukkot – with its Simchat Beit HaShoeivah and Prayer for Rain – behind us, it’s still worth pondering the dual nature of water, which can flood or can grow. If examined from the right perspective, even pagan river gods can start looking like angels.

And besides, soon enough Pesach will be upon us, so why not get a head start considering the Prayer for Dew, the Red Sea, and the Nile.

John Martin. “Noah Giving Thanks After the Flood.” Oil on canvas. C. 1840. Art Institute of Chicago.

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Menachem Wecker, who blogs on faith and art for the Houston Chronicle at http://blogs.chron. com/iconia, welcomes comments at mwecker@ gmail.com.

November 4, 2011

10 |Features|

Perspectives Prof. Sara Reguer

Or La-Goyim

T

he holiday season experience of Tishrei included a number of outstanding sermons in my synagogue.

Both the rabbi and the rabbi emeritus were “on a roll,” with one speech after another that was right on target. With only one day’s notice, Rabbi Ezra Schwartz gave an analysis of the freeing of Gilad Shalit from the perspective of pidyon shvuyim in the Talmud and the medieval scholars through today, with a printed handout so that the audience could follow his thinking. For the last sermon, on Shabbat Breishit, Rabbi Schnaidman focused on the intersecting ideas of the Torah and the haftara that man is created in the image of the Almighty, making all of mankind equal. But he deftly turned that into a description of one of our roles as Jews, which is to be or lagoyim of a “light to the nations” in our ethics and morals, and treatment of non-Jews, for that will reflect on their perspective of Jews as a whole.

My parents were wonderful examples of the way one should treat non-Jews.

Our Irish-Catholic cleaning woman was a member of our family, and my mother always made sure to sit down with her so they could have lunch together, along with conversation. As a result when she was widowed, and one of her sons got into trouble, it was my father who went to speak to the priest to inform him of the situation, and to work on a solution. When she died, my whole family went to the funeral, sitting all the way in the back.

My father greeted everyone, and the Armenian shoemaker and he used to share horror stories of persecutions. A joke in the family was the instance when, on the way to shul one Shabbat, he heard a loud “Hello, Rabbi!” from a muscular middle aged man heading towards him. It took my father about ten minutes to realize that it was the garbage man, wearing regular street clothes.

It might sound like a minor thing, but it is not. There are some young singles who have recently moved in to our building. They

are so self-absorbed that they do not realize [I hope] how offensive they are when they ignore their immediate neighbors. When they are greeted with a polite “hello,” they either pretend not to notice – after all, they are plugged in to their music and may actually not be able to hear – or just avoid looking at anyone. I have already heard generalized disparaging comments about young Orthodox Jewish women in general from some of the non-Jewish neighbors. So the rabbi’s admonitions are correct. Members of minority groups have always learned

Our Irish-Catholic cleaning woman was a member of our family, and my mother always made sure to sit down with her so they could have lunch together.

My father was “Rabbi” to the local police, so that when my older brother was beaten up by some of the Irish teenagers in the neighborhood, the police found the culprits – their own relatives – and unofficially “took care of things.” The same thing happened when a gang of Irish girls did the same to me.

November 4, 2011

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that the larger world makes generalizations from the individual to the whole group.

Therefore let us listen to the sermon, to be nice to our non-Jewish neighbors and colleagues, because “You never know!”

Professor Reguer can be reached at magazine@jewishpress.com

| Features |

Whose Simcha Is It Really?

11

By Tamar Ansh

E

veryone loves a wedding. Really what is there not to love? You gather together with family and friends, all dressed up in your nicest clothing and jewelry, are treated to a sumptuous meal, and then get to enjoy wonderful music and even some dancing. And dancing at a wedding is unique in its own right – women of all backgrounds, at every stage of life, twirling and clapping all for one person – the kallah.

What could be nicer?

At some weddings you even get to see elderly grandparents sharing in the simcha. Sometimes they are there with canes, sometimes in wheelchairs, sometimes accompanied by an aide or another relative.

They too are dressed up and smiling, they too want to participate and rejoice with the chassan and kallah. But how does one rejoice, express their personal simcha, when they are infirm and can no longer dance, clap or twirl around?

The focus of a wedding and its source of simcha changes as one ages. When you are young, you think that the one with the most simcha, the one experiencing the most joy must be the kallah. She’s the one in the white dress, nervously anticipating the exciting moment the band will boom out “Od Yeshama” and she will see her chassan come proudly striding towards her. Everyone cranes their necks to see the expression on his face. But as we mature

and our perspective widens to identify with the parents of the young couple, our thought process changes. Here they are, marrying off a child, a child who just a blink of an eye ago was a toddler, a youngster. “Why, just a short while ago she was

still a baby,” they marvel, along with all their friends.

Then time passes and we have traveled a little bit further down the road of life and watched ever younger kallahs get married (and don’t they seem younger and younger to you all the time now?) and you look again. Now you notice the older generation; the grandparents, and sometimes even great-grandparents, the survivors of the past, the ones who put so much effort into getting everyone to this day.

Often they cannot stand on their own and it can seem as if they have been relegated to the sidelines. Yes, they are there for pictures, snapped for eternity for that all-important album, to show that they were there at this simcha. But sometimes they do feel somewhat pushed aside.

It should not be that way.

Our elders are our crowns – ateres rosheinu. It is a tremendous zechus – even if the younger generation doesn’t always appreciate it – to have them alive and able to participate in our simchas. They are the symbols of what was, what is, and what can continue to be. They are really the apex of the multigenerational event that culminates at every wedding.

Just recently I was baruch Hashem able to return home for my youngest sister’s wedding. And it was everything it should be – the beautiful kallah, the makeup, dresses, gowns, sisters, cousins, children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews; the rush to prepare, the incessant shopping around to find “just the right outfit,” organizing everything so that all the overseas children could come, the hall, the food, the caterer…all of it. There was the pre-wedding Shabbos together with even more cousins and family members; the time spent together, the cleanup.

Then the day of the wedding dawned.

We all got up early, nervous and excited.

Each one of us got dressed in all the finery we had been preparing for so many weeks.

And my grandparents, now in their nineties, bli ayin hara, got ready too.

Bubby looked great. She walked with difficulty – but she walked, mostly on her own, sometimes with one of us. She looked

magnificent. Zeidy could no longer make it to a wedding completely on his own, and needed a wheelchair. But even in his wheelchair, he looked so good. With his cane in his hands for when he would get out of the wheelchair, we set off. As the elders of the family they had been anticipating this wedding for a long time, but for Zeidy there was an added dimension to this special simcha.

This sister had been born when my parents were running a business and both needed to be there full-time. They would never have left her with just a sitter, but someone needed to watch her. Zeidy, who was retired, needed a job, something he could do well and would make him feel needed…a perfect shidduch. Zeidy became my sister’s prime babysitter. And oh, how those two loved each other. He looked forward to each day – talking to her, holding her, proudly pushing her around in her stroller, playing with her and even occasionally changing her diaper. Zeidy loves each of his grandchildren, but for this particular grandchild, he has a special place in his heart.

This special relationship continued throughout the years. My sister often went over to visit – they lived just a short two blocks from our home. She would stop by to just say hello, eat some of my Bubby’s

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famous chocolate chip banana cake, (her favorite!), and play some cards with Zeidy.

He always lit up when he’d see her. And as she went through the turbulent teenage years, she would still remember to call and visit, in between being with her friends, going on outings and stays in summer camp.

Bubby and Zeidy’s house was one of her favorite places to be.

As Zeidy aged, many family members tried to find ways to help him. It wasn’t easy and became even more so as he began to lose most of his eyesight. It was my sister who came up with a great idea.

Every Friday, she would go over to their home to learn with Zeidy. He loved those learning sessions. This went on for years, and he looked forward to it all week long. When she graduated high school and went out of town, it was very hard for him. But even then she made sure to keep it up – every week, she’d call him long distance, and when she was in the city, she would come over in person to learn something with him. Zeidy loved it.

As the kabbalas panim got underway, my sister was busy with all the guests coming over to greet her. The photographer placed us, her older sisters, in a row behind the dais, and seated the two mothers, as well as my grandmother and her sister on the dais next to her. My uncles wheeled Zeidy into the room to be near the dais so he could somehow be part of the badeken.

Then the music started, and my father, the chassan and his father, along with all his exuberant friends, came marching into the room. The electricity was palpable. Of course the women had tears in their eyes.

My Bubby sat up straight in her chair, proud to be with us. Zeidy was still there, waiting expectantly, but quietly near the front of the dais.

As the chassan badeked her and my father bentched her, it seemed as if everything was happening so fast. Taking off her jewelry, handing her the appropriate tefillos to say, and of course, the ubiquitous photographer needing “just another shot, & smile,” made it all very hectic. But then suddenly, continued on page 12 November 4, 2011

12 |Features| Whose Simcha Is It Really?

SHABBAT

continued from page 11

to the utter astonishment of everyone present, the kallah jumped out of her chair and sprinted towards the edge of the dais, gown, veil, flowers and all. It happened so fast the photographer actually missed it!

She ran the few paces to where Zeidy was sitting in his wheelchair, bent down all the way so he could hear her and screamed, “Zeidy! I want you to bentch me!” She had shouted twice until her heard her. Those of us standing around stopped in our tracks. The band may have still been blaring away, but for us, that moment froze in time.

Crying, Zeidy lifted his shaky hands, unsure of where to put them with all her hairdo, veil and headpiece in the way.

Undeterred, my sister put his hands directly on her head, headpiece and expensive hairdo notwithstanding, and bent down more so he could bentch her.

None of us could hear what he actually said, but it doesn’t matter. Hearts talk too and that is the best language.

Sometimes, despite the best intentions, the elderly are inadvertently left out of the most important parts of a large simcha. Often unavoidable, but this scene with my sister says volumes. Even when our elderly are “too old to participate,” their mere presence at such a life event is a simcha all in itself! And by giving Zeidy that honor she showed him more than with words, hugs or anything else, that he was never too old to matter in her life, no matter how he looks, no matter what he can or cannot do.

This is the ultimate hakaras hatov. This is the greatest kavod we can give to those who matter to us.

Ironically, it was only after this touch-

November 4, 2011

ing scene was over, that the photographer heard something special had happened – and he had missed it! He came running back in and asked my sister to “do it again” so he could get his picture of it…which she gladly did…and even the second time around, Zeidy cried.

But don’t worry. My eleven-year-old daughter caught the first time, the real thing, on her digital camera to share with everyone again and again, after the wedding was over…

Tamar Ansh is an author, recipe developer and food columnist.

She has written: A Taste of Challah; Let’s Say Amen!, an illustrated children’s book , Splitting the Sea, inspirational stories on finding one’s soul-mate; & Pesach – Anything’s Possible! a cookbook which offers over 350 non gebrochs & gluten free recipes designed for Pesach and all year ‘round. Her newest book, Riding the Waves, (Sept.

2011) will be available in Jewish bookstores everywhere and focuses on inspiration, hope and good reading material on ‘navigating the sea of shidduchim’. Come and see more at www.aTasteofChallah.com

By Dr. Mel Waldman How beautiful it is to rest, to separate from ordinary time, to enter holy time, how beautiful it is to celebrate Shabbat.

the Shabbat meals; inhaling beauty and being, without becoming, without doing, without acting on the universe;

How soothing it is to be in this mysterious universe, freed from earthly demands and released from the burden of work;

how soothing and beautiful it is to celebrate Shabbat.

how sweet it is to bask in our sacred existence, to merge with neshamah y’tayrah, our higher soul, to welcome Shabbat and Shechinah, the Sabbath Queen, Divine Presence; and bless the candles, wine, and two loaves of challah, and eat

| The Magazine |

How beautiful is Havdalah, the separation, when we say goodbye to Shabbat; we fill a cup of wine and light the havdalah candle; we smell sweet spices in spice boxes; we say the blessings over wine, spices, and the havdalah candle and with the havdalah blessing, we separate holy time from ordinary time; and we say goodbye to Shabbat.

Dr. Waldman can be reached at mwaldman18@earthlink.net

| Daily

Living |

The Consummate Consumer

By Sandy Eller

T

Daily Deals Provide Some Serious Steals

he world of shopping changed forever three years ago with the launch of Groupon, a website that negotiates discounts with popular local and national businesses and passes the savings along to the consumer via a discounted daily deal emailed directly to members. For the kosher consumer, the savings became even more appealing with the launch of discount deal websites aimed squarely at the Jewish market, such as Jewpon, jdeal and Kosher Kouponz.

Membership in these programs is free and consumers enroll by visiting the desired website and specifying their location, enabling the program to provide them with discounts relevant to their geographic area. Recent deals have offered savings like $12 for a $42 ticket to the NY Skyride at the Empire State Building, $180 for twenty units of Botox from an Upper West Side ophthalmologist, normally priced at $360 (both from www.jdeal. com), a free $50 coupon towards the purchase of a suit from the Brooklyn location of The Hat Box , $12 for $25 dollars worth of cosmetics from ShaindeeCosmetics. com (both from www.jewpon.com), a free El Al Matmid Membership, a $25 value and $25 for $50 worth of food at the Deal, New Jersey location of Dougie’s (both at www.

KosherKouponz.com).

Kosher Kouponz, which offered its first deal in December 2010, serves members in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Five Towns, New Jersey, Los Angeles and Chicago. They have also featured separate seasonal sections on their site, including a Catskills section during the summer and special holiday deals for Sukkos. With approximately 25,000 subscribers, over two

hundred merchants and a staff of over ten employees, Kosher Kouponz continues to grow and hopes to expand to more cities in the near future. Additionally they plan to add hotel bookings and a year round discount card, which for a small annual fee, would entitle members to enjoy numerous benefits including year round discounts at participating merchants.

Kosher Kouponz estimates that approximately half of its deals are food related. Its best selling offering to date has been a deal that offered $50 worth of food at Aron’s Kissena Farms in Queens for just $35. 5053 Aron’s coupons were purchased by Kosher Kouponz members, with 2000 coupons purchased within the first twenty-four hours, according to VosIzNeias.com. Kosher Kouponz typically alternates local deals one day and Internet deals the next, with the highlighted deal of the day moving to the sidebar to make room for the next day’s featured offering.

“Deals must be of value to our members,” said Kosher Kouponz CEO David Siegel. “At times we need to offer discounts of fifty percent but other smaller discounts can be valuable if it is something our members definitely need. We keep exploring new options so that we can continue to bring value to the Jewish consumer.”

“Sites like ours work because they target very specific audiences,” said jdeal founder Jodi Samuels. jdeal, which boasts “seriously surprising deals,” serves customers in New York and Los Angeles and estimates that seventy percent of its 40,000 members hail from the New York area. Their first deal ran on November 22, 2010 and since then

they have featured over two hundred and seventy unique merchants.

While, like Kosher Kouponz, jdeal has found that food deals sell very well, they have found that they have had tremendous success with charity deals and recently raised $30,000 for Meir Panim, which provides assistance to the poverty stricken in Israel.

“We try to do one charity a week,” explained Ms. Samuels.

“We are currently doing Sharsheret, but have also done the UJA as well as others. It is really a no brainer for them. We give them a discounted rate and they get huge exposure on our site, without the cost of having to print brochures.”

In fact, the most successful deals on jdeal have been for charities, although a deal for $100 worth of merchandise for $50 at Park East, a kosher supermarket on the Lower East Side, sold six hundred deals in a single day, before it finally maxed out after selling $5,400 worth of coupons.

Aside from their featured weekly seriously surprising deal, jdeal’s staff of sixteen contractors, most of whom are based in Israel, is planning a Buy Israel Week at the end of November in conjunction with print media outlets which, Ms. Samuels promises, will promote Israeli products in a very big way.

“A deal a day the kosher way,” is the motto at Jewpon, which has over 25,000 subscribers and over 20,000 Facebook fans enjoying the deals, both local and national, which have been offered by over four hundred merchants on the site. Since opening for business last November, Jewpon has

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13

been providing discounts to customers in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Toronto and plans to expand its market overseas by targeting London as well.

Chaim Chernoff, Chief Operating Officer at Jewpon says part of the company’s success is due to the diversity of their staff.

“We all come from different backgrounds,” said Chernoff.

“We have employees who are more modern, others who come from chareidi backgrounds and we all pool our thoughts and try to find deals that will appeal to all segments of the Jewish community.”

Featuring both local and national deals, Jewpon’s most popular deal to date offering home delivery of three gourmet Fresh Diet meals plus two snacks, for only $10, providing a $49.99 saving, was snatched up by close to 1000 members. Deals typically run for approximately three days before they are removed from the site.

Jewpon places special emphasis on customer service and offers live chat on its site daily from 9:00 a.m. until 12 noon and then again from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.

“If anyone has any issues of any sort, we want to be able to help them,” said Chernoff. “Our goal is to try to help Jews save money. We work hard to not only do that but provide pleasant service as well.”

Sandy Eller is a freelance writer who has written for various websites, newspapers, magazines and private clients in addition to having written song lyrics and scripts for several full scale productions. She can be contacted at sandyeller1@ gmail.com.

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November 4, 2011

14 |Daily Living| Easy Weeknight Meals – Delicious Dinners The Whole Family Will Enjoy!

N

ow that my son has graduated from mashed entrées of sweet potatoes and carrots to grown-up grub, it’s back in the kitch for me! Farewell to the days of slacking off by serving frozen pizza and cold cut sandwiches for dinner. I may be a foodie; however, after a long day of juggling work and taking care of my son, a mom needs a break! Since take out and frozen dinners no longer make the cut, I have been on the hunt for easy weekday meals that taste great and are quick to whip up. Below are some of my fave dishes to serve for supper that guarantee no leftovers.

Meat Sauce My son loves to nosh on pasta, my husband is a fan of meat and this recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare, which makes this dinner a win win for the whole family!

This recipe is great way to sneak in whole grain pasta because the sauce is thick and flavorful and will cover up the taste if your kids are not fans of the healthier carb.

and taste to see if more is needed) Let it simmer for about 5 minutes then combine with pasta.

Crunchy BBQ Chicken Fingers The best way to get your kids to finish their dinner is to serve them something they can eat with their hands! When I want something crunchy and fast, this is the dinner I will make. Everyone loves it and it’s great as leftovers the next day for chicken salad or served in a sandwich.

Ingredients: Boneless chicken breasts cut into strips 1/2 cup of mayo 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce Flavored bread crumbs (I use Pereg’s Mexican flavored bread crumbs)

Ingredients: 1 bag wide noodles, boiled and drained according to package directions 2 cans tuna, drained 3 tablespoons mayo 1 1/2 cups of 2% milk, divided 10 oz shredded mozzarella or cheddar, 1/4 cup set aside salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder French fried onions (optional)

Directions: While the noodles are cooking, mix the drained cans of tuna with the mayo and spices (use liberally). After the noodles are drained, mix in the milk, the cheese, and spices.

Then add the tuna and mix well. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan, top with the 1/4 cup of cheese that was set aside and bake uncovered at 400 for 30 minutes. If you want to add the french fried onions, put them on top of the mixture after 25 minutes of cooking and cook for 5 more minutes.

When Nina Safar is not updating recipes on Kosher in the Kitch, she enjoys playing hostess. Never having too much time in the kitchen, she likes recipes that taste great and are easy to make. Kosher in the Kitch features recipes from experienced foodies as well as experimenting cooks. You don’t have to be a chef to cook a good meal! For more great menu ideas and tasty recipes, check out www. kosherinthekitch.com for your next favorite dish.

Ingredients: 1 box of rotini pasta 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, diced 1 red pepper, cut into strips 1 lb. ground beef 1 can of diced tomatoes 1 small can of tomato sauce 1/4 cup ketchup 1/4 cup of sugar 2 tsp each of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and oregano.

Recipe submitted by Sheila Zucker of the Bronx

Apple Pie Ingredients: Directions: Combine the mayo and the BBQ sauce in a large bowl.

Dip the chicken strips into the mixture, then coat with the bread crumbs. Arrange the chicken strips onto a baking sheet and bake covered on 350 for about 45 minutes or until cooked. This can be served with mashed potatoes or rice and couscous. Add a veggie such a broccoli or corn and you are all set!

Directions:

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Prepare pasta as directed on box. While the pasta cooks, fry up the onions and garlic in a pan. Once golden add the strips of pepper. Cook until soft and tender. Then add the beef and brown until no longer red. Once that has cooked add the can of diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce, the ketchup, the sugar and spice with: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and oregano. (I sprinkle in about 2 teaspoons each

Lately my husband has been craving his mom’s tuna casserole. Since my son is a fan of pasta, I figured I would make both the men in my life happy by surprising them with this dish for dinner! My sister-in-law Sarrit and I experimented with my mother-in-law’s original recipe until we came up with this version that is the definition of comfort food at its best.

November 4, 2011

| The Magazine |

1 1/4-cup flour 2 apples 6 tbls parve margarine 1/4 cup cold water 1 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions: Peel and cut the apples.

Using a fork mix together flour and margarine then add a little water to form a dough.

Divide the dough in half and spread one half over a 7’ pie pan. Add apples, sugar and cinnamon.

Press the second half flat and place on top of pan.

Use fork to prick holes in top dough Bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes Recipes may be submitted to magazine@jewishpress.com

| Teens

& Twenties Talk | We love to hear your comments and thoughts.

E-mail us at: teens@jewishpress.com

15

Interview With Gittela Welcher

By Bracha Goykadosh

A

s any graduate student can attest, time is limited. In between writing papers, doing readings for classes, attending seminars, and spending time with family, it’s often difficult to have time for other activities. However, Gittela Welcher, a graduate student earning her MA in Childhood Education from Hunter College, proves otherwise. Gittela runs a charity she herself established within the past year, Crafters United For Charity. As the name of her charity indicates, her fundraising efforts differ from the norm. Gittela and a group of volunteer crafters create beautiful works of art, the proceeds from which are donated to a charity that is selected every two months. In a truly altruistic fashion, works of art, things of beauty, re-create beauty within the world by affecting those who need beauty most. The concept behind the charity – creating art which people

buy and giving the proceeds to charity – is ingenious. The artists gain the satisfaction of creativity, the buyers gain beautiful crafts, and lesser-fortunate members of our society benefit. Recently, I spoke with Gittela about what inspired her to initiate this charity and how other young adults can become involved.

What inspired you to start Crafters United For Charity?

I’ve always enjoyed art as a hobby. Since I was eight-years-old, I’ve immersed myself in artwork, either on a personal level or for

my classes. But more particularly, back in November 2010, a friend invited me to an iVolunteer event, which is a New York based organization aimed towards Holocaust survivors and preserving their memories. The purpose of this event was for the volunteers to showcase films they had created.

This event inspired me. Not only did I meet many artistic individuals, but after this event I felt like I could utilize my artistic abilities for good. At that point, I decided I want to sell my artwork and donate the money to charity.

How do you choose which charity to donate the money to?

We choose a new charity every two months. For the most part, we choose charities with Jewish interests. But all charities must be a certified non-profit, 501(c)3.

The proceeds from the first two months were donated to Hatzolah. The proceeds from the following three months were donated to Maspia. The proceeds for the next two months will be donated to Tomchei Shabbos of Queens.

Since I’ve only had to choose charities three times, it is still a new venture.

However, I try to choose organizations that are community-based and pertinent.

For instance, I chose Maspia, because I live near their headquarters in Queens. I pass by the organization each day and under-

stand the difference they make.

Organizations that hit home, that matter to people, appeal to me.

What is the most difficult part of running the organization?

So far, the most difficult aspect has been getting out the world, pushing the limits, and getting things done. One interesting business fact I learned was not to burden the customer with too many options. Too many choices can overwhelm customers – if there is a clear choice, making a decision is less difficult. When we put crafts up on the site, we try to choose crafts that we know will be the most appealing to our customers. This is why although there might not be an endless amount of choices, everything we have up is beautiful and topnotch.

best quality. I try to choose crafts with a creative edge: the crafts possess uniqueness.

About how long does it take you to produce the crafts? Can you tell us a little bit about the creative process behind it?

A factor in the creative process is discerning what will sell. We also have to be careful about the copyright issues behind a product. For instance, one crafter

How can someone join your crafts team? Do they need to have a particular talent?

Anyone can join our team – all they need to do is provide one completed craft.

Speaking to people, I have realized that most people have a talent that they are particularly good at, like painting or embroidery. I would recommend choosing a craft that you are comfortable with, and honing your niche.

wanted to use Mickey Mouse in her crafts.

I spoke with someone well versed in legal issues and they recommended that we not put it up.

Beyond that, I see which crafts are the

Find out more about Crafters United For Charity by visiting their Web site, http://www.artsandcraftsforcharity.org. Or follow them on Twitter @ GW_CraftersUFC.

| The Magazine |

November 4, 2011

16 |Puzzles and Games| Crossword Puzzle Appearing in the FIRST issue of each month

Hometown Hero

By Yoni Glatt

Across 1. Rag 7. Attila was one 10. Having a bad game 13. Sounds 14. Beep 15. By way of 16. Connect to satellite, perhaps 17. Sicknesses 18. Naval rank (abbr.)

19. The Hero 21. Rodent 22. Org. that causes problems for some aliens 23. Right above nil 24. Lazy 25. Solomon and Lanzbom; Simon and Garfunkel, e.g.

27. When the Hero came home 30. Roadside rest 31. “Guess _________ Coming to Dinner?”

32. Sure 33. Two South of the border 34. iPhone operating letters 35. Minyan amount 36. Bovine physician 39. Letters before Arizona or New York 40. Soft hit 41. Retirement letters 42. The Hometown 46. The Hero’s dad 47. Fruit drink berry 48. Actor Wallach 49. Mass murderer Pot 50. Guys 51. Where the Hero was before he came home 56. Dude 57. ___touille

Down

58. Kings II prophet 59. Let wine sit 60. Dangerous bomb 61. Hummingbird drink 62. First part of Page and Plant’s band 63. Not neither 64. Works one story into another 1

2

3

4

5

1. Cozy 2. Native American tribe of Western America 3. “Brewster’s ___” 4. Those from Korea, e.g.

5. Works at a bar 6. Poses a question

6

7

8

9

10

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

25

23

30

31

33

34

28

43

38

54

55

29

32 35

39 42

37

24

27

26

12

21

20 22

11

36

40

44

41 46

45 48

47 52

49

50

51

53

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

7. It’s said a lot during Tishrei 8. Jamaican fruit 9. Shiluach Hakan locale 10. Don’t ___ it 11. A shows last episode 12. Observed 10 Tevet 14. Instruments for Joel and John 20. Non-kosher Hostess cakes 24. Little devil 25. I ___ it!

26. 33-Across halved 27. Picked 28. Lion King baddie 29. Em to Dorothy 31. Bit of hair 35. Popular bulbous flower 36. Those who play small stringed instruments 37. Age 38. Half of a popular cracker 39. Israeli gun 40. Cursor of Israel (alternate Spelling) 42. Human or ape, e.g.

43. 2002 animated hit 44. Got some rays 45. Trojan hero 46. Learner 49. Mushroom top 51. No friend of Israel 52. Treaty org. of note 53. Home for Avraham, often 54. Kind of Asian food 55. Cat toy (Answers, next week) Yoni can be reached at yglatt@youngisrael.org

The Trivia Quiz Featured the FIRST issue of every month

Cheshvan/November 1. What U.S. national holiday was first officially celebrated in November of 1789? a. Flag Day b. Independence Day c. Thanksgiving d. Veteran’s Day 2. Which U.S. president was assassinated in November?

November 4, 2011

a. Lincoln b. Garfield c. Polk d. Kennedy

c. “Go West, Young Man” d. The Gettysburg Address

3. What famous speech was given in November 1863? a. “I have a dream.” b. The Emancipation Proclamation

4. What holiday is celebrated in Cheshvan? a. Chanukah b. Chag HaAsif c. Pesach d. Sigd

| The Magazine |

5. Which one of the Imahos passed away in Cheshvan? a. Sarah b. Rochel c. Leah d. Rivkah Answers next week

| Kid’s

Corner |

17

Torah Is The Greatest Treasure Beware Of Pride The inhabitants of Simonia once came to Rav Yehuda HaNasi (also known as Rebbe) and asked him to recommend a scholar to serve as their rav, dayan, teacher and sofer.

and asked him the same legal problems

send me something which can be acquired

of your goods. I deal in knowledge and wis-

which the people had asked and lo and be-

for little money.”

dom.”

hold, ben Sisi gave him an immediate reply.

Rav replied: “The two objects we have

The merchants all laughed at him. “Your

Rebbe then asked him to narrate some fa-

exchanged cannot be compared in value.

knowledge will be a fine comfort to any

bles and parables and again he received an

You sent me something which I must guard,

empty and hungry belly!” they jeered.

immediate reply.

and I sent you something which, even while

Rebbe sent them Levi ben Sisi. When Ben

see who is right.”

Sisi came to the city, its inhabitants greeted him with great joy and paid him much honor. They erected a large platform and enthroned him there.

I have sent you something of great value, and you send me something which can be acquired for little money.

Then they approached him and asked a variety of questions. Eagerly they waited for the great scholar to demonstrate to them his great knowledge.

However, to

their great surprise, Levi ben Sisi did not open his mouth.

The people of the city were shocked, but said: “He may not be a great scholar in the law, but he might be a great preacher, well versed in parables and morality stories.”

SoO they asked him about some fables and parables and stories of the rabbanim.

Again, Levi ben Sisi did not answer them.

us,” they asked? Did we not ask you to recommend a great scholar? The man you sent to us does not know anything.”

Rebbe was surprised to hear this. He said to the people: “Believe me, the man I

In the middle of the voyage, a terrible storm arose and the ship began to sink.

They all barely managed to scramble aboard a lifeboat. They had to leave everything behind them, their treasures and even their

Rebbe was quite puzzled and asked: “If

you sleep, keeps watch over you. As it is

clothes. The lifeboat was washed up on a

you know all the answers, why didn’t you

written: ‘when you walk it shall lead you;

shore in a distant land, where the people

tell them to the people of Simonia?”

when you rest it shall keep you’” (Tehillim

ignored them and didn’t even care to give

6:22).

them food.

Levi ben Sisi answered: “When I came into the town the people received me with

The rav, however, entered a beit midrash

great honor. They erected a large platform

The Priceless Merchandise

and enthroned me there. I felt greatly honored and pride swelled up in my breast. I

and soon the people became aware that there was a great man amongst them. They gave him honor and riches and people came

became exceedingly proud of my learning

Chazal compare the knowledge of Torah

and then as a consequence and punish-

to priceless merchandise that we need nev-

The merchants who had been reduced

ment for my pride I had forgot all that I had

er fear will be stolen or lost. They narrate

to beggars visited the rav and pleaded

learned. When the people came to me with

the following story:

with him, “Please intercede for us with

their questions, I could not answer them.”

Angrily, the people came to Rebbe complaining. “What kind of man did you send

The rav ignored them saying, “You will

Rav’s Gifts Arteban, king of the Persians, sent a precious pearl to Rav. He wrote to him: “I am sending you a precious gift. Give me a gift of equal value.”

from afar to hear his words of wisdom.

Once a rav boarded a ship to travel to

the officials of this city to provide us

a distant land. Aboard the ship were many

with a means to survive. Tell them that

merchants who proudly displayed their

we are not paupers but we were once

wares. One merchant had the finest silks,

prosperous merchants. Otherwise we will

another the widest varieties of spices, and

starve.”

another diamonds and jewelry.

The sage rav said, “Did I not tell you be-

Seeing the rav standing empty-handed

fore that my merchandise is more valuable

they asked him, “What are your wares, O fel-

than yours? Your merchandise can be lost

low traveler?”

or stolen, whereas mine can never be lost.

sent to you knows as much as I do. I am go-

Thereupon Rav sent him a mezuzah.

ing to find out what has happened to him.”

Arteban sent back to Rav saying; “I have

“I have the finest of all merchandise,”

Rebbe called Levi ben Sisi before him

sent you something of great value, and you

he replied. “Mine is far more superior to any

| The Magazine |

‘A priceless give I have give you’” (Proverbs 4:2).

November 4, 2011

18 |Kid’s Corner|

From Klutz to Wiz with Tips for Kids

By Tova Younger

Create A Home For Homework

D

o you love to do your homework as soon as you come home, or prefer to leave it for later?

Or do you think schoolwork is for school, and home should be for play! If so, maybe you can turn your homework into homeplay!

Whether you enjoy it or not, homework is here to stay! So let’s make up our minds to enjoy it if we can – for a few good reasons. When we enjoy what we do, we get more out of it – so you’ll actually remember what you studied or wrote. You may see the difference when you have to prepare for the next test! Also, if you decide to enjoy doing your homework, you just might come to like it! Try out some of these ideas and see if you find yourself actually looking forward to doing your homework!

Pick an area – desk or table, with a comfortable chair. This will be your “homework home.”

Make sure there is enough light and air.

If possible, your “homework home” should be in a quiet area without a lot of coming and going. If it doesn’t distract you, play some music.

Prepare a box with markers, pens, crayons, glue and glue stick, eraser, pencils and pencil sharpener, stickers, ruler, scissors and tape. Extra paper will come in handy as well. Be sure to keep everything in the box so that you have it at the ready! If something gets lost or used up, replace it as quickly as possible.

Have a calendar where you can write in

any projects or tests that are not due the next day. Check it daily.

You may find it easier to do your homework at the same time each day, or may want variety. Experiment and see what works best for you.

Are you missing any notes or hand-outs?

Get a copy from a friend, or let your teacher know as soon as possible, so you don’t feel pressured right before a test.

Do you need something signed? When it is, make sure to pack the paper/notebook into your backpack as soon as possible – along with any other homework.

Leaving anything ‘around’ is asking for trouble!

Doing homework with a friend can be fun, and a good way to become a better friend with a classmate. Just make sure that the work gets done!

Do you have a class list with phone numbers? If not, ask your teacher for one. It will make it easy to get in touch with your classmates. Keep it in your supply box.

To create a supplies box you will need: An empty shoe box, a few small empty boxes (see what you have in your house. It could be from tea, medicine, band aids…), contact paper or wrapping paper, glue or tape. If you have leftover paper that you used to cover your books, use it and everything will match nicely. Alternatively you can use some type of clay in a few different colors.

Read through all the instructions before beginning.

Measure the amount of paper you need by placing the box to be covered on the paper, and tracing the box. Work as close to the edge of the wrapping paper as you can, so that you will be left with as few little scraps as possible. This way, you will be left with a large block of paper and will be able to cover all the sides you need to.

Cut out the paper, along the lines and glue into place. Continue with each side. If you prefer, you can measure the box and the paper and cover a few sides with one large piece.

Optional: before covering the boxes, decorate your paper with tiny balls of clay.

You can use paper with a pattern or design your own. You can cover all of the paper, but it will be very attractive if you just do some parts; it will not take as long either.

Select the color clay you want for each area you wish to cover, and pinch off tiny

pieces of clay – as tiny as you can make it.

Press it on to the paper, but you need not flatten it. Fill in the entire desired area with these tiny balls of clay. If you make them too big, they will fall off easily. Once you have completed the clay stage, move on to cover the boxes; work carefully so that the clay balls do not fall off. If they do, no harm done, simply press them back on again.

Ideally, all of the boxes should be covered inside and out. If you do not have enough paper, cover just the outside; the inside can be lined with plain paper, or even brown shopping bag paper, cut to size. If you are not using contact paper, glue the paper you are using into place.

If you like, decorate the boxes with stickers or ribbons – or both! Make a label for each of the small boxes. You can use plain paper, stationary, or a label maker.

Decide which box gets which supply and write it clearly on the label; glue the label to the box. If you cannot get enough boxes, or don’t have room for so many, some can contain a few items.

Place the small boxes in the shoebox.

Fill them and put them all away neatly; clean up all scraps and return all supplies to the area they belong. Now you’re all set.

Tova Younger is author of Hands-on How-to’s for the Home and Heart Thoughts and techniques to enhance your life – check it out on www.jewish-e-books.com)

Parshas Lech Lecha

A

vram was the first person to realize that Hashem is a Supreme Being and he spread this message in the city of Charan where he lived. One day Hashem tells him to leave his city and his father’s home and to go to the land which Hashem will show him. So Avram and his wife Sarai, and his nephew Lot, travel to the Land of Canaan where Hashem reveals Himself to Avram, telling him that He will give this land to Avram’s children.

Avram and Sarai love having guests.

Their tent is open from all four sides so that people could come in from any direction.

Avram and Sarai feed and take care of all November 4, 2011

their guests and teach them about Hashem.

A famine comes onto the Land of Canaan and Avram and Sarai travel to Egypt to get food. There they say that they are brother and sister, because Sarai is so beautiful that Avram fears the palace guards will kill him to give Sarai to Pharaoh as a wife. Sarai is indeed taken prisoner, but overnight Hashem sends a plague to Pharaoh, who gets the message and frees Sarai. He also gives many gifts of animals, gold and silver to the couple and sends them on their way.

Back in Canaan, Lot goes to live in the city of Sodom. He is captured during a lo-

cal war and Avram runs to his rescue with a small army and miraculously defeats a big army of four kings.

Avram and Sarai were married for a long time and do not have children, and they are getting older…so Sarai encourages Avram to marry her maid Hagar, who was a converted Egyptian princess (at the time men were allowed to marry more than one wife), to give Avram the chance to have a child. Hagar becomes pregnant and has a child Yishmael. But Hagar is disrespectful to Sarai and runs away, then returns to Avram’s home after an angel convinces her to go back.

| The Magazine |

Finally, Hashem promises Avram that his children will be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the dust of the earth. Hashem makes a covenant with Avram and commands him to circumcise himself – do a brit milah – as a sign of the covenant. From that day on, all Jewish boys do a brit milah at 8 days old.

Hashem changes Avram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s to Sarah and tells Avraham that they will have a child from whom will come the nation to which Hashem promised the Holy Land. At this time, Avraham is 99 years old and Sarah is 89.

Courtesy of chabad.org

| Kid’s

Funny Bones Submitted by G.C. of N. Y.

Language Corner Pick the Oxymoron

By T. E. Klein, Jerusalem

A spelling bee!

Question: What would you have if you put five ducks in a box?

Answer: A box of quackers.

An oxymoron is the pairing of two contradictory or incongruous words. Can you figure out which of the 9 phrases below are oxymorons?

1. working vacation 6. old news 2. larger half 7. intense apathy 3. tragic comedy 8. pretty ugly 4. unbiased opinion 9. original copies 5. minor miracle Answer: They all are.

What’s more fantastic than a counting dog?

Corner |

19

The Little Chef [It’s always fun to cook, and to make lunches for yourself and your family. THE LITTLE CHEF Corner was designed to give YOU the chance to tell everyone about YOUR favorite recipes, and how you make them.]

Super Scrumptious Salad Dressing

By H. D. Goldberg, Jerusalem What You Need: 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup oil 1/4 cup vinegar 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup ketchup 1 tsp mustard.

What You Do: Mix together the sugar, vinegar, ketchup, oil, salt, and the mustard. Refrigerate.

I Have Not F orgotten Your Torah Do You Know…?

1. In Zot HaBrachah, Moshe Rabbenu blesses all the Children of Israel before he dies. Can you name three other times in the Torah that fathers blessed their children?

2. Do you know the 9 people who are called a Man of G-d?

Answers: 1. Noach [Bereishis 9:25-27]; Yitzchak [Bereishis 27]; Yaakov [Bereishis 49].

2. Moshe, Elkanah, Shmuel, David, Shemayah, Ido, Micah, Eliyahu, Elisha, Amotz New information: Parents and Kids! Send YOUR jokes, riddles, parsha and Torah questions, recipes, pictures and more to magazine@jewishpress.com with FunPage in the subject line. Don’t forget to include the answers, and your name, address, age and school if appropriate!! Or send directly to Happy Klein, Arzei HaBira 49, Apt. 32, Jerusalem, Israel.

The Silly World of Chelm

By Shepsel Avraham

The Report Card

I

n the little village of Chelm, Motel’s son Shlomie came home from school one day all smiles.

“And what makes you so happy today, my son,” Motel’s wife asked.

Little Shlomie smiled, “I got 100% in school today.”

Oh, how wonderful!” exclaimed Motel’s wife. “In honor of that grade you deserve a party.”

In a few minutes Shlomie invited a few friends to the house as his mother began preparing cake and cookies for the children.

A short time later Motel returned from his tailor shop. When he saw all the children having a party, he turned to his wife and asked, “What is this for?”

“Our son,” she exclaimed “who has been doing terribly all term long in school, got 100% today.”

Motel knotted his brow and scratched his head. “I don’t understand,” he murmured. “I just met his teacher and she told me Motel was doing terribly in school.”

“He wouldn’t lie,” said his wife as she called the child to her side “Tell me,” Motel exclaimed, “Mother sayss me you got a hundred in school today.

Is that the truth?”

The little fellow began to blush.

| The Magazine |

“Tell me the truth,” shouted Motel as his anger mounted.

“It is the truth,” the little fellow exclaimed. “I got 50% in Chumash and 50% in arithmetic.”

“Aha,” shouted Motel’s wife, “See I told you the child wouldn’t lie. Come children, have some more cake,” she concluded.

November 4, 2011