Wellspring Issue #104

OCTOBER 2024 // TISHREI 5785 // ISSUE 104

It’s All ConneCted The magnetic Medical Saga you need to know

Hope BrIngs HeAlIng A Cup of Tea with Henny Isaacs and Zissel Silver of Project Hope

AlwAys depended on And now depleted Well Asked-Well Answered

CHol HAmoed CroCk-pot dInners Lots of Ideas Discussed at My Table

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WELLSPRING MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2024 | TISHREI 5785

52

ARBA MINIM

by Draizy Israel On Sukkos, there are layers upon layers of symbolism and meaning in all we do. The arba minim are not merely a cute set of different species to wave around. They are replete with concepts to appreciate and lessons to learn.

64

SEEING STARS

by Tziri Hershkovitz On Sukkos, we allow the spiritual warmth of the symbolic ananei hakavod to envelop us.

There are other times when the night is dark and long, and we're blessed to experience it—the Heavenly Hug that lets us know we are not alone.

80

CUP OF TEA

by Devorah Levitz Join us for a Cup of Tea with the two indomitable women behind Project Hope—the organization that supports families facing cancer, by giving them the strength and resources to make it through the challenging times.

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

| ISSUE #104

CENTER OF HEALTH. CENTER OF CARE.

Primary care Pediatric OBGYN Endocrinology Gastroenterology Optometry & Ophthalmology Nephrology Dermatology Podiatry Lyme Mental Health Pain Management Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy Speech Therapy

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WELLSPRING MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2024 | TISHREI 5785

| ISSUE #104

WELL INFORMED 30 Springboard 36 Spiritual Eating 38 Torah Wellspring 44 Health News

LIVING WELL

WELLBEING

52 Arba Minim

96 Hakol Beseder

64 Cover Feature

98 Seasonal Stumpers

72 Second Opinion

100 Well Answered

74 Community

102 Marital Health

76 Fitness

104 Let's Grow

78 Ask the Nutritionist

106 Wallet Wellness

80 Cup of Tea

108 Mind and You

86 Medical Saga 90 Intuitive Eating 92 Gut Reaction

SEASONED FAREWELL 146 Holistic

Health Advisory Board Dr. Rachael Schindler, Laura Shammah, MS, RDN, Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE, Bashy Halberstam, INHC, Shaindy Oberlander, INHC, Dr. Adina Mintz, PA-C Esti Asher, MS, RDN, LD

EDITORIAL Editor In Chief Tziri Hershkovitz Deputy Editor Libby Silberman Feature Editors Vichna Belsky, Devorah Levitz Copy Editors Gitti Feldinger, Meira Lawrence

Nutrition Contributors Tanya Rosen, MS CAI CPT, Shani Taub, CDC

Fitness Advisory Board Syma Kranz, PFC, Esther Fried, PFC Health Advisory Board Dr. Chayala Englard, Chaya Tilla Brachfeld, RN

WELLSPRING MAGAZINE

Editorial Contributors Rabbi Yehoshua Belsky LMSW, Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS, Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein, Baruch Niebloom, Rabbanit Orit Esther Riter

FOOD & CONTENT Food Editor Aviva Emek Recipe CreatorsYossi & Malky Levine Food Styling Malky Levine

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The Wellspring Magazine is published monthly by Wellspring Magazine Inc. All rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part or in any form without prior written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The publisher reserves the right to edit all articles for clarity, space and editorial sensitivities. The Wellspring Magazine assumes no responsibility for the content or kashrus of advertisements in the publication, nor for the content of books that are referred to or excerpted herein. The contents of The Wellspring Magazine, such as text, graphics and other material (content) are intended for educational purposes only. The content is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your health care provider with any questions you have regarding your medical condition.

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Wishing our patients and all of Klal Yisroel a happy & healthy Yom Tov!

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

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EDITOR'S NOTE

one—we are family—and on Sukkos we come together. We don’t merely pay lip service; in our hearts, where it matters, and in our souls, all the way to our roots, we are one. And we all just want to be together, be family, and come home.

As we settle into the close quarters of our charmingly decorated temporary abodes, the concept of family is at the forefront of our minds. If we are lucky, the gratitude is instantaneous as we look at the people surrounding us, the family we are blessed with.

Who we are, for better or for worse, is intrinsically linked to where we come from.

The message of family as an integral part of Sukkos is not that subtle.

The ushpizin who mark each day of Yom Tov remind us of our forebears, our “roots,” if you will. They remind us of the heights we can attain, just by virtue of being descended from such holiness and gadlus.

Inasmuch as the ushpizin remind us to give credit to our roots, it is the inclusion of all the species in the arba minim that reminds us we’re all connected. Each of the species represents a different type of Yid: the pleasant-scented esrog is the Yid full of Torah and mitzvos, the tall lulav has Torah knowledge only, the sweet hadassim are rich in ma’asim tovim but lacking in trained thought, and the poor, scentless, tasteless aravos are representative of the Yid who has little to show for himself in any arena.

On Sukkos, though, we bring them all together to symbolize not only the totality of the Jewish people, but also our inherent bond, even with our weakest links. Because we are

This year, Klal Yisrael doesn’t need a reminder. As the situation in Eretz Yisrael remains precarious, our tefillos take on an unusual intensity for acheinu B’nei Yisrael. We daven for our brothers and sisters in an active war zone, and we don’t forget about the more than one hundred hostages, Yiddishe kinder, still lost in the wilderness, hoping to come home.

Suddenly, stepping into the sukkah feels different. Without a roof over our heads, we are ever more aware of how every passing cloud and each breeze has the potential to affect our wellbeing. If we opt to, it’s easier to understand and recognize just how dependent we are on the Divine, on His blessings and protection, and how lucky we are to be alive today, healthy and safe.

But sometimes we forget. We’re so blessed with the illusion of comfort, so lulled by this false sense of security, that the awareness isn’t permanently front and center.

Of course, we can consciously choose to take note every day, but in the day-to-day grind—in our sturdy homes with solid locks, our modern amenities far from untamed nature, and with the illusion of a devoted police force and reassuring meteorological reporting—we believe we’re in a “safe zone.” We can even choose not to hear the stories or follow the news and thereby fancy ourselves secure.

We forget that this brick and mortar “home” isn’t the goal. We forget that there’s a destination we should

be heading to, yearning for. We forget that it’s not just about us and our immediate families. We forget that it’s not just about our next trip, next purchase, next meal. We forget that our next moment is not guaranteed.

And then we exit the walls of our home and sit beneath the stars, and suddenly we realize how exposed we are to the elements. If we allow it to— and we need to allow it to—this temporary residence can remind us that we can’t rely on our material possessions for our happiness. Their value is transient at best. Elegant decor is not what makes a sukkah safe. Hurricanes don’t discriminate between childish papier-mâché and designer gold-and-cream decor. True contentment can only be present when we immerse ourselves in the experience and allow ourselves to feel protected in the sanctuary of the Divine presence.

Therein lies genuine security— when we realize that nothing we’ve left indoors truly matters in the grand scheme of things, because everything that counts in life is right here, in our sukkah beneath the open sky. Our families, our history, our identity—all within the walls of this temporary hut.

The sukkah allows us to transmit this transformative belief to the next generation. Because if we chas ve’shalom forget, then the past was for naught and the present will just fade away…And what will we have tomorrow?

Lest we forget, moving outside for a week to spend time in a temporary sukkah helps us remember that our past matters, because our present matters. Because we matter and the future matters.

Wishing you a chag sameach,

Tziri Hershkovitz

tziri@wellspringmagazine.com

WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

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SPRINGBOARD

the paper didn’t just minimize their rage—it was eliminated entirely. But those who held on to their hard copy felt only a small decrease in their anger.

On Folic Acid and Frenulum Issue #103: Fit to Be Tied I greatly enjoyed the medical saga in your last issue. My kids also had tongue-ties, as does their father (still).

I thought it was just a matter of genetics, but recently, at my youngest’s bris, his mohel shared something interesting. He said that whenever it was necessary, he would snip tongue-ties at the brisim. But he had to stop because they became far too common and too complicated.

Tongue-ties toward the front part under the tongue used to be soft and mild. Many tore on their own, or a doctor’s or mohel’s snip were all that was needed. Recently there’s been a drastic rise in cases, and in intensity of the ties, and the mohel stopped offering this service.

There is some evidence that the folic acid supplements mothers take during pregnancy are associated with the increased incidence of tongue-tie, but even though the studies indicate a correlation, scientists haven’t figured out why.

My doctor hypothesized that too much folic acid early on in pregnancy

may lead to excessive tissue synthesis, which may cause the frenulum in the mouth to close more tightly. But there are other indications that excessive stress during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of tongue-tie and increased tissue tone, so maybe it’s that.

In any case, I found it fascinating and thought I’d share.

I believe that when we discover something that can help us work on our middos, and especially something that can potentially have us forgive others, irrespective of their source, it is worthwhile to apply the ideas and also to share it with others who might appreciate it.

Avigail A. Lawrence, New York

Blimie E. Brooklyn, New York

Gratitude, Multiplied Disposing of Anger Issue #102: Let It Go I was very inspired by Tziri Hershkovitz’s feature on forgiveness, and I wanted to share an amazing study I read about. Apparently, if we write down our angry or hurt emotions after a negative interaction, and then toss the paper with our scribbles in the trash, our hurt feelings are eliminated—sometimes entirely!

Japanese researchers worked with university students who received demeaning comments on their papers.

Those who wrote down their thoughts about the feedback and then destroyed

I am grateful for all the new features Wellspring has added. In absolute random order, I want to express my appreciation for some columns.

Wallet Wellness by Baruch Niebloom has been an eye-opener and has started a serious conversation in our home about our spending habits.

Leah Richeimer’s Marriage Secrets always gets me excited to try her suggested approach.

And I appreciate Vichna Belsky’s keen insights in Well Answered. Even without relating to the question, the answer always speaks to me too.

There’s more, of course. That’s what I love about Wellspring. There’s always

GET IN TOUCH Wellspring invites readers to submit letters and comments via email to info@wellspringmagazine.com. We reserve the right to edit all submissions and will withhold your name upon request. We will honor requests for anonymity, but we cannot consider letters that arrive without contact information.

30

WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

Any health information, advice, or suggestions published here are the opinion of the letter writer and are not independently investigated, endorsed, or validated by Wellspring. Always seek the advice of a qualified health professional or medical practitioner regarding any medical advice, condition, or treatment.

An Honored Guest.

‫והיית אך שמח‬

SPRINGBOARD

Quick Question Question: My five-year-old son has been limping and complaining of joint pain. Our pediatrician tested him for strep—instant and overnight—and both were negative. Meanwhile, my son has been crying and refusing to go to cheder, saying he’s really in pain. I tried tempting him with a visit to his grandparents or to the toy store but had to wheel him in a carriage. At that point I realized he wasn’t faking it. Do you have any suggestions?

Answer: You may want to test him for Lyme or a co-host of Lyme—especially if you were in the mountains for the summer. In the interim, massage his joints, especially behind his knees, with thieves oil three times a day to fight the virus. Thieves oil is a proprietary blend of essential oils that has a lot of healing properties. You should also give your son a small dose of magnesium along with an immune support supplement, twice daily.

Miriam Schweid, Health Consultant

more.

Please keep the good stuff coming!

G.G. Brooklyn, New York

It Takes Guts Issue #103: Health News Roundup, The Gut and the Brain I read with fascination about the gut and brain connection and was hoping you’d draw the conclusion too many are afraid to broach. I was frustrated when you didn’t.

For the longest time, the medical community denied that there could possibly be a correlation between childhood vaccines and autism spectrum disorder. But they have readily admitted that many of the vaccines do damage the gut biomes, often beyond repair. Furthermore, anyone with a child on the spectrum has either come across or been forced to read some latest study on how improving the kid’s diet and possibly soothing their gut will likely impact their mood, concentration, and general behavior.

32

WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

Your news report shares that there have been studies documenting how “the trillions of bacteria in the gut interact with…the central nervous system…and affect mood, cognition, and behavior.”

Why then can no one connect the dots between the rise in autism (and other behavioral disorders) and the ever-increasing number of vaccines our children receive?

A frustrated and dismissed mother, Name Withheld

Back on Track Issue #102: Dance; Step Two Three I haven’t picked up Wellspring for some time and am so glad I listened to my friend and subscribed. I had followed Hakol Beseder 16 years ago when my kids were little and slowly forgot about it along the way.

I loved the way Tziri explained the simplicity and ingenuity of “choreographed” routines. I realized that

many of the “steps” I’d picked up years ago are still part of my life. There are also too many I need to reinstate.

I’m now once again committed to Tziri Hershkovitz’s Hakol Beseder program—and I’m as excited about it now as I was then.

Gila Horowitz Lakewood, New Jersey

Still Learning Issue #103: Too Much to Carry I absolutely loved Tamar Feldman’s article on assisting a woman through successful pregnancy. As “a woman of a certain age,” I found her explanations fascinating and incredibly enlightening. I appreciated the protocol she discussed but am looking forward to learning more.

In general, I am fascinated by Tamar Feldman’s new column. It’s a science lesson in a story, enjoyable and entertaining.

Hatzlachah on this endeavor!

H. Werzberger Airmont, New York

Take a Break Issue #101: Live Life I greatly enjoyed reading Tziri Hershkovitz’s take on the restorative powers of vacation. It might interest Wellspring readers to know that it is not only the medical community that has recognized the importance and impact of taking a break. Recently, the corporate world has stood up and taken notice. So much so, that there is talk about vacation days becoming mandatory.

At present, less than ten percent of workers nationally are required to take a minimum amount of vacation days.

There is no law or regulation that demands it. Perhaps because of that, a recent Harris Poll survey found that

78 percent of Americans do not use the maximum amount of paid time off allowed by their employer.

With employee stress and burnout running high, more companies are considering mandatory vacation, even to the point of a full office shutdown to make it happen.

It’s not necessarily a win, especially for those who get paid by the hour, or even those who know they will simply return to a major backlog at the office.

There’s another contingent: Those for whom the office is the only respite from life and its struggles. Sure, forced vacation sounds nice theoretically, but in practice, if family life is more stressful, the idea of being forcibly demanded to stay out of the office is not necessarily a positive.

And then there is the Yiddishe per-

spective which forms my personal opinion: I believe we don’t need a mandate—we already do it. With our calendar replete with Yomim Tovim and the heilige Shabbos, we have plenty of time to disconnect from the workforce and reconnect with the things and people who truly matter.

There is an upside to the potential regulation, however. For those working in non-Jewish businesses, more mandatory off-days may allow them to take off for the Jewish holidays without having those “eat up” their too-few vacation days. Like this Sukkos, it may ensure that taking Chol Hamoed off doesn’t make a dent in our salaried paychecks.

Yehuda Chaim Klein, Brooklyn, New York

WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

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SPIRITUAL EATING

By Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS

Human Dignity: Eat Like a Mensch

Chavah listened to the snake.

Adam listened to Chavah. They ate from the tree. They were punished that the snake would crawl on the ground, Chavah would have pain during childbirth, and Adam would have to sweat out a livelihood.

This seminal sequence of events seems simple and straightforward. But with everything in Chumash, there’s a ton more than just what meets the eye—especially in Bereishis.

The Gemara tells of the incredible travail that goes into providing a person’s physical sustenance in this world (Pesachim 118a, see also Bereishis Rabbah 20:10). It’s twice as difficult as the suffering of a woman in labor, says the Gemara, more of a struggle than redeeming a person from their individual exile and anguish, and as challenging as k’rias Yam Suf. But did it have to be that way, even after the sin?

Hashem said to Adam, “Thorns and thistles will sprout for you, and you shall eat the grass of the field” (Bereishis 3:18). The Gemara says that upon hearing this, Adam’s eyes flowed with tears. “Master of the Universe,” Adam plead-

ed. “Shall I and my donkey eat from one trough?”

have much choice but to earn a living and toil through the tribulations of making ends meet.

Tuition, weddings, bar mitzvahs, tuition, mortgages, groceries, insurance (did I mention tuition?), etc., all take a toll and can test the bitachon of the finest bnei Torah. For this, we have no alternative. Adam locked us in 5,700 years ago.

But once the Ribbono Shel Olam said to him, “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread,” Adam was greatly relieved. Why were his fears assuaged? What made him feel so much better?

The “zei’as apecha—sweat of your brow,” which connotes the hardship of earning a livelihood, was associated with bread, the food unique to man—unlike the thorns, thistles, and grass that would “tatzmiach lach—sprout for you” effortlessly.

And what’s the payoff? What’s the benefit of absorbing such a colossal cost that Adam saw fit to adopt? Human dignity—especially when it comes to our eating habits and relationship with food. And for that, all of us certainly have a choice.

If Adam needed only thorns, thistles, and grass to survive, he could have lived without any exertion or anxiety. Still, this was no solace; Adam was disconsolate about having to eat like an animal, even with the fact that his sustenance would come worry-free.

He was willing to pay the price of the profound pains of parnassah to eat like a mensch, to have a relationship with food befitting his noble standing of a tzelem Elokim—a unique creature created in the image of G-d.

Our standard has been set. For the rest of eternity, few of us

But did it have to be that way, even after the sin?

We can stuff ourselves and run after our animalistic desires for immediate gratification and indulgence—even in the name of a simchah, mitzvah, or Yom Tov meal. Or we can welcome appropriate boundaries and guidelines around our eating, exercising control and treating our bodies with the sanctity and kedushah deserving of descendants of Adam, not the primitive progenies of primates.

We pay the price whether we like it or not. Let’s make sure we reap the reward—especially during this Zeman Simchaseinu.

Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS, is the founder and director of Soveya and the author of the best-selling book Enough Is Enough—How the Soveya Solution Is Revolutionizing the Diet and Weight-Loss World, available on Amazon and at Barnes & Nobles and Judaica Plaza in Lakewood. He has worked with thousands of clients around the world and has maintained a 130-pound weight loss for the last 19 years. For more information about Soveya’s programs call 732-578-8800, email info@soveya.com, or visit www.soveya.com.

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

TORAH WELLSPRING

By Rabbi YY Rubinstein

Surrounded by Lies, Surrounded by Chessed

The Gemara in Avodah Zarah (3a) provides a well-known account about events that will occur when Moshiach comes.

The nations of the world will all come together in Yerushalayim. They will demand a reward for having done so much to help Klal Yisrael keep Torah and mitzvos. Hashem will not give them the response they hoped for. He will tell them they are lying and that they never tried to help Klal Yisrael’s shemiras ha’mitzvos. The truth is, they tried their very best to stop Klal Yisrael from doing the ratzon Hashem.

I have always struggled to picture what this confrontation will actually look like. My first difficulty is the scale and the chutzpah of the peoples of the world.

They will be united, and when they speak, it will be with one voice, brazenly lying and claiming that they have always behaved toward us with kindness and compassion. Their arrogance is baffling, and their attempt to lie to Hakadosh Baruch Hu is surely madness.

Hashem’s response to their chutzpah is also puzzling. He certainly forces them to admit that their treatment of Klal Yisrael was anything but kind and compassionate, but then He gives them a second chance.

That second chance is the mitzvah of Sukkos.

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

Rav Elimelech Biderman shlita, in his sefer Be’er Hachaim, makes a brilliant observation that allows all the pieces of this puzzling story to fall into place.

He points out that Gemara says the nations of the world will build their sukkahs on the roofs of their houses, and he wonders why that should be.

Why not do the easy thing and build them on the ground, as most of us do?

Before I share his answer, it is worthwhile stating the obvious: the world has been speaking with one voice and lying about us for the last two thousand years. In fact, if anyone ever wrote a book called The Lies People Say about Jews, it would require very many volumes.

The world has always sung— in perfect harmony—different but similar songs that describe us Jews as uniquely evil and bad. In the Middle Ages, when the bubonic plague wiped out half the European population, the world claimed it was the Jews who had poisoned the wells of Europe, causing the Black Death. They repeated this lie many more times, whenever another outbreak of the disease occurred.

The irony is that it was a Jew from Ukraine, Sir Waldemar Mordechai Wolff Haffkine, who developed a vaccine against bubonic plague and saved count-

less millions of lives.

The world then lied and said that we only look after ourselves and ignore the suffering of others. In truth, as the Mishnah in Gittin 5:8 makes clear, in order to promote shalom between Klal Yisrael and the nations of the world, we look after and care for the non-Jewish poor and sick as we do for our fellow Jews. The donations of Jews to non-Jewish schools, hospitals, and a host of other institutions make up a very long list indeed.

Their arrogance is baffling, and their attempt to lie to Hakadosh Baruch Hu is surely madness.

America’s greatest man of letters, Mark Twain, addressed the world’s hypocrisy in claiming that we are unconcerned about the suffering of the poor in an essay entitled, “Concerning the Jews”: The Jew has been staged in many uncomplimentary forms [for example in Shakespeare’s play, “The Merchant of Venice”], but so far as I know, no dramatist

WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

39

TORAH WELLSPRING

has done him the injustice to stage him as a beggar.

Whenever a Jew has real need to beg, his people save him from the necessity of doing it. The charitable institutions of the Jews are supported by Jewish money, and amply.

The Jews make no noise about it; it is done quietly.

They do not nag and pester us and harass us for contributions; they give us peace, and set us an example—an example that we have not been able to follow; for by nature we are not free givers, and have to be patiently and persistently hunted down in the interest of the unfortunate…

And that is the answer Rav Biderman gives to the enigma of the non-Jewish nations squandering their “second chance” mitzvah of Sukkos by choosing to build their sukkahs on their rooftops.

They will build them there so that when poor people come to ask them for a meal or a few coins, they will not be able to find them sitting, as we do, outside our homes. They will be sitting high above, inaccessible and looking down at the poor.

It is they who don’t want to be troubled over those less fortunate, for in their nature, they are not free givers. Even when they are hunted down by the unfortunate, they take steps to make sure they are not caught.

The truth is, of course, Klal Yisrael is precisely the opposite of what these nations, united in their hatred of us, say—both then and now.

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

Today they claim we are committing a “genocide” against the Palestinians. That lie is only the latest iteration of thousands.

Once again, they stand the truth on its head, as it is they who are plotting a genocide against us, Rachmana litzlan.

But within the true essence of the Jewish people’s nature lies our ultimate protection and yeshuah from Hashem.

The Alshich Hakadosh points to that nature in Avos 1:2, which says that the world is supported by three pillars: Torah, avodah, and gemilas chasadim.

He notes that these three things echo the unique maalos of the Avos: Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. Then the Alshich makes a simple observation that the Mishnah writes these maalos in the wrong chronological order.

Avraham’s middah was chessed. Why, then, does that

I asked him if he had ever heard of Sukkos, and he replied that he had a vague idea.

come last in the list of things that keep the world in existence? Avraham Avinu being first of the Avos, and chessed being his middah, shouldn’t chessed come first in the Mishnah’s list too?

The Alshich answers that the Mishnah’s order is to point out that even if we fail when it comes to Torah and avodah (as we often do), as long as we still practice gemilas chasadim, it acts as our unterste shura—the last and best line of defense of Klal Yisrael.

Rav Biderman writes that Sukkos is a special time, a chessed time, when chassidishe rebbes traditionally give very large sums to the poor.

The reason why Sukkos is synonymous with chessed is because the festival recalls the ananei ha’kavod within which Hashem protected and sheltered us in the midbar. He also

This past year, the world has once again spoken with one voice to lie about who we are and what we do. They’ve spoken more loudly and cruelly than for many a year. They have been met and must continue to be met with our strongest defense, chessed.

There is no better time to start strengthening our defenses than the festival that recalls Hashem’s chessed to us and encourages our chessed to others…Sukkos.

UK born, Rabbi YY Rubinstein learned in the famous Gateshead Yeshiva for ten years where he received semicha. He is an international speaker and the author of fourteen books. His latest, "Never Alone,” for teens and young adults who've lost a parent, arrived in bookstores this year.

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Last year on Erev Sukkos, I entered a music shop to buy a set of violin strings. The young man who helped me shared that he was Jewish, although he knew nothing about his religion. I asked him if he had ever heard of Sukkos, and he replied that he had a vague idea. I told him it is a fabulous experience and invited him to join us for a Chol Hamoed meal. He asked if his friend who also worked at the store teaching violin could come too. In the end, three Jews came and have been coming back ever since, over and over, to experience Shabbos and other Yomim Tovim.

The sukkah may only stand for a few days, but its message can grow and spread throughout the year.

SEE REAL RESULTS FAST 1

And as we invite the special Sukkos guests— Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, and all the other Ushpizin—into our sukkahs, the chessed of Sukkos gives us the opportunity to invite other guests too: Yidden who are poor or lonely or who know nothing about Torah and mitzvos. In fact, what would a yiddishe Sukkos be if it didn’t have the geshmak of guests or those for whom we can do chessed and with whom we can celebrate?

Before

Sukkos is a celebration of chessed—Hashem’s chessed to us as well as our chessed to each other. It is even a festival of our chessed to the umos ha’olam, when we welcomed them to enter our world and offered korbonos to the Borei Olam in our Beis Hamikdash.

After

supplied us with water and food and guaranteed our clothes would never become ragged or torn.

‫בס״ד‬

‫‪Heart.Works | BaruchHashemItsShabbos.com‬‬

‫ששת ימים תעבוד‬

‫יום השישי‬ ‫ויכלו השמים‬ ‫והארץ‪...‬‬

‫בּרוך השׁם‬

‫ס'איז שׁבּת‬ ‫וביום השביעי שבת‬

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‫‪WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785‬‬

HEALTH NEWS

HEALTH NEWS ROUNDUP

By Pnina Schoss

Diet Pills Sales Banned Diet pills are a recent fad, especially among some in the younger population who might seek instant gratification and quick fixes over the effort of long-term lifestyle changes. Overthe-counter diet pills and supplements can be found at many a grocery and big-box store all over New York State. But a new law is trying to prevent them from reaching the youngest demographic.

The law went into effect earlier this year and bans the sale of the supplements to anyone under the age of 18. Experts say that this is because the pills are underregulated and could have harmful health effects on kids.

“We don’t know what’s in the products. We don’t know if they work. We don’t know if they’re safe,” said Harvard professor Bryn Austin. He said dietary pills and supplements don’t go through the same regulation process as prescription drugs. Studies published through the JAMA Network and National Library of Medicine found the products can contain steroids, experimental or banned stimulants, and other dangerous chemicals.

Austin said that these products are especially dangerous to young children, and they are marketed to kids who may feel uncomfortable about their appearance. As the director of Harvard’s eating disorder prevention group, STRIPED, Austin said the new state law that prevents the sale of these products to anyone under 18 will keep kids safer. The law creates age-verification guidelines for retailers and delivery sellers. But Austin says the next step is to raise awareness to parents, letting them know that diet pills and supplements could be harmful.

Health Advisory: Parvovirus The CDC has issued a health advisory over the spread of human parvovirus B19.

The illness that comes with a parvovirus B19 infection is typically mild. Most people infected with parvovirus B19 are asymptomatic, but symptoms can include fever, muscle pain, cough, headache, and malaise, which develop within about seven days.

The symptoms usually last about five days, which is the period when patients are most contagious. In the second phase, children may develop a facial rash that looks like a “slapped cheek,” a rash on the trunk of their body, and joint pain, the CDC said.

For people who are immunocompromised, have chronic blood disorders, or are pregnant, there could be more severe symptoms. Immunocompromised people may develop chronic or transient aplastic anemia, which can be treated with transfusions.

For pregnant women, the danger increases for the baby depending on how far along the pregnancy is. If the acute infection happens between weeks 9 and 20 of the pregnancy, it can present a higher risk for the baby including fetal anemia, non-immune hydrops or losing the baby, but miscarrying is rare, the CDC said. There is no vaccine or specific treatment for parvovirus B19 infection at this time.

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

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By Pnina Schoss

Probiotics for Depression

Limit the Fluoride In a seven-year legal battle, the federal court ruled against the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as they determined that the high level of fluoride in drinking water is linked with lower IQ in children. For 75 years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had maintained that fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has been considered by some to be of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.

Senior Judge Edward Chen wrote, “The Court finds that fluoridation of water…the level presently considered ‘optimal’ in the United States—poses an unreasonable risk of reduced IQ in children…The Court finds there is an unreasonable risk of such injury, a risk sufficient to require the EPA to engage with a regulatory response.”

He went on to say, “There is little dispute in this suit as to whether fluoride poses a hazard to human health. Indeed, EPA’s own expert agrees that fluoride is hazardous at some level of exposure. And ample evidence establishes that a mother’s exposure to fluoride during pregnancy is associated with IQ decrements in her offspring.”

In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first US city to start adding fluoride to tap water. In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.

For nearly a decade, individuals and grassroot groups have been petitioning against local water utilities adding the mineral, and the EPA repeatedly denied their petitions. But more and more studies have increasingly pointed to a different problem, suggesting a link between higher levels of fluoride and its impact on brain development.

“Since fluoride is such an important topic to the public and to public health officials,” said Rick Woychik, director of the National Toxicology Program, in a statement, “it was imperative that we made every effort to get the science right.”

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

There is some evidence that probiotics may reduce depression symptoms. Although there is insufficient evidence that probiotics alone are more effective than antidepressants, some studies have suggested they may be just as effective when a person takes them for more than eight weeks. Other research has found that probiotics work more effectively as a complementary treatment, in addition to antidepressants. Whether a person takes probiotics alongside antidepressants or on their own, it may take some time for either treatment to start working.

Scientists are still learning about the complex relationship between the microbiome and mental health. Researchers refer to this relationship as the gut-brain axis, and it works in a bidirectional manner, where one influences the other. Probiotics are not a first-line treatment for depression. Depression treatment typically involves psychotherapy, medication, or both, and these methods are scientifically proven. However, people may prefer to try probiotics alongside treatment from a mental health professional.

Prior to making any changes in your medicinal or supplemental intake, it is important to talk with your doctor or healthcare professional. If opting to add a probiotic to your daily regimen, is equally crucial to ensure you’re choosing a high-quality product.

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Beware of Artificial Sweeteners We have a problem with sucralose, the artificial sweetener in Splenda. Found in many zero-calorie foods and drinks, the artificial sweetener doesn’t get broken down by the body, and as a new study shows, that means it’s potentially damaging the microorganisms at the very bottom of aquatic food webs. “We can’t break down sucralose, and a lot of microorganisms can’t break it down either because it’s a really tough molecule that doesn’t degrade easily,” says marine biologist Tracey Schafer of the University of Florida. “So there are a lot of questions about how it is affecting the environment and whether it’s something that could impact our microbial communities.”

Since 2013, studies have repeatedly shown that sucralose has been linked to cancers, an increased risk of overall heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases, and it can be detrimental to gut health. In 2013, sucralose was downgraded from “safe” to “caution” by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). In 2016 it was categorized as “avoid.” At present, though, sucralose is still considered safe by the FDA in standard doses in food and drink.

This is despite the fact that studies suggest they can interfere with gut bacteria and have been associated with a higher risk of stroke, heart disease, and even damage to the DNA inside cells.

Regarding the impact on natural ecosystems, scientists are working on getting results over the longer term. It may be that reducing both sugar and artificial sweetener intake is what’s best for both us and the planet in general.

“I think this study was a good first step in starting to look at how sucralose could impact our aquatic communities, and hopefully, it will drive more research forward,” says Schafer.

Sleep Hygiene: Not on Your Back

While sleeping on your back has long been believed to be the ideal sleeping position, newer research is showing that side sleeping can have just as many benefits. When done correctly with the proper body alignment, sleeping on one’s side can reduce both joint and lower back pain, as well as chronic pain associated with long-term conditions like fibromyalgia. Another benefit to sleeping on one’s side is reduced snoring, a common symptom observed in obstructive sleep apnea. This serious condition creates disruptions in breathing, which can lead to long-term complications, such as hypertension, arrhythmia, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and cognitive issues.

Cognitive issues, specifically, may be prevented with good sleep hygiene, but research is also showing that overall brain health may benefit from sleeping on one’s side, too.

You may get better gut health if you’re a side sleeper, as this position helps the digestive system function better, which can ease gastrointestinal issues such as heartburn, constipation, and bloating. Sleeping on one’s left side is thought to have the most benefits to overall health. It is undoubtedly not coincidental that the Rambam suggested this over eight hundred years ago. The Rambam recommends sleeping on one’s left side at the beginning of the night, as this position allows the liver to warm the stomach and aid digestion. He further advises waking up on one’s right side.

Although the guidelines in Gemara regarding our sleeping habits mention sleeping on one’s side, no specific side is noted. The Gemara further urges us not to sleep on our back or stomach.

According to the latest science, sleeping on either side can offer benefits in terms of sleep apnea and chronic lower back pain relief. Our Torah’s been telling us the healthiest way to sleep all along.

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By Pnina Schoss

Get Rid of Plastic in Your Water Tiny fragments of microplastics are making their way inside our bodies in concerning quantities, most significantly through our food and drink. Scientists have recently found a simple and effective means of removing them from water.

A team from Guangzhou Medical University and Jinan University in China ran tests on both soft water and hard tap water (which is richer in minerals), adding in nano plastics and microplastics (NMPs) before boiling the liquid, and then filtering out any precipitates. In some cases, up to 90 percent of the NMPs were removed by the boiling and filtering process, though the effectiveness varied based on the type of water. Of course, the big benefit is that most people can do this using equipment they already have in their kitchen.

A greater concentration of NMPs was removed from samples of hard tap water, which naturally forms a buildup of limescale (calcium carbonate) as it is heated. Commonly seen inside kitchen kettles, the chalky substance forms on the plastic’s surface as changes in temperature force the calcium carbonate out of solution, effectively trapping the plastic fragments in a crust. Even in soft water, where less calcium carbonate is dissolved, roughly a quarter of the NMPs were snagged from the water. Any bits of lime-encrusted plastic could then be removed via a simple filter, such as a stainless-steel mesh used to strain tea, the researchers say.

“Drinking boiled water is apparently a viable long-term strategy for reducing global exposure to NMPs,” write the researchers. “Drinking boiled water, however, is often regarded as a local tradition and prevails only in a few regions.”

The research team hopes that drinking boiled water might become a more widespread practice as plastics continue to take over the world.

Limit the Olive Oil Olive oil, a staple in a Mediterranean diet, has become extremely popular over the last few years. Previous studies have linked olive oil use to decreased risk of several health concerns, including high blood pressure, inflammation, high cholesterol, and cognitive decline, as well as diseases such as type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Until now, say researchers from the University of Florida, it has remained unclear how much extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is healthy in a diet.

In a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, scientists noted that both high and low usage of EVOO in the diet is correlated with a minimization in blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, which is a measurement of the “bad” cholesterol in the bloodstream and is a marker for heart disease.

“We also have compelling data on the Mediterranean diet. What has not been clear [is] whether certain components of the diet are more or less beneficial,” she pointed out.

For those wondering how much EVOO is best for a healthy diet, Richard advised seeking out a registered dietitian nutritionist or a credentialed nutrition expert to help calculate the type and amounts of fat an individual should consume each day.

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

‫איך האב‬ ‫גיוואט און‬ ‫גיוואט‬

FEATURE

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

ARBA MINIM On Sukkos, there are layers upon layers of symbolism and meaning in all we do. The arba minim are not merely a cute set of different species to wave around. They are replete with concepts to appreciate and lessons to learn.

The esrog is compared to the human heart. The tall, straight lulav, a frond from a palm tree, symbolizes the spine. The leaves of the sweet-smelling myrtle branches, the hadassim, resemble the human eyes, and the willow, the aravos, look like lips, our mouths.

Let’s explore this further.

BY DRAIZY ISRAEL

WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

53

FEATURE WELLBEING FEATURE

THE ESROG The esrog is representative of the heart, both in shape and in the way we handle it.

A timely reminder to always be vigilant and mindful of the feelings of others.

Young Hearts A long-time rebbi in the Gerrer yeshivah who also sold esrogim before Sukkos went to the Gerrer Rebbe, the P’nei Menachem, to ask for a berachah for the success of his esrog business.

The P’nei Menachem replied that the rebbi is actually an esrog dealer all year long—his talmidim are precious esrogim in their own right, each requiring the same tenderness and attention he devotes to an esrog. Just as he is so careful when handling an esrog to ensure he doesn’t cause any damage, so too must he be careful not to leave any negative marks or impressions upon the hearts of his students.

"

To Be an Original The citron is one of the original citrus fruits from which all other citrus-type fruits have been developed. But in order for the esrog to be kosher for use on Sukkos, it needs to be in its original form, and not hybridized in any way. That may partly explain the expense and value of the esrog. Because of the fruit’s natural propensity for crossbreeding, maintaining and ascertaining its purity has been challenging.

Of the citrus fruits we frequently consume, lemon and lime are the closest “relatives” of the citron.

Through natural hybrid speciation—and occasional artificial hybridization—these have been bred into the form we know and love.

THE HEART KNOWS WHAT THE MIND CAN'T SEE.

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

Happy Heart

Our hearts affect every part of our bodies—and our diet and lifestyle affect our hearts. Equally importantly, our emotional wellbeing impacts our heart health.

Interestingly, it’s possible to have a broken heart—it’s called broken heart syndrome and can have similar symptoms to a heart attack. While a heart attack is from heart disease, broken heart syndrome is caused by a rush of stress hormones from an emotionally or physically stressful event. Death from a broken heart is possible but extremely rare.

Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the spectrum, smiling and laughing are found to be incredibly beneficial for the heart.

They reduce stress and provide a boost to our immune system.

“Kavei el Hashem, chazak ve’ametz libecha, ve’kavei el Hashem—Have hope in Hashem, be strong and give your heart courage, and have hope in Hashem.”

The Heart of the Matter While we often say we “feel” emotions in our heart, the actual chemical processes that create emotions occur in the brain, specifically, through neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin.

Our hearts then physically react to these emotional signals from the brain, causing changes in heart rate and rhythm.

On the flipside, however, the heart has an awareness and knowledge that the brain cannot explain. From intuition, wisdom, to a higher level of intelligence, the heart can function as a navigational guidance system, allowing a person to access themselves on a most primal level. Emunah and bitachon are therefore an awareness that grows in our hearts.

Ve’ahavta es Hashem Elokecha be’chol levavcha…

Citron Medica The esrog, or citron, is also known in the scientific community as the Citrus medica—and it comes by its name righteously.

Thanks to the powerful nutrients found in this unique citrus fruit, it has been associated with a variety of health benefits, from enhanced immunity to a reduced risk of chronic disease and beyond.

There have been fascinating studies on the Citrus medica’s medicinal benefits— and indeed, heart health ranks high. In fact, a number of published studies show that frequent consumption of citrus fruits like citron is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

Heart Health News Cholesterol has long been blamed for heart disease, with an inordinate number of Americans taking statins to lower their “bad” LDL levels. However, the side effects of the drug have been devastating. In 2014, at nearly one hundred years old, Dr. Kummerow published “Cholesterol Is Not the Culprit: A Guide to Preventing Heart Disease,” after he sued the FDA and won. After four years, the FDA conceded that heart disease is caused by trans fats and not high cholesterol, and it finally issued a ban on the sale and use of trans fats in restaurants and grocery stores.

FEATURE

THE LULAV A frond of the palm tree, the lulav’s central pillar is referred to as its backbone, the shidrah, and is said to resemble the human spine.

The spine is connected to the brain stem through the spinal cord, transmitting sensory information to the entire body and then back to the brain.

Posturing

Divine Design Babies are born without the three curves that make up a healthy spine, and crawling helps them develop these curves. Crawling also strengthens their core, which is crucial for a proper posture.

"

Our mood and emotions are stored in our body, and the way we sit, stand, or move can directly influence how we’re feeling.

Conversely, our posture may also reveal our inner sentiments.

Why We Shrink The cartilage in our spine is capable of expanding and contracting. When returning from zero-gravity environments, astronauts often return to Earth taller than they were before, due to the expansion effect. Conversely, gravity’s pull on our bodies shrinks our cartilage with time, causing us to decrease in height as we age. That is why there are claims that we are taller in the morning—because the spine decompresses while laying horizontally, in the absence of gravity.

IF YOU DON’T STAND FOR SOMETHING, YOU’LL FALL FOR ANYTHING.

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

Al Netilas Lulav Although the esrog represents the tzaddik, it is the lulav we focus on when we recite the berachah of al netilas lulav. Furthermore, it is the lulav, hadassim, and aravos that are held in the right hand—which usually represents greater importance.

Since the lulav and hadassim represent the Yid who is a work in progress, and the aravos personify the Jew who neither knows Torah nor does gemilas chesed, it almost seems wrong to hold them in the right hand while relegating the esrog to the left hand.

However, the Kesav Sofer explains, when we unify the four minim, all Jews—even those who seem less worthy—become inspired to do teshuvah. They too, want to learn and grow. They want to change. It is the power of teshuvah that elevates the previously unaffiliated or those in need of chizuk to heights even greater than the perfect tzaddik, the esrog.

This is why the lulav, hadassim, and aravos are the focus of the berachah and are held in the right hand, because those who return spiritually are considered even holier than those who influenced them (Berachos 34b).

“Ve’anachnu korim u’mishtachvim u’modim—And we bend and bow, submit and admit, and give thanks to the King of all kings, Hakadosh Baruch Hu.”

Never Too Tall The spine of a lulav should be at least 16 inches long, but the minimum permitted length is 13 inches. There is no maximum length for a lulav, though, and in 2016, a Yemenite Yerushalmi showed his love for the mitzvah of arba minim with a lulav that was 8.85 feet long!

Standing Up for What Is Right Irena had come to America as an 18-year-old with a tremendous desire to learn more about her heritage, after suffering three interminable years in Auschwitz. But her curiosity about Yiddishkeit hadn’t been inspired by her suffering. It had started years earlier.

Growing up, Irena’s father had been intensely anti-religious and forbade all Jewish practices in his home. One October morning, Irena looked out her window and saw a chassidish man walking past their home. He was holding the strangest thing she had ever seen. Curiosity got the better of her and she ran outside to ask what it was. The kind man didn’t only explain the lulav and esrog to her; he offered to help her perform the mitzvah.

After he’d assisted her with the berachah, Irena asked the man to wait while she went inside to get her sister.

For the next few years, until the Nazis came to their town, Irena and her sister would wake up early on autumn mornings and wait by the window for the chassidish man to walk by the house with the arba minim.

Careful to not wake their father, they’d sneak out of the house to perform this mitzvah.

Such was their gumption and “spine” to do a mitzvah they didn’t even understand.

WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

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FEATURE

THE HADASSIM The myrtle leaves of the hadassim are shaped like eyes, the most spiritually sensitive part of the human body.

Rabbeinu Yonah, a medieval Spanish rabbi and commentator, explains in Sefer Hayirah that the eyes are the gateway to the heart and mind. The sights one gazes at have a profound impact on one’s thoughts and actions.

Your Eyes Speak Emotions are vividly expressed through our eyes; when we’re happy, our eyes light up and our pupils dilate. Alternatively, when we’re sad or upset, the pupils constrict.

Studies have shown that people who maintain direct eye contact are often perceived as more confident and trustworthy, while avoiding eye contact may be interpreted as a sign of shyness, anxiety, or deceit.

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Aside from the commandment not to look at improper sights, our eyes are also necessary for serving Hashem, including Torah learning, tefillah, seeing one’s tzitzis, and looking out for one another.

An Eye on News • Researchers at the National Eye Institute have identified a protein that may reverse cataracts, a clouding of the eye’s lens that occurs as people age. This discovery can potentially lead to non-surgical cataract treatments.

• Retinal migraines can last from ten minutes to an hour and can have symptoms similar to a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke.

• Consuming a Mediterranean-inspired diet can reduce your risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or prevent its advancement.

“THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN BEING BLIND IS HAVING SIGHT BUT NO VISION.” — HELEN KELLER

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

Frame This Did you know that it is only in the last two centuries that the average layman has had access to corrective eyewear?

Eyesight is precious, yet for thousands of years, those whose vision failed went through life missing out on the beauty around them.

The first eyeglasses were invented in Italy sometime between 1268 and 1300. Although the exact date is debated, the contraption wasn’t available for the masses. In fact, the “reading aids” as they were called, were made by and for Italian monks.

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N G FA C T

FA S C I N A

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•

FA S C I N A

In the 1600s, Spanish craftsmen made the first eyeglass frame templates, but it was only in 1727 that British optician Edward Scarlett invented the modern style of eyeglass frames. At the end of the 18th century, John McAllister opened the first optical shop in America, and ever since, eyeglass frames are constantly being improved for fit, comfort, and fashion.

“Esa einai el he’harim; mei’ayin yavo ezri—I lift my eyes unto the mountains; from whence shall my help come?”

(Tehillim 121:1)

Your eyes define you in yet another way;

N G FA C T

each iris is as unique as your fingerprint.

The Myrtle Branch Hadassim have a wonderful scent but no taste—like mitzvos but no Torah. They therefore represent the Yid who is full of chesed but lacks Torah knowledge.

An Eye on Health • Your eyes can reveal a lot about your health. Specifically, sudden changes in your eye health can signal vision problems, retinal detachment, diabetes, high blood pressure, and thyroid disease. Regular eye exams can help detect these conditions early, before they become more serious and harder to treat.

• A white or gray ring around the cornea is called arcus senilis and is more common in older adults. In younger people, it can indicate high cholesterol.

• Yellow plaque near the inner eyelid, also known as xanthelasma, can be a sign of high cholesterol or heart disease.

• Blood spots in the retina can be a sign of diabetes.

• Yellowing of the eyes can be a sign of jaundice, which occurs when the liver doesn’t break down bilirubin properly.

• Eye twitching can be a sign of stress and that you need more rest.

• A common sign of thyroid disease is selective hair loss on the outer third of the eyebrows, closest to the ears.

• Unusual bends, kinks, or bleeding from blood vessels in the back of the eye can be a sign of high blood pressure, and this is what your optometrist looks out for at your visits.

Lost and Found “Rabi Binyamin says: All are presumed blind until Hakadosh Baruch Hu opens their eyes.”

For centuries, it has been a segulah to say the tefillah “Amar Rabbi Binyamin” for lost or missing items, often with miraculous stories of recovery.

WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

59

FEATURE

THE ARAVOS The esrog alludes to the heart, the place of understanding and wisdom. The lulav symbolizes the backbone, uprightness. The hadassim correspond with the eyes, enlightenment. And the willow, the aravos, because they are shaped like a mouth, represents the lips—tefillah.

Tefillah and hoda’ah are not the only mitzvos performed with our lips. Our lips are also employed when kissing tzitzis and smiling at another Yid. Something Missing?

The arba minim are said to represent the heart, the spinal cord (connected to the brain), and the eyes and mouth. But an important organ appears to be missing. Why is there no mention of the ears?

Because anything worth hearing has to be said—and thus it is the mouth that all ears turn to.

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“A SMILE IS A CURVE THAT SETS THINGS STRAIGHT.”

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

Health News • Lip cancer is a form of cancer that can start in the lips or mouth. Early signs include sores or lumps on the lips or in the mouth. Lip cancer is often curable if diagnosed and treated early.

• Lip twitching can be caused by a number of factors, including anxiety and extreme fatigue, potassium deficiency, ingesting too much caffeine, or a reaction to certain medications.

• Lip discoloration, such as blue lips that don’t improve after warming up could be a sign of cyanosis, which is caused by low oxygen content in the blood or poor circulation. Seek emergency medical assistance if you experience blue lips along with chest pain or dizziness.

“WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE—MORE IS SAID THAN DONE.”

• Smiling requires less effort than frowning as it only uses about thirteen muscles, while frowning uses around fifty.

• One genuine smile provides the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 chocolate bars or 20,000 dollar in cash.

• Smiling reduces pain. A study found that people who smiled while getting an injection felt 40 percent less pain than those who did not smile.

• When people smile at us, it triggers the reward center of the brain. That means we like and remember people who smile at us.

• Although we smile less while at work, people who smile are more likely to receive job promotions, earn a higher income, and experience greater productivity at work.

• Smiling isn’t just something we see. Studies prove that smiling affects tone of voice and can be heard through the phone.

• Smiling during exercise can boost stamina and increase performance. A study found that runners who smiled during a workout were more relaxed and had better results than those who frowned.

Last but Not Least As the fourth feature of the arba minim, the aravos might be mistaken as less respect-worthy, but this is indeed a case of “last but not least.” On Hoshana Rabbah, as we flog the willow branches in our final tefillos of these elevated days, we once again utilize our precious power of speech, beseeching one final time for a blessed and sweet new year. May it be so!

N G FA C T

FA S C I N A

• Studies confirm that we appear more likable, courteous, and competent when we smile. We also are perceived as better looking than those who are wearing makeup.

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• Children smile an average of 400 times per day, while adults smile an average of 20 times per day.

FA S C I N A

• Smiling does not cause wrinkles. In fact, smiling acts as a facial massage that delivers blood, endorphins, and antioxidants to the skin’s surface.

Different languages have native speakers shape their lips into different positions.

It is the position of their lips, tongue, jaw, and possibly other parts of their mouths that help them produce the sounds and prosody of their language more efficiently.

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• The act of smiling makes us feel better and is not just the result of feeling good about something. So smile even if you’re not happy. You’ll be happy soon enough.

N G FA C T

• Smiling is contagious. Researchers have found that it is difficult to frown when looking at someone who is smiling.

“Hashem sefasai tiftach u’fi yagid tehilasecha— Hashem, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise.”

(Tehillim 51:18)

TI

Smiles Stats

In fact, researchers at Imperial College London have developed a model that can recognize which language is being spoken just by analyzing a speaker’s lip movements.

WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

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WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

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COVER FEATURE

SEEING STARS Compiled by Tziri Hershkovitz

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

On Sukkos, we allow the spiritual warmth of our sukkahs to envelop us. A purposeful nod of recognition and gratitude for the ananei hakavod— the Divine embrace of protection and Heavenly love Klal Yisrael experienced in the desert.

They’d felt lost and alone in the vastness of the nothingness of the night.

There may have been fear and worry, but despite all, they knew they were seen and safe in the Hands of their loving Father.

In the hardest of times, we feel it most—the Heavenly Hug that lets us know we are not alone.

WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

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COVER FEATURE

WARMLY WRAPPED As soon as she was born, my dear daughter was whisked off for emergency heart surgery for what turned into a long and exhausting struggle. We would barely clear one hurdle when another complication would crop up.

Every day, I’d spend most of the day in the NICU before a volunteer from Ahavas Chesed came to relieve me for the night so I could go home to my other kids, sometimes getting to tuck the little ones in, and on rare occasions joining them for dinner.

Countless times, I’d get calls in the middle of the night to rush over to the hospital.

So many times we thought we were losing her, but my Malka was a fighter and she held on.

One day, months in, I was especially drained. I tried listening attentively as her medical team stood around her bed and explained the latest procedure, the complication, their suggestions and projections, and all I recall thinking was, “This has got to stop. You need to do something to tip the scales in her favor. Anything.” But try as I might, I couldn’t come up with the right kabbalah. I wasn’t in the headspace to commit to adding something to my already exhausting and overwhelming day. I could barely manage my life as it was; how was I to come up with and actually follow through on a promise?

And yet, the thought nagged at me all day. “Your daughter is fighting for her life, and you can’t do something on her behalf?” In truth, had I been capable of thinking coherently, I might have thought of some suitable ideas, but I was drained from constantly making life-and-death decisions; I didn't believe I was in a place where I could make any other life-altering decisions.

I arrived home to my sleeping family and untidy kitchen and started clearing up.

When I got to the thankfully-washed-but-not-yet-folded laundry, I stared at my short-sleeved nightshirts and stopped short. There, that was something I could do.

“Hashem, I know you want something from me, and I know this probably isn’t enough. But please accept my korban: I will bli neder wear only tzanuah long-sleeved nightgowns in the future​. It's pithy, I know, but it’s all I can commit to at this time.”

I felt silly as I walked over to the trash can and disposed of my two nightshirts. It felt pathetically inconsequential.

The next day I got a call from Devorah Zaks, founder and coordinator of Ahavas Chesed.

“What size are you?” she asked.

I laughed awkwardly as I told her what size I generally wore. “Why?” My dress size was not something I shared voluntarily.

“We have a donor who would like to donate nightgowns to ‘hospital mommies.’”

“Oh, wow,” was all I could say.

A little later that day, the Ahavas Chesed volunteer walked in with a bag for me.

Inside were two lovely long-sleeved nightgowns.

And in that moment, I knew my efforts meant something to Hashem; that they were seen and appreciated.

– R.F.

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

JUST ONE CUP I felt my pulse in my throbbing temples as I tucked my feverish toddler in for a nap. It had been a long night, and I was eager to go back into bed—but coffee first. I prepared two Tylenols to down with the hot brew and started the Keurig for a large cup. I opened the fridge and wanted to cry.

We were out of milk.

I was in no position to head to the grocery store just then, and not even properly dressed to go borrow from a neighbor.

And then it happened. A knock on the front door. My sweet young neighbor stood there, proffering a bottle of milk.

“WIC,” she said, referring to the nutritional program for mothers and young children. “I get too much milk and they always go bad. Can you use one?”

I BLINKED TWICE TO

CLEAR MY WATERY

EYES, BUT

THEY WERE

STILL THERE.

Could I? I gratefully grabbed the bottle she held aloft and felt seen. And loved. And taken care of.

– Y.B.

EVER AFTER It was less than two years after my husband’s passing that my oldest child entered shidduchim. Now, we were discussing taking the next major step. I was new to this, but we’d gone through the protocol, all boxes had been checked off, and now my daughter was nervously getting ready to go out to meet her future chassan one more time before they got engaged. I had never done this before, but I well understood what it meant. In just a few hours, I might well be saying “l’chaim!” to my future mechutanim.

While my daughter was upstairs getting ready, I turned my eyes upward and said, “Am I really going to do this alone? I’m scared. How do I know I’m doing the right thing?” My husband had been my rock, my support, and my advisor. I needed his expert counsel now. I needed his assurance that this shidduch was meant to be. Since his passing, I didn't often feel unmoored, but that evening, I felt like I was flailing, adrift at sea with no anchor, and no compass to guide me.

And that’s when I noticed them. I blinked twice to clear my watery eyes, but they were still there. Two little birdies were daintily perched on my porch, next to each other. They didn’t sit there long. They turned their all-seeing eyes to look at me, back at each other, and then off they flew together, toward the setting sun.

And I knew…and felt blessed for knowing.

I whispered, “Thank You,” and turned around to ooh and aah over my radiant daughter as she came down the stairs, ready to take the next step in her life.

– B.S.

WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

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COVER FEATURE

COLOR ME HAPPY My son had a relapse. Sadly, it was not unusual. Reinfection is par for the course with cystic fibrosis.

It was Chol Hamoed Sukkos, and I realized I would be spending Simchas Torah in the hospital with my 23-year-old son. I had packed for the occasion and attempted to gracefully accept the circumstances. I kept my cheerful smile in place as the tests were administered, while his doctor assessed the results, and as he was wheeled to his room after being admitted.

But the room was gray. The most depressing shade of gray I had ever seen on walls. I couldn’t fathom why anyone thought it wise to paint patients’ recovery quarters in this unfriendly color. I also couldn’t imagine spending our next few days there. Despite all the craziness going on in my life, this felt like too much.

“Please Hashem,” I silently prayed as the transport nurse transferred him to the bed. “I accept that you want me in the hospital over Yom Tov. If it is Your will, I will spend the days coaxing a smile out of my son as he struggles to breathe. But does it have to be in such a dismal setting?”

No sooner had I finished my silent prayer that an orderly rushed in and announced, “We got you into the wrong wing. I’m sorry.” And he proceeded to orchestrate the change.

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RIGHT THERE, RIGHT THEN Kayla’s heart surgery was going to be complicated.

We were prepared for it. We researched the perfect doctor and finally settled on our second choice. Our first choice, a world-renowned neurovascular surgeon, was not available for many months and this surgery needed to happen urgently.

As Kayla was wheeled into surgery, countless people joined us in reciting Tehillim for her safety and health. Suddenly we heard alarms go off. In short order, we were gently informed that during surgery, Kayla’s main artery had accidentally been nicked, and she was bleeding. We panicked. We knew this type of injury could be fatal. Reversing such an injury requires the speedy intervention of an especially skilled surgeon. If her situation hadn’t been precarious before, now our greatest fears were materializing.

And then the miracle happened. We saw clearly what our tefillos had wrought—the very neurovascular surgeon we had been unable to schedule had “coincidentally” just finished a surgery in the neighboring OR and was available to intervene just in time. Kayla was wheeled to his operating room and be’siyata di’Shmaya, he helped save her life and successfully finish the surgery.

We had thought we were losing her, but Hashem had it all figured out to the last details.

Amid the hardest struggles, I see His smiles and feel His hugs and know I can keep going, because I’m not alone.

The stars are there all the time although we don't always see them. It is on the darkest nights, if we care to look, that we see them twinkle and are awed by the beauty they add to the black expanse.

– S.C.

– F.S.

WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

ANSWERED AND SHOWN The morning of Avi’s 13th birthday found me at the Ribnitzer Rebbe’s tziyun crying my heart out. Avi’s parents, my sister and brother-in-law, were not planning to give their son a bar mitzvah. Tragically, they were no longer religious and had decided they’d rather spend the money on a family trip to Paris.

My heart was broken in a million pieces as I cried out to Hashem, “I want my nephew to have a bar mitzvah. Even more, I want him to receive tefillin. He’s a beautiful Yiddishe child; don’t let his heritage be robbed from him.”

I returned home, depleted.

Later that day, probably in an attempt to cheer me up, my husband suggested we go out to eat at a new restaurant 45 minutes away from our home. We were enjoying the understated ambience when a group of men entered. I couldn’t help but stare. I recognized Avi and my brother-in-law first, as they stood out as sore thumbs among the group of black-and-white-clad men. And that’s when I recognized the others. My brother-in-law’s brothers and his father were directed to the private event room upstairs.

It couldn’t be a coincidence. I knew it wasn’t. After ten minutes, I had an urge to see more. I quietly tiptoed up the flight of stairs. Tears blurred my vision as I watched the festivities. There was Avi’s zeide, gingerly handing a pair of tefillin to the bar mitzvah bachur, as his uncles smiled and sang siman tov u’mazel tov.

I returned to my seat, grateful to not only have had my wishes fulfilled, but for Hashem’s loving-kindness in orchestrating an evening for me where I’d be privy to the fact that He had heard and answered my tefillos.

– R.H.

THEY STOOD

OUT AS SORE

THUMBS AMONG THE GROUP OF BLACK-AND-

WHITE-CLAD MEN.

WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

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COVER FEATURE

ON A DAY MY HEART LONGED TO MARK AND RECOGNIZE, WE WELCOMED

OUR MENACHEM TO KLAL YISRAEL.

MOVED The blessing of the birth of our sixth also heralded the uncomfortable realization that we could no longer live in our tiny apartment. Larger apartments were entirely out of our budget, and we finally accepted that we needed to leave Brooklyn. We made the great move, which further drained us financially. Our new home was lovely and theoretically affordable, but the expenses threatened to drown us.

One evening, a couple of weeks after our move, my brother came to visit. He oohed and aahed over the space and views, and as he got ready to leave, he handed me an envelope. “Moving is expensive,” he said simply.

I refused to take it, but he tucked the envelope in by the side of the counter and said, “Just in case.”

We walked our guest out to the scenic view of the sun setting over the beautiful fall foliage, and as I came inside from the chilly evening, I thanked Hashem for the blessing of family.

The next morning, a Con Edison representative rang the doorbell. Apparently, the unpaid balance from Brooklyn had followed us out, and they’d been directed to turn off the power unless we paid up. After ascertaining that I was in fact dealing with an agent from Con Edison, I asked for the balance. The amount very closely matched the cash in the envelope on the counter.

The Divine Hug was there, prepared in advance, so my children wouldn’t be left in the dark and cold.

– Y.G.

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

A DAY TO REMEMBER No parent should ever have to say farewell to their child. Losing my firstborn when he was 12 weeks old was a wrenching, horribly painful experience.

We won’t ever get past it. We deal. We cope. We recognize the countless blessings we are lucky enough to have in our lives, but we mourn. In private, we will eternally hold a spot for the precious soul that was ours, if only for a little while.

During the year following Baruch’s passing, I wasn’t particularly desperate to have another baby. I was in emotional recovery and couldn’t fathom doing it all over again. But as the months passed and I still wasn’t expecting, I started getting worried. Were we not going to be parents again?

It must’ve happened sometime around his yahrzeit, although I didn’t calculate the precise date. The date that stood out starkly was that of my second son’s bris—it was my Baruch’s birthday. On the day that would have been his second birthday, a day my heart longed to mark and recognize, we welcomed our Menachem to Klal Yisrael, celebrating the day with a bris seudah and grateful hearts.

I felt embraced by Hashem that day, as He showed me that there were in fact brilliant twinkling stars in the darkest nights.

– G.B.

This Sukkos, step into your temporary abode and allow yourself the luxury of feeling cradled and protected by your loving Creator.

As you revel in that sensation, tug your wrap more firmly around yourself and gaze upward. In the darkest of nights, we spot them—the twinkling of the stars, visible between the bamboo s’chach, reassuring and steady in the nighttime sky.

Bursts of light amid the darkness, reminders of His ever-present, Divine love.

WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

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SECOND OPINION

SECOND OPINION Compiled by Mimi Schweid

“For Hashem gives wisdom; from His Mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” (Mishlei 2:6) Hashem is the ultimate Healer. Invariably, human doctors will at times be stumped, leaving us searching for alternate answers.

Spurred On My heel spur was giving me an inordinate amount of pain.

It got to the point where standing was so difficult that I had to take time off work. Not that my sick leave alleviated anything; even when I sat at home, there was a persistent throbbing sensation, and when I attempted to walk, the stabbing pain went right through me.

I created a homemade arch for my shoe, rolling up some towel paper until I achieved the desired thickness to take the pressure off my heel, but it didn’t really help much.

I dragged myself to my doctor who referred me to a podiatrist who prescribed cortisone shots. Yes, I knew the laundry list of concerns connected to cortisone treatment, but it was a matter of my quality of life.

The potential risks worried me less than the here and now. So I agreed to the shots—and felt blessed relief for three whole

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

days.

And then the pain was back.

I realized that if I wasn’t going to actively choose to help myself, no one else would. My wife had been recommending I go to a homeopath, and I decided it was time I listened.

I visited a highly recommended expert in homeopathic remedies who prescribed belladonna, arnica, and bryonia three times a day. I was also to take 600 mg of magnesium every day.

I massaged the affected area with arthritis oil and within 24 hours, I was pain free and mobile again. I kept the homemade arch in my shoe and noticed after a few days that the heel spur was healing nicely, until it no longer impacted my life at all.

Two weeks after I started the homeopathic protocol, my heel spur and all associated pains were entirely healed.

Yes, I knew the laundry list of concerns connected to cortisone treatment...

The situation came to a head the day I arrived home to find my husband doubled over in agony.

For three years he had been suffering on and off from stomach pain. Most days were relatively bearable, and he was able to go about his business.

Sometimes, though, he would suddenly be hit with agonizing spasms that would make him stay in bed, and unable to go to work.

Time after time, he went to his doctor, and he was often referred to other specialists who ran tests, but they revealed nothing. There were no kidney stones, no gallbladder stones, no twists in the intestines; in short, nothing out of the ordinary.

But the day I found my husband literally doubling over a chair was very out of the ordinary and I immediately called Hatzolah. They rushed him to

the emergency room and after hours of waiting, he finally went for an abdominal ultrasound. The resident doctor said that it appeared to be an infected appendix and wanted to schedule surgery. The issue I had with the diagnosis was that the doctor did say that my husband had none of the typical symptoms associated with an infected or ruptured appendix.

There was no fever, vomiting, or nausea and he had his regular appetite. We knew that because he kept insisting he was hungry, yet he was not permitted to eat in case he needed to be operated on.

It was well after hours, but I reached out to the amazing experts at Chaim Medical, and they finally got me through to the chief of gastroenterology.

By that point, my husband was actually pain-free. Upon hearing that the pain was gone and none of the expected indicators of appendicitis were

present, the doctor recommended we go home. He urged us not to agree to surgery prior to doing further tests.

It was already in the middle of the night, so we waited to be discharged in the morning. By then, a resident specialist had analyzed the scan and said he saw nothing wrong with my husband’s appendix. He recommended we make an appointment with a gastroenterologist.

He urged us not to agree to surgery prior to doing further tests.

While waiting for an appointment, we consulted with a kinesiologist, who determined that my husband has a severe intolerance to dairy, wheat, nuts, beans, and raw vegetables and is therefore unable to digest them properly. He greatly adjusted his diet and began taking a digestive enzyme and probiotic. It’s been a month since the ordeal and so far, he is pain free.

My advice? Always get a second opinion before opting for surgery.

WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

Disclaimer: Always consult with a trusted licensed professional prior to discontinuing any medication.

Before You Cut

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COMMUNITY 101 In this space, we feature a health-related question or predicament submitted by a Wellspring reader. Fellow readers are invited to participate in the conversation by sharing their tried-and-true advice and suggestions. Join the community!

SLEEP DEPRIVED After a long day, I am usually exhausted and easily fall asleep. However, a few hours later, I get jolted awake, and then toss and turn restlessly for the remainder of the night. What can I do to improve my quality of sleep?

Eating and sleeping are directly related. When our bodies get enough of each type of nutrient throughout the day, sleep will flow naturally. A good idea would be to review your food intake and to check whether the foods you are eating are nutritious enough and of the proper amounts. Protein, along with carbs, is especially important during the last meal of the day to ensure that the body can fully relax and sleep through the night. Perhaps you can try washing on bread along with your dinner to be sure your carb intake is sufficient. Keep in mind, it may be a good idea to take a second helping of supper, just to fill yourself before the night.

Best of luck.

Pnina W., Lakewood, New Jersey Brooklyn, New York

Routines are very helpful when it comes to sleep issues. Try to religiously stick to the same exact bedtime routine each night. Begin early. As early as you can in the evening, start to prepare for bed. Begin to calm down, limit phone or screen time, read a book, have tea, listen to classical music. Do your routine slowly and consciously to get the body into deep relaxation mode. In general, I find it unpleasant to talk on the phone past 8:00 PM. I want my body to start winding down in the evenings. Socializing does exactly the opposite for me. Find what works for your body and stick to it. This will train your body to relax and sleep better.

This sounds very familiar! I wish I could talk about my sleeping problems in the past tense, but unfortunately, they’re still ongoing. Are you by any chance a mother of young children? Do you by any chance run a busy household with many details? Mothering and all of the exciting hormones that come along with it can be the culprit over here. I once heard an older woman say that she didn’t sleep for decades. First, she was having kids and staying up with her newborns. Then, once her kids got older, she stayed up all night worrying about them. Another person told me that the child-rearing years are just not the right years to sleep.

I know, that’s not very encouraging. I find that having some light reading material near my bed is helpful to me. It gets my mind to relax, and I then drift off to sleep.

Check your environment. Is there too much light? I personally cannot sleep when there are any lights on in the vicinity. Blackout curtains are a must. What about sound? Are you hearing random noises from outside? Maybe consider a sound machine. There are good ones out there specifically made for adults.

Do you have a baby sleeping in your room? Perhaps you can shuffle the sleeping arrangements in your house to move the baby to a new room.

What about smell? A soft, clean smell can really assist in relaxing the body into sleep. Did you clean up before bedtime? A tidy room is soothing for the body. Last, check the temperature in your room. Many people sleep better in cooler environments. Perhaps higher the A/C or get a fan for your room, especially during the hotter parts of the year. I hope these tips help you find what’s bothering your much-needed sleep.

Good luck!

Good luck!

M. T., Williamsburg, New York

Adina F., Brooklyn, New York

Faigy, Jackson, New Jersey

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WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

Miriam K., Los Angeles, California

I like to do some real good stretching before I get into bed. We have so many kinks in our body that hold stress and anxiety. Stretching literally allows the stress to roll away from us. Some deep breathing with my eyes closed has helped me relax before bedtime, along with a bit of yoga and peaceful meditations.

Oh, and of course, a salt bath is a great way to get the body in rest mode.

I tried a couple of different options to help my sleep issues. Here are my best suggestions. Try melatonin supplements, magnesium supplements, or tart cherry juice. Melatonin is a hormone that the brain releases four hours before you feel sleepy. It’s very popular, although debatable on its health risks. Check with your doctor on how much and how often to take it.

Tart cherries are a natural source of melatonin, and early research shows that drinking tart cherry juice can help you sleep more soundly and for longer. Magnesium levels can influence both sleep quality and quantity. Additionally, you can also try drinking warm milk or chamomile tea just before bed. These tips have definitely helped me sleep better at night.

Shuly, Lakewood, New Jersey

Judy, Minneapolis, Minnesota

I’m a big believer in mindfulness meditation, which consists of slow, steady breathing while sitting quietly. You observe your breath, body, thoughts, feelings, and sensations as they rise and pass. Mindfulness meditation is great for promoting good sleep. It’s said to reduce stress, improve concentration, and boost immunity. Every night, I go through my bedtime routine and sit on the rocking chair in my room for a good 15 minutes in meditation before I say K’rias Shema and go to sleep. It works really well for me, baruch Hashem.

Chavi L., Chicago, Illinois

Please note: These suggestions should not be implemented in place of guidance from a medical practitioner.

I hear your problem. You fall asleep, but then get jolted awake. I find myself with the exact same problem. However, it comes in waves. Sometimes, I can sleep peacefully through the night, and other times, it’s touch and go for hours. I find that this is directly correlated to my emotional wellbeing at the time. When there is a pressing issue, my sleep is the first to go. When I’m peaceful, feeling whole and safe, my sleep benefits tremendously. I hope you can find the source of the issue and fix it fast! We all need our sleep so badly.

Sleep problems are super common. I once heard a wonderful EFT practitioner share the following strategy. Fill in the blank: “A typical person is exhausted at the end of the day and sleeps peacefully. I can’t sleep because ____.” Don’t deliberate too much. Just fill in the blank and see what comes up for you. Typical answers would be “too much stress,” “so much going on,” “life is overwhelming.” That’s the key.

Addressing these feelings will be a person’s answer to clearing up the stressors in their life and gaining better sleeping patterns. It’s definitely easier said than done. In the interim, another great tip is acceptance. Instead of trying to fight the sleeping issue, try to face it and accept it. You can even speak out loud to Mr. Sleep Issues and say, “You are here. I accept you. I wish you’d move on, but for now, I see you and accept you.” This may take the edge off of the anxiety attached to the sleeping saga.

Here’s to a good night’s sleep for all!

Baila D., Monsey, New York

Next Up: I’d like to understand in greater depth what causes the appearance (and multiplying) of large, dark sun spots (aka solar lentigo). I’ve heard they might occur due to sun exposure or genetics, but I’d like to know if there is more to it than that. Also, do any Wellspring readers have experience getting rid of the spots through natural, holistic means?

Want to share what worked for you with a fellow Wellspring Community member? Send your response to info@wellspringmagazine.com.

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FITNESS

PRENATAL EXERCISE DON’TS

By Chaya Tziry Retter, RDN, BS, CPT Last issue, we presented the prenatal “dos,” listing the ways in which an expectant woman can approach her workouts, prepared with the knowledge of how to efficiently and safely exercise. In this issue, we’ll follow up with the “don’ts” when it comes to prenatal exercise.

Let’s review the basic functional changes the body goes through during pregnancy. It is important to choose exercises that take these changes into account: Joints: The hormones produced during pregnancy cause the ligaments that support your joints to become relaxed. This makes the joints more mobile and at risk of injury. Avoid jerky, bouncy, or high-impact motions that can increase your risk of being hurt.

Balance: The extra weight in the front of your figure shifts your center of gravity. This plac-

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es stress on joints and muscles, especially those in your pelvis and lower back. Because you are less stable and more likely to lose your balance, you are at greater risk of falling.

Breathing: When you exercise, oxygen and blood flow are directed to your muscles and away from other areas of your body. While you are expecting, your need for oxygen increases.

This may affect your ability to do strenuous exercise, especially if you are overweight.

Exercises to Avoid during Pregnancy Sports that carry a higher risk of falling or abdominal injury, like gymnastics, downhill skiing, ice-skating, intense racket sports, horseback riding, outdoor cycling, and rollerblading.

Exercises that involve lying flat on your back for long pe-

riods of time are off-limits after the fourth month since the weight of your growing uterus could compress major blood vessels and restrict circulation to you and your baby. In addition, it could make you feel nauseous, dizzy, and short of breath.

Advanced abdominal moves, like full sit-ups or double leg lifts, can pull on the abdomen, so they’re best avoided when you’re expecting.

Advanced abdominal moves, like full sit-ups or double leg lifts, can pull on the abdomen, so they’re best avoided when you’re expecting.

Hot yoga or exercise in very hot temperatures. Any exercise or environment that raises your body temperature by more than 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit should be avoided, since it causes blood to be sent away from the uterus and to your skin as your body attempts to cool off. That means staying out of saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, and very hot baths, as well.

Back bends, as well as movements that involve deep flexing or extension of joints (like deep knee bends), as they can increase your risk of injury.

Jumping, bouncing, and sudden, jerky motions are best avoided (although otherwise aerobic activity is perfectly safe if you’re comfortable and can easily keep your balance).

Excessive or bouncy stretching.

Since your ligaments are already looser, pregnancy isn’t the time to force a split or other intense poses. The rule remains: if something hurts, stop.

Holding your breath is never recommended during pregnancy. Both you and your baby need a constant flow of oxygen. So be mindful of lifting weights or other heavy items as you may end up holding your breath.

Exercises involving balance can be more difficult (and riskier) as your

pregnancy progresses. Having a chair or a wall close by can be helpful.

Toe pointing during pregnancy can lead to cramping in the calves. If that’s the case for you, flex your feet instead, driving the top of the foot toward the calf. This is easiest done by standing flat on the ground.

Don’t forget adequate hydration.

Don’t forget a thorough cooldown.

Discontinue exercise if any of the following happen: bleeding, amniotic fluid leakage, regular painful contractions, difficult or labored breathing before exertion, dizziness, headache, chest pain, muscle weakness affecting balance, calf pain or swelling, or anything that doesn’t feel “right.”

If you experience regular contractions 30 minutes after exercise, it could indicate preterm labor. Contact your doctor or midwife.

Don’t overdo it! If you are not fully recovered within 15–20 minutes of exercise, you overdid it!

Remember, like we mentioned last time: overall you have the same exercise guidelines as before—aim for 20– 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week. Just keep checking in on yourself (and the little one!) and listen to your body. Taking part in physical activity during the prenatal timeframe is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. Aside from the benefits that exercise provides to any person at any stage of life, the prenatal period is especially ripe for benefit. Some of those include improved sleep, stress management, easing of constipation, higher energy, reducing backaches, better mood, improved posture, reduced risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and C-section.

Labor and natural delivery can be markedly smoother for someone who has been active during pregnancy, and recovery can be a world apart as well.

Now that’s not only a gift to yourself— but the first of many gifts you will give your precious newborn.

Chaya Tziry Retter, RDN, BS, CPT, is a Monsey-based Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and ACE Certified Personal Trainer. In addition to her private practice, she recently launched “RESET Nutrition: The Workshop Series” to explore popular and often confusing topics in nutrition. She also developed a nutrition curriculum that she teaches in high schools. To get in touch and to find out about upcoming virtual workshops, reach out at 845.540.4487 or resetbyctretter@gmail.com.

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ASK THE NUTRITIONIST

By Shani Taub, CDC

Q

I often find myself in a quandary when purchasing food. Many times, there is an organic version of the food item I’m looking to purchase and it usually costs a few dollars more than the nonorganic item. I am currently dieting and having a hard time with it. I’d love a new twist on food options that can help me have better results. Would it be worth it to splurge on more organic foods?

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A

This great question gives me a chance to clarify a widespread misconception: organic food does not assist with weight loss. Calories are calories, wherever you find them. The popular trend of “going organic” has absolutely nothing to do with dieting or weight loss. It gets confusing when a person says, “I went organic and lost so much weight.”

The weight loss didn’t stem from organic foods. Rather, it was an outcome of their new food lifestyle. Because this person chose to only eat organic, the reality was that they had significantly less food options, ate almost no sugar, and went easy on their digestive system.

That’s a great setup for weight loss! But it wasn’t the organic food per se that did the trick.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s clarify: what exactly is organic food?

“Organic” means that no hormones or other additives have been added to the food in the growing or manufacturing process. Often, conventional farmers want to mass produce their items, specifically animal products. So, they inject hormones to induce a faster growth process and multiply their output, which will exponentially increase their sales. Organic farming, on the other hand, does none of this. It does take up lots of land, the refinement process is more detailed, and the output is significantly less.

This explains why the price hike that you mentioned tends to be present for all organic items.

Organic food is not a free ticket to health. Check all food labels. In some organic foods, even while the main food item is inherently pure, it can have added sugars or saturated fats.

It’s important to be aware of all the ingredients present in any food. Don’t be fooled by a fancy organic label.

The organic trend is all about maintaining a healthier body, regardless of weight loss. For example, a close family member of mine is a cancer survivor.

He wants to keep his body safe and healthy, so he only eats the healthiest of foods, including organic chicken, cheese, and eggs. The monetary cost of such a lifestyle is hefty, but nevertheless, he is determined to eat clean and reap the benefits of a healthy diet. It’s worthwhile to note that said family member is not skinnier than any others. His eating habits are all about health, not weight loss.

His organic eating is a form of hishtadlus to maintain a healthy body. Remember, you can have a skinny, unhealthy person and a heavy, healthy one, too. It’s very individual.

The organic trend is all about maintaining a healthier body, regardless of weight loss

To date, there’s not enough evidence to confirm that organic produce has more antioxidants and vitamins than conventional produce. While it seems like a no-brainer that less additives equals more health benefits, surprisingly, that fact has yet to be proven scientifically. Also, bear in mind that non-organic products are safe for consumption. The USDA does annual pesticide residue testing and finds almost all non-organic products to be below the tol-

erance levels, which are strict standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). So before you break the bank on organic produce, remember that standard produce is up to par as well.

Overall, I say, easy does it.

If organic produce, meats, or other products are on sale, if they’re affordable to you, or if you prefer them, go for it! If you prefer to stick with conventional products, that’s absolutely OK too. If you are worried about pesticide exposure or environmental impacts, go halfway. Buy organic lettuce but conventional bananas and avocados. Another idea to keep in mind is that if you have space in your back or front yard to grow your own produce, try it out. Nothing is more convenient (and rewarding) than going to your backyard and harvesting your goods.

At the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to get yourself and your family to eat more fruits and vegetables. They hold so much of the nutrients necessary for growing children and adults. Find fun, happy ways to introduce Hashem’s bountiful produce into everyday eating.

I’ll end with one tip that I offer to clients all the time. If you are looking for a practical way to eat healthier, try food products with three or less ingredients.

Examples are matzah, eggs, and chicken. Eat them in the right amounts too, and you’ll feel great. You’ll avoid all that extraneous junk and additives, and keep your food intake to a minimum of the basics. Very organic, indeed.

Please send your questions to the nutritionist to info@wellspringmagazine.com.

Shani Taub, CDC, has been practicing as a certified nutritionist in Lakewood for almost a decade, meeting with clients in person and on the phone. She also owns the highly popular Shani Taub food line, which carries healthy, approved, pre-measured foods and delicacies sold at supermarkets and restaurants.

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CUP OF TEA

Judging by appearances only, Henny Issacs and Zissel Silver look like two unassuming Monsey women. They take care of their families, host their married kids, and chat with neighbors.

But beyond their modest veneers, there is a whirlwind of giving and caring.

it was really out of town. In fact, driving from home to school, she passed farmlands and small bungalows. Everyone seemed to know everyone.

These days, she is astounded at how the community has grown and how rapidly it keeps expanding.

I reached out to these two superstars to find out more about how Project Hope started and what they currently do.

Henny’s small-town beginnings have given her a framework for wholehearted, all-encompassing giving to those in need. She isn't stuck on a specific

Henny grew up in Monsey back when 80

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protocol, but rather, gives according to what a family needs. This sums up Project Hope as a whole: an organization that focuses on supporting the family rather than focusing on the specifics of the services they offer.

Henny shares with me how they got started. “About 25 or so years ago,” she says, “I got a phone call from a friend.

She told me that her neighbor’s sister was in Denver* awaiting a trans-

Cup of Tea with Henny Isaacs and Zissel Silver AGE: “Old enough to be your mother” LOCATION: Monsey, New York FAMILY: Married with married kids OCCUPATION: Project Hope Coordinators PASSION: Bringing joy and healing to families in medical crisis.

SHE WISHES PEOPLE WOULD KNOW: “Don’t be shy to offer anything you enjoy doing, and don’t be shy to ask for any help you need!”

By Devorah Levitz

plant. In those days, the internet was called the World Wide Web and only universities and the military used it.

Even email was rare, with people using CDs to get one hour of dial-up AOL for free. The only way for a frum bedridden patient to be entertained was print materials or face-to-face visitors.

My friend told me that her neighbor's sister enjoyed reading inspirational or cute articles, and since she knew that

I enjoyed saving articles, she asked if I had any to share. I put together a collection of pages I’d clipped from various magazines, bundled them into a large envelope, and sent them off to the patient.

“As you can imagine, she read them faster than I could send them. Soon, I started faxing her articles to read.

“Finally, the patient was able to return home. Being a transplant patient,

she was on anti-rejection medication and was immunocompromised; a minor cold could be life-threatening to her, and she was therefore mostly isolated from humanity. She was lonely and bored. Her sister's neighbor called me once again and asked if there was any way I could help.”

Henny thought that sending visitors would be a good idea. She hoped to get experienced, charismatic individuals to

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entertain this housebound patient. Pre-COVID, most people didn’t really understand what it meant to be isolated. However, Henny knew of professionals who were experienced in visiting patients and would know just what to do, and perhaps even more importantly, what not to do.

“I knew that if I called from my home phone, there was not much of a chance that these busy and well-known people would actually answer the phone. A friend of mine was a secretary at Bikur Cholim of Rockland County, and she agreed to ask Rabbi Lauber if I could use their phones. This way, the caller ID would come up with the name Bikur Cholim, and hopefully they would be more likely to answer my call.”

Rabbi Lauber graciously allowed Henny to work out of the Bikur Cholim office, and she began lining up entertainers for the patient. She created a calendar and made sure there was

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a visitor every day. Whether it was Rabbi Ezriel Tauber z"l, coming to give chizzuk, Sruly Williger, Yonasan Schwartz, or Lipa coming to sing, this woman was kept happy and busy.

Sometimes, a local woman would come to simply spend time and play games with her.

Sitting in the Bikur Cholim of Rockland County’s office and watching Rabbi Lauber was a unique form of shimush. Henny reveals that she gained a lot more than caller ID from that office. “Rabbi Lauber is tzaddik,” she shares. “He really taught me how to perform bikur cholim. He is a whirlwind of activity, doing whatever needs to be done to help a patient. It was a real honor for me when Project Hope became a part of Bikur Cholim. Project Hope remains a subsidiary of Bikur Cholim, and I continue to learn from Rabbi Lauber every day.”

Henny recalls an interesting experience that happened when she was trying to fill up the original entertainment ros-

“The Jewish heart is best satisfied by doing things that make it truly happy.”

ter. “I called a certain famous singer,” she says, “and he said he had plans to go to Great Adventure that day and didn’t want to cancel his exciting trip.

Feeling a little desperate, I told him he’d get a lot more enjoyment and good feeling from doing this chesed and entertaining the patient. After much cajoling, he finally agreed. Later, he admitted that I had been right.

The Jewish heart is best satisfied by doing things that make it truly happy. Most people will get fulfillment and thrills from a trip to Great Adventure, but a Yid is a rachman, and doing chesed is the ultimate way to attain true joy.”

Slowly, the Project Hope database grew. More people were seeking help, and more people were stepping up to volunteer.

A wonderful, organized woman stepped up to help and began compiling a list of women and older girls who could go to entertain patients in the hospital.

Before COVID, it was much easier to go in and visit patients.

The women would come in as an entourage and go around entertaining patients.

One of the early issues Project Hope faced was having enough available drivers. Many of the volunteers are from communities where women don't drive, and transportation was constantly an issue. When Zissel Silver’s youngest was around four years old, she began volunteering for Project Hope as a driver. Living right in the middle of Monsey, she was kept quite busy.

Zissel recalls one of the earliest cases she was involved with. “The family had a teenage daughter who was very unwell, and the mother had just given birth. I would drive the mother to go visit the older child in the hospital, and bring the baby to my home while the mother was away. The baby basically lived in my house for about a year. I even took her for professional baby photos! I would bring her to her home when the mother was available to care for her. Baruch Hashem, the older daughter recovered, and the baby went back home permanently. That baby will not have any memories of having an alternate mother for the first year of her life, but the older child will definitely remember having her mother around. And I will remember that baby forever as well.”

Over the years, the need unfortunately did not diminish, and other organizations cropped up to meet some of the growing communal demands.

Hashem truly sends the refuah before the makah because since COVID, volunteers cannot go into hospitals as easily anymore. Thankfully, today there are many more organizations and groups that are able to step

Part of The Butterfly Wing's fun children's section in and help patients. Meanwhile, Project Hope continues to transform and evolve to meet the needs of patients.

run the home. These bi-weekly suppers are a lifesaver for families with a parent undergoing treatments.”

About five years ago, Project Hope started sending suppers twice a week to families in which a parent is undergoing cancer treatments. As with all of Project Hope’s activities, the suppers were started and are still run by a volunteer. “C.R. came up with the idea of sending suppers to families twice a week,” Henny relates. “My sister is a close friend of hers and they combined their strengths to make all the arrangements together. Every week, local women cook suppers in their homes to the specifications of the families in medical crisis, and another group of women take care of deliveries. When one parent is in the hospital, the other parent is often too busy with the medical needs and there may be nobody left to

One of the Project Hope volunteers, C.S.F., began volunteering more and more and eventually devoted so much time that she became a coordinator. Around ten years ago, she thought it would be nice to arrange a gathering for some of the women Project Hope was supporting, and she arranged for Miriam Wexelberg and Brocha Cohen to come entertain the attendees. These two Israeli women, who currently live in Monsey, were delighted to use their professional voice and music training to bring joy to others.

"That baby will not have any memories of having an alternate mother for the first year of her life..."

The first event drew only a handful of women, but as additional events were arranged, and the member list unfortunately continued to grow, more people came. In the winter,

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when the kids have homework and the weather is cold, there are fewer events. During the past few summers, Project Hope offered weekly swimming for member families.

I ask Zissel about the pool. “We started the weekly swimming when a local woman offered her beautiful pool for the women of Project Hope,” she relates. “G.C. was a super gracious hostess.

She’d prepare a light lunch and a shiur, and open her pool to our women every week. Eventually, she moved away and we were no longer able to use her pool. I started looking for a new hostess, and although we were not able to find somebody who could do it on a steady basis, baruch Hashem, a number of wonderfully gracious hostesses agreed to open their homes to our families.

“I brought up this idea with Bikur Cholim’s Rabbi Lauber and he told me, ‘You know what, I'm meeting with somebody who can possibly help you. Before I meet him, come into the conference room and tell him what you want to do.’

“I met with the indefatigable Jeff Kirschblum and told him what I was envisioning. I wasn’t sure if it should be a place for looking up information, a place where people could stay overnight, or both.

Jeff was immediately enthusiastic. He told me, ‘I have a whole spare floor in my home that I can give to cancer patients. Come down and see it!’

“One woman, whose family we service, has a sister who owns a local food business. She would give us high-end prepared foods when the store closed at the end of the day, and we’d use that for refreshments the next afternoon at the pool. People who walk into a food store expect fresh from that morning, but honestly, we all know the food is just as good 12 hours later.”

“I went to the home of Jeff and Aimee, the tremendous ba’alei chesed of Monsey, and I realized he wasn’t joking. They had an empty basement beneath a colonial-style home that they have since entirely dedicated to Project Hope. They continue to go above and beyond what anyone would expect, constantly opening their home and hearts to cholim and their families.”

Like everything else Project Hope does, the pool parties run 100 percent on volunteer efforts.

Project Hope has no stream of income, and they rely on the benevolence of Klal Yisrael to keep going.

A local designer did the layout for free. Another couple took upon themselves to take care of all the logistics. As Project Hope is run purely by volunteers and does not have funds, this couple put in tremendous effort and managed to get most of the furnishings, decorations, and supplies donated. When everything was finally finished, Henny needed somebody to run it. She was still doing hospital shifts, arranging volunteers, doing intake, and trying to get the needs of families met. It was vital to recruit somebody less bogged down to keep

The Butterfly Wing is another prodigious aspect of Bikur Cholim’s Project Hope that was started and continues completely on volunteer efforts. Henny tells me how it all began. “I read about Torah Umesorah’s teachers’ center and I thought, ‘What if we have a place like this where people can do medical research while their

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children can play?’ I imagined a nicely furnished room with a computer and some toys to keep kids busy while their parents did research online.

WELLSPRING / OCTOBER 2024

A cheerfully decorated daytime event prepared for the ladies

track of requests, volunteers, and the Butterfly Wing calendar.

Ruchy Barhorin stepped up and offered to run the Butterfly Wing. As time went on, Henny and Ruchy became close friends, and eventually they became mechutenestas as well when Henny’s daughter married Ruchy’s grandson! Ruchy continues to coordinate drivers to bring the kids to the Butterfly Wing, as well as counselors to stay with them and volunteers to prepare and clean up the rooms. Running the Butterfly Wing is a full-time occupation on its own, between scheduling, taking care of supplies, and working out kinks, and Ruchy handles it all with grace, charm, and her lovely British accent.

“The Butterfly Wing is an extraordinary place, which provides serenity, solace, and support; where the dream of tranquility takes off,” Henny enthuses. “It gives seriously ill patients and their families a chance to soar above their daily trials by experiencing the healing power of laughter and friendship.

“The Butterfly Wing offers respite from the stresses that accompany serious illness.

Children and adults who struggle with disease, as well as the family members of seriously ill patients, are welcome to relax, unwind, and enjoy the simple pleasures of life and friendship.”

Lots of activities are available for adults and children of all ages at the Butterfly Wing. Separate recreation rooms are provided for children, teenagers, and adults. In the kids’ area, there is a ball pit and climbing structure, an area for creative arts, a wide array of Jewish videos, a computer station, musi-

cal instruments, and too many other incredible things to list.

The adult room is off to the side, with a comfortable L-shaped couch, coffee table, large computer screen, and dozens of Jewish adult videos.

There is also a high-end massage chair, one of the favorite features for the adult guests.

As the scope of Project Hope expanded, Henny asked Zissel Silver to take on a larger role and head the organization with her. She liked the way Zissel worked—with alacrity, kindness, compassion, and discretion. Zissel seemed to be able to fill so many roles, and Henny admired her creativity and decisiveness. Things just seemed to work well when Zissel was on board.

Thankfully for the cholim and for Project Hope, Zissel agreed to accept this position. These days, Henny and Zissel work hand-in-hand. One of their specialties is the shiurim given

by Rabbi Royde. Approximately once a month, Rabbi Royde speaks for the women at a lunch hosted by Ruchy Barhorin. Zissel arranges for volunteers to prepare salads, baked goods, and cheesecake. “Cheesecake solves so many problems,” she says. “Somehow people just seem to melt and drop their worries when they are able to enjoy that sweet creamy treat.

Pair it with a mind-and-heartexpanding shiur, and it’s no wonder that so many women look forward to these events.”

I ask Zissel about some of the long-term results that Project Hope has brought about. She tells me that one of the supper volunteers, C.G.L., got so much positive feedback about her meals that she went into catering. Today she runs a busi-

Zissel arranges for volunteers to prepare salads, baked goods, and cheesecake.

“Cheesecake solves so many problems,” she says.

ness out of her home, and of course, she hasn’t forgotten how Project Hope was its impetus. C.G.L. continues to send lavish meals to Project Hope families as needed. She feels that Project Hope is the guiding force behind all her business strategies, and any time she faces a difficulty in her business, she ups her Project Hope contributions.

Zissel finishes off the interview with a long list of individualized needs that Project Hope has met. “When we take on a family,” she says, “we adopt them. It’s not about what we do but about what they need. Sending suppers is typical, but sometimes a family may need somebody to take the kids for shoes before Yom Tov. Imagine trying to arrange school supplies lists while managing cancer treatments! This is where we really step in. We become very involved with each family and try to help them out with whatever they need. Hashem continues to be our biggest Supporter, helping us to find the right resources as situations arise.”

There is one thing Henny and Zissel both agree on strongly—they wish they would go out of business. But until Moshiach comes, that doesn’t seem likely. Meanwhile, they continue to do what is needed to support any family in the Monsey area facing cancer, giving them the strength and resources to make it through the challenging times. *Names and some details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

Project Hope can be reached at: 845.425.7877 845.425.4567 bcinfo@bikurcholim.org

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MEDICAL SAGA

IT ALL CONNECTED My son had a way of attracting trouble…

As told to Tziri Hershkovitz

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A

t almost three years old, Avi was the most active of my children at that age.

While everyone in the house was still sleeping, I’d hear him crawl out of bed and toddle down to the playroom; when I served breakfast, he’d hop out of his booster seat and plant himself on the table for a better reach; and when the kids were playing outside, he was always bouncing along, a few steps ahead.

symptoms returned. This time, he couldn’t even keep water down. I was concerned that he was dehydrated, so I went straight to the ER. There, they managed to get Avi to drink some juice, gave him anti-nausea medication, and sent us home again. We weren’t even fully through the door when Avi just vomited all of it back up.

I called my doctor, but he said that if the ER had just released him after a four-hour observation, it was unlikely to be anything other than the bug they were sure he had.

“He’ll just have to heal from this virus,” my doctor told me. With little choice and no additional insights, we figured we would just have to wait it out.

It was because of his rambunctious nature that I recognized something was wrong that Sunday morning. Usually an early riser, Avi slept in late and was grumpy when I woke him.

It took a few more days until Avi was once again feeling better and started regaining his energy. But three weeks later, while at work, I get a call from my son’s cheder.

“Avi vomited badly,” his rebbi told me. “I think you should come for him immediately.”

He had no interest in food or his toys.

He typically had so much to say every morning, but that day he looked at me with big pitiful eyes and didn’t answer any of the questions I asked. He literally curled up on the sofa, tucking his knees up to his chest.

I figured he was under the weather and that I ought to let it pass.

But later in the day he started throwing up. The doctor’s office was already closed so I ran to a local urgent care. They were entirely unconcerned and told me he simply had a stomach bug.

The “stomach bug” lasted three more days and he was quite listless, but baruch Hashem, it stopped, and Avi seemed to be his happy and active self again.

Stuck in a Cycle Four weeks later, very similar

By the time I arrived at the school building, Hatzolah members were there examining my son. Apparently, his rebbi had called for emergency services after he hung up with me. One look at my son curled up in the corner, and I understood why.

He looked at me with big pitiful eyes and didn’t answer any of the questions I asked.

“The way he’s complaining about tummy pain isn’t right,” a Hatzolah member explained. “Abdominal pain should always be taken seriously.”

I explained my months-long ordeal with my son’s vomiting and the diagnosis of a supposed stomach bug. The Hatzolah members admitted that they weren’t familiar with all viruses, but according to their guidelines, pain of this sort

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MEDICAL SAGA

have landed many toddlers in emergency surgery. In fact, in December of 2023, there was a massive recall on some of these toys following seven avoidable deaths. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that in the past five years, there have been over 2,500 emergency room visits due to children swallowing these magnetic balls. should not be ignored.

I told them I would call my husband immediately and make plans to go to the hospital, but they didn’t agree to the wait.

“Call your husband and tell him where we’re going. Have him follow us there, because we are not delaying this any longer.”

Being small in size, they don’t present a choking hazard. In fact, a child swallowing a single magnet isn’t necessarily in danger at all. It’s only when multiple magnets are ingested that they become potentially deadly.

into this further. Stomach bugs don’t take months to resolve themselves.”

My husband arrived just then and was quickly apprised of the situation.

The pediatric gastroenterologist later explained that when a child swallows these magnets, there is a very small window of time for retrieving the balls without surgery. It takes as little as 15 to 20 minutes for objects to move beyond the stomach— where they can still be retrieved via endoscopy. Once they’ve gone further, it may require open surgery. Most of the time, patients will miss the endoscopic window, but if they are lucky, the magnets will clump together, move through the intestines, and be expelled naturally.

“Is there nothing else to test for? To look at?” he demanded.

The flustered doctor told us to wait and finally returned with a response: “Let’s go take an X-ray for your peace of mind.”

Sticking to Our Side We arrived at a crowded emergency room, but the wonderful Hatzolah volunteers didn’t just drop us off; they wouldn’t leave our side. The first benefit to their presence was that arriving with EMTs gives automatic precedence over walk-ins. Despite the immediate attention, though, the ER doctor once again said, “It’s a stomach bug; go home and give him fluids.”

I was feeling helpless and confused, and I’m forever grateful the Hatzolah members hadn’t left me alone there. Because despite my anxiety and gut feeling that something was very off, without the support of Hatzolah I would have indeed wrapped up my son, turned around, and gone home.

The Hatzolah member spoke confidently and with authority. “I think we need to look

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It All Connected As the X-rays were performed, I was asked to leave the room due to my delicate state. I recall thinking, The radiation isn’t good for a developing baby; how is it safe for Avi? But my reverie was interrupted by the rushed and frantic reaction to the X-rays.

“It looks like magnets!” someone said. Buzzers were pressed and more doctors entered the room.

They later showed us the X-rays. Right in the middle of Avi’s abdomen, apparently weaving its way through his intestines, was a string of beads.

It looked like a small bracelet, but the doctors knew what they were looking at. These magnetic balls, marketed as a fun toy for kids and often employed as a stress fidget for adults,

It looked like a small bracelet, but the doctors knew what they were looking at.

In cases such as Avi’s, things may get complicated—especially if the magnets attract each other and stick together somewhere in the digestive tract by pinching the bowel in between.

Because Avi must have “eaten” the magnets separately, they weren’t initially one clump; they went down alone but found each other once they were in the digestive tract. That’s where it got dangerous as the bowel is very thin in parts—only 2 to 4 millimeters in some areas—so the magnets created holes in

Magnetic Misery Magnetic game sets with powerful round balls have become popular in the past decade, even as poison control centers reported a spike in magnet ingestion cases. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have recalled many of the games and continue to warn about their dangers. Among the games listed are the balls and rods and magnetic fishing games.

Swallowing magnets can twist intestines, create blockages, or tear through intestinal walls, and may chas ve’shalom be fatal.

the intestinal tissue.

The doctor explained that such tears can sometimes create a leak into the abdomen, resulting in peritonitis (a serious infection that can be life-threatening). They can also make a kind of shortcut between different parts of the intestine, where waste bypasses large sections instead of going through the normal digestion process. This can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, bleeding, and nausea, as was apparently the case here.

Sticky Surgery Although it had been weeks since the magnets made their way into Avi’s stomach, the urgency was palpable. As the team rushed to get him into the operating room, different doctors got involved at different points. It was almost comical the way some doctors would at times suggest an MRI and a number of voices, my own included, would yelp, “No MRI! He might have swallowed magnets!”

Everyone was working feverishly, but to me it felt like things were moving at a snail’s pace.

The doctors insisted they were doing all they could to get Avi

into the next available OR, yet they still had to follow protocol.

Finally, four hours after admission, our son went into surgery, and we waited anxiously for news. Almost six hours later, Avi woke up in the ICU with his very relieved parents at his side.

The surgeons had removed seventeen tiny magnets from his intestines and fixed the extensive damage.

Getting medical attention as soon as possible is key. Although in most cases, the magnets will pass safely, if the magnets attach to each other through the bowel walls, where they can create holes in the intestines, the results can be catastrophic.

Potential symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea, and fever, but because these resemble other abdominal issues, they can be mistaken for a viral illness.

Even more concerning, in the early stages, most children don’t have symptoms at all.

If you think a child has swallowed a magnet, do not induce vomiting.

1. Call Hatzolah immediately and head to the ER.

Avi remained in the hospital for one long week. He didn’t seem to be in great spirits there, but within days of coming home, his spunk and enthusiasm returned.

2. Don’t allow the child to eat any food (in case anesthesia is needed for treatment).

Stuck to Emunah

Despite warnings and public education campaigns, age restrictions, and warning labels, kids continue to suffer injuries from swallowing small but strong magnets, according to the latest studies. This even occurs in households where parents fully understand the dangers of the toys, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Because the symptoms of magnet ingestion can vary so greatly and often mimic stomach viruses, such situations are sometimes missed until it’s too late.

I shudder to think what would have happened had I listened to the doctor and gone home that day.

I am grateful to Hashem for sending us His wonderful and caring shlichim who ensured a happy outcome.

I also wish to remind parents: we need to know to trust our gut. I just wish I’d had the guts to stand my ground earlier.

3. Inform doctors of the possibility of magnet ingestion.

4. Insist on observation and X-rays to confirm and monitor movement.

“Parents almost never think their kid will ‘be so dumb as to swallow’ magnets. But kids are doing so more often, despite adult supervision and even when adults know that these magnets are potentially dangerous,” pediatric surgeon Dr. Minna Wieck said in an AAP news release. “The only foolproof way to make sure these injuries don’t happen is to keep these types of magnets away from kids.”

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INTUITIVE EATING

by Gila Glassberg

PRINCIPLES APPLIED

Q

I have seen you discuss the concept of Intuitive Eating leading to Intuitive Living. Can you explain and expound on what that means in practice?

Great question. Intuitive Eating consists of ten principles, and the ultimate goal is to have a healthy relationship with food. Among the ten principles are “Challenge the food police,” “Reject the diet mentality,” and “Make peace with food.”

These same three principles may be applied to other facets of our lives, for instance, parenting. In the context of parenting, it may look something like this: “Challenge the parenting police,” “Reject the parenting concepts of your youth,” and “Make peace with your parenting abilities” or “Make peace with yourself.”

Let me explain. When we challenge any “police” in our head, we are learning to become aware of our self-talk and make a conscious choice as to whether we want to hold on to that thought. Has that thought or belief system ever served us?

We can learn to question and sometimes reject the mentality

around us. Do I really need to buy new shoes for every single holiday? Do I really need to send my children to summer camp or go to Florida because everyone else is doing that?

And the big question: Can I make peace with who I am and what my choices are? Not my off-the-cuff choices, but my methodical choices—the ones I think about and ask about. Can I be confident that this is right for me and my family, even though I might feel out of control or shaky, at first?

These are just three out of the ten principles. I highly recommend reading the book Intuitive Eating to get a good sense

of all the principles. I have found that when they applied these principles, my clients’ overall lives have changed for the better—not just their eating.

Food is often just a symptom of something deeper. Our relationship with food can be a clue about something else going on in our lives.

We can learn to question and sometimes reject the mentality around us.

That is why I am such a staunch believer in this work.

Yes—of course my goal is for you to make peace with food— but deep down, I want you to make peace with you. That may take some digging, but it is worth it.

I hope this answers your question. Do let me know!

Gila Glassberg is a master’s level registered dietitian and a certified Intuitive Eating counselor. As a teenager, she was faced with constant diet talk, body shaming, and obsessive guilt around food. This led to years of struggling with disordered eating, which propelled her into the field of nutrition. She now uses a non-diet, weight-neutral approach called Intuitive Eating to help her clients all over the world. She helps growth-oriented women break out of chronic dieting and regain clarity into what is really important to them.

You can find more of Gila’s interviews, blog posts, and information on her website at www.gilaglassberg.com. Reach out to her at 570-8783642 or gila@gilaglassberg.com to book individual or group sessions. Gila is available for public speaking events on topics such as rejecting the diet mentality, how to speak to our children about food, and avoiding eating disorders.

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GUT REACTION

By Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE

An Alternative Approach to Healing:

HYPOTHYROIDISM roid condition called Hashimoto’s, as is the case in 90 percent of thyroid disease. In order to address it, we needed to approach it from a multifactorial angle that addressed diet, stress, sleep, gut health, and exposure to toxins.

“I’m not at all stressed,” Layala insisted. “Ask anyone I interact with. They’ll tell you how calmly I juggle my responsibilities.”

“My mother suffers from hypothyroidism,” Layala told me, “so I recognized the classic symptoms, from fatigue, constipation, and dry skin to unexplained weight gain and difficulty losing weight when dieting. My doctor ordered lab work, which confirmed subclinical hypothyroidism. My doctor only wanted to monitor the symptoms, but I didn’t like that approach.”

Layala, a 33-year-old mother of six, had been seeing me for weight loss, although it was moving slower than for my usual clients. She was interested in understanding how she might improve her thyroid function by addressing the possible underlying causes.

Thyroid disease is an epidemic. A whopping 15 percent of individuals experience some degree of thyroid dysfunction, with 4–5 percent experiencing overt hypothyroidism and

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10–15 percent displaying subclinical hypothyroidism, which is where TSH may be elevated, but T4 hormone is in the normal range.

Often, hypothyroidism needs to be treated while underlying issues are addressed through a functional medicine perspective, but subclinical hypothyroidism is often overlooked. In fact, I find that when individuals complain of symptoms, they are often given the term as a cop-out diagnosis, with no actual efforts at treatment or improvement of their situation.

Because thyroid hormones affect essentially every cell in our body, hypothyroidism has a broad range of symptoms.

Subclinical Hypothyroidism I had Layala repeat the test to include thyroid antibodies, and they were elevated, suggesting this was possibly the beginning of an autoimmune type of thy-

Between her family, part-time job, and a difficult baby, there were many balls constantly up in the air.

And juggle she did. Layala admitted that between her family, part-time job, volunteer and community work, and a difficult baby, there were many balls constantly up in the air. Sleep was often sacrificed, and after averaging it out via a weekly log, she realized she was only getting roughly five and a half to six and a half hours nightly. And although she genuinely tried to eat healthy and her diet consisted mostly of whole grains, she was often lacking in her intake of fruits and vegetables due to her grab-and-go lifestyle. She also tended to indulge in processed junk food in the afternoon when busy and overwhelmed—although she had improved in that area recently in her attempts to lose weight.

Because a process called oxidative stress plays a role in the development of both inflammation and hypothyroidism, it made sense to start working on that. Oxidative stress is linked

to a lot of the habits Layala was guilty of, including eating a lot of highly refined and processed oils and refined flour and sugar, not exercising enough, exposure to environmental toxins like heavy metals and BPA, not sleeping enough, and a high-stress lifestyle.

While she had her work cut out for her, we took baby steps such as removing all processed fats, incorporating more extra-virgin olive oil and anti-inflammatory fruits and veggies for their antioxidant properties, including only fermented forms of dairy such as yogurt, and limiting exposure to plastics in her food storage and cooking. We took a close look at her skincare products and switched to phthalate- and paraben-free options, as phthalates are known endocrine disruptors that can interfere with thyroid function. She also increased her average nightly sleep by 30–45 minutes nightly, took specific probiotics to optimize gut function, and added in exercise twice weekly. Because selenium and iodine are crucial for thyroid function, we increased her dietary intake of these essential minerals through a food-based approach.

At the six-week mark, her TSH had dropped by three-quarters of a point.

While Layala was discouraged, I was excited to see the drop, as thyroid disease often progresses rather than reverses. At the four-month mark, both levels were in the normal range.

“I feel so energized,” Layala told me.

As the pace of her weight loss increased, she felt better than she had in years. At the one-year mark, she felt like the changes she had made were much easier and part of a long-term lifestyle approach, and her blood work remained in the normal range.

Improper Conversion to T3 Yael, age 31, consulted with me regarding her inability to lose weight, as well as her desire to optimize her fertility.

“I have a history of hypothyroidism,” she’d told me, “and have been taking Synthroid since the birth of my first baby ten years ago. I’m 31 and am sud-

denly having inexplicable difficulty becoming pregnant. I just want to make sure my hormones are in the proper balance to make it easier to conceive.”

Yael reported many signs of sluggish thyroid, such as dry skin, fatigue, feeling cold often, hair loss, and being prone to constipation. As she had predicted, her weight-loss pace was slower than typical, even with the healthful reduced-calorie and high-protein meal plan that I designed for her. Combined with her difficulty conceiving, I was convinced that her thyroid was not functioning optimally.

“But my doctor monitors it twice yearly and he’s wholly satisfied,” Yael insisted.

Despite that, I requested that her doctor run bloodwork to check T3 levels in addition to the typical check of TSH and T4. I noticed that her T3 levels were on the borderline/low end of normal, and that her T4 levels were on the medium to upper level of normal.

Her TSH, while within lab reference range, was slightly higher than optimal from the viewpoint of a functional practitioner. I also noticed signs of low vitamin B12 in her bloodwork.

I diagnosed Yael with a common condition where T4—the inactive form of thyroid hormone she was taking in her Synthroid medication—does not convert properly to the active form of T3.

The conversion of thyroid hormone requires numerous co-factors, including selenium, zinc, B vitamins, iron, and iodine. In addition, a poor-quality diet, stress, aging, pesticide toxicity, and some medications can also interfere with this delicate conversion pathway.

With all the possible interferences to this process, it is no surprise that many individuals do not properly convert thyroid hormone to its useable form, and at the cellular level are functioning with a below-optimal thyroid.

Unfortunately, many doctors only use the TSH and T4 blood markers as “gold standard” lab identifiers of hypothyroidism. The pituitary gland secretes TSH hormone to stimulate the thyroid

gland to make T4. When T4 levels are too low, TSH will therefore rise. If doctors see normal (not too high) levels of TSH, and normal T4, many tell the patient that their thyroid is functioning fine, without confirming that the T4 is being properly converted to T3.

In Yael’s case, after nutrition interventions to optimize her diet; supplementation with iodine, selenium-containing foods, and methylated B vitamins; and a switch to a thyroid medication that contained T3, she felt like an entirely new person. The weight came off much faster, her energy levels doubled, and her constipation improved. But the best news of all came a little over a year after I first met her.

“Mazel tov,” Yael told me on that memorable phone call. “It’s a healthy baby boy.”

While thyroid hormone replacement is often needed in extreme hypothyroidism cases, it is encouraging to know that borderline cases such as subclinical hypothyroidism can sometimes be addressed through a functional medicine approach. Even individuals with full-fledged Hashimoto’s who use thyroid replacement hormone have found that this approach often improves their thyroid function and allows them to cut back on their medication dosage. It is empowering for clients to realize that changing their food choices, reducing environmental toxin exposure, mitigating stress hormone responses, and improving sleep can have such profound impact on all hormones, especially the sensitive thyroid gland. *Name changed to protect privacy Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE, is a dietitian whose mission is to improve lives by empowering individuals to use nutrition to improve their gut health and hormone balance.

She is a recognized expert on IBS/SIBO and has developed the Gut Dietitian training protocols on IBS and IBD for Registered Dietitian education. She writes, lectures, and counsels extensively on IBD, IBS, PCOS/fertility, and thyroid health, and is the founder of www.thegutdietitian.com virtual practice and co-founder of the app Belly.

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BREWED TO MOVE YOU. 94

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Wellbeing

Well Answered Always Depended On And Now Depleted

Back on Track Starting the Year With Hakol Beseder

Marriage Secrets Why We Say What We Say And How to Say it Better

HAKOL BESEDER

A Happy and Healthy Haven

Our wistful wishes then continue for the rest of the day. Never again will laundry languish in the dryer until the clothes are needed for school. This year, I’ll have my ingredients in advance and start cooking early so the kids come home to yummy, simmering dinners. And of course, the clincher: Bedtime will be timely this year, and I’ll make sure to get my much-needed hours of sleep too.

Some might recognize these promises by their other name: resolutions. And much like the kabbalos we undertook mere weeks ago, these promises, too, are whispered fervently, with sincere intention.

Our resolutions impact our family’s wellbeing, and we so want to do right by them.

Too High Expectations?

By Tziri Hershkovitz

Back on Track Somewhere around an hour before the zman of Motzei Shabbos after Simchas Torah, a feeling of mild panic grips us: We’re returning to our regular schedules tomorrow!

Sure, the sensation starts out as apprehension, but it quickly morphs into this intense desire to get it right this time.

This year, we promise, things will be different.

This year, I’ll be more efficient.

This year, the mitzvah notes won’t be hastily scribbled against the wall (or on my raised knee) and homework won’t be completed while trying to zip up jackets.

This year, I’m going to send the kids off with a smile and calm demeanor, every day.

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Sadly, the self-doubt quickly kicks in as the grand goals loom unattainable. We see the mountain in front of us and wonder why we should even start when we’ll never make it to the top anyway. Many of us surrender before we even try.

Below are three footholds to get you started on your climb and give you the confidence that you can succeed. Because you can. Of course, discipline and desire are important prerequisites, but with the right attitude and proper tools, a successful routine is entirely within your reach.

PURPOSEFUL PLANNING As Shabbos begins her departure, we suddenly remember all that the coming week has in store. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, use it as an impetus to get your week started.

Motzei Shabbos is the perfect time to plan ahead.

Our resolutions impact our family’s wellbeing, and we so want to do right by them.

To-do list: Jot down all that came to mind over the weekend. Create separate columns for errands, athome chores, and business-related responsibilities. Putting it on paper puts the mind at ease and declutters the brain.

Review your family’s schedule for the week. Planning for appointments and events in advance enables you to figure out the logistics without last-minute pressure, and ensures you’re less likely to miss them.

Weekly dinner menu: Plan at the start of the week so you can purchase all ingredients in advance— the surest way to have dinner on the table on time.

PROPER PREPARATION When we encounter people who always seem to have it all together, we assume it’s because they are just “better” than us—perhaps quicker, more capable, or more organized. And while any of those might be true, none are required qualifications for being on top of your game.

In fact, one needn’t even be particularly skilled to accomplish a lot. Anyone can do it! The secret tool is preparation.

The concept is fundamentally Jewish: Our day starts in the evening, hours before we turn in for the night. And while there are many lofty reasons for this purposeful design, Chassidus teaches

that hachanos matter.

For example, in the Hakol Beseder Wind Down routine, we suggest preparing all your children’s clothes the night before, included there are finding the matching tights, the belt, and the kippah— and even taking care of the hanging hem or the loose button. The idea is to pay attention to all the details that are easy to deal with in the evening but can throw you way off schedule if left for the morning.

PROCEED POSITIVELY Every morning, with eyes still half-closed, we become mathematicians, expertly calculating how many more minutes we can safely sleep while still making our first bus on time. Our math takes into account the schedule of our first bus, minus the amount of time we need to get ready, plus the number of minutes we can get away with and still not be late—and only then does our algorithm arrive at the magical number.

The fallacy is that we think those extra minutes will make us more rested and productive, when the opposite is true: mothers don’t function at their best when harried.

The solution? The 15-Minute Head Start. Take that expertly configured timing, subtract 15 minutes, and now lock that in as your magic number.

The generous 15 minutes allotted

will give you ample time for Modeh Ani, making your bed, opening the blinds, and taking out negel vasser. Now proceed with freshening up and getting dressed in something comfortable yet flattering. As women, we function at our best when we look good.

The above is just a snippet of the Hakol Beseder Rise and Shine.

When we be’ezras Hashem begin our mornings with a fresh and upbeat start, we allow our days to proceed in the right direction.

GOOD MORNING! Now that you’re ready—and still ahead of schedule—there’s no need to call to your children to rush and race with you to see “who can be ready first.” As a relaxed and happy mommy, you get to wake them gently by rubbing their backs as you wrap their blanket more tightly around them. Did you know that kids (and adults) awaken more easily when feeling warm and loved? Watch them stretch and smile as they wake up.

In your still-relaxed state, coax the kids along with their sleepy Modeh Ani and then direct them to their prepared clothing. Make no mistake about it—when calmer, you’ll find far more getting done. Keep your eye on the clock, though, or better yet, set a timer for three minutes before each bus.

When we’re ready early, there’s an odd tendency to be late.

After their healthy breakfast or morning snack, when bundling them up, give them a tight squeeze—a quick dose of confidence and security as they head into their day.

As you walk back into your home, smile at your reflection in the mirror and commend yourself for the day’s wonderful start. And send a “Thank You” on High, for the loving dose of siyata diShmaya.

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SEASONAL STUMPERS

By Draizy Israel

s o k Suk s n o i t u l o S Bug-Free Sukkah For a bug-free sukkah, eliminate any places where stagnant water can collect, and don’t leave honey uncovered.

Other popular solutions for repelling insects: sprinkling cayenne pepper or using citronella oil in a diffuser, if you don’t mind the smell.

For a decorative and natural way to keep your outdoor space critter-free, slice a lemon, lime, or esrog in half and stick a few besamim cloves in each piece. Place them around your sukkah or hang them from the s’chach to keep bugs away. Many pests hate the pungent smell of cloves or citron.

Smart Decor

Decor Déjà Vu Once you’ve hung your sukkah’s wall decor, snap a photo. In addition to the great memories, you’ll have a guide of where to hang the decorations in the future.

One step further is to use Velcro. That amazing invention allows for easy hanging, and if you leave one half of the Velcro set sticking to the walls, you’ll know where to place the decoration next year. Even more: with a round Velcro for the top of the noi sukkah and a square piece at the bottom, you’ll know precisely where to hang them.

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Colorful, sweet-smelling floral decorations are a lovely way to bring beauty to your sukkah, but they may also attract insects. Herbs like basil, mint leaves, rosemary, bay leaves, and thyme naturally repel pests, so adding them to your sukkah decor will look great and help with pest problems. Display fresh-cut herbs in repurposed jars, tie them in bundles with twine to use as placeholders, or hang around the area for a rustic look.

Warm Up We’re well into autumn and in the northern hemisphere, nighttime temperatures can dip low. Keep your sukkah warm by planning ahead. Try heavy plastics wrapped around the outside of the sukkah walls, or for the truly cold locations, run carpet up the walls inside the sukkah. It can make for pretty decor while providing cozy insulation. For heaters, keep safe and warm with either oil-filled radiators or ceramic heaters. Make sure there’s an automatic shut-off feature and place them on a timer as well.

Plan Ahead This Chol Hamoed, avoid the annoying “So where are we going?” questions by having your days planned out in advance. Creating your checklist will ensure you know which place is open and their hours of operation. Advance planning might also get you coupons or discounted tickets. Most crucially, you won’t spend half the day arguing about potential destinations—only to head out mere hours before closing.

Chol Hamoed Dinner Come home from a fun-filled day to the delicious smells of simmering supper. Start smart: before heading outdoors, slip your fresh or freshly defrosted (in the fridge overnight) food directly into the oven and set it on delayed-start timed bake.

Uncooked food should not be at room temperature for longer than two hours. For an even better bet, use a slow cooker (see My Table for dinner ideas).

As the family piles into the sukkah, ready to eat after amazing adventures, don’t be busy in the kitchen. Join them around the table as you recount the highlights and enjoy the family time.

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WELL ANSWERED

Well Asked—Well Answered Your Path to Clarity Begins Here

By Vichna Belsky, BS, CLC

Q

I want to preface my question by saying that I love my family dearly—my parents, in-laws, and siblings mean everything to me. Sometimes, though, I feel like too much is expected of me. I understand I’m capable and have the financial means, and I usually offer to take care of whatever crops up, but I feel like others take advantage because they know I’ll get everything done. My husband does express his appreciation and always tells me not to worry about the money, but he too expects more than I feel I should have to do. My kids say their dutiful, perfunctory thank-yous, but I feel depleted.

Yom Tov season is a whirlwind of planning my immediate family’s meals, my extended family’s seudah schedules at my parents’, appropriate gifts (from all my sibs and husband’s sibs) to my parents and in-laws. And I usually end up paying for it all too. Doable? Sure. Fair? I don’t think so. How do I extricate myself from this situation, or short of that, how can I stop the simmering resentment?

- Feeling Depleted

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A

Did you ever hear the saying that “‘no’ is a complete sentence”? You may need to begin practicing that muscle whenever you truly can’t do something. Based on what you shared here, though, it seems that most of the time you can answer yes; the issue is that you are feeling somewhat invisible.

It is very much OK to let others know that you are proud of your work. Did you choose, purchase, and arrange a fabulous gift for your parents? Don’t just give it to them in secret. Let your siblings know why you chose it, and how you think it’ll bring joy to your parents. Give them a chance to acknowledge what you’ve done. Even better, ask your siblings for their thoughts. Try to incorporate their suggestions. They will feel much more part of things, and may appreciate your input more as well.

Are your siblings in a very different financial space than you? If you think it will hurt them to see reminders of your bounty while they struggle, focus more on your effort and thoughts than on your expenditures. Be mindful that while you are craving recognition, they may be cringing from self-perceived ineptitude in face of your largesse.

But most importantly, model the behavior you want to see reflected back to you. Acknowledge the efforts of your siblings, husband, and children.

Give specific and effusive thanks whenever possible. Pick out a distinct aspect to mention. “Thank you for letting your sister have the book first,” is better than “Thank you for being nice.” Even those who don’t have money, energy, and time often put in thought and emotion. Try to find those kernels and recognize them.

Ultimately, you can’t know if any-

You begin to see things as a privilege where before they may have seemed like a burden.

thing you do will modify the behavior of those around you. The hard-andfast rule of life is that the only person you can change is yourself. So what can you do if your efforts continue to be ignored? How do you stop the simmering resentment?

The first thing is to let go of the word “fair.” Most people define fair as being equal and appropriate to all, but when it comes down to it, fair is usually used to mean “the way I think it should be.”

If you ask your siblings, they’d probably say that dividing things evenly financially is not fair, because they would have to give up a greater percentage of their living expenses. In finance, that is called a regressive tax as it hits the lower-income people harder. It may be difficult for those with greater assets to swallow, but sometimes those blessed with more need to give more than others in order to attain true equity.

Nobody can ever know exactly why Hashem gives some people more assets than others. Each person must ask themselves: “What has Hashem

given me, and what does He expect me to do with it? Do I have more time, money, intelligence, or some other privilege than others? Can I ever truly know what challenges somebody else is facing that prevents them from contributing as much as I wish they’d give?” Focus more on what you can do and worry less about others. Let them worry about themselves.

And last, constantly thank Hashem for giving you the ability to do so much. When you practice gratitude mindfully, it changes your perspective.

You begin to see things as a privilege where before they may have seemed like a burden. Thank Hashem for your health, your generous husband, your financial and physical abilities, and your loving family. The more time you spend thanking, the less space will be left in your heart for resentment.

Sukkos is a time of happiness, a joy borne of gratitude to Hashem for the many gifts He constantly bestows upon us. May the simchah of Sukkos usher in heartfelt joy and contentment for you and your entire family.

Vichna Belsky, BS, CLC, founder of My Path – Bishvili, is a certified life coach. When she’s not giving neurographic art workshops, you may find her teaching her high school students, substituting in a local elementary school, reading anything that’s printed, writing an essay or poem, planning something special to uplift the women of Project Hope, guiding a parent dealing with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, or singing with a Soul Singers group. She tries to limit the amount of time she spends gardening. Her kids sometimes wonder if her favorite thing is cleaning, but the truth is, she prefers high-quality chocolate. She can be reached at (914) 200-3676 www.MyPathBishvili.com MyPathBishvili@gmail.com

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MARITAL HEALTH

A healthy marriage is the foundation of a healthy home—and as with all things health related, awareness and education are requisites. Hearing from the experts in the trenches can provide us with keen insight and valuable tips to apply to floundering, functional, and even phenomenal marriages.

Because when it comes to helpful information, even the most robust of relationships stand to gain.

Marriage Secrets

Because every marriage can grow and be better...

No one grows up in a vacuum. And as we grow, we learn and we imitate. Our behaviors, therefore, are typically a reflection of our upbringing.

sarcastic. Each may hold merit and even be appreciated by some, while others may find the same words to be manipulative, offensive, or childish.

Little children learn basic speech by hearing it spoken around them. That is why we most easily converse in the language we grew up with. On that same note, we all speak in the same style we heard growing up. Our communication, for better or worse, will typically mimic that which we heard at home.

Leah Richeimer, author of Marriage Secrets: A Woman’s Guide to Make Your Marriage Even Better, and our resident marital expert, strongly believes that communication skills need to be studied and practiced in order to help us to truly connect with the person we are trying to reach out to.

Unless, of course, we make the conscious effort to do things differently.

With all due respect to the wonderful people who raised us, not all communication patterns work with all people. Even if a particular form of communicating works well for two individuals, that same conversation style might be misunderstood by others. The styles vary—whether they are humorous, passive, direct, or

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the most significant information we need,” Leah insists. “It affects us every single day with every single interaction. It is learning the skills to communicate well—both in terms of expressing ourselves so that we are heard and in how to listen so others feel close to us.

“Couples often say things to each other that aren’t received in the way the message was intended, and that often leads to conflicts that could easily have been avoided,” Leah explains.

“We all grew up in an educational system that focused on reading, writing, and arithmetic. And if we were super fortunate, we also received an education in the beauty and depth of Torah. But there is one area that was conspicuously absent for most of us, and it’s

We all speak in the same style we heard growing up.

“Without this priceless instruction, we have all been left to figure it out on our own, often to our own detriment.

Learning communication skills, at any point in one’s life, can completely alter the trajectory of every single relationship for the better. I offer a communication course called Relationship Bootcamp: Communication Mastery, which can be very helpful. Here's a small sampling of pointers you can start implementing today!”

In each issue, Wellspring explores with Leah a common mistake couples make, and based on her keen, expert insights, we bring you a solution to improve your marriage.

Big Blunder #3 The third biggest mistake couples make: They rely on dysfunctional communication habits, resorting to their “gut instinct,” or whatever communication style they saw growing up, without stopping to think about or learn a more effective approach.

Simple solution: Get yourself educated about the basics of communication. Leah says, “The three keys are easy to remember, just think HOT: how to say it, outcome desired, and timing.

“In practical terms, before having a deep conversation, if you plan out what you want to say beforehand, even making notes to yourself about it, your chances of success go way up.

You’ll be able to see your potential mistakes, plan how to communicate in a way that you’ll be heard, and to think about the results you’re trying to achieve.”

Like anything worth learning, it will take time and effort to master. But if we learn better communication strategies, we can improve all our relationships, most importantly, our marriage.

Here’s how it works: Some communication techniques you can use today:

Compliment before requesting. “Thanks for helping with the kids tonight; it was a tough day for me and I really appreciate it! I wanted to find out if you’d be okay watching the kids while I go to a shiur tomorrow night after we put them to bed?”

Validate. “I saw how challenging it was to discuss that with your boss. I am really impressed.”

Make requests, not demands.

“Would you please?” goes over much better than “Please do this,” It gives the other person the opportunity to do the favor with pleasure instead of feeling like a slave.

Body language and tone of voice are important. Just as you would prefer someone to speak kindly to you, have that intention in mind before you open your mouth. Yes, in the spur of the moment, we might feel entitled to speak harshly, but it always backfires. The person might comply with our demand, but not happily, and the closeness we yearn for is gone.

Don’t interrupt. We often think we know what someone is going to say, but if we would just give them the space to finish speaking, we might hear something surprising and

wonderful—and even gain a fresh perspective. Don’t be that person who doesn’t let others express themselves fully. Listening without interrupting is a long-forgotten secret to deep closeness.

In the spur of the moment, we might feel entitled to speak harshly.

There’s more, of course. Empathy, active listening, feedback, eye contact. There are many ways of making someone feel like they are important to you. And when an individual feels respected and acknowledged, they tend to reciprocate more readily.

Great communication skills take time to master, but the good news is, you can start your journey to more connection and closeness today.

Leah is the author of ArtScroll’s Marriage Secrets: A Woman’s Guide to Make Your Marriage Even Better, and her latest book, 21 Days to An Awesome Marriage, both based on 220 Torah sources. They were vetted by dozens of rabbis and rebbetzins and are laden with valuable insights. The books have reached a wide audience and bestselling status because they are super fun to read and pack a wallop of practical tools you can implement today.

She is a full-time volunteer, and all her income and royalties are donated to the charity she and her husband started for shalom bayis education: The Marriage Campaign. Leah is also the host of The Ladies Talkshow with 300 free classes on TorahAnytime and on many other platforms.

In addition to her other projects, Leah is passionate about her Marriage Secrets Coaching School, where she trains coaches around the world in this incredible avodas hakodesh via a coaching hotline. Women who want to teach and obtain a “PhD” in the Shalom Bayis Mesorah can join Leah’s Marriage Secrets Coaching School which also has a Marriage Secrets Master Class track for wives and mothers.

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LET'S GROW

by Mattie Steinberg

October October marks the curtain call for the vast majority of your outdoor plants. As the weather cools down and the flowers say farewell for the season, you’ll find you have the time to think about your garden’s future. This month, give yourself something to look forward to: Shop end-of-season seed sales, plant spring-flowering bulbs, or pamper your soil with a winter-hardy cover crop. October, with its colder, wetter, shorter days, shortens the to-do list and sowing opportunities but provides a great opportunity to prioritize tasks that will benefit you and your garden into the next growing season.

As we’ve discussed before, gardening is good for you. Gardening is that low-intensity workout that burns calories, reduces cholesterol, and helps keep your heart healthy. In fact, simple activities like planting seeds and watering flowers can also help reduce the risk of illnesses like diabetes all while increasing endorphins to boost your mood.

Not Too Late As October’s chillier, shorter days set in, it’s time to acknowledge what we know intuitively: there aren’t many vegetables to be started at this point. That said, winter-hardy greens like spinach can still be sown this month and into the winter. They will grow roots with each warm day, thaw in the coldest months, and in early spring, will grow foliage for next season’s first salads. Your future self will thank you for these sowings, even if the wait to enjoy the harvest is long and cold.

Bulbs for Spring Blooms October is not only a great time to plan—and plant—ahead for your taste buds; it’s also time to plan for visual feasting as well. Fall-planted flower bulbs like crocuses, daffodils, irises, and tulips can be planted later this month and will be ready to emerge colorfully in early spring. Unlike seeds, bulbs like to be placed deep in the ground. Dig a hole that is two or three times deeper than the bulb, plant it right side up—the round end of the “tear drop” should be on the bottom, pointy end facing up. Cover back up with soil and then water it well to help the bulb establish roots. Keep the planted area weeded to eliminate the competition for water and nutrients.

Aim to plant fall bulbs any time before the ground freezes, which is typically about 4–8 weeks after the first frost date.

Seeds to Sow Now Many flower seeds, especially some perennial varieties, benefit from fall sowing, as the seeds require a period of damp chill to initiate the germination process. Perennials such as echinacea, wild bergamot, milkweeds, and blazing star all do well when sown in the late fall. Even some annuals may be ideal at this time—most notably poppies.

Potting Plants To extend their life, dig up and pot herbs and place them in a sunny windowsill.

You’ll probably be most successful with bringing sage, rosemary, parsley, thyme, and lavender inside to keep growing until the ground thaws in spring, when you’ll be’ezras Hashem move them back outdoors. These herbs might not necessarily produce lots of new leaves, but they’ll continue moderate growth if you keep the soil moist and place them in the sunniest spot you have in your home.

Annual herbs like cilantro or dill are not worth the effort of the transfer. Let these herbs go to seed in your garden and start again next season.

Protect Crops from Frost At this time of year, just like in spring, it can be easy to be tricked by the warm days, but nights can quickly dip into low temperatures and the weather can take an unpredictable turn. There are season extension tools available that may keep tender crops producing for a few extra weeks. Cold frames, row covers, and quick wire hoops are all very effective. Speak to the experts at your local nursery to discover how you might keep gardening this season just a bit longer.

Nurture Your Soil As patches of bare soil open up in the garden, take time to make sure your soil is healthy, fed, and ready for next season. Now is the time to add nutrients.

For empty areas you plan to use first thing in spring, consider laying down an inch or two of compost across the soil surface. Compost provides essential nutrients as well as improving soil structure. Compost may just be the ticket to break up heavy clay soil and loosen compacted soils, while clumping together loose soils—thus helping plants grow healthier roots.

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WALLET WELLNESS

Our mental and financial wellbeing are directly intertwined.

In Wallet Wellness, we bring you practical and realistic financial advice and the menuchas hanefesh that comes along with it.

Understanding Financial Boundaries How to Say No Without Guilt

By Baruch Niebloom

Miriam stood in her kitchen, the aroma of freshly baked challah filling the air. Her phone buzzed on the countertop. It was a message from a close friend: “Can you lend me five hundred dollars? I’m a bit short this month.” Miriam’s heart skipped a beat. She wanted to help, but she also knew that money was tight for her own family. She felt a familiar knot in her stomach—the discomfort of possibly disappointing someone she cared about.

Whether it’s a friend needing a loan, a school fundraiser, or a family member suggesting an expensive vacation together, financial requests can put us in uncomfortable positions. Saying no feels harsh, and the guilt that follows can be overwhelming. However, setting financial boundaries is essential for our wellbeing and the future of our families.

The Weight of Unspoken Expectations In our close-knit communities, generosity is a cherished value. We give with open hearts, whether it’s hosting guests or contributing to tzedakah. However, this beautiful trait can sometimes blur the lines between what we can and cannot afford. Unspoken expectations may lead us to commit to expenses that strain our finances, potentially sacrificing our family’s future for immediate obligations.

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Consider Sarah, a mother of four, who was asked to contribute to an elaborate class gift for a teacher.

While she valued the teacher immensely, the suggested amount was beyond her budget. Instead of speaking up, she contributed anyway, later realizing that the extra expense meant cutting into the savings she was setting aside for her children’s education.

Recognizing Your Financial Limits Understanding your financial situation is the first step in setting boundaries.

Take the time to review how much is left in each of your budget categories (made easy by using YNAB.com).

Know what’s allocated for necessities, savings, and investments for your family’s future. When you’re clear about your limits, it’s easier to make decisions without second-guessing yourself.

Levy, for example, created a modest budget for tzedakah giving each month.

When additional requests came in, he could honestly say, “I’ve already allocated my tzedakah funds for this month, but I wish you much success.” By sticking to his plan, he ensured that he was also investing in his children’s future—whether for education, simchas, or other long-term goals.

Communicating with Compassion Saying “no” doesn’t have to be uncomfortable or guilt-inducing. It’s all about how we communicate.

Be honest and direct: If you can’t afford something, it’s okay to express that gently. “I would love to help, but I’m not in a position to contribute right now.”

Consider your family’s needs: Remember that your financial decisions impact not just you but your entire family. “We’re focusing on saving for our children’s future right now, so we need to be careful with extra expenses.”

Offer non-monetary support: Maybe you can’t donate money, but you can volunteer your time or skills. “I can’t make a financial contribution, but I’d be happy to help organize the event.”

Set clear expectations: With close family and friends, setting boundaries early can prevent misunderstandings. “We’re prioritizing our family’s future goals this year, so we’ll be cutting back on extra expenses.”

The Future Is Built Today It’s easy to sacrifice our children’s future for immediate requests because those future needs seem so far

away. But every dollar we invest today is a building block for their tomorrow.

Whether it’s for their education, a first home, or even a safety net for unforeseen circumstances, our prudent financial decisions now lay the foundation for their opportunities later.

Moving Forward with Confidence Setting financial boundaries is a form of self-care and family care. It allows you to manage your resources wisely, reducing stress and promoting a healthier mindset. By communicating openly and kindly, you not only alleviate your own discomfort but also set an example for others.

Miriam took a deep breath and replied to her friend’s message: “I wish I could help, but we’re focusing more on our family budget right now and can’t lend money. Let’s brainstorm other solutions together.”

Relief washed over her. She had honored her financial boundaries and her family’s future without damaging the friendship.

In embracing the courage to say no when necessary, we create space for genuine relationships based on understanding and respect.

And in doing so, we not only nurture our financial health but also safeguard the future of those we love most.

“Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.”

- Brené Brown

About the Expert Baruch Niebloom, a Baltimore resident and software engineer at Amazon’s AWS, is the founder of frum.finance, a nonprofit focused on advancing financial literacy in the Orthodox Jewish community. Motivated by a passion for empowering families with the tools they need to achieve financial stability, Baruch launched frum.finance to fill the critical need for accessible, unbiased financial guidance.

Funded entirely by donations, frum.finance offers a range of services designed to meet the unique financial needs of the community. These include personalized one-on-one consultations, educational resources tailored to various life stages, and an online platform where families can connect and learn from one another.

Baruch Niebloom can be reached at baruch@frum.finance or via WhatsApp at 240-424-5219

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MIND AND YOU

Have you ever had days where you just can’t seem to concentrate? Playing logic games is one way to train your brain to focus better. If you’re feeling mentally fatigued, your brain may just need some stretching for optimal mental wellbeing.

Like other muscles in the body, your brain has to be exercised if you want to get the best out of it. Logical puzzles can exercise your brain and shift the brain fog so you’re able to do all your tasks to the best of your ability.

This month we bring you KenKen, a Japanese logic game you just might love. If you enjoy number games, this one’s for you. And if numbers are not your thing—try it anyway! Challenging yourself is the best way to ensure growth. Besides, you may just surprise yourself and discover you’re a numbers fan after all.

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Memorable Quote “Life is more fun if you play games.”

—Roald Dahl

KENKEN

Start with this:

Tetsuya Miyamoto is the Japanese educator behind KenKen. He conceived of the game in 2004 and formed its name from “ken,” the Japanese word for cleverness.

KenKen puzzles can help improve logic, critical thinking, math skills, and problem-solving.

Regardless of why, how, or where you play, KenKens are the fun math puzzles that sharpen the brain and keep it sharp at all ages.

Instructions: In a KenKen puzzle, the goal is to fill a grid with digits so that no digit appears more than once in any row or column. The grid is subdivided into clusters of squares, or cages, and the numbers in each cage must combine using a specified arithmetic operation to equal a target number.

Advance to this:

1. Write the numbers Write the numbers 1–5 at the bottom of the puzzle to help you remember which numbers can go in each box.

2. Fill in freebies Fill in any single box cages, also called “freebies,” with the number in the top left corner.

3. Fill in two possibility cages Fill in any cages with two possible numbers, also called “locked cages.” For example, if a cage has a math operation of addition and the numbers must add up to 5, the only possibilities are 2 and 3, in either order.

4. Use logic and process of elimination Note the candidates (all possible numbers) for each remaining square, then use math, logic, and process of elimination to determine the correct numbers. For example, if two squares in the same row or column have the same two candidates, then neither of those candidates can be in any other square in the same row or column.

5. Repeat If you fill in at least one unsolved square, repeat the process, as your newly filled-in squares should lead to more.

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mannsales.co | Trip out.

GO PLACES, NOT HUNGRY. When you find yourself in new places, make sure you’re able to feed all your happy faces, and keep your chol hamoed trip on track and on target with meal mart, always a hit, always available at a grocery store near you.

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Eat Well

119 The Sukkos Spread

By Yossi & Malky Levine

134 Salad Add-ons

By Esti Asher, MS, RDN, LD

136 Kitchen Cures Heartburn

138 My Table Crock-Pot Dinners

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Heart.Works

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W elcome the sweetest addition to the Gefen Baking family! While the honey bear remains the most huggable, our mess-free confectioner’s sugar will help you keep your lid on Yom Tov prep and surely take the cake!

Dear Cooks, As we head into Sukkos, it's smack dab in the middle of fall—full-on apple season.

Supposedly, there are enough apple varieties in the world that if you eat a different one every day, you’d have to live almost a hundred years to try all of them. I didn’t believe my son when he first told me that. I thought he was making it up. But I looked it up and it’s true, at least according to agriculturalists and scientists.

When you go to your local grocery or fruit store, however, you’re likely to see only about half a dozen of the thirty or so varieties that are cultivated for commercial sales throughout the world.

Some people’s recipe repertoires seem that way too. Out of thousands of possibilities for presenting a key ingredient, we keep falling back on the same few dozen, with just two or three of those being used predominantly. If you feel like you’re stuck in that rut, fear not.

This month’s recipe section features favorite

ingredients with fresh twists that are sure to be enjoyed by your family over the special days of Sukkos. Apples, salmon, steak, mushrooms, pears, blueberries, and broccoli all shine in this month’s featured recipes. Delicious healthy choices that will delight you, your family, and even your nutritionist, all while offering new and exciting flavor profiles.

In my home, there’s a rule we like to say when a dish comes out in a new and unusual way, which sometimes happens when I decide to wing it instead of following a recipe the way I should. “If you like it, enjoy it. And if you don’t like it, fear not. Either way, you’ll never see or taste this dish again.” Thankfully my kids are adventurous, and besides, if someone doesn’t like the Yom Tov food I made, we always have apples available in the fridge.

k e m E a Aviv WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

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UPDATES

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Richness. Bottled.

-

A WEALTH OF FLAVOR IN EVERY SIP.

DARK CHOCOLATE LIQUEUR — RICH & DEEP WHITE CHOCOLATE LIQUEUR — RICH & CREAMY COFFEE LIQUEUR — RICH & LUXURIOUS

IMPORTED BY MEDEK WINES AND SPIRITS, NY

The New Look of

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Tradition & Nutrition Yom Tov cooking can feel daunting to even the most competent cook; all the more so because it’s quite a busy season. There are so many meals to prepare for, possibly with lots of guests, not to mention the shopping and the preparation that each dish necessitates.

Most families have their favorite triedand-true Yom Tov recipes — it would not be Yom Tov in my family without the dense, rich honey cake we grew up with. But nowadays, when most of us are trying to cut back on the high-sugar, high-fat recipes, we’re not only looking for healthier options, but for also recipes that save time. Our grandmother’s goulash recipe may have been delicious — but it probably takes a long time to prepare and contains many hidden calories.

In this feature, we bring you Yom Tov recipes that are a perfect balance between healthy, relatively quick to prepare, and festive. While your guests may be more accustomed to a less wholesome way of cooking, rest assured that there will be no complaints from them — only rave reviews.

Happy cooking and gut Yom Tov! Recipes, styling, and photography

by Yossi & Malky Levine

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Balsamic Blueberry Broccoli Salad The name of this colorful salad is quite a mouthful, but it’s a guaranteed winner. With just the right amount of sweetness and a wonderful crunch, this salad is packed with antioxidants. The blueberries in the dressing not only boost its nutritional content but add a great pop of color, too.

1 pkg frozen broccoli florets, thawed 1 small can of mandarin slices, drained 1 cup grapes, halved 1 small red onion, sliced ¼ cup dried cranberries, for topping ¼ cup roasted slivered almonds, for topping Dressing 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) ½ cup olive oil 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 3 Tbsp maple syrup ½ tsp mustard ½ tsp salt

In a large serving bowl, toss broccoli, mandarins, grapes, and onions together.

Place dressing ingredients into blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides if necessary. If desired, you could add some water, ⅛ cup at a time, to loosen the consistency (or use the liquid drained from the mandarins).

Dress salad right before serving. Top with dried cranberries and roasted almonds.

Yield: 6-8 servings

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Mushroom Cream Soup with Spelt Rosemary Croutons This creamy mushroom soup is absolutely delicious! Creamy soups are often hard to recreate as a healthy option, but I think this one really hits the spot. Because it’s vegan, it can be served at any meal — meat or dairy — and your guests will be wondering how it’s sooooo creamy.

Use a variety of mushrooms for a really rich, intense flavor.

1 Tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, diced 8 cloves garlic, minced 5 cups mushrooms, sliced 1 13-oz can coconut milk 3 cups water 2 tsp salt Spelt Croutons Spelt baguettes, sliced or cut into crouton-sized chunks olive oil spray 2 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 5–7 minutes until softened. Add mushrooms and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.

Add coconut milk and water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth and creamy.

To prepare the croutons: Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray baguette slices or chunks with olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary, and bake for 10 minutes. Top soup with a hot baguette slice or croutons.

Yield: 6–8 servings

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Miso Steak and Chips Even if you’re back to your diet as soon as Sukkos is over, there are times when you just need that comfort food. Here’s one way you can do it even while counting calories. Have your steak and fries and feel good too! The lovely orange hue of the fries is a perfect autumnal side to a delicious Asian-style steak.

2 boneless rib-eye steaks 3 Tbsp brown miso paste 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 Tbsp olive oil ½ tsp salt Sweet Potato Fries 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into fries 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Pat steaks with paper towel to ensure surface is dry. Mix together the rest of the ingredients and pour over steaks. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat a grill pan (without oil) until smoking.

Cook steaks for 4 minutes on each side.

To prepare the fries: Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss sweet potato fries in olive oil, salt, and pepper and arrange on a lined baking sheet.

Roast for 40 minutes.

Yield: 2 servings

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Salmon Sliders with Apricot Relish For some fish variety, try these Salmon Sliders at one of the Yom Tov seudos.

These are simple to make and so delicious. Serve in slider buns or on its own.

And here's another perk: these sliders can be served, hot, cold, or room temperature. There's no need to work hard to serve a beautiful meal.

1 lb ground fresh salmon 2 eggs, beaten 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice ½ cup whole wheat bread crumbs 2 scallions, thinly sliced Apricot Relish 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 cup dried apricots, chopped finely 1 shallot, diced ¼ cup water ¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large mixing bowl, mix ground salmon thoroughly with a fork. Slowly add in beaten eggs and mix again. Add rest of ingredients and allow to sit for 15–20 minutes.

Form into 2-inch round sliders and place on a parchment-lined sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes, until sliders are just starting to brown on the outside.

To prepare the relish: Heat olive oil in a small pot. Add apricots and shallot and sauté for a few minutes until softened. Add water and salt and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool.

Top salmon sliders with apricot relish when serving.

Yield: approximately 16 sliders

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Heart.Works

Vinegar on Wellsprings Canvas, Circa 5785 WELLSPRING / TISHREI 5785

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Pear Chia Seed Fruit Crisp A fruit crumble is a really delicious way to end a meal. For years, I have been “smuggling” healthy ingredients into my soups and casseroles; I now do it with my desserts too. The addition of seeds and oats yields that perfect crunch.

6 ripe pears, peeled 2 Tbsp water Topping 2 cups oats 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour 3 Tbsp flaxseeds 3 Tbsp chia seeds ½ cup coconut oil ½ cup coconut sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Chop pears into bite-sized pieces and place in a pot with water. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes until softened.

In a mixing bowl, stir all topping ingredients together. Don’t overmix — you want the mixture to remain clumpy.

Transfer pears into individual ramekins (or one large baking dish).

Sprinkle with topping and bake for 25–30 minutes.

Yield: 6–8 servings

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Baked Maple Crisp Apples Bursting with flavor, these autumninspired beauties are just what you need to end a festive Yom Tov meal.

6 apples 5 ripe plums, cubed 2 ripe nectarines, cubed 1 lemon, squeezed 1 Tbsp brown sugar ¼ tsp cinnamon 1 cup walnuts 2 Tbsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut the top third of each apple. Use a melon scooper and scoop out the core to create a well in the center of the apple.

In a bowl, combine the plums, nectarines, lemon, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Fill the apples with the fruit mixture and place in a pan. Fill pan with ½ inch of water and bake the apples, uncovered, for an hour.

Spread the walnuts in a separate pan and drizzle maple syrup over them. Roast the nuts for 10–15 minutes.

Top the apples with the glazed walnuts and serve hot.

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TIDBITS

SALAD ADD-INS Step Up Your Sukkos Salads With a plethora of Yom Tov meals, let’s explore 6 quick add-in ingredients that are convenient, add nutritional value, and are deliciously festive salad components for Sukkos meals and all year round.

By Esti Asher, MS, RDN, LD

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Dried Fruit

Candied Nuts

Edamame

Research suggests that dried fruit may lower the risks of medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and other chronic diseases. It is ideal to choose dried fruit without any added sugar since the fruit already contains natural sugars. Sprinkling some dried fruit into a salad adds a great texture as well as delicious taste.

You can stick with the more popular dried fruit such as raisins and dried cranberries or explore other options such as dried blueberries, cherries, and currants.

Yes, while raw or roasted nuts are a more nutritionally favorable choice, candied nuts are a fun and enjoyable way to incorporate nuts in a salad, especially for a special occasion like Yom Tov or Chol Hamoed. Regardless of whether or not they are coated in sugar, nuts contain protein and fiber and are beneficial to our heart and digestive health, among other benefits. Just be mindful that the people you are serving do not have any nut allergies.

Edamame are young soybeans that have been harvested before they are hard and ripe. They can be found in the pod or shelled and come either frozen or fresh.

They are high in iron, calcium, and protein and are a great easy-and-quick pareve option for protein. The easiest way to incorporate them into a salad is to buy them fresh and shelled so all you have to do is open the container and pour them in!

Pomegranate Arils Pomegranate arils might have been in heavy use since Rosh Hashanah, but for good reason.

They symbolically remind us of this time of year and also boast many nutritional benefits, as they are a source of folate, vitamin C, and especially antioxidants. Repetitive? Perhaps. But they certainly deserve to be highlighted on this list.

Roasted Chickpeas Chickpeas are hearty and versatile, as well as filled with protein and fiber. Integrating roasted chickpeas into a salad is an easy and simple way to upgrade your salad. There are also so many possibilities of spices to use when roasting chickpeas. You can go sweet or savory. Some of our family’s favorite spices on chickpeas include zaatar, garlic, paprika, and cumin.

Sautéed Onions There is something really satisfying about having a mixture of raw and cooked vegetables within a salad. Sautéed onions in a salad can provide an added dimension of flavor and overall mouthfeel. Onions are high in antioxidants, which counteract inflammation and improve the immune system, as well as help prevent cells from becoming damaged.

Esti Asher, MS, RDN, LD, is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Self-Care Enthusiast on a mission to help women reach their ultimate health and wellbeing potential inside and out. She shares credible, clear, and inspiring nutrition information with women via her virtual private practice. To contact Esti with feedback or inquiries regarding her nutritional services, please email her at: esti@estiashernutrition.com or visit estiashernutrition.com.

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KITCHEN CURES

K I T CC HU ER NE S Heal Your Heartburn

by Gitti Feldinger

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Sweet Potato

Greek Yogurt

Broccoli

Heartburn happens when stomach acids come up your throat. Sweet potatoes can be a good choice to counter that because they are low in acid and contain fiber, which can help manage stomach acid.

Choose to bake, boil, steam, roast, grill, or even broil sweet potatoes. Avoid frying them, though. Fried foods stay in the stomach longer and increase the risk of stomach acid flowing back up into the esophagus.

Yogurt that is not too sour is ideal for acid reflux because of the probiotics that help regulate bowel function. Yogurt also provides protein and soothes stomach discomfort—often providing a cooling sensation—and calcium, which helps neutralize stomach acid.

Green vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, leafy greens, and cucumbers are high-fiber foods that lower the risk of GERD. Being low in fat, they don’t aggravate the reflux, but more importantly, these vegetables are high in alkaline content. Alkaline and acid are two warring sides—and you want alkaline to win. The veggies’ low pH offsets the high pH of the stomach acid, tipping the scale in your favor.

For optimal benefit, choose low-fat and naturally sugar-free yogurt and add toppings like blueberries, which are high in fiber.

Watermelon

Celery Juice

Couscous

Licorice Tea

Watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew are all low-acid fruits that are among the best foods for acid reflux. Watermelon in particular can help with heartburn because at 92 percent water, it can dilute and weaken stomach acid. As a bonus, its anti-inflammatory properties can also help aid digestion.

Watery foods like celery, cucumber, or lettuce dilute the stomach acid and ease the heartburn. But more importantly, celery juice reinstates the hydrochloric acid, the lack of which is a common cause of heartburn. Celery juice also increases gastric mucus, thereby easing reflux symptoms. For best results, drink pure celery juice first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

Low-acid foods like rice, oatmeal, and whole grains are always a safe bet and won’t aggravate symptoms of acid reflux. Even more, as a complex carbohydrate, this fibrous food can help you feel full faster, which can prevent overeating—a common contributor to heartburn.

On the list of teas effective at alleviating heartburn, licorice tea ranks high. Licorice root has been used for stomach symptoms since ancient times. The primary active compound in licorice root, glycyrrhizin, can increase mucus, protecting the esophagus and stomach from acid. However, because of risks associated with too much glycyrrhizin, some licorice products are processed to lower levels, making them mildly less potent—but safer for consumption.

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In the pages of Wellspring, we share expert advice from some of the community’s most popular and competent dietitians and nutritionists.

In this column, you get to see how they practice what they preach in their own kitchens. Pull up a chair at “My Table” and join the chat.

Arriving home tired and hungry after a full day of Chol Hamoed activities, we’re easily tempted to grab the easiest—but not always healthiest— meal option. Wouldn’t it be wiser if our family homecoming was greeted with the awesome aroma of a wholesome dinner? What are your favorite slow cooker dinners?

Gila Glassberg, MS, RDN, CDN Compiled by Tziri Hershkovitz

My favorite Crock-Pot dinner is a quick chicken paprikash.

Throw a bunch of diced onions into a Crock-Pot. Add 1 or 2 cups of rice, depending on your crowd.

Add either a whole chicken or 6–8 chicken legs directly on top.

Spice very liberally with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 1 tablespoon of honey.

Fill with water to cover.

Cook on low for 6 hours and enjoy. It’s so yummy to eat this warm, comforting meal in the crisp night air in the sukkah.

Shani Taub, CDC I love my Crock-Pot! One of my easiest go-tos: I stuff capons with mashed broccoli spiced with onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. I cook them in the slow cooker on low for 6 hours.

Delicious every time!

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Sheindy Unger, CDC

Tanya Rosen, MS, CAI, CPT

Here’s a heartwarming soup for Chol Hamoed that everyone is sure to enjoy. Hearty appetite!

On Chol Hamoed, by the time you come home from your fun activities, everyone is “starving!” The easiest way to ensure you and your family stay on track with healthy options is to prepare them beforehand.

Crock-Pot Soup ¼ cup oil 1 onion 3 cloves garlic, crushed 2 cups carrots, diced 1½ cup zucchini, diced 1½ cup knob celery, diced 1½ lbs. turkey wings

When you cut up the vegetables and wash the fruits you’ll be taking on your trip, cut up and wash extra to have ready to pull out as soon as you get home.

The other idea is the Crock-Pot. Toss in your favorite healthy ingredients, mix in some spices, and set to slowly cook your recipe while you go out and have fun!

Here is one of my favorite Crock-Pot recipes for you to enjoy.

It’s comfort food without the extra calories. Of course, you can change up the ingredients and spices to suit your needs.

1 can tomatoes, diced or crushed ½ cup navy beans

Crock-Pot Beef and Mushrooms

12 cups water

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp salt

2½–3 lbs. chuck roast

Pinch of white pepper

Salt and black pepper, to taste 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Instructions:

4 yellow onions, sliced

Sauté onion and garlic in oil for 20 minutes. Add carrots, zucchini, and celery, and sauté for 1 hour. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook on HIGH for approximately 5 hours, then switch to LOW.

1 can light beer (don’t worry, the alcohol cooks out)

Tip: Soaking beans overnight will make them cook faster, more evenly, and be easier to digest

8 oz. button mushrooms or 1 can of any mushrooms

2 cups water or beef stock 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce 6 bay leaves

Instructions: Heat oil in a large pan over high heat.

Season the chuck all over with salt and pepper.

Add the beef to the pan and sear until all sides are nicely browned, about 10 minutes in total.

Remove beef from pan and add vinegar, onions, and beer to the pan, scraping up any bits that may cling to the bottom.

Place beef in the bottom of a Crock-Pot, and pour the onions and beer over it.

Add the water (or stock), soy sauce, and bay leaves; if the liquid doesn’t cover all or most of the beef, add a bit more beer.

Cook on LOW for 6 hours (or on HIGH for 4).

Add mushrooms in the last hour of cooking.

When ready to serve, remove bay leaves.

Serve beef with vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower.

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- A LC O H O L I N F U S E D S O R B E T TO -

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Tziri Hershkovitz An easy, filling, and always-loved recipe is meatballs and spaghetti. I create the meatballs in advance, when the ground meat arrives from the butcher. Once the balls are done, I flashfreeze them and then place them in a ziplock bag. This way, I have them ready for whenever they’re needed. On mornings when I plan to head out, whether on Chol Hamoed or to do a workshop, I put the tomato sauce and spices in the Crock-Pot. I add the balls while still frozen and set it for HIGH if I plan to eat within 5 hours, or LOW if I won’t be serving dinner before 8 hours.

For the meatball mix: 1 lb. ground turkey neck (or ground beef) 1 egg 3 Tbsp honey ½ cup cooked rice 1 small ground onion 1 Tbsp ketchup Salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste.

For the sauce: 2 cans of tomato sauce and an equal amount of water ¼ cup sugar 1 tsp garlic powder ½ tsp dried basil leaves 1 Tbsp vinegar (or red wine) Salt and black pepper, to taste.

Serve with brown rice spaghetti for a complete meal.

Dr. Rachael Teichberg The absolute best slow cooker recipe is so simple and delicious, you’ll wonder why you don’t make it every week!

3 onions sliced

2–3 carrots

Salt and pepper, to taste

2–3 potatoes (or sweet potatoes)

3 Tbsp tomato paste

One box mushrooms or any other favorite veggie

1 can or bottle beer

2 Tbsp pure date syrup or any other sweetener

Add steaks, roasts, meat, or chicken to fill up the pot. Put on HIGH for a few hours or LOW for more than 8 hours. That’s it!

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Shaindy Oberlander, BS, INHC A slow-cooked meal goes a long, long way after an outing. It’s filling, fast, and festive!

Coffee Rubbed Brisket 7 cloves garlic, minced ¼ cup olive oil 2 Tbsp salt

Laura Shammah, MS, RDN Being Sephardic, I don’t use my CrockPot that often, but I have used it on occasion and always say I should use it more. When I do, I just throw in boneless, skinless chicken thighs with whatever sauce I feel like that day with some water. An example:

2 Tbsp coffee ¼ cup coconut aminos Mix and massage into meat and cook on LOW for 8 hours or overnight.

3 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Juice of 1 lime

Chaya Tziry Retter, RDN, BS, CPT

1 tsp sriracha 2 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp arrowroot

Not necessarily a Crock-Pot dinner, but definitely a “set it and forget it” dish.

Winner every time!

5 chicken bottoms, cut into legs and thighs, skin removed 2 cups brown rice 3 carrots, cubed 1 onion, diced Place chicken on the bottom of a deep 9”x13” pan.

Sprinkle approximately 3 Tbsp paprika, 1 Tbsp cumin, 1 Tbsp shawarma spice, 2 Tbsp salt, pepper to taste, garlic powder, onion powder. Pour about ⅓ cup oil and rub in spices.

Add carrots, onion, and rice on top.

Pour 3 cups boiling water on the whole mixture and make sure to mix.

Bake on 350°F covered for about 3 hours.

I can almost smell it…enjoy!

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1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

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“love the texture” -Micah Siva Spaghetti with Green Herbed Zucchini Sauce Find recipe on Kosher.com

HOLISTIC

Emotional Health

c i t s i l Ho

By Tziri Hershkovitz If we were to chart the highlights of the Jewish calendar, we are at the highest point of the year—and too many women relate that their stress level is at the top of the charts, too. While understandable and perhaps even expected, it doesn’t have to be this way.

To be fair, our workload is fuller. Not only is there more cooking and cleaning to do, but there are fewer days on which to do it. But what most of us don’t realize is that anxiety is rarely created—or even related—to the actual work. Rather, it is caused by the mindset we attach to our work, and by the very fact that we keep thinking about all that needs to be done.

The anxiety might also stem from memories of previous, stressful Yomim Tovim, perhaps a Yom Tov you made on your own or possibly the tense atmosphere in your parents’ home. Whatever the cause, it is crucial to remember that our children will be’ezras Hashem refer back to these days when preparing for Yom Tov in their own homes.

Let’s make sure we give them sweet memories, not only of the Yomim Tovim themselves, but also of the days leading up to it.

A large component of stress results from the countless little details floating around in your mind; all that needs to be cooked, baked, mended, bought, returned, washed, ironed, and cleaned. In fact, think of any household-chore-related verb, and chances are you have to do it at some point this season.

That’s where lists come into play. Little details may weigh us down or buzz in our heads until they hit paper. On the flipside, we sometimes carelessly shrug, “No worries, I’ll for sure remember without writing it down,” and then scratch our heads for the rest of the day, attempting to recall what we already forgot. Lists can spare us the aggravation.

Here are two important lists to utilize this season: Quick List: Each Yom Tov deserves its own Quick List, saved in a binder from year to year. On it, we write our minhagim that require prep or purchase, what might need to be packed or taken along to shul, and rain bonnets. Somehow rain bonnets make it onto every Yom Tov Quick List.

Menu: If you write your menu clearly, you can purchase the ingredients ahead of time, plan your cooking schedule, bake and freeze in advance, and then print your pretty menu so that you’re calm before each meal and readily know what needs cooking, defrosting, warming, and serving.

All the Yom Tov beauty and joy, without any of the stress—now that’s true simchas Yom Tov. Tziri Hershkovitz is founder of Hakol Beseder and author of the book by the same name. She is passionate in her belief that Hashem designed this beautiful world to be enjoyed. Discover more on the free hotline, 347.772.1188, or visit www.HakolBeseder.org to sign up for the monthly newsletter, purchase the popular book, or register for Tziri’s life-altering workshops. Every woman is more than just a homemaker—and with the right tools and skills, she’ll discover the bliss that awaits.

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Physical Health

Spiritual Health

By Adina Mintz, PA-C

By Rabbanit Orit Esther Riter

As Sukkos approaches, we gear up for meal after meal filled with delicious foods. With food playing such a big part in our Yom Tov, there’s no better time than now to practice mindful eating—the science-backed approach that allows us to enjoy our food more and feel fuller (Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2015). It’s free, painless, and doesn’t require changing anything about our Yom Tov menu.

On the chag of Sukkot, Hashem envelops us with His Divine light and embraces us unconditionally. After we have spiritually cleansed ourselves and broadcast “Hashem Hu HaElokim,” Hashem sends us a message: I love you too!

We sit in the Holy of Holies, the four walls that hug us warmly, and we merit to see the Divine within this coarse and mundane world.

We’ve all heard about it, but how exactly does mindful eating work? Mindful eating is about being present. It’s about savoring every bite of food and focusing on what we’re eating, while noticing the colors, the textures, the flavors. This simple habit is linked to health benefits like improved digestion, weight management, and better emotional regulation.

When we eat mindfully, we chew food thoroughly, making it easier for our stomachs to digest. A study in Appetite (2016) found that slower eating correlated with improved digestion and reduced feelings of discomfort after meals. Given the rich meals we enjoy during Sukkos, mindful eating can prevent that heavy feeling that sometimes follows.

Another major benefit is reduced emotional eating.

It’s so easy to overeat, especially on Yom Tov, when there’s an abundance of food and stress. Mindful eating helps us recognize when we’re full, so we can enjoy the meal without overindulging (Eating Behaviors, 2014).

We also gain a deeper connection to berachos. Can we really have the proper kavanah if we’re not paying attention to what we’re eating? When we take those extra seconds to focus on what’s going into our mouth, we appreciate it much more, and the berachah becomes meaningful to us.

This Sukkos, enjoy the food you worked so hard on, and taste the love you poured into it. Mindfully.

Your body and soul will thank you.

Adina Mintz, PA-C, is passionate about helping women feel their best—whatever their stage in life. Adina graduated as a PA from SUNY and received training at the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M). With over 15 years of medical experience, she believes every woman can live a pain-free, energetic life, and would love to teach them how. Find out more by downloading her free guide “5 Small Changes with a Big Impact On Your Health” at njfunctionalmed.com

Following the holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we are stripped of our “old” selves and can start anew: a new path, refreshed perspective, and refurbished home. The first place we enter is the “sukkat shalom,” a place of peace, where we are aligned with the needs of our neshamah and feel less of a tug-of-war between body and soul.

In the sukkah, we celebrate this peace treaty. We are one with Hashem and see Oneness in the world. All is from Hashem—all is good.

Many Jewish festivals are accompanied by the Divine declaration: be joyous, but why is Sukkot singled out as “our time of joy”?

Sukkot is reminiscent of the Dor Hamidbar, when B’nei Yisrael wandered through desolate grounds where negative forces preyed. Feeling vulnerable, they found comfort as they gazed upward and witnessed the Clouds of Glory enveloping them. Their emunah was fortified when their physical needs were taken care of by the Heavenly mann and the Well of Miriam. What comfort and security they must have experienced knowing that Hashem was protecting them and guiding their way! In the sukkah we too feel Hashem’s intimate care and protection.

The s’chach, made of earthly and flimsy material, reminds us that life in this world is transitory; it is just an illusion and we must not lose sight of its higher purpose.

And therein lies our joy—because ultimate joy lies in purpose. There is no greater happiness than knowing that we serve a primary role in something greater than ourselves— and everything we do makes a significant difference in the Master plan of creation.

Rabbanit Orit Esther Riter travels worldwide, spreading emunah in Hashem, imparting the timeless wisdom of the Baal Shem Tov, and teaching positive energy healing and coping methods. Her Torah-centric energy, Jewish numerology, and healing crystal courses are of the first courses of their kind with haskamos from well-known rabbanim. Her passionate speaking style and warm disposition have made her a sought-after workshop facilitator and speaker around the globe. For more information go to oremunaenergy.com, or reach out to oremunaoffice@gmail.com

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