COLlive Magazine - Kislev 5782

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M A G A Z I N E

8 Nights, 8 Lights:

Chanukah feast:

Rabbi Dovid Dubov Rabbi Sholom Dovid Geisinsky Rabbi Shmuel Heber Rabbi Zalman Hertzel Rabbi Shraga Dovid Homnick Rabbi Alex Heppenheimer Rabbi Shmully Rosenstein Rabbi Menachem Mendel Yusewitz

Shevach Hamoadim The trailblazing sefer

Untraditional latkes A potluck selection Warm winter dishes

Bonei Olam gets 27 MazeL TOVS Test your level of phone addiction New columns:

Shidduchim tips Historic buildings ISSUE 9

KISLEV 5782 / DECEMBER 2021

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CONTENTS

8

Nights Lights

20 14 36

88 4 COLlive Magazine

KOSHER

8 Lights

Maggidei Shiurim of Crown Heights

60

Not your bubbe's latkes

66

Warm winter dishes

72

Chanukah potluck

80

Crown Heights Restaurant guide

Nina Safar

Naomi Nachman

Between Carpools

CHESED

From The Trenches Real-Life stories from Kaluga, Russia

Trailblazing Sefer

Author of Shevach Hamoadim talks

Then & Now

History of 317 Kingston Avenue

10 48

Yad L'Shliach Bnei Olam Chabad

BUSINESS

40

Home Show

44

Positive Energy

Plumber's Haven outfits homes Ahron Aronow and Elyon Systems

COLUMNS

6

From the Publisher

8

Dvar Malchus

Mica Soffer

From the Rebbe

28

Flashback 5742-1981

52

Health

54

Shidduchim

56

Ask the Therapist

80

Fun Page

84

Humor

87

Important Numbers & Zmanim

Chanukah with the Rebbe

Dr. Michael Gottesman

Rochel Duchman

Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch

Mordechai Schmutter

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FROM THE PUBLISHER EDITOR Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin ASSISTANT EDITOR Toiby Hayes CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dr. Avraham Gottesman Libby Herz Naomi Nachman Rabbi Michoel Oishie Nina Safar Mordechai Schmutter Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch Danit Schusterman Binyomin Weiss Dovid Zaklikowski COVER PHOTO Muli Berger PHOTOS JEM Hasidic Archives Menush Amit Muli Berger Nechama Photography Miriam Pascal Nina Safar

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6 COLlive Magazine

You may have noticed a pattern in the images we choose for the covers of the COLlive Magazine. They all include the three-arched red-brick building known best and lovingly for its address: 770 Eastern Parkway. You say “770” and no further explanation is needed.

The Forward recently called it “the world’s most recognizable Jewish building” as well as the “world’s most-replicated Jewish building.” There are currently 35 replicas of the building and they note that the structure “can be abstracted and reproduced in any context: Kiddush cups, postage stamps, even a bouncy castle.”

All of that is indeed true. But that’s not the reason why 770 became famous.

The Rebbe quoted from the Gemara that when the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, its holiness didn’t evaporate. Rather, it was channeled into every Shul and Beis Medrash, and there’s one particular Shul which “takes the place” of the Beis Hamikdash. That Shul is called Beis Rabbeinu Sheb’bavel - the home of our Rebbe in the Diaspora.

That explains why the building became a beacon of light for the entire world and how it become ingrained in the hearts of every Chossid. Whether they are coming for Tishrei, Kinus Hashluchim or a family simcha, 770 is present. If Crown Heights is the home base, then 770 is home.

Walk upstairs into the Rebbe’s room and downstairs in the main shul, you think of the Rebbe and what he taught us. If you are one who remembers the Rebbe, you have your memory to fall back on. If you are of younger age, there are the photos and videos to recreate the scene and atmosphere.

So every issue of this magazine, we try to reflect that with another photo of 770 for the cover. We may have a Mitzvah Tank passing by it, or a Chossid holding a Mivtzoim kit in front of it. This issue we have a bird's eye view of 770, taken by aerial photographer Muli Berger. The connection and meaning are all the same. This is from where we drew and continue to draw inspiration and spiritual strength.

Wishing you a Happy Chanukah!

Photo by: Nechama Photography

PUBLISHER Mica Soffer

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Six Lessons from the Chanukah Menorah Lighting A public letter from the Rebbe written for Chanukah 5746 By the Grace of G‑d 202 Kislev, 5746 Brooklyn, N.Y. To the Sons and Daughters of Our People Israel, Everywhere, G‑d bless you all!

Greeting and Blessing: With the approach of Chanukah, may it bring us all much good, this message is sent as a brief reminder about some basic teachings of the Chanukah light, which is the first of the special Mitzvos connected with Chanukah: specifically in regard to the performance of this Mitzvah in terms of manner and place: (1) The very act of lighting the candles shows even to the naked eye that the performance of the Creator’s commandments spreads the light of G‑dliness on earth—the lowest of worlds— thus exemplifying all the Mitzvos, as it is written Ner Mitzvah v'Torah Or, “a Mitzvah is a candle, and the Torah is Light.”

(2) The Mitzvah of Chanukah Lights calls for lighting them in increasing number and light from night to night. The lesson is that although when one candle was lit on the first night

8 COLlive Magazine

DVAR MALCHUS

of Chanukah, the Mitzvah was performed to perfection, yet it is not sufficient for the second night, having grown older and wiser by a day. Two candles are therefore lit on the second night.

And so the number of candles is increased by an additional candle day after day throughout Chanukah, for a total of seven consecutive days to teach us that this is the way in all matters of Ner Mitzvah vTorah Or throughout the seven days of the week during the entire year, in compliance with the imperative of Ma’alin b’kodesh (keeping holiness on the ascendancy)—in a highly visible manner, also—in the growing diffusion of light in the environment at large.

(3) The Mitzvah of Ner Chanukah requires that the lights should shine also “outside.” This indicates, as has often been pointed out, that a Jew should not be content with merely spreading the light of Torah and Mitzvos in his own home, but it is part of his obligation and privilege to spread the light of Yiddishkeit, Torah and Mitzvos, also outside his home, to lighten up the outside, the street, the whole environment— (4) Particularly those who, for one reason or another, find themselves “outside” the full experience of Jewish living. Hence, he brings light into their lives even while they are still outside, and as mentioned, in a most visible manner; and thereafter endeavors, as one should, to bring them ever closer to Yiddishkeit until he brings them inside.

(5) Moreover, the Chanukah Lights also indicate in a general way that although outside the sun has set, and “darkness covers the earth,” yet, comes the auspicious afternoon of Erev Chanukah, when the sunset reminds the Jew that the time and the moment have come when the Creator and Master of the universe sanctifies him with a new Mitzvah—whereupon he expresses gratitude to the Creator, reciting (also) the blessing of Shehecheyanu, thanking Hashem “for having kept us alive, preserved us, and enabled us to reach this time,” giving him the Mitzvah to kindle the Chanukah Lights.

(6) The Mitzvah of Ner Chanukah is obligatory on men and on women alike. But it is the custom25 of women to go even further and “not to do any work while the Chanukah Lights are burning.” So inspired are they with the Mitzvah and content of the Chanukah Light that all manner of other work becomes irrelevant to them while the sacred lights are burning.

May Hashem grant that the doing of all above by everyone, man and woman, in the midst of all our Jewish brethren—bearing in mind that the essential thing is the deed”—and in a manner of “going from strength to strength,” steadily spreading the light all around, will hasten the end of darkness of our Golus, and of the world’s darkness, And just as Hashem “performed miracles for our ancestors in those days at this time,” so will He perform for us miracles, wonders, and deliverances30 with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, whose coming we await and “have awaited all day,” every day.

With esteem and blessing for inspiring and bright days of Chanukah, To illuminate also all days ahead throughout the year, /Signed: Menachem Schneerson/ From "To the Sons and Daughters of Our People Israel, Everywhere - Letters by the Lubavitcher Rebbe on the Jewish Festivals," published and copyright by Kehot Publication Society

Kislev 5782 9

Helping Hand In following their father's model, brothers Avraham Fried and Rabbi Shlomo Friedman assist thousands of Shluchim

By Dovid Zaklikowski A Campus Shliach couple was going through a very difficult financial crisis. One night the shliach confided to his wife that they could no longer continue this way. “We decided that if we cannot find funds immediately to cover the basic bills, we would leave,” he recalled.

That evening when he went to check the mail, there was a check in the mail for a thousand dollars. “I was shocked at the timing,” he said, “It inspired me to continue despite the obstacles.”

It was a check from the Yad Lshliach, an under-theradar organization based in Crown Heights and headed

by Rabbi Shlomo Friedman, administrator of the Central

10 COLlive Magazine

Lubavitch Youth Organization.

Sitting in his small office, surrounded by dozens of portrait photographs of older Chasidim he knew from his youth and from whom he takes inspiration, Rabbi Friedman spoke of Yad Lshliach’s founding.

It was Nissan 2004, when his father Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Friedman passed away.

Thinking of an appropriate tribute to his father’s legendary life of selfless devotion to helping a fellow Jew, Rabbi Shlomo thought of creating a fund which

TZEDAKAH would help Shluchim on a personal level.

After discussing the idea with his brothers and sisters, he teamed up with his brother, Avraham Fried, who immediately kicked off the project with a $10,000 seed grant.

“My father was chessed, chessed, chessed,” Fried said in an interview with the COLlive Magazine. “We are trying to continue his legacy of extraordinary grace and giving, and what better way than to help the Rebbe’s shluchim.”

HISTORY OF KINDNESS Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Friedman was born in 1924, in the Polish resort town of Krenitz, to his parents Rabbi Meir Yisroel Isser and Feiga Friedman.

During WWII, the family escaped the fate of millions of Polish Jews by crossing the border into Russia, where the Soviet authorities shipped them off to a Siberian labor camp. There, the young Yaakov Moshe worked a double shift so his venerable father would not have to work in the labor camp.

After the war, Rabbi Friedman and his two sons and daughter made their way to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where they made the acquaintance of noted Lubavitch Chasidim like Reb Nissan, Reb Peretz, Reb Yona and

others, with whom the scholarly Rabbi Friedman formed strong friendships.

Yaakov Moshe, then in his early twenties, studied there under Reb Yisroel Neveler. Subsequently, he was introduced to Miriam Tzimel, the daughter of the Charkover Rov, Rabbi Yosef

People would come over to him in shul, or at home for a variety of favors and he would never refuse them.

"Doing a good deed does not come easy,” he would say Baruch Reichwarger, and the two were soon married.

In Yaakov Moshe’s veins flowed a profound love for another Jew. The family tells the story of how when he heard of a widow and her five daughters suffering in a remote kolchoz in dire circumstances, he wrapped his feet in cloth, trekked several miles, fought off a band of wild dogs, located

the family and delivered his life sustaining food and blankets.

His heroic activities, in the late 1940’s in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on behalf of thousands of stateless and stranded families is both breathtaking and inspirational. Working day and night, with the legendary Rabbi Jacob Griffel, he paved their way to freedom by supplying shelter and eventual transit and exit visas, passports and identity documents for those pouring into Prague from devastated Jewish communities in Europe.

Because of his activities, Including also clandestinely saving hundreds of Jewish children who during the war were placed in nonJewish families, Yaakov Moshe, then a father of three children, was arrested and incarcerated by the Communist authorities.

Interrogated and beaten, he would not divulge any incriminating evidence.

With a special blessing from the Frierdike Rebbe, received by his father who was already in New York, he was miraculously freed from prison. The young family immediately made their way out of Europe and settled in New York.

Rabbi Yaakov Moshe and his wife Miriam spoke little about the extraordinary bravery they exhibited while assisting their fellow Jews.

Rabbi Yakov Moshe would just say, “we worked day and night and we merited

Kislev 5782 11

TZEDAKAH

inexplicable success.”

Upon arriving in the USA, Rabbi Yaakov Moshe was hired by the Rebbe’s brother-inlaw, Reb Shmaryahu Gurary, to work at the Central United Lubavitcher Yeshivah. Rabbi Gurary, known as Rashag, had first encountered Rabbi Friedman’s extraordinary dedication when he met him in Prague and was provided documents for several stranded Lubavitch families.

Living in the free world did not reshape Rabbi Yaakov Moshe’s character, and his good deeds were known far and wide.

People in need of help or a favor would call on him during all hours of day, approaching him in shul, or at home during dinner. He would never refuse them. “Doing a Mitzvah does not come easy,” he would say.

Rabbi Yaakov Moshe and his wife Miriam raised their children in the spirit of their own self-sacrifice for their fellow Jews. They merited that their eight children all

12 COLlive Magazine

joined the Rebbe’s army, devoting their own lives to strengthening Yiddishkeit across the globe.

“Honoring our father’s sacrifice for others, and our parents' pride in the work of their children, is why we founded an organization that is devoted to the material well-being of the Rebbe’s shluchim,” says Rabbi Yosi Friedman.

SMALL SUPPORT, LARGE BOOST Besides donations solicited from the general public, Yad Lshliach is also funded by monthly donations by shluchim for shluchim, explains Rabbi Shlomo. “Unique to this fund is that there is no overhead. There is no rent, no secretary, no expenses.”

The very first week after launching the fund, they received close to five hundred requests for help. They could not immediately fill all the requests, but slowly began to do them one by one.

“Receiving a Yad Lshliach check for a thousand dollars out of the blue, was like winning the lottery,” said so many shluchim.

At times, when a monthly credit card donation is sadly declined. Rabbi Shlomo calls the shliach to see what happened and when he hears that their personal situation does not permit them to donate, he immediately sends them a check.

Interestingly, another source of income comes from Avraham Fried’s legions of fans and devotees who are happy to donate to the legend’s favorite charity, Yad Lshliach.

Since the downpour from Hurricane Ida decimated the offices of Lubavitch Youth Organization and the Levi Yitzchak Library in the basement of 305 Kingston Avenue, Rabbi Friedman has relocated Yad Lshliach’s offices to the top floor, adjacent to the large hall currently housing Kolel Manachem.

TZEDAKAH

With the hum of the studying young scholars at the Kolel in the background and with the sunlight streaming through the large windows, Rabbi Shlomo shares that Yad Lshliach has already distributed over three million dollars, in $1,000 grants to the personal needs of the shluchim.

When larger requests arrive, such as for health crises, or foreclosures, he turns directly to a list of several donors who never refuse to help for these causes. In addition, when he feels that there is a great need, such as when he found out that some shluchos need to travel far distances to a mikvah at great cost, or cannot afford the cost of a new sheitel, he has stepped up to the plate to help them fulfill their wishes.

He says that he is continuously moved by the phone calls he receives from shluchim. “How did you know that at this moment I am so desperate?” one shliach asked him.

For his part, Fried says, “It turned out to be an amazing venture, many shluchim have benefited from it, especially during these tough times. It is very gratifying and a distinct honor.”

Some shluchim have told us that when they receive the check (or these days, more like via paypal or bank deposit), they feel like it was a gift from the Rebbe. “We are going through such a personal struggle,” he reads to me from an email he received the other day, “and here you send me more than I requested. Thanks for being the Rebbe’s hand.”

New from Yad LShliach:

DollarDaily.org The new and unique fundraising platform DollarDaily.org, which uses the collective power of joint giving to help Chabad Shluchim, has begun its daily distribution of tzedakah this past month.

Over $4,000 was distributed over the month of October to 31 Chabad centers and institutions thanks to the generosity of people who are donating a single dollar every single day for charity. Over 170 people have already joined.

The cost is $385 per year (which is $1.05 a day) or $32.25 monthly ($1.06 a day). One dollar is given directly to the Shluchim on the public’s behalf.

The remaining funds are used toward credit card processing and other operational fees which will amount to $20 extra per year. Any and all surplus of money, if it should exist, will be given directly to Shluchim.

The team behind the initiative are Rabbi Shlomo Friedman and Rabbi Yochanan Friedman of the Yad LShliach organization, Mrs. Mica Soffer of COLlive. com and R’ Yosef Shidler of CJ Studios Photography in Lakewood, New Jersey.

The unifying initiative has won

the praise and support of lay people as well as Shluchim giving everyone the opportunity to grow the impact of their donation by attaching it to a larger base of donors.

“As a fellow Shlucha, this really spoke to me,” says Shlucha Rochel Katz who works at the Aleph Institute to support both prisoners and military personnel.

“I know how there can be times that can feel challenging, and receiving a gift like this will mean a lot to many Shluchim.”

“At $36 a month, the amount of people that this will ultimately help is something that will be much appreciated by those receiving it,” says Katz, who donated as well. “This is also a mitzvah that you will be doing daily, as every day another Shliach will be receiving the money.”

DollarDaily.org is serving a triple purpose – encouraging people to give tzedaka, supporting the Rebbe’s Shlichus around the world and uniting Jews from all walks of life on a daily basis. All that, for just $1 a day.

To join a “Dollar a Day for Shluchim”, visit www.

DollarDaily.org.

Kislev 5782 13

6 Stories

from the

Russian Trenches The broken kaddish, the Shabbos boy, the nonkosher dish and the Jewish blood pressure monitor In the new book "In the Trenches" by Hasidic Archives, Rabbi Michoel and Rebbetzin Naama Oishie recount their family’s journey through Romania, Israel, and finally Kaluga, a small city in western Russia, where the couple has devoted their lives to rebuilding a once-thriving Jewish community.

In lyrical, evocative prose, they reflect on their challenges, look back at their own roots, and offer glimpses of a vibrant Jewish future built on the ashes of communism. Here is an excerpt of the new book.

14 COLlive Magazine

SHLICHUS

G-D’S SURVIVAL After decades under communism, they are finally returning to the synagogue. They are saying Kaddish for their loved ones.

Listening to them confuse the words yithadar and veyithalal, I feel a surge of inspiration. The mistakes tell me how far they have traveled to get here, how much darkness they have overcome.

Sometimes, though, there is a person in the crowd who corrects them. It reminds me of the synagogue for Soviet immigrants that we attended when I was a child in the Holy Land.

There was a man named Dovid who, like that man in our synagogue, would correct the Kaddish reciters over and over, until one smart man said, “Dovid, the One Above will survive without you too.”

THE GREATGRANDMOTHER’S JOY Sometimes, the little joys bring matters into perspective.

It had been a difficult summer. Naama was running a camp without much assistance, juggling the daily schedule, the transportation, the trips.

We had one camper, twelve-year-old Yuri, whose father was not Jewish, nor his grandfather, nor his greatgrandfather. At home, there was no discussion about Judaism. All the family knew was that Yuri’s maternal grandmother and great-grandmother were Jewish. Beyond that, there was no meaning to this reality.

Yuri’s great-grandmother Anna liked to tell us how the community first marked the High Holidays after the fall of the Soviet Union: They gathered in one of the homes and each person came with something - one with a bottle of wine, another with cucumbers, another with

cookies. They sat around, but they did not know what to do. “We looked around and found a record of Yiddish songs, and we listened to it the entire night.”

This became a yearly tradition until we arrived.

Today, she is a regular attendee at the synagogue and Torah classes. She loves Judaism and is overjoyed that her great-grandson is in the Jewish camp.

One morning, the self-sufficient Yuri arrived and told us that he wanted to do something good. “I want to come to the synagogue on Shabbos,” he said.

When I arrived with my son the next Shabbos morning, Yuri was already there, surrounded by grownups who were wondering why he is alone. We liberated him from their curiosity.

At first, he was lost. My son sat next to him and guided him. Yuri prayed morning services, listened to the sermon, kissed the Torah, and went out to play with the children. Afterward, he came to our home to eat the meal, and played for a few hours before his grandfather came to pick him up.

And this has been repeading itself ever since.

Is that the end, or perhaps the beginning? On recent Shabbos, as the door closed behind Yuri, Naama and I looked at each other and thought the exact same thing. This is why we are here: to give a taste of Judaism to those who would never have had a chance.

IF THE SCROLL SPOKE Torah scrolls are usually silent, waiting patiently for a reader to give them a voice. But one Yom Kippur in Kaluga, we used a Torah scroll that had a lot to say.

Rabbi Chaim Moshe Burman served

Kislev 5782 15

SHLICHUS

as the chief rabbi of Kaluga until his passing in 1932.

When the communists closed down their synagogue in 1927, the Jews of the city would pray clandestinely in various locations, including the Burman home.

Rabbi Chaim Moshe’s grandchildren recall listening to the prayer services in their home and the reading of the Torah. When their mother passed away, they found in her closet a small treasure: a miniature Torah scroll that had been used in Rabbi Chaim Moshe’s synagogue, and later in the clandestine services.

For decades, the scroll lay untouched in their home— there was no one who knew how to read it. On that Yom Kippur, as I unfurled its tightly coiled parchment, I thought of the revolutions the scroll had witnessed.

If the scroll could have spoken then, it would have said, with a shaking voice: "I recall the good times, when there was a magnificent community here with a great rabbi. But I am old, and mostly, I remember the dark days, the times when Jews would read from me in fear.

They were old too, weak and frail. The children, whose loud voices might have given them away, had been left at home.

"Things are different now.

Jews are once again free to pray in the synagogues.

They need not flee to Israel or the United States. Jews are happy, once again living in hope, in freedom, under a tolerant regime."

The Torah scroll is old and can

16 COLlive Magazine

easily become emotional. I am young, but I was moved when I read from it. No one who heard that Torah could be indifferent.

THEY NEVER FORGOT In the home of Raisa Rafailovna Epstein, there was a dish called meine tzaros, Yiddish for “my troubles,” or perhaps a better translation—my bad luck.

During World War II, she explained to me, her family was far from the front, but they suffered from hunger.

Someone gave them a piglet.

Raisa’s mother raised it, and later killed it for them to eat.

Without emotion, her mother took the pig fat, smeared it on a piece of black bread, and gave it to her children, who were starving.

“Mother,” one of them asked, “what are you giving us to eat?”

The woman let out a sigh and said, “Child, this is meine tzaros.”

They never kept kosher in their home, but the non-kosher fat, with some fried onions, was called meine tzaros.

Look from Heaven, and see Your children.

JEWISH BLOOD PRESSURE After putting on tefillin for the first time in his life, Tudrus told me that he finally understood.

When Tudrus was a child, his

SHLICHUS

grandfather would visit their family every summer. Each morning, the old man would close the door to his room and do something that no one was permitted to observe.

Once, Turdus’s curiosity got the better of him. He opened the door and saw his grandfather with a blanket draped over his head and straps wrapped around his arm and hand.

The old man seemed frightened and shooed him away. When Tudrus told his mother what he had seen, she said his grandfather had high blood pressure that had to be monitored every day.

“Grandpa is ashamed of his illness, so it is forbidden to tell anyone about it.”

Years later, Tudrus wrapped that same Jewish “monitor” around his own arm. Now, he said, he finally understood.

“Our grandfather was healthy. It was we who were unhealthy.”

THE MISSING WORD At his mother’s funeral, Velvel learned that he should recite Kaddish for her. This seventyyear-old man, raised under the communist regime, had rarely stepped inside a synagogue.

Now he came to services daily, haltingly reading the memorial prayer in Russian transliteration.

One day, he approached me with a question. There was a word missing from the Kaddish, he said, pointing to the sentence, “Bring forth His redemption and hasten the coming of His Mashiach.” In

many variations of the liturgy, the words “of His Mashiach” are not included.

I wondered: Could he really be familiar with the differences?

“This is not the way it should be said,” he told me. “I recall them saying, ‘keitz Meshichei’ [the final coming of Mashiach],” a rare variation recited in some Chasidic circles.

I almost fell through the floor.

Even the ninety-year-old man in our synagogue wouldn’t notice such a subtle difference.

Standing next to me with his open prayer book, the man told me how he learned the prayer. He had been a young boy when his grandmother passed away, but he remembered that his grandfather had given his father a piece of paper with the Kaddish written on it in Russian “so that he could learn it by heart.”

His father dutifully reviewed the prayer until he knew it well. His son, the man standing next to me, knew nothing about Judaism, yet he remembered the peculiar words that his father had so carefully studied by heart, even that small word, “keitz,” which was missing here. He may not have known their meaning, but those words had been engraved in his heart. _______ In the Trenches: Stories from the Frontlines of Jewish Life in Russia is available at local Jewish bookstores and from HasidicArchives.com.

Kislev 5782 17

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8

Nights Lights

In honor of Chanukah, we highlight 8 maggidei shiurim dedicated to teaching Torah, Halacha and Chassidus in Crown Heights

By Libby Herz

1

Rabbi Dovid Dubov

I give shiurim on the teachings of the Rebbe's father, Harav Levi Yitzchok Schneerson, organized according to the Parsha. The series is called Yalkut Levi Yitzchok, and there are five volumes so far. I explain the weekly Parsha according to Reb Levik, and if there is a kabbalistic explanation, I try to clarify it. We are in the middle of working on Shemos right now.

About Chanukah, the Rebbe's father asks: We have a seudas mitzvah for every other Yom Tov. But why isn’t there a mitzvah to eat a seudas mitzvah on Chanukah?

The main mitzvah of Chanukah is to light the menorah and watch the flames burn. The eating latkes is only a minhag.

Reb Levik explains: the attack against Jewish people was not to kill us physically. The Greeks liked us as people very much, but they did not like Hashem’s Torah.

The purpose of eating is to build physical health, but the attack was against our spirit.

20 COLlive Magazine

The neshama is symbolized by fire. In total, we light 36 flames during 8 days of Chanukah. The 36 candles correspond to the 36 mesechtas of Gemara. The message of Chanukah is that the neshama and the Torah will live on.

The Rebbe's father wrote a phenomenal commentary on every part of Torah. Unfortunately, most of his writings were lost. But today, we have two letters he wrote to the Rebbe from 1929-1939, and what he wrote in prison in Kazakhstan.

Since paper and ink were scarce, his wife Rebbetzin Chana made ink from herbs, and with that ink, Reb Levik wrote in the margins of pages of seforim that he had with him. Because of this, the writing is very condensed. Sometimes, Reb Levik quotes only two words of a Midrash or Gemara - there wasn’t space to write the whole reference or quote. This makes it hard to understand, but ultimately, there are so many unbelievable questions and special diyukim

TORAH

(explanatory points). People think the Rebbe's father only wrote kabbalah, but there are beautiful explanations on pshat (the literal meaning) and many remazim (allusion).

This year, I gave out sections of the Parsha with explanations in

Hebrew, and the Chayenu study booklet now translates that into English. Shluchim in France, South America and other countries print and translate it too. It's amazing how Reb Levik’s teachings are being published around the world.

2 Since 1990, I have been teaching Mesivta high school. Presently, I give a shiur twice a week in 770 to the students of the kvutza and serve as their meishiv during the first niglah period in 770. I also teach shiurim on Gemara and semicha four times a week for Rabbi Yosef Meizlish’s yeshiva in New Mexico via Zoom.

Periodically, I teach in the girls seminary and have taught in Machon Chana. Additionally, I teach Chassidus to the mechina division in Oholei Torah, plus a weekly Minchas Chinuch shiur to the boys of that division. Each week, I give a Gemara shiur to baal habatim at Ohel Nosson, and a Shabbos morning shiur on Torah Ohr and Likutei Torah at Anshei Ma’aseh.

The Rebbe’s explanations have a depth that enlightens our life, and although I focus on niglah, I love teaching Chassidus and have a mission for the Rebbe’s teachings in niglah and Chassidus to be just as dear, and even more dear to talmidim as meforshim like the Sha’agas Aryeh, Ketzos

Hachoshen, and R' Akiva Eiger.

Nothing is more dear and precious to me than learning and teaching Torah. My mother would always hold a book in her free time and my father had an exceptional love for Torah and was always learning.

I remember how my father would always fell asleep learning a Gemara until my mother would say, “Moishele, gey leig zich.”

Rabbi Sholom Dovid Geisinsky

When I know that I’m part of building a future generation of men and women who are the Rebbe’s Chassidim - together with all my colleagues, teachers, and principals, it’s a continuous highlight. This generation of students is very powerful. They are a strong and beautiful generation. They did not see the Rebbe physically, yet they are very knowledgeable and chassidish, and you know that the Rebbe is proud of them.

My message is that when we learn Torah it's very important to learn inside a sefer. The term is “einveinig.” At Har Sinai, the Yidden saw the sounds. What did they

Kislev 5782 21

TORAH

see? One explanation is that they saw the letters of the Torah.

Through seeing the letters, the Yidden were able to connect to the Torah more intrinsically.

Today, we have a choice of hundreds of lecturers for any shiur online. But we also need to read the letters that Hashem gave us at Matan Torah. If someone learns only through PowerPoints, he wasn’t given the tools to learn on his or her own.

Oysios machkimos - the holy letters make us wise. When you learn from inside a sefer, and can read the words fluently and with expression, it shows that you understand what you are learning. But when you only hear something, you use just one part of the brain. This is why we must connect to the letters.

Furthermore, the mitzva of Talmud Torah states that a father

must teach his child the entire Torah. Today, the melamed teaches the child how to learn, and once the child is older, he should be self-sufficient to be able to finish learning the rest of the Torah independently.

The child can only learn independently once yeshiva is over if he has learned to look inside and understand a sefer.

Chanukah was a war on spirit against the Jew- l’hashkicham torashecha. The Greeks didn’t mind if Jews learned Torah, but they wanted us to forget that it was Hashem’s Torah. When you know it's Hashem’s Torah, and you connect to Hashem, it builds a love for the Torah and you will want to learn more. When we learn Torah, we connect with noisen haTorah - Giver of Torah - Hashem gives us the Torah in the present moment. The giving occurs all the time.

3

Rabbi Shmuel Heber

22 COLlive Magazine

Every day, I give a shiur at the Kollel at Empire Shteibel from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. We learn Gemarah Kiddushin Monday through Thursday and on Shabbos morning, I give a shiur on a Maamer Chassidus from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM which is entering its 6th year.

For thirty years, I have been teaching a Gemara shiur twice a week. Now, I teach it in the morning. We finished all of the Shas and are now learning

l’iyun. It’s deep and takes longer because we learn many mefarshim.

A highlight of giving shiurim is when you prepare, and the crowd understands, asks questions, and are interested.

When more people come to the shiur, you get satisfaction from that too.

Our shiurim are open and free for everyone. If someone is semi-retired or has free time in

TORAH

the morning, I would suggest coming to our shiur and learning Gemara b’iyun like it was in yeshiva. If you can, take an hour in the morning and give it to learning, Gemara or Chassidus.

From the Sichos of the Rebbe, it

is clear that a Jew needs to learn Gemara every day. Vehagisa bo yomam valayla - you need to learn in the morning and evening. Everyone is required to learn, whatever time you have an hour or half an hour a day.

4 A year and a half ago, Rabbi Avrohom Rotban of Irgun Torah approached me and asked me to give a Shiur in Rambam. I agreed and have since been giving it on a daily basis and there is nice participation of people.

Sometimes, one of the participants will comment: "I never understood these laws in Rambam. I would read it like Tehillim. Today I understood them for the first time."

Preparing for a lesson is not always easy, but hearing such a comment gives pleasure and satisfaction.

There is a passuk in Gemara Yerushalmi (Brachos 14:4) that says: "If you leave me one day, I will leave you two days."

This means that if you leave something and move away from it, do not expect it to stay in place and wait for you. The distance will also be on its part, and returning afterward will be doubly difficult.

This is why the continuous study is required. Do not neglect a lesson even for one day. Torah lessons are the essence of our

lives. It brings satisfaction and blessing in physicality and spirituality. Especially studying Torah lessons that the Rebbe instructed us, like Rambam and Chitas.

One of the benefits of joining a Shiur in Torah is the excitement it brings, talking about the same topic, asking and answering, brings unity and special pleasure in learning.

Rabbi Zalman Hertzel

The Rebbe once said about learning the topic of Moshiach and Geulah, "There is a special maalah when studying Inyonei Moshiach u'Geulah with many people, that it brings excitement and joy. Therefore, even those who want to study carefully for themselves - should try (from time to time) to participate in the study with many people."

From personal experience: if you study properly, it brings health and livelihood in abundance (parnossa b'harchava). The Rebbe wants us to feel good physically and spiritually. We have won such a great gift that he has given to our generation.

It is worth joining the shiur!

Kislev 5782 23

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5

Rabbi Shraga Dovid Homnick

Two summers ago, R' Avrohom Rotban, who expends time and effort expanding the shiurei Torah in Crown Heights, recruited me to start the Perek Echad Rambam shiur with the beginning of the new cycle. R' Moshe Katzman and everyone else at the Rayim Ahuvim Shul are supporters of the shiur.

Today I serve as the S’gan Rosh Kollel of the Kolel L’horaah Maasis founded by Rabbi Shloime Greenwald and led

by Rabbi Sholom Ber Shuchat.

I now give shiurim on various subjects to this select group of knowledgeable and motivated yungeleit.

The amount of time and energy that goes into preparing a shiur - whether it’s Rambam or an original halachic topic - surpasses what one might expect. With the number of possible points of interest within a single perek of Rambam, or the degree of detail in any halachic subject, there’s never really ever enough time to prepare everything.

I try to avoid giving a shiur in which all of the material has already been compiled and presented similarly in the past, so I’m always on the lookout for unusual points or sources. For example, for a shiur on the laws of Yom Kippur and how halacha regards medical opinions, I discussed how the Tzemach Tzedek cited the then-relatively new cowpox vaccine and factors

24 COLlive Magazine

it in with regards to questions of treifos and agunos. Ultimately, I hope that every shiur has at least one such highlight.

It is helpful to tease out the narratives behind many halachic subjects. There is often an actual episode from history or at least the internal halachic chronology of how an idea takes shape and gets developed over time and it can often be useful in making sense of what otherwise might just feel like a barrage of facts.

I think the minds of Gedolei Yisroel automatically did this, and as they learned there were hundreds of disparate threads on a large range of subjects accumulating and building up in their minds (though in their case it could just be a theory as to how a certain halachic concept applies and operates), and that means that every detail learned fits into something larger. This might not come naturally for ordinary people, but we still benefit when we make an effort to organize the information around some central idea and narrative, and I believe this is very important for havana and zikaron (comprehension and retention).

While my shiurim delve into the halachic minutiae, I seek out subjects that feature a memorable episode or some other interesting narrative.

Chabad in particular has a range of unique yesodos and organizing principles, we cannot

TORAH forget that there is no way around the centrality of limud haTorah in its classical sense to our lives. Everything else comes in addition to, and on top of, the foundation of Torah literacy, which, simply put, means proficiency in Gemara, Rambam, Shulchan Aruch and other classical seforim. And while that isn’t to say that that’s sufficient in our Avodas Hashem, as the Rebbe said and wrote so many times, there can be no question

about how large a percentage of the Rebbe’s output focuses on traditional Torah topics and the importance of Torah study.

I think we all need to be consciously aware of the need to boost our engagement with Torah and to involve family and friends in that pursuit. And we must thank, encourage and support those who are putting in the effort to raise the bar of Torah study in our community.

6 In 2012, at the beginning of the daf yomi cycle, Rabbi Levi Browd of Yagdil Torah was promoting the idea of completing a daf yomi siyum.

There were scattered shiurim, but he wanted something bigger. Rabbi Yossi Paltiel asked me if I was interested in teaching this daf yomi shiur, and that’s when I began the shiurim.

I give a shiur once a week for Project Likkutei Sichos in Chevra Shas each Sunday morning after Shachris. Every week we learn another sicha and plan to finish Likkutei Sichos over eight years.

Every once in a while, I also give a shiur in halacha at Beis Eliyahu Nochum at 672 Lefferts Avenue.

I also give an Ain Yaakov shiur which Rabbi Mottel Gurary OBM used to give.

It was a big highlight for me to attend the Siyum Hashas in the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey with my kids in January 2020.

It was special to have so many people honoring the Torah, and davening and singing together.

There is a piece of Gemara that touches me very much. It says that Hashem will give back

everything taken away from Jewish people but on a larger scale. So instead of copper, Hashem will give gold. Instead of wood, it will be stone. The Gemara asks what about the spiritual treasures that were taken from us, such as Rabbi Akiva and chachamim? What greater thing can Hashem give us back? The answer is that there is nothing greater than the tzadikim we lost.

Rabbi Alex Heppenheimer

It is vital that a person learns niglah and Gemara in an organized way. Absorbing the core text of Yiddishkeit helps you understand more.

It gives you a whole different perspective, and your mitzvos and attitude toward Yiddishkeit become different. You learn to think how a Yid should think.

The Sichos and learning from the rebbeim give us a perspective that is based on Gemara, Midrashim, and halacha.

Therefore, it is vital to understand and be comfortable in those to have a grounding. When you learn niglah in an organized way, the Rebbe’s teachings mean even more to you.

Kislev 5782 25

TORAH

7

Two years ago, the daf yomi cycle was re-starting and Rabbi Yossi Garelik wanted a daily shiur in Gemara at Anshei Lubavitch - Geshem Shul.

At first, people took turns teaching it, and eventually, I began teaching it each day after Maariv.

I love learning and teaching Gemara. Each masechta brings you into a different world.

When you learn Shabbos, you live Shabbos. We finished learning Psachim, a few days before Pesach, and it felt like a different Pesach. On Sukkos, we knew all the halachos and Gemaras. With every meschta that you learn, you get into it

Rabbi Shmully Rosenstein

and you really focus on what you are living at that time.

When we complete a mesechta, we have a beautiful siyum at the house of someone that learned it. Many people from the shul come, even those that didn’t learn, and that has inspired several people to join for the next mesechta.

Whether it's Chassidus or Gemara, learning Torah helps your life materially and spiritually (b’gashimius and b’ruchnius).

When you learn b’rabbim (in public), your kids see it and there’s a difference in the home and in the family. It brings brochos to everyone.

8 About a decade ago, my wife and I bought a house in the Rebbe’s shecuna. We decided to dedicate the walk-in floor as a Beis Chabad and Heichal Halimud. That is how the ‘Anshei Moshe’ shul was born.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Yusewitz

26 COLlive Magazine

Over the years, the community grew and evolved into a warm hub of Chassidim. The place became too small to fit us all. We went to the Ohel, wrote to the Rebbe and got a clear brocha in Igros Kodesh to move forward with construction. We took a loan against our house and began. At some point, everything got stuck and came to a complete standstill. With no way to proceed, we felt lost. My wife wrote a letter to the Rebbe, the response in the

Igros Kodesh was: "Your husband should start giving Shiurim."

With a strong hachlata (decision) in mind, I decided that anyone who asked me to begin a shiur, I will take it on. Within the hour, I was contacted by R’ Avrohom Rotban of ‘Irgun Torah’ who suggested that I start giving a shiur in Rambam. My response was, “if I do it, it’ll be in 3 perokim per day.” What followed was humbling; a special chaburah of Yungelight formed. We gathered for a shiur every evening. Rain, snow, Shabbos, Yom Kippur, Simchas Torah... That was my first shiur.

Today, in the daytime, I am

TORAH the menahel of “Cheder Ohr Menachem,” a mosad chinuch al taharas hakodesh with 200 talmidim. In the evenings I give shiurim. On Shabbos, I run Anshei Moshe with my brother-in-law R' Getzel Rubashkin.

A highlight for me was completing the Rambam together with this precious group including Dovid Palace, Fishel Brownstein, Dovid Silverstein, Tzemach Rapp, Yitzchok Kratz, Shmulik Kalachi, Yirmi Emmer, together with hundreds of Chassidim and Shluchim who joined us via WhatsApp and Podcasts. The recordings are done thanks to Rabbi Shloime Greenwald who took the podcast to a new level with the Rambam App. Shiurim include daily Chumash, daily Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, Hilchos Tishrei in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, Maseches Sota in sefira days, Tomid and Sugiyas Hachurban - in Gittin for Bein Hametzarim, Smicha, Shaar Habitachon, and Mishnayos for Rabboseinu Nesieinu. Another special long-

A major motivator behind shiurim in Crown Heights is the Irgun Torah organization, created to promote Limud HaTorah through daily and weekly shiurim on Rambam, Gemara, Chassidus and Likkutei Sichos. Unique learning programs include Semichas Chaver, Kitzur Yomi, Sunday morning Kollel and Thursday evening Chassidus.

The shiurim are presented in local Crown Heights shuls and are available online on COLlive. com, YouTube, WhatsApp

standing shiur is "Thursday Night chassidishe parsha" organized

by Mendel Lakin which typically turns into Chassidishe 'leil shishi' Farbrengens.

My message to the public: Having the Zechus to be born and live in the Rebbe’s shchuna is special this merit demands of a Chossid to personify the ‘Rebbe’s Koch’ as those who live in “dem Rebbin's hoif” (in the Rebbe’s courtyard).

So I have a passion for enhancing the Avir of Torah and Yiras Shomayim in Crown Heights. A Yid learns Torah. Period. It is his life more than his business is.

There are people who work day and night to establish a variety of shiurim for men and women and inspire with farbrengens.

With powerful dedication, we all together make our shchuna a source of pride and nachas to our Rebbe. So join the forces and make Torah the highlight of your day. Join a shiur, help organize a farbrengen, and make the Geula in your life the spark that will usher in the Geula Kloli with the Rebbe now.

and audio podcasts. Daily and weekly recordings also cover Mishnah, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, Shaar Habitachon and Harav Levi Yitzchok Schneerson on the Parsha.

For more info on local and online Shiurim, visit www.IrgunTorah.org.

To start a new shiur in your local shul or if you'd like to present a shiur, contact Rabbi Avrohom Rotban at IrgunTorah@gmail.com.

He welcomes suggestions and input for new programs or ideas to enhance existing projects.

R' Avrohom

Rotban

Founder of Irgun Torah Kislev 5782 27

Chanukah with the

with

Rebbe

5742 - 1981

PRESENTED BY JEM

28 COLlive Magazine

FLASHBACK JEM/The Living Archive

Lighting the Menorah at 770 on the eighth night of Chanukah

The Rebbe attends a special Chanukah rally for the children of Tzivos Hashem. 1 Teves, 5742 - 1981 Kislev 5782 29

FLASHBACK

30 COLlive Magazine

FLASHBACK

The Rebbe encourages a lively niggun.

Kislev 5782 31

FLASHBACK

The Rebbe gives coins to the chaperones to distribute to the children

32 COLlive Magazine

FLASHBACK

Children in the crowd

Kislev 5782 33

FLASHBACK

34 COLlive Magazine

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Halacha to the world

Rabbi Shmuel Hurwitz, author of the classic Shevach Hamoadim, traces his love for halacha back to his youth

By Dovid Zaklikowski There's a sefer that you can find in almost every Lubavitcher home. Shevach Hamoadim, the concise, easy to read, review of halachos and customs pertaining to yomim tovim, has been a classic since its first publishing in the 1980s. And even with additional volumes such as on bar mitzvah, marriage and birth, joining the series, the author has not become a household name.

It may have been by choice.

Rabbi Shmuel Hurwitz is small in stature and selfeffacing in nature. His smile is heartwarming, and like his seforim, feels extremely welcoming. He has no interest in the limelight, and cannot understand why anyone would want to know about his life.

But just as there is no reason to talk, there is also no reason

36 COLlive Magazine

not to, as long as it gets one person to appreciate a custom, and more specifically a Chabad custom.

Rabbi Hurwitz was born in the displaced person’s camp in Pocking, Germany. His parents, Rabbi Chaim “Tashkenter” and Chava, had escaped, with hundreds of others out of the Soviet Union. They later made their way to a suburb of Paris, where they stayed at a hotel rented out by the Jewish Distribution Committee, known as the Joint.

He recalls at seven years old, the Simchas Beis Hashoevah farbrengen, when the only bottle of wine had been emptied. When another bottle of wine was acquired, there was a discussion if they needed to say the bracha hatov vehameitiv, as the halacha says

should be said if wine that is brought to the table is better, or even was made in a different barrel, than the previous one.

“Since that time, I think about this halacha,” he says. “I began to think then about different customs and halachos that are interesting and do not come up in everyday life, and thus we do not know them well.”

Particular influence on his being exact in performing mitzvahs, and following the many customs, was influenced

by Rabbi Nachum Labkowski, who oversaw the learning at the Lubavitch yeshiva in Brunoy, France.

At that time, Rabbi Hurwitz recalls, you could not purchase wine in the store, and several people made homemade

SEFORIM

wine and sold it to their fellow Lubavitchers. One of those who made their own wine was Rabbi Labkowski, together with his wife Rebbetzin Itah.

Rabbi Hurwitz recalls that to assist in the making, Rabbi Labkowski hired several of the local Lubavitchers. “He always made sure as it says in the Torah, and Shulchan Aruch, to pay that day for their work,” Rabbi Hurwitz recalls.

From his father, Rabbi Hurwitz learned how to treasure a custom, such as his father making sure to go to the mikvah every morning.

“He had a lot of self-sacrifice for mikvahs,” Rabbi Hurwitz says. R' Chaim Tashkenter told his son how he once had the merit to do in this world, gilgulei sheleg, referring to the rolling in the snow that is one of the cleansing processes for a person’s neshamah.

He told him that when they had built a mikvah, and there was no rainwater at the time, they needed snow. R' Chaim Tashkenter went and brought all the snow, which had to be a large mound to be able to fill the mikvah up with the water necessary to make it kosher.

When in France, the Lubavitchers built a men’s mikvah in the garage. While in the hotel there was heat, in the garage there was no heat, and the water there was heated only once a week

on Friday. Once, when it was very cold outside and the mikvah froze, R' Chaim Tashkenter wanted to go to the mikvah and used a chair to try to break the ice. He didn't succeed.

Living in the building was a carpenter named Zalman Slavin. R' Chaim asked him to bring his tools and make a hole in the ice, and he would pay him for his time. The process took half an hour but R' Chaim was able to go to the mikvah after all.

shouldn’t have to search in the various seforim for what to do on any given yom tov,” he says.

Two decades later, when he was a teacher in Crown Heights, he decided it was time to do it. The first compilation he did was in 1981. When it came to the blessing of the sun, Birchas Hachamah, he compiled what is done during the blessing and gave it to Rabbi Zalman Shimon Dworkin, the Mora D'asra of Crown

“If people don't understand a nuance in halacha, best is to write it in a way that will be simply understood even if stringent" The Landmark Sefer The idea to compile Halacha and Minhagim into one place can be traced back to Rabbi Hurwitz's youth. It was Tisha B'Av 5719, a few years before his bar mitzvah when Rabbi Hurwitz was reading the Hayom Yom, the customs the Rebbe published at the end of the Machzor. "I thought to myself that everything needs to be compiled, it should go according to the order. You

Heights, to review. With his blessings, the booklet was printed.

Once printed, Rabbi Hurwitz gave it to the Rebbe, who had two comments on what was printed and asked that it be removed from the store. The Rebbe also said he would speak about one of his comments during the Farbrengen on Shabbos.

On Chanukah of the following year, Rabbi Hurwitz printed his first compilation

Kislev 5782 37

SEFORIM

has implemented them in the seforim, and recently published his first volume Shevach Hamoadim in two volumes.

For his son’s bar mitzvah, he published a volume about the basics of Tefillin, and the minhagim surrounding that day.

“I am happy with people who come to me with corrections,” he says, “In the next editions, I will correct it.”

on the yom tov. It was written in Yiddish and geared for young children. He did the same for Pesach. Rabbi Dworkin commented to him, “By us, we do cannot give praise, but in general it is very good.”

Rabbi Dworkin went on to comment on one of the parts in the sefer but then took it back when he was told its source.

Over Yom Tov, Rabbi Dworkin continued to go through it and continued to give comments over the next few days.

Rabbi Hurwitz says that those comments let him understand that it is not just about dry law, but how it would be understood by the person learning it. “If people do not understand a specific nuance in halacha,” Rabbi Dworkin explained to him about maachal ben drusai, "then it is best to write it in a way that will be simply understood, even if it will take the more stringent stance."

38 COLlive Magazine

With the first copies printed in Yiddish, Rabbi Hurwitz began receiving requests that he also publish it in Hebrew for the non-Yiddish speakers. The next year, he published it in Hebrew and then began to compile one yom tov at a time, until he had enough for a full book.

When he was preparing the halachos of Purim, he found a talk from the Rebbe which discusses when you should say the bracha at the end of the Megillah, before you roll it up, or afterward. The Rebbe concluded that one should leave it open until after it was recited. Rabbi Hurwitz wrote and condensed the talk in Hebrew, and asked the Rebbe for permission to print it. The Rebbe made several small edits and said that he should print it with the booklet.

Enthusiastic Suggestion Over the years, Rabbi Hurwitz received many comments, and

This past Yom Kippur, Rabbi Hurwitz says, in the shul he davens in, a heated discussion took place on how much the Kohen’s hands should be washed for Birchas Kohanim.

Everyone brought a different opinion, but he watched as something else happened, the crowd became enthusiastic about a halacha.

He says that this should be replicated at the Shabbos table. He suggests that a halacha be mentioned, as well as the different opinions on it, and then spark a conversation among family members and guests. “From this itself, a child can be inspired in their daily life. It brings a geshmak to mitzvahs, and they themselves will have a love and enthusiasm in halacha.”

--Dovid Zaklikowski is a biographer and storyteller.

His latest book is “Story Bites: Short Stories to Savor.”

His books are available on HasidicArchives.com, Amazon or at your local Judaica store.

He could be reached at dovidzak@gmail.com.

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By Libby Herz

Since 1940, Crown Heights has grown into a hub of Jewish culture.

Established as a core of kosher dining, Jewish art and more, the community now boasts its very own boutique showroom for decorative plumbing and hardware. Plumber’s Haven, located at 516 Empire Boulevard corner of Balfour Street, opened to the public in January of 2021.

Owner Michael Kops and his team of designers are proud to work alongside manufacturers who provide five-star customer service.

Customer service is the core value

Photos: Sholem Srugo

40 COLlive Magazine

at the shop, explains Kops. “If something goes wrong two years from now, people need to know where to turn,” he says.

Plumber’s Haven is a space for customers to receive guidance and support even years after purchasing a product.

Michael Kops and his business partner, Abraham Feltman, originally opened one of the first e-commerce stores featuring decorative plumbing and hardware in 2006.

When the website amassed hordes of requests for assistance in setting up bathrooms and kitchens, the duo

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Kislev 5782 41

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decided to open a showroom where they could educate customers.

In 2010, the first Plumber’s Haven showroom debuted in Flatbush. But as more lines were introduced, another expansion became necessary and Crown Heights seemed like the perfect location. “Crown Heights is a central location between Long Island, Manhattan, and Queens,” Kops explains.

By-appointment consultations are available to assist with decorative kitchen and bath fixtures. “We help consumers understand what they need and make the process as easy as possible,” Kops says. “We break it down and give the best service possible.”

In-house designers are readily available to help retail customers outfit kitchens and bathrooms, fixture-by-fixture.

“All of our salespeople are

42 COLlive Magazine

trained to help the customers,” Kops says. “If someone has a tiny bathroom, we will help them find everything from the perfect sized vanity, bathroom fixtures, and tub.”

The products are USA-made, feature a life-time warranty, and are built to withstand a busy kitchen. The quality is high, yet the price point remains affordable, they explain.

Plumber’s Haven caters to all budgets and offers bathroom vanities, steam showers, kitchen faucets, cabinet and door hardware, pot fillers, bidets, whirlpools, and much more.

The shop includes a large range of styles which cater to every taste spanning from modern to classical and traditional.

Another customer favorite is the steam shower. Plumber’s Haven features the luxurious and USA-based Thermasol brand which creates a spa-like experience to help you relax, regenerate, and unwind.

Bidets have recently become a very popular item in America, and Plumber’s Haven features the Swiss-made Axent which is one of the first intelligent toilets. This all-in-one bidet features a manual flush which is permissible to use on Shabbos.

Plumber’s Haven also carries a wide range of kitchen faucets including the Water Stone line, and California Faucet.

Sought-after brands for vanities include the Madeli and Robern.

Plumber’s Haven also features Baldwin and Emtek door hardware.

Kops partners only with the most reputable manufacturers.

“At this time,” Kops says, “our plans are to service our customers and keep everyone happy.” Customers at this state-of-the-art showroom can rest assured that their products will last for the long haul.

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Creating Light

With a passion for technology, Ahron Aronow founded Elyon Systems and makes a Kiddush Hashem

By Danit Schusterman Ahron Aronow is the founder of Elyon Systems, a fullservice custom electronics design and integration company, providing Audio/Visual and control systems for offices, amenity spaces, homes, education, and hospitality.

As a child growing up Ahron always liked technology and electronics. He was fascinated by how things worked, taking things apart and putting them back together. His entrepreneurial spirit, ingenuity, and desire to be financially independent paid off.

What started as a one man business 12 and a half years ago has now 10 employees, and growing.

"I credit a lot of my success to my Yeshiva education," says Aronow. "If the Yeshiva system works for you and you succeed within it, you can succeed anywhere.

The Yeshiva environment has an effect on how you think and operate even if one is not a learner. In Yeshiva you learn how to think and analyze, and if you know how to think, you can learn anything.

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and Yiddishkeit in general.

"My Shlichus is also in my daily interactions with my customers.

I make sure to carry myself in a way where I am proud of who I am and confident in our beliefs. It is so important to be grounded by Torah, today more than ever," he says.

My profession requires me to calculate voltage, power, power loss, ratios, sound distribution, percentages, and so much more, AKA Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, etc. Running my business requires me to analyze and dissect situations to make tough but educated decisions. I never learned math or business science in Yeshiva, but I did learn critical thinking, and that’s the key."

As a Lubavitcher Chossid, Aronow likes to use his business as an opportunity to connect with other Jews. He is unapologetically and openly frum even in his business attire. When his business needs to close for any Jewish holidays, an email is sent out with a small paragraph about the upcoming holiday as well as an announcement that they will be closed, thanking them for their patience, but never an apology. They will also add

a link in the emails for their customers, both Jews and non Jews, to get more information on any of the Jewish holidays.

"It is amazing to see how many people actually click on the link, and the conversations that come from it. I’ve only received positive feedback, and unaffiliated Jews asking and learning about their own heritage they’ve never known about," says Aronow.

Aronow actively begins every business email he sends with a B”H at the top. "I have done this since I was a child with hand-written letters. It is a constant reminder that without Hashem none of this would be happening. It is a reminder to always be honest in my communication and business dealings and to have integrity.

I get a lot of questions and comments from my customers about this, which always leads to very positive conversations about Emuna and Bitachon,

One year during Chanukah, Aronow took a training course at Crestron Electronics in NJ, (one of the largest manufacturers of Audio/Video and Control products). Aronow was aware that the founder of Crestron, Mr. Feldstein, a”h, was Jewish, so he brought along a box of Chanukah donuts and encouraged the lighting of a menorah in the lobby.

During one of the classes, to the bewilderment of the instructor, Mr. Feldstein walked in and asked to speak with him. Mr Feldstein never interrupts the training courses, especially not to speak directly to a student. After the two men spoke briefly and Mr. Feldstein thanked him for the nice Chanukah gesture, Aronow was asked a question about Chanukah that he had just learned about the previous night in a sichah of the Rebbe. Aronow retold the sicha which turned into a two hour discussion enjoyed by Mr. Feldstein. The two men

Kislev 5782 45

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developed a close relationship after that.

Later on, when the large Friendship Circle of New Jersey was starting their building campaign to build the Lifetown Museum, a facility to help children and young adults with special needs learn life skills, they were looking for manufacturers and service providers to partner up with who would either donate or heavily discount their products and services. But, they were very adamant about only partnering with high end companies so as not to compromise the quality of the results.

The obvious choice was to connect with Crestron, but they didn’t know that Aronow, knowing that Mr. Feldstein appreciates organizations that help children in need, was able to reach out directly to Mr. Feldstein who immediately

46 COLlive Magazine

agreed to heavily discount Crestron products to this special project without limitation on quantity. Elyon Systems provided over a half million dollars in equipment, saving their client a lot of money.

"Being a proud Yid helps you in the long run," says Aronow.

If he had to share some words of wisdom to anyone just entering the workforce it would be to know your strengths as well as your weaknesses and build on that. It really takes time to climb the corporate ladder and not every person is cut out to run their own business. It's fine to work for someone else.

Be humble. Learn from those around you. Ask questions.

You're not meant to figure it all out right away, and that’s ok.

Aronow adds, "Working fulltime (and overtime) can be challenging to your 'perek echad shachris' and 'perek echad

arvis,' or even Minyan 3 times a day. While that’s something meant for personal introspection and self-reflection, one should actively do something to connect in some way on a daily or at least a weekly basis, to stay grounded and connected. For me it’s Shabbos. When I put on my Kapotah and get ready to go to shul Friday night, it causes a mindset shift, it allows me to leave to past week with all the vochedig’kait and mondanity, and connect to the ruchniyus and menucha that shabbos brings, along with the beautiful davening, very special family time, and the farbrengens.

"The effects of a sincere chassidishe farbrengen on the nefesh haelokis, and subsequently for the Yiddishe nefesh habahamis is incredible, it affects the trajectory of the new week," he says.

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Building

Chabad Families 27 babies have been born since the summer campaign of Bonei Olam Chabad

By Libby Herz It was a warm night in Crown Heights, and the hall was packed from wall to wall. Rabbi Shlomo Bochner, founder of Bonei Olam, was scheduled to speak in fifteen minutes. As he waited, he paced the hallway to pass the time.

He then saw a mother with an entire slew of children, including a fourteen-year-old boy and two children sleeping in a double stroller. “Why does she have all of her kids here?” he thought.

The woman noticed him and approached. “Are you Rabbi Bochner?” she asked. When Bochner confirmed, the woman was overcome with emotion.

“I never thought I would get the chance to meet you in person,” she said, her eyes filled with tears as she gestured toward her children. “You enabled me to receive fertility treatment fifteen years ago. And all of these children were born

48 COLlive Magazine

because of that one treatment.

I brought them with me tonight because I wanted them to see you.”

Bochner put his hands on the teenager’s shoulders and kissed head. “Yirbu k’moscha b’yisroel - may there be more like you amongst Bnei Yisroel,” he said.

Bonei Olam -builders of a world- is a foundation that provides Jewish childless couples with resources to pursue fertility treatments.

Their staff of volunteers works tirelessly, using their world-class knowledge of cutting-edge fertility treatments to bring the dream of children to struggling couples.

“Our goal is to take away the financial burden and the miseducation,” says Rochie Junik, coordinator of the Bonei Olam Chabad - Crown Heights chapter.

“When we came out and

CHESED

Rabbi Shlomo Bochner addresses the Bonei Olam Chabad inaugural event in Crown Heights

started talking about infertility, it was destigmatized. Now, there is so much awareness. Infertility treatments are draining on the psyche. They are draining on finances, family life, and marriage. It's exhausting.”

Current statistics indicate that one out of every six couples is faced with the challenge of infertility. “A lot of people feel the need to go on this journey alone as if they are the only person with fertility treatments,” Junik says. “But Bonei Olam has one goal in mind, and that goal is to bring each couple a mazal tov in the quickest way possible.”

Bonei Olam is connected with the Lubavitcher rabbanim and hundreds of couples. “When you use the word Chabad it’s worldwide," says Rabbi Bochner. "We work very closely

with the rabbonim and this helped open a lot of cases. It's a beautiful relationship on both ends.”

the only chapter that is not controlled by a zip code. You just need to be Chabad to fall into our chapter.”

Although the organization had been servicing the Chabad community for years, Lubavitch never had its own chapter.

“We never had enough money or a liaison,” says Junik. The Chabad chapter of Bonei Olam opened two years ago, with Esther Kleinman as the medical counselor, and Rochie Junik and Etel R. Hurwitz as coordinators.

Since the opening of the Chabad chapter, people have been calling for help sooner and being sent to the right doctors. “We have more mazal tovs for it,” says Junik.

“When Chabad officially came into the Bonei Olam world,” Junik says, “we opened the conversation, and there was an instant change. Crown Heights has shown the most year-to-year growth in the amount that we are helping, and in the amount of money raised compared to any other chapter. We are

Taking on the name Bonei Olam Chabad is not one that Junik takes lightly. “It means that we follow in the ways of the Rebbe, and we want the Rebbe to be proud of what we are doing,” she says. Junik has written into the Igros Kodesh countless times. “The answers are always incredibly encouraging,” Junik says.

This past Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Junik’s husband bought the honor of 'pesicha' of the Aron Kodesh in shul. He

Kislev 5782 49

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and call.”

Bochner, a Bobover chossid who grew up in Crown Heights on Montgomery Street, went to many of the Rebbe’s farbrengens at 770 Eastern Parkway and merited to dance there on Simchas Torah.

The overflow crowd at the Bonei Olam Chabad inaugural event in Crown Heights

declared that he would sell the pesicha to anyone who donated to Bonei Olam. Some men who needed a bracha for children bought it.

“Exactly nine months later,” says Junik, “three of these couples were blessed with a new baby. We call them the Pesicha Babies.” Each of these couples was in treatment with Bonei Olam. “And there were miracles with each one,” Junik says. “It was the greatest stamp of approval that we were doing the right thing.”

In July of this year, Bonei Olam Chabad held a fundraising campaign that raised $758,659 and financed $1.3M in treatments for sixty-three couples. Twenty-seven babies have been born since then, with Hashem's help. “Many people don’t realize that IVF treatments can run $18,000, $25,000 or even $45,000 per treatment,” Junik says.

For Bonei Olam’s Vezakeini

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campaign, women around the globe give one dollar to tzedaka before lighting Shabbos candles each week.

The single dollar of eighteen thousand women combined contributes to one round of IVF for a different couple each week. There are currently twenty-five thousand women who have joined the campaign.

The goal of Bonei Olam is to always keep growing and bringing the most cuttingedge treatments to the Jewish community. “There is always more work to be done. If we can help financially and medically, that would be the greatest feeling,” Junik says.

Currently, Bonei Olam has branches in Canada, England, Belgium, Israel, and all over the United States. There are eighteen branches worldwide.

“Everyone is always welcome to call,” Junik says. “Never think to go at this alone. You're not alone. Pick up the phone

Bochner recalls once traveling to Hong Kong on business, he and his wife went to eat at the JCC and sat in the back of the kosher restaurant. “It was filled with heimishe yidden,” Bochner says, and one of them approached his table.

“I have a surprise for you,” the man said. “Do you see that Chabad Shliach in the corner, feeding his babies in the high chairs?”

At the other end of the restaurant, a father was spooning baby food into the mouths of two adorable children.

“Those babies are yours,” the person said.

“My wife became so emotional,” Bochner says. “We were introduced to the Shliach and it was such an emotional get-together. I felt like the entire dining room froze to watch the beautiful sight.”

To get involved with Bonei Olam Chabad, email: rochienash@gmail.com

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Building Your Immune System The universal principles that can protect against seasonal illnesses

By Dr. Avraham Gottesman

In my role as a pediatrician, one of the most common questions I get asked this time of year is, “What can we do to protect our child from getting sick?” Inevitably, about 2-3 weeks after school and playgroups restart after the holidays, even the hardiest children will come down with viral illnesses or strep.

Another common way this question is asked is, ”Are there vitamins and/or supplements that are useful to give my child?” While the answers to these questions are evershifting and unclear, there are universal principles of good immune health that can be applied to protect against seasonal illnesses.

Let's start with the “low hanging fruit” of good health.

As we all know, a strong structure is most likely to withstand a storm. That is to say that a child who is overall as healthy as possible is less likely to get particularly ill

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when exposed to an infection.

So how do we keep our kids healthy as possible as we send them to school and playgroups?

Let’s break it down into a few steps.

1) Nutrition and diet: It's important to understand that a good diet has little to do with losing weight. It is also incorrect to think that if you or your child is at a desired weight, you don’t have to concern yourself with what you are eating.

While experts will quibble about the details, it is clear that a diet filled with processed sugars and lots of artificial dyes

and chemicals is not good for a child (or an adult). This is both because of what these “junk foods” are doing to the body, as well as the nutritious foods they are replacing. Most highly processed foods contain little nutritional value and replace fruits and vegetables that are jam-packed with vitamins and nutrients.

To quote Michael Pollan, a well-known nutrition journalist, “Eat Food, Not too much, mostly plants."

"Eat Food:" your greatgrandmother might recognize as being food. Keep away from the highly processed, brightly colored foods that now populate the supermarket shelves.

"Mostly Plants:" because fruits and vegetables contain high amounts of the necessary nutrients for our bodies. The more varied the colors and varieties of plants in your diet, the more likely you are to cover the spectrum of necessary nutrients. For example, green

HEALTH

vegetables such as spinach and broccoli contain a lot of iron and magnesium.

Unprocessed meats, fish and dairy products also go into the category of “food” and are a good nutritional choice. Most children in typical situations will be fine with the vitamins and nutrients contained in these foods without requiring additional supplementation.

(While the “not too much“ part of the quote is important in many adults and some kids, the message of not eating too much is so judgment laden that I feel that it is beyond the scope of this article) Through the years there have been many supplements recommended to improve immune function. These include Zinc, Vitamin C, Echinacea, and honey among many others. My perspective is that as long as it’s not harmful and does not interfere with other treatments there is no harm in trying. A good pharmacist who has an understanding of vitamins and supplements can be an excellent resource.

2) Activity and exercise: For children, getting exercise does not have to mean going to a scheduled class or a trainer.

Most children, given the opportunity, will happily run around and play. Therefore, to keep children active, it's more a matter of limiting sedentary activities rather than enforcing an exercise regimen. Obviously, for city kids, especially during the colder winter months, this can be a challenge. However, do your best when possible to take advantage of parks and

indoor playgrounds to have your children exercise.

through airborne particles.

(On a personal note, New York City is full of some of the most beautiful public parks in the world. I would highly recommend taking advantage of this resource even if it involves taking an Uber or driving.)

The younger a child is, the less likely they are to be careful about covering their coughs and sneezes, throwing away tissues, and washing their hands. Teach your child proper hygiene through instruction and modeling. If your child is exhibiting symptoms, limit their exposure to other children.

The rule of thumb is 24-48 hours after a fever is gone, contagiousness goes down dramatically. However, there will always be exceptions to this rule. Speak to your doctor about how long to keep a child home in specific situations.

Not to belabor the point about screen time, but the less children are looking at the screens the more likely they are to be active.

3) Sleep and Stress: It has been known for decades that getting a good night's sleep will not only help you feel good but is critical for overall health. The body and brain have what is called a “circadian rhythm”, and having good consistent sleep is critical for good emotional and metabolic health. Good metabolic health includes good immune system function. Although easier said than done, I highly recommend making a good night's sleep a high priority.

As a community pediatric office, it is our goal to develop lasting relationships with our patients and their families. We strive to provide the best care with thorough well-check visits, same-day sick visits, short wait times, questions answered in a timely fashion, TeleVisits, and more.

A similar category is emotional stress. There is a lot of evidence that elevated cortisol (a hormone-induced by stress), decreases the body’s ability to mount an adequate immune response.

Unfortunately, we can’t always control our stress, but we can practice stress reduction through the implementation of calming techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, mindfulness, and self-care.

In conclusion, there are no guarantees. Much as we try to protect our children, inevitably viruses and other infectious illnesses are a fact of life. However, with G-d’s help and by giving our children the tools to stay as healthy as possible we can build the strongest possible structure to weather and withstand the seasonal viruses and keep our kids.

4) Hygiene: The best way to avoid infection is to try to avoid exposure to illness. Most common infections are spread by the exchange of bodily fluids such as saliva or stool, or

Gottesman Medical is accepting new pediatric patients. We are located at 555 Lefferts Avenue. New patients should please call 646-757-8751 to register. Telemedicine consultations are available 9 AM to 11 PM. Please WhatsApp message 718-570-9948

Kislev 5782 53

SHIDDUCHIM

FOR A

E R H M T O ATCH O M S ach Rochel Duchman provides o c g n i D at able tips to navigate shidduchim 10 valu

By Danit Schusterman

Applying life coaching skills and experience, Rochel Duchman has carved a niche in the coaching world, bringing a “breath of fresh air” to the shidduch and dating scene. She specializes in helping both parents and their single sons and daughters of marriageable age navigate the dating process.

"We are living in challenging times," says Duchman, a resident of Los Angeles, California. "Parents and their children often see things from very different perspectives.

When I became a coach, I realized that there is a tremendous need for guidance in this area of life - in the dating process - to help both the parents as well as their kids and so I decided to dedicate my coaching to just that."

Duchman, who previously served as a Shlucha, educator and small-business owner, created a dating course called "The Road to Eternal Joy." The course has 3 tracks: one for the parents, one for the single

54 COLlive Magazine

young women and one for the single young men.

details about the prospective match, not the resume.

With tried and tested approaches to shidduchim and dating, Duchman brings light and understanding to many of the complicated and taboo issues and decisions that surround the dating process.

By exploring many relevant and guided questions together, she creates a special path just for singles with tangible goals. Duchman sees her work as a 'practical Waze map' to navigate the world of dating.

2. The List: What's important to you

She kindly shared with the COLlive Magazine a few useful tips to get started: 1. The Resume: Keep it simple Your shidduch resume is a fact sheet. Keep it simple. State what you are presently doing (working, learning, etc.), the schools and camps that you went to, and some references for both friends and family.

Good communication between the parents and their sons and daughters before, during and after the dating process is imperative. The parents and the shadchan should have all the

Make a list of the top ten things that are most important in a partner to the prospective single, and then focus on the top three. If you find someone to match those top three, go for it. The Rebbe emphasizes that when looking for a shidduch, you need to search for the good qualities in each person.

This isn't the time to ‘dig for dirt’.

3. "I don't see it": The 4 words to ignore Often, when asked about a person for shidduch purposes, a friend or even relative will add their own opinion stating, "I don't see it" (happening or being suitable). People may mean well and they are entitled to their opinion, but this isn't the reason you called them.

You called this person to collect information, not to be the decisionmaker. So just because someone else doesn't see it, does not mean it should not or cannot happen.

SHIDDUCHIM 4. Sharing isn't always caring: Keep dating private A young woman or man will sometimes return from a date and tell their roommates all about it. Whether it was a negative or positive experience, this is not healthy for anyone involved.

Whether they end up marrying this person or try to set this person for a friend, once negative things have been shared, moving forward becomes difficult. If you need to talk to someone, call your dating coach or choose one relative or friend.

5. Dating isn't sacrificing: Look out for yourself There is a time and place where we make sacrifices for others.

Dating is not that time. This is when you should look out for yourself. If you are certain you have no interest or connection, you have no obligation to go out on a third or fourth date. He or she may not like it, a parent may lament, and possibly the shadchan too, but this is your life so you need to take ownership.

6. Red Flags: Moving forward or moving on There will often be red flags coming up while dating, whether notable ones or minuscule ones. Don't take it as a fact. You may have misheard or misunderstood.

So ask for clarification without confrontation. In a healthy relationship, this can be a great foundation for communication and dialogue by addressing

something that made you feel uncomfortable. If the matter doesn't feel right, pay attention and get to the bottom of it and then make a decision.

7. Talk away: Don't text while dating A study into workplace communication found that most people don't accurately detect the tone of the written word - email or text. Imagine how much more gets lost when discussing personal matters.

While text can be used to communicate logistics, insist on person-to-person conversations.

With your date. With the shadchan. With anyone in the process. Clarity is so important during this time and actual conversations are needed.

8. Attraction: It's not about numbers We are all different. Because your best friend ‘knew right away' that her date was ‘the one’, does not mean that will happen to you. If you don't feel a huge attraction right away, it doesn't mean it's over. You need a connection and if there is a connection, you move forward from there.

The Rebbe said to take as much time as you need when it comes to dating. Dating is not about numbers - the first or second date. It's about the stages of dating, going through each stage to reach the next.

9. Get personal: Your hopes and dreams Once you have a connection and there is chemistry and even a magnetic force, you

can move forward and discuss what you truly want in life. Be open and express your hopes and dreams. This will deepen the positive relationship being formed when you can see that you both have similar goals and visions for the future.

10. Imperfection: Be vulnerable Once you have a closer relationship with good chemistry, perhaps this is the time to bring up your weakness and not such perfect qualities that would be important for the other person to know. Only things that will affect your future life together are important to share. Your honesty will be appreciated and will even bring you both closer to making a decision.

When parents and young men and women begin to embrace the dating scene, they must do it with a positive attitude.

It is all in the perspective. You need to go into it with a lot of Emunah and Bitachon. This will make the whole journey so much smoother, successful and even fun.

_________ C. Rochel Duchman is an ICT Certified Life Coach specializing in dating and shidduchim, post engagement and marriage. You may contact her at autumncoaching@ gmail.com or autumncoaching.net.

For more information or any questions, contact 323-620-3618 or email autumncoaching@gmail.com.

Kislev 5782 55

ASK THE THERAPIST

WITH RABBI DANIEL SCHONBUCH, LMFT

THE PHONE ADDICTION TEST QUESTIONS TO GAUGE HOW ADDICTED YOU ARE AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT It has been well established that smartphone usage is causing more problems than ever before for adolescents and children. It is not a new issue at all. But the increasing trend of cell phone addiction and poor psychological and physiological health of adolescents means we have entered into a new phase.

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Almost 95 percent of Americans own cell phones and 77 percent own smartphones. Mobile phones make our lives easier, but on the other hand, it ties us.

Too much dependency has made us “mobile addictive.”

Mobile addiction not only has physical effects but also psychological and emotional implications at the same time.

Sleep deficit, anxiety, stress, and depression which are all associated with internet abuse, have been related to mobile phone usage too.

However, the greatest impact on our children is what cell phone technology has done to their motivation for life.

On a recent Chol Hamoed, I noticed how children and

ADVICE

adolescents were more inclined to spend the day on their phones than going on trips and exploring nature.

In the past, when a child was bored, he or she would seek out something stimulating and playful. When I was a child, for example, I would look for fun activities including playing an instrument, basketball, and tennis. Others would engage in creativity, art or some form of performance.

So how do you know if your cell phone use has taken over your life? Ask yourself the following questions:

•D o you find yourself mindlessly passing time on a regular basis by staring at your smartphone even though there might be better or more productive things to do?

that require your focused attention and concentration?

• Do you find yourself mindlessly turning on your phone's screen many times a day even when you know there is likely nothing new or important to see?

If you answered “yes” to at least 4 out of 6 questions above, you probably have some form of cell phone addiction. My assumption is that many of us already have cell phone addiction. It is not as obvious as an addiction to alcohol or marijuana. It's something that has insidiously crept into our lives and has become almost acceptable as “normal” behavior.

So how can we begin to repair the damage?

• Are your communications with other people mostly done in-person or over texting, tweeting, or emailing?

There are several key steps I would recommend we all take to reduce the overuse of cell phones including:

•H as your screen-time steadily increased over the last few months and years?

1. TIME YOUR USE

•D o you sleep with your smartphone on or under your pillow or next to your bed regularly?

•A re you checking or even using your phone while driving or doing other similar activities

One of the ways to prevent forming a habit is to engage less in an activity. So naturally, the easiest way to prevent cell phone addiction is to not engage in it in the first place. One way is to create social accountability. Tell your children and spouse that you will not be on WhatsApp or using your phone during

certain hours. Let them keep you accountable and build in a punishment (such as paying them $20 to tzedakah every time you don’t follow through) so you can stick to that commitment.

You need to have off-hours where you use the Internet very little or not at all. That way, your brain will be able to recharge. One of the easiest ways to limit your use is to get an Internet blocker that you can preset and let it do it for you.

2. CREATE NEW WAKE-UP AND SLEEP ROUTINES We already say each morning “Modeh ani” before we do anything else. It is something that powerfully rouses you from the depths of sleep and something that puts the day into context and winds it down. Many people pick up their phones first thing in the morning and then – BOOM. Off to the races.

Even worse off, they finish off their day with a phone in hand or looking at some sort of screen. To start the day it is best if you focus on yourself and aligning yourself or recharging yourself and not what others have written to you or shared on social media.

I suggest intermittent fasting from your cell phone. Pick it up later, after completing all Kislev 5782 57

ADVICE

your morning responsibilities.

Don’t worry, the world used to exist before cell phones existed, and you can live without it for a few hours.

3. REPLACE BOREDOM WITH MEANING The Torah tells that when Yosef HaTzadik was thrown into the pit, it “was empty there was no water in it” (Breishit 37:24). The Gemara explains that since it was empty of water (meaning, of

Torah) there were “snakes and scorpions instead."

When there’s a “gap” in which the mind is not active, the mind will want to latch onto anything it possibly can in order to keep itself occupied. I suggest that instead of reaching for your phone, replace boredom with meaning and pick up a sicha, maamar or an engaging sefer.

Anything that is digital inclines us to be impulsive which eventually leads towards dependency and addiction.

However, learning Torah, engaging in nature or social interaction, animates us towards enthusiasm and vibrancy.

By making a sefer your “goto” behavior, you will be able to reduce your addiction and live a more meaningful life!

--Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch, MA, LMFT (Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist), is a renowned psychotherapist who works with individuals, couples and families and director of TorahPsychology.org School of Coaching & Counseling.

‫ב״ה‬

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Untraditional Trad

Chanukah Rec A cookbook author and food blogger presents recipes that your bubby never made in the kitchen

By Nina Safar

This Chanukah, give the traditional potato latke a delicious makeover with these untraditional traditional recipes. We are certain your bubby never flipped such latkes. With flavors like broccoli cheddar, grilled cheese, and waffle latkes with fried chicken, you will light up the holiday with these flavorful recipes.

NINA SAFAR Nina Safar is the author of The Simply Kosher Cookbook, a food blogger, a recipe developer and food photographer. Born in Brooklyn to a family of 11 children, she was taught to cook by her mother and prepared tasty meals and delicious treats together.

Stressed about meal planning? Browse www.kosherinthekitch.com for deliciously easy dinner ideas and cooking inspiration. Follow her @ kosherinthekitch for more fun foodie ideas.

60 COLlive Magazine

RECIPES

ditional

cipes

Kislev 5782 61

RECIPES

Broccoli Cheddar Latkes Sausage-Hash Brown Latkes My favorite breakfast is a combination of eggs served with sausage and hash browns. When combined and fried to crispy perfection, it makes the perfect fleishigs breakfast latke!

Ingredients: 4 Jack's gourmet sausages, diced 1 onion, diced 20 oz. shredded hash browns (3 1/2 cups) 2 eggs 2 tablespoons flour 2 scallions chopped up Salt Pepper

Potato latkes are as exciting as vanilla ice cream. I’m sure there are the purists who believe it’s best to stick with tradition, but I like to mix things up in the kitchen. This recipe combines freshly steamed broccoli with cheddar cheese to create the perfect latke.

Ingredients: 1 lb. of broccoli florets, chopped and steamed 1 russet potato, peeled and grated 1 small onion, diced 1/2 cup of panko crumbs 2 eggs 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese 1/4 cup canola oil oil for frying

Directions: 1. Saute onions until tender.

Directions:

2. Add diced sausage and cook until lightly browned.

1. Steam and chop the broccoli florets. Place in large mixing bowl.

3. Combine with hash browns, eggs, flour, scallions and season with salt and pepper.

2. Add the grated potato, diced onion, panko crumbs, eggs, pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, flour, cheese and oil and mix well.

4 Fry up in batches and serve with spicy mayo (mayo with sriracha combined)

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3. Shape into patties and fry until golden brown.

RECIPES

Grilled Cheese Latkes Two perfectly crispy latkes sandwiched between melted gooey cheese creates the Chanukah sandwich you never knew you needed. If you like grilled cheese, you will absolutely love this latke. It tastes divine when served with a side of roasted tomato soup.

Ingredients: 16 oz. shredded potatoes (about 3 1/2 cups) 2 eggs 2 tablespoons flour 2 scallions chopped up Salt Pepper Sliced muenster cheese Spicy Mayo for serving Chopped Scallions for serving Directions: 1. Combine potatoes, eggs, flour, scallions and season with salt & pepper (flour helps bind the batter together, so add more if needed) 2. Fry batter in batches.

3. Once latkes are slightly golden brown on both sides, remove from pan.

4. Place cooked latkes back in pan and layer a latke on top of another latke with sliced cheese in between.

5. Once the cheese has melted, serve with spicy mayo and chopped scallions.

(Spicy mayo is mayo with sriracha sauce combined).

Chanukah “Corn Dogs” Latkes No party plate is complete without mini frankfurters and this is the tastiest way to serve them on Chanukah. Cocktail frankfurters coated in latke batter then cooked till golden and delicious. Add your favorite toppings, like ketchup, mustard or spicy mayo and call it a party.

Ingredients: 1 8oz. package of cocktail frankfurters 1 box of potato pancake mix Small lollipop sticks Ketchup, mustard and spicy mayo for serving Directions: Prepare pancake mix according to instructions on package.

Allow batter to thicken in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Place sticks in hotdogs.

Scoop out about 1 to 2 tablespoons batter then wrap around hotdog by pressing the batter in center of your hand with hot dod on top and roll the batter around.

Bake on 350′ for about 20 to 25 minutes until pancake batter is golden and slightly crispy.

Serve with ketchup, spicy mayo and mustard drizzled on top.

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RECIPES

Waffle Latkes with Chicken Ingredients: Baked Chicken Bites: 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 cup of mayo 1 tsp. dijon mustard 2 cups cornflake crumbs 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper Waffle Latkes: 20 oz. shredded potatoes (3 1/2 cups) (frozen hash browns work great!)

2 eggs Salt Black Pepper 2 tablespoons flour

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Directions: Cut chicken into small pieces. Season cornflake crumbs with salt and pepper.

Combine mustard and mayo. Coat chicken with mayo mixture then cornflake crumbs.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, spray with cooking oil and cook in oven on 350′ for 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked.

While the chicken cooks, combine waffle latkes and cook up in batches using a waffle maker (be sure to use a non-dairy waffle maker!)

Plate cooked waffle latkes with baked chicken bites and hold together with a toothpick.

Drizzle maple syrup on top or serve with western sauce (combine equal parts ketchup, mayo and bbq sauce) or spicy mayo (mayo with sriracha).

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RECIPES

Warm

Winter Dishes W 3 winter dinner ideas that will keep you warm and cozy

By Naomi Nachman

NAOMI NACHMAN Naomi first started her own kosher personal chef business, The Aussie Gourmet, in 2004 to cater weekly and Shabbat/Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities.

Naomi Nachman has her own cooking show, Sunny Side Up, on the Kosher.com network and also hosts her own weekly show, “Table for Two with Naomi Nachman” on The Nachum Segal Network – in which discusses all food-related topics. In addition, Naomi writes a monthly column for the Mishpacha magazine covering food and travel, and is also a contributing editor to The Jewish Home newspaper for the last 10 years, distributed in many states across the country writing weekly recipes.

In 2017, Naomi published her debut cookbook, Perfect For Pesach with Artscroll Publications; and in November, 2018 Naomi published her second cookbook, Perfect Flavors (also with Artscroll Publications). Naomi has sold more than 28,000 copies of her books.

Naomi is often sought after to do cooking demonstrations, book signings and to produce Kosher Chopped-style cooking competitions across the world, where she shares her immense enthusiasm and passion for food.

When Naomi is not traveling she can be found with her husband and family in Long Island, New York.

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RECIPES

Spaghetti Bolognese This was my absolute favorite dinner of all time when I was growing up and it’s still a favorite. My dad made it for us kids. On his latest visit to me in New York, I asked him to make it and I wrote everything down that he said. As he spoke, I poured and measured till we got it down perfect.

He said, “Add a few glugs of red wine,” and I said, “How is Mrs. Eisner (my awesome ArtScroll editor) going to know what glugs are.” I grabbed a measuring jug and poured out a few glugs till I got the amount just right!

Photos: Miriam Pascal

Meat Yields 4-6 servings Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons canola oil 1 large onion, finely diced 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided 10 cloves garlic 2 pounds ground beef 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with their liquid 2 Tablespoons dried oregano 2 Tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons kosher salt • freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 cup red wine 1 (1-pound) box spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

Directions: 1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.

2. Add onion and 1 teaspoon salt; sauté for a few minutes till onions begin to sweat, then add garlic.

3. Add meat, breaking it up with back of a wooden spoon; mix well with onions and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Cooking until meat has browned.

4. Add the remaining ingredients.

Simmer, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes.

5. Just before serving, toss with cooked spaghetti.

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RECIPES

Coffee Infused Chili Even though this recipe is from my cook book Perfect For Pesach this chili recipe is literally perfect to eat any time of the year especially on chilly winter evenings.

The coffee enriches the flavor of the chili and the two types of meat give it lots of texture.

Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, peeled and diced 1 pound ground beef 1 pound boneless beef, cut into bite-size chunks 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped 4 Tablespoons cumin 3 Tablespoons paprika 1 Tablespoon chili powder 1 Tablespoon garlic powder pinch cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 Tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 Tablespoon brown sugar 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

Meat - Yields 6 servings - freezer friendly

2 Tablespoons instant coffee granules 2 cups water

Directions: Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook for about five minutes, until soft and translucent.

Add meats and jalapeno; cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to break up the ground beef.

Add cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, salt, and sugar. Stir to coat all the meat.

Add canned tomatoes. Dissolve coffee granules in boiling water; add to the pot.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 60-90 minutes, covered, until the meat is tender.

Cook’s Tip: Serve chili with sliced or diced avocado and salsa. You can serve with chips for crunch, as well.

Year round: For extra flavor, replace 1 cup of boiling water with 1 cup of beer.

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RECIPES

Crockpot Onion and Flanken Soup Who doesn't love a big bowl of onion soup? However making it can be annoying, as you have to sauté the onions for a long time while stirring them. This recipe allows you to skip the sautéing, as your crock pot does all the work for you.

Meat Yields about 8 servings

Ingredients: 12 onions, cut into half-moons 1 Tablespoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup oil 2 pounds bone-in flanken 4 cups beef, chicken, or vegetable broth ¾ cup red wine ¼ cup red miso paste

Directions: Combine onions, salt, pepper, and oil in a crockpot; stir to combine.

Add flanken to the crockpot; cover with onion mixture. Cover; cook on high for 4-5 hours, until onions are golden brown.

Add broth, wine, and miso paste; stir to combine. Cook for an additional hour.

Kislev 5782 69

AD As we celebrate our 20th anniversary

We salute COLlive.com

for assisting us in reaching this milestone The entire staff and team have always been there for us and Klal Yisroel for keeping Chabad communities around the world up to date.

Rabbi Mendel Duchman Kol Yakov Yehuda Los Angeles, California

‫טעמו וראו כי טו‬ ‫ב‬ ‘‫ה‬

A glimpse of the upcoming sichos in Project Likkutei Sichos Likutei Sichos Vol. 19 Devarim 1:

Re’eh 2:

Nitzavim 2:

The Long, Loving Way

A Chosen and Sacred Place

Jewish Continuity

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Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai and a Bauthesthean debate Moshe’s love.

Devarim 2:

Torah with a Human Touch

How Moshe bridges heaven and earth.

Ve'eschanan 1:

Child-like Study

Lessons in innocence and humility from a peculiar Rambam.

Ve'eschanan 2:

Hand Before Head

A halachic analysis of tefillin’s proper order and its implications for daily life.

Eikev 1:

Heels Over Hierarchies The infinite value of every Mitzvah.

Eikev 2:

Closing Time

A Rashi-inspired reflection on the role of this final generation.

Re’eh 1:

Tragedy and Unity

Two Aramaic translations reveal two perspectives on challenge and Divine unity.

Unearthing two forms of sanctity in the Har Habayis from the Rambam’s language.

How the Jewish people are one with G-d, forever.

Shoftim 1:

Making Unity Practical

All for the People

Heart and mind — the two roles of a Jewish leader.

Shoftim 2:

The Immovable Egyptian An investigation into the prohibition against dwelling in Egypt.

Ki Teitzei 1:

Rethinking Reward

A conclusion on Tractate Chullin and an analysis of the subject of reward for Mitzvos.

Ki Teitzei 2:

Of Freedom and Fences Marriage advice from a law about fences.

Vayelech 1:

How Yom Kippur and Vayelech bring abstract ideals into everyday reality.

Vayelech 2:

The Generation Gap

Rashi on the transition from Moshe to Yehoshua and the implications for today.

Ha’azinu 1:

Eternal Witnesses

Rashi on the difference in testimony for Moshe’s two final pacts.

Ha’azinu 2:

The Death that Couldn't be Stopped

The Jewish people's failed protest of Moshe’s death, and its lesson in our lives.

Ki Tavo 1:

Sukkos 1:

Until Next Year

Our Shared Sukkah

Making sense of a Rashi about the uniqueness of Bikkurim.

Ki Tavo 2:

Reading Blessings

An inspiring spiritual inversion of a graphic curse.

The deeper dimension to the law of Sukkah ownership.

Sukkos 2:

Distilled into Details

How unity amongst Jews is expressed in the Sukkah and Lulav.

Nitzavim 1:

Still Standing

Three perspectives on Moshe’s final gathering.

Reinvigorate your hiskashrus and join the PLS community; sign up at

projectlikkuteisichos.org

RECIPES

Chanukah Potluck Lend a hand and bring a spectacular dish to the party with family or friends

By Leah Schapira, Victoria Dwek, Renee Muller, Esti Waldman, and Shaindy Menzer of Between Carpools

BETWEEN CARPOOLS.COM Since its inception, fans have turned to Leah Schapira, Victoria Dwek, Renee Muller, Esti Waldman, and Shaindy Menzer, the women behind Between Carpools.com, for the easy, practical recipes that simply work with their lives. Their new smash hit cookbook, Dinner Done, is the best selling kosher cookbook in over a decade.

On Between Carpools, you’ll also find home and organizing tips, parenting insights, activities, how-to’s and DIYs, and of course, entertaining ideas, and inspiring reads. The BCP APP is available at the App Store and Google Play. If you have a kosher smartphone, you can visit your local TAG office to have the app downloaded.

72 COLlive Magazine

RECIPES

Yeshiva Donuts

A donut is a donut. Some donuts are better than others, but they’re pretty much all awesome.

So, when my son came home from yeshiva raving about the donuts the cook made, I paid attention. This guy is not a foodie. He can take or leave almost anything. If he says the donuts are the best, they have to be more than just good. He went back to yeshiva the next day with instructions to try and get the recipe from the cook.

And Chef Naftali was gracious enough to share it with all of us here at Between Carpools and the recipe passed our taste test with flying colors! Thank you Chef Naftali Freeman!

Ingredients:

Directions:

2 ¼ teaspoon dry yeast

1. Place dry yeast into a large bowl or mixer bowl. Add warm water and some of the sugar. Let bubble. Add remaining ingredients. Mix until very well combined.

1 ½ cup warm water 4 tablespoons sugar 6 cups flour 2 egg yolks 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar 1 (4 ounce) stick margarine ¼ teaspoon salt

2. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into uniform balls.

Weigh the pieces on a digital scale so you know they’re exactly the same size (30 grams is a good size for minis; 60 grams for regular). It helps to spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray or wear gloves.

3. Place each doughnut ball onto its own square of parchment paper (do not use wax paper!). Cover loosely and let rise for 1 ½ hours.

4. Deep fry donuts with the parchment paper for 3-4 minutes, flipping halfway through. The parchment paper will come off after about 2 seconds, remove with tongs. When donuts are done frying, drain on paper towels and dust with confectioners sugar (or fill them as you like!)

Kislev 5782 73

RECIPES

The Easiest Crowd-Pleasing

PESTO MOZZARELLA PASTA

It assembles in 1-2-3. It gets finished down to the bottom of the bowl. And it’ll stay fresh on your table for way longer than your creamy pasta. This pesto mozzarella pasta is a win-win. Warm, cold, room temperature, it doesn’t matter. This one is delicious no matter what. Simply prep all the ingredients (saving the avocados for when you’re ready to toss together), toss and serve. Couldn’t be easier!

Ingredients: 1 pound penne pasta, prepared according to package instructions 1 cup Parmesan cheese 2 avocados, diced 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved 1 6.7 ounce container Shneider’s Pesto

Directions: Simply combine all ingredients! That’s all there is to it!

74 COLlive Magazine

Hot Stuffed

RECIPES

Mushroom Salad

One of us tried this in a restaurant while on vacation, then came home and made it even better.

Ingredients: 5 oz greens 12-16 oz baby bella mushrooms, stems removed ¼ cup balsamic vinegar 2 Tbsp olive oil ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp basil ¼ tsp oregano Pinch black pepper 4-6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese Creamy Balsamic Dressing: ¼ cup light mayonnaise 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon water 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon or packet sweetener ½ teaspoon salt

Directions: 1. Do Ahead. In the Ziploc bag, combine mushrooms with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and spices. Marinate for at least X hours or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. 3. Before serving, pour contents of Ziploc bag into a baking pan. Turn mushrooms so the cavity is facing up. Slice mozzarella and place a piece of cheese inside the cavity of each mushroom (it should be big enough to fill up the entire mushroom).

4. Bake for about 20 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked and cheese is melted.

5. Serve mushrooms on top of greens and drizzle with balsamic dressing when serving.

Kislev 5782 75

RECIPES

76 COLlive Magazine

The Creamiest White Sweet

RECIPES

Potato Cauliflower Soup

This is the creamiest pareve soup that you might ever try!

Because it’s a just plain white, it even stands a chance with your pickiest eaters.

Ingredients:

Directions:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onion, leek and garlic and saute over low heat until all are completely golden and tender, about 20 minutes.

1 large onion, diced 1 leek, white and light green parts only, cleaned and diced 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1 (24-ounce) bag frozen cauliflower 2 lbs white sweet potatoes/Japanese yams, peeled and diced* (see notes) 6 cups water or stock 1 (13.5 ounce) can light coconut milk Salt, to taste

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425⁰F. Spread cauliflower on a greased baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, until cauliflower is just beginning to turn golden.

3. Add cauliflower and potato to the pot.

Add water or stock and bring to a boil.

Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 40 minutes. Let cool.

4. Once soup is cooled, blend using an immersion blender while adding coconut milk, a little at a time. Blend until completely smooth. Season with salt to taste and blend again.

Things to Note: *We use white sweet potatoes in this soup, a potato that we don’t often think to pick up.

Sometimes you’ll see them labeled “Japanese yams.” They’re not orange like what you’d call a yam, and they’re not a staple like a regular potato. If you don’t spot that at your local grocery, don’t sweat it. Regular orange sweet potatoes will work as well, you just won’t get that white creamy color. Having a sweet flavor while retaining the white color is what makes this soup unique. *If you don’t have leeks on hand, double up the onions or vice versa. *Light coconut milk will keep the soup from being too rich, but classic coconut milk will make it a real extra creamy treat as well. We’ve tried it both ways. Don’t worry, you won’t discern the coconut flavor with either option...they will just make the soup so perfectly creamy!

Kislev 5782 77

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TRYING OUT NEW TUNE FOR TRYING TRYINGOUT OUTAAANEW NEWTUNE TUNEFOR FOR L’CHAH DODI CAN STRESSFUL L’CHAH L’CHAHDODI DODICAN CANBEBEBESTRESSFUL STRESSFUL STRESSFUL ‫ו‬ ‫ז‬ ‫ח‬ ‫ט‬ ‫י‬

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FUNDRAISING FUNDRAISING FUNDRAISINGDOESN’T DOESN’T DOESN’TNEED NEED NEEDTOTO FUNDRAISING DOESN’T NEED TOTOBEBE BEBE

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GUIDE

Crown Heights Kosher Food Guide ABE’S CORNER Gastropub offering unique, delicious food in a spacious and immersive setting.

Kosher Certification: Rabbi Eliyahu Matusof 674 Rogers Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11226 Phone: (718) 684-7828 ALENBI Kosher restaurant presenting refined Israeli plates in a chic, modern space withlarge windows.

Kosher Certification: OK 887 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225 Phone: (347) 529-3739

ALBANY BAKERY 339 Albany Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (718) 778-1733

80 COLlive Magazine

ALMAH CAFE Kosher Coffeehouse and bakeshop Kosher Certification: CHK 87 Utica Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (347) 533-6494

BROOKLYN ARTISAN BAKEHOUSE Rustic decor, down to earth ambiance and flavorful menu.

Kosher Certification: OK 529 E New York Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225 Phone: (347) 292-1382

BAKERIE Modern bakery for kosher breads, sweets & daytime noshes with housemade spreads & coffee.

Kosher Certification: OK 252 Albany Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (718) 693-8248

CHOCOLATTE Bright & Modern cafe in Crown Heights, free WiFi Open 24 hours.

Kosher Certification: CHK 792 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11213

BAGUETTE EXPRESS Israeli style falafel, shwarma and sandwiches.

Kosher Certification: CHK 250 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230 Phone: (718) 484-7814 BASIL PIZZA & WINE BAR Kosher pizzeria & wine bar offering wood-fired pies & other Italian fare in a homeysleek setting.

Kosher Certification: OU 270 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (718) 285-8777 BOEUF & BUN Innovative, handcrafted burgers pair with a variety of craft beers at this upbeat locale.

Kosher Certification: CHK 271 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (718) 221-8900 CROWN PIZZA Dark wood & exposed brick adorn the interior of this upmarket pizzeria with specialty slices.

Kosher Certification: OK 419 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230 Phone: (718) 484-4817

ESS AND BENTCH Offering hot dogs, shnitzel, sandwiches and french fries Kosher Certification: CHK 313 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (718) 705-7770 GOMBO’S HEIMISHE BAKERY Counter-serve bakery specializing in jelly doughnuts, plus other sweets, sandwiches & coffee.

328 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (718) 771-7701 GRUIT A neighborhood restaurant & garden with a modern American kitchen and strong focus on seasonality & cocktails.

Kosher Certification: OK 252 Empire Blvd, Brooklyn, NY 11225 Phone: (347) 846-0622

GUIDE HOLESOME BAGELS Bustling shop offering housebaked bagels, breakfast, sandwiches, pizza & salads.

Kosher Certification: CHK 333 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (347) 955-5300

MEAT MEAT is where food and design meet. Extremely elegant restaurant featuring modern Mediterranean cuisine.

Kosher Certification: OU 123 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (516) 888-1730

IZZY’S BBQ SMOKEHOUSE Kosher BYOB barbecue restaurant serving platters, sandwiches, sides & desserts in hip digs.

Kosher Certification: OK 397 Troy Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (347) 425-0524

MENDY’S Mendy’s Deli is the place to go for burger, a delicious steak,or a heAvenly sandwich.

Kosher Certification: CHK 792 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (718) 907-8877

IZZY’S FRIED CHICKEN With fried chicken and waffles and fish and grits, Izzys Fried Chicken serves southern comfort and soul food.

Kosher Certification: OK 262 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (718) 925-2242 KINGSTON BAKE SHOP Kosher Certification: CHK 380 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225 Phone: (718) 467-2047 KOSHERTOWN CAFE Kosher Certification: CHK 469 Albany Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 MAMA KITCHEN NY Restaurant featuring a funky modern interior & menu of contemporary & classic Israeli cuisine.

7 Rochester Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11233 Phone: (718) 771-3038

MERMELSTEIN’S Deli & Home-style Jewish Food Kosher Certification:CHK 351 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (718) 778-3100 MOZZARELLA Fine Dining Dairy establishment conveniently located in Crown Heights.

Kosher Certification: CHK 265 Troy Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (917) 633-6770 NORIBAR High quality Sushi meals using fresh ingredients and skilled preparation techniques.

Kosher Certification: CHK 326 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (347) 913-8888

SAUCE N CHEESE Stop-in kosher pizzeria offering slices, calzones & salads in a simple counterserve setting.

Kosher Certification: CHK 509 Albany Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11203 Phone: (347) 425-1450 SUSHI SPOT Snug storefront offering both basic & specialty kosher sushi rolls for delivery & curb-side pickup.

Kosher Certification: CHK 426 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225 Phone: (718) 756-4040 SWEET EXPRESSIONS Ice cream shop, candies, chocolates and sweets Hot and cold shakes and smoothies.

310 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (718) 613-0188

TAKEOUT DOVID MALKA 1552 Carroll Street 718-773-2335 KOSHERTOWN 469 Albany Ave phone 718-778-6171 THE MARKETPLACE 589 E New York Ave Phone (718) 363-1300

PRIME AVENUE Prime Avenue offers a delicious global menu that includes schnitzel sandwiches & Chinese dishes.

Kosher Certification: CHK 377 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Phone: (718) 576-6665 Kislev 5782 81

FUN PAGE

Chanukah

Fun

Page CHANUKAH WORD SCRAMBLE Unscramble these words to discover a holiday vocabulary 1. OERMHAN _____________________ 2. EACAEMCSB ____________________ 3. KELTAS _____________________________ 4. ACLREMI ___________________________ 5. ANDCESL _________________________ 6. EDELRDI __________________________ 7. TGEL _____________________________ 8. EVOIL LIO _________________________ 9. JLERUSAME ____________________ 10. EGESRK __________________________ 11. MHSHSAA _______________________ 12. LPMTEE __________________________ 13. FTAYGNISUO ___________________ 14. LALLEH _________________________ 15. CETOLOCAH NSCIO ___________ 16. LA MISHAIN ____________________

82 COLlive Magazine

FUN PAGE

Kislev 5782 83

HUMOR

Latkes 101 Some basic things you'll need to make latkes: potatoes, large onion, a bathroom scale, eyebrows, shoes, and a broken smoke alarm

By Mordechai Schmutter

People often think about eating latkes – too often, for some people – but not a lot of people think about how much sweat and tears go into making thousands of latkes four at a time. A lot of tears, it turns out, because you have to grate onions.

So here is a recipe, cobbled together from various other published recipes just enough for the numbers I give to be useless so I don’t infringe on any major copyrights. For example, one recipe I saw said to use 5 potatoes and 1 onion, and another said to use 10 potatoes and 2 onions. It was the same recipe. So to not get into any shaylos here, I would say to use either 5 potatoes and 2 onions or 10 potatoes and 1 onion, or even 1 potato and ten onions.

Point is, this recipe is for educational reasons only. The idea here is so that people should know

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what you’re going through in the kitchen, and that you’re not just taking a potato and hammering it into the shape of a latke. That said, making this recipe can be hazardous to your health. On the other hand, making latkes altogether can be hazardous to your health. It’s a fatty food made from potatoes deepfried in splattering oil in a room full of onion fumes with a slippery floor.

So do what you want. Just don’t come crying to me if you used the ten-onion version and it didn’t work out.

YOU WILL NEED - 1 gross of potatoes. Most potato snobs prefer russets, but chances are all you have in the house are Idahos.

- 1 Hammer - 1 large onion. (Note that the word “large” is subjective, and cookbooks are very vague about

HUMOR

what they consider to be a large onion. Basically, the more potatoes you use, the bigger your onion had better be.)

2. Fill a pan with oil at least ankle deep. Turn on the flame and start heating it.

- 3-12 Eggs, raw

3. While the oil is heating, peel the potatoes. Or don’t. You’re grating them and then frying them until they’re brown. Who’s gonna know?

-5/16 cup all-purpose flour. Some use whole-wheat flour for healthy latkes, or because they have something against all-purpose flour, such as that they call it “all-purpose flour”, but you mostly can just use it for cooking. You can’t, say, use it to powder a baby.

- Salt and pepper to taste. Actually, while we’re at it, why not just do everything to taste? Who needs cookbooks? You realize that my taste isn’t going to be the same as the taste of all my relatives, right? Just make a decision; it’s your cookbook. I’m just looking for something to blame if this isn’t good.

- Frying oil or rendered chicken fat.

If chicken fat isn’t already rendered, then for goodness sakes render it.

- 6 rolls paper towels - Shoes or oven mitts. Do not fry barefoot.

- 1 signed permission slip from your doctor - First aid kit - Goggles INSTRUCTIONS: tR emove all batteries from the smoke alarm, using the hammer.

This will make the entire process even less safe, so have someone stand behind you with a fire extinguisher. Don’t make any sudden moves, or he’ll spray you.

4. Put the potatoes in water to keep them from turning brown, or, if you’re not peeling them, to get the dirt off at least.

5. Grate the potatoes by feeding them, one at a time, through the top of a food processor, making sure to take the entire thing apart whenever you notice one slice of potato that’s sitting on top and just going around and around with the blade. Put it all together, feed that slice back in, and repeat the process. Some people prefer to use a hand grater, like the Chashmonaim did way back before we discovered potatoes. The main difference, as far as we can tell, is that a food processor processes your food, while a hand grater grates your hand. There’s also the time factor.

6. For the crispiest latkes, you want the potato shreds to be as dry as possible. Squeeze out as much potato water as you can, using a cheesecloth (l’kovod Chanukah), a dish towel, or, if you’re feeding an army, a reasonably clean bath towel. No amount of squeezing is too much here. Put the towel in the driveway and back your car over it, for all we care. Where is all this potato water coming from?

Alternatively, you can dry the

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HUMOR

shreds with a hairdryer, taking care not to blow them all over the kitchen. Or put them in a toiveled clothes dryer. (Every good Jewish family has a toiveled clothes dryer, as it’s the best way to thaw a 10-lb. roast on a short Friday.)

7. Turn down the oil, because this whole potato process is taking too long.

8. Peel your onion. If you’ve never peeled an onion before, what you do is you take off the top layer, and then possibly the next layer, and then the next, until you get to the middle and realize that it’s empty. (“Where’s the onion?”)

This is why you should start with a large onion. This is why Hashem made the outside few layers a different color so you’d have some idea of when to stop peeling. (And no, we have no idea when to stop peeling a red onion. When do we get to the part that’s actually red? We don’t know.)

9. Shred onion with a food processor or hand grater, and add to potatoes.

10. Wipe tears with the paper towels.

11. Crack open eggs, one at a time (so not all at once) and check for blood spots or shells or any small, dinky prizes. Add to mixture.

12. Also add flour, salt, pepper,

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and note from doctor. Now you’re ready for frying!

transfer it onto 18 layers of paper towels.

13. Wait, you forgot to reheat the oil.

21. Serve with paper towels, applesauce, sour cream, and a large refreshing glass of potato water. If you used chicken schmaltz, you have to forego the sour cream, or just eat it straight out of the tub six hours later, if you’re still alive.

14. Test oil to see if it’s hot enough. The most common way to do this is to splash in a few droplets of water. If they make a cool “Tssss” noise, it’s ready. But make sure to use only a few droplets. If you pour in a significant amount of water, you will send up a fireball, and the guy behind you will react with the fire extinguisher.

22. When you serve the latkes, make sure to say, “These were so much better when I was noshing on them out of the pan.”

15. Start the frying process with a test latke to see if all your measurements are right.

If they’re not, make some adjustments and run another test latke. Then another. And so on.

23. Your house should smell like latkes for 12 hours. And be slightly out of focus. Your eyebrows should grow back by Purim.

16. Make a new batch for everyone else. Start with a test latke.

TIPS:

17. When you see browning around the edges, flip the latkes.

- If you want, you can substitute pretty much anything for potatoes – sweet potatoes, beets, turnips – and no one will ask you to host Chanukah parties anymore.

18. With a spatula, genius.

19. We don’t know how to tell when the second side is done.

The edges are already brown.

So just make a judgment call.

You can always serve them pretty side up.

20. When a latke is done, put it on a cooling rack while you put a new one in the pan, then

- A lot of recipes call for a certain number of potatoes, but that doesn’t quite make sense, because every potato is a different size. So a good recipe actually goes by weight.

But how do you determine the weight of your potatoes? If you don’t have a kitchen scale, step onto a bathroom scale, weigh yourself, and then step

on again holding the potatoes.

Though on second thought, looking at your weight with potatoes might not be a good idea right before making latkes.

So my advice is to step on with someone else, possibly on your shoulders, so that you can each attribute any huge numbers to the other person.

- If the floor is slippery from oil, stand on the scale while making the latkes. You probably won’t nosh on as many.

- To cut an onion with no tears, experts recommend chewing gum, cutting it underwater, putting the onion in the freezer, cutting it near a lit candle (or eight), and wearing goggles.

Most of these methods have

iffy results, so we recommend doing all of them at once. Good luck getting the candle to light underwater in the freezer.

- To determine if the oil is hot enough to begin, throw in a kernel of not-yet-popped popcorn. When it’s hot enough, the kernel will pop, fly across the room, and the guy behind you will react with the fire extinguisher.

--Mordechai Schmutter is a freelance writer and a humor columnist

IMPORTANT NUMBERS & INFORMATION HATZOLAH (718) 230.1000 SHMIRA (718) 221.0303 SHOMRIM (718) 774.3333 CHAVERIM (718) 222.1800

for Hamodia, COLlive and other publications. He also has six books out and does stand-up comedy. He can be contacted at mschmutter@gmail.com

BIKUR CHOLIM OF CROWN HEIGHTS (718) 467.1661 CROWN HEIGHTS URGENT CARE 555 Lefferts Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11225 BEIS DIN OF CROWN HEIGHTS 390 Kingston Ave. (Above Kettle & Cord) (718) 604.8000 RABBI OSDOBA ext 1 RABBI BRAUN ext 3

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Then &

LOCAL

1940 317 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 The two-story building on the corner of Kingston Avenue and Union Street was originally built in 1920 and has a commercial space on the ground level and a residential unit on the second floor.

Just a block away from Lubavitch World Headquarters - 770 Eastern Parkway and the Kingston Subway station, the grocery store on its premises has been and remains a go-to destination to grab packed and ready-to-eat items and sweets, as well as dairy, produce, fish, poultry and meat.

It has been selling food since the 1950s and most likely even before that. An elderly Jew 88 COLlive Magazine

owned and ran it until selling it to R' Yankel Lipskier who moved from New Jersey to the neighborhood and was told by the Rebbe to acquire a local business.

When Lipskier decided on the grocery store, an owner of another nearby grocery was concerned it would negatively impact his business. They went to the Rebbe who said that the concern was valid, "but I assure you that the Almighty will provide a livelihood for both of you."

The store went on to be called "Lipskier's" and was run by R' Yankel wearing a black Chassidic fedora, and his kind-hearted wife Taibel.

In addition to selling food, the store was "a beacon for the many colorful misfits that Crown Heights had to offer," according to the family.

Discounts were regularly offered and free food was given to the needy.

R' Yankel, who merited to be a gabbai at 770 Eastern Parkway, ran the grocery store for 25 years. Seeing that his children were involved in other ventures, he was advised by the Rebbe to sell it. It was a prime area for foot traffic.

Around it was a bakery called Pinchevskies / Gneveish, later a hosiery store, and was also a meat store at one point. New York City Mayor John Lindsay

Now

Photo by Chaim Tuito

LOCAL

By Binyomin Weiss

2021 (in office 1966–1973) opened a campaign office there, which was later used as Yudel Keller's Esrogim Center and sold to a Car Service.

Purchasing the store in 1978 from the Lipskiers was R' Berel Kahan, who turned it into what is known today as Kahan's Superette of Crown Heights.

Living in the residential apartment above the store was the Mendelsohn family, owners of the long-running Mendelsohn's Pizza on 18th Avenue in Boro Park. The apartment was later seasonally rented out for Tishrei guests.

Kahan didn't only inherit from the Lispkiers a grocery store at a prime location but also a most distinguished customer - Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson OBM, wife of the

Rebbe. The Rebbetzin herself would call from time to time and would order groceries.

Kahan would either deliver it himself in the evening hours or send a bochur if it was during the daytime.

Not to disturb the Rebbe, the routine was to ring the bell and leave the grocery bags between the front and inside doors. Once, R' Berel Kahan delivered on Chol Hamoed Sukkos and was offered by the housekeeper R' Shalom Ber Gansburg to enjoy a glass of tea. Kahan was about to decline when it became understood that it was at the request of the Rebbetzin.

He accepted and sat in the Sukkah with the warm glass.

In 1982, Kahan bought the 2,250 square-foot lot and the

building itself. Around that time, Kahan and his brotherin-law R' Yitzchok Rosler opened the Kahan’s Pesach Store offering an ever-growing selection of Kosher for Pesach items. Rosler, a resident of Toronto, Canada, would relocate each year to New York and seeing him in the shop would indicate for many that the Yom Tov is near.

Kahan has since been joined by his son R' Tully Kahan in running the store and upgrading it to the 21st century by taking online grocery orders, renovating it and enhancing its delivery around the neighborhood.

One thing that didn't need updating at 317 Kingston Avenue? Its supreme location.

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