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VOL. 11 NO. 52

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17 ELUL 5771

‫ פרשת כי תבוא‬SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

TURNER TO OBAMA: “WE’VE HAD ENOUGH”

INSIDE Our Clothing Dr. Bernie Kastner

BY LARRY GORDON

35

Dwelling Alone

What If . . .

Hannah Reich Berman

38

If You’re Like Me Doni Joszef, LMSW

53

Publishing A Book Mordechai Schmutter

57 Shimon Gifter

College Costs Barry Fox

64

Bob Turner campaigning in Boro Park with Dov Hikind and Chaskel Bennett on Election Day. See Page 13

Sixty Years Of Great Leadership Rabbi Nosson Scherman at Shuvu.

See Page 85

Continued on Page 24

HEARD IN THE BAGEL STORE

BY LARRY GORDON

BY BRIAN NADATA

THE TURNER STATEMENT

It was a different world in 1951, when Rabbi Raphael Pelcovitz came to Far Rockaway to become the rav of Congregation Kneseth Israel in Far Rockaway, fondly known as The White Shul. Rabbi Pelcovitz re-

The scheduling would have been fascinating as well as uncanny. What would have happened if a hurricane like Irene hit New York City precisely at the same moment as the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that destroyed the World

It was a great night for America and a great night for Israel too. How does a Jewish country enter into the equation of a special election to replace a congressman who was forced to resign for the most absurd of indulgences? The answer is

Continued on Page 26

Continued on Page 10

Continued on Page 18

BEGINNINGS The Year In Israel

BY TALMIDAH X

Sholom Kanner and family on send-off to Yeshivat KBY. See Page 66

Yeshiva University students spent time over the weekend in New Jersey homes struck by Hurricane Irene, offering much-needed disaster relief. See Page 69

CANDLE LIGHTING September 16 – 6:44 PM September 23 – 6:32 PM

According to the Talmud, following the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, four notable figures, sages of that age, were traveling near those hallowed grounds commiserating over the extreme loss for the nation of Israel.

TERROR AND HURRICANE HYPE

YU STUDENTS LEND A HELPING HAND

Assemblyman-elect Phil Goldfeder and supporters.

See Page 84

FROM THE EDITOR

G-D POSITIONING SYSTEM

BY RABBI AVI SHAFRAN

Wow! I have been talking for almost two years about going to seminary, and here I am!

Although I have only been in Israel for a few days, so much has happened that I am unsure where I should begin.

I guess I could start by say-

I rode the brake and we descended the single-lane dirt path slowly, feeling the vibration of pebbles under our tires turn into the audible crunch of good-sized stones. My wife and I had embarked not long ago

Continued on Page 22

Continued on Page 23

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For those unable to attend, there will be a Mini Open House on Monday, October 31, 2011 at 8:00PM

FEATURES The Afterlife Dr. Bernie Kastner

Classified Ads A Clever Title Goes Here

35 80 57

Mordechai Schmutter

Community News 85 66

Around The Five Towns Around The World

Daf Yomi Insights 55

R’ Avrohom Sebrow

The Dish 48

Elke Probkevitz

Halachic Musings 33

R’ Yair Hoffman

Insights on the Torah 61 44 10

R’ Ben Tzion Shafier R’ Yanki Tauber

Luach/Calendar MindBiz

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Esther Mann, LCSW

News from the Hills 60

Chanita Teitz

Puzzle 82

Yoni Glatt

Real Estate 37

Anessa V. Cohen

That’s The Way It Is! 38

Hannah Reich Berman

Tidbits from Israel 56

Ron Jager

Travel Special Advertising Section

84

P.O. BOX 690 LAWRENCE, NY 11559 516-984-0079 editor@5TJT.com ads@5TJT.com LARRY GORDON Publisher/Editor

ESTA J. GORDON Managing Editor

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MICHELE JUSTIC Copy Editor

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Hannah Reich Berman, Anessa V. Cohen Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginzberg, Yoni Glatt, Toby Klein Greenwald, Rabbi Yair Hoffman Ron Jager, Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky Dr. Bernie Kastner, Shmuel Katz, Phyllis J. Lubin Esther Mann, Rochelle Miller, Rabbi Meir Orlian Elke Probkevitz, Dr. Rachael Schindler Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow, David J. Seidemann Rabbi Ben Tzion Shafier, Rabbi Avi Shafran Eli Shapiro, Dr. Ari Sher, Samuel Sokol, Chanita Teitz ELISHEVA ELEFANT Staff Graphic Artist IVAN NORMAN, IRA THOMAS Staff Photographers DESIGN BY DESIGN2PRO.COM Design & Production MICHAEL KUROV Art Director The Five Towns Jewish Times is an independent weekly newspaper.

Opinions expressed by writers and columnists are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. We are not responsible for the kashrus or hashgachah of any product or establishment advertised in the Five Towns Jewish Times.

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September 16, 2011

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HYPE Continued from Front Cover Trade Center in lower Manhattan? How would our media outlets have covered such an event? Which would take have taken precedence and which would have been hyped over the other?

As it turns out, the fashion in which these major news stories were stacked suited the need for media hype perfectly.

This phenomenon leads to the question as to how these things happen and what role the media plays in actually making them what they are.

Not that 9/11 observances are media-created events, but you would have to agree that the idea of information surfacing about an Al Qaeda attack being planned for the anniversary consisted mostly of media hype, and little more. I don’t know if this so-called awareness serves the public interest or rather harms it.

I have felt for a long time that the greatest secondary success for modernday terror merchants is the fear and the paralysis which they inflict upon any given population that they target with their

demented actions. Modern terror objectives are only partly about violence and more about impacting economically on a population and hurting them—in this

the process.

In Israel there is at least some element of legal restraint that is exercised between the security apparatus and the

A terror threat may be known for an extended period of time, but the press is not permitted to print the information until given permission by the censorship authorities. case us—in our pocketbooks. The effect seems much more meaningful and longlasting. Today mobilizing our defensive security apparatus and the idea of striking fear in as large a population as possible may have now indeed become their primary function. The media, both electronic and print, plays a central role in

press. That means that in Israel a story about a terror threat may be known for an extended period of time but the press is not permitted to print or release the information until given permission to do so by the relevant governmental censorship authorities.

The reaction to that may be that it is

somewhat of an old school or even primitive way for a democratic society to function—but not if the pure and genuine motive and objective is to protect the people. It’s been stated in this space previously and probably more than once that these days it is no longer about the media being informative or a means to keep the citizenry up on the latest events and news. Like many other businesses today, the priority is commercial and how the venture or product is viewed in the market. The media is a very competitive space, with a plethora of outlets on every level. The need to compete and beat the competition is intense.

We are slaves to all the media messages we are being constantly bombarded with. That is true from the messages on our cell phones to the billboards that dot the route of the Long Island Expressway as you approach the Midtown Tunnel and beyond. More than that, those who orchestrate and offer up these messages know that we are not only going to hear and see them but we are going to react as well.

A case in point was the recent Hurricane Irene fiasco. Up until this moment, we are really not certain how much of the fright was real and how much was meant to grab our senses and maneuver them in this or that direction. One thing is certain: the overwhelming majority of us were glued to our TVs and radios—in Continued on Page 17

CALENDAR

LUACH September July 16–September 1–July 9 24 ZIP Code: 11516 17 Elul Friday, September 16 Daf yomi: Chullin 82 Z’manim*: Earliest tallis/tefillin:

5:42 am

Sunrise:

6:37 am

Latest Shema: M. Av.

9:06 am

Gr’a

9:42 am

P’lag ha’minchah:

5:44 pm

Candle Lighting:

6:44 pm

18 Elul – Shabbos Saturday, September 17 Parashas Ki Savo Avos: Ch. 3–4 Shabbos ends**: 7:42 pm 72 min.

8:13 pm

24 Elul Friday, September 23 Daf yomi: Chullin 89 Earliest tallis/tefillin:

5:50 am

Sunrise:

6:44 am

Latest Shema: M. Av.

9:09 am

Gr’a

9:45 am

P’lag ha’minchah:

5:35 pm

Candle Lighting:

6:32 pm

25 Elul – Shabbos Saturday, September 24 Parashas Nitzavim-Vayeilech Avos: Ch. 5–6 Shabbos ends**: 7:30 pm 72 min.

8:02 pm

* All times from MyZmanim.com ** -add a few minutes for tosefes Shabbos according to your minhag

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Community Gardens Group Celebrates Turner Victory Robert Turner, a Republican, prevailed over Democratic Assemblyman David Weprin in Tuesday’s election in a congressional district where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by three to one. The seat has been held by Democrats consistently for decades.

Mr. Weprin could have expected the hearty support of the large percentage of Orthodox Jewish voters in the district. However, during the past legislative session, Mr. Weprin chose to vote in favor of enacting same-sex marriage in New York. The move triggered outrage in the Orthodox communities, who believe that intimate relations between two men or two women are reprehensible.

“We congratulate Mr. Turner and wish him the best success in representing our district,” said Dovid Z. Schwartz, director of the Community Guardians Group (CGG) of Kew Gardens Hills. “We thank Hashem Al-mighty for taking back the honor due to His Name, and we look forward to seeing the corruption and lies that parade as truth get wiped away by greater recognition of the preciousness of Torah.”

The CGG publishes a voter’s guide for the Orthodox Jewish communities. Mr. Schwartz said that when the CGG gave its endorsement to Mr. Turner, he personally relayed to Mr. Turner a message regarding the key matter in the race.

None of the issues raised by Mr. Turner’s campaign, from the borders of the state of Israel, to the economy, to the president’s health care plan, would have caused the Orthodox Jewish communities to go against their brother, if it were not for the fact that Mr. Weprin first went against the Torah.

Over 40 Orthodox rabbis signed a statement stating that Mr. Weprin’s cavalier disregard of the eternal moral values of our tradition, in voting for same-sex marriage, made it wrong for Orthodox Jews to vote for Mr. Weprin.

The list includes some of the greatest acknowledged Torah scholars of the generation and heads of the most distinguished yeshivos, across a wide spectrum of Jewish communities, from yeshivish to chassidic, Sephardic, and Modern Orthodox.

The Torah that was given to the Jewish people by Hashem also contains a subset of laws for all human society referred to as the Seven Laws of Noah. Although the rulings of the greatest Orthodox rabbis have no legislative force on the secular society, until recently the United States had respected the principles of the Torah as the bedrock of its own society as well.

Hashem created a world where He allowed the powers of corruption to get the upper hand. But not only is He the Creator of the World, He is also the ruler at all times. It’s only a matter of time before He takes back the honor that’s owed to Him by punishing those who rebel against His rule.

The Community Guardians Group is a grassroots voter organization dedicated to promoting the eternal values of the Torah in the public forum. For more information, and for analysis of current trends in the Guardian’s Report, please visit www.zehjournal.com. 

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HYPE Continued from Page 10 a highly unusual move and with the consent of many leading rabbis—straight through Shabbos.

Granted that while the storm did wreak havoc in many a home in our immediate area, it inconvenienced many but did not necessarily devastate on the level that was being prognosticated by many media outlets.

For at least a day and a half before Irene swaggered into town, we were told that for our own good and safety it was best that we leave our homes and just get out of town.

Now we, in this part of the country anyway, are not accustomed to that kind of talk, so it was no wonder that not that many of us really paid attention to the warning. Contrast the hurricane occurrence with the earthquake that shook us up a little a few days prior. There was no advance warning of the quake. Not only that, it didn’t even have a name—Earthquake Rocky or something along those (fault) lines may have been in order.

The high cost of the damage notwithstanding, what else is there to follow up an earthquake and a hurricane with if not some terror warning to coincide with the 10th anniversary of 9/11? The day came and went with deeply meaningful and emotional observances honoring the memory of those who perished on that day. Most striking were some of the remarks made by children of the victims who were born shortly after their parents perished in the destroyed World Trade Center.

But all the talk and reportage of the possibility of a terror attack on New York or Washington directed at us from the terror gangs who still manage to exploit the freedoms of America was somewhat over the top.

Throughout the weekend, media reported that the attack was “credible but not corroborated.”

What does that mean exactly? That the source of the information was reliable but the actual information itself was not?

What is that about? Either the information is good or it’s not.

How were we supposed to react and respond? Evacuate like many did for the hurricane and just wait for a bomb to explode somewhere so that we know that the information is not only credible but—how do you like that—also corroborated?

Or maybe they—that is the media—had us exactly where they wanted us: dependent on them and not knowing what to expect next, if anything at all.

Then the day passes and they report that now that it is over the potential danger has significantly decreased. It has? Are

we supposed to believe that if terrorists who manage to infiltrate the country miss their target date that they abandon their plans and go back from whence they came?

If they did that, at least they did it right on time for a heated debate between Republican candidates for president, a hotly contested Congressional elec-

tion in Brooklyn, and the drama surrounding President Obama’s jobs bill.

And they say there’s nothing on TV anymore that is worthwhile spending time watching.

Is that so, or are they just kidding about that too? 

d l o G r ash Fo

C

Comments for Larry Gordon are welcome at editor@5tjt.com.

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TURNER STATEMENT Continued from Front Cover a combination of “I don’t know” and that this sliver of America in Brooklyn and Queens decided that they’ve finally had enough of Barack Obama’s false humility and his new but strange type of elitism.

You don’t think the Turner victory was about this country’s disgust with the president’s overall attitude toward Israel these last few years? Well, think again. Late Tuesday night, I stood amidst the crowd near the podium where Bob Turner would deliver his acceptance speech as the first Republican to represent this 9th District since 1923. If you don’t see anything unusual here, look again.

I was in Howard Beach, Queens, at a ballroom converted for the night into an election headquarters. I was parked here for most of the night instead of the headquarters of Turner’s opponent, Assemblyman David Weprin, because I could only be in one place at a time and there was a sense over the last week that something was amiss, that something unusual and even historic was going to take place. Those of us gathered there for the night were not disappointed. If you want to believe in the power and energy that accompanies momentum, then this was the place to be and a sight to behold.

Shortly before the polls closed on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m., I spoke with a friend who was a Weprin supporter.

He said that he believed that it would be close but that Weprin would pull off a clumsy victory, but a victory nevertheless.

The 9th District that sashays through parts of Brooklyn and Queens includes within it heavily Irish Catholic, Italian, and Orthodox Jewish communities, amongst others. The crowd gathered on Cross Bay Boulevard at Turner election headquarters amply represented that diversity and dichotomy, if you can call it that.

For supporters of Israel and critics of Obama’s policy toward Israel over these last few years, it was abundantly clear what this race for the Weiner seat in Congress was about. That was evident because up on the stage behind the likes of Long Island Congressman Peter King, former New York City mayor Ed Koch, New York State Republican Chairman Ed Cox, and others, were two flags. To the left, of course and as expected, was the flag of the United States. To the right, surprisingly, was the flag of the State of Israel. I don’t think everyone noticed until one of the speakers pointed it out later in the evening.

But that quiet flag made perhaps the loudest statement of the evening.

Mayor Koch said early in the evening that this was going to be an extraordinary evening. He commented on the presence of TV reporters, camera crews from the networks, and trucks parked outside ready to send live signals back to their stations. “I didn’t get this kind of coverage when I was mayor,” he said. And Congressman King said that if you needed an indication that something huge was

Continued on Page 20 18 September 16, 2011

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September 16, 2011 19

TURNER STATEMENT Continued from Page 18 going to happen tonight, just look around the room at the lights, the action, the cameras, and news staff.

Ed Koch said that he worked for Barack Obama’s election in 2008 and then cut directly to the crux of the matter and why he, an 86-year-old ex-mayor, was standing in front of this crowd at 11:00 p.m. on a Tuesday night. “Obama is a nice guy who simply threw Israel under the bus.â€? He explained that there are only 13 million Jews in the world with 6 million of that number residing in Israel. But, he said, the support for Bob Turner was an indication that there are signiďŹ cantly more Christian supporters of Israel than Jews.

So Bob Turner, in his quiet, reserved, and very un-Rick Perry way made history on Tuesday night by being elected to Congress in a district that has always been solidly Democratic. The voters are not robots like the party bosses in Washington and Albany think. Yes, you can scientiďŹ cally calculate with some accuracy how people are going to vote. However, you cannot do so all the time, and there is indeed a point when even predictable voters are capable of saying, “Hey, wait a minute. I don’t like this, and enough is enough.â€?

Clearly this election was primarily about Obama and Israel, though there was an undertone of resentment directed at Weprin for his support of the same-sex marriage bill that passed

into law in New York in June and his extraordinary comments in support of the legislation. At one point Weprin emphasized in remarks in the Assembly that he, as an Orthodox Jew, saw nothing objectionable to the fact of same-sex marriage.

That stance infuriated many, even though Weprin spent the last few weeks trying to backtrack and explain that his support was not a comment on the gay lifestyle but rather on the civil-rights aspects of those unions.

turned the liberal Democrat Mr. Weprin to ofďŹ ce. They did not do so this time, precisely to express discontent with the president.

Certainly some Jewish supporters of Turner, such as Abe Biderman, Chaskel Bennett, and Assemblyman Dov Hikind, may have been the point men in the drive to say no to Weprin and his liberal social positions. But even to them the Turner victory was clearly a repudiation of Obama and his policies on Israel. “Mr. President, we’ve had it

There is indeed a point when even predictable voters are capable of saying, “Hey, wait a minute. I don’t like this, and enough is enough.�

Orthodox Jews, primarily in the parts of the district that cut into Brooklyn, were not buying into that claim and expressed disdain with what they see as the further diminishment and dumbing down of societal norms.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida) said on Wednesday that the Turner victory did not have national implications because the district features a large percentage of Orthodox Jews who do not support President Obama anyway. But it was the Orthodox Jews who time and again re-

the representatives that they believe would serve their interests best.

Turner, a retired cable-TV executive, became a candidate after a meeting about a year and a half ago with New York State Conservative Party leader, Michael Long. Long said that Turner at the time said that he had had his ďŹ ll of Congressman Weiner and wanted to make a contribution to support anyone that was running against Weiner. Long told him that there was no one willing to run against Weiner, and that’s when Turner decided to run. For his part, Turner said that he decided to make the move when his wife, Peggy, told him to “stop complaining and do something.â€? He did. And now he won.

The rest is history. ď ś Comments for Larry Gordon are welcome at editor@5tjt.com.

with your treatment of Israel,� Turner said during his remarks following his victory.

Just a few blocks over from where the Turner group was celebrating was the gala gathering to watch the returns for the NYS Assembly race between Far Rockaway native and good friend Phil Goldfeder and Republican Jane Deacy.

There was concern that Deacy would do better than expected because of the anticipated Turner victory. But that was not to be, as voters demonstrated their ability to think and choose

WHAT’S YOUR OPINION? E-MAIL US AT editor@5TJT.com RABBI MARC SCHNEIER FOUNDING RABBI RABBI YECHIEL SHAFFER ASSISTANT RABBI NETANEL HERSHTIK CANTOR

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September 16, 2011 21

TALMIDAH X Continued from Front Cover ing that in some ways seminary is like everything I thought it would be, and in other ways it is very different from what I imagined.

I woke up on the day of my departure hardly believing I was actually flying to Israel that day. I left my house with my family, trunks in tow. I arrived at the airport, grabbed a luggage cart, and checked in my luggage. Taking leave of my family was very difficult for me. I hugged my parents for a very long time, and kissed them goodbye. When I finally walked away, I had to make good use of the tissues I had packed in my carry-on.

As I sat in the waiting area, I might have looked relaxed, but inside my mind was racing. I sat in my chair and thought, “Why are you doing this?” I looked outside, and I saw the plane, with the words El Al written right next to the Israeli flag. It was then that I remembered why I was sitting there. I was going to Israel to grow in my yirat Shamayim, ahavat Yisrael, and my love of Torah. I was going to have the adventure of a lifetime.

And so, it was with a happier frame of mind that I boarded the plane.

When I spoke with the girls who recently came back from a year in Israel, I suspect there was something they forgot to mention. Although it must have been a good year for them, all beginnings are tough. I was very excited to meet the other girls who

22 September 16, 2011

are also attending my seminary. They are very nice, and I am enjoying all the new friendships I have made. At the same time, we have known each other for less than a week. I strongly encourage the girls who came with friends not to only spend their free time with the people they already know. Walk around and meet new people, or maybe invite some other girls to hang out with you and your

did not think the chavruta was working out. I did have the option of just telling one of the madrichot and having her take care of things, but I think I did the right thing by going over to this girl and explaining myself. Right now, I am very happy with what my current chavrutot and I have accomplished so far.

The madrichot are wonderful. They have been working very hard to help

I thought of the millions of people who gave so much of themselves to Israel, many of whom never got to see the fruits of their labor. friends. As for anyone who came without any friends, try and push yourself to meet new people. Understandably, it can be overwhelming to always have to be on the ball and constantly be friendly. Just remember: one smile can really go a long way.

Making chavrutot for learning can be challenging. Although the pairs were initially set up by the madrichot, most of us have already switched partners. It took a lot of courage for me to walk up to someone and ask her if she would like to learn together with me. It was even harder to let one of my initial partners know that I

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

us ease into seminary life. Their presence is reassuring, not only because when there is a problem I really feel as if I can talk to them, but also because they have a lot of insight and good advice in regards to adjusting to life in seminary.

In many ways, I am pretty much on my own. There is no one to remind me to brush my teeth or do my laundry for me. While it is a little strange, I am enjoying the process of gradually becoming more independent. For the first time today I took the bus by myself, and while I was unsure of what I was doing most of the time,

I asked many different people for directions, and they were very patient about helping me find my way.

To be honest, I am a little homesick. In my last article I wrote that it was a good idea to hang up pictures of family and friends in the dormitory. I will admit that I have already taken down all the photos I taped up, because they made me think of my family and friends more often, which just made the day more difficult. B’H my seminary has computers, so I can stay in touch with people via e-mail, but nothing can compare to face-toface contact.

When Golda Meir signed her name on the proclamation of independence in 1948, witnesses reported that she had tears running down her cheeks. When asked why she was crying, Golda answered, “Because it breaks my heart to think of all those who should have been here today and are not.” As I saw my first glimpse of Tel Aviv through the plane window, I also cried. As I thanked Hashem and my parents for being kind enough to give me the chance to come to Eretz Yisrael, I thought of the millions of people who gave so much of themselves to Israel, many of whom never got to see the fruits of their labor. I will be working extra hard this year to prove to Hashem and to myself that I am worthy of spending the year in Israel.  “Talmidah X” graduated from a high school in the Greater New York area and is attending seminary in Israel.

GPS Continued from Front Cover on our annual short summer vacation in search, as usual, of a hike in a forest to a waterfall. We were, we thought, close to our goal.

The particular falls on our agenda this year were clearly not going to be any match for the stunning double-drop Kaaterskill Falls (made all the more rewarding by the steep climb required to reach it) or Paterson, New Jersey’s unexpectedly impressive Great Falls. But the

falls were fifty-odd miles’ drive and a short forest hike away. Eventually, we reached our goal.

The roundabout way we got there, though, and the one-flat-tire-away-fromdisaster situation we experienced, made me think about Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato.

Well, not about him, astounding a personage as he was, but rather about his most famous work, the Mesilas Yesharim, or “Path of the Just.” Specifically, its first chapter, in which he introduces the idea, familiar to many but

One notice read (honestly): “Trespassers Will Be Shot.

Survivors Will Be Shot Again.” It somehow captured the spirit of the surroundings. difficulty of even finding Buttermilk Falls was inspiration of its own. We had spent most of an entire day driving through the southern foothills of the Catskill Mountains trying to locate our quarry, which, although immobile, had proven elusive.

We knew it wasn’t the larger falls by that same name, nearly 200 miles to the northwest. But, somehow, neither our standard GPS nor my personal one (my wife’s first name is Gita) had managed to guide us smoothly to our destination. Here we were, though, finally, on Buttermilk Falls Road, although it seemed a less than promising avenue.

We passed a rusted-out 1940s-era truck, which had been turned over the decades into a large planter for an impressive assortment of weeds. And then we watched a parade of ramshackle dwellings prominently displaying “No Trespassing” signs pass by outside our car windows. One notice read (honestly): “Trespassers Will Be Shot. Survivors Will Be Shot Again.” It somehow captured the spirit of the surroundings.

The prospect of puncturing a tire on this clearly “residential” dead-end and finding ourselves at the hospitality of the locals was enough to convince us, with no evidence of any waterfall in sight, to do a slow, careful three-point turn (avoiding the deep, foot-wide ditch running on either side of the road) and head gingerly back to the paved road from which we had turned onto the unappealing artery.

It turned out that Buttermilk Falls Road, at least that one, did not in fact lead to Buttermilk Falls. (This was upstate New York; why would it?) The

still counterintuitive to some, that human beings are created to receive pleasure.

He describes the world as a place filled with transient joys, to which we are attracted because of our pleasureseeking natures. But many of those joys in fact distance us from the ultimate pleasure intended for us; our pursuit of them leads us away from our goal.

The ultimate pleasure for which our souls pine is closeness to G-d, and it is only fully obtainable in a world beyond this one. And while all sorts of paths here beckon us, holding out shiny diversions for our consideration and promising true gratification, they are barren roads, even dangerous ones. We need to navigate our lives around them, and trod tried, true paths, not those that may lead to places we may think we wish to go but really do not.

The truth is that all thinking people over time come to realize both that we are pleasure-seekers and that the satisfaction of our desires—no matter how we may feed, clothe, entertain, or pamper ourselves—remains frustratingly out of reach. So many roads that seemed so very promising turn out to be such total disappointments.

While we are still fortunate to occupy this world of doing, though, we always have the ability to execute our personal three-point turns. As I recall the sound of the stones underneath our car on Buttermilk Falls Road that day, I imagine the vibration as the sound of Elul approaching. 

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September 16, 2011 23

FROM THE EDITOR Continued from Front Cover They arrived in Jerusalem—at Mt. Scopus—and tore their garments in mourning over the tragic destruction. As they approached and drew closer, they observed a fox emerging from the place that was the Holy of Holies prior to the wanton destruction. Three of the men, Rebbi Gamliel, Rebbi Elazar ben Azariya, and Rebbi Yehoshua, cried bitter tears. The fourth, however, Rebbi Akiva, laughed, to the alarm and surprise of his colleagues.

It was almost reflexive to conjure up these ancient Talmudic images when reading the other day about the maddening and violent destruction of the Israel Embassy in Cairo, Egypt on Friday night. As Jews, even in this advanced, progressive time in which we live there still seems to be a consistent element of contradiction in our daily lives.

This is particularly so at this time as the State of Israel’s economy is booming. Financial-rating agencies increase the rating that encourages international investment at all levels while the same agencies are downgrading the financial standing of the United States and other countries.

This scenario is playing itself out before our very eyes simultaneously as countries around the world prepare to gather at the United Nations in New York with the top priority of their conclave this year being the further delegitimization and vilification of the Jewish State. The crown jewel of this year’s effort is to be the recognition of Palestine

24 September 16, 2011

on the same geographic real estate that is currently the State of Israel.

For 62 years, Israel has endeavored to be accepted—I mean really accepted— amongst the family of nations. That Israel was accorded recognition in Western capitals was one thing; with the advent of the first and second Camp David agreements and the Oslo accords sandwiched in between, that desire to be recognized and accepted seemed to be advancing and even become an ob-

journ in the Sinai Desert on their way to settling the very same land of Israel, according to the plan as outlined in the Bible.

Bilaam’s objective to curse the Jewish people was thwarted, as G-d intervened in the devious plan and turned the words of a man, who our commentators say knew the secret of how to plug into G-dliness, on its head. Amongst the blessings that Bilaam bestowed upon the ancient Jewish nation was this one:

Israel today, as Bilaam prophesized, does indeed dwell apart. jective unto itself.

There were historic peace treaties with Egypt, and then some years later, with Jordan. The hope was for real, lasting, and genuine peace, and with those additional peace treaties would arrive the reality of much desired recognition and even acceptance; it would be a new day for Israel and indeed the worldwide Jewish community.

But there is the problem that this desire contravenes another biblical premonition. Those are the words of the gentile prophet Bilaam, as recorded in the Torah, who was retained and paid handsomely by the Midianite King Balak to inflict curses on the Jews as they made their way out of their 40-year so-

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“She is a people that dwells alone and is not counted among the nations.” Conceivably, if this was the blessing involuntarily uttered by the prophet, then the curse that were his original intention to utter might have consisted of the direct opposite. That is that Israel and the Jewish people are a nation that mixes well with the nations of the world and is readily accepted amongst the family of nations. (Today that would probably mean the UN.) The Netziv, Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin, in his commentary on the Torah, writes on this subject, “Separateness is a necessity for Jewish survival.”

The objective, however, of the modern Jewish people and the State of Israel

has been quite the reverse over all these years of statehood and of course for many years prior to its founding in 1948.

So the Jewish nation in one form or another is destined—as the prophet said—“to dwell alone.” And that fate apparently has to be played out in one way or another at some point one of these days. One look around us today and it becomes increasingly apparent that there is an involuntary situation evolving that has Israel becoming more isolated and alone than at any other time in recent history.

Here in the U.S.—and America is still Israel’s greatest ally—there is the matter of President Obama and his vision of change for the way Middle Eastern peace can be, or according to him, should be accomplished. That vision or lack thereof calls for greater ostracizing of the Jewish state.

Then there is the ongoing matter of Egypt, an Arab country once not only pointedly hostile to Israel but in an actual state of war, until 1979 when then Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Prime Minister Menachem Begin declared unabashedly and rather courageously, “No more war.” Oddly or ironically enough, Sadat was killed for making peace with Israel. We should have known right from that singular event that this was not going to last forever.

With the downfall of Hosni Mubarak last winter, it quickly became clear that Israel never really had any kind of real peace with Egypt. What they had was a peace agreement with the Egyptian dictator, Mr. Mubarak. And once he fell,

whatever agreements existed were instantly in jeopardy.

One issue that is certain is that it is both dangerous and ill advisable to make peace with one or two people as opposed to responsible parties that you are assured, to whatever extent possible, are actually representative, by virtue of a real, electoral process, of the people you are purported to be at peace with.

That’s why it is as clear as day that it is absolute nonsense to be promoting the idea of entering into a peace agreement arrived at by negotiating with Mohammad Abbas of the Palestinian Authority or that Abbas is the last chance of a leader on their side to make peace with.

He may not only be the last chance but also the worst choice to enter into an agreement with.

At least there is a 400-mile-long buffer between Israel and Egypt—and even that has not been sufficient to prevent terror attacks emanating from the Sinai Desert. What situation would the Israel population be in with a piece of paper signed by a 75-year-old Abbas who is unwilling to risk his tenuous grasp on power by calling elections? The Palestinian population is practically face-toface with the people of Israel. There is hardly any buffer there at all.

Which leads us to next week’s scheduled events at the United Nations. We won’t know what is truly going to happen until the last minute, as the Palestinians these days are big on brinksmanship, if not too much of anything else. One thing to bear in mind is what the late former Israel Ambassador to the UN, Abba Eban, used to say about

the Palestinian leadership: “They never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.”

Taking into consideration all this plus the current crisis in relations with Turkey, a dispute with Lebanon over gas deposits that have been discovered in the Mediterranean and, of course, last Friday night’s ransacking of the Israeli embassy in Cairo, and it looks like Israel has failed in their endeavor to be just

another sovereign nation similar to the other 190 member states of the UN. Israel today, as Bilaam prophesized, does indeed dwell apart.

At the end of the story of the rabbis in the Talmud, upon seeing the destruction, Rebbi Akiva said he saw the realization of the prophecy of Uriah who said, “Zion shall be plowed like a field.”

Akiva laughed because he said that now that he has seen the prophecy of Uri-

ah come to fruition he realizes that the prophecy of Zecharia would come to fruition as well: “Old men and old women shall yet sit in the streets of Jerusalem and children will play in the streets of Jerusalem,”—notwithstanding Israel’s isolation and the best efforts of the United Nations.  Comments for Larry Gordon are welcome at editor@5tjt.com.

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

September 16, 2011 25

Rabbi Pelcovitz Continued from Front Cover mained in that position for more than 40 years, when he retired as rabbi emeritus—an active retirement, to say the least. I had the privilege to sit down with Rabbi Pelcovitz, a renowned teacher, orator, and leader, and reflect on his perspective on the rabbinate and the role of the rabbi—then and now.

B.N.: As a young rabbi starting out, whom did you turn to for guidance?

R.P.: You must understand that I was a rav ben harav. If I were going to be a plumber and my father a rav, it wouldn’t fit. I also absorbed from those around my father. If you read and are curious and pursue the history of leadership in the Jewish community in the 20th century, you’re going to find a group of people whose lives reflect the challenges of your own time even though they preceded you.

When I did the work on translating the Sforno’s commentary on the Torah, people involved in publishing it felt that even though the Sforno lived in the 16th century, in many ways the conditions and pressures of that Jewish society were similar in the sense that we were exposed to the outside world and were no longer insulated as we were in the past.

Those living in the Western world, unlike those living in the Eastern European ghettos, were beginning to reach out and absorb some of the culture. As I grew up, there were people who appealed to me, because they lived in similar times, for example Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch, who lived at a time when society

26 September 16, 2011

was going through some seed changes.

Also, the loyalties and the commitments you see in your own life, growing up in a time when the Orthodox Jewish Rabbinate was not exactly on the ascendency—on the contrary, it was on a downward spiral. And if you see someone who is committed and does not give in, that has its impact on you as well. I grew up in a home in the Litvische world that did not shut out the rest of the world, unlike those who were isolating themselves from the so-called “Goyische World.”

Rabbanus and rabbanim were associated with the Litvische velt. There was not so much of a yeshivishe velt. It was a world that was open to other cultures and influences. Nevertheless, they were very, very strong in their commitment and did not bend and change with the winds of the times.

B.N.: Today with many of the gedolim of the past century no longer among us, who do you see the rabbanus today turning to for guidance?

R.P.: Today we live in a time of specialties, a time we did not experience in the 1940’s, 50’s, or 60’s, the area of kiruv rechokim. When I was growing up, it was very low down on the list. The educational field was also not as strong. In my time, being a rabbi was much more prestigious than being involved in Jewish education, certainly more prestigious than being involved in so-called kiruv work.

As a result, the pulpit world was much more prestigious and more attractive to me and my father as well.

When I first left the yeshiva and I was thinking of getting married—in those days you didn’t think of getting married

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without having a parnassah, unlike today—it was easier for me to get a job in the chinuch world, and I became a principal at a young age, in Hartford, Connecticut. My father was not happy. He did not, in his dreams, see his son becoming a mechanech. He wanted his son to be the rav of a kehillah, not the principal of a school. Even in the yeshiva, there was more respect for our classmates going into the rabbanus than for those going into chinuch.

The rabbinate was defined differently than it is today. In YU, which is the only yeshiva that is serious in the forming and shaping and fashioning of rabbanim, they have divided it, consciously, into three or four different areas—kiruv, social work, educators, and community leadership.

Today, there are few models in community leadership, because the field itself has become truncated, lessened, to a certain degree, watered down, because shuls are no longer the major institutions influencing communities. The role of the shul has become diminished because of the various areas of specialty.

Schools, shuls, community and political leaders, charitable organizations, and Israeli causes all share the responsibility.

You can’t just go to one address and say: Here, this represents the power structure of the community.

Young rabbis should look to their rebbeim and teachers, their mentors, although many come to older rabbanim for guidance. Just three or four weeks ago, a young man who had taken an associate rabbi position in a neighboring community, who was very serious and

sincere about his career, spent several hours with me. I’m sure they would do this with other senior rabbis in Manhattan and Queens. I don’t believe, however, that the aspirations of a young rabbi are similar to those in my time when the rabbinic organizations, the RCA, the Igud Harabonim, were stronger and everything flowed through them. It was important for you to have that collegial feeling and to feel that you were a part of the larger organizations playing a major role on the scene. In my time, the OU was not as strong as it is now.

B.N.: Do you believe that holds true for the larger Jewish community, or more so for places that contain the greatest concentration of Yiddishkeit such as New York, LA, or Chicago?

R.P.: Out of town, the impact of the various shuls is more felt than in a community such as ours, where there is this division of power.

B.N.: Do you think the OU is stronger because of the rabbanim or the baal habatim?

R.P.: In the OU, it’s the baal habatim. In the RCA, it’s the leadership. But the leadership in the 60’s and 70’s was much stronger and the organization much more influential. That intrigues me. I think it’s because of what has happened to the Jewish community. There were big shuls led by rabbanim. Over the passage of time, there are communities with thousands of Jews who belong to shuls, but there is no one big shul in the community.

B.N.: Do you see this as a negative?

R.P.: Both a negative and a positive. A negative in that you lack an address— and sometimes you need an address—

you lack that concentration of influence and power. Yet it is advantageous, because today people are more knowledgeable and feel that they have the right to be more actively involved in the leadership of the community. They are not going to be content in just being baal habatim and just asking for direction; they want to be more involved in making policy.

I’ll give you an example: Kew Gardens Hills has tens and tens of synagogues that did not establish themselves as large congregations, but cater to the needs of a special grouping. Those who are more intellectually inclined will go to a shul that stresses adult education, or to a shul that is more religiously intense. People will choose the shul that is to their taste.

Or they’ll start one. And these are things that we did not have in the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s. There was more of a readiness to accept hanhagah and hadrachah, and to accept the leadership, both rabbinic and lay.

B.N.: Would you say that Klal Yisrael is more apart than it is together?

R.P.: It is more apart in that there are more shadings and different areas of interest and more kinds of different approaches to Yiddishkeit in general, and less of unanimity of what a community believes in or what they want to be, where they’re going to put their money and their power. We have gone through many changes. There was a time when a shul played an important role in the community, both in and out of New York. Then there was a time when Israel was the force of unifying people on a common agenda, in the early part of its existence. There was a time when you could say that all Jews are going to support the State of Israel, support, defend, and give derech eretz to it. Today, that is no longer true. Today, we have the Left and the Right. The Right say Yom Haatzmaut is not that important, and strangely, they are met by the Left on the campus who agree for a different reason. The Right will do it because they feel that the State has not been loyal and committed to the spiritual eternal truths of the Jewish people. They meet with the Left who feel that the State is no longer committed to what they feel are Jewish ideals and are ready to cast it in the most negative light. And for their various reasons, they both agree to oppose it.

B.N.: You seem to be saying that there is a lack of unifying causes to bring Klal Yisrael together.

R.P.: Yes. But at the same time we must be careful to say that today there is much more of a strong core of people who are committed and who believe that Judaism is not a superficial part of life. They are more serious in what they believe in.

They are more self-critical and critical of the communities in which they live. And that is a major change.

B.N.: So you see that the role of the rabbi has changed greatly. More fractionalized?

R.P.: Yes. I see the role of the rabbi today as being more of a challenge to try and hold together a congregation which is not a “cookie cutter” congregation. He has to hold together a congregation that is probably better educated and more sophisticated, and who have prioritized, each one in their own way, what they

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September 16, 2011 27

Rabbi Pelcovitz Continued from Page 27 feel is a priority. And you cannot have 100, 500, or even 300 Jews who will agree on priorities.

B.N.: So the kehillah looks for the rabbi who meets their specific need.

R.P.: I think the kehillah has always clustered around the rabbi who represented to them a spokesman for their core values. Or a projection of what they would like to be ideally. Once upon a time, there used to be a saying that a community hires a rabbi to keep kosher for them. Or they hire a rabbi to keep Shabbos for them. Today, you’re not going to find it in the Orthodox community. In the Orthodox community, there is a lot of judgment—whether the rabbi is frum enough. Does he reflect their basic ideologies and prejudices as well. To be successful, a community shul must create an environment in which different emphases and ideologies can coexist, without cancelling out one another. In our shul, I was always proud that there was a consensus on core values about the State of Israel. I feel that today there is still more that unites us than that separates us. The job of any good rabbi will be to feed and strengthen the areas where there will be more agreement than disagreement.

I recently came across a quote that I like. What holds a family or community or shul together is not chains, it’s threads, a multitude of threads. A wise rabbi should make sure that those threads don’t fray.

B.N.: Is there an effective method of out-

reach for our affiliated brethren—Conservative and Reform?

R.P.: By nature, I’m not the right person to ask that question. There are rabbis, leaders, individuals who are interested in being m’kareiv the rechokim. To them, it’s not just a challenge, it’s their mission, for example the Lubavitcher.

I have argued that perhaps there is too much emphasis on the rechokim and not enough on the strengthening of the kerovim, that they should remain with us and not leave.

B.N.: Today, how does a shul compete for the attention of the youth when everyday life is a multimedia extravaganza?

R.P.: Well, we’re not going to do it by competing with the attractions and the lure and the sex appeal of the world around us. The only way any Jewish organization is going to be successful is by offering them that which the world does not. When all is said and done, it’s human nature to stand back and see that the emperor is naked, to realize that it’s all very artificial and there is very little substance. As a man gets older, he looks for substance, something not of a passing nature. That which has stood the test of time is not the glitter and the glamour, but the core values.

B.N.: If you wait for this realization to settle in, don’t you again find yourself in the position of needing to mekareiv rechokim? How do you attract as a positive force?

R.P.: There are three forces that have not changed in any civilized community.

One is the family, another is education, the last is the communal—chesed, civil, the machinery by which we get things

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done, adding a social cohesiveness. People are by nature social animals, because none of us can live alone. If you create healthy organizations of this nature, where social acceptance, the approval of your peer group, the acceptance on the part of your neighbors and friends, which is very important because no one wants to be ostracized, all these forces together and individually will ultimately be able to hold people together and create a common kind of a goal.

B.N.: You’ve probably been the mesader kedushin at hundreds, thousands of weddings. Has the nature of the advice you give to couples changed over the years?

R.P.: I don’t really spend too much time giving advice. I’m really much more focused on that which they’re interested in the mechanics of the wedding than in the marriage. They want to make sure they have a nice wedding. As far as the marriage is concerned, how many parents sit down with their child before the wedding and have a long, serious conversation of direction? It’s an ad hoc situation. A kid comes with a problem, we deal with the problem. When the marriage is in trouble, and they are looking for a way to salvage it, then they come.

B.N.: Do you see this as a root cause for the alarmingly high rate of divorce among the Orthodox community?

R.P.: The major reason is because it’s become accepted. The major deterrent in the past was because it was frowned upon by community and family. Even stronger, it was condemned. Once it became acceptable, you just went ahead and did it.

B.N.: Among the Torah Jews of today,

over the past 30 years we have seen a proliferation of translations and an availability of texts to the public—let’s call it the ArtScroll Revolution. Has it affected which sheilos are asked to you today?

R.P.: If we had to compare the sheilos of 40 years ago with those of today, the sheilos today are more sophisticated and complex. They used to tell young rabbanim when you begin your first position you need a luach. People are going to ask you ‘Rebbe, which perek of Pirkei Avos is this Shabbos,’ ‘When is the moled,’ or ‘When will we have two days rosh chodesh instead of one?’ Today, the revolution of accessibility has changed a lot. It’s like Home Depot. People figure, ‘Why not try and do it myself? I won’t have to hire somebody.’ To a certain extent, there is a change in the relationship of a baal habayis to a rav also.

B.N.: As a world-renowned homiletic orator, when did you first discover that you could move and motivate people in this way?

R.P.: There is no specific time, date, or moment. Only as you begin to do it, it becomes part of your weekly task and you have to work at it. You understand it’s very important and you can’t take it for granted. As you realize that you have a natural ability, the two come together.

I’m sure it’s true of a painter, a sculptor, or an athlete. It’s not an epiphany. It’s exercising and practicing, and as time goes on, it becomes both easier and harder.

Easier in the sense that you’ve had your fielding and batting practice before the game. At the same time, if you are honest

Continued on Page 31

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

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Rabbi Pelcovitz Continued from Page 28 with yourself, you become more self-demanding, and you’re not going to be satisfied with being mediocre.

B.N.: Of the thousands of derashos you have delivered over the years, the vast majority have been on Shabbosim and yomim tovim where, perhaps appropriately, only your kehillah experienced both your eloquence and your powerful delivery. Do you ever maintain complete texts of your derashos?

R.P.: No. I have a lot of notes and outlines but as for texts, very few, mostly given at dinners, conventions, and conferences. I have never been a prisoner to the text. It becomes mechanical and lacking in spontaneity. I have always told students, ‘If you want to be a good speaker, you need to be a good listener and a good reader. You have to do an awful lot of reading and absorbing to have tools.’ A good craftsman, whether a carpenter or a tailor, needs good equipment. For a speaker, his only tools are his vocabulary, his language, his clarity of thinking, and his ability to put it together in an orderly fashion.

B.N.: I’ve seen you countless times come in to shiurim with only a few notes. It seems that most of these shiurim, such as the Pesach Hagaddah, do not exist in print, and only lately has there been the technology to record them faithfully. Do you have an eye on posterity?

R.P.: There are a lot of tapes. Most shiurim in these fields are what a person has read, heard, and studied over many years.

He distills and tries to organize these thoughts in a coherent fashion. That is something that comes with time and to people who have a gift for organization which carries over into many areas—and we’re not talking about the condition of your desk. Organization is a native talent. I sometimes listen to young people speak and I can tell you who has the native talent and who does not, and who will never have it. It’s a gift like any other. If you have it, use it and don’t abuse it.

The Ribbono Shel Olam gave me certain talents, and I find in my retirement that using these gifts and talents does manifest itself. If not it becomes rusty and loses some of its luster.

B.N.: Today, when you speak, it is an opportunity to sharpen yourself, and you get ample notice. But when you were doing this week in and week out for 40 years, how did you motivate yourself?

R.P.: Anyone who does things in public needs to have a certain degree of pride, the self-effacing individual lacking this will not be matzliach. The baalei mussar say there is no middah of a human being that should be totally destroyed or rejected. Take gaiva—pride can become arrogance, so he needs to be able to temper his pride with a degree of humility, to realize he will not always be on the top of his game. He has to be self-critical, that he won’t always be on his A game.

But he can’t be so deflated as to lose his self confidence. He must always retain that and constantly challenge himself to do something that he will be proud of, and that people will admire, and that people will look forward to experiencing in the near future. You can neither be the greatest anav nor the greatest baal gai-

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September 16, 2011 31

Rabbi Pelcovitz Continued from Page 31 va in this profession and be successful.

I tell young rabbis that every once in a while, you have to say, ‘I’m not going to take myself that seriously.’ And you are the one that punctures that inflated ego, not somebody else. If you can do that, you’ll be a happier person.

B.N.: We’ve spoken before of your major work on the translation of the Sforno. Is there any reason why you chose it?

R.P.: First, in my younger years, I used to do a lot of teaching of Chumash and Meforshim—for 30-some years every Friday night. I found that this commentator was very succinct; he focused in on a concept, and rarely went far afield. By and large, he was concerned with pshat, and a narrative, but he also infused it with certain ethical teachings. He was a Universalist, and that appealed to me.

The Litvischer baalei mussar were great, great admirers of the Sforno, and I had a brother-in-law, z’l, who was a fine baal mussar, and wrote many seforim and was a talmid muvhak of the Alter of Slabodke. He introduced me to the Sforno. The Sforno is pithy, real, and relatable to the century in which you are living and had a great understanding of the psychology of human nature. I saw him as a meforosh, largely unknown to the vast majority of students, and we can open him up to them—and this is what we did.

B.N.: Is there anything else you are working on in print?

R.P.: Right now I am finishing a second book with my son (Dr.) David Pelcovitz.

We finished one, Balanced Parenting, now we’re finishing one called Balanced Living. It’s on certain middos ha’adam— happiness, forgiveness, gratitude, and we are practically at the conclusion.

B.N.: What were your great challenges in parenting, in having to divide your time between the kehillah and your family?

R.P.: I hope that I was successful. If my children needed help, or if they needed guidance or resolution, I never allowed my public responsibilities to get in the way. I always gave my number one priority to the family. I felt that if you have a balanced and satisfying family life, it will pashut make your life a more balanced and happy one. Then you’ll be able to do your job in your professional life better too. A person who is not content with himself and his family, it will certainly spill over into his performance on the job. This was always a guiding principle for me.

B.N.: What do you miss most after leaving the position of mara d’asra?

R.P.: When you have been very active and wrapped up in your career, when you retire and these challenges are no longer there, you miss the challenges.

I preach to others that I agree with the statement that it’s better to wear out than to rust out. But when you retire, this daily activity is missing, and missed.

I certainly don’t miss being bothered all the time.

B.N.: Finally, which of your many honors is the one you most cherish?

R.P.: If you are referring to these (points to the plaques on the wall), none is as important or meaningful as the many enduring friendships I have made with truly special people, and these I keep with me always. 

32 September 16, 2011

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

Elul And Rosh Hashanah: An Overview Halachic Musings

BY RABBI YAIR HOFFMAN The beauty and complexity of the world around us point to a Creator. Just as it is impossible to believe that beautiful artwork was created by the accidental spilling of paint, so too, it is impossible to believe that the world was not created by a Creator.

The Creator of the world had purpose in His creation. The purpose, according to the Ramchal in Derech Hashem, was to reward mankind. Hashem is the ultimate Giver and He desires to give to us, His creations. Reward, however, can only be truly granted if it is earned. Reward is granted when people make the correct choices, by exercising their own individual bechirahâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;free choice to do good. We earn reward by performing Hashemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mitzvos and by becoming closer to and emulating the Creator.

We cannot, of course, make choices for other people. Each person must earn their own reward. What we can do as parents, teachers, and friends is two things: 1. We can provide others with the Torah education and knowledge necessary to make correct choices.

2. We can also assist in placing ourselves, our friends, our children, and our students in logistical situations where they will be exposed to holiness,

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spirituality, and goodness.

Rosh Hashanah, and the period of time immediately before and after it, culminating in Yom Kippur and Sukkos, is a time of remarkable spiritual growth.

Each one of us should make it our personal decision to use this time to grow.

It is a Divinely inspired time when Hashem gives us second chances.

Elul Rosh Chodesh Elul has special signiďŹ cance in regard to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Second Chances.â&#x20AC;? On Rosh Chodesh Elul, Moshe went back up Har Sinai to receive the second set of luchos. The second set made up for the ďŹ rst set of luchos that were broken because of the collective sins of Klal Yisrael. Moshe Rabbeinu spent 40 days and 40 nights there, returning on the tenth day of Tishreiâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Yom Kippur. Since that time, these days have been considered yemei ratzonâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;days in which a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teshuvah is more readily accepted.

We can better prepare ourselves for judgment during this time by doing teshuvah, teďŹ llah, and tzedakah.

Each morning during the month of Elul, the shofar is sounded after the Shacharis service. According to the Gemara in Rosh Hashanah, Moshe Rabbeinu enacted that the shofar be sounded during this time so that Klal Yisrael will not sin again during this time. This

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Continued on Page 34

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

September 16, 2011 33

Halachic Musings Continued from Page 33 minhag helps us in our teshuvah. Rav Moshe Feinstein rules (IM OC IV #21) that if a shul forgot to blow shofar at Shacharis they should do so during Minchah.

From the first of Elul until Shemini Atzeres we recite L’Dovid Hashem Ori twice each day. Nusach Ashkenaz says it in the evenings and at Shacharis.

Nusach Sephard says it during Shacharis and during Minchah. The pesukim in this kapitel Tehillim contain allusions to the yomim tovim in Tishrei. It was also the tefillah that David HaMelech wrote to be recited when the Aron would be placed in the Kodesh haKedoshim in the Beis HaMikdash—where Hashem is en-

throned as Master of all creation.

Elul is also a time when we can achieve the pinnacle of closeness, dveikus, to our Creator. The month of Elul is also the rashei teivos, the abbreviation, of Shlomo HaMelech’s words in Shir HaShirim (6:3), “Ani ledodi vedodi li—I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.” This pasuk expresses the yearning of the Jewish neshamah toward deveikus Bashem.

During Elul, we perform our mitzvos with greater care and devotion. It is proper to set aside time each day to examine our deeds. Many check their mezuzos and tefillin during this month.

Another zechus that we can gain during the month of Elul is, in both our oral

Continued on Page 42

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The Clothing We Wear The Afterlife

BY DR. BERNIE KASTNER Doing the laundry is something usually relegated to one of the spouses. Unless you are a vain Hollywood celebrity who wears a piece of new underclothing only once before discarding it altogether, for the rest of us, soiled clothing goes in the hamper for its turn to spin in the cycle of swirling water and detergent. Some of us will (dare I say it?) wear a shirt twice in a row before putting it in the laundry. If one didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sweat, why not wear it again? At least, one may suppose, it is a showing of appreciation and consideration for the spouse for not overloading the hamper every day with a pile of relatively clean clothes.

As taking out the garbage may lead those with sensitive olfactory nerves to gag, so too one may be disgusted from touching the soiled laundry of other family members. I have heard young mothers tell me that they have no problem when it comes to changing the soiled diaper of their own baby; but when it comes to changing someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s baby, they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do itâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;squeamishness sets in.

What does all this have to do with the afterlife? Well, I was thinking about our body and what happens to it as we age.

I was looking at some still pictures of various family members from 20 and 30 years ago, and even some that go back 60 or more years. Comparing the images of their youth to what these octogenarians look like today is both interesting and shocking.

When I was doing my hospital administration training at the Barnert Memorial Hospital Center in New Jersey back in the academic year 1980â&#x20AC;&#x201C;81, I remember standing by the pathologist as he was performing an autopsy. I actually requested to observe one. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t part of my required curriculum; nevertheless I wanted to have the experienceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;under controlled conditions. It was truly fascinating and quite instructive to see how he removed and dissected the internal organs. At one point toward the end of the procedure, I gazed down at the empty abdominal cavity and thought I was in some kind of twilight zone. The body didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to be that of a personâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it was more like a shell. I felt detached from any emotion that I may have had when I ďŹ rst walked (rather gingerly) into the room.

That day remained indelibly imprinted on my brain. Recently, 30 years later, I had an encounter of a different kind with the deceased, but this time it was far more shocking and thought-provoking than I had experienced previously.

Earlier this month my mother-in-law, of blessed memory, passed away. When the hospital called to inform us, my wife and I headed to the unit. For some reason I expected that by the time we got there the body would have been removed from the room. To my utter surprise, when we walked into the room,

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September 16, 2011 35

THE AFTERLIFE Continued from Page 35 her emaciated body lay there uncovered and in full view. The contrast to the woman she was just a few months ago was vivid and sharp.

A day later, as I flipped through pictures of her youth, I was reminded of what naturally happens to us over the course of many years of bodily wear and tear. The soul took up residence in her body for the many years of her life in this world, and naturally the body got bruised, banged up, soiled, poked, broken, weakened, and otherwise shriveled up.

Because our bodies have a spiritual side—some compare the body to a temple—I can’t compare human wear and tear to a piece of soiled laundry. After all, we treat our bodies with more respect than the clothes we throw into a hamper. And when it is truly time to throw away those dirty, hole-filled socks, we readily do so—with the knowledge that they may be gross now, but one day they were new, warm, and comfortable.

But we can’t just chuck our body away

if we don’t like it.

Just as we use a washing machine to clean our clothes, take them to a tailor to mend them, patch them up when needed, and professionally press them from time to time, so too we take care of our bodies by eating properly, exercising, and maintaining regular visits to

and one body at a time. We can’t just go to the local “used body lot” and make an exchange.

My mother-in-law’s body resembled that shell I witnessed back in 1981.

When our soul is encased within, the body is a vibrant mechanism. When the soul gets ready to exit, the body

Just as a shirt takes on the shape of its hanger, so too our body takes on the shape of its neshamah. Take away the hanger and the shirt falls to the floor shapeless. the doctor. Nonetheless, when our bodies seem to be “beyond repair,” others may be revolted by the look, the smell, and the feel.

We are given one lifetime at a time

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that it leaves behind may not be such a pretty sight. However, I believe that the metamorphosis we have observed should rather be channeled toward seeing the body as a piece of clothing. Just

as a shirt takes on the shape of its hanger, so too our body takes on the shape of its neshamah. Take away the hanger and the shirt falls to the floor shapeless, without any distinguishing form. Without our neshamah, the body turns into an empty cavity, devoid of any meaningful form—devoid, in essence, of any life.

I try to pay close attention to people’s faces. When I see a 6-year-old, I try to imagine them as a 62-year-old, and when I see a 54-year-old, especially if it is someone I personally knew when they were 10, then I look beyond the gray hair and rough skin and try to see that 10-year-old. Playing with these images in my mind also helps me not get intimidated by anyone. Just as we see the emperor without any clothes, so too, trying to find one’s essence, one’s soul, can be gratifying indeed.

We mourn the loss of our loved ones, but we have faith that we will one day be reunited with them. Our prophets have promised that those already departed will come back to life at the end of days, when we will all meet again.

Thus the separation, as painful as it is, is only temporary.

Rabbi Aron Moss writes that while the Romans were able to destroy the buildings of Jerusalem, they could never destroy its spirit and inner holiness.

No enemy can destroy the soul of Jerusalem, and even today it remains the Holy City. So too, death can only take away the body, the physical persona.

But the soul lives on. Even after their passing, our loved ones are with us in spirit. They give us strength when we face challenges, and they smile with us when we celebrate. While we can no longer see them, we can sense their presence.

Granted, it still may be natural for many to be put off by an unpleasant or frightening sight. I admit I had a hard time entering the hospital room with the motionless body lying there in full view for the family to say its last goodbyes. So when I went home and looked at pictures of how my mother-in-law looked in her youth, it made me understand that the shirt was merely taken off the hanger and she will now don her spiritual clothing in Olam HaBa.  Dr. Bernie Kastner is a psychotherapist in private practice with offices in Jerusalem and Ramat Bet Shemesh. He is also the author of “Understanding the Afterlife in This Life” and “Masa El Haor.” Feel free to visit his website at drbkastner.com. He can be reached at bdk15@ caa.columbia.edu.

WHAT’S YOUR OPINION? E-MAIL US AT editor@5TJT.com 36 September 16, 2011

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

real estate & mortgage financing

By Anessa V. Cohen

Post-Irene After Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene subsided, it was interesting how human nature played out. As the rain stopped and everything quieted down, little by little people started poking their heads outside their doors to see what was going on beyond their little nests.

First stop, of course, was the perimeter of each person’s house to see what damage, if any, had occurred and if there was any flooding. After looking at their own properties, groups of people strolled along their block or the few blocks near them to see what was going on in their particular neck of the woods and if everyone else was OK. The largest groups of people seemed to congregate near the properties having the largest downed trees to discuss either what the tree hit or how that unfortunate homeowner would remove the offending tree.

You also had those (like me) who got into their car and started driving around the neighborhood to see how we fared now that the tumult was over. It was a real experience, to say the least, driving around and seeing what was happening. Some had no hint of hurricane aftereffects other than a wet lawn. Yet

there was block after block between Cedarhurst Avenue and Rockaway Turnpike as well as many blocks in Woodmere near the lake that were so flooded that even driving down those blocks was an impossibility all day Sunday.

For those of you who missed some of the pictures that were in the newspapers, it was really cute to see some who put kayaks out on the water to paddle around and experience the novelty of having waterfront property for the very first time. Of course, if the waters had actually reached those homes and caused damage, no one would have thought it was very cute. But, thank goodness, insofar as the eye could see, the floodwaters went onto the lawns of the various homes but did not seem to reach the houses themselves. Although getting to and from the houses was very difficult, it was more nuisance than anything else.

The more interesting flooding, which I had never seen before during all the years I have lived here, was the flooding of the catch basins off Branch Boulevard going into North Woodmere. Those wa-

Continued on Page 39

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that’s the WAY IT IS

By Hannah Reich Berman

What If It started out as an ordinary day. Then my doorbell rang. I wasn’t expecting anyone, but I went to answer the door.

Standing in front of me was a total stranger, an elderly woman with flaming red hair in a shade vaguely reminiscent of a Crayola crayon, a shade that only a very old lady would choose. When I saw that she had parked in front of my house, my first reaction was surprise that this woman was still driving a car.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

She appeared on the verge of tears as she answered. “I’m lost. Can you tell me where Woodmere Boulevard is?”

Thinking she was new to the area, I proceeded to give her directions. But she seemed not to be listening because she interrupted me. “I live there but I can’t find the street. I keep going the wrong way.” Then she emitted a little laugh before adding, “Maybe I shouldn’t be driving anymore.”

I refrained from telling her that, since she lived on Woodmere Boulevard, which was just a few blocks from where she now was, and since she was unable to find her way home, then there was no maybe about it. She should not be driving any longer. Then, upon closer in-

38 September 16, 2011

spection, I gauged her to be close to 90.

The look of confusion on her face was pitiable and, after I had repeated the directions several times, I knew she was in trouble. She had only to remember two things: turn left onto Peninsula Boulevard and make a right at the third traffic light, which would be Woodmere Boulevard. It couldn’t have been simpler, but

It occurred to me to speak to her about giving up driving before we started our mini-journey, but I thought that would further upset her. Instead, I would speak to her when we got to our destination. But that never happened, and I lost my opportunity.

We drove about 200 feet to Peninsula Boulevard and then we turned left. As always, there was a lot of traffic on Peninsula, so I immediately signaled and then veered into the right lane, because I sensed that she would need time to do that and Woodmere Boulevard wasn’t far away. She was able to follow me into the right lane, but she drove so slowly that within seconds two cars got

I didn’t trust her to keep her foot on the brake. And while I wanted to help the lady, I didn’t want to end up dead. she wasn’t getting it. So I offered to take her there.

“No, thank you, but I have my own car,” she said as she pointed to her vehicle. I explained that what I meant was that I would lead her to her home; she had only to follow me. Her face lit up and she accepted my offer. “I live at 29 Woodmere Boulevard,” she told me. I told her I knew where that apartment building was and that I would get her there. Then she went back to her car to wait for me while I went inside to get my car keys and handbag.

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

between us. I slowed to a crawl, which annoyed the drivers behind me (their blaring horns were proof of that), and they went around me and, very happily, I am sure, left me in the dust.

Since I needed the lady to be able to see me, I kept pace with her, rather than the other way around. And it occurred to me that what I had often heard was true: driving too slowly can just as easily cause an accident as driving too fast.

Most of the time, my foot was on my brake. I couldn’t wait to get the woman home.

Unfortunately, about 300 feet before we reached Woodmere Boulevard, I looked into my rearview mirror and discovered that she wasn’t behind me.

Instead she had, for some reason, gone into the left lane, and I could see that her left signal was on. She was intending to turn left instead of right. She was about to get lost again.

Luckily, the light was red, so I put on my parking brake, hopped out of my car, and raced back to her car. I was afraid to go in front of her, because I didn’t trust her to keep her foot on the brake. And while I wanted to help the lady, I didn’t want to end up dead. So I banged on the passenger window, which, for some reason, she chose not to roll down, and indicated to her that she had gotten into the wrong lane and that she needed to get back to the right lane and turn right at the light.

She smiled and nodded to let me know that she understood. Then I raced back to my own car and when the light changed I made the turn onto Woodmere Boulevard, pulled over to the curb, and waited for her.

I didn’t hear a crash and I didn’t hear any horns, so I wasn’t sure she had followed my instructions. But somehow she did manage to get into the right lane and make the turn, and within seconds I spotted her. It was like a game of cat and mouse; first I was ahead of her, then she was ahead of me, and then I eventually got in front of her again. And all the while I thought we might both end up in an accident. But I couldn’t give up.

The next time I looked into my mirror,

I saw that once again she wasn’t behind me. Instead, she had pulled into a gas station. Not convinced that she knew where she was or what she was doing, I made a U-turn (illegally) and raced back to the gas station. But by the time I got there, she was gone. For someone who had been driving so slowly, all of a sudden this redhead had picked up speed and had turned into a regular Thelma, or maybe it was Louise.

Next, I drove back to 29 Woodmere Boulevard and waited for her. But 20 minutes later she still hadn’t shown up.

I was disappointed, because I had wanted to try to convince her to give up driving, and I thought maybe she would give me the name and phone number of a son or a daughter so that I could call him or her to explain what had just happened.

But I had no way to find my new friend because I had no idea what her name was nor did I know her apartment number. I finally gave up and drove away but I couldn’t help thinking, What if it had been my mother? And then I got real: What if someday that will be me?  Hannah Berman lives in Woodmere and is a licensed real-estate broker associated with Marjorie Hausman Realty. She can be reached

REAL ESTATE Continued from Page 37 terways, to my knowledge, rarely went high and flooded during nor’easters, yet this time around the waters were into Branch Boulevard at some parts, and the lakeside benches in that small park were completely submerged. Since I heard that on the other side of the lake in Woodmere many streets had also been badly flooded from the lake waters, I wondered if we would have to rethink our laid-back attitudes in years gone by as to the likelihood of flooding coming from these previously mild catch basins and take more precautions around the homes situated nearby.

The next day I started calling some of my clients living on beachside waterfront properties, mostly in Long Beach, to see how they had fared. I found most of them to be pleasantly surprised to find that after they returned (many of my beachfront clients had evacuated) to see what kind of damage they were facing, the flooding from the ocean was not what they had anticipated. In the opposite situation of those homes near the catch basins, they basically just had to re-secure the odd shingle or roof tile blown off by the wind but did not have to deal with any water damage this time around.

All of this shows us that in the future we can take nothing for granted and have to make sure to secure any of our homes near the catch basins as well, rather than assuming that these areas will never flood.  Anessa Cohen lives in Cedarhurst and is a licensed real-estate broker and a licensed N.Y.S. mortgage broker with over 20 years of experience, offering full-service residential and commercial real-estate services (Anessa V Cohen Realty) and mortgaging services (First Meridian Mortgage) in the Five Towns and throughout the tri-state area. She can be reached at 516-5695007 or via her website, www.AVCrealty.com.

Readers are encouraged to send questions or comments to anessa.cohen@AVCrealty.com.

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

September 16, 2011 39

MINDBIZ

By Esther Mann, LCSW

Dear Esther, I’m writing to you about my concern over my mother. She is in her early eighties and lives alone. I don’t know a tremendous amount about her upbringing, but I know it was a difficult one. She lost her husband, my father, when she was quite young. Though she was only in her early forties, she never remarried. She worked very hard to raise me and my younger brother. She worked full time and then on the weekends would take in some sewing or do other odds jobs to make a few more dollars.

Over the past few years, I’m seeing my mother as a very sad lady. I would go so far as to say she seems depressed.

I work full time, but nevertheless I try to take her out once or twice a week.

We’ll go to a movie, a show, a museum, lunch, or something special. While we are out together, she seems OK. She even sometimes seems actually happy.

But then, when I call her later in the evening to check in on her, her voice sounds so down and depressed again, as though we didn’t just experience a great time together. When I hear her tone, I can’t get off the phone quickly enough.

I wind up feeling so depressed myself that I can’t sleep or concentrate on anything else.

I’ve asked my mother to move in with me on several occasions. I feel as though there is life in my house. My husband is wonderful. Occasionally my children and grandchildren come by and she could shep nachas and feel happy. But her independence seems to be of paramount importance to her.

Sometimes I find myself blaming my brother and sister-in-law for not helping more. I wish they would be more involved with my mother. My brother tells me that she is a downer and that it’s hard for him to be around her. I understand what he is saying but still feel he could do more.

But the real reason I’m writing to you is that I find that the situation is impacting my life dramatically. I’m just not myself anymore. The pain I feel for my mother is so strong that it’s hard for me to enjoy my life. I know that I’ve been blessed with so much and yet I’m always obsessing over my mother. It kills me that she’s endured so much pain in her life. And I want to help her but I just don’t seem to be able to do so.

I know that lately my husband and children feel like I’m not the person I used to be. They tell me I seem distracted, uninvolved, and unhappy. Sadly, they are right. I just spend so many of my waking moments trying to figure out what I can do for my mother, and somehow I feel enormous guilt over the fact that she had such a rough life and I didn’t.

Though my desire to help her will probably never leave me, I’m wondering if it is too much to ask to want to take back my former life, when her state of mind didn’t impact me so much.

The interesting thing is that I’m not

40 September 16, 2011

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

even sure whether my mother’s sadness is something that developed over the past few years or whether I was too busy or she was too busy for me to even notice—which, of course, makes me feel even sadder!

I just want my mother to enjoy her golden years to some degree and also— maybe this makes me selfish—I don’t want to continue sacrificing my own life and not enjoying what I should be enjoying. I don’t want to look back over this time and decide that I could have been happy and that I was chasing a dream that never could have come my way in any case.

How do I save myself?

Overly Concerned Dear Overly Concerned, First off, it does sound as though your mother is depressed. Whether the well has gone dry over the past few years or whether she’s been depressed for most of her life but she and you and everyone else were just so busy trying to get through the day that no one noticed, we will never know for sure. It’s possible that your mother was born with the tendency toward depression, that it’s just her wiring and something that was never addressed. It’s also possible that her life circumstances have finally caught up to her, and as she lives out the rest of her life, she is spending more and more time thinking obsessively about her losses and disappointments and experiencing pain as a result.

As it happens, the senior population suffers from depression a great deal and is chronically under-diagnosed and not treated properly. Many seniors would benefit enormously from medication and even therapy. I don’t know whether you have discussed these possibilities with your mother, but if you haven’t, you should.

So aside from calling her regularly, which you do; taking her out regularly, which you do; welcoming her to live with you, which you have; and discussing some sort of professional intervention, which if you haven’t already, you should, you’ve done all that you can. So now let’s get to work on you.

The biggest problem I see here is that you believe you can fix your mother.

Furthermore, you don’t have a healthy boundary in place between the two of you. As a result, you are absorbing all of her pain and it’s becoming your pain.

If you read my column, you’ll know that I say this all the time: the only person any of us can ultimately fix is ourselves. We can show up, we can be compassionate, we can offer good ideas, and we can be loving, but we can’t fix. It is incumbent upon every individual to ultimately discover their own joy and fulfillment. For some people it’s like climbing Mount Everest; too many obstacles keep pushing them back down. Some people just give up while others are able to keep persevering, until they get on top of their challenges. But no one person can make it happen for another.

I know that if you could do it for your mother, you would.

But there is something inherently unhappy about your mother. Whether it’s chemical or situational, she seems to be trapped in a very sad place and unable or unwilling to budge for the moment.

It’s so hard to watch. It sounds as though you love her dearly and would do anything for her. Know that you are doing a lot. Though your outings don’t create lasting happiness, at least in the moment you are providing her with joy. That is a wonderful gift that you are giving her.

Now, on to your boundaries.

This is tricky. My guess is that growing up as the oldest child and as a daughter, you probably took on some motherly duties and became the parentified child. You’re your mother working the kind of hours that she did, you no doubt had to step up and assume her role in certain areas. When that happens, boundaries often become blurred, and it’s sometimes even hard to fully grasp where one person ends and the other begins, at least on an emotional level. You and your mother are clearly very intertwined.

It’s a struggle sometimes to figure out how to be compassionate toward someone you

love without actually “owning” their pain. Right now, you are absorbing everything your mother feels, and it’s becoming yours to struggle with.

This is a serious problem. And it doesn’t help your mother at all. It doesn’t make her feel any better, and it cheats you and your family out of the happiness you all should be enjoying together. Your husband, children, and grandchildren are being short-changed. Is that what you want for them?

I don’t think so.

I also have to wonder whether it is possible that you have some of your own depression issues. Like most physical and emotional issues, depression is genetic, and perhaps your mother has passed down some of those genes to you. Just a thought.

For both of these reasons, I strongly urge you to speak to a professional. You will quickly know whether or not any of this is about you, and then you will move on to working on establishing healthy boundaries

and a healthier relationship with your mother.

It’s hard to see someone you love suffer. However, you need to focus more on the joyful times spent together. Reminisce with her over the excellent dinner you shared, the funny show you watched, or the adorable antics of your grandchildren. And when you are alone with your thoughts, do the same. Try to focus on the fun times you were able to provide for your mother.

Not everything is in our

hands. We do the best we can and then have to step back and accept the plan. You’re doing a great job. You can’t take the place of a long-departed husband or other losses in your mother’s life, but you can continue to be the excellent daughter that you are. Allow yourself to revel in that.

Esther Esther Mann, LCSW, is a psychotherapist in Lawrence. Esther works with individuals and couples.

She can be reached at mindbiz44@ aol.com or 516-314-2295.

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Halachic Musings Continued from Page 34 communications and our written ones, to wish others a kesivah vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;chasimah tovahâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a good writing and sealing! Done with the correct intent, such a greeting is a fulďŹ llment of a Torah mitzvah, veâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ahavta lereiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;acha kamocha. This may be categorized under the â&#x20AC;&#x153;tzedakahâ&#x20AC;? sectionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which literally doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just mean charity, it means acts of righteousness, especially toward others. This is also alluded to in the pasuk in Megilas Esther, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ish lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;reiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;eihu umatanos lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;evyonimâ&#x20AC;? where the ďŹ rst letters spell out Elul again.

During this time many have the minhag to recite the entire Tehillim twice before Rosh Hashanah. Since there are 150 perakim, saying it twice will equal 300. The gematria of the letters chof, pei, and reish equal 300. Kapeir means â&#x20AC;&#x153;atone.â&#x20AC;?

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If someone is hurt, call for medical assistance.

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Cooperate with the police. In New York, you are required to give your name and address. Show your driver's license and insurance card to the other party. Obtain the same from them for you will need this information to make any future claims. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stick to the facts.â&#x20AC;? If you were driving at a speed of 40 mph, do 8. not say you were flowing with the traffic under the speed limit.

Obtain names and addresses of vehicle's other occupants.

Use your camera phone to photograph the damages to the other 9. vehicle and of the accident scene or write it down..

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Obtain contact information from any witnesses.

Determine the value of your vehicle and the estimated cost of the repair in order to make an intelligent decision on whether or not to proceed with the repair.

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a deserted area. Call 911 immediately and proceed to a busy area and wait.

Do not stay in vehicle if you are in a dangerous location.

Do not leave your vehicle in the way of traffic.

Do not let the other party persuade you with promises of reimbursement of your damages and to please trust them.. Wait for the police!

Get a police report to protect yourself.

Do not volunteer unnecessary information like what you were planning to do after the light changed. Just say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I stopped at the light and was hit from behind.â&#x20AC;?

Do not discuss, argue or admit who is at fault.

Do not let your car be towed without obtaining information from towing company as to rates and how to get your car released. Make it clear that they have no authority to dismantle your car or contact your insurance company. Ideally you should have your vehicle towed directly to your repair shop or to your driveway.

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During this time it is the custom in Klal Yisrael to arise early before dawn and to recite Selichosâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;special prayers requesting mercy and forgiveness. Sephardim recite the Selichot during the entire month of Elul; Ashkenazim recite

Moshe Rabbeinu enacted that the shofar be sounded during this time so that Klal Yisrael will not sin again during this time.

Selichos beginning on the Motzaei Shabbos before Rosh Hashanah. During the time of the Gaonim, Selichos were only said during the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah.

If Rosh Hashanah falls on a Monday or Tuesday, Selichos begin on the previous Motzaei Shabbos. Rosh Hashanah can never fall on a Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday. This is called Lo ADU Rosh.

Can you explain why it is called this?

The shliach tzibbur who is chosen both for Selichos as well as the yomim noraim should have the following six qualities, in order of preference: talmid chacham; yarei Shamayim; 30 years old or more; married with children; sweet voice; and merutzah laKahalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;desired by and acceptable to the congregation.

The baal teďŹ llah for Selichos should also, ideally, be the shliach tzibbur for Shacharis and Minchah. This is to fulďŹ ll the principle found in the Jerusalem Talmud (Pesachim 10:5) of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hamaschil bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mitzvah omrim lo gâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mor.â&#x20AC;? ď ś (To be continued) The author can be reached at Yairhoffman2@ gmail.com.

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From The C Chassidic Masters Crossing The Border “I offer thanks to You, O living and everlasting king, for having restored my soul within me; great is Your faithfulness.”

Our first conscious act of the day is to avow our indebtedness and gratitude to our Creator. As soon as we wake from sleep, before getting out of bed or even washing our hands, we recite the abovequoted lines of the Modeh Ani prayer, acknowledging that it is He who grants us life and being every moment of our existence.

The ideas contained in the ostensibly simple lines of Modeh Ani fill many a profound chapter in the legal, philosophical, and mystical works of Torah.

In an essay by the Lubavitcher Rebbe called Inyanah Shel Toras HaChassidus (“On the Essence of Chassidism”), the Rebbe speaks of the many layers of meaning contained within every part of Torah, using the 12 Hebrew words of Modeh Ani as an example. The Rebbe extracts from them insights into the nature of the omnipresence and allpervasiveness of G-d, the principle of “perpetual creation” (G-d’s constant infusion of vitality and existence into the world, without which it would revert to

utter nothingness), the laws governing the return of a pikadon (an object entrusted to one’s care), and the Kabbalistic concept of Sefiras HaMalchus (the Divine attribute of Sovereignty).

If so, asked the Rebbe on another occasion, why is the Modeh Ani said immediately upon waking, with a mind still groggy from sleep? Would it not have been more appropriate to precede it with a period of study and contemplation of these concepts?

Night And Day The physiology of our bodies and the rhythm of the astral clocks partition our lives into conscious and supraconscious domains. During our waking hours, our mind assumes control of our thoughts and actions, screening, filtering, and interpreting the stimuli that flow to it and issuing commands and instructions to the body. But at night, when we sleep, the “command center” shifts to a deeper, darker place within our psyche—a place where fantasy supersedes logic, sense supplants thought, and awareness is replaced by a more elemental form of knowing. Hard facts become pliant and absurdities become tenable in this nocturnal world.

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There are certain truths, however, that are unaffected by these fluctuations of knowledge and awareness. Our faith in G-d, His centrality to our existence, the depth of our commitment to Him—we know these things utterly and absolutely, and we know them at all times and in all states of consciousness.

Wakefulness and sleep affect only the external activity of the intellect; what we know with the very essence of our being, however, we know no less when plunged into the deepest recesses of slumber. On the contrary: when awake, we must wade through the presuppositions and polemics of an intellect shackled to the “realities” of the physical state in order to arrive at these truths; asleep, our mind loosened from its subjective moorings, we enjoy a closer and deeper (albeit less conscious) awareness of our innermost convictions.

The Modeh Ani prayer, explained the Rebbe, exploits a unique moment of our day—the moment that lies at the threshold of wakefulness, the moment that straddles the conscious and supraconscious domains of our day. There are other moments, other prayers in the course of our day which take full advantage of our powers of intellect and reasoning—prayers that follow lengthy and profound meditations upon their content and significance. But each morning, as we move from the liberating hours of sleep to a day of conscious thought, a unique opportunity presents itself: the opportunity to express to ourselves a truth that inhabits our deepest selves, to declare to the awaiting day what we already know.

Yisro’s Estate A similar phenomenon can be discerned in a halachic discussion that underlies the mitzvah of bikkurim (“firstripened fruits”).

Bikkurim, like the Modeh Ani prayer, is a declaration of indebtedness and gratitude to G-d. In the 26th chapter of Devarim, the Torah instructs: “And it shall be when you come in to the land which the L-rd your G-d is giving you for an inheritance, and you will possess it and settle in it: You shall take from the first of the fruits of the land . . . and place them in a basket; and you shall go to the place that the L-rd your G-d will choose to rest His name there.

And you shall come to the kohen that shall be in those days, and you shall say to him: ‘I proclaim today to the L-rd your G-d that I have come unto the land which G-d swore to our fathers to give to us . . .’”

In his “proclamation,” the bikkurimbearing farmer goes on to recount the story of our liberation from Egypt and G-d’s gift to us of “a land flowing with milk and honey,” concluding with the pronouncement: “And now, behold, I have brought the first fruit of the land that You, G-d, have given me.”

When did our forefathers begin bringing the first fruits of their newly gained homeland to “the place where G-d chose to rest His name”? The first verse of the Torah’s chapter on bikkurim contains conflicting implications as to when the practice of this mitzvah is to commence, giving rise to a legal debate

Continued on Page 46

Psychotherapist Kenneth J. Levin, L.C.S.W.

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CHASSIDIC MASTERS Continued from Page 45 between the Talmud and the Sifri (a halachic Midrash).

The Jewish people entered the land of Israel under the leadership of Yehoshua one month after the passing of Moshe, in the year 2488 from creation (1273 BCE). But 14 years were to pass before the land would be conquered and each tribe and family allotted its share (the conquest of the land took seven years, and an additional seven years were required for its division into 12 tribal territories and more than 600,000 estates for the heads of households entitled to a share in the land). It is for this reason, says the Talmud, that the verse speciďŹ es to bring bikkurim â&#x20AC;&#x153;when you come into the land . . . and you will possess it and settle in itâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;to teach us that the ďŹ rst

fruits of the land should be presented to G-d only after the conquest and allocation of the land has been completed.

The Sifri, on the other hand, places the emphasis on the same verseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opening wordsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x153;And it shall be when you come into the landâ&#x20AC;? to imply that the obligation to bring bikkurim applied immediately upon the Jewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entry into the land. The Sifri bases its interpretation on the ďŹ rst word of the verse, vehayah (â&#x20AC;&#x153;and it shall beâ&#x20AC;?), which throughout the Torah is indicative of an event that is to come to pass immediately.

However, notwithstanding their conďŹ&#x201A;icting readings of the verse, there is not much practical difference between the Talmud and the Sifri with regard to the actual bringing of bikkurim. The Torah instructs that bikkurim should be brought from â&#x20AC;&#x153;the ďŹ rst-ripened fruits of your landâ&#x20AC;?; this, agree all the Sages,

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46 September 16, 2011

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

teaches us that the mitzvah of bikkurim applies only to a person who owns the land outright. So even if the obligation to bring bikkurim had applied, in principle, from the very ďŹ rst moment that the Jewish people entered the Land of Israel (as per the Sifriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interpretation), the mitzvah could not have been performed until the land was conquered and each family was allotted its own estate.

(Indeed, the Talmud Yerushalmi expresses the view that no single family assumed possession of the land allot-

granted an estate in the Holy Land, in the environs of Yericho; this they received immediately upon the Israelitesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; entry into the land, as Yericho was the very ďŹ rst city to be conquered by Yehoshua. So there was at least one family estate from which bikkurim could have been brought immediately â&#x20AC;&#x153;when you come into the land.â&#x20AC;?

Between Dream And Reality While there is little difference, in terms of actual practice, whether we

Each morning, as we move from the liberating hours of sleep to a day of conscious thought, a unique opportunity presents itself. ted to it until every last family had received its share. Even if the Sifri were to disagree with this position, it would have taken at least seven yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;until the conquest of the land was completedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for the ďŹ rst Jewish farmer to acquire a plot of land from which to bring bikkurim.)

There was, however, one case in which the Sifriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concept of an immediate obligation to bring bikkurim could have applied in actuality. As a reward for joining their fate to that of the people of Israel, the family of Yisro was

say that the time for bringing bikkurim is when â&#x20AC;&#x153;you will possess it and settle in itâ&#x20AC;? (as the Talmud holds) or immediately â&#x20AC;&#x153;when you enter the landâ&#x20AC;? (as per the Sifri), the Talmud and the Sifri represent two very different conceptions of the mitzvah of bikkurim.

The Talmudâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conception of bikkurim expresses the notion that true gratitude for something can only come after a person has come to understand its signiďŹ cance and appreciate its impact on his or her life. Unless we have â&#x20AC;&#x153;taken possessionâ&#x20AC;? of something by studying

and analyzing itâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;unless we have â&#x20AC;&#x153;settled in itâ&#x20AC;? by experiencing it in an aware and informed mannerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;of what value are our pronouncements and proclamations?

The Sifri, on the other hand, holds a Modeh Ani-like vision of the mitzvah of bikkurim, insisting that our very ďŹ rst moment in the land that G-d has granted us should be one of recognition and acknowledgment of the Divine gift.

For 40 years, as the people of Israel wandered through the Sinai Desert, they dreamed of the land designated

by G-d as the environment in which to realize their mission in life. Then came the great moment of crossing from dream to realityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a reality that actualizes the dream, but which also coarsens its purity. This is the moment, says the Sifri, in which to give expression to all that we know and sense about the Holy Land. For though our knowledge may be primitive and unformed by the standards of daytime reality, it comes from a place in us that will no longer be accessible when we have ventured further into this realm of conscious knowledge and feeling. Only by expressing it now, on the threshold between supra-conscious awareness and conscious knowledge, can we carry over from the perfection and purity of our supra-conscious selves into the tactual reality of our conscious lives.

Regarding the debates between our Sages on matters of Torah law, the Talmud states that â&#x20AC;&#x153;These and these are both the words of the living G-d.â&#x20AC;? For although only one view can be implemented as halachah (practical Torah law), both represent equally valid formulations of the Divine wisdom, and both can, and should, be incorporated in our vision of and approach to life.

As per the Talmud, we must take care that we fully comprehend and identify with the gifts we offer and the feelings we declaim. As per the Sifri, we must seek connection with the supra-rational, supra-conscious self that underlies our conscious and intellectual persona and strive to carry over its unsullied perfection into our â&#x20AC;&#x153;daytimeâ&#x20AC;? lives. â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘ The Torah section of Ki Savo (Devarim 26â&#x20AC;&#x201C;28), which includes the chapter on bikkurim, is always read in proximity to 18 Elul, which is the birthday of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov (1698â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1760), the founder of Chassidism, and of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1812), founder of the Chabad branch of Chassidism.

The lives and work of these two great leaders parallel the two â&#x20AC;&#x153;versionsâ&#x20AC;? of bikkurim put forth by the Sifri and the Talmud. Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov revitalized and revolutionized Jewish life with his emphasis on the depth and purity of the faith and commitment of the simple Jew. Rabbi Schneur Zalman taught the necessity of internalizing this faith and commitment through the structured intellectual and emotional processes he outlined in his â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chabadâ&#x20AC;? philosophy and approach to life. ď ś

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Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; adapted by Yanki Tauber. Courtesy of MeaningfulLife.com via Chabad.org. Find more Torah articles for the whole family at www.chabad.org/parshah.

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

September 16, 2011 47

THE DISH

By Elke Probkevitz

The Cookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide To Beef There is nothing like a juicy steak cooked just right with a nice glass of red wine, or a comforting beef stew on a cold winter night.

The most popular variety of beef is ground beef, followed by steaks, deli meats, roasts, and cubes. Take a trip to the butcher section at your local grocer and you will find several cuts of beef in all shapes and sizes.

The simple home cook can get overwhelmed with all the choices, and many times will just stick to what she knows, overlooking other cuts in favor of the safest bet. With the yomim tovim coming just around the corner, it would be nice to know what the butcher has to offer and try to make

48 September 16, 2011

something new in honor of the holidays.

What to look for. When purchasing beef, look for meat with a firm texture and bright red color. There should be marbling, although not too thick, and a nice outer layer of white fat. The fat is important because it gives the meat flavor and moisture.

Cuts of meat. Kosher meats are limited to the front part of the animal. Although some familiar-sounding cuts of meat are typically not kosher, the kosher markets often use the same name for similar cuts. Also, depending on where you purchase your meat, there may be multiple names for the same cut of meat. Ask

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

your butcher to help you clarify and choose the right cut.

Steaks. Rib steaks are the most popular cut of steak and are great on the grill. Rib eye steaks are boneless rib steaks. Club steaks are from the first cut of the rib and are also great on the grill. Fillet split is a minute roast that is cut in half. It is very lean and good

when marinated. Minute steaks are good for pan-frying and great sliced in sandwiches. Pepper steak is used in stir-fries or stews. Skirt steak is thin and perfect on the grill or marinated and used in fajitas.

Roasts. Some roasts shine when dry-roasted in the oven, especially if they are well marbled. Others that are leaner and more tough are best cooked long and slow in a liquid until tender. Those roasts are usually less expensive as well. Rib roasts are very juicy and well marbled, and are used for the traditional roast beef. You can leave it as a standing rib roast, half standing (removing the short ribs), boneless (known as rib eye), or rolled with bones removed and fat tied around the roast. This makes a very juicy, flavorful roast.

Silver tip is more lean but is full of flavor and looks beautiful on the table and is best when prepared with fresh herbs and spices. The French roast is also known as square cut, thick London broil, or brick roast. It is from the shoulder and is naturally very tender if you do not overcook it. A shoulder roast can be boned or not, and is best made as a pot roast, although it can be dry-roasted in the oven.

Chuck roasts are sold with bonein to add flavor, or without the bone to serve more easily, known as chuck eye roasts. Brisket makes the best pot roast, but can also be cured to make corned beef. A whole brisket includes the first- and second-cut brisket. It is best used in a pot roast or braised slowly till fork tender. The first cut is leaner and good for pot roast, while the second cut is more tender and fatty.

The minute roast has great flavor and is inexpensive. It can be split to make London broil or sliced to make minute steaks. The meat is tough, but London broil is great grilled or broiled. Minute roasts are delicious and tender after slow-roasting at a low temperature.

Other cuts. Flanken, best known for use in cholent, are small tender ribs that can also be used on the grill, braised, or in soups. Short ribs are the same as flanken. Spare ribs are the bones that come off the prime rib and are very flavorful. They are delicious grilled or roasted and glazed or braised in a pot.

Beef stew is typically chunks of chuck meat used in stews because of

their high fat content, which makes them rich and flavorful. Even the bones are used from the animal. The marrow has a rich flavor and gives depth to dishes like soups and stews, or can be roasted and eaten alone. 

Rib Roast Serves 6–8 Ingredients: 3–4 lb. boneless rib roast 8 garlic cloves, cut in half ½ tsp. kosher salt fresh ground pepper, to taste ½ cup dry white wine 2 cups beef stock or broth Directions: Using a sharp knife, cut slits all over roast and insert garlic halves inside. Cover roast and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator 2 hours before ready to cook, to allow to come to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Season roast with salt and a generous amount of

It would be nice to know what the butcher has to offer and try to make something new in honor of the holidays.

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black pepper. Place roast fat-side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast uncovered for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° and continue to roast for up to 1 hour, 15 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 140° for medium-rare. (A meat thermometer is important to reach perfect results, since every oven is different. Meat should be cooked 14–16 minutes per pound for medium-rare.)

Remove from oven, place roast on cutting board, and cover loosely with foil to allow meat to rest, 20 minutes. Meanwhile, place roasting pan on stovetop over high heat. Add wine to meat juices and cook for 8–10 minutes, scraping up any brown bits.

Add stock and continue to cook until liquid is reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slice roast just before serving and drizzle with sauce.

Want to learn how to cook delicious gourmet meals right in your own kitchen? Take one-on-one cooking lessons or give a gift to an aspiring cook that you know. For more information, contact Take Home Chef personal chef services by calling 516-5083663, writing to elke@TakeHomeChef.net, or visiting www.TakeHomeChef.net.

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

September 16, 2011 49

Remembering Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook Note: In the month of Elul, in which Rav Kook was niftar, one way to remember his greatness is to read from his own correspondence. Images of the original document and others may be found online at www.scribd.com/ksavyadkodesh.

[Written to his father-in-law, the Aderes]: With the help of G-d; Jaffa, 29 Tammuz, 5664 From between the straits lights shall shine.

To my beloved teacher, my father-inlaw, the Gaon, the glory of Israel, Rabbi Elijah David, may he live lengthy, good days, and all the dear members of his household, may they live, and my daughter Batya, may she live lengthy, good days.

Because of my burden leading the people of G-d, G-d bless them, I am not always able to satiate my thirst to write long, frequent letters to his honor, may he live, the joy of my heart and the treasure of my soul. In addition, these days I have been fatigued by events that have reinforced that

which I knew beforehand: How difficult it is to go in the good and straight way of G-d purely for His name’s sake and His love, especially in a place where there is a history of quarrels and various controversies that kindle anger, which is the case (due to our many sins) in the Holy Land in general, and in the holy city of Jerusalem specifically. Though I am aware of the severity of the situation, heaven forefend that I deviate from the way paved for us by our sages of blessed memory, the way of Torah: “Be of the disciples of Aharon, a lover of peace and a pursuer of peace, a lover of humanity and one who brings them closer to Torah.”

This is the path I have chosen since youth, and thank G-d, through it I still see blessed results. May G-d grant me the merit to increase strength in days to come for good. I already expressed in Ha-Peless my opinion concerning the way to relate to the demands of the hour. The honor of the divine name and the honor of Torah will be upheld not by shouts and quarrels, nor by banishment of whoever is

found in the least blemished, but rather through words of pleasantness that appeal to reason, drawing them with ropes of love and cords of humanity.

Now there came to me two gentlemen . . . and requested me . . . since they were planning to gather in the bank building here to honor the memory of Doctor Herzl and it was their finding that even those opposed to Zionism would not deny that there were in his heart thoughts concerning the betterment of Israel. Though unfortunately he did not find the straight path, nevertheless, “The Holy One does not withhold credit for even good talk.” It would be poor manners not to arrange a memorial in his honor in a public meeting place such as the Anglo-Palestine Bank here. Therefore I promised them I would attend.

Understandably, once I agreed to come, I did not want to refuse to speak there some words. I assessed that G-d willing, benefit would derive from my words, inasmuch as the other speakers would not have the audacity to belittle G-d, His Torah, and the sages of Israel. Thank G-d, this assessment proved correct. Of course, I spoke pleasantly and politely, but I did reveal the fundamental failure of their [the Zionists’] entire enterprise, name-

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5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

ly the fact that they do not place at the top of their list of priorities the sanctity of G-d and His great name, which is the power that enables Israel to survive. The sages employed the parable of a key and a long chain. On the other hand, it is incumbent on the G-d-fearing to relate lovingly and peaceably to all who wish to do good for Israel, be it only in a material sense. One must draw such an individual to the good way of G-d, not by some vague remark intended to hinder him from his deed, but rather through some directed remark that demands coming closer to the name of G-d and His holy Torah.

Then it is possible that all the powers presently being utilized for evil will be channeled for good. I humbly submit that this is one of the great mysteries alluded to in the Zohar, Bereshis, that the head of the academy in the palace of Messiah announced, “Whoever does not transform darkness to light and bitterness to sweetness has no place here.” In other words, the redemption will be brought about only by attempting to transform the evil powers into good. We must not push the bad away. It is conceivable they are evil because of extenuating circumstances. They have been influenced negatively and are not totally

to blame. How can we push a stone down after one who is falling?

Thank G-d, I see tangible results.

When I came to Rehovot, due to our many sins, I found the youth there corrupted as far as their opinions, and one may assume the same goes for their deeds. I did not reject them but rather drew them close. I spoke before them words of wisdom and good reason from which they understood at least in a general way how the light of Torah dispels all the shadows of darkness and wickedness of evil opinions that in our many sins have proliferated in this day and age. The talk had a great effect on them in drawing them closer to the love of Torah. It was reported that the Sabbath following my stay they did not shave, though my talk contained not the slightest hint of practical reproach, but rather remained on a general level. I am confident that once the divine spark of love of G-d and His true awe has entered the heart, it will effect through a divine power much more than would be accomplished if we forced it in, using duress. Even more than is visible on the tangible level, there is a tikkun (fixing) of the emotion of the heart, which is the main thing.

Now if I would have turned my back on them [the residents of Jaffa who requested Rav Kook’s presence at the memorial assembly for Dr. Herzl– Translator], G-d forbid this would have brought about a situation in which the rabbinate would have absolutely no influence on the townspeople, the majority of whom are followers of Zionism. This is especially true of the inhabitants of the moshavot [colonies, such as nearby Rehovot]. How could I possibly desert many souls, the holy people in the Holy Land? Our eyes are turned to them to settle our holy soil.

If I were to do so, the result would be, G-d forbid, that afterward admonishment or guidance would be of no avail. The main thing about guidance is that it hinges on the love-relationship between the guide and his protégés. And all of this I should do purely for imagined honor, so that persons unacquainted with my good thoughts for G-d and His Torah will not belittle me! Heaven forfend that I should entertain such an invalid option. I trust in G-d’s loving-kindness. He knows my heart and my entire striving, and how bitter it is for me to befriend even for a moment empty people far from Torah and fear [of G-d]. But all of this and a lot more than this we must bear and endure for the sake of the sanctity of His blessed name and for the love and glory of Israel—though it may mean inestimable spiritual torture.

G-d forbid that we conclude through “common sense” that any person whose deeds or opinions are tarnished is already outside the bounds of “brotherhood,” and that therefore we are no longer responsible for his soul, or even more extreme, that we might turn on him as an enemy and attack him. This approach is absolutely wrong. We are not permitted to accept such reasoning from any man. In the case of something so exaggerated that it is beyond the realm of halacha, our sages remarked,

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Continued on Page 52 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

September 16, 2011 51

Rav Kook Continued from Page 51 “Were Joshua son of Nun to tell it to me with his own mouth, I would not accept it.” In this generation which is so confused and divided, if those Torah scholars who, thank G-d, have acquired fame will not recognize their own impact, but rather will allow themselves to be deterred from seeking the welfare and improvement of Israel by any hothead, G-d only knows where this will lead. Verily, one must deliberate how to lead on each occasion, but heaven forefend that one stand on one’s own honor. Our only purpose should be the increase of Heaven’s honor, with an eye to Israel’s return (teshuvah), which can be brought about only by the goodly ways of Torah scholars, by the “string of love” extended to them in the merit of the Torah. Let not the slightest fixing be small in our eyes. A small beginning can end in great things. If we will do that which we are able, G-d will finish for us. In summation, I could not have acted otherwise. All who truly fear G-d must give me the benefit of the doubt.

If one has decided to transgress the positive commandment, “Judge justly your companion,” we have no responsibility to pay heed to his words and dreams, being as he desires to block the

situation of Israel in Eretz Yisrael would be worthwhile if we would rise to the occasion. It would require return to G-d by observing and honoring the Torah, and a consensus that the foundation

“The redemption will be brought about only by attempting to transform the evil powers into good. We must not push the bad away.” way to peace in Israel and Torah outreach. Given that, I could not prevent a eulogy being held in the Talmud Torah.

This too would have produced great controversy and eternal enmity.

In my remarks, I offered no homage to Dr. Herzl per se. What I did say was that such a thought of improving the

of all must be the power of Torah. Repenting of baseless hatred, and wholehearted peace-seeking as obligated [by Torah] would result in success because it would be close to G-d’s will. We must make amends toward the future that the power of the sanctity of Torah be at the top of our list of priorities, that “the

son of Jesse be at the lead.” If the will to improve materially will rest on Torah, then the L-rd will shine His face upon us and crown our every deed with success. At first the salvation will be gradual, as our holy rabbis remarked upon witnessing daybreak over the valley of Arbel, but after, it will gain momentum, appearing as a great and wondrous light, as in the days of our exodus from Egypt. After [the address], others came to me and reported that some read into my words ideas I never intended . . . By using good reason and character traits, we will accomplish more than with shouting and curses, G-d forbid. What am I to do if there are some who consider such proper remarks as, G-d forbid, justification of the wicked?

I trust in the Lord that all G-d fearing people will recognize that the way of peace is the true way of G-d. It is in this way we will succeed. Especially at this time, we need to strengthen the way of peace. The L-rd will show us salvation. His salvation is close to those who fear Him. His son-in-law who loves him as his son, Avraham Isaac Hakohen Kook

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Six tribes ascended to the top of Mount Gerizim, and six to the top of Mount Ebal; the Kohanim, the Levites and the Ark stood below in the valley.

Evening has never been this Elegant

The Levites turned their faces towards Mount Gerizim and began with the blessing: “Blessed be the man who does not make a graven or molten image,” and both the tribes on Mount Gerizim the the tribes on Mount Ebal] answered “Amen!” Then the Levites turned their faces towards Mount Ebal and began with the curse, saying: “Cursed be the man who makes any graven [or molten] image,” and both groups of tribes responded “Amen!” … Thus it continued in this manner for all of the blessings and curses, until the very last curse, namely (verse 26): “Cursed be the one who does not uphold [the words of this Torah] …”

(Talmud, Sotah 32a)

52 September 16, 2011

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

If You’re Like Me B Y D O N I J O S Z E F, LMSW Welcome.

Better, yet: WELCOME! There we go. It’s all about the “umph.”

If you’re like me, you’re probably in the midst of starting a sentence with the phrase: “If you’re like me.” If you’re not like me, then congratulations on being an upstanding citizen with a lovely set of vocal cords. You embrace traffic, and you actually prefer the chocolate half of a black-and-white cookie. You also possess the nearly extinct skill of reading beyond 140 characters. So, unlike myself, you now proceed to hitherto uncharted territory, known to many as: The Next Paragraph.

Getting back to people who are like me (because, after all, birds of a feather flock together) . . .

If you’re like me, you’ve been labeled (by others, or by your own self-diagnosis) ADD. Our attention is divided only to be further subdivided in its very dividing.

Sooner or later, we find ourselves wondering how on earth we landed on a YouTube clip featuring a Turkish sumo wrestler singing the Macarena into a hairbrush.

For better or worse, there seems to be a growing number of people who are—gasp!— like me. Distracted. Divided in our attention. We stand undivided in our divided attention.

Perpetual distraction is our new status (Facebook status, Twitter status, Google status, and, yes, good-ole-fashioned mental status [read: what goes on chemically, cognitively, and even spiritually within the confines of the clunky organ sitting inside our skulls. You have one. Trust me].

Call it intellectual laziness.

Call it ADD. Call it ADHD (pat yourself on the back for knowing what the ‘H’ stands for).

Call it having lots of digital updates, messages, and popups all clamoring for my overdivided attention, all of relatively equal unimportance (although, in the spur of their vibration, I could’ve sworn there was something urgent to be unveiled). Call it a new generation with a new way of thinking. Call it what you will.

If you’re like me, there’s probably a lot of stuff flying at you from different screens of different sizes. If you’re like me, these pop-ups don’t only clutter your iPad, iPhone, and iPod screens, but they clutter your mind, heart, and soul as well. If you’re like me, you know exactly what I mean.

Distraction keeps our minds running like a rat on a wheel.

Agitating as the run may be, a more focused and concentrated level of thinking begets a more focused and concentrated level of feeling. And that’s a very scary thought for many, indeed. A cluttering of the mind leads directly to a numbing of the heart. Afraid of facing ourselves, we perpetuate our own distraction. The wheels in the head go round and round.

The entire universe can face us on Facebook; but can we face our own selves in the proverbial mirror of self-reflec-

tion? Most believe we don’t face ourselves because we are too distracted, while, in truth, we are too distracted because we are scared of facing ourselves. If you’re like me, you binge on distraction. You abuse it.

Biochemical factors notwithstanding, I hold little doubt that Freud would label this a subconscious mechanism of defense. As long as we adorn our public profile and don our digital makeup, the lowercase i hiding in the shadow of a capitalized Phone, Pad, or Pod shrinks ever-elusively into the unattended world of fractured thinking.

It may damage marriages.

It may hijack precious time

with our children. It may destroy our study habits. It may crash our cars. We are addicted to digital distraction because it works wonders for one sole function—a function it shares with the ego itself. Both distraction and ego create barriers between ourselves and our external surroundings while, simultaneously, creating barriers between ourselves and our internal surroundings.

To quote Simon and Garfunkel: “Safe within my womb, I touch no one, and no one touches me.”

Now, if you made it this far, then you’ve made it to the end.

As such, you’re most certainly not like me. And you should be very proud of that.

You’ll finish the books you start. You’ll shave for every family get-together. You’ll even hold the steering wheel at ten o’clock and two o’clock while coming to a full stop at every stop sign. Hooray for you.

But let me just ask you this: Do you welcome with umph?

I didn’t think so.  Doni Joszef is a cognitive psychotherapist practicing with young adults in Cedarhurst. He is a member of the DRS Counseling Department and is the Creator/CEO of Steps Away, a groundbreaking iPhone app with over 100,000 subscribers from around the world.

Doni is available by appointment; consultations are free. Contact Doni at 516-316-2247 or DJoszef@Gmail. com. For more information, visit DeficitOfAttention.com.

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September 16, 2011 53

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DAF YOMI INSIGHTS

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

Cast Your Bread Upon The Waters Two weeks ago we learned some interesting topics in the daf that touched on some raging controversies affecting kashrus today. One such Gemara was about the kashrus of sheratzim found in pits of water. This has relevance to the question of unfiltered New York City water, which contains tiny creatures named copepods. Copepods, eaten by themselves, are certainly not kosher.

They are crustaceans just like crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, and barnacles. However, there is an argument to permit them while they are in the water. This would be based on equating our reservoirs with the pits of water mentioned in the Gemara.

The Gemara says that aquatic creatures without fins and scales may be permitted if they were born in water pits. However, the pits mentioned in the Gemara are not flowing bodies of water. The water from one of the reservoirs that supply New York flows all the way from the Catskills to here!

Another interesting Gemara we studied last week discusses worms found in the flesh of fish. The Gemara issues a blanket statement that they are permitted. This would seem to indicate that the Anisakis worm should not present a kashrus problem. Anisakis is a parasitic worm commonly found in certain species of wild fish. In the times of the Gemara, one could eat fresh salmon or flounder without concern for the worms. However, some rabbanim argue that the situation today is markedly different.

Rav Dovid Feinstein seems to have ruled stringently on both issues and requires New York City water to be filtered and wild fish checked for the presence of the Anisakis worm. Rav Yisroel Belsky ruled leniently on both issues.

That was an exciting week to be learning the daf. This week the topics covered seem to have little relevance to us. We learned about animals that experience difficulty giving birth. In one passage, the Gemara questions what would be the halachic ruling about a weasel that swallowed an animal embryo directly from the womb of an animal, only to return it later. Tosfos in Kesubos says that the Gemara sometimes entertains questions that cannot possibly occur just for the sake of learning Torah and receiving reward.

We learned another passage that has practical relevance if you are a cattle rancher. We learned about the status of an animal embryo that stuck out a limb from the womb and subsequently the mother was ritually slaughtered. That limb remains non-kosher and is considered tamei.

The question raised in the Gemara is whether that non-kosher limb that protruded from its mother’s womb is considered connected to the rest of the embryo. This has ramifications to the laws of tumah and taharah. Ravina ruled that the limb is not considered connected.

Since it is non-kosher it will inevitably be cut off. Ravina is of the opinion that anything that is destined to be cut off is

halachically considered already cut off.

Interestingly enough, this halachic argument does have consequences for us here in New York in 2011.

There is a mitzvah to use two complete loaves of bread for lechem mishneh at the Shabbos and yom tov meals.

They represent the double portion of the manna that fell before Shabbos and yom tov. What if part of a loaf is severely burnt to the point that it is inedible?

Is that loaf still considered whole? The Mekom Shmuel (Siman 45) says that the halachah is in accordance with Ravina’s logic mentioned above. Something that is destined to be cut off is already considered detached. Therefore, this untouched partially burnt loaf is deemed to have had the burnt part already cut off and it is no longer considered whole.

The Mekom Shmuel says that the burnt part must be truly inedible.

I have to add one note. A previous article mentioned the possibility that my wife’s challah may on a rare occasion burn. However, for the sake of shalom bayis I am correcting that inaccurate information. The truth is that my wife’s

challos never burn. It is an open miracle that that small part of challah that is separated for hafrashas challah does actually char.

If someone else burns their challah, the Mishnah Berurah writes (274:2), “In regard to a partially burnt challah that has not been cut into, some say that one may fulfill his obligation of lechem mishneh with it.” The implication is that it would be preferable to use another challah if possible. However, there is leniency that is often followed that if less than 1/48th is missing, the challah is still considered whole. Similarly, if only a small portion was burned to the point that is inedible, it would still be fine.

This last halachah, while not a burning controversy, does demonstrate how even obscure halachic discussions have practical applications.  Rabbi Sebrow leads a daf yomi chaburah at Eitz Chayim of Dogwood Park in West Hempstead and runs a high-school program in Brooklyn called TIA–Torah In Action, designed to make Torah more exciting through weekly outings to see halachah come to life. He can be contacted at ASebrow@gmail.com.

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September 16, 2011 55

Obama’s Midnight Express Tidbits From Israel

BY RON JAGER The continuing political problems for President Obama are threefold. First, the American public has begun to simply tune him out. In response to the overexposure he has received by the national media coupled with a visible and indisputable level of underachievement, he’s become background noise, causing the American public to simply ignore him. Second, to a degree the Democratic Party did not likely expect, Republican presidential contenders are enjoying a large and decisive audience that is receptive to the Republican core message: President Obama’s policies have failed. And, finally, there is no chance that Obama can affect key indicators, most especially unemployment.

On Election Day, millions of Americans will continue to be unemployed.

Obama is left to complain and cast blame on Republicans. The American public is in no mood to hear Obama’s unpresidential whining, a kind of immature blame game that is reminiscent of speeches made by failed Third World leaders. The American public wants results. The American public wants confidence in their President to be restored, and Obama is unable to deliver this basic political commodity. Obama’s recent attempts to have it both ways, shifting from one political position to the next based on short-term political gains, the jobs program being only the latest ex-

ample of this mindset, can only ensure that the American public will not and cannot bear another four years of incompetence.

To our dismay here in Israel, President Obama’s domestic underachievement is only surpassed by the strategic damage he has caused by seriously eroding the relative stability that the Middle East has enjoyed over recent years, mainly in regard to Egypt and Turkey, who were both, until recently, at peace with Israel. All this has changed in response to Obama’s lack of presidential leadership. Obama has failed the test of Eli Wallach’s infamous line in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: “If you want to shoot, then shoot, don’t talk.” This is critical here in the Middle East where posture and perception is everything, and manufactured sound bites mean nothing. Turkey is one of the few countries in the world that most Americans do not visit, probably in response to the 1978 movie Midnight Express, which portrayed Turkey for what it is—a backward, sadistic, and corrupt nation.

Despite its 80 million citizens, Turkey has failed to position itself as an influential regional power. The current Islamist government’s new policy, which is premised on neo-Ottomanism (a return to the Ottoman Empire’s glory days,) registered a series of stinging diplomatic failures in recent years. Yet Prime Minister Erdogan and his party have reinforced their political status within Turkey through the daily scapegoating of Israel in the “best” of Islamic tradition. Only

recently Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador, suspended defense contracts with Jerusalem, announced legal action against senior Israeli figures in European courts, and threatened to bring the dispute before the international court and “take measures for freedom of maritime movement in the Mediterranean” including positioning her navy so as to interfere with the free movement of Israeli shipping and mining expeditions in the Mediterranean Sea. Only recently there have been reports emanating from different sources in Washington DC that Turkey has accompanied its hostile acts against Israel with swift permission for the deployment of NATO and American electronic warning stations on Turkish soil.

These warning stations can be used as a kind of remote “observation point” in the current design of the architecture of the new U.S. ballistic missile defense.

In this case, the radar can be used for the early detection of ballistic missile launches, and for tracking their trajectories, mainly from Iran. Turkey, while quietly agreeing to station Western anti-ballistic missile defense system on Turkish territory is actively linking this cooperation at Israel’s expense. Turkey has in recent months been publicly attacking and humiliating Israel at a daily rate so as to strengthen her Islamic credentials despite her cooperation with the West.

Turkey’s goal in cooperating with NATO and the Obama Administration may very well be to close down the shared ballistic missile defense facilities the U.S. established with Isra-

el in recent years. Turkey’s prime minister will most likely warn the Obama Administration that it will not allow the data incoming to the Turkey-based stations to be relayed to Israel, thereby driving a hole in the missile shield America is building, and weakening Israel’s deterrence against Iran, thereby increasing the likelihood of an Israeli “first strike.” Turkey’s aim is to drive a wedge between Washington and Jerusalem, derail their close military and intelligence collaboration, and cast Israel out of the collective missile shield. The Obama’s Administration’s withdrawal from this strategic partnership with Israel under Turkish pressure would leave Israel vulnerable to Iran’s ballistic missiles.

President Obama would be wise to remind Turkey that American strategic interests are not subject to Turkish bazaar negotiating tactics. Building a strategic partnership with another Islamic nation that can be overthrown at any time, as was Egypt, not only reeks of strategic incompetence and weakness but endangers Israel’s standing as the only dependable ally that America has in the Middle East.  Ron Jager is a 25-year veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, where he served as a field mental-health officer and as commander of the central psychiatric military clinic for reserve soldiers at Tel-Hashomer. Since retiring from active duty in 2005, he has been providing consultancy services to NGOs, implementing psychological trauma treatment programs in Israel. Ron currently serves as a strategic advisor to the director of the Shomron Liaison Office. To contact him, e-mail medconf@ netvision.net.il.

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56 September 16, 2011

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BY MORDECHAI SCHMUTTER

How To Publish A Book In 12 Months Or Less, Jewish Time

who has to split focus between reading from a list of school supplies and keeping an eye on the kids, none of whom are interested in the school supplies, and who are off at the other end of the store trying on all the yarmulkas at once. I can’t just open the dictionary and use the first three words that I see. Like I can’t just call the book, Zebra Broccoli Banana.

So back in January, I turned to my readers for help. I wrote an article saying that I had a new book coming out in May or June (Jewish time, apparently—I’m aware that it is now September) and that I needed a title, and that whoever gave me the one I’d eventually use would get a free book. I’d done this once before, with my pre-

vious book, A Clever Title Goes Here, and it was either successful or unsuccessful, depending on how you understand the title. There were some people who complained about it— mostly people who sent in other titles—but I couldn’t use every title that was sent in.

This time, I got more than 500 responses, which means that people really want that free book. But if I didn’t use your title, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t funny. Some people, for example, sent in titles that were good, but would maybe be better for a different book. T.S. suggested I call the book Drowning in the River Schmutter, which is actually pretty clever, because if you remember from a column that I wrote in 2007, “Sch-

mutter” is the name of a river in Germany that looks less like a river and more like someone left his garden hose running when he went on vacation. But unfortunately, most people don’t remember that column, nor is the column in the actual book. (The column appeared in A Clever Title Goes Here. Where was he when I was looking for a title for that one?)

E.L. said I should call the book Lighter Life, which, to be honest, sounds like a magazine for people who smoke. And A.E. suggested I call the book 2008 in Review, which sounds like a tax file I have in my basement.

Other people sent in titles that would probably get me

Continued on Page 58

It’s not easy to get a book published. People think that all you have to do is write it up, send it to a publisher, and then open your front door and move quickly to the side so the royalty checks don’t hurt you when they come flying in. But there’s actually a whole process.

First of all, you have to come up with a title. Most people assume that when you write a book, you write the title first, because that’s the part they see first. By that logic, the second thing you write would be the price. These are the type of people who come up to you and say, “I have a great idea for a book. It’s called Title.” And then they stand back and wait for you to be impressed.

“What’s it about?” you ask.

“I’m not up to that,” they say.

First I have to write the table of contents.”

I’m not like that. Even with my articles, I generally write the title last, once I’ve written the article and then read it over to see what it’s about. (It doesn’t always turn out to be about what I thought it would be when I started writing.) And coming up with a title is even harder when there is no topic, as is the case with my books.

My new book (now in stores) is basically a collection of columns that I wrote in 2008, and the only thing these columns have in common is that they’re all written in the same basic font.

But there has to be a title.

Publishers are very picky about that. Titles are very important, because they tell the reader where to start reading. You might think that this is unnecessary, except in extreme cases, such as when the piece is written upside down. But if there’s no title, people assume the first page is missing.

There are also other criteria for a title. One is that it has to make the book jump off the store shelves and catch the attention of a potential buyer

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September 16, 2011 57

Publish A Book Continued from Page 57 sued: Humor for the Soul, Jewish Humor for Dummies, A Title Made in Heaven, and even Jokes From When Zaidy Was Young, which, on top of this, doesn’t say anything good about the jokes. Also, one person suggested that I call it No Purchase Necessary, which is a really sound business idea. Apparently I forgot to mention, back in January, that I wanted the title to jump off the shelves, not be stolen off the shelves, and that I needed a title that would maximize sales and minimize lawsuits, because ultimately, I’m in this to make money.

(BTW, no one is in Jewish publishing to make money. But a little would be nice.)

A lot of the titles also had common themes. For example, there were a whole bunch about chickens and roads, such as Chicken Crossing, The Chicken’s Day Off, and Why Did Mordechai Schmutter Cross the Road? I don’t know how that chicken thing, which was old when Zaidy was young, came to represent all jokes. Maybe all the other famous jokes are offensive to somebody. This joke is probably offensive to chickens, but if they came in to complain, people would ask, “Why did you come in?” and they’d walk out in a huff. So as far as we know, no complaints.

But anyway, after a lot of back and forth, the title we ultimately settled on was: This Side Up. [Awkward pause.]

No, it makes sense; hear me out. Humor is all about pointing out how the

58 September 16, 2011

world seems to be upside down. It’s not the humor itself that’s upside down, it’s our perception of the world. Humor is the only thing that’s right side up.

Plus, it meant we could do that thing where you write This Side Up and have an arrow pointing down. This is one of the three main tropes of humor, the other two being chickens crossing the road and situations where there’s some sort of misunderstanding. The title was sent in jointly by Ari Mandel and Dov-

ple to see you reading it upside down and go, “What is he doing? Is he even reading it, or is he just pretending to read it while eavesdropping on our conversation?” That said, I wouldn’t recommend reading this book in an airport.

But you should definitely read it wherever you can, despite the fact that everyone around you will see only the cover, and then judge you for being the type of person who reads books upside down.

Well, those are the people who judge

Apparently I forgot to mention that I wanted the title to jump off the shelves, not be stolen off the shelves. id Greenstein, who are going to receive a free copy of the book, which they can fight over at their leisure.

But then I suggested to the publisher—possibly as a joke, I don’t remember—that what if the arrow pointing down was actually the truth? What if the book was actually printed upside down? On purpose. And the publisher said, “Okay.” Publishers are very into trying new things, in an effort to stumble upon the magical ingredient that will get people to buy books.

My goal, with the title of each book, (in retrospect at least,) is to get people to ask questions. For example, with my previous books, when you told people the title, their question was, “Could you repeat that?” With this book, I want peo-

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others by the covers of the books they’re reading. That’s what type of people they are. So there.

That said, I urge you to write in with stories of what people said when they saw you reading the book upside down, what you replied, the faces they made, and any perspective shidduchim that were ruined. Or, if you like, you can read the book so that the cover is right side up, and only you know that the pages are actually upside down. Until people see you turning pages the wrong way.  Mordechai Schmutter is a weekly humor columnist for Hamodia, and is the author of three books, all published by Israel Book Shop.

He also does freelance writing for hire. You can send any questions, comments, or ideas to MSchmutter@gmail.com.

You shall take of … the fruit of the land (Devarim 26:2) Not all fruits are subject to the mitzvah of bikkurim (“first fruits”)—only those from the Seven Species [for which the land of Israel is praised]. Here, in our verse, it says the word eretz (“land”), and there (in Devarim 8:8), it says, “A land of wheat and barley, vines and figs and pomegranates, a land of oilproducing olives and honey[producing dates].” Just as the earlier verse (Devarim 8:8) is referring to the seven species through which Eretz Israel is praised, here too, the fruits of which the verse speaks are those with which the Land is praised.

(Talmud; Rashi)

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September 16, 2011 59

News From the Hills

BY CHANITA TEITZ I started writing this week’s column on 9/11, while flying from Chicago back to New York.

I had gone to Chicago to share in the simcha of the b’ris of my new nephew, my brother and sister-in-law’s new baby boy. Since I’m the only sibling from either side who was able to fly in, I felt it was important, and with my husband’s encouragement, to be there to share in the simcha with them.

The baby, Yaakov Meir, was named for my sister-in-law’s father, and my brother spoke very lovingly and emotionally about his father-in-law. One thing he said was that when his fatherin-law was niftar, someone told them that they would feel the loss most at simchas. How true. And I know that my brother was choked up thinking that our own parents aren’t here to participate in the simcha.

I hope that they are all shepping nachas from Shamayim seeing my brother and sister-in-law’s beautiful family.

After so many years, I still want to pick up the phone to share news and simchas with my parents. It’s an automatic reflex. Make time and effort to go to simchos. That is when families should be together.

Getting back to my flight, when I made my reservations and I realized that I’d be traveling back on 9/11, it was a little unnerving. But then, after thinking about it, I figured that security

60 September 16, 2011

would be on overdrive and it was possibly the safest day to travel. In fact, as we drove into the airport we saw a security checkpoint for taxis and I was on a long, slow security line inside the airport.

Two things did happen that were unsettling. When we began boarding, they announced which rows could start boarding, and the first person to get in line was a young man traveling alone who was on standby. What made him try to get on the plane first? I certainly

screens on the seatbacks, so I watched the 9/11 memorial. In previous years, I listened to the radio for a few minutes to the reading of the names as I drove to work. Listening is not the same as seeing! The cameras scanned the crowd, and seeing the faces of the family members weeping and clearly overcome with emotion, and watching those who were reading the names, some of whom were children of the victims, was heartrending. It brought me to tears.

Not to undermine what Americans lost, but in Israel terror and its victims are a daily occurrence. In ten years have we come any closer to eradicating ter-

In previous years, I listened to the radio for a few minutes to the reading of the names as I drove to work. Listening is not the same as seeing! hope that he was double-checked again before they allowed him to board.

Then three Muslim women got on the plane. If this were Israel or if it were El Al, I know that they do racial profiling and these women would have been carefully screened, gone through the scanner, etc. But here, where racial profiling is not permitted, I hope they were well screened. It’s too bad that this is what has become of travel and of how we think.

On the flight, we had individual TV

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rorism? Is the world any safer today?

With Durban III and the UN General Assembly vote, let’s hope that the UN makes the right decision not to grant statehood to the Palestinians.

Upcoming Events Project Inspire, Shabbos of Unity, this Shabbos (September 16–17)! For more information visit Kiruv.com or ShabbatOfUnity.com. You can also register a guest, offer to host, or contact the organizers at ShabbosOfUnity@gmail.com.

Sofer Day. Tefillin and mezuzah checking in conjunction with Mezuzah Doctor, Moshe Gantz, will be held on Sunday, September 18, starting at 9:00 a.m. at Ohr Moshe, 170-16 73rd Avenue, Hillcrest.

Maimonides Medical Center Queens Blood Drive, this Sunday, September 18, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. at Ohel Simcha, 14141 72nd Avenue in Kew Gardens Hills.

Congregation Etz Chaim presents its Shiur HaChodesh for women. Prof.

Smardar Rosensweig will speak on “The Centrality of Yerushalayim in Tanach, Teshuva, and History” on Wednesday, September 21, at 7:45 p.m., 147-19 73rd Avenue in Kew Gardens Hills.

N’Shei Yeshiva Madreigas HaAdam presents Rabbi Paysach Krohn, on Tuesday, October 4, at 8 p.m., speaking on “Introspection and Inspiration: An approach to the Yemei HaDin,” at Torah Center of Hillcrest, 171-05 Jewel Avenue.

The fee is $12, sponsorships are appreciated. For men and women.

Midreshet Adina has ongoing shiurim in Kew Gardens Hills during the day. They get top speakers on a range of topics. Babysitting is available. If you would like to be added to the e-mail list, write to midreshetadina@gmail.com.

Mazal Tov Mazal tov to our dear friends Arthur and Phyllis Kirsch on the marriage of their son David to Alison Wosk.  Chanita Teitz is a real-estate broker at Astor Brokerage in Kew Gardens Hills and Fresh Meadows. For all your real-estate needs in Queens, call her at 718-263-4500 or e-mail chanita@astorbrokerage.com.

n

by R’ Be

afier

Tzion Sh

The Mitzvah To Be Happy Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid gladness and goodness of heart when everything was abundant.

—Devarim 28:47 The destiny of the Jews. At the end of a long prophecy of what will befall us if we don’t follow the ways of Hashem, the Torah seems to lay the blame on one issue: because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid gladness and goodness of heart when everything was abundant. It seems the pivotal point of these two extremes is based on simcha—implying that serving Hashem with happiness is critical to our success as a nation.

Rabbeinu Bachya explains that this is because the mitzvos must be done with joy and complete devotion. When the mitzvos are done without joyfulness, they are lacking in their effect, and this can be part of the spiral downward.

He then gives an example of a mitzvah that wasn’t done with complete dedication. The Midrash tells us that when Reuven attempted to save Yosef from his brothers, he said, “Let us put him in the pit.” His intention was to buy some time to eventually save him. However, had he realized that he would be recorded in history as the one who saved Yosef, he would have put him on his shoulders and carried him home to his father. From here we see the importance of doing a mitzvah with complete dedication and commitment.

The power of simcha. This Rabbeinu Bachaya is difficult to understand on two levels.

First, how can the Torah command me to be happy? Being happy isn’t an emotion that we can turn on and off like a light switch. And second, how can we compare the effect of doing a mitzvah joyfully to the case of Reuven? We are well aware that honor is one of the most powerful driving forces in the human condition. Granted, Reuven was a tzaddik, but the fact that he would have been titled the savior of Yosef for eternity is something that would propel a man to extremes. How can that be compared to something as minor as joy in the performance of a mitzvah?

The answer to these questions can best be understood

through a different perspec-

tive.

If I were a rich man. Sheldon G. Adelson is the owner of Las Vegas Sands Corp.

In 2003, his net worth was ranked at $1.4 billion. While that is an impressive sum, it didn’t put him anywhere

Continued on Page 63

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September 16, 2011 61

62 September 16, 2011

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THE SHMUZ Continued from Page 61 near the richest people in the world.

However, when he took his company public, a rather interesting thing happened. His personal wealth increased by 750%. By 2004, his personal worth had increased to over $20 billion, making him the fifth richest man in the world. Forbes magazine estimates that over those two years, Adelson’s fortune had been growing by $1 million every hour.

Imagine for a moment what it must feel like to know that your wealth is increasing at that rate. You sit down to a leisurely lunch and walk away a million dollars richer. Open a Gemara for the daf yomi—there’s another $750,000. Lie down for a Shabbos nap and wake up $3 million wealthier. What it’s like to be alive! Every moment I live, I become richer, and richer . . . I can’t wait . . .

I have no plans of dying. The single most difficult concept that we human beings deal with is our mortality.

While we are cognitively aware of it,

emotionally we just don’t feel it will happen. With that emotional blindness comes blindness to the value of our actions. Since in our operating reality I will never die, then what I do or don’t do really doesn’t matter.

If for a flashing moment I were to see what the World to Come will be like for me, I would effectively lose

over and over again that mitzvos are worth far more than the greatest treasures in this world, it is because they had that clarity. They understood what it will be like for each of us as we regale in our great wealth. In that World, we will look back at every chance we had to grow as the greatest opportunity ever given to man. We will look

Open a Gemara for the daf yomi — there’s another $750,000. Lie down for a Shabbos nap and wake up $3 million wealthier. free will. The extraordinary accomplishment of one mitzvah would so overwhelm me that I would be completely and radically different—not different physically, not smarter, but much more driven to accomplish my purpose in life. When Chazal tell us

back at our mitzvos, and they will bring us far more joy than earning a million dollars an hour.

This seems to be the answer to Rabbeinu Bachya. One of the greatest motivators in the human is enthusiasm.

That enthusiasm is based on a value

system. If I value money, I will be driven to pursue it, and the acquisition of it will bring me great joy. If I gain a deeper perspective on life, then I experience elation, knowing that my net worth in the World to Come is growing at an incredible rate. My investments are paying back in spades. That excitement is one of the most powerful motivating forces—equal even to kavod. With it, a person can reach great heights. Without it, a person’s avodas Hashem can become stale and lose its potency, thus beginning a downward spiral.

Ultimately, joy is a great force that both allows a person to enjoy his short stay in this world and propels him to achieve the greatness for which he was created.  For more on this topic, please listen to Shmuz #5: “Appreciating Your Wealth.”

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And He brought us to this place, and gave us this land (Devarim 26:9) Should not the order be reversed? The Holy Temple was built by King Solomon in Jerusalem hundreds of years after the Children of Israel took possession of the land under Joshua. The correct order should therefore be, “He gave us this land, and He brought us to this place”!

But here we have an allusion to that which the Targum Yonasan relates: that on the first Passover (while still in Egypt) the Children of Israel were carried on “wings of eagles” (see Sh’mos 19:4) to the Temple Mount, where they brought the Passover offering.

(Etz Chaim)

And all these blessings shall befall you, and overtake you (Devarim 28:2) Even if you fail to recognize the blessings as such and run away from them, they will pursue you …

(Shaar Bat Rabbim) 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

September 16, 2011 63

Strategies To Offset College Costs

BY BARRY FOX, M.A. Now that colleges have gone from being just costly to basically unaffordable, it is not just average Americans who have to worry about financialaid formulas. The upper middle class, by which we mean families making $125,000–$275,000 a year, are affected.

If your family is in that income bracket, or below it, and you have or will have children attending college, start planning now! The choices you make could have a huge impact on your net worth after the financial-aid office gets through with you.

Some may believe that the largest expense a family with three children will ever undertake will be their home.

That may only cost $400,000. But at $225,000 per child for four years at a private university or $85,000 for four years at a SUNY school, college for three kids can run more than a house.

It can be the largest item the family

will ever have to finance. Today, what were once two categories of higher education—public and private—have now evolved into three categories: (1) elite private, (2) public, and (3) other private. From a financial standpoint, what distinguishes these categories in general is that many people have decided that the elite colleges are worth it, no matter what the price; public colleges equal quality at a relative bargain, and other privates are acceptable only at discount prices.

The elite privates are experiencing a flood of freshman applications and, in some instances, unanticipated freshman over-enrollment. As the competition for admission gets stronger, the financial leverage of the applicant is reduced. This can create a special financial dilemma where the student is gifted, or a high achiever, who has done his or her part by becoming eligible for admission at top schools and now the parents feel obligated to “live up” to

their end of the deal, which can mean taking on a heavy debt load. Happily, a prepared family can skirt this crisis by taking full advantage of the $228 billion in student aid money available to help defray the high cost of college.

And the key word here is prepared; the federal government estimates that this year almost $24 billion in aid will not even be distributed because either no one asked for it or because financialaid forms were incorrectly filled out.

The process of getting a chunk of the financial-aid pie for your family is not an easy one. The forms used rival IRS creations for complexity and unabashed curiosity about every facet of family life. Why are these forms so important? Because colleges and the government refuse to provide any kind of financial aid without them. Financial aid comes in several different forms.

By far the best is a non-repayable grant.

Below this come several forms of government loans that can be repaid over

long periods at low interest. Grants are based on family financial need as determined by the Federal Methodology and the Institutional Methodology. You don’t need to know these systems, but you should realize that the financialaid forms are designed to weigh your family’s fortunes against both of them.

All federal programs require that you submit a form called the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

New York State requires its own additional form for state aid called TAP. In addition, 400 colleges require a form called the CSS Profile Form, as well as their own financial-aid forms.

Finally, colleges can ask for a Business Supplement or Divorced and Separated Financial Form for parents who are business owners or divorced. Properly handling the hundreds of questions on these forms can mean the difference between the family carrying the burden of college alone or receiving substantial aid. The key is understanding the formula that determines financial need. This can be accomplished by working with a family financial advisor or guidance counselor who is experienced in this area. He should belong to one of the professional organizations that sponsor workshops each year on the subject of college finance.

Also, you can use some of the tips here to help fill out your own forms. Keep in mind several facts before you fill out the form: • Be careful: Thirty-two percent of the forms submitted in 2008 had to be resubmitted because of mistakes in preparation.

• Don’t deny yourself: Even if you don’t think your family will qualify for aid, submit the form! A college might award even if the government doesn’t, for reasons having little to do with direct financial need. However, they will require the form.

• Do it right the first time: Once a form has been filed, it becomes difficult to make major changes in the financial information about your family.

The first form sets the tone, so make sure you prepare it as wisely as you can.

When you fill out the form, recognize that it is not a tax return. The concepts behind the way it calculates what your family needs to live on, how much you require to protect assets, and your business’ net worth are not the same as those used by the IRS. In fact, what can be desirable for tax planning can turn out to be disastrous for financialaid planning. So, you may want to get a copy of the form a year or two before you will apply for aid so that you can make it as much a part of your financial strategy as Uncle Sam’s tax rules.

Dean Michael Halloran of the University of Southern California has stated that “a lot of tax advisors are not knowledgeable about the financial-aid process.” For example, many parents routinely transfer large sums of money to their children’s names in order to avoid or lessen the tax bite on these savings. However, students’ assets are “taxed” at a rate of twenty cents on the dollar by college aid departments. This means that a student with $20,000 in savings in his name would be expected to provide 20 percent of it—$4,000—

Continued on Page 78 64 September 16, 2011

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September 16, 2011 65

Community News From Around The World

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Community News Continued from Page 66 This unique program allows Israeli students to fulfill their dual obligation of Torah learning and defending Israel. In the 1960s, KBY initiated a serious and intellectually challenging Torah learning program for post-high-school students from America and other countries

worldwide. KBY is a community where Torah comes alive.

The yeshiva promotes excellence in the study of personal growth under the guidance of the rosh yeshiva, rebbeim, and mashgichim. The warmth, concern, and attention given every student by each faculty member, and by his shiur rebbi in particular, assist in adjusting to yeshiva life, maintain a sense of well-be-

Nati Abittan and parents

ing, and forge a lifelong bond between rebbi and talmid. There is a tradition of gathering in the home of the shiur rebbi for inspiring evenings. On “in” Shabbatot, the students meet in the houses of rebbeim on Friday night for a tisch, a lively exchange of divrei Torah, and singing of zemirot.

After a year or more at the yeshiva, students leave as dedicated b’nei Torah

Sholom Kanner and family

and as budding talmidei chachamim.

They are committed to a life of learning Torah and observing mitzvot. KBY alumni make Torah and avodat Hashem the focal points of their lives while they pursue their careers as rabbis and Torah educators as well as doctors, lawyers, scientists, and businessmen. KBY produces many great scholars, eminent personalities, and persons of good deeds.

The yeshiva has achieved a leadership role in the promotion of Jewish education in Israel and the Diaspora. KBY heads several successful outreach activities. Among these is the well-known program that encourages and enables teachers to spend time at the yeshiva to recharge their spiritual batteries and add to their knowledge of traditional text. The yeshiva and its rabbis support cultural programs in neighboring communities by interacting with community leaders and giving shiurim. Students coordinate events for wounded veterans and the chronically ill and help distribute weekly food packages to over 600 needy families.

Yeshivat Kerem B’ Yavneh is a proud recipient of the prestigious “Pras Yisrael” Award from the Israeli government, indicating the significant contribution the yeshiva has made to the State of Israel and its society.

To learn more about the yeshiva, visit www.kby.org, call 718-645-3130, or contact American Friends of Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh, Rabbi Marc S. Volk, Executive Director, 1418 Avenue N, Brooklyn, NY 11230. 

HANC Commemorates September 11 The Hebrew Academy of Nassau County commemorated the tenth anniversary of 9/11 this week. Monday morning began with the raising of a very special American flag. The flag, which belongs to American history teacher Mrs. Karen Spitalnik, flew over the U.S. Capitol on September 11, 2002, on the first anniversary of the attacks. The flag comes with a certificate which states that it is dedicated to all who gave their lives on September 11.

The commemoration continued with a memorial presentation led by Mrs. Spitalnik’s fifth-grade class. The students blew out 88 candles, representing the 88 countries who lost citizens on that fateful day. A school video, which was made in September 2001 after the attacks, was shown. The program con-

68 September 16, 2011

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

cluded with the singing of God Bless America.

“I want the students, so many of whom weren’t even born in September 2001, to understand the solemnity of the day and to understand the significance of the day in American history. I also want them to walk away understanding that although hatred can bring down buildings, kindness is a much more powerful tool,” explained Mrs. Spitalnik. 

YU Students Help With Post-Hurricane Flood Relief In New Jersey Yeshiva University students spent time over the weekend of September 8–11 in New Jersey homes struck by Hurricane Irene, offering much-needed disaster relief.

The cleanup effort was coordinated by YU’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) in partnership with NECHAMA—a national Jewish voluntary organization that provides cleanup and recovery assistance to homes and communities affected by natural disasters— and sent more than 25 students to help.

“We’ll go to any place where we can provide help,” said Gene Borochoff, one of the founding members and vice president of NECHAMA. “The people in so many of the communities we work with have never had contact with a Jew before, and so we proudly become the face of Judaism.”

With September 11 being designated as a National Day of Service, the CJF decided to dedicate the weekend to reaching out to those in need. “As soon as we found out that the hurricane was coming to the East Coast, we knew that YU had to get involved,” said Aliza Abrams, assistant director of CJF’s department of service learning and experiential education. “We contacted NECHAMA right away, telling them that we would be here to help out as soon as they arrive.”

On Friday, September 9, volunteers drove to Saddle Brook, N.J. to help clean out the basement of a multi-family home which was flooded under five feet of water. The basement was the primary living space for a family who, after the hurricane, were only able to save the clothes on their backs. An elderly Catholic woman living in the flooded property asked the students what day the Jewish High Holidays begin, planning to light a candle in honor of the volunteers.

“We don’t need to travel all the way to New Orleans or Birmingham to help out; we have our own backyards to give back to,” said Ayelet Kahane, a recent graduate of Stern

College for Women and current CJF presidential fellow.

Kahane worked with Abrams to help organize the volunteer

mission.

This marks the third time CJF has partnered with NECHAMA to offer disaster relief.

The CJF has previously worked with them in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and in Birmingham, Alabama after a

tornado in April.

“It’s a good feeling to be able

Continued on Page 70

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Community News Continued from Page 69 to help people,” said Danny Alweis, a Yeshiva College senior from Binghamton, N.Y. “It’s important that YU and the religious community at large shows a presence in other types of communities, especially when it’s in our own neighborhoods.”

Daniel Hoeft, operations manager at NECHAMA, said, “Working with Yeshiva is amazing. Every student that comes out has done nothing but impress us.

They understand why it’s important to roll up your sleeves and work—being out on the ground and not just donating money.” 

Kestenbaum & Company Debuts The First Auction Of Fine & Rare Vintage Kosher Wines, September 22 Kestenbaum & Company, New York’s premier auction house of rare and antique judaica, is pleased to present its first auction of fine and rare vintage kosher wines. The auction will be conducted along with Skyview Wine & Spirits of Riverdale, New York. The sale will take place on Thursday, September 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Penthouse Solarium and Terrace of the Roger Smith Hotel, located at 501 Lexington Avenue in New York City.

From the dawn of the revolution in premium-quality kosher wines in Israel some decades ago, today there is an ever-increasing surge in fine kosher wine production from wine-producing regions such as Spain, France, and California. Kestenbaum’s inaugural auction

will reflect this trend by offering an excellent representation of fine kosher wines by the inclusion of rare vintages from across the globe.

Selections from the Kestenbaum Auction include Vintage Capcanes—the Flor de Primavera—from this vineyardturned-winery in Spain. Capcanes is one of the oldest growers of grapes from the famed Montsant region of Spain and began producing kosher wines in the mid-1990s with the urging of the Jewish community in Barcelona (pre-auction estimates range from $250–$350 per bottle up to $3,000–$4,000 per case).

Several lots in the auction will feature wines produced by Jeff Morgan’s Covenant Winery of Napa Valley, such as a vertical of all Covenant vintages including the 2009 not scheduled to be released until the Fall of 2011 (estimate $1,000–$1,500, Lot 55). Also included is a Magnum of Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Solomon Lot 70, one

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Kupat Ha’ir Kinus Last week, a deeply moving event took place when numerous gedolei vetzaddikei ha’dor from all sectors of the chareidi community came from all over Eretz Yisrael to participate in a gathering for the purpose of strengthening and supporting the unique activism of Kupat Ha’ir. The event was dedicated to the memory of Rav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz, ztvk’l, an ardent supporter of Kupat Ha’ir who had served as a member of its presidium.

This historic event was attended by the following lumi-

of only six produced (estimate $900–$1,200, Lot 54). The Covenant Winery has received the highest scores ever awarded to a kosher wine from renowned experts such as the Wine Advocate’s Robert Parker.

The auction will also offer a bottle of the historic 1976 Carmel Cabernet Sauvignon. This vintage was the very first fine varietal kosher wine ever produced and was the recipient of numerous awards as the best vintage of the decade (estimate $2,500–$3,000, Lot 16).

Another rarity in the auction is an Imperiale of the 2002 Domaine du Castel Grand Vin signed by the esteemed winemaker Eli Ben-Zaken (estimate $3,000–4,000, Lot 1). During the 2002 harvest, the Castel Winery received kosher certification and has since received great international acclaim from the Wine Advocate, the Wine Spectator, Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book, and others.

Additional auction offerings include double-magnum of the Golan Heights Winery’s Yarden Katzrin wine from the years 1990, 1993, and 2000 (estimates average $2,000–$3,000). The Golan Heights Winery is considered by many to have led the fine kosher wine revolution on a grand scale.

As the pioneer auction house of this exciting field, Kestenbaum & Company eagerly anticipates a terrific reaction from the broader public to this very first auction of Fine & Rare Vintage Kosher Wine. Interest is palpable across the world of wine connoisseurship, and wine-blogs are abuzz with much enthusiastic talk about this new and innovative venture.

A detailed illustrated auction catalog is available three weeks prior to the auction date. For further information about bidding in the auction or related inquiries, please contact director of marketing

naries of our generation, shlita: Rav Shmuel HaLevi Wosner, Rav Aharon Leib Steinman, Rav Nissim Karelitz, the Av Beis Din of Ungvar, Rav Edelstein, the Sadigura Rebbe, Rav Chaim Kanievsky, Rav S. Baada-

ni, Rav D. Yaffe, Rav Finkel, the Biala Rebbe, the Boyaner Rebbe, Rav N. Toledano, the Chernobler Rebbe, the Alexander Rebbe, the Rachmastrivka Rebbe, Rav Y. Hillel, and Rav C.M. HaLevi Wosner.

Prior to the opening of the kinnus, the gedolei ha’dor who serve as members of the presidium of Kupat Ha’ir perused Kupat Ha’ir’s detailed and completely transparent balance sheet for the year and saw for themselves the extreme meticulousness with which Kupat Ha’ir continues to run its affairs, even now that it has grown and expanded to the point where it distributed approximately 100 million shekels in aid to the poor and needy of Bnei Brak and all of Eretz Yisrael over this past year!

The kinnus was opened

by Rav Yaakov Asher, mayor of Bnei Brak, who hosted the gathering in the auditori-

Continued on Page 73

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September 16, 2011 71

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72 September 16, 2011

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Community News Continued from Page 71 um of the Bnei Brak municipality. Rav Asher greeted the assemblage with the words “Yamim al yemei melech tosif” and thanked the gedolei ha’dor, shlita, for making the effort to attend this special gathering in honor of Kupat Ha’ir.

After Rav Asher’s remarks, the gedolei ha’dor recited a few chapters of Tehillim on behalf of contributors to Kupat Ha’ir.

The sight of so many leaders of our generation reciting Tehillim together, united under the banner of Kupat Ha’ir, was extremely moving.

Rav Shmuel Eliezer Stern, shlita, rav of western Bnei Brak and a member of Kupat Ha’ir’s rabbinical committee, spoke on behalf of Kupat Ha’ir. He testified to the unwavering trust the gedolei ha’dor place in Kupat Ha’ir and described the unparalleled honor and respect they afford it. He then invited Rav Shmuel haLevi Wosner, shlita, to address the crowd.

One could have heard the proverbial pin drop as Rav Wosner, shlita, began the main address of the event. Using clear, decisive language, he described his absolute trust in the integrity of Kupat Ha’ir and discussed the many wonderful advantages of performing the mitzvah of tzedakah by contributing to Kupat Ha’ir.

“There is no other fund like Kupat Ha’ir,” Rav Wosner declared. “Kupat Ha’ir is a tzedakah fund of the type described

by Chazal: a tzedakah fund where the gabbaim are as trustworthy as Rabbi Chanina ben Tradyon. It is only to such a tzedakah fund that one may give money earmarked for tzedakah. The Gemara does not say that the gabbaim must be as righteous as Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon but as trustworthy as he and as wise as he in order to know to whom to provide assistance and to whom not.

This is not simple! There are no other places like this! Where can you find people who are as wise and as trustworthy as Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon? But Kupat Ha’ir fits these criteria!”

Rav Wosner went on to deliver personal testimony: “I’ve been with Kupat Ha’ir from the very beginning and I see everything that goes on. Every month, calculations are made anew. Everything is documented; every detail recorded. I review everything and I know that everything is completely aboveboard!

“Fortunate are the poor that their tzedakah fund is run by people as wise and as trustworthy as Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon, and that the gedolei ha’dor stand at their side and support them, leading them to merit incredible siyata dishmaya.”

Rav Wosner concluded his address with a tribute to his dear friend, Rav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz, ztvk’l, who was absent from a Kupat Ha’ir event for the first time. “Chazal say that when a member of the chaburah passes on, all members of the group should be concerned,” Rav Wosner said, his voice filed with pain. “When my dear friend Rav Michel Yehudah, zt’l, was here, we all shared a sense of concern for Kupat Ha’ir. Rav Michel Yehudah was exceptionally concerned with Kupat Ha’ir. Now that he has passed away, we must all ‘be concerned.’ We must all feel the same concern he did. Now that he is no longer

here, we must share the responsibility for Kupat Ha’ir among us, making sure that it continues growing and expanding and providing more and more assistance to more homes and to cover more and more needs. There are so many homes in such desperate need.

We must make sure Kupat Ha’ir can get to them all.”

Rav Yaakov Hillel, shlita, rosh yeshivas Chevras Ahavas Shalom, offered concluding remarks, expressing his great excitement at the sight of so many gedolei vetzaddikei ha’dor, shlita, sitting together in support of Kupat Ha’ir.

He, too, mentioned Rav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz, ztvk’l, who was always ready to do anything on behalf of Kupat Ha’ir.

HANC 10/To Learning Program The Hebrew Academy of Nassau County Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School, in West Hempstead, is excited to launch “10/To,” a new Torah learning program for students in fourth through sixth grade. The 10/To Program invites students to spend 10

minutes studying Sefer HaChinuch with their rebbeim in the morning before school starts. “We are excited to add an additional opportunity for students to enhance their Torah knowledge. The goal of the 10/To program is for students to grow in Torah knowledge and to commit to taking 10 minutes to help them become a talmid chacham/talmidah chachamah,” explained Rabbi Benjamin Yasgur, menahel/principal. We look forward to learning Torah insights from our future Torah scholars! 

Taglit-Birthright Brought 10,500 College Students To Israel This Summer Nearly 20,000 young adults participated in the Taglit-Birthright Israel trip this summer, among them 10,526 registered students from over 712 colleges and universities across North America.

Students hailed from schools ranging from large universities with substantial Jewish populations to small colleges— representing approximately 20 percent of all colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

“Taglit-Birthright Israel is performing an amazing service for both the State of Israel and the Jewish people,” said Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren. “The opportunity to experience firsthand the energy, beauty, and spirit of Israel is one which will stay forever with all the participants, and dispel the anti-Israel myths they may encounter on college campuses.”

“With Israel’s reputation very much in jeopardy on many college campuses, the fact that so many students from so many schools were in Israel this summer—and are able to relate their personal experience of being there—will hopefully change the climate on North American college campuses,” said TaglitBirthright Israel International CEO Gidi Mark.

The University of Michigan had the highest trip representation, with 326 students, followed by the University of Florida with 226 students, Indiana University with 200 participants, and University of Maryland and University of

Continued on Page 74

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September 16, 2011 73

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Pennsylvania both with 165 participants each.

Among student participants, 3,500 travelled together with students from their schools, on 89 campus-based buses. Some of these campus buses were affiliated with or sponsored by local Jewish Federations, donors, and foundations, in an effort to increase the number of participants from their respective communities. Their efforts produced a record number of community trips, with 65 buses representing more than 30 communities.

“Our partnership with Jewish Federations and local communities is growing stronger and stronger,” said Birthright Israel Foundation President Robert Aronson. “It is wonderful to see the growing number of community trips and their participants return home to become involved in their communities.”

This summer more than 40,000 Jewish young adults in North American had applied for nearly 15,000 summer trip spots, a record number of North American applicants, filling available openings in the shortest registration period ever.

While the majority of this summer’s participants came from the U.S. and Canada, there was a significant number from other countries, such as Russia with 1,006 participants, Argentina with 449, and Germany with 439. In all, participants this summer hailed from 45 countries, including 35 participants from India, three from Finland, and five

from Cuba.

By the year 2013, Taglit-Birthright Israel would like to send 51,000 young Jewish adults annually on the free, 10day educational trip. This would mean that, at this participation rate, within a decade one in every two Jewish young adults worldwide would participate in a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip. In January, the Government of Israel announced it would contribute $100 million in funding over the next three years to achieve the 51,000 goal, contingent on funds raised in North America and worldwide.

Registration for the Taglit-Birthright Israel winter trips will begin on September 13 for young adults who have applied in the past and on September 14 for new applicants. 

“The Perils of Global Intolerance: The United Nations & Durban III” At Touro, September 22 The Touro College Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, in conjunction with the Hudson Institute, will host a one-day conference entitled “The Perils of Global Intolerance: The United Nations & Durban III.” Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, former governor of Arkansas and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, former Israeli U.N. ambassador Dore Gold, and Harvard professors Ruth Wisse and Alan Dershowitz are among the distinguished guests scheduled to speak.

The conference will take place at the Millennium U.N. Plaza Hotel, located at 1 United Nations Plaza on 44th Street

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74 September 16, 2011

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111 Cedarhurst Ave. Cedarhurst, NY 11516 516-374-2065

between First and Second Avenue in New York, on September 22 between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

The Perils of Global Intolerance conference is intended to coincide with Durban III, the highly controversial U.N. event commemorating the tenth anniversary of the gathering that took place in Durban, South Africa. The final product of that conference—the Durban Declaration—charged Israel with racism, the only one of the U.N.’s 192 state members so accused. It prompted Congressman and Holocaust survivor Tom Lantos representing the U.S. and Israel, to walk out in disgust. The original Durban event ended on September 8, 2001, three days before the tragic events of September 11, and was billed as an “antiracism” event.

“Given the events that Durban III is intended to commemorate, the U.N. will sadly serve as a global platform to promote the inverse of its original purposes and principles,” said Anne Bayefsky, the director of the Touro College Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust. “It is imperative to deny legitimacy to prejudice and its Durban Declaration.”

Other prominent speakers at the Perils of Global Intolerance conference include Touro College President and CEO Dr. Alan Kadish; former New York City Mayor Ed Koch; Academy-Award winning actor Jon Voight; Israel Minister of Information and Diaspora Yuli Edelstein; psychiatrist Wafa Sultan, one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people; Sudanese human rights activist Simon Deng; veteran award-winning

journalist Khaled Abu Toameh; Hoover Institution fellow and National Humanities Medal recipient Shelby Steele; bestselling author and award-winning UK journalist Douglas Murray; Canadian Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney; and President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy Zuhdi Jasser.

For registration and further information, please contact Gabe Kahn at 212463-0400, ext. 5404 or at gabriel.kahn@ touro.edu. For a free live webcast, visit www.DurbanWatch.com. 

Camp Kaylie Launches Music Video Based on “Yalili” More and more summer camps are producing an annual music video to promote their summer camps. Camp Kaylie has just launched their “Yala Yala Camp Kaylie” music video which uses the tune of Yalili from the band 8th Day. The video features Camp Kaylie staff and campers and rising singing stars Dovid Dachs of Shalsheles Junior and Tani Martin, formerly of Yeshiva Boys Choir—who were both campers at the inaugural Summer 2011 boys camp.

Ohel in many ways provided 8th Day with their “lucky break” when they debuted the song at Ohel’s 2010 benefit concert in NYC last year Derek Saker, director of communications at Ohel adds, “We contacted 8th Day before commencing the project and they not only welcomed the idea of using their tune, but offered to appear in the video.”

Continued on Page 76

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September 16, 2011 75

Community News Continued from Page 75 The lyrics were rewritten by Ohel to embrace the fun and integration of Camp Kaylie, and the Camp Kaylie band recorded the music. Big Productions and Shmuel Hoffman produced the video. The video can be seen at campkaylie.org. 

Jewish Community Applauds Museum’s Decision On Exhibit On behalf of the organized East Bay Jewish community, the East Bay Jewish Community Relations Council and Jewish Federation of the East Bay, joined by the Anti-Defamation League, applaud the decision of the Museum of Children’s Art (MOCHA) in Oakland, California, to cancel the scheduled “Child’s View from Gaza” exhibit.

The exhibit, sponsored by a wellknown political advocacy organization, contains violent images that demonize and dehumanize an entire ethnic and religious population. A biased, one-sided perspective filled with depictions of violence has no place in a communi-

76 September 16, 2011

ty-based museum dedicated to serving young children, including three-, four-, and five-year-olds. The museum’s leadership recognized the negative effect that this inflammatory exhibit would have on young children, Jewish and non-Jewish alike. Furthermore, the museum recognized that the exhibit was incompatible with its core mission of instilling a love of art among Oakland’s diverse children’s population and could potentially create an unsafe atmosphere for Jewish children.

This exhibit constitutes propaganda aimed at indoctrinating our children under the guise of art. There is no context given to understand the complex issues facing Israel and the Palestinians.

And, there is no recognition that Israeli as well as Palestinian children are the continuing victims of the conflict.

The museum is a valued institution in the community, playing a unique role.

The decision of MOCHA’s board should be supported by all who are committed to serving the interests of our country’s youngest members and want to build bridges between people.” 

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Friendship Gathering For Frum Women With Cancer, October 4 Bikur Cholim of Boro Park, in partnership with Sharsheret and CancerCare, hosts monthly friendship gatherings for frum women who are in treatment for or have been in treatment for cancer. The next confidential meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 4, from 11:00-12:30 p.m. in Bikur Cholim of Boro Park, at 5216 11th Avenue, and will be free of charge. Come hear interesting guest speakers and have opportunities to meet others “who understand,” while enjoying a light, healthy snack. For more information, please leave a message for Yafa, at 718-438-2020, ext. 7451, and tell her the most private way to reach you. This project is sponsored by the Caring Commission of the UJA Federation of Greater NY. 

The Silent Pain Of Infertility

By Ronit Schwartz Backpacks waiting by the front door, uniforms pressed and ready to be worn, the start of the new school year fills our hearts with pride and hope for our chil-

dren. We watch them leave the house with a hasty wave and go to school, and a little piece of our heart aches.

But that ache is bittersweet as we anticipate school performances, projects to be treasured, and occasions to watch our children blossom and grow. But for some, this upcoming year will not be filled with Siddur parties, Chumash plays, or graduations. This year will not mark another birthday party, a new line on a growth chart, or a budding tooth.

This year will be another year of waiting, yearning, hoping. Hoping for a child.

Infertility is like a big cry of pain that makes no sound. It is a silent pain endured by a husband and wife either together but sometimes alone. It is a woman who takes a longer route home to avoid passing a park filled with laughing children. She averts her eyes when she sees a baby stroller, cries when she sees an ad for Pampers, and must put on a brave and happy face when her younger sister announces yet another pregnancy. She does not know who the favorite teacher is, that silly bands are the latest fad, or that Sketchers must light up. Her home is silent and her rooms are empty, and worst of all, her heart is broken into a million pieces that only a baby can heal. Her Shabbos table longs for parashah sheets, her sukkah for the decorations made in school.

Every yom tov is an added reminder to the pain that is present in her life.

Her husband feels his ache every week when he walks alone to shul. He doesn’t have his own child to take to the candy man, or whom to shield under his tallis. Simchas Torah is a day of survival as he struggles to hold back the tears during Kol Hanearim. He cannot take away his wife’s pain, the disappointment, and the questioning eyes of others. Yes, they have gone to various rebbes for berachos, segulos, and have been kvatrens at least half a dozen times. Despite this, they wait, their hope dwindling with each passing month.

When we hear of a couple struggling with infertility, we respond with a sigh, a shake of the head, and the always “I feel so bad” or “that’s so sad.” Tanach gives us a firsthand account at the struggle of infertility in the story of Channah. Channah felt shame and rejection because she was unable to have children. Hashem heard her cries and tears and blessed her with Shmuel. But not all have this happy ending. It is devastating for couples not to have a child, and helping them cope with this emotionally and physically is Bonei Olam.

The Mishnah in Sanhedrin tells us that “kol hamekayem nefesh achas m’Yisrael, maaleh alav hakasuv ke’ilu kiyeim olam maleih.” One who has saved or built a single life is considered as if he created an entire world. Bonei Olam has thus far played a part in building close to 3,000 worlds.

Through medical and financial assistance, Bonei Olam provides funding for all aspects of fertility treatments. Most health plans do not provide coverage or financial assistance for fertility treatments and the financial stress often proves too daunting for many couples.

Without Bonei Olam they would be unable to have the latest in medical treatments and access to some of the best doctors in the field, all in strict accor-

dance with halacha. Bonei Olam has given them hope and faith in achieving their dream.

For more information, visit www.boneiolam.org. 

Teeing Off For Ezer Mizion, November 23

By Herman Weiss I have been living in Israel for three years. I am still on all the “Old Country” e-mail lists and look on longingly about all the golf outings that are advertised at various times during the year. Whenever I participated in the day’s events, I always enjoyed the entire atmosphere of camaraderie, food, and, of course, the golf. If a trip stateside coincided with one of the various outings I would have attended, I would try to work my hectic schedule into the outing, but more often than not it was not possible. Living in Beit Shemesh, having a day job, and not being an ardent twice-a-week golfer, my golf skills waned and my rounds became few and far between, which has been a shame because the year I made aliyah, the Cesarea Golf Course reopened its beautiful Peter Dye-designed championship course. I was able to play every few months but not more.

Shortly after arriving in Israel, friends and family started turning to us for advice on where to go and what to do as they found themselves on the JFK-Ben Gurion express once again. They are always looking for the out of the way, off the grid, never did that before, thing in Israel. Invariably our suggestion was met with, “Been there done that.” Until one year when my friend Simmie visited from West Hempstead. He was investigating different yeshivos his high school senior was interested in attending the following year. He also knew there were quite a few others that were traveling to Israel the same Thanksgiving weekend. After an exhaustive yeshivah search he found himself with an afternoon free. Having done practically everything else in Israel, he wanted to play golf. A few phone calls later we had two foursomes and a tee time at the Caesarea course. We followed up the round at a restaurant in the Herzalia marina and one of the participants commented on what an absolutely great and different day this was.

This began the wheels turning in our heads; if, with a few quick phone calls we can organize a great golf day, why not make this into an annual event and raise money for a worthwhile cause.

Playing golf, eating food, having fun, and all done in the name of raising money for a worthy organization, Ezer Mizion. Our relationship with Ezer Mizion began six years ago. Simmie introduced me to the organization, and on one of our many trips we had packed some gift bags or brought some clothes and we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to tour their facility and deliver the goods to a welcoming recipient. We discovered that Ezer Mizion has its hand in so many areas. It may be a family whose mother is struggling with cancer and unable to cope or a frail octogenarian desperate to maintain his independence, or perhaps a special child frustrated by failure. The prime division is its International Jewish Bone Marrow Registry.

That tour was where we learned about

the registry. They had just initiated the testing of every IDF enrollee, and their numbers of specimens in the bank was growing and so were their costs. They estimated if the number of people in the bank was 1,000,000, they would have a 97-99% certainty of being able to provide a match for any Jewish person that would, G-d forbid, need it. Clearly this was a suitable match for our fundraising efforts; saving one soul is akin to saving the world. Currently they are the fourth largest registry in the world behind the U.S., Germany, and Brazil, and the largest Jewish registry.

Irv Hackel played an important role in helping us arrange for a speaker to come and give us words of inspiration while raising money for Ezer Mizion.

Other events and circumstances led us to the logical next step—raising money for Ezer Mizion via a golf outing in Israel. As far as I know there are no other ones like it. With Simmie spearheading the U.S. efforts and my being in Israel and arranging the logistics, we inaugurated the Annual Turkey Shoot Golf Outing in Support of the Bone Marrow Registry of Ezer Mizion.

This was not as simple as making a few phone calls, but everyone we spoke with was enthusiastic and eager to help. The golf course was happy to help us with the planning. Holy Bagel gladly jumped aboard as a sponsor and provided breakfast and lunch. After all was said and done, we had 24 golfers, had an incredible amount of fun, and raised a lot of money.

Afterwards there was a unanimous agreement to make this an annual event. Many people who heard about it after the fact pledged to play the following year. Our hope is to make this an international success year after year.

We already have commitments from 30 golfers, and in addition to Holy Bagel, many other great sponsors. November 23 is the date we are looking forward to. If you are planning your Thanksgiving trip to the Holy Land and find yourself with the same question of what to do, come and join us in Caesarea. This year we are also offering a day at the Dan Caesarea Spa for the non-golfers to enjoy.

For further information, visit ezermizion.org and send me a note. 

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September 16, 2011 77

College Costs Continued from Page 64 for college expenses. This, of course, would almost wipe out the account in four years.

Parental assets, however, are taxed at just 5 cents on the dollar for financialaid purposes. Jacqueline Foster, former director of financial aid at Yale University, said, “We take 20 cents of the student dollar, but the same $20,000 in the parents’ hands would create an obligation of only $1,000 per year.” One clear strategy that is both legal and appropriate is to use up money in a custodial account for student-related expenses where the alternative is to use parental assets—for example, orthodontist bills, college visit costs, or a computer. If done soon enough, this can result in a reduced expected family contribution, which translates into more aid.

Another tip would be to make any intended large purchases, such as a car, before filing the FAFSA. This will help bring parental assets down temporari-

ly. If you need someone to help around the office, what about your collegebound children? The salaries they receive are a business expense that lowers family income. The first $5,700 paid to each child won’t affect his tax status. The business winds up paying part of the tuition rather than the fami-

ing mortgage. If you take out a second mortgage before submitting the form, the net value of your home is radically reduced. Once the figuring is done, it is crucial that the FAFSA be submitted as early as possible. The FAFSA cannot be submitted before January 1 of the year preceding college attendance. Once

What can be desirable for tax planning can turn out to be disastrous for financial-aid planning. ly, which derives no tax benefits at all from paying for education.

The family home no longer is considered an asset on the federal forms, but many private colleges still consider its value. The colleges ask only for net home market value minus any exist-

that day comes, colleges begin doling out aid. Many run out of aid long before they run out of FAFSAs. A final caution: prepare for needs analysis as much as possible, but never cheat. Any information on a FAFSA that doesn’t jibe with the state and the fed-

eral tax forms is automatically rejected.

A discrepancy of as little as $300 can kick the forms out of the process. In addition, most colleges ask for signed copies of income tax returns. In fact, the Department of Education now has the authority to access the Federal IRS computer directly. In the increasingly complex and systematic world of FAFSA, it takes thought and careful preparation to make sure you get your share.  © 2011 by Barry Fox Barry Fox is a college financial aid counselor with offices in Merrick. He holds numerous seminars on financial aid for many Nassau County libraries and high schools. He also serves as a private consultant to parents.

He received his B.A. from the University of Connecticut, summa cum laude, and has a master’s from New York University and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He is a member of the NY State Financial Aid Administrators Association and was a member of West Point Military Academy Selection Committee (1982– 1990). Barry was a member of the adjunct faculty at SUNY Farmingdale and at the City University of New York from 1973 to 1987, and was an educator and counselor for the New York City Board of Education from 1962 to 1994.

… Because you did not serve G-d with happiness and with gladness of heart, in abundance of everything; therefore, you shall serve your enemies …

(Devarim 28:47–48) Because you did not serve G-d when you enjoyed happiness and the abundance of all good things, you shall now suffer want.

(Rashi)

Not only did you sin, you did so “with happiness and with gladness of heart”—for this the punishment is doubly severe.

(Maayanei Shel Torah)

Even though you served G-d, you did not serve him with joy—that is the source of all afflictions.

(Ari)

Just like in the case of two people wrestling, each trying to throw down the other, if one of them moves with sloth and lethargy, he will be easily defeated and felled, even if he is stronger than his fellow. So, too, in battling one’s evil inclination, one can prevail over it … only with alacrity that comes from joy and from a heart that is free and cleansed from every trace of worry and sadness …

(Tanya) 78 September 16, 2011

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September 16, 2011 79

SERVICES PROVIDED Piano & vocal lessons — Experienced teacher.

Music for all ages and levels of advancement, classical, contemporary, and for holidays, in your home. Call for appointment 516-574-3070 Driver w/ own car available in the 5 Towns. From 8:30 AM-4:30 PM. Transport deliveries or general services. Excellent references. 646-322-6900 Looking for a job as a personal driver (FT, PT, on occasion.) Service is available on local and long distances. Call 718-471-6853 (leave a message.)

Gemach special for simcha. We provide for you excellent speaker plus MP3 full of Jewish music, plus excellent mike system. Call 718-600-4559 Going to Israel for Yom Tov? Leave the cooking to us. Call Culinary Essentials in Israel at 718-8747173 or +972-57-317-1118 Ivy League tutoring service specializing in college-level math and science courses. For more information, call 646-593-9904 or visit orgotogo. com Beautiful business-size cards with Kiruv websites, are available for free (to give to not-yetFrum people).

Please text or call 718-501-2110 “Used or Abused” Before you buy a used car, come in for a free frame (structural) check.

Precision Auto Body 691 Burnside Ave, Lawrence.

516-371-1137.

Friends don’t let friends drive junk!

Boro Park Ladies & Children Coat Gemach accepting gently used coats in excellent condition. Woodmere drop-off.

718-972-3699 Simchas Naava Share your simcha flowers! Be m’sameach other simchas! Donate your fresh flower arrangements! We will match your simcha date with simchas following yours or deliver them to nursing home residents. To donate or obtain flower arrangements call 516-239-6066 In memory of a special friend, Naava Wassner Katlowitz

Small beginners Siddurim, and Shabbos guidebooks, both in Russian, are available for you to distribute.

Please call Tashbar Publications at 718-4389025 (leave message with address, IY”H we will mail them to you for free.)

Help Kosiner Bikur Cholim maintain their apartments near Manhattan hospitals. Sponsor a Shabbos as a z’chus. Donations accepted. Tax deductible. 347-924-4205 New Table and Chair Gemach for shortterm simchas. 740 Mador Ct., Far Rockaway.

Call 718-471-0368 G’Mach Chasdei Yisroel — Lending money to people in Klei Kodesh & for Klei Kodesh purposes.

In the Far Rockaway-Five Towns area.

Please call 917-822-9910 for more info.

Or email shaimag@gmail.com.

In Memory of R’ Yisroel Ben Binyamin, a”h.

Personal Chavrusa available for learning and growing understanding the beauty of our Torah.

Experience of many years in delivering shiurim to Baalei Batim and all those interested in learning.

Reasonable hourly rate. This is a project of Kollel Tiferes Avos.

Call 718- 316-3874 or call Rabbi Dov Bressler 718- 327-8903.

(Payments are tax deductible.)

5 Towns Area Boys’ Yeshiva seeking middle school General Studies teacher for ‘11-’12 school year.

M-Th from 2:00- 4:30.

Please send your resume to teachersearch11@ gmail.com Physical therapy office looking for Physical therapy assistant (PT/FT) in Five Towns.

If interested please call 516-650-5756

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE Far Rockaway — Empire & Broadway. Great Greek corner col. 10 rooms, 4 bths, basement, high ceilings, wood floors, balcony. $950K neg.

Exit Realty Kingdom 212-470-3856

Deadline for Classified Advertising in the next issue is Monday, September 19 at 5 PM Call 516-569-0502

Your Real Estate, Service, or Help Wanted Ad Here Every Thursday

Retired public school teacher available to tutor men and boys in Hebrew, English, and/or Yiddish in the 5 Towns. Recession buster.

Call 718-552-5525 Study with Steve. One-on-one tutoring. SAT Math prep, regents, high school and elementary math, high school physics.

Call 516-371-5522

Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

Menadvim — Furniture and Appliances. Like new to Donate and Receive.

Call 718-MEN-ADVIm (718-636-2384) We deliver.

Boro Park Ladies Hat Gemach accepting hats in excellent condition. Woodmere drop-off.

718-972-3699

HELP WANTED Jewelry store on Flatbush Ave. Brooklyn seeking mature, aggressive, and experienced salespeople. Excellent pay + commission. Good references a must. Call after 8PM 347-752-1449

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

Part-time & Full-time Paraprofessional (shadow) positions available for the Fall 2011-2012 School Year in all 5 Boroughs. We have 5 & 6 days a week schedules available to work with children with a variety of developmental and/or health disorders.

Positions are available in Private Schools, Charter Schools and Yeshivas. Great wage and timely payment. Please send your High School Diploma, GED or letter from your school stating that you have graduated. (This is a requirement set by the NYCDOE.) Experience a plus, we will train you.

Please fax resumes Att: Ms. Levitan at 718-5594811 or E-mail: nycshadows@gmail.com

100,000 readers look forward to what’s happening in the 5 Towns by reading The Five Towns Jewish Times.

SBG Moving — Prompt, professional, and reliable moving service available for local & long distance moves. Lowest rates between NY and Lakewood. Small jobs welcome! We are insured! 347-276-7422

80 September 16, 2011

HELP WANTED

1 Week . . . . . . . . . . $35 2 Weeks . . . . . . . . . $60 4 Weeks . . . . . . . . $100 Weekly Ads of up to 25 words

Call: 516-569-0502 Fax: 516-977-0608 Or E-mail ads to: 5TJTads@gmail.com Include payment info.

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

Cedarhurst — 2BR, 2 Bath Co-op, Terrace, Magnificent Apt In The Heart of Cedarhurst, Eik W/ Granite Countertops, Totally Redone, W/D In Apt $299K Hewlett — Lg 1BR, 1 Bath Mint Apt On The 1 Flr, One Parking Space Included, Huge MBR, High Ceilings, Hw Floors, Elevator Bldg, CAC. . . $189K Lawrence — 1-2BR Apartment, From $1500/m – Totally Renovated “No Fee” Lawrence — The Plaza, Renovated 1BR, 1 Bath Co-op, Doorman, Elevator Bldg, IG Pool, Close To All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rent: $1,895/m — Sale: $189K Lawrence — The Plaza, 2BR, 2 Bath Terrace, Doorman, Elevator Bldg, W/D On Floor, Loads Of Closets, Recessed LightingRent: $2,995/m – Sale: $400’s Lawrence — 8BR, 6 Bath Stately Brick Colonial Over 1 Acre, IG Pool, Gorgeous Secluded Grounds, CAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $POR N. Woodmere — 4BR, 3 Bath Split, Spacious Home, 4BR’s On One Level, Quiet Residential Street, CAC, Finished Bsmt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $515K Woodmere — 1BR, 1 Bath Co-op, Renovated Apt, Elevator Bldg, Hardwood Floors, Small Pet Ok, High Ceilings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $149K Woodmere — 2BR, 1 Bath Elegant Pre-war Elevator Bldg, 9ft Ceilings, W/D In Bldg, Many Closets, Close To All . . . . Rent: $1,600/m — Sale: $149K Woodmere — 3BR, 2 Bath Wonderful Ranch, Well Maintained Home, Location, Location, Location . $439K Call Mark Lipner Direct 516-298-8457 Pugatch Realty Corp. Email: MLipner@Pugatch.com

Hewlett — Beautiful 5 BR, 3 bths, split. All updated, in SD#14. Separate entrance can be M/D with proper permits. Owner motivated, reduced. $499K 5 Towns Home Realty 516-569-5710

Lawrence/Far Rockaway — Co-op Freshly painted large 2BR, 2bth, kosher kitchen, LR, FDR, terrace, 24-hour doorman, Shabbos elevator.

Walk all. 279K 5 Towns Homes Realty 516-569-5710

Lawrence — Ours Alone!! Brick, C/H COL, Stately brick, w/old world charm, Hi ceilings, 6Br, 4.5 bths, Kosher EIK, Lg. FDR, Library, Fin. Bsmt., Lg Prop., walk all.

5 TOWN HOMES 516-569-5710

North Woodmere — Decorator’s Dream.

Beautiful bi-level, large granite kosher EIK, FDR, large LR, den, 4BR, waterview, all systems, walk all shuls. Owner motivated. Present all offers.

5 Towns Homes Realty 516-569-5710

VACATION RENTAL

Woodmere Colonial For Sale 6 BR 3.5 Bath Col. Master suite w/ bath. Fin. Bsmt, BR, bath + more. Granite Kitch, all new appliances, Den with skylt, Fireplace, formal DR, A Gem! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $649K 516-569-1684

North Woodmere — New to market. Custom 6BR (4 on one level), new granite kitchen, LR, FDR, 2 dens, quiet treelined street. Walk all shuls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $679K Owner. 516-902-8908

Jerusalem Apt. Talbiah — 2BR, 2bth, fully equipped kosher kitchen, w/d, parking, wireless internet, cable TV, a/c, walk to Kotel, Emek Rafaim, & Inbal Hotel. 718-544-7571

Far Rockaway — For sale or rent. Spacious 7BR, Victorian col. High ceilings, finished bsmt, 4 renovated full bths, large enclosed yard, perfect location near all shuls and schools . . . . . . . $869K 516-236-8416 Broker Woodmere — One block from station Gracious CHC, attached large prof. office which could be rented to cover taxes; dbl lot, 4 BR, 3 full bths, LR w solarium, den, can add BR in attic, finished bsmt, 2 car garage $1.1M Call Owner for Appointment: 917-509-0704

Woodmere — New Construction Classic 5BR c/h col. Large property. Walk to YI of Woodmere and Aish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1M+ Cedarhurst — Open House — 372 Argyle Road By appointment Renovated 3+1BR col. Great yard, must see!

Reduced and ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $420K Woodmere — Open House 9 Harvard Road — 12-2 PM Newly constructed, 6BR col. Grand 2 story entry foyer, custom kitchen, marble bath, radiant heat, every ameniety. Must see! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1M+ Hewlett Neck — New construction located on spectacular 1/2 acre lot. 6BR, 2-story entrance foyer, 9’ ceiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1M+ Hewlett Neck — 1/2 acre , buildable lot, for sale $750K South Shore Estates 516-569-4980 North Woodmere —Spacious Updated Woodmere 400. 11 rooms, 5BR, 2.5bth, EIK kosher, FDR, Den, Fireplace, Finished Basement, Office, New Roof, SD#15, 2-Car Garage, All-Sys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $735,000 Owner 516-717-8723 Kew Gardens Hills — Beautiful, spacious 2BR garden apt. Updated kitchen, bth. W/D, c/ac, close to shul and transportation. Many extras. Call 718309-9320

931 Midway, Woodmere NY. . . . . . . . . . $549,000 Open House Sunday, Sept. 18th 11:30-1:30 Over 2300 Square feet of living space. Large 6BR home. Beautiful wood floors. Georgia Altman 516-220-2147

Oceanside — Brand new construction.

Beautiful CH col. Large 4 BR (1 level), 2.5 bths, granite EIK, FDR, den with fp, full bsmt, in culde-sac, walk all, best price . . . . . . . . . . . $675K 5 Towns Homes Realty 516-569-5710

Open Houses 9/18 Woodmere — 918 Midway 2:30-4. Waterfront.

Magnificent view.

Unique Mother/Daughter. Completely redone.

6BR, 5bth $899K Woodmere — By appt. Exp. Ranch. 4BR, 3bth. $445K Woodmere — Co-ops: 141 Wyckoff Pl. 11:30-1 Studio $59K 1BR $125K 2BR $165K Prudential 516-849-2522 Dalia

Woodmere/Cedarhurst Oppty! 12,000 sq. ft. approx. 90’x150’, Colonial, 17 rooms, full bsmt. with hi ceilings, clean 2 car garage plus storage, 6 space parking, 2 family, professional use, accountant, Esq., medical and/or educational and religious uses. Grand colonial with charm and great possibilities. Available at once . $875K Negotiable.

Owner 516-322-3555

Cedarhurst 445 W.Broadway — 3BR col lg property . $418K 336 Westminster Rd. — 3BR exp ranch with main lvl den . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $300’s Lawrence 1 Rosalind Pl. — Mint 1BR, 1 bth, 2nd flr $145K Woodmere, Woodsburgh, N. Woodmere by appt.

9 Hazel Pl. — Charming 3BR ranch on beautiful property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $469K 917 Midway Woodmere — Mint 4BR split granite/WD EIK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $625K 1023 Hazel Pl. — Totally renovated split, new kitchen and bths tree lined st 552 Derby Ave. — Dramatic contemporary col with beautiful water views . . . . . . . . . . .$900’s 3-4 1039 Magnolia Pl. — Mint 4BR split, den, basement, cul-de-sac 12-1 $699K Far Rockaway Open House 1056 Neilson St. — New Construction Apts. For Rent 11-14 Heyson Rd. — Renovated 2-family duplex new kitchen and bths . . . . . . . . . . . . . $650K 11-12 608 Seagirt Blvd — Mint 2-family new kit bths hardwood flrs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $549K 201 B.3rd St. — Country home, rights to private beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $200’s Stately Tudor main flr mbr +3BR, lg EIK, beautiful property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.1+M 146 B. 9th St. — New construction apts for rent 12-1:30 Co-op — 1BR, 1bth, terrace , doorman, elevator bldg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $155K Legal 2 family homes 3/2 bdrms fin attic, basement . . . . . . . . . . . $469K 2/2 new EIKs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $349K Millky Forst Properties Inc. 516-239-0306 Cedarhurst — House for Sale 3BR, 2.5bth, Charming Split, EIK, FLR, FDR, den, attached garage, laundry room, plus finished basement, walk to all . . . . . . . . . . . . . Asking $510K For more info, call 917-328-5941 Cedarhurst — New construction. First show. Col. 9’ ceilings, 5BR, 2.5bths, full basement, on quiet tree-lined street. Call for details . . . . . . . . . . $799K 5 Towns Homes Realty 516-569-5710

Hewlett — Col. MIC, 4br, 2bth, 2fpl, full deck, wood flr, Lg. den. Walk to all. $729K 5 TOWN HOMES 516-322-3555 Far Rockaway — 2 Family. All NU, 3 over 1 Bdrm, 3 full baths. Great Location . . . . . . . . . . $599K Call 516-322-3555 Howard Beach — Co-op 2BR, 2bth, totally renovated. Maintenance includes gas, electric, heat and parking space. Great buy. Asking$150K 5 Towns Homes 516-569-5710 Cedarhurst — First show. LR, FDR, new EIK, 4BR, 2 new bths, finished basement, cream puff condition, quiet street, walk all, low taxes $500’s 5 Towns Homes 516-569-5710 Cedarhurst — 1st show. New exclusive regal 2 family, brick, all new, LR w/ fireplace, FDR, large kosher EIK, 3BR each apt, c/ac, alarm, basement, great location.

Walk all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $759K 5 Towns Homes Realty 516-569-5710 5 Town Homes 516-569-5712 Cedarhurst: NU 2 Mkt. Lg LR, DR, EIK, Den, 5BR, 3bth, Skilits, Cabana, Lg prop, IGPool, Walk to all. . . $659K Inwood — New to market. Charming Victorian on quiet tree-lined street with water view. 7BR, great for large family. A must see! . . . . . . . . . . . . . $499K 5 Towns Homes Realty 516-569-5710 Far Rockaway: Coop, 3Br, 1Bth Lr/Dr, Walk to All $179K Call 516-322-3555 Cedarhurst — Co-op. 1st Flr, large LR, FDR, EIK with new appliances, 2BR, 2bths, hw floors, Terrace. Views of Gdns, W/D, Lo maint, Grt. loca’n, Walk all. Asking . . . . . . . . . $319K or rent 5 Town Homes 516-569-5710 Five Towns — Woodmere, Church Avenue Completely renovated CH colonial in 2004/05.

Hardwood floors throughout. 8BR, 5 full baths, custom kosher EIK, stainless steel appliances, FDR, home office, full finished basement, kids’ game room & home gym and so much more.

Asking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.5M For more information & virtual tour visit www. abcwoodmerehouse.com.

Call 516-640-8646, or e-mail moshry@hotmail.com

FOR RENT

Lawrence/Far Rockaway — 833 Central Ave. Spacious 1 BR, light and bright, doorman/ elevator building, walk all. Price reduced $179K 5 Towns Homes Realty 516-569-5710 Lawrence — Gracious brick c/h col. LR with fireplace, FDR, large EIK, den, 4BR (1 level), 3bth, finished basement, great location, quiet block . . . . . . . $895K 5 Towns Homes 516-569-5710

Cedarhurst — All updated charming Col. New granite EIK, FDR, LR with fireplace, 4+ BR, CAC, in the heart of Cedarhurst. Walk all.

Call 5 Towns Homes 516-569-5710

Vacation Village 2 fl, 4 BR, LR, 3 new bth, playrm, WD, beautiful view. 516-967-8370 Alexander Hotel, Miami Beach — 2BR apt.

Breathtaking views, 2bths, southern exposure, 10th floor. Available for Pesach. Priced right!

516-581-2058, 516-374-4001

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE FOR RENT

FOR SALE Wig — Hand made long custom, barely worn.

Yael, originally $2900. Natural curl/ wave. Dark brown, selling at a loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1500 Call, leave message, 516-594-1565

FOR RENT Far Rockaway — 3BR apt for rent in 2-family house. 2 full bths, near all. First floor . . . . . $1,625 516-445-4048, ask for Barry.

Far Rockaway— House for Rent. 5BR col. near shuls and schools Basement for rent. Prime location . . . . . . . $1200 516-236-8416 Broker Bayswater — 1BR basement apt, newly renovated, 1bth, kitchen, small dining room$650 718-337-0724 Bayswater — Luxury First Floor. New House.

Beautiful condition. 3BR, 2 full bth, new kitchen, MIC. References a must . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1475 Call 718-812-4106 Cedarhurst — First show. Spacious 5BR, 3bth, LR, FDR, large kosher EIK, huge den, c/ac, in prime location, walk all. Furnished or unfurnished . . . . . $3,200 5 Towns Homes 516-569-5710 Cedarhurst — 2BR, 2bths, first floor, garden apt, LR, DR, EIK, terrace, prime location. Heat and water included 5 Towns Homes 516-569-5710 Woodmere — Renovated Jr.4, lg. Fyr, ss/granite, lots of storage, elevator bldg. ID/OD prkg avail, Near All, $139kr $1650/month Owner 917-402-6630

Cedarhurst — Small office in the heart of Cedarhurst at the corner of Cedarhurst Ave. and the LIRR station best spot Hewlett — Small storage space for $700 mo.

Clean building high ceilings Hewlett — At the LIRR station prime location storefront retail or office motivated Lawrence — Across from Costco at a signal with parking under . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,000 per month Lynbrook — Medical office from 800-5000sf for lease with owner build out for qualified tenant.

Lynbrook — 3 offices in a prime office building 1 block to LIRR great parking and beautiful space . $1200.00 per mo includes all.

Valley Stream — 10,00 sf warehouse for lease parking on premises. close to JFK Airport$14 psf.

Valley Stream — Corner Commercially zoned house 1500sf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2500.00 mo.

Valley Stream — Warehouse $425K with O’H’ Door and great parking hi ceilings great condition could be retail outlet Woodmere — Corner property for sale 5400sf plus basement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $975K Pugatch Realty Corp Commercial Team 516-2953000 E-mail: info@Pugatch.com New store for rent on Spruce! 1000 sq ftcompletely rehabbed, central air, corner space, across from Club Central, municipal parking. Low Rent! Call Weissman Realty 516-791-6100 Income Producing Shopping Center for Sale in Sullivan County 100% Leased with Long Term Leases In Place & Additional Air Rights Available $1,900,000- 9.7% CAP Contact Yosef Katz @ 212837-4629 or ykatz@gficap.com Rockville Centre — 3,500 sq. ft., fully wired for Web, partitioned, will divide. Call 516-322-3555 Cedarhurst — Office rental: Executive 2 Bths, Fully Web wired, 1,250 sq. ft., CAC. 5TGR 516-3223555

Beautiful big home in the heart of Woodmere.

3 separate BR with private baths, mini fridge.

Perfect for students. Near all shuls, walk to all.

917-299-4199

Cedarhurst office for rent— 2 small offices on Central Ave. 1 flight up, C/H, C/A. Call owner 917-417-5725

Far Rockaway — Off street parking, w/d hookup, 3BR, New EIK, tile floors, storage, Available October or sooner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1650 neg.

3BR, 2bths. . . . . . . . . . . . . $1425 includes utilities.

203-387-9991 Lawrence — Coop Rental. 1BR. 1NU Bth, LR, DR, EIK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,300 5Town Homes ** 516-569-5710 Cedarhurst — Garden apt. Nu 2 Mkt. Oversized 1BR, 1Bth, Mint, 1st Flr, heat & prk incld $1,600 5 Towns Homes Realty 516-569-5710 Far Rockaway — Large, bright 3BR, 1.5bths apt in 2-family house. Great location off Reads Lane.

Includes heat and parking.

5 Towns Homes Realty 516-569-5710 Far Rockaway — Lg. Hse Rental: 4br, 2bth, bsmt., hi-ceilings, NU bths, W\D. Call 516-322-3555 Hewlett — House for rent. Updated 3BR, 2bths, new EIK, SD#14, walk all. Available immediately $2,600 Call 5 Towns Homes 516-569-5710 Lawrence — Newly-restored manor house.

Cent’l location. Hi Ceilings. Wd Floors. 4 large BR, Library, FDR, EIK, Den. New chef’s kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$4,250 516-316-3176

MISCELLANEOUS Wants To purchase minerals and other oil & gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557, Denver, Co 80201 The Ocean Corp. 10840 Rockley Road, Houston, Texas 77099. Train for a New Career. *Underwater Welder. Commercial Diver. *NDT/Weld Inspector. Job Placement Assistance. Financial Aid available for those who qualify. 1-800-3210298 Yeshiva of South Shore has some membership openings in its burial society. By purchasing an individual, couple or family membership, you will be ensured of select plots in one of several New York area cemeteries of your choosing. For more information on burial society membership, contact Eliezer Allman at 347-417-3777 or ezerman@msn.com Helping poor brides is a big z’chus to find a shidduch! Donate to Yad P’sucha Hachnasas Kallah. Call 718-972-3699

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

September 16, 2011 81

5TJT Puzzle: Mistakenly Jewish

BY YONI GLATT Across 1. With 6-Across former NY pitcher mistaken as being Jewish 6. See 1-Across 10. Souvenir from a concert or sporting event, perhaps 14. Furious 15. Padan ___ 16. Apple left over 17. Smart org.

18. Lock on a computer?

19. Jack of the Kennedy conspiracy 20. Writer Roald 22. Chocolate bean 23. Politician mistaken as being a Jew 29. Prepares 30. Cubs on the scoreboard 31. Homer’s next door neighbor 32. Wild pig 33. Bais Ezra partner 34. Fiddler on the Roof director mistaken for being a Jew 41. ET modes of transportation 42. Neighbors of Vietnam 44. Tokyo, once 47. Part of winning at tennis?

48. Cheese choice 51. What the people in this puzzle all have in common 54. ___ Rathaus, Berlin 55. Plastic surgery procedure, for short 56. Smell

1

CEDARHURST

516-239-0306

LAWRENCE CE OPEN HOUSE

Sun Sept 18TH

OPEN HOUSE

Sun Sept 18

By Appt

TH

By Appt 485 COURT AVE

Charming colonial on Country St. New roof, finished bsmnt, near park and shopping. Great Starter Home!

Custom Built Exp Ranch With 2 Story Entry Main Flr Mbr Full Height Finished Basement. Location! Location!

$369K

$689K

LAWRENCE CE

FAR ROCKAWAY

OPEN HOUSE

Sun Sept 18TH

OPEN HOUSE

Sun Sept 18

12-1:30pm 23 COPPERBEECH LN

TH

By Appt

Spacious ranch with lg flr fdr eik 3+ bdrms, finished basement, oversized property. Location! Location! Location!

$800’s

Majestic 4 bdrm tudor on most prestigious cul-de-sac, flr, fdr, main level den, full finished bsment, magnificent lg oversized prprty with pool and golf views

$1.099M

WOODMERE RE

CEDARHURST

OPEN HOUSE

Sun Sept 18

TH

OPEN HOUSE

By Appt 776 ARBUCKLE

Sun Sept 18TH 2-3pm

19 LOTUS ST

Grnd & Spacious Col. W/ New Wood & Grnte EIK W/ High-End Appl., 2 Sinks, 2 Dishwashers, 2 Ovns. New Roof New Anderson Windows, New Bth & More

$710K 82 September 16, 2011

Traditional Brick C/H Col. 4BR On 1 Lvel & Lg Exp. Attic, Lg FLR, Banquet FDR, EIK With SS Appliances 2 Sinks, 2 Dishwashers, Full Fin. Bsmnt, Btfl Garden & Deck.

$829K

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

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57. Athlete Zimmerman with a 51-Across 59. Rocker Kravitz with a 51-Across 64. Fuzzy memory 65. Treaty org. created in 1949 66. Thrill 67. Creepy 68. Planet over-takers in a recent sci-fi film 69. Correct Down 1. Bleak 2. Here we ___ 3. Mini car?

4. ___ a boy 5. Impair 6. Data storage sites 7. Toothbrush option 8. What a baby might need at noon 9. Hatzolah letters 10. Word for a pest 11. Sam of cereal 12. Suave 13. Third option at a popular home goods store 21. Comp. button 22. Spicy dish 23. Angry crowd 24. Metal age 25. Seeya to some Europeans 26. Mister in Germany 27. Throb 28. Use one’s teeth 33. Tropicana and Min. Maid 35. Those who inspire

516-512-3862

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49. Mischievous child 50. What too many teens focus on being 52. Tom’s foe 53. It’s good when it’s clean 57. Genetic letters 58. Mouth 60. Melech or Ezer preceder 61. Be a nudge 62. __ degree 63. Still

Solution To Last Week’s 5TJT Puzzle: NFL Kickoff 1

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When the young DovBer was asked, “But don’t you hear the Rebuke every year?,” he replied: “When father reads, one does not hear curses.”

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That week, Rabbi Schneur Zalman’s son, DovBer, who was about twelve years old at the time, was so affected by the “curses” of the Rebuke that he developed a heart ailment. Three weeks later, when Yom Kippur came around, he was still so weak that his father was hesitant to allow him to fast.

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It was the custom of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi to officiate as the “reader” (baal korei) of the weekly Torah reading in his synagogue. One year, the Rebbe was away from home on the Shabbat on which the section of Ki Savo (Devarim 26–29) is read. In the Rebbe’s absence, someone else did the reading.

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(Devarim 28:15)

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It shall come to pass, if you will not hearken to the voice of G-d … that all these curses shall come upon you, and overtake you …

T H A T J E T S J D S

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Puzzle appeared on Page 78 of the September 9 issue.

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

September 16, 2011 83

Goldfeder Wins!

Phil Goldfeder of Far Rockaway, the Democratic candidate in Tuesday’s special election to fill the seat in the New York State Assembly vacated by Audrey Pheffer, defeated the Republican candidate, Jane Deacy, and will shortly be sworn into office in Albany. Above (L–R): Boruch Ber Bender, Phil Goldfeder, Shlomo Zalman Gutfreund, and Joel Kaplan.

Remember that article?

Visit our archive section and find any issue of the 5 Towns Jewish Times online @ www.5TJT.com

84 September 16, 2011

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

TRAVEL SECTION

THIS ROSH HASHANA GIVE YOURSELF THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!

AROUND THE FIVE TOWNS

Join

The Acclaimed THE JEWISH & HERITAGE CENTER GREENWALD CATERERS RABBI NAFTALI PORTNOY AND RABBI MOSHE TURK

By Avrohom Younger When Rav Avrohom Pam, zt’l, founded the Shuvu organization some 20 years ago, he was motivated by the stark reality that tens of thousands of Russian immigrants were arriving to Eretz Yisrael, but these Yidden had no connec-

FOR A SPECTACULAR & INSPIRING

children of Shuvu. The reception will take place at the home of Benjamin and Rina Hoch, 121 Lawrence Avenue in Lawrence. Rabbi Nosson Scherman will be the guest speaker, guaranteeing an inspirational and most meaningful event.

Please join us at the breakfast reception and show that you care. Show that you share the conviction and dream of

ROSH HASHANA 7

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Rabbi Nosson Scherman speaking at a previous Shuvu event.

tion to Yiddishkeit.

The rosh hayeshivah was tormented by the thought of these precious neshamos, many the children and grandchildren of talmidei chachamim and gedolei Yisrael, going through life with no knowledge of their heritage. He was haunted by the knowledge that Eretz Yisrael, our Holy Land, was being turned into an ever greater spiritual wasteland.

And he was horrified that despite the fall of Communism, the Communists continued winning their war against religion because of our apathy.

So the kind, quiet, soft-spoken rosh hayeshiva decided to lead a battle to transform the face of Eretz Yisrael, to return the children of Hashem to their Father in Heaven.

And 20 years later, we have the zechus to be witness to the great success story of Shuvu Chazon Avrohom. Thousands of children in 68 schools on 25 campuses, with a staff of over 1,200 teachers, kindergartens, elementary schools, high schools, and even a kollel.

With siyata dishmaya, thousands of students have passed through the system. Families and communities are being transformed. Hashem’s children are coming home. Parents in other areas are begging for new schools. Secular Israelis have begun sending their children to Shuvu.

With Hashem’s help and K’lal Yisrael’s support, Shuvu has accomplished much over the past two decades. What we can do in the next two decades is, in a great measure, in your hands.

On Sunday, September 18, Shuvu will hold the annual Five Towns breakfast reception in Lawrence to benefit the

YOM KIPPUR

An Inspiring Event for the Frum Community i

M AGNIFICENT HYATT REGENCY IN NEARBY H AUPPAUGE, LONG ISLAND

SHANA ROSH LHOAW AS AS

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WITH INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED LECTURERS & PHENOMENAL

BAALEI TEFILA SPECIAL GUEST:

RABBI LABEL LAM ALSO FEATURING: RABBI RONNIE GREENWALD DR. GILA SCHWERD RABBI MOSHE SCHWERD RABBI DOVID SCHWARTZ

UÊ INCREDIBLE YESHIVA STYLE DAVENING LED

BY RABBI YOSEF SINGER, SHLITA UÊ WORLD CLASS GOURMET CUISINE UÊ BEAUTIFUL GROUNDS, RESORT-LIKE SETTING UÊ INSPIRING SHIURIM, DAVENING, RUACH UÊ SEPARATE BEGINNERS SERVICE AND CLASSES UÊ CHILD CARE & YOUTH PROGRAM

RABBI NAFTALI PORTNOY

RABBI MOSHE TURK

DIRECTORS, JEWISH HERITAGE CENTER

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Shuvu’s Annual Five Towns Breakfast, September 18

We often sell out early! Reserve now!

1-888-4-JUDAISM (458-3247) / FOR DETAILS VISIT: WWW.JHCRH-YK.COM

the rosh hayeshivah. As Rosh Hashanah approaches, what greater zechus could we have?

For further details please call 212-4253500. 

New York Flood Victims Urged To Check Furnaces Winter is coming. Was your furnace affected by the floodwaters? State and federal officials urge those affected by the late August floods and storms to make sure their furnaces are ready for winter.

By registering for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), flood victims can take the first step in recovery.

“If you were uninsured or your insurance policy did not cover some of your disaster-related damages or losses, FEMA may be able to help,” said Philip E. Parr, Federal Coordinating Officer with FEMA. “If your insurance company did not fully cover your losses, take the first step and register with FEMA.” “Homeowners sometimes determine furnace repairs are required after storms and flooding,” said Parr. “If you live in one of the counties where the federal disaster has been declared and you had water damage to your furnace, register for assistance.”

Furnaces that might have been damaged by floodwater should be professionally inspected and tested to ensure they function properly. Federal assistance for repair or replacement of the furnace may be available but only if you register for assistance.

Continued on Page 86 TRAVEL SECTION

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES

September 16, 2011 85

AROUND THE FIVE TOWNS

bam Class of 2001, and the Hebrew Free Burial Society, for a cemetery clean-up. The school will also seek a fourth consecutive first place award in the Long Island Blood Services Blood Drive competition, as well as other drives including sporting goods, Chanukah toys, candy (after Purim), and clothing. This year will also feature the growth of the school’s relationship to Ohel Bais Ezra including a joint sukkah building effort, weekly chavruta program, and night of games and simcha dancing.

Rabbi Avi Haar’s alumni shiur which met during the summer will continue to meet during the school year, as students who have graduated find themselves eager to walk through the halls of Rambam once again. Rosh Mesivta Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman and Principal Rabbi Yotav Eliach will reprise their Tuesday night lecture series where they discuss everything Jewish and Israelrelated with parents and students alike. A new parents’ initiative program will feature Rambam teachers facilitating book clubs for the Rambam parents in an effort to promote a shared love of learning between parent and children.

Thanks to the Rambam Meet The Author Book Club And Culture Club, arrangements

Continued from Page 85 Homeowners, renters, and business owners can register by calling the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362. Individuals with speech or hearing impairments may call TTY at 1-800462-7585. Multilingual assistance is available by phone.

The toll-free line is open from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET, seven days a week until further notice. Applicants can also register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or with a web-enabled mobile device or smartphone at m.fema.gov.

Follow the link to “apply online for federal assistance.”

The deadline to apply is October 29, 2011. 

Rambam Begins 20th Anniversary Celebration With Additions And Innovations As Rambam Mesivta embarks on a new school year full of progressive academic and sports activities, learning opportunities, and fresh faces on the faculty, they do so following in the tradition of 20 years of fostering Torah, middos, and excellence.

In keeping with Rambam Mesivta’s commitment to chesed, the school is teaming up with Andrew Parver, Ram-

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are being made to meet notable rabbis and literary luminaries. The current schedule features Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks; Rabbi Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Israel; Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point; Nobel Prize Winner Eli Wiesel; and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

A Shakespeare festival is also being planned and the classic film club is hoping to meet with Tony Scott, the director of such films as Top Gun and Unstoppable. The math team, which featured three students who finished in the top 50 across Long Island, will also field players in the MSG Varsity televised Quiz Bowl Challenge!

After last year’s championship appearance in the JV hockey league, the school is once again primed for an exhilarating sports schedule. A two-handed touch football intramural league, 4-corner dodgeball tournament, homerun derby challenge, as well as the school’s annual 3-on-3 February madness spectacular will all be features of the 2011-2012 year!

Rambam Mesivta is always looking to expand its curriculum and is offering new courses that will allow its graduates to prepare for a changing glob-

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al economic environment. These courses, such as business management, introduction to law, business math, and forensics, were selected using feedback from the student body.

The school is proud to welcome new, young, dynamic rebbeim Rabbi Daniel Bennun; Rabbi Yehoshua Konig, a Rambam graduate and former soldier in the IDF; and Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss.

There is no question that in the wake of a year that featured Intel finalists, a first place win at the Long Island Science Engineering Fair, a first place win in the NCSY Jump competition, a first place win in the Lander College for Men Entrepreneur competition, and a host of other awards, that the 20102011 school year was a tremendous success for Rambam Mesivta. With respect for the school’s past, and with an eye toward the future, thanks to new programming and faculty, 2011-2012, the 20th anniversary of the school’s inception, looks to be a year of new beginnings and a year to remember. 

JCCRP Hurricane/Food Stamp Assistance The Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula (JCCRP) is pleased to announce one more way it is able to assist people who suffered loss due to Hurricane Irene and its aftermath.

Due to the flooding and power outages created by Hurricane Irene, The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance has instructed local districts affected by the hurricane to continue to accept requests for replacement of food stamp benefits even though the ten day window to report the loss has passed.

The new deadline for applying is Friday, September 23.

The JCCRP has already assisted many clients in applying for and receiving replacement food stamps from its offices at 1525 Central Avenue in Far Rockaway, regardless of which office their food stamp case originated from.

For replacement food stamps or for assistance with a new application call 718-327-7755 ext. 6118. 

Spiritual Revolution On Deck

by Leah Bleiberg Shaaray Tefila’s teshuvah kinus, on Thursday September 15, with mara d’asra Rav Dovid Weinberger and guest speaker R’ Zechariah Wallerstein, may prove to be the beginning of a spiritual revolution. What if you could do something to significantly tip the scales this Rosh Hashanah? What if you could make a huge dent in the disunity among Jews and estrangement from Yiddishkeit? Such an opportunity is right in our hands. It’s called LAHAV. Simply put, two facts combine to create a unique situation. Fact 1: To receive a marriage license in Israel, every Jewish woman must take a government-mandated class on taharas ha’mishpachah.

Civil marriage does not exist in Israel and the rabbanut will not give marriage licenses to brides unless they complete this requirement and go to the mikveh.

Fact 2: Of the 40,000 couples who marry each year in Israel, 25,000 are not religious, meaning 25,000 secular kallahs each year must meet with someone reli-

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AROUND THE FIVE TOWNS Continued from Page 87 gious to receive this training.

Sadly, until recently, the classes taught by local religious councils have been impersonal at best and demeaning or traumatic at worst. Teachers, presenting to large groups in cramped offices at inconvenient times, have about an hour to cover what typically takes a kallah teacher several weeks to teach.

Trying to impress the importance of the mitzvah in limited time leaves much to be desired and often comes across with much misunderstanding. In short, the chance to reach out to 50,000 Jews each year has been wasted or, worse, severely hindered.

With approval from the rabbanut

88 September 16, 2011

to take over this requirement in certain cities, LAHAV gives each non-observant couple life-changing guidance.

LAHAV centers, located within neighborhoods where secular couples feel comfortable, are attractive and welcoming. As LAHAV’s director, Rabbi Akiva Houghtling puts it, “50% of the mechitzah [against religion] comes down as soon as they walk in.” Tasteful decor enhances waiting rooms and private study rooms where one-on-one meetings take place. Moreover, centers are open from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. to accommodate work schedules.

Brides, matched with a compatible madrichah, and chassanim with madrichim, learn the beauty of a Torah home. Values like respect, understanding, and patience are stressed. Hearing

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Torah perspectives for the first time about keeping a marriage strong and vibrant, couples are beyond impressed.

For many, this is their first encounter with Torah teachings. Yet, after just one meeting, over 70% of couples opt to take additional classes, as well as request information about further exploring Torah.

Follow-up evaluations are overwhelmingly positive. One kallah wrote that if Ayala, her madrichah, would teach all the classes, “the impression of religion would drastically change.” Karen, a TV editor, “left with increased curiosity to learn more and to keep taharah and mikvah.” She added that her madrichah lets you “open your heart… despite the gap between my secular world and her religious one…” And Ortal, from the Prime Minister’s Office, described the classes as “far beyond my expectations” and the madrichah as “wonderful, patient.”

Recently, the head of LAHAV’s madrichot, Mrs. Goldy Katznellenbogen, visited Rebbetzin Kanievsky in Bnei Brak.

After a 20-minute discussion, the rebbetzin gave a very strong berachah to anyone who helps LAHAV to “quickly find their fitting zivug and build an eternal home with an abundance of blessing.” She was so enthusiastic that besides the agreed upon nusach of the berachah she signed, she added more berachos in her own hand.

So what can we do? While many of us struggle to identify individuals to be m’karav, Israel has a captive audience of 50,000 young men and women every year, who can either be introduced to a

life-altering, positive Jewish experience or walk away more turned off than ever.

In the course of one generation—20 years—that equals one million people.

And all this is within our grasp, if, together, we make it possible for LAHAV to create enough centers to reach out to all these people. The cost to train one kallah is only $180, or $15 a month.

How many are longing for shidduchim, for yeshuos and nechamos that are promised to us if we can increase our achdus? We cannot let such an unprecedented chance slip through our fingers. Perhaps, it’s time we stretched our comfort zone to show Hashem we want real change.

In 2011, LAHAV will be able to teach only 3,000 of those 25,000 couples. The rest may be lost for lack of funding. Join this amazing campaign. Start by coming to Shaaray Tefila on Thursday, September 15 at 8:00 p.m. Then consider, how many couples can I adopt? Can I gather enough people to start a new center in one of the many cities requesting LAHAV’s presence? Do I care enough not to let this incredible opportunity slip by? LAHAV’s website, LahavIsrael.org, contains more information and is set up to accept contributions securely. 

Ner Yisroel Breakfast, September 18 This coming Sunday, September 18, Yeshivas Ner Yisroel will have its annual Breakfast at the home of David and Mimi Samuels, 126 Monroe Street. The Samuels family has been closely associated with the yeshiva for three generations. David’s father, Mr. Marvin Sam-

uels, is an alumnus and close friend of the rosh hayeshiva, Harav Aharon Feldman, shlita. David and Mimi’s son Binyomin and son-in-law, Aaron Loeb, currently learn in Ner Yisroel.

The breakfast will be graced by the presence of the rosh hayeshiva, Harav Aharon Feldman, shlita. The guest speaker is Ner Yisroel alumnus Harav Eytan Feiner, rav of Congregation Kneseth Israel–The White Shul. The Five Towns and Far Rockaway is home to many alumni and parents of current and former students. The yeshiva is very proud of the impact its talmidim have made on the community in many forms of leadership.

This annual event is a much needed source of support for one of K’lal Yisrael’s leading Torah institutions. The yeshiva values its warm relationship with the Samuels family and many other mishpachos in the community. The breakfast will begin at 10:00 a.m. 

Dr. Rafi Rozen’s Holistic Medicine Dr. Rafi Rozen, a Russian-Israeli neurologist with training in Ayurveda, Tibethan, and Traditional Chinese medicine, amazed New Yorkers last week with his X-ray like vision. Dr. Rozen traveled to New York from his hometown in Jerusalem and was kept busy around the clock providing one-on-one consultations. People of all ages, from 3-year-olds to 96-year-olds, swarmed to meet the doctor, who knocks a blow to modern medicine with his holistic natural solutions. Even skeptics who have shown up thinking “why not, it can’t hurt” walked out amazed and enthusiastically called friends and relatives to see the doctor before he returned to Jerusalem last Thursday.

Dr. Rozen’s revolutionary approach involves Tibethan pulses and tongue analysis. He can determine essentially, without using scalpels and probes, what someone’s weakest organ is that is impacting the balance of the rest of the body. Dr. Rozen’s treatment is not modern pharmaceutically but uses natural herbs tailored to specific organic imbalances including ADD and ADHD, depression, anxiety, stuttering, nervous tics, digestive or circulatory issues, among others. The herbs are FDA approved in Israel and he intends to seek FDA approval in the U.S. in the coming months.

Holistic psychotherapists Bat-Sheva Gruber Nass LMFC and Luna Frank, LCSW, recruited Dr. Rozen and his longtime student, Aaron Zirzov, an acupuncturist and shiatsu practitioner, to provide hands-on training to medical doctors, psychotherapists, and those interested in holistic medicine and healing. The training classes held during the doctor’s visit to New York included a novel “how-to” for health care providers to evaluate and treat patients without extensive, intrusive, and costly procedures.

Ms. Nass and Ms. Frank are bringing Dr. Rozen’s teachings and techniques to New Yorkers through Emuna Health and Wellness. Under Dr. Rozen’s guidance and leadership, the Nass-Frank duo will offer nutritional consultation for improved health and for weight loss, tongue and nail analysis, and breathing techniques to improve circulation.

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AROUND THE FIVE TOWNS Continued from Page 89 Breathing problems, according to Ms. Frank, are common and troubling because they often go unnoticed. Shallow breathing means there is not enough oxygenation, which increases the risk of developing circulation problems or adversely impacting learning skills and memory. The Nass-Frank remedy involved specialized breathing techniques that have proven effective. They will be teaching seven sessions in a workshop in breathing techniques every Monday from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Woodmere beginning October 24. Call 917-6765145 or 818-300-1116 to register today.

Dr. Rozen and Mr. Zirzov are continuing to serve the U.S. public through Emuna Health and Wellness and provide tele-seminars, individual consultations, tongue analysis and treatment through Skype and Oovoo. Dr. Rozen is fluent in Hebrew and Russian, and English translators are on hand as well.

For more information on registration and training classes in diagnosis and treatment, visit www.turnontohealthdirectory.com, e-mail lfranklcsw@gmail. com or batvite@yahoo.com, or call 917676-5145 or 818-300-1116. 

A Redesigned Gan Chamesh The Gan Chamesh Early Childhood Center, Chabad’s preschool, got off to a great start in their brand new renovated classrooms. Inspiration was taken from the Reggio Emilia approach to education for the changes. Reggio Emilia is a small city in Italy which is known for

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its innovative early childhood education and has created a world-renowned approach to teaching young children.

One of the founding beliefs of Reggio is that the environment is the third teacher. Creating a beautiful, neat, natural, and real environment for children enhances their learning.

The Gan Chamesh classrooms and hallways went through a total transformation to achieve this serene and beautiful setting for children to learn in.

Other aspects of the Reggio approach continue to be implemented in the curriculum, and teachers have been trained

Continued on Page 96

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AROUND THE FIVE TOWNS Continued from Page 90 to listen to “The Hundred Languages of Children” which is also a founding belief of this exciting way of learning. As the year goes on, the school will continue to become more beautiful as the children’s creative artwork is displayed in gallery form and boards documenting the children’s work are displayed around the building, making the school truly theirs. For more information or a tour of the school, please contact Susy Adler or Suzanne Wallin, the program directors, at 516-295-2479. 

Five Towns Chabad Starts New Season With Family Barbecue On Labor Day, Monday, September 5, over 20 families came to enjoy a barbecue with their friends and newfound friends at Chabad of the Five Towns.

Aside from the delicious barbecue fair co-sponsored by Gourmet Glatt and Carlos & Gabby’s, children also enjoyed bouncy rides, foosball, games, crafts, and more. Everyone is eagerly anticipating the beginning of groups after signing up at the barbecue. The various options include Bagel Babies, Gan Chamesh, Youth Zone, Hebrew School, Cheder Menachem Mendel, Parsha Pros, Chai Five Club, Middos Mentchen, Rabbi and The Mitzvah Men, Bat Mitzvah Club, and C Teens.

Rabbi Wolowik enhanced the evening in a spiritual way by blowing shofar for everyone, helping anyone who had not had a chance to don tefillin already, and displaying a trophy, hard won by Rabbi

Meir’s team at the shul softball league.

Even while congratulating the players, he also emphasized that we are all winners. With a full schedule of Chabad events coming up, and special Chabad rabbis and rebbetzins to lead the way, members at Chabad of the Five Towns are all winners. 

The Rock Hall Fun Car Show, September 18 In conjunction with the Rock Hall Museum, the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America’s Queens region presents a car show on Sunday, September 18, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. No classes or judging. All makes of vehicles welcome, including antiques, classics, customs, rods, trucks, and motorcycles. No rain date. $10 preregistration fee per car; $15 fee day of show. Free admission for spectators.

Contact 718-224-2674 or toms53belair@ aol.com for an application. 

Unusual Space For Sale Or Rent

By Arye Nisonson One has to see this expansive space in Inwood, a stone’s throw from Far Rockaway and Lawrence, in order to appreciate it. It is the location of the old Forest Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company that relocated to the Midwest back in 2007. A visit to the site last week with Brian Pinnola of the commercial real-estate firm NAI Long Island of Melville was an educational and eye-opening experience.

The site of five very impressive buildings on Prospect Street in Inwood was

Continued on Page 98

PRE-ROSH HASHANAH MENSWEAR & SUIT SALE for Men & Boys!

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Super 120 Designer Mens Wool Suit 36–52 R, S, L . . . . . . . . . . .$150 Cotton blend shirts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10 100% cotton shirts 14.5–18 . . . . . . . $25 Woven Silk Ties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15 Wool / Cashmere Blend Coats. . . . . $99 Famous Maker Leather Shoes 8-13 . . $55 Boys 100% wool suits 8–20 . . . . . . . . $75 There will also be for sale: boys cotton blend shirts, boys cotton shirts and boys ties.

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Motza’ei Shabbos, Sept. 17th 9pm-1am Sunday, Sept. 18th 10am-10pm Motza’ei Shabbos, Sept. 24th 9pm-12:30am Sunday, Sept. 25th 10am-10pm Checks can be made out to RSA and all major credit cards are accepted

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AROUND THE FIVE TOWNS Continued from Page 96 home to Forest for many years, and their move five years ago was a significant loss for the neighborhood. The buildings, though, are on the market and ready for the right company or combination of companies to utilize the facilities at this ideal location to the maximum. This is the site that the Shulamith School for Girls, originally from Brooklyn, was looking at, but the arrangement did not work out.

Walking through the gates and around the grounds, one is immediately struck by the campus-like environment. Whether the site will eventually be used by an educational institution or by a business, there are some ex-

cellent features that a potential buyer or renter would want to consider.

Amongst those features is the proximity to JFK Airport—only about 3.5 miles.

The site is located near the Nassau Expressway and is a very short walk from the Inwood station of the Long Island Rail Road. Adjacent bus routes are convenient for travel to other parts of Nassau or for connecting to the New York City “A” train stations located nearby.

According to Mr. Pinnola of NAI, “the Prospect Avenue buildings offer users various and numerous attractive and effective features, such as 100% air conditioning, 24-foot-clearance ceilings, fire-sprinkler systems, and heavy power and excellent loading.” To appreciate what it is that can be done with this crown jewel of a property, one has to

One of the buildings at the former Forest Laboratories site on Prospect Street.

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really see it for oneself. For more information, call Mr. Pinnola at 516-4560433. 

Culinary Concepts

By Gabey Abikzer Executive chef Gabey Abikzer is a shining star in the culinary world. He has spent the last 30 years winning awards for recipe development, plate presentation, and food design. Mr. Abikzer began sculpting fruits and vegetables as a child and grew up working in the industry for his father, who is also an executive chef. He has serviced the most elite clientele, including celebrities and athletes in the Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Malibu areas as well as Presidents Clinton and Bush.

This famed culinary master has expanded his business. In addition to being the exclusive caterer at the newly renovated Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Centre, Culinary Concepts by Gabey Abikzer is pleased to offer an extensive and exquisite menu to cater the High Holy Day meals of families in the comfort of their own homes.

Culinary Concepts’ 2011 menu is designed to make your Rosh Hashanah dinner be truly delicious and memorable. Entrée selections range from the traditional (glazed brisket of beef and broiler chicken stuffed with vermicelli noodles) to the distinctive (grilled lamb chops with a mint pesto reduction sauce and Korean barbecue London broil). The outstanding recipes of all the dishes will please the palate of everyone at your holiday dinner table. 

You and the Levite and the stranger (Devarim 26:11) When one eats and drinks [on the festivals], one must also feed the stranger, the orphan, the widow, and the other unfortunate paupers.

But one who locks the doors of his courtyard and feasts and drinks with his children and wife but does not feed the poor and the embittered—this is not the joy of mitzvah but the joy of his stomach …

(Mishneh Torah, Laws of the Festivals 6:18)

Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out (Devarim 28:6) May your departure from the world be as free of sin as was your entry into the world.

(Talmud; Rashi)

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