December 15th, 2022 Chanukah Issue

By: Rabbi Eliezer Sandler

Gedolei Torah Engage in Unique Pilpul-Farher With Shas Yiden AvreichimGeonim

The annual farheren of the entire Shas and Siyum Hashassim gatherings of the Kollel Shas Yiden Network have evolved into a tradition demonstrating incredible, detailed and broad Torah scholarship. The video recordings are eagerly anticipated for viewing worldwide by talmidei chachomim and yeshiva bochrim alike (www.shasyiden. com). Until his last year, the avreichim geonim would cram into the home of the late Nasi, Sar Hatorah, Maran Hagaon Hagadol Harav Chaim Kanievsky, ztk”l, where he would farher them extensively, and which he said gave him great pleasure.

The 'line-up' of the Geonim, shlit”a at this year's siyum in Beit Shemesh who tested the mettle of the avreichim geonim last week are a veritable Who's Who of Torah learning - Maran Harav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi, Maran Harav Itamar Garbuz, Harav Yaakov Ades, Harav Elimelech Biederman, Harav Shmuel Yaakov Landau and Harav Eliyahu Stefansky. Among those who graced the dais was Harav Mordechai Stern, Rav of Heichal Dovid, Lawrence, NY.

The Pozna Rov, Harav Hagaon Avrohom Eisen, shlit”a, founder of Shas Yiden 14 years ago, started this tradition to give honor to the avreichim geonim who study at Shas Yiden. It is also to give the supporters of this great and holy project the opportunity to see close up the fruits of their support month after month, and to develop more and more avreichim geonim who have a remarkable knowledge of every word of the Talmud, Rashi and Tosafos. The Gedolei Torah have come to look forward to engaging with the avreichim geonim of Shas Yiden.

The Bren of Torah Invigorates

Maran Harav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi, Rosh Yeshivas Ateres Yisroel and a Senior Member of Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah, has a grandson at Shas Yiden. Despite his advanced age, weak state of health and the effort needed to attend, Rav Ezrachi came to Beit Shemesh and climbed the stairs to the dais on the stage. Yet, as he began to debate the avreichim geonim and discuss specific and complicated sections of the Talmud, any hint of tiredness or weakness vanished and his face shone with excitement and joy at the incredible knowledge flowing from the avreichim geonim.

Seven Gedolei Torah spent hours enjoying true give-and-take at the Shas Yiden 100 Siyumei Hashasim. No longer was the associated annual farher just questions and answers. The thrust and parry of true debate enthralled the Gedolim, the avreichim geonim and the American and UK visitors alike. It raised the concept of a 'Shas farher' to a new and dynamic height!

Farher by Maran Hagaon Harav Itamar Garbuz, Rosh Yeshivas Orchos Torah & Rosh Kollel Taharos, flanked by the Pozna Rov, Founder of Shas Yiden and Hagaon Harav Moshe Isaac Samet, Rosh Kollelei Shas Yiden

Ateres has a state of Beit Yet, as specific tiredness or joy geonim.

He became even more enthused when he asked questions on sugyos (issues/subjects) in kodshim that required careful and deep reasoning. He was simply amazed to hear how the avreichim geonim managed to quickly and easily respond to all these questions with clear answers.

"Hopefully my portion should be with yours," said Rav Ezrachi with much emotion. "I am sure that in Heaven there must be a tumultuous response to these moments -- with a hundred avreichim geonim who know all the words of Shas. In truth, one should be jealous of you for this great feeling, as you are able to study and contemplate Shas the whole year through, and how it lives with you before your very eyes. The fact that there is a group of incredible talmidei chachomim like you, puts the entire people of Israel on a different level. It obliges us all to express our great appreciation to the Pozna Rov who came up with this idea of establishing such an institution, and he has truly given the Jewish people of Israel a gift that is beyond compare."

Shabbos Reaction at Maran Harav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi, shlit”a

On the Shabbos after the Siyumim-farher, Rav Boruch Mordechai could not contain his excitement about what he had witnessed at Shas Yiden. So, reported one of those who joined him at his Shabbos seuda

He regaled them about the farher in which he had participated, describing the geonus (brilliance) that pulsated in the hall from the 100 avreichim geonim. “I have never been so moved and excited at a public gathering,” declared Rav Boruch Mordechai. “Happy is my portion that I was zocheh to witness this wondrous happening!”

Questions - Complicated and Complex

Maran Rosh Yeshivas Orchos

enjoyed the lively interaction with the avreichim geonim for an extended session and tested them through the length and breadth of Shas and expressed his amazement at the incredible knowledge of the avreichim geonim

His questions focused on all-encompassing knowledge of concepts and issues. For example: How many disputes between Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Shimon are there in Maseches Shabbos? The avreichim geonim noted not only listed them, but added many halachic references regarding difference between Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Yehuda, as well as the comments of Tosfos throughout the length of Maseches Shabbos. And then they branched off into the differences that apply in Maseches Eiruvin that also deals extensively with the laws of Shabbos. He peppered the avreichim geonim with numerous such questions, addressing groups of five at a time before opening the questions to the others. The answers flowed forth at an amazing pace, much to the pleasure of the participants and that of the attendees from abroad who were excited at the incredible standard of Torah knowledge they were witnessing.

After an extensive session with the avreichim geonim, with great enthusiasm, Rav Garbuz exclaimed that it was a great honor and zechus for him to have this opportunity to engage with such avreichim geonim in Torah learning. "In you, the Jewish people are

Torah, Hagaon Harav Itamar Garbuz,

Pilpul-Farher

Sandler

Farher of Shas Yiden Avreichim Geonim

Farher by Maran Hamashpia Hagaon Hatzadik 'Reb Meilech' Biederman. Also on the dais (l-r) Pozna Rov, Founder of Shas Yiden; Hagaon Harav Eliyohu Stefansky, World renowned Magid Shiur of 18,000 listeners daily; Hagaon Harav Shmuel Yaakov Landau, Belz Dayan & Rav Yad Cohen, Beit Shemesh; Hagaon Harav Moshe Isaac Samet, Rosh Kollelei Shas Yiden

Pozna Rov, Founder of Shas Yiden greets Maran Hagaon Harav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi, Rosh Yeshivas Ateres Yisroel

Farher by Maran Hagaon Harav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi, Rosh Yeshivas Ateres Yisroel. Also on the dais (l-r) Hagaon Harav Mordechai Stern, Rav Heichal Dovid, Lawrence, NY; Pozna Rov, Founder of Shas Yiden, Maran Hagaon Harav Itamar Garbuz, Rosh Yeshivas Orchos Torah & Rosh Kollel Taharos

to be blessed," he said. "It is impossible to estimate or to describe the greatness of the zechus of those who support this holy project that raises the grandeur of Israel and the holy Torah in such an amazing fashion."

The Mashpia Hagadolthe Great Motivator

The mashpia hagadol 'Reb Meilech' Biederman burst out with a clarion call: “You see seated before you 100 avreichim geonim who know the entire Shas. Literally, 100 holy aronei kodesh (holy Torah arks) before our eyes. How immense is the zechus of the donors and supporters! Through support for this cause, your merit and destiny will be enhanced for the good and for success in all matters, both material and spiritual."

sugyos throughout Shas. He demonstrated incredible bekius and it was as if the entire Shas was an open book in front of his eyes. He just could not hold back from the torrent of discussion with the avreichim geonim and continued to speak with them at length as his face shone with the joy of the Torah. And the avreichim geonim loved the intensity of the give-and-take.

After Rav Ades came away with a deep impression of the scholarship of the avreichim geonim, he turned to the donors who were watching the give-and-take with unconcealed enjoyment, he said to them: "I have a good idea for you. If any of you was thinking of making a donation to Shas Yiden, you should double it! And if you can, add a few zeros! You should know that the zechus of supporting such a great and holy project, is indeed significant, and it's not a simple matter. Such support obligates the avreichim geonim as well. You have to pray for the donors and supporters, and that they should be blessed with all that is good through the power of the Torah and your tefillos!

Practical Halacha

Harav Shmuel Yaakov Landau, Dayan and Rav of the Belz Beis Medrash 'Yad Cohen' in Beit Shemesh, has a son-in-law among the avreichim geonim. He debated with the avreichim geonim at length through a number of sugyos. Among them was the sugya dealing with "A person cannot transfer or sell something that does not yet exist", such as futures etc. He also dealt with the question of whether a person may appoint a messenger to perform a mission regarding something that does not yet exist, and other matters in this regard.

Spellbinding Give and Take

Nothing short of spellbinding was the give-and-take between Harav Yaakov Ades and the avreichim geonim. He began with words of encouragement and then launched into debate on

Reaction of a Shas Yiden Avreich

Shortly after the Siyumim-farher, one of the avreichim geonim commented. “I am just 27 and I tell you the truth - I never dreamed that I would get to this point in my learning. To know the entire Shas? For me, this was something achieved in previous generations.

However, here at Shas Yiden, I have managed to achieve the unbelievable in the merit of the framework, the unique methodology of learning that includes many, many revisions amid unceasing progress through the texts. I am excited today as never before, even my day of marriage…

Siyum Shassim,

Presentations and the Dinner

After the lengthy farheren, there was a heartfelt and inspirational maariv led by Harav Ades. This was followed by the Siyum Shassim - each of the avreichim geonim had concluded Shas for the year. Each of the kollel wives was personally presented with a cashfilled envelope in appreciation of their unstinting support for their husbands' dedication to the very demanding study regimen at Shas Yiden. A sumptuous dinner followed for the kovod Hatorah and in honor of those who support Torah, accompanied by song and music by Aharon Samet. All present agreed that the incredible engagement-farher and siyumim combined to be a Torah happening to remember.

Farher by Hamekubal Hagaon Harav Yaakov Ades with the Pozna Rov, Founder of Shas Yiden and Hagaon Harav Moshe Isaac Samet, Rosh Kollelei Shas Yiden

Farher by Hagaon Harav Shmuel Yaakov Landau, Belz Dayan & Rav Yad Cohen, Beit Shemesh. Also on the dais (l-r) Hagaon Harav Eliyohu Stefansky, World-renowned Magid Shiur of 18,000 daily; Hagaon Harav Moshe Isaac Samet, Rosh Kollelei Shas Yiden

Maran Hamashpia Hagaon Hatzadik 'Reb Meilech' Biederman inspiring the gathering. Also on the dais (l-r) Pozna Rov, Founder of Shas Yiden; Hagaon Harav Eliyohu Stefansky, World renowned Magid Shiur of 18,000 listeners daily; Hagaon Harav Moshe Isaac Samet, Rosh Kollelei Shas Yiden

Harav Hagaon Eli Stefansky PLUS Shas Yiden = A WOW

A Daf to 18,000 Yiden Every Day!

Harav Hagaon Eliyahu Stefansky, Nasi of the Mercaz Daf Hayomi, conducts the most popular and populous shiur in the world, and he does so to 18,000 listeners Sunday to Friday. He gives a Daf Hayomi shiur in English. His unique style, broad scholarship in colloquial English peppered with witty and forceful comments and appropriate personal greetings that are at once charming and meaningful has earned him an enthusiastic international reputation. He was one of the farherers in fluent and colloquial Hebrew, and with a smile and he captured the imagination and enthusiastic response of the Shas Yiden avreichim geonim

The morning following the farher he prefaced his daily shiur with the following:

“A very special thing happened to me yesterday. There are chaburas known as Shas Yiden - a hundred kollel guys - about 5 or 6 kollelim in Israel in a network called 'Shas Yiden'.

“These avreichim geonim finish Shas every year, and they know Shas cold… If you go on line (www.shasyiden.com) you can see Rav Chaim Kanievsky farhering them… And other gedolei Torah farhering them.

“Well, last night Rav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi (94 years old) the oldest of the Rosh Yeshivos, and some other Rosh Yeshivos farhered them… and they asked me also to farher them, and so I did.

“It was an amazing and special experience…”

Rav Stefansky addressed the avreichim geonim on many subjects in Shas. Then he 'pulled out his 'bag of tricks'. “I started out calm and easy and then I suddenly pulled out my illustrations that were especially created for the occasion. They then had to decipher them and their riddles as to which subjects in Shas were being depicted, the context, the outcome and the halacha. This, too, developed into an extended and lively session. It was quite exceptional.

“It was a great zchus for me to test them. Truth is that I was not surprised at their knowledge because one of them is my chavrusa, and in our kollel we have another avreich who learns there in the afternoon - Belzer chosid,

Overheard at the Siyumim

Two fathers of two of the Shas Yiden avreichim geonim were sitting together at the Siyumim Dinner, discussing their feelings of joy at the simcha in which their sons played an important part. “If all the gedolim here were not present, I would jump up and dance with abandonment - I have to hold myself back,” said one.

so I am familiar with them.

“But all together, it was just amazing. Their knowledge… Afterwards I was talking with them and I asked: 'Is there anyone here with a normal, average brain? Someone who is not an illuy and with a head of a gaon? In answer to my question, many of them raised their hands. So, I asked them for ideas or suggestions for chazora and memorizing, and that opened up an interesting discussion on the subject.

“Among all my questions I asked these:

Where in the entire Shas are there seven consecutive words that begin with the Hebrew letter Chaf? A: Nedarim 10b

Where in Shas are there 44 consecutive words that end with the Hebrew letter Nun? A: Shabbos 104

In our sugya we just learned about Bar Padda, and I noticed a note in Art Scroll that says that he was the nephew of Bar Kappara. (Meilah 4) So, I casually asked who was Bar Padda's uncle. All of a sudden all of them, and they each had a microphone, and all called out together - Bar Kappara, Bar Kappara - Meila Daf Dalet, Meila Daf Dalet. It was crazy, just crazy.

Where does the Masores Hashas note a sugya (issue/subject) that is found on five consecutive folios of Shas? A: Gittin 20 - 24dealing with witnesses effecting a get “An incredible, amazing experience … Every year they chazer Shas, every year…”

The other responded, “Even when I married off my children, I did not experience such incredible joy. This is just unbelievable, my son completed Shas and was tested on it thoroughly. My son knows Shas! It was worth being born, toiling all these years just to get to this most memorable occasion. I have merited to marry off all my children, and I must confess that I have never experienced such simcha as I do now.”

For clips of the lively and enlightening Shas Yiden farheren and siyumim, click on www.shasyiden.com, and for more information or to donate, Call: 718-702-1528 or Mail: 1274 49th Street #562, Brooklyn, NY 11219.

London: UK Registered Charity # 1191225 - Call: 020-8066-1566 or Mail: 2 Timberwharf Road, London N16 6DB, England

Farher by Hagaon Harav Eliyohu Stefansky, World-renowned Magid Shiur of 18,000 listeners daily. Also on the dais (l-r) Hagaon Harav Shmuel Yaakov Landau, Belz Dayan & Rav Yad Cohen, Beit Shemesh; Pozna Rov, Founder of Shas Yiden; Hamekubal Hagaon Harav Yaakov Ades

ometimes we learn something, and often we may learn it many times over, and we believe that it’s true. But we still can’t seem to apply it to our lives. Maybe it will come in handy later in the future so we will store it away, as a nice Torah idea to keep in one’s vault. This happened to me when I learned that a person’s suffering in this world can be due to three reasons, and one of those is the idea of Tikkun. Tikkun is the belief that our Neshama has lived in another body previously, and has needed to return down to earth to “fix” something from a past life. (If you don’t believe in past lives, wait for my upcoming book review on this topic!)

Even when deep into a difficult situation, one may still not remember these lessons. Until someone reminds you! This is what happened to me this week. I had a life-changing conversation with a friend, who reminded me of two things.

One, our intense suffering can be meant as a Tikkun (among other things). We cannot understand why. But most importantly, we need to realize that the Tikkun comes from Hashem and it is out of our control. The person causing you the pain is merely the messenger. We’ve all heard this a thousand times, but it is so much harder to put into practice! The suffering is from Hashem, for a reason we don’t know and may never know. And no matter how it is brought to us, it is not from the messenger. Your mother-in-law didn’t mean to insult you, your friend didn’t mean to leave you out, your child didn’t mean to say those hurtful words in anger, and your boss didn’t mean to criticize your work. They are Hashem’s messengers.

The second thing I learned from this DMC with my friend was that the Yeshua, the salvation, can come immediately when we least expect it. And that is exactly what happened to Yosef when he was in the pit. The Pasuk says “Vayimshichu Va’yalu et Yosef.” The brothers drew him out quickly and lifted him out of the pit. (Only to be immediately sold). And it also happened when Yosef was in jail. He was there for many years, for a transgression he was not guilty of. And then he was removed from prison and made to be Mishne L’melech, second to the King of Egypt, in the blink of an eye. When we read the Parshiyos of Vayeishev and Miketz, we can see, from our viewpoint, that Hashem is ruling the world and the cause of these unexpected turnarounds for Yosef. But do we step back from our own lives, and see Hashem as the One who orchestrates our suffering and our Yeshua? Are we

so focused on the messengers that we fail to see who is sending them? You’ve heard the saying “don’t kill the messenger,” but human nature dictates that we do. This Parsha reminds us that we shouldn’t.

The third thing I took away from this conversation is just how much everyone is suffering. While we have so many blessings and so much to be grateful for, everyone is going through something. The amount of suffering in this world, even just in our community, is heavy! At the end of the day, you know you wouldn’t want to be carrying anyone else’s Pekeleh but your own. If you look at Yosef HaTzaddik, he went through so much! One suffering after another, one challenge after another. He prevailed, and so can you! The same Hashem who brings the suffering also brings the Yeshua.

Not only with these Parshiyos, but also with the story of Chanukah, we see how the weak defeated the mighty, how a scant amount of oil lasted 8 days, and how, once again, the Jewish nation was not wiped out. “They tried to destroy us, but they didn’t succeed, and now let’s eat.” The proverbial saying goes with all Jewish holidays. But let’s remember that this story of the Greeks trying to take away our spirituality by focusing on materialism, is the same as the Persians who tried to wipe us out at Purim, and the same as the Romans who destroyed our Beis HaMikdash is the same as the Nazis who manufactured the Holocaust, and the same as the other messengers that Hashem sends our way. What we can learn about these messengers that are sent to us as a collective Jewish nation, is no different than the messengers Hashem sends us personally and individually, who may cause us suffering and pain.

Do you know what I want to be the messenger for? I want to bring light to those who are suffering; I want to be the one who says the kind word to lift someone’s spirit; I want to be the one to give the compliment that provides strength to the weak; I want to highlight someone’s blessings so that they can be appreciative. This Chanukah, I encourage you to choose three ways you will be someone’s messenger, for Yeshua.

Wishing you a Freilichin and Radiant Chanukah, Ariela

Yoel Halpern

PUBLISHER publisher@thelajewishhome.com

Sara Halpern

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF sara@thelajewishhome.com

Ariela Kauffman

MANAGING EDITOR editor@thelajewishhome.com

Avi Heyman

HEAD OF SALES avi@thelajewishhome.com

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ASSOCIATE EDITOR

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Tel: 213-538-7770

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The LA Jewish Home is an independent biweekly magazine. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. All submissions become the property of The LA Jewish Home and may be edited for publication. Pictures may be modified at our discretion to conform to standards of modesty in dress. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any advertised product or business advertised within.

Shabbos Zemanim

Friday, December 16

Parshas Vayeshev

Candle Lighting: 4:27 PM

Havdalah: 5:31 PM

Rabbeinu Tam: 5:58 PM

Friday, December 23

Parshas Miketz

Candle Lighting: 4:30 PM

Havdalah: 5:34 PM

Rabbeinu Tam: 6:01 PM

Dear Editor,

I have been reading the Dear Dini column. I love how candid she is with her answers while handling the reader with care and understanding.

Michal

Dear Editor,

With the overuse of social media and the damage it can do, it was refreshing to hear of kosher ways to use Instagram. I was impressed that these 2 women do not have accounts themselves and remain anonymous when so much of Instagram is about who YOU are and what YOU do. Kosher content for the benefit of others. Great concept!

Lisa Richards

Dear Editor,

We really enjoy the newspaper. We get it with the Circle magazine, but I would literally subscribe to it. It’s so well done! Kol Hakavod, you guys are doing such a good job and it’s so enjoyable. I’m just always frustrated on Shabbat because I never get the time to sit and read through it. I just want a coffee and to read the newspaper!

Tamar Yunger

Dear Editor,

Thank you Mommylife Squad! So glad someone finally spoke up about this! It is so necessary for this generation to hear it, especially from someone who is successfully running a business without compromising her values! I’d love to hear about this.

Yael M.

Inbox

Dear Editor,

What a great paper you are providing for the community. I pick it up every time it comes out and look forward to reading it. Last week there was a review on a local bakery, stating that it has a “proper” hechsher and it is not Cholov Yisroel, but there was no mention of the hechsher. Because you are dealing with a specific audience in mind when you print this new fantastic newspaper, I feel it’s very problematic to have a review like this. Other than this, I totally congratulate you on this new endeavor!!

Sincerely,

Anonymous Community Member

Dear Editor,

We are inspired by the new Jewish Home and learn from the interesting articles. However, for those of us in our senior years, the print is too small to read, and we give up. Only the editorial page print is legible. Perhaps the paper is meant only for the younger generations?

Israel Hirsch

Dear Editor, Thank you so much for the newspaper and everything you do! I love seeing all the people I know - Chani Heyman, and Hindi Kalmenson, so nice! It’s very enjoyable and you put so much into it. Very much appreciated.

Anonymous

Dear Editor, I wanted to tell you that I have really been enjoying the paper! I look forward to it each week that it comes out. It’s so nice to know what’s going on in our community and to feel like the articles apply to your life. Thank you for all of your hard work, and for bringing this paper to life!

Sincerely, Beverlywood Housewife

Dear Editor, The columns of the paper are such a nice contribution to the community. The paper in general has really stepped up the game with such nice and good-quality content.

Rabbi X

Dear Editor, I was so glad to read the article by Mommylife Squad. I wish there was more of an awareness of the damage of social media to people, especially to family units. I’d love to see more articles on this.

Anonymous

Dear Community Members, We apologize for not including the details of the Kosher supervision. In the future, we plan to share it when reviewing a new or lesser-known kosher establishment. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

We would love to hear from you!

Email us at editor@thelajewishhome.com with “Dear Editor” in the subject.

2 Million Tourists

Tourists have been flocking to the Holy Land this year. More than 2 million tourists visited Israel from January through October this year–and many more are expected. By the end of 2022, Israel’s Tourism Ministry predicts that 2.5 million visitors will have come to the Holy Land in 2022. Ministry figures last month showed some 2,078,000 tourist arrivals in Israel in the first 10 months of the year. Should these continue at the same rate in November and December, the ministry said it expects to record between 2.4 to 2.6 million arrivals by the end of the year. These figures are a far cry from 2019’s figures when Israel welcomed some 4.5 million tourists, its strongest year on record, but the numbers show promising signs of recovery for inbound tourism.

Israel only reopened its skies in March, lifting most Covid-related travel restrictions. Hotel industry figures also point to signs of recovery. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS),

19.3 million hotel stays were recorded between January and October this year compared to 21.8 million over the same period in 2019. To boost tourism recovery efforts and meet demand, Israel has been steadily working to grow and to diversify the number of hotel rooms. The Tourism Ministry believes there is a shortage of internationally rated luxury hotels, and also of modern, cheaper hotels at lower price points. Hotel ownership in Israel at present is largely confined to seven domestic groups—Atlas Hotels, Brown Hotels, Dan Hotels, Fattal Hotel Group, Isrotel, Prima Hotels, and Orchid Hotels—while a number of leading global hotel chains have limited presence that the TourismMinistry would like to grow. This year the Tourism Ministry expects to complete the delivery of some 4,500 new hotel rooms, with another 4,000 plus scheduled for next year. These are substantial increases to some 57,000 existing hotel rooms across the country, with the largest numbers of rooms located in Jerusalem and Eilat. Twelve new hotels are due to open in 2023, adding to the 27 new hotels scheduled to start receiving guests in the coming months. In total, 51 hotels are in the planning pipeline as Israel hopes to more than double its pre-Covidtourist numbers to 10 a million visitors by 2030.

Chinese Hackers Stole

in Covid Benefits

Tel Aviv is World’s 3rd Most Expensive City

Hackers linked to the Chinese government stole at least $20 million in U.S. Covid relief benefits, including Small Business Administration loans and unemployment insurance funds in over a dozen states, according to the Secret Service. The theft of taxpayer funds by the Chengdu-based hacking group known as APT41 is the first instance of pandemic fraud tied to foreign, state-sponsored cyber criminals that the U.S.government has acknowledged publicly, but may just be the tip of the iceberg, according to U.S.law enforcement officials and cybersecurity experts. “It would be crazy to think this group didn’t target all 50 states,” said Roy Dotson, national pandemic fraud recovery coordinator for the Secret Service, who also acts as a liaison to other federal agencies probing Covid fraud. The Secret Service said that there are more than 1,000 ongoing investigations involving transnational and domestic criminal actors defrauding public

benefits programs and that APT41 is “a notable player.” As soon as state governments began disbursing Covid unemployment funds in 2020, cybercriminals began to siphon off a significant percentage. The Labor Department Office of Inspector General has reported an improper payment rate of roughly 20% for the $872.5 billion in federal pandemic unemployment funds, though the true cost of the fraud is likely higher, administration officials from multiple agencies say. An in-depth analysis of four states showed 42.4% of pandemic benefits were paid improperly in the first six months, the department watchdog reported to Congress last week. A Heritage Foundation analysis of Labor Department data estimated excess unemployment benefits payments of more than $350 billion from April 2020 to May 2021.“Whether it’s $350, $400 or $500 billion, at this point, the horse is out of the barn,” said LindaMiller, the former deputy executive director of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, the federal government’s Covid relief fraud watchdog. The Secret Service said in a statement that it considers APT41 a “Chinese state-sponsored, cyber threat group that is highly adept at conducting espionage missions and financial crimes for personal gain.”

Last year, Tel Aviv was crowned the world’s most expensive city. This year, the Israeli city lost that ignoble title as it was toppled by New York City and Singapore in The Economist’s annual list of least and most expensive cities in the world was published last week. Tel Aviv cracked the top five in 2020’s list before leaping to the top a year later, mostly due to the NIS’s strong showing in the foreign exchange market compared to the Euro and the U.S. dollar. The British magazines ranked close to 200 cities across the globe based on the pricing of

hundreds of individual items and services offered in those cities. These can include a McRoyal meal at the international fast food chain McDonald’s, one kilo of apples, and a month’s rent for a two-bedroom apartment, which is all then compared to the purchasing power of the city’s average salary. In turn, even if a certain service is more expensive in some cities, the actual cost of living is measured and ranked in proportion to the average wage in the examined city. One of the metrics measured by the Economist that helped see Tel Aviv rise to the top last year was the cost of an average family vehicle, an item that was introduced to the magazine’s statistical database used to compile its list. Tel Aviv is ranked as one of the most expensive cities in this parameter. At the bottom of the list, some of the world’s least expensive cities include the Iranian capital of Tehran, Tunis, Tashkent, Tripoli, and Syria’s Damascus.

Simple Yet Complex

Ever tried to solve a Rubik’s Cube? It’s easier said than done. But one good piece of advice is to break the process down into steps, according to the cube’s inventor. “Problem-solving is a very basic activity of the human mind, and if a problem is complex, you need to divide the problem into smaller elements,” says Ernő Rubik, who invented the cube in 1974. “For me, the cube represents what freedom means. Freedom is never endless,” he said during a recent visit to New York. “It lets you do what is necessary to achieve your goal.” Rubik had used the cube as a teaching tool in Cold War-era Hungary. Now, there are more than 450 million cubes sold.

The original 3x3 Rubik’s has more than 43 quintillion—that’s more than 43,000,000,000,000,000,000 — possible configurations, but the principles behind the cube have been refashioned for 2x2, 4x4 and 5x5 cubes, a board game called Rubik’s Race, a pyramid, and a tower, among others.

It took 36 years after the invention of the toy for anyone to come up with an answer for the maximum number of moves to solve it. In 2010, a group of mathematicians and computer programmers proved that any Rubik’s Cube can be solved in 20 moves. Practiced cube solvers can complete a Rubik’s Cube in a matter of seconds. The current world record holder solved a cube in 3.47 seconds. Rubik was a budding artist who hoped to become a sculptor or a painter before he studied architecture. He got a degree in architecture at Budapest University of Technology and became a teacher in the interior design department at the Academy of Applied Arts and Crafts in Budapest. Rubik regularly used physical models and materials to teach concepts in construction and design.“As our body needs some kind of exercise, the brain needs that kind of exercise as well,” he says. Thus was born an elegant teaching tool he named “The Magic Cube.” “I tried to make it as simple as possible because I thought the task itself is complicated enough,” he says.“You don’t need to complicate anymore.” He noted, “One of the main keys of the cube is the contradiction between complexity and simplicity,” Rubik says. “On one hand, the cube is a very simple form. And on the other hand, the potential of the variation of movement is so complicated.”So simple, yet so complex.

Spivak Opens a Sixth Grade in the 2023-24 School Year

dents will also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, such as sports, music, and art.

The addition of the sixth grade will allow the school to better serve the needs of its growing student body and provide a more comprehensive educational experience for its students. It is our hope that this expansion will enable more students to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to become responsible and compassionate members of our community.

RCCS

It is with great excitement that the Spivak Hebrew Academy announces its continuation and growth offering a sixth grade for the 2023-24 school year. This milestone marks a significant expansion of the school’s educational program, offering more students the opportunity to receive a high-quality affordable, religious, and secular education.

The sixth grade at the Spivak Hebrew Academy will provide students with a well-rounded curriculum that includes a strong foundation in Jewish studies, as well as core subjects such as Math, Science, English, and Social Studies. Stu-

The Spivak Hebrew Academy is committed to providing a supportive learning environment for all of its students. Our dedicated teachers and staff are committed to helping each student reach their full potential and foster a love of learning.

We are confident that the addition of the Sixth grade will provide even more students with the opportunity to receive a high-quality Jewish education at an affordable price. Families are invited to learn more about the sixth grade at Spivak Hebrew Academy and to visit our school. Please contact us at 310-5539900 for more information.

The community got together Sunday morning to raise money and show support for Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society as they gear up for their annual raffle campaign. As the preeminent resource for

medical referral in the cancer field, RCCS has a specialized understanding of physicians, patients, and diagnoses, enabling the best bespoke treatment solution for each and every case. RCCS ensures that each human being will get treated by the ideal specialist, obtaining appointments and treatments as soon as needed, with dignity and grace. RCCS provides financial grants, insurance premium payments (on average $18,000 a year per family plan), and insurance industry guidance to ensure that top care is covered. RCCS also assists patients and families with maintaining medical records; insurance renewals; pain relief; and much more. Everyone enjoyed good food, friendship, and the opportunity to benefit this incredible organization.

Bais Chaya Mushka fathers and grandfathers joined together for Hakhel with their daughters for the annual Tatty Zeidy event. Through special Rosh Chodesh Kislev learning, adorable performances, and the cutest board game, we explored what it means to follow the path of our fathers and grandfathers and complete the mission which they have started, to bring Moshiach.

LA Fundraiser Bais Chaya Mushka Tatty Zeide Event

Andrew Friedman Meets Hungarian Dignitaries

Commissioner

Washington, Laszlo Szabo, and his wife, Ambassador Dr. Ivonne Szabo. When visiting Los Angeles, the Ambassadors joined Commissioner Friedman and his wife Chanie for a traditional Friday night meal with Jewish delicacies and zemirot (songs).

Her Excellency, Hungarian President Katalin Novak, the youngest and first woman President of Hungary, was recently the featured guest at Kehillat Yavneh, where she addressed the Congregation. She stated that Hungary has zero tolerance for anti-Semitism and echoed the recent statement of Israeli Chief Rabbi David Lau that Hungary is experiencing a major Jewish Renaissance, both culturally and spiritually.

Hungary recently demonstrated in the U.N. its support of Israel by joining 16 other countries in opposing referring Israel to the International Criminal Court for its occupation of Arab lands. The vote was 98-17 against Israel. President Novak has reiterated Hungary’s support of Israel during her recent Israel State visit to her counterpart, President Chaim Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Care Taker Prime Minister Yair Lapid.

As a follow-up to the President’s trip to Los Angeles, Commissioner Friedman met with numerous dignitaries in Budapest and London. In a meeting with State Secretary Zoltan Kovacs, Friedman presented the Secretary with a golden replica of the Wailing Wall (Kotel) in appreciation for his friendship with the State of Israel. Also in Budapest, Friedman met with Hungarian Ambassador to

While in London, Commissioner Friedman and Chanie were guests of Ambassador Ferenc Kumin and his wife Viktoria for a scrumptious breakfast at the Embassy. The Ambassador, a close friend of the Jewish people, was the previous New York Consul General, where he worked closely with the Jewish communities, including Chabad, Munkacs, Kalev, and Satmar. The Ambassador indicated that he is proud of the alliance between Hungary and Israel.

Commissioner Friedman stated to the Jewish Home: “I have not forgotten about 600,000 Hungarian Jews that were murdered during the Holocaust with Hungarian conspiracy (as former Hungarian President Janos Ader said, “The largest Hungarian cemetery is Auschwitz.”). However, I am grateful and proud that a new generation of Hungarians and Jews (Israelis) are true loyal friends and allies and Hungary has again become a vibrant home for Jews.”

WIZO California Hosts First Female CEO of EL AL Airlines

Ben-Tal Ganancia was invited to Los Angeles by Gina Raphael, chair of the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) California, to participate in a special event on Tuesday, Nov. 29. Over 200 supporters of WIZO came together to

honor Raphael with the 2022 Leadership Award. Ben-Tal Ganancia, the first female CEO of an Israeli airline, participated in a discussion about women in leadership moderated by Shirin Yadegar, founder of L.A. Mom Magazine.

Raphael announced a new initiative of WIZO California, in partnership with EL AL. “The Women’s Leadership program’s objective is to empower women and girls at home as we work on behalf of women and children in Israel,” she said. Both organizations have committed to continue empowering women through education and awareness.

WIZO, The Women’s International Zionist Organization, is the largest social services provider outside of the Israeli Government, providing more than 800 social services projects helping women, children & seniors in Israel. WIZO operates day care centers, youth villages, centers for Ethiopian youth, senior centers, girls’ & women’s leadership training, and

centers for women at risk.

Later that day, Dr. Hillel Newman, the Consul General of Israel to the Pacific Southwest, hosted a special reception for leaders of the Los Angeles community at his residence. During the event, Ben-Tal Ganancia confirmed that EL AL is increasing its flights to Los Angeles during the winter season. In past years, EL AL reduced the number of flights from five to three during the winter season. “The strong connection between EL AL and the Los Angeles community demands that we maintain our five weekly flights between Los Angeles and Israel through the winter,” said Ben-Tal Ganancia. “Our customers deserve a taste of Israel on their way to the Holy Land on five flights a week during the winter. We are the only airline that can offer that.”

Dr. Newman, who hosted the event, welcomed the move. “EL AL is a strategic asset for the State of Israel and has been a bridge between the state and the world since the beginning of our nation,” he said. “EL AL is critical to Israel’s prosperity because of its important role of bringing tourists to Israel.”

WIZO California looks forward to increasing its movement and interested members can contact WIZO at rachel@ wizocalifornia.org.

Yavneh ON ICE

The wonderful Yavneh Middle School girls went ice-skating to welcome winter and the month of Kislev! They were joined by many staff members who enjoyed an “out-of-school” experience! The ruach was amazing and everyone had a great time!

Emek staff Participates in Yarchei Kallah Trip

Over Thanksgiving week, Rabbi Mordechai Shifman, Emek’s Head of School, together with more than thirty men including laypeople and educators, traveled to Eretz Yisroel for a week of davening and learning. The Yarchei Kallah program, in its 5th year, is organized by Jonathan (Emek alum) and Elie (Emek parent) Istrin, who raise funds for the trip and organize a spectacular program. The experience is intended to foster a week of intensive learning, as well as strengthen and inspire local Valley Village community members. The men attended a NeitzMinyan at the Kotel every day, fol-

lowed by learning at Yeshiva OhrSameach in Yerushalayim. Rabbi Shifman and other Rebbeim prepped the source materials in anticipation of Rabbi Peretz’s daily shiur. The afternoons were filled with trips to local rabbinic leaders and dignitaries who offered words of inspiration and blessings. One of the highlights of the tour was davening on Rosh Chodesh at the Churva Shul in the Old City. Additionally, Rabbi Shifman and Mrs. Michelle Andron were able to host a very special reunion dinner for local Valley Village girls and Emek alum; the attendees were thrilled to be reunified and connect with their Rebbeim and administrators.

YAYOE 8th Grade Girls Build Leadership Skills at Kenneth Hahn Park

Hillel Brings IDF to Meet Students

Tackling team challenges, supporting each other, recognizing the power and responsibility of each individual, strategizing, applying, and analyzing leadership concepts—our eighth-grade girls shone.

As part of our focus on leadership, the 8th-grade girls participated in a fun morning of adventures in team building. The morning at beautiful Kenneth Hahn State Park was facilitated by Red Werner, the head of SOAR, a well-known company that runs leadership-development and team-building programs for corporations, organizations, and youth. Our girls met

each challenge with determination, positive attitudes, and unity.

For well over a decade, the SOAR high ropes course has been a highlight of the YAYOE girls’ Big Bear graduation trip. Thank you to Rabbi Goldberg for giving the girls this experience at the beginning of the year, which affords the girls the opportunity to, IY”H, integrate the new tools and lessons into their growing leadership toolbox and apply them to their 8th-grade year of learning, programming, and leading.

LINK Hosts Donut Decorating Pre-Chanukah Event For Children

Last week, Hillel Hebrew Academy welcomed back its alumni student who is currently serving as a lone soldier in the IDF! Students gave him a warm celebratory welcome as he joined Hillel’s famous Shabbat Assembly. Together, they sang, danced, and learnt all about the IDF. Later, the soldiers spent time with our middle school for a

pre-Shabbas Oneg - where they had the special opportunity to spend intimate moments with the soldier. Students asked questions and learnt what it’s like to serve in the Israel Army. Thanks to the FIDF for facilitating this incredible moment.

The children’s division of the LINK Kollel hosted a pre-Chanukah event on Sunday, December 4th. It featured creative toppings that let children decorate their own donuts in a very delectable manner. It was led by LINK’s Youth Director, the indefatigable Mrs. Dina Ramm, who lent

her considerable creative talents to making the event a fun afternoon for the children of all ages who attended. A special surprise was a puppet show led by LINK’s Rebbetzin Mrs. Batyah Brander, who captivated the children with its authentic-like feel.

Yavneh PTA’s Chanukah Bazaar Features Fun for the Whole Family

This past Sunday over 600 people from across the entire community attended Yeshivat Yavneh PTA’s 11th annual Chanukah Bazaar. It is the largest boutique in Los Angeles, and it featured fun for the whole family. Over 40 amazing vendors from LA and New York came to showcase their gorgeous and unique items! Delicious food was made to order by Premier catering, as well as Dippin Dots and a fruit cart. There was also an incredible moon bounce area from Perfect Party LA with 5 fun inflatables and slides including a pool with boats for kids to ride in, which kept the kids busy and entertained while the adults shopped.

YULA Girls’ Poland Trip

On November 20th, 75 YULA students and parents from the Girls Division embarked on their first-ever Poland/ Holocaust Education Experience.

This was an educational trip like no other, filled with spirituality, emotion, and lots of history!

We made sure to juxtaposition our visits to the Death Camps of Treblinka, Majdanek, and Auschwitz with the graves of great Tzaddikim like The Chozeh of Lublin, Rabbi Elimelech of Lezajsk, and the Sfas Emes, the Gerer Rebbe. We experienced firsthand how century-old Jewish communities, such as Lublin, Tarnow, and Lezajsk, were completely destroyed by the Nazis.

We danced and sang Hallel at the shul in Oswiecim, a few miles away from Auschwitz; a quintessential Kiddush Hashem! We spent Shabbat in Krakow, a beautiful old city, and made sure to bring to life the old synagogues we visited like the shul of the holy Rema; Rabbi Moshe Isserlis, the author of Hamapah.

The trip would not have been complete without a visit to the grave site of Sarah Schenirer, the founder of the Beis Yaakov movement, where the girls learned how she changed women’s education and in fact paved the way for an institution like YULA High School Girls Division.

This was an unparalleled, life-changing experience that has impacted our students and parents for years to come. Thank you to Rabbi Sufrin, our Head of School, and to Ms. Benhamou, Dr. Williams, and Rabbi Dr. Menachem Hecht for making this dream a reality.

Hillel’s Fulcrum Field Trip

The positive impact this trip makes on our students is unlike any other. Students spend the day engaging in hands-on opportunities to lead, solve problems, support, and become more connected to each other. They begin to step out of their comfort zones, take risks and push beyond their limitations. Most importantly, they realize they are surrounded by a community of people who love them and are rooting for them every step of the way.

When students were asked to define the day in one word, this was what some said: “Exhilarating!” “Eye opening!” “Unforgettable!” “Life changing!” “Enlightening!” “Inspiring!”

Students are gifted with a bracelet after the trip that is made of the same material as the ropes and equipment used during their activities. This bracelet, although small in size, can hold up to 500 pounds. It is used to signify that even if something doesn’t look strong on the outside, it is capable of incredible strength on the inside.

HaRav HaGaon Rav Baruch Soloveitchik visits LA

Hate Crimes Against Jews on the Rise

On Thursday, December 8, 2022, the LAPD held a meeting with community Clergy members due to the rise of religiously motivated hate crimes. Los Angeles Shmira Supervisors attended the meeting. Here are our top takeaways:

• As in every crime, make sure to report it. Unreported crime skews crime stats & keeps resources out of our area. We have suffered from a lack of law enforcement for much too long. When an anti-semitic incident is not reported, it can embolden the perpetrator(s) & put others at risk.

• LAPD takes reports for any hate incident, even if no actual crime was committed. Reporting enables law enforcement to prevent future crimes & if that suspect ends up committing an actual hate crime, later on, there is a record, which can make prosecution easier.

Mentally Disturbed Homeless Persons

As you are probably aware, homelessness has become an increasingly larger problem. Please call Shmira if you feel threatened by anyone acting erratically or suspiciously in any manner. It is important to maintain situational awareness whenever in public. In case of emergency, call 911 and then Shmira.

The good news is that the state law has now changed. Certain severely mentally ill persons can be more easily taken off the streets, so please make sure to report all such incidents.

Social Media

Frenzy

Although crime has been on the rise for the past few years, in many categories it has declined recently. Social media is full of negative stories which can cause alarm. If the story is unverified, it’s quite possibly false. Nextdoor.com is a great resource to connect with neighbors, LAPD, & other government entities. But not everything that is shared on the platform is verified. The Citizen smartphone app mostly reflects only what’s reported to LAPD, which many times is not what actually happened.

LA Shmira Public Safety has been assisting the community since 2007. We respond to most crime-related calls & have regular patrols to help deter crime. Our 24-hour emergency hotline is 424-888-4646. The office line is 424-888-7807. In case of an emergency please call 911 first.

• Report to Shmira after you call the police. In addition to responding & assisting you, Shmira will pass the information on to appropriate Public Safety Partners such as the ADL, Jewish Federation’s CSI, CSS, Magen Am, & Magivim.

• If you do end up becoming a victim, refrain from posting on social media, as it gives antisemites free publicity.

• Do not engage with any person who targets you. Get to a safe place, call 911, & then call Shmira.

• There will likely be more incidents of anti-semitic leaflet drops in the near future. Make sure to stay calm & report it to Shmira.

Remove curtains, books, or any other �ammable objects away from the area around the menorah

Place the menorah on a sturdy surface made of non�ammable material such as marble, glass or metal

Do not place the menorah in a location where it can be knocked over either by a passing person or the wind, or where something can fall on it

Most "arts and crafts" menorahs, made by children are not suitable for lighting and may burn down when used.

Keep the menorahs and matches away from the reach of small children

Turn frying pan handles away from the edge of the stove and try to use the back burners. When making latkes, keep children away from the hot oil

Make sure you locate smoke alarms on every level of your home. Check the batteries by using the alarm test button 8. In the event of a burn, immediately place the affected limb under cool running water and call Hatzolah at 800-613-1911

9. Never go to bed or leave the house when candles are burning

@LASP shmir a

Torah Thought

Don’t Despair, Hashem is There:

The Correlation Between Mechiras Yosef and Chanukah

The fact that Shabbos Chanukah always coincides with the Parsha that deals with Yosef’s sale and captivity is no coincidence.

The Miracle of Chanukah

Chazal ask, “My’e Chanukah?” − What is Chanukah? Meaning, for which miracle was it enacted? (Shabbos 21b and Rashi ad loc.) Chazal answered that when the Greeks entered the Bais Hamikdash, they defiled all the jugs of oil that were there. After the Chashmona’im conquered them and entered the Bais Hamikdash, they found only one closed jug that remained with the Kohen Gadol’s seal which miraculously burnt for eight days until new oil could be obtained.

Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l asks, “In Al Hanissim, we mention the miraculous defeat of the mighty Syrian Greek army and the recapturing of the Bais Hamikdash (in some battles, the Jews were outnumbered ten to one). Moreover, as a result of this victory, the Jewish nation was saved from spiritual extinction, and the Beis Hamikdash remained for more than two hundred years (Rambam, Hilchos Chanukah 3:1). If so, why did Chazal omit these reasons for celebrating Chanukah and only mention the miracle of the oil, which is seemingly insignificant to the

tional pain was undeserving. Therefore, he was spared from the discomfort of smelling any offensive odor.

However, asks Rav Chaim, this episode was probably the lowest point in Yosef’s life. From being Yaakov’s favorite son, who had been taught all of his teachings that he had received in the yeshiva of Shem and Eiver, he was now being sold as a slave to Egypt, the home country of forty-nine sha’arei tumah. Additionally, Rashi notes that he was sold a few times before he was sold to the Egyptians.

At this moment, when it seemed that he might never again see his father, would it really have made a difference what the Yishma’eilim were carrying? He answers that at the darkest time of Yosef’s life, when it seemed that he had been forsaken by Hashem, there was a danger of him entering a state of yei’ush, despair, and falling into a state from which he would be unable to recover. Therefore, Hashem sent the sweet spices not only to spare him from the offensive odor but also as a message, saying, “Don’t give up hope, I will accompany you to Egypt and your suffering will soon end.” This ray of hope uplifted Yosef’s spirits and kept him going during this most difficult period in his life.

The Miracle of the Oil Hashem’s special message applying

“...Hashem sent the sweet spices not only to spare him from the offensive odor but also as a message, saying, “Don’t give up hope, I will accompany you to Egypt and your suffering will soon end.” This ray of hope uplifted Yosef’s spirits and kept him going during this most difficult period in his life.”

Yosef’s Darkest Moment

Rav Chaim answers this question with an amazing insight into the sale of Yosef. The Torah relates that when Yosef was in the process of being sold to the Yishma’eilim, their caravan was transporting pleasant-smelling spices instead of the usual foul-smelling ones. Rashi explains that Hashem caused this in Yosef’s honor. A simple explanation is that since Yosef’s suffering was exactly meted out, any addi-

the same principle, Rav Chaim explains the hidden significance behind the miracle of the oil burning for eight days. He gives a Mashal of a father who lost a precious diamond that was a family heirloom and asked all the family members to search for it. After a long search, one of his small sons finds the stone. Needless to say, the entire family is joyous, and when the boy gives the stone to his father, he receives a special kiss from him. In addition to the joy of finding the diamond, the boy is especially happy at the extra sign of affection that he receives

from his father. This same concept can be applied to understanding the miracles of Chanukah. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind of the tremendous miracles that occurred in order to defeat the Syrian Greek army and of the significance of having the avodas Bais Hamikdash restored for more than two hundred additional years. However, since Hashem promised that the Torah would never be forgotten (Devarim 31:21), He had to make these miracles for the survival of Klal Yisrael. The significance of the extra miracle of the oil was to demonstrate Hashem’s special love towards us by allowing us to fulfill an additional mitzvah of hadlakas neiros.

In comparison to the previous Mashal, this was Hashem’s “kiss” to Klal Yisrael. Rav Chaim terms this special endearment “he’aras panim,” and it was this same he’aras panim that he showed Yosef to save him from despair. On Chanukah, the mitzvah is “le’hodos u’le’hallel − to give praise to Hashem. We are praising Hashem for the special love of h’earas panim that he showed us during the Chashmona’im’s conquest in wresting Eretz Yisrael from the Syrian Greeks and ending galus Yavan.

Rav Chaim is also teaching us a very

important life lesson. Many times people get into a rut. Sometimes there seems to be no hope in sight for a solution. There are no job openings, the overdraft in the bank is continuing to increase, the learning or chavrusa is not what you are looking for, and there are constantly strained family relationships. And, at times, it appears that Hashem has forgotten us, chas veshalom. Then, suddenly, there is a slight sign of relief. Unexpected money arrives, you find a temporary job, and family relationships start to improve. Besides saying, “Boruch Hashem, there’s some relief,” you should also realize that an additional message is being sent: Hashem has not forgotten you, and when the right time will come, you will receive exactly what’s meant for you. Bearing this thought in mind will make it easier to overcome many of life’s challenges.

Rabbi Morgenstern does family counseling and lectures extensively in Israel and abroad on shalom bayis, Chinuch habanim, family communication, shidduchim, dating, and personal growth, and has produced a popular CD series on these topics. His articles on these topics and Jewish hashkafa have appeared internationally in Jewish newspapers and magazines.

miracles mentioned in Al Hanissim?”

Rabbi Chaim Morgenstern

Shalom Bayit Through

the Parsha

Rabbi Nir Yacoby

Parshat Vayishlach Parshas Miketz

States should attack Iran or not.”

I’ve seen a couple I haven’t seen in ages. “What happened?” I asked. “We finally figured out the division of labor: He makes big decisions and I make small ones.” “Give me an example.” “I decide what food to buy, where to send the kids to school, where to live.” “What about him?” “He decides whether the United

Does Torah divide labor based on gender? The answer is alluded to in a conversation in וישב. After Joseph relates his dream to his father, “the sun and the moon bow down to me,” his father questions: “How would it be possible for your father and mother to bow down to you?” Note the implicit equation: the husband is the sun, and the wife is the moon. While both the sun and the moon give off light, the sun generates it whereas the moon reflects it. The Torah doesn’t tell us who does the dishes. But it does say that the husband initiates and the wife responds in kind.

Is your home a little dark? Don’t blame your wife. Take the initiative to shine light for Shalom Bayit.

Will it take a miracle for the two of you to get along? It might take a miracle, and miracles happen. It might take a miracle for you or your wife to develop better skills, and this miracle can also happen. It might take a miracle for your wife to stop insulting you, and this and many more miracles happen all the time.

There is not one recorded conversation between Yosef and God. Rightfully Yosef could have explained all of the events in מקץ as “coincidental” or “natural,” but he did not. Rather, he narrated his life story in terms of miracles.

Miracles happen only to those who believe in them. You too can explain your world in terms of these miracles. The more you do, the more you will come to believe in them, and the more miracles will visit your life.

You’ll start seeing changes in your wife’s behavior, and they will serve to confirm, strengthen, and improve your belief in miracles and… in your Shalom Bayit

Rabbi Nir and his wife Atrian give regular classes on Shalom Bayit. His popular 3-minute podcast is funny and draws Shalom Bayit ideas from the Torah portion of the week. To register: ShalomInComics@gmail.com

Views

It’s not every day that we see a $40 billion company file for bankruptcy. But that’s exactly what happened on November 11, 2022, when FTX, the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency exchange, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Preliminary reports indicate that FTX might have a shortfall of as much as $8 billion. This implosion has caused investors to re-think the crypto market and is drawing the scrutiny of the Department of Justice.

In summary, FTX accepted money from investors and then sent that money to Alameda Research, a quantitative day trading firm, which was founded by Sam Bankman-Fried, who was also the CEO of FTX. Alameda then used additional borrowed money to make risky trades that didn’t pay off and resulted in FTX not having adequate capital for investors who tried to take their money out. The bankruptcy filing is intended to halt investors’ draws and provide FTX with sufficient time to ascertain how to address the debt.

Most of the chatter has revolved around how FTX is going to satisfy the debt of 1 million creditors. Unfortunately, the bankruptcy pleadings have not been encouraging.

John Ray III is the attorney that is overseeing the FTX bankruptcy proceedings. He also handled the Enron scandal, which caused a $74 billion loss to investors. Ray said, “I have never seen a company in

sentencing, the defense will try to persuade the judge to depart from that range by presenting various types of equity-based arguments. While the sentencing guidelines are supposed to be “advisory,” the judges give them a lot of weight.

To calculate the relevant guideline range, you first identify the base offense level. Wire fraud, which would apply to FTX, is valued at 7. The amount of loss to victims is then added, and any amount above $550 million is 30. A 37 plotted on the United States Sentencing Guideline Table comes out to 210-262 months. And that is before adding additional possible sentencing enhancements. Therefore, Bankman-Fried is facing 20 + years in federal prison if he is charged and convicted of wire fraud in FTX.

His defense team would have a difficult time arguing that Bankman-Fried’s motivations were purely altruistic if, in fact, he pocketed $300 million in a 2021 round of funding; while placing investors’ money on precarious market bets. The fact that he is only 30 years old, graduated from MIT, and has no criminal record would work in his favor and provide the judge with legal justification to depart from the sentencing guide-

worse shape than FTX. I have over 40 years of legal and restructuring experience. I have been the chief restructuring officer or chief executive officer in several of the largest corporate failures in history… Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here.”

The greater the loss to investors will result in the greater likelihood of the United States Attorney’s Office holding those accountable for that loss. We recently saw this in the prosecution of Elizabeth Holmes. Holmes, the former chief executive of the blood-testing startup Theranos, was sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for defrauding investors out of about 1 billion dollars.

The FTX scenario presents the opportunity to understand how the white-collar federal criminal justice system functions. In state prosecutions, the defense attorney and prosecutor usually make a deal, and the judge rubber stamps it. The federal system is strikingly different. In a federal case, the defense attorney and federal prosecutor will agree on a guideline range, but at

line range. In the Holmes case, the judge went 4 years below the guideline range.

The single most important factor that a judge considers when granting leniency in sentencing is the contrition of the defendant. The more that a defendant can convince a judge that they truly feel remorseful for their actions, the less time they will be sentenced to. Despite being under a criminal investigation, Bankman-Fried is engaging in television interviews and openly discussing the FTX debacle. In his interviews, he takes responsibility for the failures but firmly maintains that he did not intend to commit fraud.

If Bankman-Fried finds himself in a sentencing proceeding and doesn’t “own it,” he could be looking at a much stiffer sentence, rather than a lenient one. As the old proverb goes, “Speech is silver, silence is golden.” Silence might just be Bankman-Fried’s best commodity at the

Lou Shapiro is a criminal defense attorney-certified specialist and legal analyst, but most importantly, makes the end-of-shul announcements at Adas Torah. He can be reached at LouisJShapiro@gmail.com.

ITZIK DADIA

Lou Shapiro

moment

“Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here.”

Yoeli’s Tisch

The Power of Song

Yoel Halpern

What I learn from these two beautiful golden nuggets of Torah ideas is that music to the soul is like a key to a lock. It opens and unlocks the heart. Singing is experiencing an elevated state, a place where we get to feel what the best versions of ourselves look like. That’s why it can lead a yid to do Teshuva. When we sing, we soften and open up our neshama.

Music as a Yid Adhesive

Reb Shlomo Carlebach was fond of saying the following, “When one person speaks on top of another person it’s called interrupting. When one person sings on top of another person it’s called harmony.” Only Reb Shlomo can create a gem like that.

For me, singing is life. I find myself singing and humming while on line at the store, walking to shul, and in my car. I deeply connect to music. Here are some of the different ways I use music in my life.

Musical Self-Help

I often do not sing due to my mood but despite my mood. There are times when I feel negative about things in life and I try to channel them into songs. It goes like this, que Baruch hu by Eytan Katz, “Yoooeeeli, who do you think you are, you are nothing and not worthy of nothing oh vey vey vey yum didi dum…I know that sounds terrible but what happens is when you continue singing your negative emotions, they start becoming lighter and even maybe a bit silly.

I think most of my recent relationships in Los Angeles were forged over niggunim. There are many people who I “knew” for years, people who would always get the token “how are ya” and move on, but now I feel close to them in a real way. What changed is that our relationship shifted ever since we belted out Naphtali Kempes Shehu Nota Shamayim at the back kiddush in shul. Now I feel like you’re my brother. I know that doesn’t sound too scientific but it just works like that. There has been such a movement of growth and achdus in LA of late and I believe much of it has to do with niggunim. Music is the ultimate people connector.

Music as a Platform for Dreams

I am a big dreamer. I have learned the pitfalls of being a dreamer but have come to appreciate its benefits. Being a dreamer can lead to dissatisfaction because undoubtedly life doesn’t play out in the way you dream. However, many of the things Hash-

“There has been such a movement of growth and achdus in LA of late and I believe much of it has to do with niggunim. Music is the ultimate people connector.”

By the end of the tune, I’m usually singing about what is underneath the unhappiness. Recently, I worked on a tune over Shabbos when walking to shul. After singing about my stress, I made this tune and realized that my “stress” was just coming from the unbelievable complexities of being a frum Jew in the 21st century living in the Great City of LA.

Musical Neshama Softener

Reb Nachman says that the word Chazzon comes from the word Chazon or vision/prophecy in English. The chazzan, Rebbe Nachman tells us, “snatches the song from the place where prophets suckle.”

When Achashverosh made his party for the Jews in the times of the Purim story, he was trying to get the Jews to sin. He intended that the Jews would not merit the building of the second Beis Hamikdash due to their sins at this party. The Megillah says explicitly and hints at many of the different desires he tried to entrap them with, such as food, drink, immorality, and more. Curiously though, music is not mentioned. The reason is that Achashverosh knew that if he provided the Yidden with music, it would tug on their hearts causing them to do Teshuva and they would refrain from imbibing the desires of the party.

em allowed me to accomplish in life started with me listening to music and dreaming of something that I want to accomplish. I dreamt about what it would look like, what it would feel like, and what I could accomplish. Many of my personal “starts” came about in this type of musical dreaming that I describe.

It goes like this. Recently I can’t help but blast an electronic rendition of a Shlomo Katz’s niggun that has been floating around the internet. (Search youtube Harvest to DUM DUM). The niggun is fantastic and when I blast it I feel it in my bones. When I listen to this song I dream about filling the Crypto arena with every type of Jew in Los Angeles and literally having the arena shake from all the Yidden dancing with each other. Now I don’t know if I will ever have the zchus of filling the Crypto Arena with a bunch of Yidden, but I know that many aspects of my life started as some good music and a dream.

Always be singin!!

Yoel Halpern is a businessman, publisher of The LA Jew ish Home, and a true Chassid at heart. Originally from Far Rockaway, NY, Yoel has always yearned to bring some of his fondest childhood memories back to life in the Los Angeles community. With that in mind, Yoel, along with many friends and local Rabbis, started the LA Mishmar, a movement of growth and vulnerability sweeping through LA. Yoel lives with his wife and three children in LA.

Andrew Friedman Attorney at Law

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Happenings in the H d

The D c with +

Looking for the Most Unique Sufganiya?

When our editor told us about this exciting Chanukah issue we knew that our topic had to be a review of LA’s most delicious sufganiyot. Lately, doughnuts have taken center stage in the battle for the most coveted pastry. Doughnut shops have begun to pepper the restaurant landscape around Southern California, and kosher establishments have not ignored the craze.

Fried dough can be found in almost every kosher eatery from Pico to La Brea, as far north as Ventura, and all of the way down to San Diego. You can find doughnuts topped with almost anything. Marshmallows, pretzels, halva, hummus, “Bacon,” or brown sugar. Creamy fillings such as caramel, lotus peanut butter, or pistachio are available as well. The doughnut craze is here and it’s here to stay. But, with sunny Pesach destinations just around the corner, who can afford to put on the extra pounds and try the 20-30 different sufganiyot available? Not us! And that is why we decided to bring in an expert. Enter self-described doughnut connoisseur and insurance broker, Mr. Danny Fishman. Mr. Fishman has reviewed every kosher doughnut in the greater Los Angeles area. From old-school establishments to Pop-ups, house-wife porch drop-offs to back-of-the-alley cash deals, Krispy Kreme to Long Beach Beer Lab, Mr. Fishman is a walking kosher doughnut encyclopedia. What’s great about Mr. Fishman is that no matter how bad a doughnut is, he always has something nice to say. For example, when rating an unnamed doughnut in 2020, Mr. Fishman described the doughnut shop as “Super nice guys, no business making doughnuts.”

Mr. Fishman’s doughnut talents can be found on his popular doughnut review vlog, his highly classified doughnut ranking spreadsheet, and, if you are lucky enough to get an aliyah at Chabad of Sola, as master Gabbai, he may share a tidbit with you between aliyahs. Mr. Fishman’s relationship and intimacy with doughnuts are palpable. In many ways, he considers these doughy Chanukah treats as friends who seem to come back every year in December.

We asked Danny if he would guide us through this impossible journey. He agreed to two conditions. We limit it to four local establishments and we stick to the classics…Jelly and Custard only! With so many choices of places to go, we decided to pick two in the San Fernando Valley and two in the City. After much deliberation, we chose to go with Continental Bakery in Valley Village, Unique Bakery in Tarzana, Mensch Bakery in Hancock Park, and Schwartz’s Bakery which seems to be located on every corner throughout L.A. county.

Schwartz’s is a classic. They keep it simple. You can not go wrong with their jelly doughnuts around the Chanukah table. Schwartz’s fried ball of dough has a fair amount of jelly and the dough has some bounce. Noticeably absent is the traditional powdered sugar on top. Unfortunately, their custard was not available at the time of printing, but Mr. Fishman’s 2020 review describes their custard as “excellent and plentiful.”

Mensch Bakery is the new kid on the block. Their fried dunker looks super cool and is lots of fun. They have creative doughnuts with good dough and lots of rich filling. We had the classics along with their lotus butter filling. It’s a doughnut worth trying, you won’t regret it.

Anyone who grew up in the Valley lived with Continental Bakery as the only option in town. When you got home from school and you saw that Continental Bakery box sitting on the counter, you would beam with excitement. Over the years, Continental’s custard doughnut was considered one of the best in the game. Although we miss the Continental of the 80s and 90s, they have maintained a doughnut that is tasty and delicious.

This brings us to the clear winner, Unique Bakery in Tarzana. Unique doughnuts are truly unique. Large in size, extremely generous in their injected filling, and pillowy soft dough. They have Boston cream and custard in addition to the traditional jelly. We

highly recommend trying all three. They each are decadent and have the perfect amount of sweetness. The dough-to-filling ratio is in some ways ironically miraculous. Mr. Fishman describes Unique sufganiyot as “Chanukah perfection!” But, you get what you pay for. Both the price of the doughnut and the gas you are going to burn to get to Tarzana may weigh into your consideration. We think it’s absolutely worth the ride.

No matter what, you can’t go wrong with any of the myriad of doughnut options in LA this Chanukah. So put on your Yarmulke and celebrate Hanukkah with some fried dough, friends, and family. Chag Sameach!

“Happenings in the Hood with TMtZvi and the Doc” is a new review column of local Jewish and kosher establishments. Tzvi Ratner-Stauber is a mortgage broker in LA and Steven Kupferman is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon in Century City.

“From old-school establishments to Pop-ups, house-wife porch drop-offs to back-of-the-alley cash deals, Krispy Kreme to Long Beach Beer Lab, Mr. Fishman is a walking kosher doughnut encyclopedia.”

Past Pearls from the

Auction

at Genazym Auction

Zalman Brim

Looking for an inexpensive gift for this Chanukah? How about a gartel? That could only cost you a couple of dollars… unless it is the gartel up for auction this December 12th, that one will cost a little more. The current early bidding price is $17,000. It is used but in good condition, in this case, however being used made it go up in value as it was used by a great Rabbi, the Ribnitzer Rebbe. The gartel up for auction is believed to contain spiritual protection, as it was worn by the Rabbi daily during his midnight prayers, where he would don sackcloth and mourn the destruction of the Temple.

So avoiding gartels for inexpensive gifts, how about a menorah? That’s timely and useful. Not a bad option, just don’t look for a cheap one by the same auction as for the gar-

tel. Amongst the many historic items being auctioned off at the Genazym auction house on December 12th, there is one Menorah. It is the silver Menorah that belonged to Rabbi Avraham Dov Auerbach of Averitch, author of the Bas Ayin. Unfortunately, the Bas Ayin did not have descendants and the notarized letter of provenance starts with his great-nephew who inherited the menorah after the Bas Ayin’s passing in 1841. The starting bid is $150,000.

Okay… then no gartels and no menorahs, I am out of tips. Well just a little advice, if you are going inexpensive, truly try to avoid letters written by founders of the Hassidic dynasties and the aforementioned auction. But if you happen to be there, I would suggest the letter written by the Baal Hatanya. There are only two letters of the Baal Hatanya known to be owned by private collectors, and this is one of them with a current bid of $400,000. If none of these gift ideas work for you, maybe just go with a cheaper candy platter.

Zalman Brim Judaica is a collector of antique Judaica. If you would like to feature an heirloom or piece in your own collection or if you are looking for a specific piece of Judaica, please

By Rabbi MORDECHAI DUBIN

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Community Profile

Lev-LA Hachnasat Orchim Bikur Cholim

Ariela Kauffman

Out of tragedy and heartache, Galit Horowitz, along with her husband Shlomo, has created a unique “home away from home” for those who are suffering at a time with so many unknowns. When one faces medical challenges, the entire family is upended. They often can’t even think of what they need at their most vulnerable time. In come Galit and Shlomo Horowitz to anticipate and provide for their every need. Out of her own tragedy and heartache, Galit and Shlomo have created Lev-LA, an oasis for those requiring housing and support that is near local hospitals and shuls. Their mission is to provide hospitality for individuals in critical condition, and their families and caregivers, that is 100% free. Not only do they provide housing, breakfast and hot dinner in the common area, and Shabbos meals in their home, but also moral and emotional support for the weary. And Galit does this best because she’s been there.

Galit and her previous husband, Noam Capri ז»ל, had tried to conceive for seven long years, before being blessed with twin daughters. When they were a month old, Noam was diagnosed with heart failure, requiring an immediate heart transplant. Galit was now single-handedly taking care of her babies, and traveling from the valley where they lived to Cedars Sinai every single day, sometimes twice a day to visit her husband after the transplant. Oftentimes she would bring the twins to the ICU when she had no one to care for them. After returning home from the hospital, Noam contracted a virus a

husband and twin babies. Unfortunately, her first husband Noam passed away.

With Hashem’s help and blessings, Galit remarried to Shlomo, a Belzer Chassid, who innately possesses a love of caring for others, hosting, and creating a community. From this was born the dream to establish Lev-LA, a place where they can provide housing, comfort, guidance, and a warm Jewish home environment. Shlomo was the one who put his entire Neshama and effort into the development of Lev-LA, cutting no costs when it comes to the comfort of the guests.

Lev-LA provides private bedrooms, a 24-hour breakfast buffet, a hot dinner in the communal dining room, a library, and Shabbos and Yom Tov meals

to the woes and challenges of her guests. Oftentimes family members serve as caregivers during a medical crisis and have no one else to turn to. Even if they may have someone else to turn to, they don’t want to burden another family member with added pressure. Galit is there to take the burden off of them, she listens and they feel comfortable opening up to especially since she has been through it herself. It’s amazing the Koach it takes to provide for the emotional and spiritual needs of her guests during their most vulnerable and painful times. Galit is talented at speaking because of the many classes, shiurim, and Hafrashat Challah bakes that she runs. She knows how to speak and connect with people.

with locals. These Shabbos meals are so special because during the whole week guests are busy with being at the hospital and the bedside, so Shabbos is the time that they get to be treated to a homey, relaxing, and restorative environment for Shabbos. The meals are filled with singing, Divrei Torah, and connection.

Lev-LA has provided support for families in a way that is life-changing. Guests have had “tremendous gratitude for [the] generous hospitality. Our time here surpassed all expectations. It became a sanctuary for rejuvenation physically, mentally, and spiritually.” Others said that having a place to stay for free when the family was going through a medical crisis was “a huge weight off our shoulders, and we were able to focus on our daughter’s needs.” Another guest applauded the Horowitz family saying that “your family is an exceptional example of Jews living simply and ultimately with the Creator and

month later, rejecting the heart transplant and falling into a coma, where he spent another 3 months in the hospital and then at a nursing home. During this time, Galit was again traveling daily with her twin girls to visit him and needed to depend on the kindness of family and friends, while also sleeping at the hospital when she had nowhere to stay. This schedule left Galit feeling “no longer human,” with her entire life revolving as the sole caretaker for her

in the Horowitz home. Each room has a private entrance, an en-suite private bathroom, a living area, and a fully stocked kitchen. Their premises are located in the Pico-Robertson area, within walking distance to shuls (MBY and Chabad SOLA), 5 minutes to Kaiser Cadillac hospital, 10 minutes to Cedars Sinai, 20 minutes to UCLA, and 25 minutes to Children’s Hospital LA. There are 5 suites, each with access to its own full kitchen. There’s meat and milk for everything, a full fridge and freezer, a cooktop, oven, coffee bar, pots, utensils, bread, milk, condiments, eggs, Plata for Shabbos, and double sinks. Shlomo ensures that the rooms are beautifully decorated with modern decor, a library, books, and extra couches that serve as sleeping for children. Guests come from all over the worldMexico, Canada, Israel, New York, and Las Vegas. They save thousands of dollars by not spending on AirBnb, hotels, and restaurants.

The process from beginning to end is lengthy. Galit begins with doing research for guests before they come (there’s an application process), the paperwork, and prepares for their visit. While they stay, she cooks and bakes everything fresh, refusing her husband’s offer to purchase some of the food. Lovingly baking her own Challah, she can prepare a Shabbos meal for 40-50 at a time.

More than the details they offer their guests, the Horowitz family provides much more than physical needs. Galit spends each day listening with attention and heart

While Galit is a full-time teacher and Shlomo is a full-time contractor, the work at Lev-LA is where they also give their full attention. In addition to providing for their visitors, they also provide Shabbos meals for the community. They invite many people who may not have another place to go. Some of their Shabbos guests include divorcees with kids, singles, those who are no longer frum, and people who want to be frum and are just beginning to

sharing an open door to all.” The sense of calm that having one’s needs taken care of was expounded upon as “a physical and spiritual healing, warmth and tranquility as if we were home. You are special people.”

LevLA once had a family stay for 7 months while the father was receiving care. The Horowitz family was instrumental in getting those children into a local school. They ensure they have more than food but also their every need by providing gift cards to local kosher markets.

learn. They invite families with children who are similar in age to the kids who are guests visiting for medical reasons. They intentionally host it on Friday night, because people need that meal, whereas on Shabbos day they can eat the Kiddush at shul. If not for this meal, many of the guests wouldn’t have a place to go. Lev-LA provides a service to the community not only through the meals they provide and bringing people together but because every Jewish community needs to have strong Bikur Cholim organizations. LevLA is able to provide both services - a Bikur Cholim that provides for visiting guests to Los Angeles and a place to connect them

These accommodations are available to whoever is in need. They create and build a home environment so that the guests have somewhere to return to after a long day in the hospital. Or a place to recover after surgery and cancer treatments. The Horowitz family feels that while they do sacrifice a lot to keep the guest suites running, they feel extremely blessed to be busy with something that they love to do. If anyone wants to see what Lev-LA is about, the door is always open for those who want to tour the premises and suites. Whoever would like to come for a meal, can reach out and contact Lev-LA through their website: www.lev-la.org

Rafi Sackville

it would flow like a river. The Radak is more general in his interpretation; it’s not oil, he explains, rather Asher would live off the fat of the land. Regardless of the approach, it is undeniable that Shevet Asher experienced great material success in their endeavors: they became instrumental in providing food for kings with produce of the highest quality.

Not only has the blessing lasted for thousands of years, but the land in Israel to the east of Asher, the fertile area of the Golan, continues to reap rewards from the yellow oil. Here in the north, one can find the very best quality Israeli olive oil. Good requirements for olives are a rich growing area, a conducive climate and altitude, and ample quality and quantity of water. Some of the best oil comes from the Golan, where the land is rich in basalt.

After the chagim in Tishrei are over, the50,000-plus acres of Israel’s olive groves become bee hives of activity. Left unattended for most of the year, the trees are ready to bring forth the fruits, the liquid gold of Yaakov Avinu’s blessing

It’s hard not to notice the olive trees in Israel. The road from Nahariya that runs up to Ma’alot and beyond is peppered with olive groves. During fall, the fields come alive with activity. Cars parked along the highways and backroads is the telltale sign that families are busy at harvest. You can see them shaking the olive trees and collecting the olives onto nets spread out around them.

Extracting the oil can be a long and tedious business; olive oil is more expensive than other oils, and the process is far more exacting. The simplest and most effective means of extracting oil from olives is by compressing them much in the way one would squeeze an orange. The choicest time to harvest is when they are turning from green to violet-red.

Each year, at the start of November, my neighbor, Shlomo, asks me if I’m interested in buying an 18-liter jerry can of oil. He buys from David and Boaz Ankava from Moshav Eliad in the Southern Golan. Their brand, Meshek Ankava, has all the correct and acceptable kashrut certificates. An 18-liter jerry can weigh a little more than 36 pounds (16 kilos). It’s quite a shlep from Shlomo’s house to the car and again into the house, where we siphon the oil into glass bottles. Those 18 liters last us a year. The oil is cheaper than the supermarket brands. For lovers of olive oil, however, the taste is so rich, fruity and singular, that I often question whether the oil off the supermarket shelves is actually olive oil.

The oil we purchase from the Golan has a rich throaty taste. Its thick viscosity carries such a distinct pungency that is so vibrant it was as if we were tasting real olive oil for the first time. One year, I wanted to see the operation firsthand, and I wanted to meet the Ankavas and explore their world.

So, on a brisk early December morning, we drove up to Moshav Eliad in the Golan some 50 kilometers away. David Ankava is 65 years old, yet he has the stamina and vigor of a younger man. A man who has spent his working life in the sun, his eyes reveal a strong will and determination to succeed. He comes from a line of famous Moroccan rabbis, particularly Rabbi Yisrael Ankava, whose mausoleum he was recently privileged to visit in Morocco.

Born and raised in Haifa, David studied at the Kfar Galim agricultural school. When he was conscripted into the army, he joined the Nachal Brigade. The Moshav Movement sent him to where Moshav Eliad stands today. When asked what the area looked like

to the Sinai for the duration of the Yom Kippur War. He returned to the then-kibbutz after the war and went to work with cattle. David refers to the existence of cattle in this area (parot ha’Bashan) dating back to the time of the Tanach.

When he moved to the Golan in the 1970s there were mainly Syrian cows roaming and grazing in the area. Eventually, the kibbutz – which in 1979 became a moshav – bought cows from Turkey and Europe. It was around this time that David began a small business based on a simple ideology: Yishuv Eretz Yisrael and the highest quality product imaginable. His cattle are fed no additives or hormones like they are in America. In Israel, only 35% of meat is local. The rest comes from Portugal, Poland, Romania, and Australia. David is a practical man, keenly aware of the pitfalls of working in the agricultural sector which oftentimes finds itself in crisis. It is not uncommon for either crops or the quality of meat to be subject to vagaries in the weather or the economy. Regardless of the circumstances, they are faced with, and in order to remain relevant, the Ankavas concentrate on quality.

With a love of agriculture and the land, and not wanting to place all his eggs in one basket, David began growing olives on 20 acres just down the road. Applying the same principles as his meat business, he considered growing olives as a return to the roots of this country, where olives Eretz Gshur’s packaging factory where they bottle Meshek Ankava olive oil David Ankava at the gravesite of his ancestor, Rabbi Rephael Ankava in Morocco.

The rows of olive trees are strategically planted for automated harvesting and have been grown for thousands of years. Furthermore, he wanted to ensure the oil he produced was pure.

When we asked whether Israel is affected by olive oil adulteration, David explained how there is a conflict of interest between those employed to maintain the highest standard of olive oil. There is little

“For lovers of olive oil, however, the taste is so rich, fruity and singular, that I often question whether the oil o the supermarket shelves is actually olive oil.”

to no oversight, and no one checks importers or bottlers from point A to Z. David gave me one example that illustrates the problem the industry faces. In order for bottles of oil to be stamped “Made in Israel,” they only require the smallest amount of local oil be mixed into each bottle. He sighs when he describes how there are bottles readily available across the country stamped “Made in Israel,” but containing only a small percentage of local oil.

There were widespread reports of adulterated oil finding its way onto many supermar ket shelves. The Health Ministry said oils from overseas were detected in bottles found in supermarkets like Super sol. The bottled oils had been cold-pressed. This makes it easier for fraud because cold-pressed oil produces a higher quality, but less oil, thus requiring a smaller amount of the local product.

Hot pressed oil will increase the percentage of oil, but on the other hand, will cause the evapora tion of the live flavor and odor and can impair the olive oil’s taste.

There are over two thousand varieties of olive oil. The Ankavas imported trees from Italy and Spain. They were chosen for the known high quality of their oil. Like grapes, olive trees are not grown like they are in the

the olives onto the tractor bins, which make their way down to the factory.

After watching the machine at work, we drove back to the factory where the olives are pressed. All the olive growers in the area use the same factory and harvesters. As the olive harvesting season lasts only three months a year, the production schedule is tightly

rest of the country. Instead, they have been planted in rows very close together to prevent them from growing too tall. Were the trees allowed to grow too tall, the harvester would snap the upper branches. Unlike the primitive harvesting methods we watch as we drive around the hills of Ma’alot, the Ankavas and other grow ers in the area hire the services of a company that runs automated harvesting machines.

A tractor drives between the rows while pulling a harvester that runs around both sides of the trees. Hard plastic threshers shake the tree, causing the olives to fall onto the floor of the harvester. On the floor is a moving belt that directs the olives into two bins on either side of the machine.

When we arrived in the middle of the grove, the operators were making repairs to the plastic threshers. From behind the automated harvester looked like a shark’s mouth turned on its side. Once the harvester is full, a tractor pulls up alongside it. The harvester empties

The process must be quick. The rule of thumb is that from the time the olives are harvested to the time they are turned into oil there is a window of only two to four hours before the oil develops an unwanted aftertaste and acidity. The oil being processed will be labeled “extra virgin.” Extra virgin is produced by mechanical means only and not by any chemical intervention. Each huge vat of olives is tipped onto a conveyor belt that runs it through a bath of pure water. They move through a vibrating bin that separates dirt, leaves, and twigs while the water is draining away. The clean olives are then transported into the factory proper and into a crusher. Before the birth of modern technology, the olives were crushed by an apparatus pulled by a donkey. Not so today. The mechanical crushers turn the olives and pits into a paste. Once upon a time, the paste was stuffed into woven baskets, stacked one on top of another, and compressed onto a rock-based bottom under which sat a container. Today, the paste is mixed by augurs. The mixing process can be tricky and must be carefully monitored to prevent overheating. The goal is to separate the oil from the pulp. Although crushing breaks the olives, the oil remains within the pulp. The pulp is slowly mixed for no longer than 45 minutes. This causes the small drops of oil to coalesce and separate

“The olive oil and meat produced in the same area that has brought such blessing to the remarkable Ankava family only goes to prove the power of Yaakov Avinu’s blessing.”

from the other components of the fruit. The mixture is then sent through a centrifuge that spins at a speed of 3,800 rpm. The oil is filtered out and proceeds on to the next stage of the production, while the pomace (the solid ingredients in the olive paste) and wastewater, whose specific weight is higher, are transported through a separate exit. Before the oil is funneled into one-ton plastic containers, it goes through one last filter. We took plastic cups and filled them with shots of the warm oil. The oil looked a little cloudy, with an almost golden-green color. We took sips. It was quite unlike anything we had tasted before. Rich and fruity, it reinforced David’s belief in perfection and quality. We couldn’t buy the oil on the same day it was pressed. Instead, it is brought back to the Eretz Gshur packaging plant, where it is kept in steel vats between 22°C and 24°C (71°F to 75°F) for a week. This gives the oil time to settle. Much of the thickness sinks to the bottom of the vats. It is then bottled in dark bottles to protect the oil from the sun’s ultraviolet light, which could lead to the oil losing its concentration and quality.

We wait impatiently for the week to end when we take possession of our 18 liters of oil. As we siphon the oil into the bottles, our kitchen fills with a wonderful aroma that has more meaning to us than it did before our trip to the Golan. It is no surprise that Meshek Ankava olive oil has been awarded many prestigious prizes. In 2010, the Feinschmecker magazine in Germany named Meshek Ankava one of the top olive oils in the world. It recently won the award as the best olive oil in Israel. Its oil is Kosher LeMehadrin under the hashgacha of the religious council of Ramat HaGolan.

It might be off the beaten track, but the olive oil and meat produced in the same area that has brought such blessing to the remarkable Ankava family only goes to prove the power of Yaakov Avinu’s blessing. It’s a blessing that hasn’t waned in strength after thousands of years.

Rafi Sackville, formerly of Cedarhurst, teaches in Ort Maalot in Western Galil.

“We took sips. It was quite unlike anything we had tasted before. Rich and fruity, it reinforced David’s belief in perfection and quality.”

Chanukah Rhymes

Rabbi Dubin

The Little Candle

The little candle that burns so bright It’s calling out to you this night See my brightness, see my glow Listen, children, to the days of old

I tell a story of a chosen few Who kept me burning to give light to you But now my future it is in your hand Please keep me children within your plans Future generations will need my light Please help me to continue burning bright

The Story of Chanukah

The story of Chanukah is known by all How the Greeks who fought the Jews took a mighty fall

But let’s take a good look at what happened in this fight so we could understand clearly from where a Jew gets his might The Greeks worshipped beauty of the body and the arts As the Jews served Hashem with all of their hearts

The wicked king, Antiochos, Could not stand That the Jews wouldn’t follow the customs of his land

So he set up laws against the Jews He said “The Torah was forbidden it could no longer be used”

“Live like a Greek” is what he said “If you live like a Jew then your life will come to an end”

Sadly to say there were Jews who obeyed they gave up the Torah Into Greeks they were made

But there were many Jews who stood bravely upright they wouldn’t give up without a mighty fight

Led by Matisyahu these Jews came together ready for battle although greatly outnumbered

With a cry on their lips and Hashem in their hearts they advanced towards the enemy so that the battle could start

Their strength was not in numbers nor the weapons in their midst but through the ילא ’הל ימִ that was on their lips

For the honor of Hashem and for His Torah was their fight this was the strength that gave them all their might

So let’s take a lesson from the story that we heard Hashem’s Torah and His Mitzvos We need to always observe

To live as a Jew how proud we should be We are carrying the light of Torah through history

Mushky Yiftach

Rabbi Mordechai Dubin is a Rebbe at Gindi Maimonides Academy. He is the author of three illustrated children’s books, I’ll Never Forget Yerushalayim, I Believe, and I Know 6; and has produced four Musical CD’s for children, I Made This World For you, Let My People Go, Al Shelosha Devarim, and Hashem is Always With Me.

Light up the Nights Trivia

1. How many years ago did the miracle of Chanukah take place? a. 3206 b. 2113 c. 1461 d. 1402

2. What does “Maccabee” mean? a. Star b. Courage c. Soldier d. Hammer

3. What is the total number of candles lit during Chanukah? a. 44 b. 36 c. 54 d. 28

4. Which city did the Maccabees live in? a. Yerushalayim b. Beit Shemesh c. Modi’in d. Chevron

The most accepted spelling for the delicious round pastry is “doughnut.” However, according to Merriam-Webster, “donut” is also an acceptable spelling.

Krispy Kreme was founded in 1937. Dunkin’ Donuts started selling doughnuts in 1950, though it was known as Open Kettle for two years prior.

10 billion donuts are eaten in the U.S. every year.

The original name for doughnuts was “oily cakes.”

The original pastries, which didn’t have holes, were the size and shape of walnuts—thus the name.

2-D 3-A 4-C 5-D 6-A 7-C 8-C

5. Who of the following was not one of Matisyahu’s five sons? a. Yehuda b. Yonasan c. Shimon d. Eliyahu

6. What modern-day country were the “Greeks” based in? a. Syria b. Greece c. Rome d. Iran

7. Who bowed down to Shimon Hatzaddik? a. Antiyoches b. Matisyahu c. Alexander the Great d. Helifornus

8. Which of Noach’s children were the Greeks descendants of? a. Shem b. Chom c. Yofes d. His daughter

Bakers started placing holes in donuts when they realized that it enabled the doughnut to cook more evenly. The largest doughnut ever made was an American-style jelly doughnut weighing 1.7 tons, which was 16 feet in diameter and 16 inches high in the center.

Eric “Badlands” Booker holds the Guinness World Record for eating 49 glazed donuts in eight minutes.

According to studies, there is an 8-day period in the winter, usually in December, during which if you eat a doughnut a day for 8 days you won’t gain any weight from it. (OK, that was totally made up!)

Teens talk Teens talk

CHANUKAH

For two years of high school, I participated in a teen board at a local Holocaust museum. During my time on the board, I was paired with survivors to exchange Jewish holiday gifts and ultimately form deep connections through the experience Both of my partners were beyond appreciative of the holiday gifts I mailed them throughout the years, so if I had unlimited resources to give gifts, I would give to a Holocaust survivor. It brightened up their days, ensured that they were noticed and loved, and assisted in creating meaningful and personable friendships between generations

Olivia Fishman, 18, Shalhevet High School

I would give it to my aunt Talia Fishof because she loves animals and cares for them like no other What she wants most is for them to be cared for and loved, so I would give her a farm to reach her great potential we all know she is capable of With more resources, I believe she can do an Ariella Einhorn, 15,

issues and life in the hospit fun activities make it so mu manage Ephraim Meyer, 16,

Even if I had unlimited re don t think that I could person to give a gift to gifts to some of my frien some of my family m Regardless of what I c would just want to give expressing how valuab Noa 17 Valley Torah H

On occasion, as I was retu school, I passed a RiteAid saddened to see a lady a children who were homeles sitting outside crying and b assistance When I could, I wo and purchase them food an having to leave them each d were suffering was agoniz infinite funds and had to c person to purchase a Chanu would choose this family

Keren Tizabi, 16 years old, Sh School

W E S T E R N K O S H E R . C O M

The LA Jewish Home’s Chanukah Activity Guide

Prepare for Chanukah Nostalgia: Before Chanukah, we have a box of decorations we saved over the years. The kids love taking an evening before Chanukah to go through them and remember when they made that project or see their little faces on Menorah trays. Then we hang them up around the house. (SLG)

Grand Citywide Chanukah Unity Fair and Menorah Lighting: Carnival, petting zoo, and concert with Benny Friedman and Yoni Z. 12/18 on Pico BlvdFair starts at 12pm and Menorah lighting and concert at 5 pm.

Hot-Potato Note Gift: Every person writes on a piece of paper something they would be willing to give to another person in the family. Ex: 20 minutes of my time to study for a test, a massage, a coffee date, etc., which they can give on their own level. While reading the attached story, anytime the story says “right,” you pass the folded piece of paper to your right, same when the story says to pass to the left, etc. It’s a fun and fast-paced game, where at the end of reading the story, everyone ends up with a folded note and a cute “present” written by a family member. (RR) Attach story here

Put on a Play: Dress in costumes and act out Rabbi Dubin’s Rhymes (from the Kids Section) in your living room

Chanukah @ Citywalk: Yerachmiel Begun & The Miami Boys Choir 12/19 6-9 pm

Grab Bag Gift Buying: Before Chanukah begins, everyone in the family pulls out another family member’s name out of a bag. Then we go to the Dollar store and everyone has to buy a gift for their sibling that they choose, without letting anyone else know who it is, until the time of gifting it. (DLW)

Find the Jug of Oil: Buy a lot of chocolate coins, color a jug of oil onto all the coins, and hide them all over the house before the kids come from school. When they come home, put on music, and have the kids search all over the house for the hidden jug of oil coins. They get to keep whatever they find to eat now or save for dessert! Make sure to count how many coins you hide so you know if you’ve found them all (so no issues on Pesach). They can also use the coins as money for dreidel playing. (AY)

Your Presence: The most valuable gift you can give your child isn't a present, but your presence. The value of your time and the quality of that time, focus, appreciation, and attention on the child is what creates a positive experience. It’s not about fancy activities; it should be simple and stress-free, to be present and give your undivided attention to your

Chanukah Bake O with Chanukah-themed foods, such as deep fry latkes, donuts, etc. Part of the competition can be decorating the donuts or trying different fillings. And then you can bring your extra baked goods to neighbors or friends to share with others. (RR)

of

Enlarged Human Memory Game: Use 9x13 pans to create a memory board in your living room. Under the pans, purchase matching toys from the Dollar Tree or 99-cent store. Any time a child gets a match, they get to keep that toy. It’s fun to watch the kids run around the room! (RR)

Gift from the Middle: When hosting a family gathering, ask each family to bring a wrapped gift for each member of their family. For example, a family of 6 will bring 6 gifts. All the wrapped gifts, one for each person in attendance at the party, get put into the middle of the room. After dinner, everyone gathers in a circle around the gifts, and each person gets to pick a gift one person at a time. Without shaking or guessing it, the next person in the circle can either take the gift from the person who chose before or from the middle. This is continued until everyone is holding a gift. And then one by one, it’s fun to watch each person open their gift, which brings a lot of laughter and fun. Guests are then able to switch based on gender and age, and what each person likes, to ensure that everyone is happy with their gift. (AY)

Public Menorah Lighting and Concert: After the first night’s lighting, on Sunday 12/18, join the Historic Menorah Lighting on Pico Blvd, and enjoy a concert with Benny Friedman and Yoni Z !!!

Shabbos Table

Dreidel Discussion: Use this guide to have each person at the Shabbos table answer the prompts for the letters Gimmel, Hey, Shin, and Nun. (DLW)

Count the Menorahs: When it is after the 6th day of Chanukah, when the Menorah is pretty full, after candle lighting, have everyone put on their pajamas and prepare hot cocoa in to-go cups. Pile everyone into the car and drive around to see how many Chanukiyot you can find that are shining through the front window of your neighborhood homes. Someone in the car is in charge of tallying up all the Menorahs that your family found. At the end of the car ride, every child guesses how many Menoras were counted. The child who guesses the closest to the tallied numbers receives a small prize. (AY)

Chanukah Games night:

Pictionary, Bingo, Scatagory, and Taboo to be used as templates, and then make them Chanukah themed. (RR)

We would like to thank the local contributors who shared their personal favorite activities with our readers. They are referred to by the following:

AY: Atrian Yacoby

SLG: Sarah Leah Gormin

DLW: Devorah Leah Waghshul

RR: Rachel Rose

Human Dreidel: Take 4 big pieces of paper, write the 4 letters of the dreidel, and attach it to 4 different walls. When it’s your turn, you get blindfolded and spun around. When you stop, whatever wall you are facing is the letter that you get! (RR)

Gimmel means you win! You get to choose a prize from the pre-prepared gift bag. Prizes can be from dollar tree or amazon or you can write prizes on paper, such as "coffee date with Ima", "six flags trip", "acai bowl", "manicure", "dinner from Jeff's", etc.

Hey means you need to do a small challenge like a “minute to win it” game. Examples are putting a donut on your forehead and trying to get it into your mouth without using your hands; dreidel spin-off where you wrap a spinning team member in toilet paper and whichever team finishes the roll first wins; dreidel toss with two buckets and whoever throws most dreidels in the bucket wins; latke on spatula race where the spatula cannot fall off, etc.

Shin is a funny consequence, such as mopping the floor, washing dishes, the person on your right does your hair or makeup blindfolded and you have to keep it that way for the rest of the night, take out the garbage, etc.

Nun means Nothing! (RR)

Chanukah Color War: Team Yevanim vs. Team Maccabee. Each team makes up a banner, song, dance, poem, etc. This would be a full-night activity. (RR)

Chanukah Game

All right, LA! To play this game right you just keep passing your gift from right to left. You got that, right?!

Right from the beginning the Jews were rightfully chosen as Hashem's nation. Feeling left out, the Greeks felt the right to destroy the Jews so there would be nothing left to write about! King Antiyochus thought his philosophies were right and left decrees that informed the Jews they had no right to do mitzvos! You heard that right!

The Greek army came marching right into Yerushalayim: Right right right left right Right right left right Left left right right Right right left right!

Chanukah Chesed Night: We pick one night to devote to a Chesed where we pack food at Tomchei Shabbos or bake cookies that we pass out to all neighbors (Jewish and not). (SLG)

Glow Stick Dance Party: Order a variety pack of glow sticks and turn all the lights off, move the couch, and dance to good Jewish music. (SLG)

They stormed right into the Beis Hamikdash and left it an absolute mess! Yehuda Hamacabbi left his house in Modiin and went right to work gathering the Maccabim from left and right. Marching right into battle with Hashem right there on their side, they cried Mi LaHashem Eilai! They beat the Greeks and regained their right to their precious Beis Hamikdosh... but when they entered they couldn't believe the way their beautiful, holy Beis Hamikdosh was left! They cleaned it right away but were devastated to see the Greeks had left them no oil for the menorah! After looking right and left the Jews found one jug of oil left, just the right amount left for one night! They couldn't believe they had just one jug left whole and pure and were overjoyed as the Kohen Gadol went right away went to light the menorah. But the most amazing miracle was the next daythe Menorah was still left lit right as they left it! The fire was left lit until the 2nd night, then was left aglow until the 3rd night, then left until the 4th night and then left until the 5th night then left until the 6th night then left until the 7th night and then left until the 8th night!

To rightfully remember this neis we are left nowadays lighting our Menorahs. But which way is the right way to light? We set up the candles right to left and light them left to right. When lighting outside the right way to light is on the left hand side of our doorway because the Mezuza is on the right.

You got that, right?

Now check what special gift is left in your hands, open it right up right away and claim your prize!

Rabbi Naphtali Hoff

Self Development

The Maccabee in

As a leader, you know that leadership offers great opportunities to guide and inspire others, to set the agenda, and see it to fruition. However, it also can place us in compromising situations, where we feel as if we have lost control of the situation around us and need to engage in damage control. There are even times when we step into a leadership role that did not previously exist in order to address a need, a problem or a concern, oftentimes a pressing one at that. Such was the case of Mattisyahu, the elderly Kohen who assumed an expanded leadership role at a time of great national duress in order to save his nation and the Torah that they treasured. In this article, I will aim to distill leadership lessons from within the broader historical context, lessons that we can apply within our own lines of work and our lives in general.

1. Understand the Objective– For most of our nation’s history, we have lived in exile (either in the literal sense or in our homeland under foreign subjugation). While in exile, we enjoyed varying levels of freedom and autonomy but were generally content to subvert ourselves to our host nation so long

as we were given the freedom to live religiously as Jews.

Mattisyahu and his sons had no interest in attacking the Seleucid forces. They had fled to Modiin, a small hamlet on the outskirts of Yerushalayim, because they knew that it would give them a better opportunity to live a Torah lifestyle than in the now-Hellenized capital. Knowing what was of primary importance to them is what drove their decision to relocate as well as all of their subsequent ones. It was also captured in the family surname,

Maccabee, which formed their raison d’etre, “Mi kamocha b’eilim, Hashem?” (who is like you amongst the mighty ones, O God?)

As leaders, we also need to know what’s most imperative and be willing to take the proper steps in order to achieve it. Clarity of purpose, as well as the ability to visualize and articulate what success looks like, are two primary characteristics of successful leaders. While most decisions may not be of the “life or death” variety, we still need to establish guidelines that inform the moral, financial, retention-related, and

“Clarity of purpose, as well as the ability to visualize and articulate what success looks like, are two primary characteristics of successful leaders.”

You

other decisions

2. Know What’s at Stake – When Mattisyahu killed a Hellenized Jew as the latter was preparing to sacrifice a swine to Zeus, he did not do so in a vacuum. He recognized the collective threat posed by the Seleucid forces and the Hellenists. Both were eager to redefine Jewish attitudes and Jewish practices and placed Torah observance at the center of their destructive agenda. Mattisyahu understood that at such times of spiritual threat, definitive action must be taken, despite the odds. The takeaway for leaders is plain. Evaluate your circumstances. Identify potential threats and challenges and act as proactively as possible to thwart them. On the positive side, leaders need to recognize their core purpose and remain as focused as possible on advancing that cause. Too often, we get distracted by competing objectives or peripheral interests and fail to invest sufficient energy

in what’s really important. Staying above the fray and remaining attentive to your primary goals can make all the difference between achievement and failure.

3. Be a Man – The great sage Hillel the Elder taught us that “in a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.” (Avos 2:6) At the time of the revolt against Antiochus, there was no formal Jewish leader in place. The position of Kohen Gadol had been filled by an unworthy imposter, a non-kohen who had bribed his way to the post. Mattisyahu recognized the void and stepped into it in order to offer hope and direction to a nation that was being bombarded by pressures to conform to foreign behaviors and values.

Leadership is often about recognizing and filling a void. Perhaps this will take place within your own organization, such as expanding your original suite of services to meet an increased demand. Maybe it will require that

you identify others who can assume responsibility to address the issue. Either way, the leader is someone who is not content to leave matters alone when they require attention.

4. Identify the Right Person for the Job – Yehuda, Mattisyahu’s handpicked successor, was not the eldest son. Yet, when his father, on his deathbed, selected Yehuda to assume the reins of leadership, he did so because he recognized that his third son’s blend of piety, tactical skill, and general capacity made him the right man for the job. This may or may not have been the most popular decision, but it was the choice that Bnei Yisrael needed in order to defeat the Seleucids.

Oftentimes, leaders struggle with choosing the right person to assume positions of influence within their organizations. They may have a few legitimate candidates, each with meaningful skill sets and experiences. Some may also be popular or well-connected. They may not, however, necessarily represent the most important qualities for the position. A leader needs to identify what it is that the position and circumstance demand and make the best possible selection, even if it means bypassing the popular choice and going beyond the organization to find the right fit.

5. Do What You Can…and Then Pray – Yehuda was a great leader with many admirable physical qualities. Yet, he is recorded numerous times as leading his troops in prayer for success against the enemy. He understood that there was only so much that he could do; success, if it were to occur, would ultimately have to be divinely orchestrated. He also took no credit for his successes. Hashem was the root cause of his victories.

Successful leaders do all that they can to achieve their goals. They invest all of the necessary effort and talent to meet and exceed their objectives. But they also need to be able to step back and bring their Maker into the picture. They pray for their success, knowing full well that it will not occur without His blessing.

The struggle of Mattisyahu, Yehuda, and the Chashmonaim offers us many insights into how to live inspired lives and lead change. Let us hope that the lessons that we have gleaned will help us in our capacities to bring added focus, fulfillment, and sense of purpose to our tasks so that we can lead optimally and bring our teams to new levels of achievement.

Rabbi Naphtali Hoff is the President of Impactful Coaching & Consulting (www. ImpactfulCoaching.com). He can be reached at info@impactfulcoaching.com.

Finding Perfect in the Imperfect in the Ner Chanukah- Letting Go of Perfect this Chanukah

Alanna Apfel

Each year as Chanukah approaches, I look forward to these eight nights during which we are blessed to have the opportunity to focus our time each evening on our connection with G-d and the miracles he has bestowed on our people and in our own daily lives. The light of the ner chanuka is particularly special. Through it, we invoke our unique bond with G-d and His protection, and His light, even in the times of our history and personal lives when we can only see darkness. Embedded in the 8 nights and days of Chanukah are Nissim, miracles that are already in existence, just waiting for us to tap into their special power.

On my journey in therapy these last few years, I often encounter experiences where I feel I could have done better, made better choices, taken different actions, and reacted differently. While these occurrences certainly provide opportunities for growth and self-development, one can’t help but feel inadequate, and wrapped up in feelings of inadequacy is shame.

“V’al hanisim v’al hapurkan v’al hag’vurotv’al hatshu’ot v’al hamilkhamot she’asital’avoteinu bayamim hahem bazman hazeh,” (And for the miracles and for the wonders and for the mighty deeds and for the salvations and for the battles that you wrought for our ancestors in their days and on this day). “V’al hamilkhamot- and for the battles” stands out – why are we expressing gratitude for the battles themselves? Isn’t it the victories for which we are grateful?

The Gemara in Shabbos 21b brings down a discussion around what to do if the candles that we light for ner chanuka are accidentally extinguished. Do we re-light them to fulfill the mitzvah of ner chanuka to satisfy the minimum time requirement for the candles to be lit? The psak is no, we do not light them again if the candles go out unintentionally. The Gemara tells us “kavtalo zakuk la” – one is not bound to rekindle

it. Contrary to what one might think, that in order to fulfill the mitzvah the candle must be re-lit and burn for the minimum time, the Gemara tells us we have already fulfilled the mitzvah and should not re-light the candles.

This halacha is meaningful – it tells us that we do not have to be perfect to succeed in fulfilling the mitzvah. Showing up with the genuine intent to fulfill the mitzvah in all its requirements, and putting our best effort forward to do the best we can, is enough. Perhaps it’s more than enough, maybe it’s even perfect.

We can now understand why it is that we thank G-d for the milchamos, for the battles themselves. Our lives were not meant to be perfect. Perfection is an illusion. We are here to stretch ourselves, step out of our comfort zones, to struggle with our imperfections and imperfect circumstances. We see from this prayer and halacha that Judaism doesn’t believe in shame. In the Al Hanissim prayer, we express gratitude for and celebrate our imperfections because they are the very vehicles for perfection in their truest form –the perfection we arrive at after we struggle and grow. On the other side of the struggle is growth – and in that growth is the ultimate achievement and where true perfection lies.

Wishing you a Freilichen Chanukah *Special thank you to Rabbi Moshe Weinberg for sharing his Torah on a recent visit to Los Angeles and for inspiring this article.

Alanna Apfel is the founder and a Patient Advocate at AA Insurance Advocacy, which helps therapy patients, individuals, couples, and children, negotiate with their insurance plans to collect reimbursement, almost in full, for out-of-network therapy. Reimbursements range from $150-$350 per session. In the months that AA Insurance Advocacy has been advocating on behalf of patients, our clients have received anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 a year in reimbursements, depending on the cost and frequency of therapy. For further information, please contact aainsuranceadvocate@gmail.com.

Do not judge your fellow until you have Have you ever stumbled upon an old acquaintance in a store and exclaimed, “I was just thinking about you!” or did you ever tell yourself something was going to happen and then it did?

“Just watch, the whole family will get sick and we won’t be able to go to Hawaii,” and then that is exactly what happened.

I used to think I was prescient. Until I read Sefer Bereishis as an adult.

G-d uses ten utterances to create the world and He continuously speaks those ten to keep the world in existence.

Shift in Perspective

Apparently, words are pretty powerful.

Our thoughts are powerful too. Being that they are just the silent words of our minds, they hold tremendous impact as well.

Have you ever listened to your mind before? It works at lightning speed.

Here is a typical three-second conversation in my head:

“What did I come into this room for? Wait, why am I here? Oh yes!

Laundry. She is always leaving her shoes everywhere. I must get Shabbos shoes for the kids. It is not normal that they don’t have shoes yet! When will I do that? I will never have it all together... The disorganization of this room is suffocating, ok, just move on to the next, Hindi. What did I need again? This kid will never learn to be neat! Everyone else makes their bed!”

Sound familiar?

This seems like pretty neutral ground. No expletives, no names mentioned, and no screaming. Seems like I’m winning today:)

And yet, if I were to really take apart the mind chatter for a moment, I would start hearing some pretty intense statements about myself and others. Some would sound discriminatory, absolute, and harsh if spoken aloud. A lot of these sentences have extreme wording like, “always,” “never,” “must,” “should,” “everyone”, “noone,” and “normal.” These words are pretty heavy because they carry an exclusive tenden-

cy and a sweeping approach. Anyone under that barrage would immediately begin to defend themselves with, “ I don’t always forget my shoes,” “I am normal even if I don’t have Shabbos shoes,” “The child will learn someday,” and

with your kids in front of him/her? It’s the nature of the beast. When I think of someone a certain way, they begin to think of themselves in that way as well. When I am around them, there isn’t space for him/her to show up as anything other than that limitation.

Now of course every person is accountable for their own actions regardless of others’ perceptions. However, where can we take ownership of our thoughts and acknowledge that they have creative power over ourselves and others? Where can we find and embrace positive abundant thoughts about others instead of limiting perceptions?

“You know, not everyone makes their bed and they are still great human beings!”

I understand that harsh statements make people defensive, which is why I don’t say these words aloud. And yet, I might not be understanding how powerful my thoughts are and how creative they can be as well. It is important to give credence to the power of our thoughts and begin to see the empowerment or limitation our thoughts may have on ourselves or others.

‘How? How on earth will my thoughts create something, if the recipient does not hear what I am thinking?’ You demand.

Well, because our thoughts give birth to our emotions, which in turn, affect our energy.

Have you ever been around someone who has a limiting vision of you? That you don’t dress well, you don’t drive well, you can’t cook, you are impatient with your kids, etc. And don’t you find yourself looking schlumpy, cutting people off, burning dinner, and losing it

So, for example, instead of thinking that the child is so impulsive, perhaps that child is spontaneous. Rather than labeling a son as domineering, see how he is a powerful leader. An alternative view of the husband who is stubborn; your man, who never gives up and is tenacious and steadfast.

We can use our minds to be abundant in place of limiting, to be kind instead of harsh, inspiring rather than disheartening. You have a powerful creative impact on your world with your words and thoughts. Where will you direct them?

Hindi is a certified Relationshift Coach based in Los Angeles. She is passionate about relationships and self-growth. She educates women on the Torah’s perspective of marriage at her workshops and retreats and helps women around the world through her coaching program. Hindi lives with her husband and four children in Los Angeles. You can find her at createrelationshift.com.

“It is important to give credence to the power of our thoughts and begin to see the empowerment or limitation our thoughts may have on ourselves or others.”

Hindi Kalmenson

of our Youth From the Pen

Seminary Is It A Must? Yes and No

Sylvia Heyman

A big blank line stares back up at the shadchan. Alarm bells start ringing in her mind. “What went wrong with this girl?? She didn’t go to seminary!!” The shadchan delegates the girl’s resume to the bottom of the pile. In today’s society, especially in the frum circles, seminary after high school is a given. While for some teenagers, seminary is a dream awaiting them, others perceive it as a nightmare, silently haunting their 12thgrade year. Below are excerpts from our pre-seminary 12th graders.

Haddassah Tabrikian: Does the girl who does not follow what the rest of her classmates are doing, risk becoming a pariah in her own community? This is not fair! Often, the crushing social pressure to go causes disillusionment with the whole system because she has been forced to go for the wrong reasons.

Temima Edgar: The decision of whether to go or not becomes exacerbated by the pressure to choose seminaries and fill out the many forms that each seminary requests. Application fees begin the astronomical process in terms of finances that culminates with fees that are overwhelmingly above the parents’ ability to pay.

Rivky Stewart: Aside from the economic burden, there are many advantages to the application process. Picking a seminary involves introspection that determines an understanding of who you are hashkafa-wise. The high school student has been reveling in an environment where everything to help her develop her Yiddishe essence is easily within reach. Now, she must express her independence in being able to recognize what she wants to become.

Rachel Dayan: To be fair, a flip side to the above comments about independent thinking and awareness can be that the girl who sincerely feels that seminary is not for her is expressing strong independent thinking as she goes against the pressure of the herd mentality.

Ariela Kohanchi: Special mentors, Rabbanim, and teachers expose the students to role models. These role models are pivotal for integrating the values that are taught in the classes. Also, going away from home forces a girl to learn the necessary skills she will need to run her own home: laundry, organization, balancing finances, and living with other people. On the flip side, some girls may not be mature enough for this.

Lyel Avital: Yet, if a girl goes to seminary because of social pressure the dangers are that she can end up in a worse place than she was before she went. Her condescending attitude towards the whole idea plays a dangerous possibility of her using freedom and disdain for authority to lead her to an unwelcome path.

Chaya Kirgiz (post-seminary Bais Yaakov student): Originally I felt that seminary would be one more year of high school. However, my teachers and mentors in Bais Yaakov gently steered me toward changing my mind and I am forever grateful for this. At seminary I found that the classes were very different from high school, the emphasis was on a hashkafa-laden curriculum geared to using all the educational knowledge I had gleaned in high school and synthesizing it into the person I was to become. Be warned that coming to Israel is a culture shock, but coming back is even worse.

Temima Ross: Going to seminary may come with the danger of choosing the wrong one. Each seminary does have an agenda that can be an antithesis to the values that are important to that girl and

can sometimes result in brainwashing. Students may come home with unrealistic expectations of what is expected of a Jewish woman and what becomes defined as an absolute mode of frumkeit. Are there seminaries that actually prepare their students for life out of Eretz Yisroel, away from the ghetto, and into environments that may be contradictory to the values taught within the insular walls of the seminary?

Michally Grawitzky: Nothing inspires a strong love for Eretz Yisroel as much as actually living in the country within a framework of structure as a seminary. Immersed in the different Jewish neighborhoods: Sephardic, Chassidish, Mizrachi, and Lubavitch, with their unique ethnicities, gives the seminary student an appreciation and love for the people and land of Eretz Yisroel. Tanach becomes a living reality.

Efi Druker: An added benefit to going away to Israel is having the opportunity to explore the Jewish identity within an environment of the Kedushah of Eretz Yisrael. Seminary affords an opportunity to meet girls from all over the world.

Tsiporah Kohanteb: In conclusion, seminary may be an amazing choice for certain individuals. For others, it is not, and therefore social pressure to go should be constrained. Emphasis on the threat of determining the quality of one’s prospect for shidduchim takes away the basic belief in Hashem’s role in guiding us to the correct shidduch.

In the end, we must respect parents and students who opt not to go to seminary without holding what has become a frum Jewish societal norm over their heads. Yet, a major factor is looking at the students who do come home from their experience in seminary ready to tackle life with an invigorated sense of purpose and values.

Mrs. Sylvia Heyman comes armed with over 40 years of experience as a parent to ten rambunctious wonderfully different children. She has been a teacher of thousands of students, ranging in age from 9 to 90, including every sphere of our society. The opinions expressed here are solely hers and come from a sincere desire to help. She welcomes your comments to the debated issue. Please send them to editor@thelajewishhome.com.

Mrs. Sylvia Heyman

Mrs. Sheindy Gross

Lessons I Learned Along the Way

A Good Compliment

Mark Twain wrote: “My child, I can live on a good compliment for two weeks.” It seems like I can as well. Here’s what happened a few weeks ago. A former colleague emailed me with compliments on my writing of this column. I expressed my appreciation and then began to notice how much that recognition lingered in my thoughts. I noted how it energized me when I sat down to write again. And it got me thinking; no matter if our Love Language is or is not Words of Affirmation, recognition from someone we respect and/or care about, can make a big difference.

It brings to mind many instances where words of encouragement really had an impact and opened a vista of opportunity that was unexpected. One scenario presented itself years ago when I needed to hire a new housekeeper. It seemed that the only women available for hire spoke no English whatsoever, only Spanish. I was at a total loss because the amount of Spanish I knew at the time was possibly just “gracias.” This was not going to get me very far in communicating with a woman who was a stranger to me. I was going to rely on her to keep my home clean and my children safe and well taken care of.

My friend Michelle listened intently to my plight over brunch and commented: “you’re very good at languages!” I replied: “I am? Since when?!” She countered with, “Well, you speak a few languages, don’t you?” I thought for a moment and not seeing myself as slightly bi or tri-lingual I said: “ I don’t. I only speak English and a bit of Yiddish…” “There you go”, she said. “And you also speak Hebrew. If a person can speak three languages, they most certainly can learn one more!” she added with confidence.

In my mind’s eye, I can still see where I was standing and how her words resonated and gave me pause. She made a good point and I had never seen it from that perspective. I went home with newly found determination and made a list of all the important phrases I would need to use and had another housekeeper write them for me in Spanish. Let me just remind you, dear reader, that “Hey Siri” and Google Translate did not exist back then… impossible to imagine but true. I had to use an old-fashioned pen to paper to make this work. I successfully was able to communicate! Indeed, I

a particular person doesn’t need a good word from us or that our thoughts are insignificant to them. Especially with our spouses, close relatives, and even dear friends, we may simply forget to point out moments when they have impressed us.

With our children, what might hold us back? Perhaps not noticing that a particular action deserves our praise. We can be so focused on getting to the “finish line” with our family members; carpooling, dinner, homework, bedtime, etc., we can easily neglect to take the time to pause and verbally express a positive point you’ve noticed.

In general, the closer the relationship, the harder it may be to express admiration. Sometimes being “up close” is a hazard, as you can lose sight of their good points, and even take them for granted. Alternatively, you may feel spent at the end of each busy day and not have the energy to focus. With a loved one, as opposed to our casual acquaintances, honesty can make us uncomfortable. Vulnerability can be our greatest asset in life, but it takes courage.

can now speak a very broken, highly compromised version of Spanish. Yet, when I speak Spanish to my children’s housekeepers I am always asked how I learned to speak so well…… imagine that! And all because a friend gave me confidence.

If this is true about something important but perhaps not crucial, how true it must be when we are encouraging our loved ones in areas of life that are essential? I’ve been thinking - what holds us back from being complementary? With the adults in our lives, a few ideas come to mind. We may think

“The more specific the compliment, the greater its impact on the receiver. It doesn’t need to be very long, it just has to be authentic.”

The more specific the compliment, the greater its impact on the receiver. It doesn’t need to be very long, it just has to be authentic. Consider small yet deliberate ways that you can commend and applaud the people whose relationships you value most. While at first your spouse or child may wonder if you have been replaced by a martian, ultimately they will welcome the new attitude and begin to mimic your positivity in their personal interactions as well. And that will be the ultimate compliment!

With over 30 years in education, Mrs. Sheindy Gross started her career teaching Judaic Studies at Yavneh Hebrew Academy and then went on to high school leadership in Bnos Devorah and Valley Torah Girls High schools where she served as principal. Her passion for education has now led her to create a new platform called TEHILA, Torah Education with Heart in LA, for women and girls to receive adult education and advisement. The goal is to strengthen and empower women to develop their best selves through bonding over Torah learning and connecting with Jews of all ages. In addition to TEHILA, Mrs. Gross provides dating and relationship mentoring for teenagers, singles, and women, as well as leadership consulting for educators. Mrs. Gross can be reached at sheindyg@gmail.com.

Dear Dini, I have hinted to my husband certain gifts I would like, very obviously. I do this every year. I read the book The 5 Love Languages, and gift-giving is how I want to receive it. My husband always ignores my list and gets me something that is not to my taste. I know I should receive it graciously, but I can’t take any more gifts that I dislike. How can I get through to him?

Dear Reader,

I am glad you asked this question since I believe this quandary resonates with many, men and women, during this time of year.

You mentioned that you read the book The 5 Love Languages. What you didn’t say was what books your husband is reading, so I may assume that while you figured out what works for you, he does not relate to that as of now. Without knowing how many years you have been married, I will step out

The question of “how to get through to him” is one that I am not particularly a fan of. We can’t get through to people. If we could, I want the secret potion! We can influence them with possible steps such as discussing how we feel and showing by example We can also, with immense gratitude, express what works for us versus what works for others. I believe hinting is passive-aggressive, a behavior I am not in favor of. Showing and telling with great discussion about

on a limb and say that this is how things are now and were in the past, yet it doesn’t mean it will be like this forever. There is always hope, so don’t despair as it may change one day.

You mentioned, “I should receive it graciously.” When I looked up the thesaurus for that word, the one word that did not pop up was gratitude. Receiving something graciously does not mean you have gratitude, and that is where I want to begin the change in attitude and in self-awareness.

how you feel yields better results. That may be uncomfortable for you now, but in the long run, it should pay off.

Keep in mind, someone can love you and still let you down. And it’s how we take the part of being let down that actually defines our future growth and our partner’s as well.

“Keep in mind, someone can love you and still let you down. And it’s how we take the part of being let down that actually defines our future growth and our partners as well.”

Practicing gratitude means you are spending time focusing on the good, however large or small that may be.

In your case, I would translate that as appreciating that your husband wants to give and that he thought of something he thinks you would like. Perhaps understanding him may shed some light on where he is coming from. Maybe this was how gift-giving was done in his family. Maybe his wishes didn’t matter much so it’s hard for him to relate to honoring yours. Those are only a few reasons why it could be happening. If you take your wish list out of the equation and practice gratitude for what you have and what you are given, even if you distaste it, it shines the narrative in a whole other light, one that I am positive will help you through this and other challenges.

You mentioned that you can’t take any more gifts. I believe your ability to stretch what you believe is greater than you think. One day there may be a pile of gifts you didn’t want, but collectively when you look at them, they are a reminder of how someone loves you. I am glad to see you read books that help you grow and help you learn about yourself. Therefore, you can appreciate that the process of growth doesn’t always have the same speed as others. In the meantime

maybe buy yourself one of the gifts that you want, and then you can show your husband what it is you really like. If you need the gift to come from him, you can go with him to get it. Maybe in time, this will lead him in the right direction.

Adina (Dini) Gres is a wife, mother of 4 adult daughters, business owner, writer, speaker, and certified life coach. Through her role as owner of Financial Concierge LLC and coach for personal and financial clients, Adina recognizes that trying to get ahead without managing a healthy mentality is the primary reason blocking individuals from success. Through working with her clients, whether that be in business or lifestyle, she is able to help them understand how they themselves can change the narrative of their lives.

You can hear more from Adina by listening to her podcast titled “Things I think you should know.” Adina also shares on her Instagram page @financialconcierge.

For submissions to the “Dear Dini” column, please send your questions to editor@thelajewishhome.com

Dini Gres

Wh les me Hea th

Childhood Obesity Part II

We began the discussion of childhood obesity in the last issue. This was quite a heavy topic and I’ve gotten a lot of feedback on it. I have had women reach out to me telling me how they remember the shame they felt as children when well-meaning adults commented on their build. They may be grown-ups now, some even grandmothers, but the words and the way they made them feel, still linger in the recesses of their subconscious minds.

There is still so much to discuss on this topic. In this article, I will be discussing the importance of understanding what is OUR job and what is our children’s job.

It is critical that we understand our realm of control as parents, and what our responsibility is when it comes to our children and their eating habits.

As parents, it is our responsibility to:

1) Shop for the food and determine the foods that are in our children’s environment. This responsibility includes making sure that there are plenty of nutritious foods available for our children. Stock up on fruit, veggies, proteins, and healthy carbs so they are in your child’s environment. What you surround yourself with is what you will gravitate to. This applies to adults, so of course, this will apply to children as well! When you plan your shopping list, make sure the majority of the foods are nutritious but leave some room for treats your kids enjoy. The goal is to create a balanced approach towards nutrition

where no foods are demonized but nutritious foods are more readily available.

2) Prepare the food. I’ve had many parents tell me that their children don’t like fruit and veggies. One simple strategy that I share is to cut the fruit and veggies and just have them on the table. Watch what happens. Just as adults will more likely reach for a melon that has already been nicely cubed, children are the same way. You want to make it as convenient and available as possible. One of the reasons there is so much overconsumption of processed foods is simply because of their availability and convenience. We can create that with nutritious food with a little bit of

extra planning and prepping.

3) Set regular meal routines and meal timing. When we get used to a routine, we become more attuned to our bodies and hunger signals. By having a set routine, snacking due to boredom or lack of structure will be less likely. Your children will develop a better connection to their hunger and satiety signals and will know when they can expect a meal.

mealtime experience is an important way to encourage this skill.

Now let’s discuss what is in the realm of our children’s control.

1) As much as we have the food available, our children will decide whether or not they will eat it. Having set meal routines will encourage your children to eat at consistent times.

2) Children will decide which of the available foods they will eat. This is why it is important to have a wide range of nutritious foods conveniently available in their environment.

This is a very important aspect of intuitive eating. Children are naturally intuitive eaters and as adults, it is important to help maintain that by creating structure and routine around meals.

4) Make mealtime an enjoyable experience. Put away the phones and electronics. Make it a time to sit and talk. Bond, communicate, and make it a pleasant experience. This alone will encourage more mindful eating instead of quickly devouring our food and not chewing it properly. You want to give your children the opportunity to know how to be present in the eating experience. One of the first assignments I give my clients is to sit down with their meals and chew slowly. Just learning how to do this, alone, can be enough to help us be tuned into our bodies’ satiety signals and not overeat. Creating an enjoyable

3) Children will decide how much food they will eat. This means we don’t tell them to finish the plate if they are already full! Why not? Because we are teaching them to ignore their satiety signals. This manifests as adults who don’t listen to their bodies when they are full. If you find that your child is frequently leaving food over on their plate, give them a smaller portion! They can always have more if they are still hungry.

In the next issue, we will be discussing role modeling as well as strategies to help our children develop a palate for nutritious foods. Stay tuned!

Sarah Kamornick is an educator for 20 years and has embarked into the realm of women’s health and fitness, specializing in strength training as well as nutrition coaching.

y t h e S t a t e o f C a f o r n a a n d a b d e s b y E q u a H o u s n g O p p o r t u n t y a w s L c e n s e N u m b e r c e n s e n u m b e r t o b e n s e r t e d b y r e g o n ] A m a t e r a p r e s e n t e d h e r e n s n t e n d e d f o r n f o r m a t o n a l p u r p o s e s o n y a n d s c o m p i e d f r o m s o u r c e s d e e m e d r e a b l e b u t h a s n o t b e e n v e r f i e d C h a n g e s i n p r c e c o n d i t o n s a e o r w t h d r a w a m a y b e m a d e w t h o u t n o t i c e N o s t a t e m e n t s m a d e a s t o a c c u r a c y o f a n y d e s c r p t o n A m e a s u r e m e n t s a n d s q u a r e f o o t a g e a r e a p p r o x m a t e L i c e n s e N u m b e r 0 9 9

Sarah Tzivia Karmonick

“What you surround yourself with is what you will gravitate to. This applies to adults, so of course, this will apply to children as well!”

Never been Seen! Newly

in the LA Jewish Home

developed recipe

Traditional Chanukah foods are officially the best, and truly a food creator’s heaven. I won’t lie though, making all the latke and donut variations takes a lot of time and a fair amount of elbow grease (literally). I’m sure you agree that the nonstop frying, combined with 8 days of party hopping and gift exchanging, can add up to a lot.

This year, in true Prep + Rally fashion, I am doing all I can to simplify the effort without compromising the specialty of the foods. I’m sharing all my best tips and tricks on my Instagram @prepandrally, but I want to share this one with you first.

This easy breezy Chanukah Chocolate Bark is so festive and full of personality. It’s the greatest holiday snack that calls out to people of any age and is made to sparkle on your Chanukah table. I will warn you, it is mighty addicting.

Ingredients:

12 oz white chocolate melts

3-4 drops of blue food coloring

1/3 cup blue m&ms

1/4 cup peanuts

1/4 cup Chex cereal

1/2 cup pretzel sticks

5-6 pieces of chocolate gelt

Blue and white chocolate sprinkles

Directions:

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and set aside.

Melt the chocolate over a medium flame or in a microwave. Add in the blue color and mix to combine fully.

Spread the melted chocolate on the baking sheet and smooth until you have a nice even layer.

Sprinkle all your toppings and press them down on the chocolate lightly. Set in the freezer for 30 minutes and then crack the bark into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

*Rally Remedies

Use what you have in your pantry to make this work for you! Add mini marshmallows, shredded coconut, freeze-dried blueberries, gold flakes or sprinkles, and nut variations. Make swaps and/or additions where necessary.

FAMILY MEAL PREP SYSTEM THE

Do yourself a favor and get this book! Dini Klein is the real deal—a savvy, strategic cook with more smart dinner ideas in one book than most of us will conjure up in a lifetime. As you page through this book she becomes your kitchen bestie, the friend who wants to help you make a plan, save you time, and have a delicious, crowd-pleasing meal on the table in record time. What love about Dini’s recipes is that they sacrifice nothing for speed. Flavor, technique, and variety all run deep here, ensuring that everyone from kids to dinner guests will want to clean their plates again and again.

Finally a guide to delicious, family-friendly meals with less stress, less expense, and minimal time. Complete with essential advice for remixing leftovers, along with dozens of recipes for easy egg dishes, snacks, and sweets, Prep + Rally will alleviate weeknight meal time stress, once and for all.

- Adeena Sussman Author of Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors From My Israeli Kitchen

Dini Klein

photo credit: Dini Klein

Parent Parent 2

Chani Heyman

Dear Readers, As promised I will be addressing another aspect of last week’s question. As a reminder last week’s question was:

Q:My 10-year-old was in the bathroom for 45 minutes and I could not find the family iPad. Later that night I found the iPad under the rug in the bathroom. I checked my phone and the iPad was in use during the 45 minutes that she was in the bathroom. The rest of the family was accounted for. She was watching shows that she is allowed to watch. But our house rule is that the kids can only watch on weekends. So she was not allowed to be watching on that day. How do I go about punishing her for sneaking and watching when she is not allowed to?

A:I would like to address the role that the environment at home plays in this behavior. Surprisingly, this undesirable behavior in our children can be minimized by focusing on our own behaviors. What can we do as parents to ensure that our home is a healthy, open environment that does not promote sneaking and lying? Being that this is such a loaded topic, and this article space is limited, I have chosen only one behavior that I have found to be the most common scenario in which parents accidentally stumble and teach their children the art of deception. How so? Let me pose an innocent question; When one child receives a pleasurable item from a parent, are they encouraged to sneak and hide and not show or tell their siblings? Grimacing emoji face anyone?

Parents don’t realize that when they tell one child to “take it to your room and don’t

allow him the luxury of drinking his Slurpee in open daylight! One by one, the other children pile into the car. They see their brother with a Slurpee. They curiously ask, “Why did Tzvi get a Slurpee?” You then answer, “He had a doctor’s appointment and behaved so well, so he received a treat.” The

“Don’t be afraid of your children. They can tantrum. They can cry. They can be upset. They will also get used to this new healthier, more honest way of life and the tantrums will eventually dwindle…”

show your sister,” they are actually teaching their child how to sneak! This encouragement to sneak eventually leads to a bad habit, or possibly personality trait, of sneaking and lying. No, it doesn’t happen overnight. And if you did this only one time your child won’t turn into a con artist. But if this continues to be the routine in the home, then logically it does make sense that these children will adopt those same sneaking behaviors and hide things from you as well.

I know what you’re thinking, “we only tell our child to sneak in order to avoid a tantrum from the other children!” I hear you! It does sound like a good idea! But does one child’s tantrum make lying acceptable? Is that the message we want to impart to our kids? Additionally, once your children get used to this new, honest lifestyle the tantrums eventually subside.

Picture this scenario: You took one child to the doctor for his annual checkup and shots. He behaved so well that you decided to buy him a well-deserved Slurpee. He is greatly enjoying his frozen treat as you drive to carpool to pick up your other children. You don’t tell him to quickly finish his drink in order to destroy the evidence before the other kids join, or hide it in his backpack and escape to his room to finish his treat later. Rather you

other kids nod approvingly and maybe ask, “Hey Tzvi, can I have a sip...please?”

In that scenario, everything was done in a healthy, open environment where the kids do not learn to hide and sneak.

In the beginning stages of implementing this technique, you will probably encounter many tantrums from the other children who never experienced such “injustice.” Don’t be afraid of your children. They can tantrum. They can cry. They can be upset. They will also get used to this new healthier, more honest way of life and the tantrums will eventually dwindle and be replaced with the likes of, “Hey Tzvi, can I have a sip?”

If you realize that some of your children are sneaking more than you prefer to admit, then, yes, they do need to be taught and may be punished as discussed in the last issue. Simultaneously it should also be a wake-up call to us parents to check our overall behavior and ensure that we are not promoting lying and sneaking when it is convenient for us.

Chani Heyman is a parenting coach who has been giving parenting classes, based on the teaching of Rebbetzin Spetner, for over 9 years to hundreds of mothers across the US. You can reach her at chaniheyman@gmail.com

i need help with my teen.

How Memories are Made Midlife Mu ical Musings

Miriam Hendeles

Many of my friends tell me that they didn’t grow up hearing stories about the Holocaust from their survivor parents. Aside from the stamp that their parents had on their arms indicating the years in concentration camps, there was little proof that they had experienced atrocities. These survivors were reticent to share their horror stories with their children and grandchildren.

Chanukah is coming and we look forward to family get-togethers between grandparents and their grandchildren and the accompanying cousins and siblings. Chanukah is a time of hope, happiness, light, and latkes when we mingle with various family generations. We tell the story of the Chanukah miracle and we light the candles.

I think of the elders and children and those generations in between sharing and exchanging stories, experiences, art, gelt, chocolate, and lots of music. Listening, hearing, reflecting, and learning from one another’s experiences.

“As the sandwich generation, let’s make sure we don’t miss the chance – whether formally or informally - to have these important conversations with the older generations. And with that knowledge, let’s share with our grandkids our values and heritage, and let’s glean wisdom from our elders.”

As Abie Rotenberg’s “Memories” song from “Journeys, Vol 2” goes: “What will become of all the memories? Are they to scatter with the dust in the breeze?

And who will stand before the world knowing what to say?

When the very last survivor….fades away…”

Some are on the sidelines, listening, and need to be drawn out and engaged in conversation. Others try to reminisce and no one really listens. Or even worse, no one asks.

Now that I’m in the category of “grandparent” for some time now, I note the value of sharing and listening. Regardless, whatever role I take in storytelling, story listening, or bystander, I’m more sensitive to time passing. My desire to capture the moments in speech, pictures, songs, or prose is more intense.

As a child, I was one of the few who had grandparents. Most of my friends’ Bubbies and Zeides had passed in the Holocaust, and my friends’ parents emigrated to the US to start new families. My grandparents each survived the War and traveled to the U.S. with their children - my parents - in the late 1930s and early 40s respectively.

Some open up more willingly. In his later years, my father-in-law who passed in 2001, freely shared stories of how he and his brother escaped from Poland, while my husband and his siblings lapped up these stories.

Children ask a lot of questions but adults don’t always want to prod. They may wonder: Do the elders really want to talk? Are their memories accurate? Is this act of eliciting reminiscence really for their catharsis or therapeutic benefit? Or is it for us - so we can record it all for posterity? How do we know if we are being sensitive to their needs?

My father z”l and my mother (till 120) were/are Holocaust survivors. The story that sticks out in my memory is my father telling us bedtime stories about his childhood in Antwerp before the war. A few years be fore his passing, my brothers recorded him as he spoke on tape about some of the more fascinating escape stories - leaving Belgium, France, and coming to the USA.

As the sandwich generation, let’s make sure we don’t miss the chance – wheth er formally or informally - to have these im portant conversations with the older genera tions. And with that knowledge, let’s share with our grandkids our values and heritage, and let’s glean wisdom from our elders. Lat er we may regret those missed moments and conversations. A message of Chanukah is to delve into our memories to benefit ourselves and the next generation.

Take out a pen and paper, pull out the phone’s recording app, and document our parents’ or grandparents’ voices. Then take those thoughts and consider writing down your own memories. Make a collage or scrapbook using old pictures. Interview them, tape them, and send a link to the mem ories to the cousins.

Back to Abie Rotenberg: “There’s nothing I can say or do to make this change…

Time as a way of passing by so fast… and like a fleeting shadow, now one will re call…the faces of the past…”

Whatever generation you’re part of –Baby Boom, Gen X, Millennial, or Gen Z, there’s so much to learn from each other. Know that and act upon it. Your grandchil dren will thank you for it.

Miriam Hendeles, M.A., MT-BC is a music therapist for hospice patients and a writer for Binah Magazine and other publications. She’s the author of “Mazel Tov! It’s a Bubby!” and “Best Foot Forward. One of her passions is advocating for frum women in midlife through a recently launched website of JWOW! or www.jewishwomenofwis dom.org where frum midlife women connect, communicate, and grow through online and virtual interaction.

Wellness

The Power and Potential of Jewish Ritual in the Hospital

I have consistently found that Jewish ritual practice in a hospital setting is crucial in the healing process. One who is already accustomed to such practices outside of the hospital may find that it normalizes the Jewish environment and offers an enhanced sense of well-being. Even for those not normally accustomed to Jewish practice, there are times when such activity may allow the patient to temporarily lift himself or herself beyond the medical tasks at hand, spiritually transcend the confines of the hospital walls, and experience a closer divine connection, all of which can enhance one’s healing process. The following two patient encounters serve as examples:

“What’s

In a Name?”

I once met a patient who was not particularly connected to Jewish ritual practice, but before going into surgery she decided that it couldn’t hurt to ask for the hospital rabbi to come to say a pre-surgery blessing for her. I came up to the patient’s room and found a very strong, yet worried woman who graciously accepted my visit. When she told me that she would like a traditional prayer for healing said in Hebrew, I asked for her Hebrew name. She became

bed as she cried. “I am in so much pain,” she began. “I don’t want to go through this again.” She paused, “But I’ve been thinking about it and decided that I am Deborah, that represents who I am, and Deborah would have the courage to take the necessary steps and go through with the second procedure, so that is what I have decided to do!”

Later, I was gratified to learn that the surgery went smoothly and the patient was well on her way to recovery. She was soon discharged from the hospital. However, a few weeks later I received a letter from her, telling me that when she first returned

silence with him for a few minutes, until he finally whispered, “Rabbi, I have some terrible secrets to share with you. There are bad things I’ve done, things that I’m ashamed of, and I’ve never been able to talk to anyone about them.” Now seriously ill and in extreme pain, he felt the need to get his heavy burden off his chest. “The time has come,” he said, and he turned to me and began reciting his story. I let him speak at his own pace and gave him as much time as he needed, until he finally said, “That’s it.”

At that point, he appeared more relaxed, and he reported that he felt “lighter,” but still anxious. When I asked him why he told me that he was worried that he had irrevocably severed his connection with God. He wanted to know if any Jewish rituals could symbolically reconnect him to his Creator.

I asked the patient if he had ever heard of Tefillin. He started to cry as he told me that he knew what they were, but he had not put them on since his Bar Mitzvah. I informed him that we keep a pair in our office and that I would be happy to put them on him if he thought it would be

helpful. The patient started to weep even more. Choking back his tears, he nodded his assent and said, “Yes. Please, please bring them to me.” When I returned with the Tefillin, I slowly helped this man put them on and we recited the appropriate blessings together. At that point, he could not even speak. His flowing tears became his own personal prayers. When he finally became composed, he turned to me, saying: “I just opened up to God like I never have before. I don’t know how to describe it, but I feel that a broken link has been repaired and reattached to me.” I thought that was a beautiful description of the profound process of spiritual healing that he had experienced.

I continued to visit this patient daily. As he miraculously improved, he consistently credited the spiritual healing sparked by putting on Tefillin as the key to his subsequent physical recovery.

somewhat emotional as she informed me that she had never received a Hebrew name.

As we proceeded to speak, the patient and I decided to come up with an appropriate Hebrew name for her right then. She described herself as “an attorney, someone from whom people seek advice, who has great inner spirituality, is very feminine yet also very strong.” Her self-description immediately evoked images of the biblical prophetess and Judge, Deborah. I explained to the patient why I thought this name was fitting for her, and she seemed genuinely honored to be named after such a powerful, pioneering female leader. She now felt ready to face her surgery with courage, bravery, and a sense that God was with her.

A few days after the surgery I learned that not everything was proceeding according to plan. The patient was suffering tremendous pain and the goals of the surgery had not been achieved. The patient’s surgeon was encouraging her to attempt another surgery, a difficult decision she was faced with when I was summoned to her room once again. I didn’t have to say a word, but simply sat by the patient’s

home, she had been so overwhelmed with a sense of her vulnerability that she had been afraid to return to work. For a few days, she stayed in bed alone, afraid to face the world again. One morning, however, she awoke and said to herself, “Who am I kidding? I am Deborah! Deborah can do this!” And she got out of bed and made her way back to work, where she is once again thriving, pain-free, and fulfilled.

This impressive woman, who had the strength and fortitude inside her all along, explained to me that receiving a meaningful Jewish name, which she learned about and repeated in her head as a sort of mantra when the going got tough, gave her the strength to proceed with surgery (twice), progress through her recovery ahead of schedule, and confidently return to her professional life with vigor and grace. All from just receiving an appropriate Jewish name!

“Retying the Knot”

One day I was called to visit a patient who said he urgently needed to speak to the rabbi. The moment I entered his room, this middle-aged man became very emotional and asked everyone else to leave. I sat in

Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner

Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner is the Senior Rabbi & Director of the Spiritual Care Department at Cedars-Sinai and the Rabbi of Knesset Israel of Beverlywood.

“As he miraculously improved, he consistently credited the spiritual healing sparked by putting on Tefillin as the key to his subsequent physical recovery.”

Deeper Torah Thoughts

Our Chanukah Mission

Re-Examining Our Chanukah Mission

There was once a public debate between a rabbi and an astrophysicist regarding the nature of our universe. The astrophysicist, representing the atheist perspective, confidently approached the podium and began addressing the audience: “I don’t know much about Judaism, but I believe I can sum it up in a few words: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” With that, he went on to detail how physicists could now adequately explain the nature of our universe, without the need for religion. When he finished his speech, it was the rabbi’s turn to address the audience and represent the religious approach. With a sparkle in his eye, he turned to the crowd, and said: “I don’t know much about astrophysics, but I believe I can sum it up in a few words: twinkle twinkle little star how I wonder what you are.” With that, he went on to deliver the rest of his speech.

The Age-Old Debate

Spiritual debate has been a recurring phenomenon since the beginning of time. Chanukah is when we tap into the spiritual debate between the Jews and the Greeks, as the Greeks specifically attempted to destroy our spiritual way of life. They aimed to cut off our connection with Hashem and replace it with the worship of the natural, physical world. Yavan, the Hebrew name for the Greeks, means quicksand(Tehillim 69:3)- the Greeks sought to “drown” us in their secular culture, replacing spirituality with atheism and hedonism. The Midrash says that the Greeks attempted to darken our eyes- “hichshichaheineihem” (Bereishis Rabbah 2:4). Darkness represents a lack of clarity, the inability to perceive true form. Physical darkness prevents physical clarity, spiritual darkness prevents spiritual clarity. This was the Greek attack on the Jewish People: a distortion of truth, a darkening of knowledge and perception. For this reason, the Jewish People went to war against the mighty Greek army, and to this day we carry on that fight against Greek culture, a culture that we view as damaging and antithetical to Judaism.

Greek Culture

However, if we take a deeper look into Jewish literature, we find a strikingly different picture of the Greek nation and its culture. In Parshas Noach, Noach blesses his two sons, Shem and Yefes, with a seemingly peculiar Bracha: “YaftElokiml’Yefes, v’yishkonb’ohalei Shem,” Hashem will grant beauty to Yefes, and he (Yefes) will dwell within the tents of Shem. Yefes is the precursor to the Greeks and Shem to the Jews. This seemingly paints the Greeks in a positive light, as a beautiful nation fitting to dwell within the framework and boundaries of Judaism. In a similar vein, the Gemara (Megillah 9b) states that despite the general prohibition of translating the Torah into dif-

ferent languages, it is permissible to translate the Torah into Greek due to the beauty of the language. According to both of these sources, it seems as though Greek culture does not contradict Judaism, but is meant in some way to complement it, harmonizing with Jewish ideology. How can we understand this contradiction? In order to explain it, we must first develop a deep spiritual principle. The Spiritual-Physical Relationship How do we understand and perceive Hashem? Is Hashem within time and space, limited to this world alone, as Pantheists believe? Or is Hashem completely transcendent, beyond time, space, and this physical world, as many of the ancient philosophers believed?

The Jewish approach, as explained by the Rambam, Maharal, Ramchal, and others, is a beautifully nuanced blend of these two approaches. Hashem is transcendent, completely beyond our physical world of time and space, and yet, He is also immanent, within our physical world. This principle applies to all spirituality; we believe that the spiritual and transcendent are deeply connected to the limited and physical world. In other words, our physical world is a projection and emanation of a deeper, spiritual reality. This is the meaning behind the famous Midrash, “Istakelbi’oraisa, u’bara alma”. Hashem looked into the Torah and created the world (Bereishis Rabbah 1:1). This means that the physical world is an emanation and expression of the Torah, the spiritual root of existence. To give an analogy, imagine a projector: the image you see on the screen is emanating from the projector. The projector and film are the sources, and the image on the screen is the expression. Similarly, each and every one of us was once a zygote, half male and half female genetic code. From that single cell, a fully developed and expressed human being ul-

timately manifested. The same is true regarding the physical world, it stems from a spiritual root, a transcendent dimension.

Thus, we are able to understand and experience the spiritual through the physical, as the two are intrinsically connected. If you’re wondering how to understand this concept, consider the way other human beings experience, relate to, and understand you. All they have ever seen is your physical body. They’ve never seen your thoughts, your consciousness, or your emotions. The only way they can understand

Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

“The Jewish approach, as explained by the Rambam, Maharal, Ramchal, and others, is a beautifully nuanced blend of these two approaches. Hashem is transcendent, completely beyond our physical world of time and space, and yet, He is also immanent, within our physical world.”

you is by relating to how you express yourself and your internal world through your physical body. Through your words, actions, facial expressions, and body language, other people experience what’s going on inside of your body, inside of your head, and inside of you. The same is true regarding our experience of Hashem and the spiritual. We can’t see spirituality, only physicality. We must therefore use the physical to connect back to the spiritual root.

The Battle of Chanukah

The Greeks sought to uproot this Jewish perspective, to detach the physical world from its higher root. They claimed that human beings have no connection to anything higher than the physical world itself and that it’s therefore impossible to connect to Hashem. As the Ramban explains (Ramban Al HaTorah, Vayikra 16:8), the Greeks believed only that which the human intellect could grasp. Anything that requires spiritual sensitivity, that transcends rational proof alone, was dismissed as false. Even the Greeks gods were glorified humans- as anything that transcended the physical, human world was dismissed. In essence, the Greeks served themselves.

The Jewish Perspective

The Jewish approach is much more nuanced. We embrace human intellect and reason but are aware of a realm that transcends it. We recognize the wisdom of science, medicine, psychology, mathematics, and other forms of worldly wisdom, but also recognize a higher form of wisdom, the Torah. As the Vilna Gaon explains, where logic and human intellect end, Jewish wisdom begins. The reasoning behind this principle is based on the aforementioned idea: the physical world is an expression of the spiritual world. Just as the physical world stems from a higher, spiritual realm, physical wisdom is an expression of a higher form of wisdom, the Torah. While the wisdom of the physical world is true, it stems from a higher truth, the Torah. Torah is the absolute foundation and root; all physical wisdom is its expression.

The Ideal Relationship

The ideal is for the physical wisdom of the Greeks and Yefes to reside within the tent of Shem, and for science and the wisdom of the world to be in harmony with Torah. The problem occurred only once the Greeks denied the existence of anything beyond their independent intellectual wisdom. This was the battle of Chanukah. The Greeks tried to destroy the Torah, which contradicted their ideology, and the Jews were forced to fight for their beliefs, to defend their spiritual connection with Hashem and the transcendent wisdom of Torah.

Rav Hutner explains that Chanukah is the chag of Torah Sheba’al Peh, the Oral Torah.

Chanukah is the one holiday with no source in Torah Shebiksav. Unlike Purim, it does not even have a Megillah; it is completely of Rabbinic origin. Furthermore, it doesn’t even have a Mishna; the only canonized source for Chanukah is a few Gemaras that mention Chanukah in an almost coincidental manner. Why is this so?

Chanukah represents the battle against the Greeks. The Greeks claimed that the only source of truth is the human intellect; nothing transcends human logic. The Jews not only showed that there is a transcendent source of truth but took it one step further. When done appropriately, with humility and proper rec-

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Kreiman, Future Doctor

Touro College Los Angeles, ‘18, Touro’s New York Medical College, ‘24

ognition of the Torah’s transcendent root, the limited human being can actually use his human intellect to participate in the creation of Torah. This is the unbelievable nature of Torah Sheba’al Peh: human beings are given the ability to participate and even create novel Torah ideas and insights. The greatest victory over the Greeks wasn’t to simply prove that the transcendent Torah exists; it was to reveal that even the human intellect can connect to Torah, and even limited human beings can connect to the infinite.

Our Place of Connection

The Greeks tried to spiritually destroy our Beis Ha’Mikdash, the point of connection to the transcendent, where Hashem most intimately connects to this physical world. After our victory on Chanukah, we reignited the flame of that spiritual building, and every year since, we must reignite that same flame within our own homes; we must inaugurate our own personal BeisHa’mikdash.

Every day, we get to choose whether we’ll become further entrenched in secular and Greek culture, or if we’ll build our con-

nection to the infinite, the transcendent, and carry the message of Chanukah deep within our hearts. Our life is like building a personal Beis Ha’Mikdash, building an ever-deeper and ever-closer relationship with Hashem. It’s the result of every brick we lay down; every day is like another brick, another opportunity to add to our eternal home, our eternal self, our eternal existence.

Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is a bestselling author, international speaker, and CEO of Self-Mastery Academy. He is also a business, executive, and leadership coach, with a unique approach based on Torah values and principles. His bestselling book, The Journey to Your Ultimate Self, serves as an inspiring gateway into deeper Jewish thought. After obtaining his BA from Yeshiva University, he received Semicha from Yeshiva University’s RIETS, a master’s degree in education from Azrieli Graduate School, and a master’s degree in Jewish Thought from Bernard Revel Graduate School, and then spent a year studying at Harvard as an Ivy Plus Scholar. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and son where he is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. To enjoy more of Rabbi Reichman’s content, to contact him, or to learn more about his services, visit his website: ShmuelReichman.com

Bracha

Hanukkah tells a story of resilience in the face of impossible odds. At Cedars-Sinai, our legacy inspires us to make modern “miracles” by innovating scientific discoveries, advancing clinical breakthroughs and supporting those in need in the community.

By partnering with organizations like the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Jewish Free Loan Association and Jewish Family Service LA, we uphold our Jewish tradition and reaffirm our commitment to community. It’s our inherent purpose–during Hanukkah and every day–to improve the lives of people in Southern California and beyond. We wish you a warm and joyous holiday. .חמש הכונח גח