LINK PLUS Vol 5

A Weekly Link Supplement

Vol. 1 Issue 5 / Oct. 3, 2019

…UV'CHOL MELECHES AVODAS HABOREI

Behind the Scenes with… a Shochet

Easy In Easy Out

Healty Fasting Prep

Visage of Greatness

A Glimpse into our Glorious Past

Judgement Call

Rejuvenate

Race and Finally Relax Post Fast, Post Meal Drinks

Publisher: The Weekly Link Phone: 347.787.1838

TABLEof CONTENTS 4 | Visage of Greatness

Fax: 347.787.4018

7 | "Aleph Bais"

Email: plus@weeklylink.com

8 | Avodas Haborei

Website: www.weeklylink.com

12 | Another Spin

Mailing Address: 1303 53rd St. Suite #125 Brooklyn NY 11219

16 | Healthy Fasting Prep 18 | Recipes 22 | The Prisoner Within

Š 2019. All Rights Reserved.

Link Plus is published by The Weekly Link.

Link plus assumes no responsibility for typographical errors, content or kashrus of articles or advertisements.

Reproduction in whole or part in any form without prior written permission from the publisher is prohibited.

2|

| Oct. 3, 2019

24 | Sukkah Chandelier 26 | Training Ground 30 | Homefront

V

YO

UR TIME.

S

OUR TEA EY R

SA

E

AV

OPEN CAN. POUR INTO POT. IT’S THAT EASY.

S.

READY DICED, AND SAUTÉED ONIONS.

Oct. 3, 2019 |

|3

Visage of Greatness A Glimpse into our Glorious past

By: Yehudis Schonfeld

4|

| Oct. 3, 2019

I

t had been six days since Abba left home.

I missed him. I felt alone and afraid. Abba seemed larger-than-life. I missed his inner-strength, his balance and equanimity. In his absence, a quiet tension hovered in the background. We kept davening and hoping, my siblings and I, for Abba's success.

Ima constantly reassured us, "Children, all is in Hashem's hands. He will take care of us and Abba will achieve what he's meant to achieve. The merit of Klal Yisroel will stand in his stead."

Nothing rattled Ima's deep faith. Hashem was her rock, her strength.

Those days were long, the nights even longer. At night I had difficulty falling asleep. I worried; would Abba merit to achieve a complete kapparah for all of us? Would he emerge from the kodesh kedoshim unharmed? The thin, gauzy curtain over my bed bounced and leapt off the ledge as the wind breezed through the open window. Outside, stars splattered the inky sky. Every night I observed the white sliver of a moon, grow larger and larger. I stared up at the endless expanse and thought of Abba, learning and reviewing the laws of the avodah of Yom Kippur in the Bais Hamikdash, for the past six days. How was he faring? Did he think about me, his little Basya? I huddled under my covers and whispered, "Hashem, watch over Abba. Help him help us! We all depend on him!" Or rather, as Abba would have wanted me to say, "Hashem, we all depend on You!" I recalled Abba's parting words.

"Basya," he said warmly. His penetrating eyes met my anxious gaze. "Just remember that I am merely a representative for all of Hashem's wonderful children. I cannot accomplish this awesome task alone. Do you want to help me? Do teshuva. Talk to Your Father in shomayim and ask him for guidance. He awaits your return with outstretched arms. And Basya, do chesed and tzedakah with others. In that merit, Hashem will do chesed with you and with all of Klal Yisroel."

As I lay in bed, unable to fall asleep, I remembered Abba's advice and did some serious soul-searching. I begged Hashem to direct me back to Him and I thought long and hard how to improve myself.

After a while, I realized that I felt good, peaceful even. The stressful thoughts that accompanied me the past six days, had dissipated. I was assisting Abba, even though I was home and he was in the Bais Hamikdash.

My eyelids turned heavy and began to droop. I glanced out of the window one last time. The stars winked at me. I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

At last Yom Kippur arrived; the day Abba had long been preparing for.

Yerushalayim's hills sparkled in the morning light. An awe-inspiring radiance enveloped the normally happy, bustling streets. Multitudes quietly and reverently made their way to the Har Habayis. Anticipation charged the air.

We (my sisters and I) made our way up to the Azarah in the Bais Hamikdash, with Ima. Abba's avodah had begun long before.

It actually began at midnight, when I was still fast asleep. I looked down from the balcony and gasped. Abba's face was aflame with an other-worldly glow, his features furrowed in deep concentration. He seemed more malach than man.

Swiftly and with alacrity he performed the holy avodah.

Hundreds of thousands of pairs of eyes followed his every move. While Abba was doing the avodah, all of us, spectators, were prompted and pushed to examine ourselves and to reconnect to our True Source. The leviim's haunting melodies soared and seared themselves into our consciousness.

The tunes tugged at our heartstrings and evoked our primal, overarching desire- to do only His will. We did teshuva on a personal and collective level.

Abba always said, "Every yid is a Kohen Gadol; the Kohen Gadol of his heart, of his own Mikdash Me'at."

Time did not stand still. As the sun slowly began her descent, the avodah continued with magnificence, awe and joy. We felt so alive, so connected. It was us and Hashem and nothing in between.

Abba kept on changing positions, going to the mikvah, donning different clothes (the bigdei zahav and the bigdei lavan) and -the highlight of all- entering the kodesh kedoshim. The crowds Oct. 3, 2019 |

|5

Abba emerged from the kodesh kedoshim; his face as radiant as the midday sun as dazzling as a rainbow protruding from the clouds

grew apprehensive. If the kohen gadol was unworthy, he would die in the kodesh kedoshim. Would the kohen gadol emerge unharmed? The sai'r la'azazel was sent to the desert. A red string was hung up on the walls of the heichal. When the string turned white, we would know that we had achieved proper teshuva. Would we be zoche to complete kapparah?

Trepidation overcame me, clawing and sucking the breath from my lungs. Quite frankly, at this point, I was more fearful of the separation that would occur between us and Hashem if we did not do proper teshuva, even more so, than Abba not returning home.

Abba's tefillah at the time of entering the kodesh kedoshim was short. He brought ketores between the badim and sprayed the blood at the aron, the peroches and the mizbeiach. We could not see the avodah, but Abba explained to us in great detail what he was going to do, before he left. And whenever Abba mentioned the holy Shem Hameforesh, throngs of people fell to the floor. There was enough space for everyone to comfortably prostrate themselves before Hashem, even though when we stood together it was very crowded.

Suddenly, we noticed it. The red string on the wall turned white!

We knew then, that the sa'ir la'azazel had just been thrown off the cliff in the dessert and that we were granted a complete kapparah. Torrents of joy and relief surged and spouted all over the cavernous azarah.

6|

| Oct. 3, 2019

I was swept up in the bubbling ecstasy that overtook Klal Yisroel.

We celebrated the selichah and mechilah granted to us by Hashem, the renewed and strengthened bond between Him and us.

Abba emerged from the kodesh kedoshim; his face as radiant as the midday sun as dazzling as a rainbow protruding from the clouds, glittering like

glorious candlelight.

I rejoiced for yet another reason. Abba was coming home!

Ima, my sisters and I left before it was dark. Ima wanted to prepare the festive seudah in honor of the kapparah we received and Abba's homecoming. We hurriedly readied ourselves and laid out the most beautiful linens and dishes.

Soft light suffused the dark night. The almost-full moon, my familiar companion from the week past, glinted and gleamed as Ima, my sisters and I, stood on the balcony of our home and watched the most wondrous sight. Kohanim, leviim and the holy chachamim, as well as hordes of Yidden escorted Abba in what was an overflowing, festive procession. Music and song filled the air. The atmosphere was saturated with rapturous joy, exultation and knowledge that Hashem is One, that we are intrinsically connected to Him. Abba was beaming, his face glowed brilliantly.

He accomplished his shlichus and brought bracha and kapparah upon all of Klal Yisroel. My heart felt peaceful, content.

I drew a deep breath and whispered gratefully, "Thank You Hashem!" â–

R. Lowy

"Aleph Bais" Apple pie for ushpizin Bain Hazmanim - it's the season!

Chol Hamoed - plan that trip!

Diet Diet - this is it!

Eggs and more by the case Flour - will you join the race?

Gefilta fish - how many rolls?

Homework - teachers and their "goals"...

Invitation list - a.s.a.p.

Jam for duck sauce recipe Kraut for "hulepchas" prepared Lukshen, remember now it's "squared" Measure sukkah once again "Nine by thirteens" thank you Hashem!

Order more cleaning aid Pack 'n Plays - count & trade Quilts and pillows - how many beds?

Rimon, apples and fish heads Shlak is still torn and bent Tallis to the cleaners - sent!

Urgent bills to pay - that's tough!

Vests and pants and shirts enough Wigs, oh wigs, an endless chase Xtra closet and freezer space Yom Tov is coming - there's so much to do Zuchreinu Lchaim - we turn to you...

‫ אבינו מלכינו‬- we're trying to pray To repent and improve, to get better each day Our "Aleph-Bais" please recognize Hear the words - our pleas and cries Our minds so full of everything You are our father - our king See the words within our heart Take our "Aleph Bais" apart Form the words for us to share And bless us with a sweet new year! ■

The author can be contacted at: 914-299-5744 Oct. 3, 2019 |

|7

Um'eirim es ha'olam‌ uv'chol meleches avodas haborei

Behind the Scenes with... a Shochet

BY: B . S C H WA R T Z

I

n the spirit of Erev Yom Kippur, I sought to interview a shochet and glean some information about this unique avodas hakodesh.

I did not have to look very far. I contacted a chashuv shochet that I am very familiar with.

I called Reb Moshe B., my very own brother.

Reb Moshe, please tell us about yourself.

I am a shochet at Marvid Poultry, Montreal. I am 34 years old and have had the zechus of being a

8|

| Oct. 3, 2019

shochet for seven years.

How did you become a shochet?

I never dreamed that I would be a shochet. I had difficulty handling a chicken Erev Yom Kippur by kapparos, and the sight of blood made me weak. But a friend of mine who had been a shochet convinced me to take the job. Many shochtim need to leave their families, as the shlachthoiz they work in is usually quite far away, and only come home for Shabbos. But, here in

Montreal where I live, we have the good fortune of being twenty minutes away (by car) from the slaughter house. This friend of mine, who had been a shochet, explained to me that in today's difficult parnassah climate, a well-paying job is hard to come by. He also described the wonderful, spiritually clean atmosphere that would surround me, as opposed to the hazards other work environments pose. And the clincher? That I didn't need to leave my family!

What does a day's work look like?

for us. After we daven we start our preparations.

We get up early. Very early. At approximately five thirty, when the rest of Montreal is huddled under a blanket of darkness, we leave to the slaughter house, sixteen shochtim in all; two cars from Montreal and two cars from nearby Tosh.

Besides for shochtim, Mashgichim that work at the plant also join our vans. We arrive to work at about six AM. We daven in the little shul provided

Now, do you know what skill is most important for a shochet to master?

Uh‌ how to properly shecht a chicken?

Well, you're right, but not quite. The most difficult skill to master is ‘shtelen a chalaf'. A shochet's competence and ability to shecht properly is directly influenced by his properly-prepared chalaf. (The special knife for shechitah).

Every day after davening, we start off by sharpening our knives. We have special stones that need to be made wet (we sharpen our knives by the sink, for that reason) and they file our knives until our knives are razor sharp and free of nicks and scratches. The stones we use have varying levels of roughness, like different gradations of sandpaper. These stones are also used by woodcarvers to sharpen their carving knives.

Oct. 3, 2019 |

|9

Every shochet has three knives on him, so that if he detects a flaw in one, he will not hesitate to put the knife aside and take out another one.

After we sharpen our knives, and check them, a mashgiach inspects them once again. The mashgiach has a finelyhoned sense of touch, and is able to pick up on the smallest imperfection.

We begin to shecht at about 7:00 am. Shechita can be exhausting and a shochet must be fully alert. For that reason, we are divided into two groups of eight. The first group shechts, while the other group rests, and then we switch off.

The slaughter house provides us with a room to recoup and regain our strength, mezonos, drinks, and of course… coffee. There are seforim for us to learn from and even beds for us to take small naps. After every round of shechting (which takes about an hour), we sharpen our knives again.

What happens during the actual shechita process?

10 |

| Oct. 3, 2019

Every shochet has a stand where he shechts the chickens and three non-Jewish workers assist him. Two workers work together and hand over the chickens to the shochet, while the other worker takes the slaughtered chicken and hangs it up on a rack.

The rack automatically moves on to a different department where the mashgiach checks it, the feathers are removed, and so on… I am not familiar with the rest of the process, as my job is to be a shochet and that's what I do all day.

work colleagues. The environment is a happy one, the conversationsstimulating and the mood is simply - how should I say it? - geshmak!

What are the requirements for becoming a shochet?

Sure! We work extra days in the PreYom Tov season.

To become a shochet, one needs to learn the sefer ‘Simlah Chadasha' from the Tevuas Shor, a kitzur Shulchan Aruch on Hilchos Shechita.

Once you become a shochet you need to review the halachos every thirty days. But the most difficult skill to master is how to prepare the chalaf (shechitah knife).

After one mastered the halachos and how to sharpen the chalaf, he is tested by a Rav. The Rav deliberately scratches the chalaf and the shochet-in training needs to find the nicks and fix them by sharpening the knife to a smooth, scratch-free finish.

What are the benefits of being a shochet?

How does a shochetin training practice?

The wonderful atmosphere! Ehrlich, intelligent yirei shomayim are your

When shochtim find a chicken that's not kosher, we put them aside for the shochtim-

How many chickens do you shecht per round?

Altogether, the poultry plant shechts almost six thousand chickens per hour.

Does it get busier Erev Yom Tov?

in- training to use.

What about the chickens used for kapparos? A woman I know, buys all her chickens for the next few months before Rosh Hashana, before kapparos season. She claims she doesn't want to eat anyone's aveiros‌ That's funny! The slaughterhouses have their different ways of dealing with kapparah chickens. But there's one thing I can tell you, Shochtim are very careful with the chickens that stream in after kapparos.

Throughout the year when we have a sheilah on a chicken, we usually just place the chicken on the side and disregard it.

With kapparah chickens, though, we take the time to find out the proper kosher status, instead of just pushing the chicken away. After all, it's peoples kapparah for their aveiros!

And about kapparos in general; let me say something that lots of shochtim have tried to bring to attention. People like to do kisui hadam (the covering of the blood) for the kapparah

that they used, but if one does not know the proper halachos, one can easily come to recite a brocha l'vatoloh. Those that want to do kisui hadam should discuss the halachos with a Rav prior to kapparos-shlugen.

Any interesting observations pertaining to shechitah?

How long do you think it takes for the shlachthoiz to shecht chickens for a wedding attended by 500 participants? About a minute and a half! Do the math: If the plant shechts about 6000 chickens per hour, every minute approximately 100 chickens are slaughtered.

If every chicken can be divided for four people (two tops-or cutlets and two bottoms) we need 125 chickens (500 divide by four) for the main course. It takes less than one and a half minutes to have the main course shechted.

And any message you'd like to leave us with?

Yes! Why was a shochet held up to very stringent standards in years gone by? Because in those

times, all food preparation was done at home and the kashrus level of the foods was pretty much under one's control. The one thing entrusted to an outsider was shechitah.

Therefore, people only used shochtim that they trusted implicitly.

Today, while many of us are still very stringent with the shechitah we use (and rightfully so!), we need to realize that vigilance is required in all other areas of food prep.

Unlike years ago, today, most of our food is not made in our kitchens.

Food processed in China and in other far-flung places need tremendous hashgacha. Our chickens are slaughtered and checked by shochtim and mashgichim, yirei shomayim, while much of the food we eat and feed our families are made in factories run by non-Jewish businessmen whose only goal is to generate a profit. Let's expand the vigilance we harbor over our meat to include all the food we eat!

G'mar Chasima Tovah! â– Oct. 3, 2019 |

| 11

Kapparah Shluggen Another Spin on

BY: C H A N A FR I E D M A N

A

s part of the research for this article, I was having a discussion with an acquaintance about the progression from kashering chickens as a standard process to today's weekly butcher orders. She related that as a young girl, she once shared with a friend that her father kashers his own chickens on Erev Yom Kippur. Her friend innocently asked, "How many bottoms do you get from one chicken?" Read the amazing stories of the people who so tenaciously continue our mesorah, as time consuming and stressful as it might be. (And for those of you that are wondering what is so unusual about the friend's question, note the fact that every chicken has only two feet, and thus two bottoms‌)

12 |

| Oct. 3, 2019

The Erev Yom Kippur Spin: "My father brings home his own chicken on erev Yom Kippur after shchitah. Having learned from his grandparents how to kasher, he finds it important that his children see where kosher poultry comes from.

I remember waking up erev Yom Kippur and hurrying to get downstairs in time to see the kashering, which takes place early in the morning. There was a large plastic tablecloth spread over the table. My father would stand there, surrounded by all the kids, as he gave us the most interesting science lesson I would ever have. My sister, being squeamish, tried to sleep in as long as she could so she would miss it, but my father never let anyone get out of it. I was always curious, so I would come close as my father explained each part of the chicken, what it was called, and how it was checked to assure that the bird was kosher. I wish I would remember everything he said so I can repeat it to my

own children! Inevitably, sheilos would crop up, and my father would send one of the boys to the dayan, who was still in shul at that time of day, to pasken the sheilah. People would always crowd around to see what was going on, as they understandably rarely witnessed such sheilos being answered! I remember how one year the problem was a bit more complicated and our dayan sent it further – to someone who was an expert at Hilchos Treifos. It was definitely a great learning experience for all of us.

Once the chickens were soaking, my mother would put up a big pot of vegetables for chicken soup.

After the requisite half hour, the chickens would be rinsed and put straight into the pot for the Seudas Hamafsekes! The soup tasted different than ‘regular' chicken soup. It was fresher and somewhat more special. And it definitely had that homemade flavor – from start to finish!"

- F.Z.

Oct. 3, 2019 |

| 13

The Good Old Days Spin: "I grew up in Lugano, a city in Switzerland. We didn't have a shochet in town, so everyone ordered their chicken from a butcher in Zurich, which is three hours away. Believe it or not, the chickens were delivered by the postal service. My father was a dayan and wanted to kasher the chicken on his own, so we ordered our poultry shechted, but not kashered. We bribed the postmaster to bring us our package as soon as the train got to Lugano, before he delivered the other, regular, packages, so the chicken wouldn't spoil. When it arrived, it would get kashered, salted, and soaked, then we would separate it into bags and put it into the freezer. I didn't think much of the process until I got married and moved to America. It's terrific – you go to the butcher and buy kosher chicken and meat and it comes to your house – kashered, soaked and salted, and it's even packaged so nicely on trays!

About a year after I was married, I flew to Switzerland to visit my parents. One day when I was home alone, I heard knocking on the door. The postman's voice called out, "Your chickens are here!" I dutifully brought them inside, and then I had a brainstorm. What if I cleaned and

14 |

| Oct. 3, 2019

sorted the chicken on my own and saved my parents all that work? I was like a little kid again, excitedly making a surprise. I cleaned out the chickens (they came extremely dirty), cut them into manageable pieces with the kitchen scissors, washed everything well, and proceeded to divide the poultry into bags of separate parts. By the time my parents came home, there was no trace of the chickens.

My father was the first to enter the house. He looked around and asked me, "Ve zenen de hindlech (where's the chicken)?" I proudly pointed to the freezer. He looked at me again and asked, "Ein yahr in America in de hust shoin fargesen az m'darf kasher'n in zaltz'n hindlech (After just one year in America you already forgot that chicken needs to be kashered and salted)?" I was horrified, but my horror didn't undo the damage.

Being that I had washed the chicken in hot water, the entire shipment was treif and had to be discarded. The sinks, which thankfully were metal, had to be kashered, as well as the scissors and knives I had used. It was the kind of day that created memories – those that I will never forget."

-P.S.

The All-Year-Round Spin: "For us, kashering our own chickens is the daily reality – even in year 2019. It's something my family never gave up throughout the transition from prewar Europe to modern America. This is how it works: I make an appointment at a butcher in Williamsburg that has a shochet on premises. I order a large number of chickens and turkeys and watch as the shochet goes to work. I then act as mashgiach as the poultry is soaked and salted. When the action is over, I make sure the chicken is wrapped and labeled so that I will actually receive my order. It gets delivered to my house in regular foam trays of tops and bottoms, and the other parts come in bags that have to be sorted and separated. The order is stored in a few freezers that we purchased to accommodate all the stock. Although I try to be as calculated as possible, many times I run out of chicken before my next appointment.

I am then forced to improvise, since I can't just run to the store and buy more! I've taken the

liberty to serve some interesting dishes, including turkey soup instead of chicken soup at the Shabbos seudah‌ As much of a hassle these 2-3 appointments a year are, I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.

-C.I.

Oct. 3, 2019 |

| 15

Easy

In

Easy

Out

Healthy Fasting Prep

I

ronically, the day that's supposed to remove all focus of food, makes for the biggest food planning.

What's the best thing to eat before a fast? How much to eat before a fast?

Properly planning your "fast food" and preparing your body is extremely important, especially if you are one of those very human people who feel symptoms of weakness towards the end of the fast. And if it means you get to daven better (or play Candyland with the kids seventeen times in a row without passing out...) it's surely worth a try!

16 |

| Oct. 3, 2019

High Water Alert - You're going to be fasting so you have to drink, drink, drink.

Right? Not quite. Filling up like a camel and sloshing off to bed will only give you an interrupted night and not necessarily hydration for the next day. In fact, if you're drinking a lot of water but not getting enough electrolytes for proper absorption, your body can't hold the water. So how to ensure adequate electrolytes? By adding a pinch of mineral-rich sea salt to your water!

Use pure sea salt, Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt since these salts contain a great number of trace minerals, as opposed to table salt which has been stripped of all its original value.

Withdrawal Pains - Commonly associated with interruptions in medication routines, withdrawal applies to food dependence just as well. If your diet consists of five coffees per day, loads of processed baked goods, heavy soda consumption, or a fair share of chocolate, stopping cold turkey for one day will put you into heavy-duty withdrawal mode. Your brain responds by producing a surge of adrenaline that causes symptoms like anxiety, irritability, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, racing heart, sweating and muscle aches among others. And you thought you're just a really bad faster‌ In the 3 or 4 days before the fast, slowly decrease and eliminate any food you are highly dependent on like sugar, white flour, caffeine, etc. to make the transition easier.

Get your Fuel - Eating a proper meal erev Yom Kippur is actually a mitzvah, but if you load up on challah and dips, kugels, potatoes, pasta and dessert, these carbohydrates will quickly be converted into sugars and can eventually take their toll on your body soon after you've finished eating.

On the other hand, protein eaten along with healthy fats are key in preventing high blood sugar during the night, and consequently plummeting levels in the morning. Start your day with nourishing and stabilizing foods like good quality yogurt, eggs fried in butter, avocado, or salad dressed with olive oil and fill up your plate at mealtimes with fish and poultry. And don't forget a hefty portion (or two!) of chicken soup which is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals in addition to being a powerful digestive elixir.

Breaking the Fast - It's been a long day and all you want to do is eat. You've got the coffee in one hand while you lunge for that piece of cake with the other. Stop! Your digestive system has been on vacation all day and needs proper care in order to get back to business. (Wouldn't you?) Stuffing your mouth with danishes and orange juice and surveying the fridge and pantry for an all-you-can-eat buffet will surprise and shock your body, leaving uncomfortable repercussions. Instead, start with a warm drink (a mug of clear broth is best!) and then eat a light protein to keep sugar levels in check. Wait a bit to give enzymes a chance to kick back into gear before sitting down to the after-fast meal. Bonus points if you can keep the baked goods for tomorrow!

Have a healthy fast and an even healthier year! â– Oct. 3, 2019 |

| 17

ejuvenate R Race and finally Relax Post Fast, Post Meal Drinks

While sitting down to your post fast Seudah, refresh yourself for the race ahead. Finally when you're relaxing in the glow of the ushpizin on a starry Succos night, warm up with these great dessert ideas.

Irish Raspberry Warm-up Irish coffee with a deep raspberry flavor will keep you warm on a chilly Succos night.

Double it up to serve a crowd.

• • • • • •

7 cups water ½ c. instant coffee granules 1 ¼ c. sugar 1 T. vanilla sugar 1 c. Kedem raspberry syrup ¼ c. vodka optional

Bring water to a boil, Add rest of ingredients and stir until dissolved. Pour in to urn or insulated serving pitcher.

Serve with creamer or milk.

18 |

| Oct. 3, 2019

Potpourri Tea Essence

Fill up your urn with enough water. Enjoy this fragrant and tasty tea with company or just by yourself.

Yields 15- 20 servings • • • • • • • • •

1 large unwaxed (organic) orange 8 cloves ‫בשמים‬ 3 cinnamon sticks 10 fruit flavored tea bags 2 cups apple juice 2 cups cranberry juice 2 T. lemon juice 2 T. honey ½ c. sugar

Wash & check orange rind for scales.

Cut up orange in 8 chunks. Place

into a wrap & boil bag. Lightly crush cloves & cinnamon sticks (w/ a hammer or mallet). Add to bag along with teabags. Close bag & place in a pot. Add juices & bring to a boil.

Remove from heat. Allow to steep for about 2 hours. Remove bag & squeeze lightly, discard bag.

Add honey & sugar. Reheat until sugar is dissolved. Keep warm.

Fill ⅓ of your cup with essence to ⅔ of hot water to make 1 cup of tea.

Oct. 3, 2019 |

| 19

Chocolate Cream Pie My mother got this recipe from a dear friend over 30 years ago. Ever since, this dessert has been a family favorite.

Yields a large sheet or 2 9x13 pans (or 25-30 individuals).

• • • •

2 c. flour 4 T. sugar 2 sticks margarine 2-3 T. ice water

Filling part 1: • 12 oz. chocolate, chopped • 8 egg yolks • 3 T. sugar • 5 T. sweet red wine Filling part 2: • 8 egg whites • 3 T. sugar Topping: • 1 carton whipping cream, slushy • 1 c. confectioners' sugar • 1 c. tehina or peanut butter, optional 20|

| Oct. 3, 2019

Combine flour with sugar in a bowl. Cut in margarine and combine well with flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and knead just until dough comes together into a ball. Add additional water if necessary.

Press dough onto parchment lined baking sheet or 2 9x13" pans to edge only. To make in individuals - press directly into ramekins or tart cups coming up onto sides of pans. Pre heat oven to 350° bake for 15-20 minutes depending on size until lightly browned.

Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second increments or double boiler.

Whisk egg yolks with sugar and wine until well combined. Combine with melted chocolate.

Beat egg whites with electric mixer until soft peaks form, add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until stiff. Fold into chocolate mixture with spatula to combine. Pour over cooled pie crust. Freeze at least 4 hours before topping.

Whip ice cold cream until stiff.

Add confectioners' sugar, tehina or peanut butter (if using) and beat until combined. Spoon or pipe onto chocolate cream.

Garnish with curly halva or chopped salted peanuts.

Oct. 3, 2019 |

| 21

By Liba Gottehrer

The Prisoner Within The Inside Out Phenomenon

A

large company was revamping on a massive scale. The CEO hired a new manager, whose job was to find inside problems, fire the underworked and overpaid, and hire efficient, ambitious workers. Eager to intimidate his underlings and show them what he was all about, the young manager strolled into the company’s main workroom on Day #2 of his job. He scanned the room and quickly found a scapegoat: A figure leaned against the wall, engrossed in his phone. He walked up to the man, sized him up, and asked, “How much do you earn a week?”

The other fellow winced, quickly recovered and responded, “Six hundred fifty dollars, sir.”

The staff watched mutely as their new boss whipped out a checkbook and scrawled “twenty-six hundred” on the amount line. He then handed the check to the stunned worker and bellowed, “Here’s four weeks’ pay, now GET OUT AND DON’T COME BACK!” He then turned to his stunned audience, satisfied that the message had come across well, and asked, “Can anyone tell me what that slacker did around here?”

From across the room came a voice, “Pizza delivery guy from Domino’s.”

It’s an undeniable fact: each of us still 22 |

| Oct. 3, 2019

needs constant acknowledgement and a feeling of self-righteousness. There are those people who spend their entire lives and fortunes building themselves, even resorting to using others as stepping stones to achieve a higher station in life. They are constantly finding the mistakes in the people around them – so they can point them out and thus prove that they are better. They are models that personify the classic bully: “If someone’s trying to put you down, it only means that you’re above them.”

Then there are the others, the glaring contrasts. These people also spend their lives building themselves – by building others.

They focus on the positive in others, put them on a pedestal, glorify them, and look away when mistakes happen. These are the individuals who work on themselves by scrutinizing their own failures, instead of peering into the plates of their peers.

It’s a two-step process: First to focus inward and be busy changing yourself, and then to utilize your newfound inner happiness and contentment to make others happy. The result is an upward spiral, a circle that is never completed, but keeps repeating in a higher sphere. It can be pretty tough to focus on the passive needs of others when your own needs are so actively vying for attention, but little can compare

to the euphoria of coming just a bit closer to perfection.

So how is it done? The mussar market is B”H flooded with speeches and programs that inspire and foster change. Then there’s the other aspect, the reactive part of the equation. It’s what occurs at the moment you witness a moral failure, obviously on someone else’s part. Especially if you’re on a middos rampage, the character of the culprit will inevitably come under your righteous microscope, to be magnified, dissected and gloated over. And that’s where the real struggle, and opportunity, begins.

To tolerate, to forgive, and eventually, to understand.

A dear friend of mine is a successful tenth grade science teacher for over 20 years. She is a masterful educator with middos to match.

A couple of years back, she had a student, Blimie*, who struggled to understand what came so easily to the majority of the grade.

My friend set up a tentative arrangement with her, in which she gave her the tests in advance to take home and study from. Blimie assured her teacher that nobody would find out about this agreement, and that she would study with her older sister. All was well.

One pre-test night, my friend received a call from Mrs. Davidson*, a different struggling student’s mother, who happened to know Blimie well. She proceeded to ask her daughter’s teacher one question after the next – about a test she was not supposed to have!

My friend was shocked. Why had she ever thought that she could trust a peer-pleasing teenager? Who knew who else now had access to the question sheet? She considered creating a new test, but the hour was late and all her enthusiasm had dissolved. It was a betrayed and distraught teacher that went to bed that night.

She awoke the next morning with all the energy of someone staging a counterattack, but was held back by her indecision. What to do? Should she confront the culprit, and risk

losing her trust and respect? Should she let it slide, and risk losing her trust and respect?

My wise friend decided to rely on the innate goodness in every human, even teenagers.

She figured she’d hold off the action until the classes took the test and would then see how much damage unlikely had or hopefully hadn’t been done. And so it was.

As an afterthought, she asked the test takers to turn to the last page of the answer sheet and write if they had studied by themselves or with a friend, and the name of the friend if applicable. This would make possible detective work much simpler. As soon as the teacher was able to she turned to Etty Davidson’s answer and was baffled to read the laconic response: “I studied by myself.”

She quickly shuffled the sheets until Blimie’s test appeared, and eagerly read the lopsided cursive: “I studied with my married sister, Chaya Esty Davidson.”

After I heard this story, I clipped a quote to hang up somewhere where I’ll always see it. It reads, “When you forgive, you set a prisoner free, and then you discover that the prisoner was you.” No one feels lighter than he who bore a suspicion or grudge and forgives. “The shackles of the Yetzer Horah” is not a figurative expression. As those who broke free will tell you, it’s a very real struggle. But the good news is, in this age of sedentary living, there isn’t much you need to do to find that pot of gold. Social environments breed social challenges, which in turn are opportunities to forgive, excuse, and emerge as a better individual.

Hashem even sends the daily reminder.

Just keep your eyes open as you walk the streets, and your senses will be bombarded by those huge, ubiquitous advertisements that beseech you in neon 10-inch letters: “TIME IS RUNNING OUT! JUST TWO SIMPLE STEPS FOR A NEW AND IMPROVED YOU…” ■ *Names and identifying details have been changed.

Oct. 3, 2019 |

| 23

Sukkah Chandelier

W

hen the nights start getting cooler and the crickets come out it's the call to action. Time to get creative with a beautiful sukkah decoration! This delicate, designer inspired string chandelier will spread the twinkling lights to warm your sukkah and hearts in the most magical way.

And we won't tell anyone if you decide to hang it in your hallway afterwards….

You'll need: • Kids Bouncing Ball or Inflatable beach ball • 500-800 yards String • 16 oz. Mod Podge or Elmers white glue • 1 cup water • ½ cup Corn Starch • Vaseline/Petroleum Jelly • Disposable Pan • 1 clear acetate/transparency sheet • Lightbulb socket cord Step 1) Start by drawing a 5" circle anywhere on the ball by tracing a cup or plate. This will be the opening of the chandelier where you will place the light bulb.

Step 2) Prepare the ball by hanging it at a height that's comfortable to work with and spread newspapers under the ball and over anything else you wouldn't like glue-spattered. A good idea is to use a lowered shower curtain rod. Then, grease up the ball with the Vaseline.

You want to put enough that the string shouldn't stick to the ball once dry, but not too much so as to be left with globs.

24 |

| Oct. 3, 2019

Step 3) Create the gluey solution by pouring the Mod Podge into the pan. Add the water and corn starch and mix until you get a thick soup.

Step 4) Let the mess begin! (For best results do this step with 2 people) Cover the string in glue by resting the string outside the pan and slowly feeding small lengths into the glue as the other person pulls out and starts wrapping the ball. You want to make sure the string is completely saturated so that it'll be very hard once it dries. Glue coverage is the key to a chandelier that will last once the ball is taken out. DO NOT attempt to take a shortcut by unrolling the entire spool and letting the whole thing soak together unless you enjoy untangling a gluey knotty mess.

Step 5) Wrap the gluey string all around the ball. Getting started is a little tricky but once you get going it's lots of fun.

Start out with a few vertical wraps until you feel like it's pretty secure. Then you can start alternating and doing wraps randomly in every direction. Remember the circle you drew? Don't let string wrap into the circle, but you'll want lots of coverage around it. Keep checking for big empty spaces and wrap until you like the density, or the string is all done, or your hands will be so sticky that you'll be at a happy stopping point. Snip the string and tuck it into the weave.

Step 6) Let the ball dry for 24 hours, then pierce the ball with a needle and deflate it slowly. Make sure someone is holding the chandelier gently when

you deflate the ball and remove it carefully through the bulb hole.

Step 7) Cut a 6" circle out of the clear transparency sheet. Cut a straight line from one side of the circle to the center (to enable overlapping) and then cut a round little hole in the center of the circle to fit the cord. This will go inside all the way on top to support the weight of the chandelier against the bulb.

Step 8) Feed the cord through the little hole in the plastic until it hits the bulb socket. Gently insert your hand into the 5" circle and put the light bulb socket into the chandelier. The cord should come out on the other side between one of spaces in the string, with the plastic resting directly beneath the string, supprting the bulb socket. The light bulb and it's socket are now hanging in the chandelier. Plug in to energy source and let there be light! â–

Oct. 3, 2019 |

| 25

5

TRAINING GROUND

BY CHAVA LEAH BEER

R

ecap: Grandma Pressman moves into Shoshana's home and proves to be as forgetful as she is critical. After a long dry spell, a Shidduch is mentioned for Shoshana.

Chapter Five "He's really smart and talented. We thought he'd marry the rosh yeshiva's daughter!"

"Good looking and cultured."

"Very put together and in touch with himself."

Shoshana's brain was awhirl with the many positive descriptions she had heard, yet something seemed to be amiss. Everyone seemed very complimentary and had nothing negative to say about Shlomo Blass.

He was smart, honest, self-aware,

26 |

| Oct. 3, 2019

successful; what more could she ask for? But so far no one had mentioned his people skills. Was he caring?

Warm? Considerate?

The overall image she had drawn from the descriptions she'd received was of a successful, self-centered professional-to-be. No resemblance to the man she wanted to marry.

Could she say "no" just like that?

She went to the dining room to look for her father. He seemed to be lost in thought and emotionally depleted. Maybe it was better not to bother him tonight. Her mother, though, had her hands on her hips, and her arched eyebrows practically shouted, "Nu – what's going on?"

Shoshana shared her thoughts.

Sure enough, Mrs. Pressman's advice was not long in coming. "Shoshana, dear, you can't say no so fast. How

many calls have we gotten this year? I think this one sounds promising. Time doesn't stand still, you know."

What enlightening pearls of wisdom, Shoshana thought.

"Make some more phone calls and try to feel out his character. I mean, you don't want to marry a snob."

"So if I don't get positive information, I shouldn't bother moving ahead?"

"Yes, that's right. And don't worry about being picky. You don't have to settle on the most basic of requirements in a spouse, Shosh."

"Thanks, Ma." She had to sift through the negative remarks to reach the golden advice, but it was there.

Arming herself with faith in herself and her Matchmaker, Shoshana returned to the phone.

deal.

This poor daughter of Nochum, she must be suffering so much. The least I could do for her was help her earn some money and provide her with a pleasant environment for the bulk of the day.

He sighed as he carefully placed the stack of envelopes into his bag.

Silently, he hoped she would heal. Like the cuts and bruises and week-long viruses of his young patients, no booboo was too big to be cured by the Master Healer. 

Shoshana hung up the phone. Time failed to diminish the intensity of her disappointment. She was grateful, however, that this time, her hopes had not risen too high in the first place. Finally, a decentsounding prospect.

Then, almost as soon as a bubble of hope had taken shape, it burst, vanishing into thin air. Was her destined mate within reach?

She reviewed snippets of conversation in her mind one more time to make sure she was making the right decision. She had even taken notes so that she wouldn't forget the exact wording.

"You ask about his Midos? Well, yeah, he's a nice guy. Really, he's okay."

So much for enthusiasm.

"Shlomo Blass, you're asking about? Hmmm… he really has an opinion on everything and manages

You don’t have to settle on the most basic of requirements in a spouse



Naftali Lowy sealed the final envelope and addressed it. He was a bit late with the payroll, but thankfully, no one had complained. Certainly not his newest employee, Ayala. As a matter of fact, she hadn't said a word to him ever since she'd assumed her position as bookkeeper.

He hoped she was satisfied with the working conditions. On his end, he was pleased with the work she did.

Though he had taken a risk by hiring an 18-year-old girl who was supposed to be a senior in high school, he was glad that he had not lost out on the

Oct. 3, 2019 |

| 27

to convince you that he is right. He's not aggressive, but very strongminded."

Sounds like an understanding personality, doesn't it?

"He's a nice guy, but I never really got very close to him."

I thought you were his good friend?

She would call Reb. Thaler later; Miri would come first. She needed to let out the frustration with someone who was in the same boat.

"Hi! Miri?"

"Shoshana, hi!"

She heard the note of forced enthusiasm in Miri's voice.

"What's up, Mir?" "I can't take this anymore. I think I'm going to stop teaching."

"Wh-a-a-t?"

Teaching was Miri's life, her oxygen.

"This isolation from society, the pain, the jealousy, the constant stress… and a demanding job? It's just too much for me to handle."

This was not the Miri she had always known. Miri had joie de vivre that kept her vibrant and young, making her seem like a fresh graduate even when she'd become a veteran mechaneches.

When had that changed?

Shoshana tried to remember.

Maybe it had started at the start of the school year? Since then, almost every conversation between the two of them had been full of self-pity.

Shoshana switched into nurturing mode, forgetting that she had called to spill out her own tale of woe.

28 |

| Oct. 3, 2019

"Miri, when's your mid-winter vacation?"

"It's in two weeks. Why?" "I was thinking that we need to get away, to really unwind…What do you say?"

"Where should we go?" Miri asked.

"One thing's for sure, it shouldn't be too far, right?" Shoshana answered.

"Just in case…" they said at once, bursting into unrestrained laughter.

Years ago, when Miri and Shoshana were in their early 20s, they would only plan trips that were close to home, since they wanted to be available "just in case" something turned up. In hindsight, they found it comical. It was black humor, but humor nonetheless, and they both enjoyed the fresh flow of oxygen sent to their lungs.

"It doesn't really matter," Miri said, "As long as we get away. Out! Away from the city, away from society…"

"And become one with nature!"

Shoshana finished philosophically.

"Just thinking about it makes me feel like I'm vacationing."

"Okay, seriously, where do you want to go?"

"Well, we can do repeats, right?"

"Yes, what do you have in mind?"

"It is not too exotic or different, but Niagara Falls does tempt me. I bet it won't be too full of tourists in the winter and I loved it when we went that Chol HaMoed, how many years ago was it?"

"Oh, that was a long time ago.

Okay, I'm game. I'll take care of the technical details, you're probably too busy marking papers."

To be continued... ■

Organic Chestnuts

DESIGN: YANKY GOLDMAN

Not just another brand...

...Oneg’s Organic Chestnuts are the best tasting brand sold in the kosher market.

Will greatly enhance your Yom Tov menu.

BloomsKosher.com Oct. 3, 2019 |

| 29

O u r

D i r e c t

C o n n e c t i o n

Yom Kippur on the Homefront

R

eb Elya Lopian taught: "Women who are at home during the Yomim Noraim, busy caring for their children, don't need the atmosphere and all of the tefilos that are said in shul, since their prayers rise upward through a pipeline that goes directly to the Throne of Glory. And with the few words they're able to daven, they are brought as close to Hashem as all the people who are standing for long hours, begging and pleading."

(Translated from Avodas HaTefillah V'Hamussar b'Mishnasah shel Kelm) Rabbi Brezak teaches: "Children don't get in the way, they ARE the way."

30|

| Oct. 3, 2019

There once was a king who made a ceremony in honor of his birthday.

All day, he sat on his throne receiving his citizens' well wishes. Each was rewarded for his or her visit in accordance with the king's respect for that subject.

In the line stood the nanny of the prince, the king's son.

When her turn came, everyone waited to hear what reward she would receive, as the king surely valued her role immensely.

But when the nanny came before the king, before she could speak, the king said to her: "If you are here, WHO is watching my son?!?" â–

Oct. 3, 2019 |

| 31

‫בעזהש"ת‬

pivotgroup.nyc

PRESENTS

SHOW # 1 - 1:00 PM For HCS families only

‫דאנערשטאג‬ ‫ב' דחוה"מ סוכות תש"פ‬ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17

FREE OF CHARGE

SHOW # 2 - 7:00 PM

For families of children with special needs - must have Tabs ID PRICES: $85 | $75 | $65 | $50 | $40 | $30 | $20

To receive an application please email or call:

EVENTS@HCSNY.ORG - 855.HCS.EVENT (427-3836)

SPONSORS: