“Nothing was ready, not our uniforms and not our tanks. I was trained as a driver. No one knew what was happening. The warehouse lacked the amount of supplies needed for the troops, and the tanks hadn’t been serviced for months. The scene was like the Machane Yehuda Market on Friday morning. Everyone shouted out what he needed. Instead of bananas and strawberries, soldiers traded with each other for rockets, grenades, and rifles.”

You would not be alone in thinking that the above is an eyewitness report of the happenings of October 7^th. It is, rather, an account by Rabbi Elchanan Ben Nun during a September 2023 interview, describing what he experienced on the first day of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. But the chaos on the military front on October 7^th, 2023 – 50 years, almost to the day, later – was just as great. 

Describing his experience on the morning of the October 7^th massacre, Guy Itzhaki, a decorated war veteran, said in an Aish.com interview, that he had read a lot of history books about the Yom Kippur War, but this was the first time in his life that he felt he was watching a scene from it before his own eyes. “People were in shock. In those chaotic early hours, there was much confusion. The scale of the attack, the number of infiltrations, the fate of the border communities – everything was fragmented, contradictory, or unknown.”

When we think of rescue flights, what usually comes to mind is bringing people from a place of war or disaster to a safe area. But, as the oft repeated joke that became popular in Israel goes, “Israel is the only country where people who are in a country where there is peace are eager to be rescued to a country where there is a war.” During the recent 12-day war with Iran, many people were struggling to get home – in both directions. Here are a few stories of the very circuitous ways that some people managed to make the trip. 

Rikki Rubin

My daughter and son-in-law, Chana Leah and Motti Margalit, sponsored a hachnasat sefer Torah at Suburban Orthodox on Sunday, June 15^th. Among the many participants were Motti’s family members from Israel. The Margalits had a full house of guests a few days before the ceremony, many of whom were planning to return to Israel within a few days. However, once the war with Iran began, on Friday, June 13^th, Ben Gurion airport was closed, and all foreign carriers canceled their flights, disrupting plans for thousands of people

If the WWW hadn’t asked me to write an article about an upcoming chamber music concert – where a Rosh Kollel, Rabbi Dovid Lipson, would be playing piano – I more than likely would never have considered attending, even if I had noticed the advertisement. Although I have enjoyed classical music occasionally in the past (Dvorak comes to mind), and I have a fairly eclectic taste in music, classical music wasn’t something on my usual “playlist.” But because music itself has been on my mind these past few months – I have been preparing various articles on the subject – I was eager to speak with yet another musician, particularly one who is a Rosh Kollel, who would surely offer unusual insights. What a privilege it was to even speak with such a person!

According to recent reports, we should be having an early spring this year, although, I admit, there are those who doubt the reliability of Phil the Groundhog’s predictions. In the event that his forecast is wrong and the cold weather drags on, I thought I would present some tried and true suggestions on how to keep warm while avoiding a thousand-dollar-a-month heating bill. Unfortunately, hibernation seems out of the question for most humans. Moving south is something else to consider, but for many that is not practical. Following are a few other ideas:

A while back, I saw a Facebook post which suggested bringing a hot water bottle to bed, however, commentators chimed in saying this can be dangerous. If the water bottle is old, damaged, or not correctly filled, it can lead to leakage and burns. Other options include electric heating pads or electric blankets or grain-filled bed/body warmers. Personally, I don’t feel comfortable with an electric blanket. First of all, it isn’t snuggly; you can feel the wires running through it. And when I had one years ago, I was always worrying that if I turned the wrong way I would either ruin the blanket or electrocute myself. This is true of a heating pad as well, which actually has a warning to not use it while sleeping. My only choice, it seems, is the warmers you can microwave.

Marijuana use has become more socially acceptable lately, with many states legalizing it for medical and, increasingly, for recreational use. There is a distinction. Medical marijuana must be recommended by a physician and obtained from state-regulated outlets. In Maryland, medical marijuana is legal but recreational marijuana is not. However, a law passed in 2014 decriminalized the possession of 10 grams or less of marijuana, making it a civil infraction, similar to a traffic ticket.

The movement to legalize marijuana is a big change from the past, and although proponents make some good arguments, there are many unknowns. The major question is, is marijuana really harmless?  

Although marijuana – like alcohol and nicotine – is often called a “gateway drug,” the fact is that the majority of people who have tried or habitually use any of these substances do not go on to abuse “harder” drugs, such as heroin and cocaine. However, the vast majority of those who do become addicted to more harmful substances began their drug careers only after using these starter substances. Alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana “prime the brain for a heightened response to other drugs,” according to the NIH. But is this the only reason to avoid “soft” drug use?

Sherlock Holmes, Sam Spade, Nancy Drew, Hercule Poirot, Precious Ramotswe, Kinsey Millhone, and David Cohen. Which name doesn’t belong? The mystery aficionados among us will recognize the first six names as fictional detectives. As for the seventh, well, in the U.S. at least, it’s less common to associate an obviously Jewish name with the concept of working as a professional private investigator.

As someone who grew up reading Nancy Drew – and went on to become hooked on various other detective and/or mystery series – I always had a half desire to become a detective myself. But for most of us, I suspect, the idea of actually going into that field never seriously crossed our minds. David Cohen, however, did start thinking along those lines by the time he was in high school and college. “I wanted something interesting, where I would be unique in my profession - something with which I could help people,” he says.