If you are over age 39 (Jack Benny’s permanent age) you have surely heard the tune “Enjoy Yourself.” It was composed by Carl Sigman and Herbert Magidson (Yidden, of course). The words of the first refrain go like this:

Enjoy yourself; it’s later than you think

Enjoy yourself while you’re still in the pink

The years go by as quickly as a wink

Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself

It’s later than you think

At an early summer political dinner, I had the chance to meet Congressman Dr. Andy Harris. I wondered whether, instead of the usual handshake and two-minute back-and-forth that’s usual with people of his stature, he would he allow me more time to delve into his unique life story with a sit-down discussion? Happily, Congressman Harris was eager to oblige!

I met the personable “Americanophile” in the Longworth Office Building in Washington, D.C., on a humid, cloud-covered summer afternoon. Dr. Harris was kind enough to grant me the opportunity to hear who he is and what he stands for. While only a few Where What When readers may be represented by Dr. Harris in Maryland’s 1st Congressional District, we will nevertheless find his life story, ideology, and personal beliefs interesting. Certainly, his views on the issues are relevant to all voters in the upcoming midterm elections.

It’s 8:30 a.m. on a hot summer day, and a group of counselors holding bright posters wait to welcome children to camp. Suddenly a bus appears. Cheers burst out as the counselors jump up and down and crowd around to high-five and hug the campers as they arrive. The bus doors open, and the campers pile out with great big smiles. Now the day begins.

Horizon Day Camp is a special camp for children from all over Maryland and D.C. with cancer. Cancer is not exclusive to any religion, race, or nationality. It touches us all in one way or another. Children with cancer do not get many opportunities for fun and miss out on many activities. They are constantly being pricked and prodded. But once they arrive at Horizon, they enter a world where they are treated royally.

The English language serves as an ever-changing landscape where new words, abbreviations and expressions crop up on a yearly basis. In fact, Oxford adds approximately 1,000 new entries to the dictionary every year. Some new words like “froyo,” which is a synthesis of the words “frozen yogurt” are quite useful. “Froyo” saves you 50 percent of the syllables it took you to say the original two words, giving you more time to concentrate on deciding what flavor to order, while still maintaining a close resemblance to the etymology.

On the other hand, there are new words that are actually old words with new meanings, often leading to confusion. This is because they are used in completely unrelated contexts and have no bearing on the more commonly known usage. For example, “troll.” Now, I remember trolls when they were these unassuming, pot-bellied, plastic figures with dark beady eyes and a mop of hair that stood straight up in a triangular formation. The new meaning of troll is completely different. It means “to harass, criticize, or antagonize someone, especially by disparaging or mocking public statements.” There are of course other definitions of troll. (Look them up yourself, just as your English teacher taught you.) But either way, this new definition has gained ground and is becoming an acceptable household word.

When one refers to terminal illness, the first word that usually comes to mind is cancer, a frightening thought. But many cancers are not terminal, and illnesses such as emphysema and kidney or congestive heart failure may also, at times, be included in the realm of terminal illnesses.

When dealing with a family who has received the devastating news that their loved one – child, spouse, parent, or any other family member – has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, hope must never be taken away from them, as gloomy as the caring physician may paint the picture. We must be realistic, but we must also always be hopeful.

~When we hear about the opioid crisis, we think, “That has nothing to do with me.” Yet innocent people have become addicted, often through no fault of their own. Here’s a look at this uniquely American epidemic and a story of one frum woman who lived through it.    

The nurse was at my door, but I couldn’t even answer. I had been crying all morning, and when the doorbell rang for the third time, I knew I had to let her in or she’d leave. Once inside, she checked my vitals, but even though I was now in the presence of

The very mention of the word “Germany” brings on revulsion in me – not surprising for a child of survivors who was brought up with concentration camp stories at the dinner table. But the tour I was considering was being led by Dr. Shneyer Leiman, a professor of Jewish history, whose lectures have always enthralled me. He is a walking encyclopedia, with a dry sense of humor, who truly loves to share his erudition with others. Because of a “chance” meeting with another couple near Jerusalem, whom I had met on a tour that Dr. Leiman led in Lithuania, I hesitantly signed up at the last minute, becoming group member 13. It was going to be a small group.

This was my second visit to Germany. The first was just a short stopover, when I was returning to Israel from Austria via Munich. Now I would be spending 10 days in the land of the people who murdered my grandparents and uncles. What a comforting thought!

Everything in life has a mazal – even Yomim Tovim. Before Purim, Pesach, and Shavuos, our children have had plenty of time to learn all about the holiday and come home with binders full of divrei Torah, projects, and catchy songs. Compare this to the Yomim Tovim in Tishrei, when four holidays plus one minor fast are packed into one month.

Most years, school doesn’t even begin until halfway through Elul. At the beginning of the year, the children are getting settled into routines; the focus is on preparing students so they can learn all year. (Woe to the teacher who skips this important step.) This leaves the teachers only a few days to teach some of the most important concepts in Judaism.

This calendar was set by G-d, so we can’t blame teachers for poor planning. We can, however, see what we as parents and teachers can learn from situation.

To the Shadchan:

My daughter got engaged. She is very happy, and we are happy with the young man. The problem is that our family is more modern than that of her fiancé. Now that we are planning the wedding with his parents, I find that we are not on the same page about anything. The first point of contention is the date. I feel I need a year to prepare properly. The other side wants it as soon as three months from now. They also want everything very scaled down. This is our first child to get married, and we want a beautiful affair. The only simchas we have made were bar and bat mitzvas, which were very elegant. I know I can be a little over the top, but that’s who we are, and so are our neighbors and relatives. That’s what people expect in our circles.

I’m okay with paying more to bring my vision to life. But his family seems to be philosophically opposed to what they call a “fancy” wedding. We are fighting about everything: the date, the kind of hall, the invitations (and whether to ask people to “dress in accordance with Orthodox tradition”), the style of music and dancing, and the height of the mechitza.

Hooray for Sukkos! I love eating outside in the fresh air, smelling the freshly-mowed grass, and enjoying family time. Our sukkah fits on our porch and is easy to enter right through the porch door. I like to think of Sukkos as a time to remember what’s important – that we have everything we need at this very moment, and we’re together as a family. Making family time fun and meaningful is always on my to-do list. To that end, here’s an activity that you and your kids – even your neighbors and friends – can do together. 

Mini-Sukkah Centerpiece 

I love crafts that my kids can do to get ready for the holidays, especially if they can eat them! This sukkah is relatively easy to put together, and there are many options. The ingredients are limited only by your imagination. If you have the time (and patience), you can take your kids to the candy store or candy aisle and have them pick out their own decorations. If you decide to go a quicker route, with all “prefabricated” materials, your sukkah building will be done in a “Klik” – like our Klik sukkah that is put together very easily. If you choose to make your own cookies, you need a recipe that doesn’t spread (one is provided below). I find the store-bought icing to be stiff enough to hold the cookies together. Or you can make your own with the recipe below.