A young relative of mine was only in second grade when she took her first “summer job” as a mother’s helper. The pay, of course, was negligible – enough for a little girl to buy herself some extra nosh or that coveted albeit unnecessary toy. So family members were surprised when, upon inquiry as to what her plans for the “big bucks” included, this little girl immediately responded, “I’ll save it to pay for seminary!”

Laughable, but revealing. In our frum community, paying tuition – from the youngest nursery school child to the nearly-grown beis midrash student or seminary girl and every age in between – plays an enormous role in many parents’ lives. Family budgets, lifestyles, and long-term choices often take shape largely around the consideration of children’s tuition costs. Just consider for a moment, though: What would life be like if that were to change? Hard to imagine, isn’t it? Yet for some communities, this far-off notion is indeed a reality – and one whose effects ripple through many aspects of community life.

I was born Alexander Radzinski in 1934 in Warsaw. Our family was well-to-do, and we lived in Praga, a suburb on the other side of the Vistula River. My father, Yitzchok, and mother, Gittel, and my little sister, Frieda (Zosha), and I lived a happy life. When I was five years old, in 1939, the war broke out.

My father owned a furniture factory, warehouse, and store. My family was traditional, and I remember going to shul on Shabbos. We spoke Polish at home, but my parents spoke Yiddish to each other and I picked up some of it. My mother was an educated woman and taught Polish subjects in Janush Korshak’s Jewish school in Warsaw.

For those following current events in the community, there was a recent “event” concerning 529 accounts. I suspect, however, that some of you are still a bit confused. Let’s explain it, starting from the beginning.

Once upon a time, college was not expensive. Colleges kept their costs down. Their buildings were old (so old that they had ivy growing all over them – hence, the term Ivy League), and I guess the professors did not earn that much. Over the years, the price tag has risen considerably. Colleges discovered that they are big business.

The government heard about the problem with rising college tuition, and they came up with a solution: Save! Yep – start saving money when junior is a baby, and then you will have money when he’s ready to depart for the dorm. (See Genesis 41 regarding similar advice given to Pharaoh.) That seems simple enough. People would just put money in the bank or a stock brokerage and save up. But the government felt that people needed an incentive to save. So, true to form, they used income taxes to create the incentive. They passed a law that goes like this: If you save for college, all the earnings in that account are tax free. Let’s explain: Say you save $2,000 a year for 10 years. You have therefore put in $20,000. Typically, this money is invested in mutual funds that invest in the stock market, which may pay dividends and also go up in value. The account might therefore have grown and now has $30,000 in it. This money can now be used for college. However, if you withdraw the money and do not use it for college, the earnings of $10,000 are taxable (although the original $20,000 remains “your money”).

“Ten Students Washed Away in Flash Flood in the Negev” read the news headline on April 27th. Videos showed the raging waters that had swept 10 innocent and unprepared explorers to their deaths. It was a painful reminder that the natural landscape with its awe-inspiring beauty can quickly turn cruel and destructive and that we humans have no control over the forces of nature.

 Watching videos of this tragedy brought me back to the early spring of 1974. I pictured myself sitting on a narrow ledge under a protective overhang at the bottom of Nahal Arugot. Just four inches below me, the waters were swirling over rocks and boulders, rushing towards the Dead Sea. Fifteen Israelis and I were caught in a sheettafon, a sudden flash flood. There was no way out; we sat glued to our perch, hoping that the floodwaters would not reach us.

An important component of estate planning is the Advanced Medical Directive, sometimes referred to as the Living Will. The importance of a carefully drafted, halachically-correct Advanced Medical Directive cannot be overstated.

First a little background. In 1990, the Supreme Court of the United States, in the case of Cruzan v. Director Miss Dept. of Health, established the constitutional right to direct one’s own medical treatment. The Cruzan case was quickly picked up under the banner of protecting the “right to die,” defining the right to refuse medical treatment. It should be noted that while the banner of “right to die” was the most typical framework for discussion, the Supreme Court also established the “right to live.”

We spend our lives looking for the people who will change us forever. When we find them, we do whatever we can to keep them close. Some of these people are friends we meet in school, neighbors, or colleagues, people we are naturally surrounded by. However, some of these people come into our lives unexpectedly. I never really thought about how people came to be major players in my life. That changed during my senior year at Bais Yaakov.

As Bais Yaakov alumnae know, there are two options for general studies in 12th grade. Every senior has to complete mandatory classes, and then a student has the option to choose from courses offered by CCBC or fill her afternoon with a selection of electives. I chose electives. By the first day of school, most of my schedule was complete. However, even with a finished schedule, the first few days are spent fine-tuning schedules and figuring out every class. My problem was that I was accidentally scheduled for two of the same class and was left with a gap in my schedule.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov was an important chasidic leader in Poland known for his asceticism, his wisdom, and, parenthetically, his mystical support of Napoleon. He said, “I was never in need of anything until I already had it.”

Here’s an anecdote worth preserving in anyone’s album of memories. It has a similar message: I was driving through upstate New York to visit my children and grandchildren, when I pulled into a rustic gas station for a refill. I noticed a sign announcing free coffee at a department store five miles up the road. I went on my way and soon approached this store, upon which was spread an elephantine banner that read, “If we don’t have it, you probably don’t need it.”

The store was a one-of-a-kind type of place, large and rural and unlike the big box stores in the urban areas where we live. It was a charming place, fully vested in serving a well-defined countrified demographic. Nothing there attracted me as a purchase for my grandchildren, but I did take something away from that store – something much more valuable.

I know it is election season by the brochures I’ve been getting in the mail and the signs I’ve seen all over the neighborhood promoting people running for various offices. Most of the time, I do not understand what office these people are running for and why I should vote for one over the other. And I wonder what power they have, anyway, once elected? They promise to do everything from getting rid of crime to collecting the garbage more often, but can they really make those things happen?

 This article is an elementary guide to the workings of Maryland politics for those readers who also don’t understand much about it but would like to. If you don’t care, or you already know everything, just skip this. It is not meant for you!

The election on June 26, 2018 is for state as well as county positions. (Baltimore City does not have municipal elections now.) It is a primary election, which means that voters must vote for the slate that matches their registration. Only Democrats can vote for the Democrat candidates, and only Republicans can vote for the Republican candidates. The winners of each party’s primary will then run against each other in November.

Citizens may also register as independents, neither Republican nor Democrat, but then they cannot vote in the primary elections. Since Maryland is a state with a large Democrat population, some races only have Democratic candidates. (For example, in the race for delegates for the 41st district, only Democrats are running.) Even when a Republican is running for an office, in parts of the state, like Baltimore City, he/she is likely to lose the general election in the face of the overwhelming majority of Democrat voters. That means that, in many races, the primary election is more important than the general election. Many people who are inclined to vote Republican therefore register as Democrats, so as to have a voice in choosing the office holder.

Shavuos is the second of the three great regalim, yet it seems like the stepchild of the holidays. How can Shavuos, a short two days at the cusp of summer, compare to mighty Sukkos and Pesach, which require great exertion and expensive purchases?

On Shavuos, things are rather optional. It is a minhag (custom) to decorate with flowers, a minhag to eat dairy, and a minhag for men to learn all night. One visit to the supermarket and we’re set. If we want to get fancy, we can spend the week preparing dairy delicacies that contribute thousands of calories to our meals, though they are but tangentially related to the Yom Tov. While we have hopefully spent the last 49 nights counting the Omer, even if we missed a few or all of the nights, Shavuos is observed in the same way.

How can we appreciate Shavuos without the efforts and sleepless nights of the other Yamim Tovim? Megillas Rus, which we read on Shavuos morning, can help. Hidden within the story is the key to the spiritual growth available on this holiday of the giving of the Torah.

This is the time of the year we bring out our trusty cheesecake recipe and wonder why we only make it once a year! Whether you’re going with the tried and true, this year, or want to get bold with something new, here are some tips to making your cheesecakes fantastic: 

• If you are using a mixer, mix on low speed using paddles so that you don’t add air to the batter. It’s important to never whip your ingredients.
• Bring all the ingredients to room temperature before starting.
• Do not put your spring form pan directly in water; place the water bath on a different rack. 
• Cheesecake is not a cake. It’s really a custard. If you bake it at a lower temperature, it sets creamier, even though it takes longer to cook. 325° for about 45 minutes is about right.
• After baking, turn off the oven and leave the door closed for an hour – no peeking!
• Allow the cake to come to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight if possible.
• Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes to an hour before serving.