We can see Jewish history on every page of the Chumash Mikra’os Gedolos, the Hebrew text of the Torah with its classical commentaries. The Torah was written down by Moshe Rabbeinu in the Sinai wilderness. The Targum was compiled by Onkelos in Eretz Yisrael shortly after the destruction of the Second Temple. In the Middle Ages, Rashi and Rashbam wrote Torah commentaries in France, while Ibn Ezra, Ramban, and the Ba’al HaTurim wrote in Spain. Later, the Sforno wrote in Italy, the Kli Yakar in Prague, and the Ohr HaChaim in Morocco and Yerushalayim.

What is the purpose of the blank margin around the text? That is for later generations to fill in – to add their own insights based on the foundation provided by Chazal and the Commentaries. Patterns in Genesis and Beyond, recently written and published by Baltimore native Rabbi David Sykes makes a significant contribution towards filling in those margins.

Every Yiddle – and non-Yiddle – is familiar with the term “oy vay.” Right? However, the term “fahlsh vee der velt” (false like the world) may be unfamiliar. In the Yiddish world, when the veracity of a statement or deed is questionable, the term fahlsh vee dehr velt may be used. Nu, you may ask, for example? So here are a few examples of some past and present happenings where fahlsh vee dehr velt is applicable:

If you review the current newspapers, you will notice that nation after nation condemns Israel for defending herself. Never mind that Israel has contributed a vast amount of technology that is used by these very same nations. But instead of appreciation, Israel receives criticism. Ahn althe miseh (nothing new under the sun). Truth be told, the more the Jewish people contribute to the nations of the world, the greater they show malice instead of good will. Fahrvoss (why)? you may ask. Because of jealousy, what else?

She rises in the middle of the night to provide food for her family… She plants a vineyard from her earnings… She girds her loins with strength and energizes her arms… Her children rise and commend her; her husband praises her, “Many daughters have performed valiantly, but you surpass them all!” (Mishlei 31)

Whenever Shoshana* hears her husband sing Eishes Chayil, the Woman of Valor, on Friday night before Kiddush, she fervently hopes that he will not think about the English translation of Shlomo Hamelech’s vivid words. That is because Shoshana rarely feels “energy in her arms” or “strength in her loins.” Shoshana has ADHD, and perhaps her story (a composite of several true stories) can shed some light on this often misunderstood condition.

Shoshana is a woman in her mid-30s who tends to misplace her belongings. When facing a deadline at work, she waits until the last minute. She is often late for appointments. Shoshana’s behaviors did not begin as an adult. As a child and teenager, her locker in school was a mess, her notes were jumbled, and even if she did her homework she would often forget it at home. The one thing she had going for her was that she was extremely bright. She was therefore able to maintain adequate grades in spite of her disorganization. She became accustomed to last-minute cramming, since she could not bring herself to study in an organized manner.

As I sit down to write this article, the news is that Home Depot’s computers were hacked, and very often I get strange emails from people I know, which means their computers have been hacked.

We hear a lot about hacking today. For those of you who are not sure what it means, hacking is when someone “enters” your computer, via the internet, without your even realizing it. Target was “targeted” a few months ago, which prompted credit card companies to issue new cards with different account numbers to their customers. We’ll see if the same thing occurs with Home Depot. Either way, these incidents are not likely to go away. Breeches of computer systems will continue to affect homes and businesses large and small – not to mention government databases and computers.

The Obama administration officials' vulgar treatment of Israel's prime minister is troubling. But the policies behind their vulgarity – and reckless – are far worse.
Two officials were involved: one who used the epithet to describe Israel's leader, and a second who agreed with the obscene remark. The point they were both making is that they consider Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "coward" because he won't make the concessions that they believe might lead to peace.
What concessions, exactly? President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, and other senior administration officials have said time and again that they want Israel to retreat to the 1967 armistice lines and permit the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. That would, of course, reduce Israel to just nine miles wide at its vulnerable mid-section, near Netanya. It would also almost certainly lead to a hostile Arab state -- whether nationalist or Islamist -- in Israel’s heartland.

Miriam Kosman will be speaking to women in Baltimore on Thursday, October 30th at 8 pm at Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion

There have been few issues that have caused more internal controversy and dissent in the Orthodox world in recent years than questions of gender roles in the Torah community.

Any discussions on this topic tend to become emotionally-charged confrontations between those who attack the Torah way as hopelessly incompatible with modern feminist-influenced thinking, and those who defend tradition at all costs, choosing to ignore the pointed questions raised by their opponents since, in reality, the answers are not always clear.

Arab rock-throwers are getting more creative -- in a deadly way.

In the Middle East, rocks are plentiful, free, and sometimes lethal. Since ancient times, they have been a method of execution. So it is no wonder they have been a weapon of choice for Palestinian attackers.

On the evening of June 5, 2001, American citizens Benny and Batsheva Shoham were driving home after paying a condolence call in Ra'anana. Their five month-old son, Yehuda, was asleep in the back, strapped in his car seat. As they passed near an Arab village, Luban a-Sharkiya, rock-throwers attacked. One heavy rock crashed through the front windshield and struck the baby in his head, killing him.

Crime has been a stubborn fact of life. Over the past year, in our little area of Baltimore, there have been well over 1,400 police reports, for crimes ranging from armed assaults and robbery to a seemingly unending stream of car and home break-ins.

As a community, we have been trying to address the problem for quite a few years. We have Shomrim and NWCP, aiming to provide response and patrol services. We ask our local politicians to emphasize the importance of a greater police presence.

The problem is stubborn, however. We have failed to make much of a dent, while the criminals become more sophisticated and more brazen. Many burglaries happen while the family is sleeping. Thieves prey on older residents by impersonating officials of one kind or another. It has become clear that, without taking anything away from existing organizations, there are some significant gaps that can be filled to help make our community a safer place.

This piece is dedicated to Shaya Gross, a”h, a good friend, who mastered techniques of good interpersonal relations and promoted Jewish brotherhood and unity through them.

This summer, in response to the tragedies and danger to Israel, Baltimore’s Vaad Harabbonim encouraged all of us to meet and greet people cheerfully, as a way to strengthen Jewish unity and brotherhood. There is a simple technique to increase the connection to our fellow Jews when we greet them. The following examples will illustrate.
I first saw “Chaim” in shul. After seeing him a few times and exchanging mutual greetings, I introduced myself and asked him his name. Now, every time I saw him he would smile, and I would say, “Hello, Chaim.” When I was sitting shiva for my father, Chaim came to comfort me. He commented, “I do not know you well, but felt I had to come because you always greet me by name.” Another person I got to know under similar circumstances also told me that he came to my shiva because he appreciated that I greeted him by name.