It’s said that in Jerusalem if one walks ten feet in any direction he’ll end up at an archeological site. At the Temple Mount, however, we know he doesn’t have to move an inch. The ground there is saturated with history; it’s the archeological jackpot. The mother of them all.
Now comes author Ruchama King Feuerman to mine the Mount for all its dramatic potential in her new novel In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist. In September 2013 her book hit the internet and Amazon.com with a lot of noise – so much so that last month the book went to hardcopy-paperback. And testifying to Ms. Feuerman’s mastery of her craft, The Wall Street Journal’s book reviewer describes the In the Courtyard as “engaging… brilliant…a manifestly terrific novel...”; the best novel he’s read “in ages.” Recently the book was named as a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award – highly unusual for a book with an authentic Orthodox viewpoint.

“Frankly, I’ve had it with swimming lessons,” an acquaintance of mine recently confessed. As a swim instructor, my interest was piqued by the frustration inherent in her proclamation. I requested that she elaborate, which she was happy to do.

“Last summer, I enrolled my children in swimming lessons, paid a hefty sum of money, and got myself into a carpool that wreaked havoc with my family’s schedule at the most inconvenient time of day. I’m not really sure my children made much progress; even if they had, it wouldn’t have justified the financial outlay, the elevated stress level, and the drain on my energy. The summer leaves me feeling frazzled enough without extra pressure! Maybe I’m a terrible mother, but I’m just not doing swimming lessons again this year,” she concluded with a sigh.

I stumbled on the idea for this article while talking to a shadchan about a young man. The first question the shadchan asked me was, “Is he modern?” I was taken aback, because although I had described this young man in some detail, I had never thought to give him a label. Was he modern? Did modern mean a certain hashkafa and approach to Judaism? Or did it mean lackadaisical observance? I really did not know how to answer the shadchan, which is what brought me to explore the whole topic.

Neither rain, nor snow, nor gloom of night could keep the crowds away from Shomrei Emunah Sunday night. A large, diverse crowd came out to hear famed Russian refusenik R’ Yosef Mendelovich talk about his experiences fighting for Soviet Jews behind the iron curtain as part of his tour which included speeches at Beis Yaakov and Torah Academy as well.

Hookah smoking is a relatively new trend that has been gaining in popularity amongst teenagers and young adults. Unfortunately, many people are not aware of the dangers of smoking hookah. This is mainly due to the relatively new introduction of hookah’s into the US, minimal research, and lack of proper education on the matter. Cigarettes on the other hand, have been around a lot longer and many people are well aware of the negative effects it can have on one’s health. Additionally, there is a plethora of literature and scientific articles on cigarettes, the dangers, and the negative health effects. When it comes to cigarette smoking, people can name off many of the adverse health effects, such as lung cancer, heart disease and many others maladies. It is my hope that by the end of this article more people will be educated on what hookahs are, how they work, and the harmful effects they can have on one’s health. Hopefully by doing so, people will become as educated on hookahs as they currently are about cigarettes.

Nu, you may ask, what type of title is “Maid for a Day”? A good question. There once was a television program called “Queen for a Day.” (Does anyone remember?) It made a tsimmis (big deal) of one lucky lady from the TV audience who was chosen to be queen and receive her special wish – anything from a special bed for a handicapped child to a housekeeper to replace her while she recovered from surgery. She got many other prizes, too. The audience ah-ed and oo-ed as the gifts were presented, making all the vibelach (wives) jealous. When she received a free trip to the Bahamas, the olam went wild with envy.

Question: I just found out that my cholesterol is high. Do I need to stop eating eggs?

Answer: First, a little about cholesterol and what it is. Cholesterol is essential to the body. It is the parent molecule of some very important hormones and also of vitamin D. Most people don’t know that the majority of cholesterol is made in your body, by the liver. The body has a reciprocal relationship with cholesterol. If you take in more from your diet, the liver makes less. If you eat less, the liver makes more. It is almost impossible to outsmart the body because of this protective mechanism.

I wanted to share some of my feelings regarding the recent loss of Rabbi Yona Munk, a”h, who passed away this year on Hoshana Rabba. The genesis of my relationship with Rabbi Munk can be attributed to a shul announcement. A number of years ago during Shabbat davening at Shomrei Emunah, Rabbi Weinreb concluded his sermon by stating that “one of our own,” Rabbi Munk, had completed a sefer, which was now for sale at a local sefarim store. Rabbi Weinreb noted that the sefer, entitled Hegei Yona (Thoughts of Yona), was written in Hebrew and contained a number of creative insights on the parsha. This routine announcement, a transition to Mussaf for most of the kehila (congregation), opened a window for me to more serious and engaging learning.

Summary: Under financial strain from their baby Rafael’s therapy needs, the Fragers weigh the pros and cons of moving to a different community. Tzipora is loath to leave her family, mentors, and lifelong friends in Baltimore, who give her the warmth and support she feels she needs to raise her son. She finally agrees to move after realizing that he would benefit greatly from the resources in the New York area.

Our move to Elizabeth, New Jersey, was good in the sense that it indeed provided excellent services for Rafael. However, Elizabeth in 1980 was a smaller community than it is today, and lacked the community resources a young family needed. For instance, there were no welcoming committees for new couples. I was extremely disappointed, because in Baltimore new families were welcomed by N’shei and the Ner Israel Service League. Shul was a major place to meet people, but since Elizabeth was also sans eruv, I was unable to attend on Shabbos morning unless I could locate a babysitter. (Although Baltimore also did not have an eruv at the time of our departure, I had family who came to me, and I had longtime friends, so I didn’t have to cultivate new ones.)

With Pesach approaching, the pace quickens. I always lose five pounds in the two weeks before Yom Tov, just from the nervous energy expended in getting out the chometz and bringing in the Pesach.

My mother-in-law, the Bluzever Rebbetzin, z”l, used to just wave away the tension. “My hardest Pesach was in Bergen-Belsen,” she used to say. “There it was hard to get rid of the chometz. After all, that’s all we had to eat…”

What was it like to make Pesach in Bergen-Belsen, not just one year, but two years – two years of a progressively worsening situation? This is the tale we retell every Pesach.