Most readers of the WWW keep Shabbos and have learned from their youth that Shabbos is a special day, when we look forward to eating special foods, inviting guests, and learning the parsha. As parents, we try to make our children look forward to Shabbos, too. But enjoying Shabbos is not always easy, especially these days, when we are connected to electronics the whole week and are used to being distracted. What can families do to make Shabbos special?

Advice from a Rebbetzin

Miriam, a rebbetzin, told me that she sometimes gets phone calls from people whose children are struggling with Judaism. Miriam said, “The first thing I ask them is if they make their Shabbos table fun. Each family is different, and what is fun for one family may not be fun for another one. It takes thought and effort to find out what your family enjoys and to plan that activity. When my children were young, we had a special spot where we all hung out together on Friday nights. It was cozy and warm, and everyone read their own book. For us, that was fun, and my children looked forward to our weekly get-together.

“A teenage boy I know once told his mother that he hates erev Shabbos because it was full of screaming,” Miriam adds. “When the mother heard that she tried to make Friday afternoons more pleasant. Especially when it comes to Yiddishkeit, it is important to make your children’s memories positive. Then they will grow up and do the same for their families.”

The smoke detector sounds. It is an emergency. Without question, we must do something. Studies show that when there is a fire, many people instinctively retrace their steps to exit the building through the same doorway that they came in. 

In marriage, too, when alarms sound and a sense of urgency sets in, there is a tendency for many people to instinctively think that they should retrace their steps. When there are problems, they think that they must undo the marriage and proceed with divorce. We must ask ourselves: Is there another option?

When a person is in a crisis, it is best to take a moment to assess the situation. The smart way out of the crisis is not necessarily to undo our steps. In the case of a smoke detector, it might be safer and more effective to properly assess the situation and use a fire extinguisher if necessary. In the case of a marriage crisis, it might well be safer and more effective to meet with a mentor who specializes in the area of concern and learn relationship skills to bring the marriage to a happy place.  

As the temperature drops, there may be nothing that says “comfort” quite like sipping some hot soup. With every spoonful, you can feel the warmth radiate throughout your body. Whether you are chilled, aching, or just tired, finishing a bowl of soup is like being wrapped in a warm blanket on the inside.

It is fascinating how this simple sustenance can be both an inexpensive meal and a gourmet dish. It is fed to prison inmates and soldiers – and also to presidents and kings. It exudes warmth and comfort to the family yet takes little prep and inexpensive ingredients. Anyone can handle the straightforward cooking process – cut this, boil that – and there are hundreds of varieties to please any palette.

It is possible to question why we “eat” soup instead of “drink” it, since it’s a liquid. The fact that we don’t put it in a mug is also troublesome. Isn’t soup just a hot drink? As an important part of the meal, deserving its own course and requiring separate utensils, soup is far beyond a beverage.

Long ago, soup was eaten as an accompaniment to bread, which was used to soak up the liquid. When people started eating the soup on its own, in the 1600s, they adopted the name we know today, deriving from the Latin verb suppare, which means “to soak.”

This year’s presidential election has brought into focus the ominous polarization between right and left in America. Indeed, political turmoil marks the current political climate around the world. But, beyond the obvious, several political movements are progressing far below the radar. None of them is grabbing headlines, but, if successful, their repercussions would be disastrous.

Interestingly, the words of our talmidei chachamim are often relevant to current events. Consider the Malbim’s commentary on these pesukim:

“A river issues forth from Eden to water the garden, and from there it is divided and becomes four headwaters. The name of the first is Pishon… The gold of that land is good… and the Shoham stone. The name of the second river is Gichon… that encircles the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Chiddekel…that flows toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates” (Bereishis, 2:10-14).

As a real estate broker, I have witnessed firsthand how thoughtful home improvements can significantly impact a property’s market value. Whether you are planning to sell your home or simply want to enhance its appeal and functionality, understanding which upgrades add the most value is essential. Not all improvements are created equal – some projects yield a high return, while others may not add as much value as expected. Let’s explore how strategic upgrades can enhance your home’s value and appeal.

Homeowners often ask, “Should I focus on structural updates or aesthetic upgrades?” The answer lies in balancing practicality and visual appeal. Buyers are drawn to homes that are move-in ready and visually attractive, but they also value properties that won’t require significant repairs in the near future. Structural and functional improvements may not be glamorous, but they are critical for ensuring your home is safe, efficient, and market-ready.

“Anything Can Happen” is my favorite song in the play, Mary Poppins. The first line of that song is “Anything can happen if you let it.” Something happened when Meira Berendt (Levi) decided she wanted to do a production with women. With the help of Hashem, after eight months of hard work, supported by her musical directors, choreographers, cast, and crew, it happened: the women’s play Mary Poppins. The result was a spectacular production that could have been on Broadway.  

As a teacher, I always loved the character of Mary Poppins. For many years in Atlanta, I dressed up on Purim as Miriam Poppins (a Jewish Mary Poppins) and visited Morah Dena Friedman’s kindergarten class at Torah Day School, bringing joy to the children (and myself) as I marched around with my bird head umbrella and sang “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” So when my daughter was practicing for the play, I bought tickets for both nights’ performances, December 22 and 23, at the Panther Theater. I sat at the edge of my seat during this all-woman professional performance. After the play, I went to sleep singing the songs and got up singing them. The acting, singing, dancing, scenery, costumes, special effects, and more were beyond what I expected. It was so enjoyable that I wish I could watch it again!

There are two things that I notice when I look down at my hands.

The first is how closely they resemble my mother’s. I never noticed that as much as I have since October 7 because since that fateful day I simply cannot bring myself to polish my nails. My mother never polished hers.

You have to know me to appreciate just how meaningful and significant a change it is. Some things are sacrosanct, and for me, this is one of them.

Since I was a very young teen (and that’s been over three score) and first discovered the intoxicating smell of fresh polish, except for a few hours here or there, my natural nails have not seen the light of day.

by STAR-K

Mazal tov! Whether you have just purchased your very first house, the lot on which you’re building one from scratch, or you’ve finally saved up money to renovate your 70-year-old home, let the buyer/builder/remodeler beware! This is not your grandfather’s house! The average Torah-observant consumer would have to have a thorough understanding of things like electricity and plumbing – and their applications vis-à-vis halacha – to ensure that their newfangled home improvements providing safety, comfort, and convenience are also Torah-compliant. These include everything from comfort pumps to induction stovetops.

Rabbi Eliyahu Krieger was my menahel in high school. Born in Berlin to an Eastern European family, he arrived in the United States when he was young and studied in Yeshiva Torah Vadaas under Rav Shraga Feivel Mendelovitz, who single-handedly created Torah chinuch (education) in the United States. Rav Shraga Feivel created Torah Umesorah, whose mandate was to build Torah day schools in every small Jewish community in the United States. To accomplish this, he rallied gedolei Yisrael from across the spectrum to support Torah Umesorah’s activities and programs. Yet this was a sidebar to his official endeavors, which were to build Yeshiva Torah Vadaas in Brooklyn, Kollel Beis Elyon in Monsey, and various programs to train Torah teachers. He created the yeshiva settings whereby Rav Shlomo Heiman, Rav Reuven Grozovsky, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, and many others were able to influence the American Torah scene, and he was also instrumental in the building of several other yeshivos in America.

Returning to Rabbi Krieger, whereas most of his contemporaries who arrived on the American shores as refugees from the Nazis were eager to start businesses or pursue professions, Rabbi Krieger was interested in studying in yeshiva and became a disciple of Rav Shraga Feivel. This meant that he became committed to chinuch, as did the most of Rav Shraga Feivel’s talmidim. As happened to many, he also became the de facto “rabbi of his family,” since he was the first one to receive a yeshiva education and develop that perspective on life.

As soon as I got my driver’s license at 18, I drove to my friend Ruthie’s house to celebrate. But as I was parallel parking, a skill I had just learned to pass my driver’s test, I hit a car. “I’m not getting back in there,” I told my friend’s mother.

“Oh, yes you are,” she said, and the owner of the car I hit agreed. Through their kindness, I got back into the car, and, b”H, I’ve been driving ever since, even teaching my children how to drive when they were teenagers. Still, through the years, I’ve avoided parallel parking and mostly park my 2012 Camry at the curb in front of our house or between the white lines in parking lots. Now that I’m a senior (not a high school one, of course) my new problem is maneuvering my car between the white lines in those parking spaces.