Page 58 - issue
P. 58
SheHashem yishmor al kol hachayal- ters’ school and its teachers to be good the siddurim and Chumashim at the
im shelanu! (Chava, we have to do quality, but she won’t send the girls to first grade siddur and Chumash par-
hafrashas challa! So that Hashem will the school’s summer camp, because of ties. He also attends graduation in all
protect all of our soldiers!).” So, Chava her family’s stricter stance about cer- the schools and yeshivos. For Purim,
made the challa dough and that Friday, tain issues. Instead of sending them the yeshiva offers a large seuda with the
all the women in her building (mostly away in the summer, Chava makes her Rav, which the Vodkas hosted these
non-religious) came down to the lobby own camp for her daughters. past two years. At this last Purim seuda,
to do hafrashas challa and say tehilim. they had 80 people in their ground
◆◆◆ floor apartment and backyard! The Rav
Speaking about raising her children is also involved in many political organ-
among secular people, Chava says, “You Chava makes it clear that their dati izations and is often asked to speak at
don’t want them to grow up in a bub- leumi community doesn’t compromise nationwide conferences.
ble; on the other hand, you have to find on halacha and that their yeshiva has
a balance.” She encourages her kids to serious bnei Torah. Generally, the Their Rav’s hashkafa is that “you
befriend the other children – to say bachurim marry young. They learn, shouldn’t only be a Torah person in the
hello and play ball – but there is no way their wives work, and they live the typi- bais midrash.” A man who has a pro-
she will allow them to play in other cal kollel lifestyle. Chava is in touch fession balances his time with Torah
homes. The children know they can with her former Bais Yaakov high learning. Along those lines, Chava reit-
only invite their neighbors to play in school friends who belong to chareidi erates that her sons’ learning is the
their own house. Before Sukkos, the communities in Eretz Yisrael. “We have ikar, the main focus, but she also
Vodkas invite all the kids in the build- come to recognize that halachically encourages them to get involved with
ing to their sukkah to make decora- we’re more or less the same; it’s the other facets of life, including carpentry
tions. One year they made a paper hashkafa that’s different.” and art. She believes that involvement
chain so long that they measured it by in other creative fields will enhance
wrapping it around the whole building! The Vodkas’ community leader, Rav their limud Torah and their apprecia-
Dovid, has Iraqi origins and was close tion for Hashem’s amazing world.
Chava and her husband spend a lot to former Chief Rabbi Rav Mordechai
of time discussing these concepts with Eliyahu, z”tl. The Rav is very involved in Another outlook that Chava learned
their kids to help them understand the everything that goes on in the commu- from the Rav is that being in the army
balance. Chava considers her daugh- nity. He speaks at the general PTA is “hatzalat Yehudim” (saving Jews) and
meetings in the schools and gives out
54 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
im shelanu! (Chava, we have to do quality, but she won’t send the girls to first grade siddur and Chumash par-
hafrashas challa! So that Hashem will the school’s summer camp, because of ties. He also attends graduation in all
protect all of our soldiers!).” So, Chava her family’s stricter stance about cer- the schools and yeshivos. For Purim,
made the challa dough and that Friday, tain issues. Instead of sending them the yeshiva offers a large seuda with the
all the women in her building (mostly away in the summer, Chava makes her Rav, which the Vodkas hosted these
non-religious) came down to the lobby own camp for her daughters. past two years. At this last Purim seuda,
to do hafrashas challa and say tehilim. they had 80 people in their ground
◆◆◆ floor apartment and backyard! The Rav
Speaking about raising her children is also involved in many political organ-
among secular people, Chava says, “You Chava makes it clear that their dati izations and is often asked to speak at
don’t want them to grow up in a bub- leumi community doesn’t compromise nationwide conferences.
ble; on the other hand, you have to find on halacha and that their yeshiva has
a balance.” She encourages her kids to serious bnei Torah. Generally, the Their Rav’s hashkafa is that “you
befriend the other children – to say bachurim marry young. They learn, shouldn’t only be a Torah person in the
hello and play ball – but there is no way their wives work, and they live the typi- bais midrash.” A man who has a pro-
she will allow them to play in other cal kollel lifestyle. Chava is in touch fession balances his time with Torah
homes. The children know they can with her former Bais Yaakov high learning. Along those lines, Chava reit-
only invite their neighbors to play in school friends who belong to chareidi erates that her sons’ learning is the
their own house. Before Sukkos, the communities in Eretz Yisrael. “We have ikar, the main focus, but she also
Vodkas invite all the kids in the build- come to recognize that halachically encourages them to get involved with
ing to their sukkah to make decora- we’re more or less the same; it’s the other facets of life, including carpentry
tions. One year they made a paper hashkafa that’s different.” and art. She believes that involvement
chain so long that they measured it by in other creative fields will enhance
wrapping it around the whole building! The Vodkas’ community leader, Rav their limud Torah and their apprecia-
Dovid, has Iraqi origins and was close tion for Hashem’s amazing world.
Chava and her husband spend a lot to former Chief Rabbi Rav Mordechai
of time discussing these concepts with Eliyahu, z”tl. The Rav is very involved in Another outlook that Chava learned
their kids to help them understand the everything that goes on in the commu- from the Rav is that being in the army
balance. Chava considers her daugh- nity. He speaks at the general PTA is “hatzalat Yehudim” (saving Jews) and
meetings in the schools and gives out
54 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
