I know a Holocaust survivor who lives on the West Coast. I attempt to speak with him once a week. Last week I casually asked him if the fact that all the shuls and Batei Medrash have been sealed shut reminded him of Europe before the war. My friend, who is in his mid-nineties, was taken aback in a way I had never seen.
This past Shabbos, Parshas Shimini, an event occurred 166 years ago, which I am sure most of us never heard about. It was on the 24th of Nissan in the year 1854 on Parshas Shimini, that Sasha Mindel Hertzberg née Kluger passed away. Mrs. Sasha Mindel was not a great known Rebbetzen, nor was she a miracle worker. She was married for a short time and
How quickly a world can change. In less than a month, every aspect of our life has been altered. People avoid each other. No one leaves their home except for food and essentials. When we do leave, we scurry hurriedly outside with our faces masked, and our hands gloved.
Last night I received a call from a health care professional who works in a different state. The individual was informing me that they were appointed to the ethics committee of their state's commission of medical ethics. The caller explained to me that part of the ethics committee’s duties was to decide who will receive the precious few ventilators
A section from today’s newspaper: “… The arrival of the coronavirus has rapidly raised anxiety levels among New Yorkers, many of whom spend their days in close quarters in office and residential buildings, on crowded sidewalks and in packed subway cars.”
“M'she-nichnas Adar, Marbim B'simcha!” "When the month of Adar arrives, we increase our happiness!" I have always been fascinated by this statement which only appears once in the entire Talmud. Here is the actual quote (Ta’anis 29a): “Rav Yehuda, son of
Rav Aryeh Levin zt”l is famous for the following incident: When his wife had pain in her foot, Rav Aryeh brought his wife to the doctor and he said, “Doctor, my wife’s foot is hurting us.” It is interesting to
Yesterday I was thankfully able to take a walk in the City prior to teaching. I walked over a mile northbound on Amsterdam Ave. from West 60th Street until 79th Street. I then turned around and headed southbound
It was on Sunday afternoon February 24, when I saw him. We were both at the gate waiting for our flight from Denver to Newark. I hesitantly approached him and said, “Shalom Aleichem.” He replied, “Aleichem Shalom.” I asked him if was visiting
I received a phone call early that morning. It was from Mayor Hector Lora the mayor of Passaic. I consider Mr. Lora a good friend, a sensitive individual and a caring man. He was my first phone call today. He said that he had heard