In another first, Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Zev and Mrs. Renee Friedman met this week in Jerusalem with the girls of the first alumni class of Shalhevet High School for Girls. more

NCSY, the International Youth Movement of the Orthodox Union, is planning a record-breaking menorah lighting for this weekend on the first night of Chanukah in Connecticut. Over 1,000 menorahs, or … more

Last Sunday, The Chesed Fund and Baltimore Jewish girls traveled to Bayswater, New York to put on an extraordinary carnival and day of entertainment for those still recovering from Hurricane Sandy. more

I recently overheard two fathers of teenagers comparing their approaches to their sons’ shul attendance on Sundays and other “days off.” One of them came to me afterwards to discuss his related concerns about “texting on Shabbos.” With a little insight from Parshat Vayishlach, perhaps there is a simple answer to both questions. I accept that I may be hopelessly naïve. But the stand I propose at the end of this will not be, if followed, what turns your children away from Judaism. Much bigger issues bring about such a result. Having said that, let us see how we can find parenting-inspiration from our forefather Yaakov. more

Cold; so cold it cuts through the rags that were once clothes, straight to the bone. There was a time this cold so occupied your very being, you could concentrate on nothing else. But that was long ago. Darkness; so dark it sometimes seems more than the mere absence of light; it seems almost tangible. You vaguely recall a time when you were obsessed with determining exactly where you were, pacing in the darkness to examine your environs. You figured out you were in some sort of a concrete cell, perhaps six feet square, but not much more than that. You used to wonder what color the walls were, never having been allowed to see them, but that curiosity has long ago been replaced with more basic needs. more

Dec 2 Cedarhurst The Levi Yitzchak Family Center The innovative Jewish Library and Media Center. will be celebrating its 2nd Anniversary. The Library’s anniversary coincides with what would have been the Bar Mitzvah of the Library’s namesake Levi Yitzchak Wolowik O”BM. Levi Yitzchak is the son of Rabbi Zalman and Chanie Wolowik, the Chabad Shluchim for the Five Towns. To mark the occasion, the Library is planning a day of events, workshops and festivities for children of all ages. The theme of the day will relate to a Bar Mitzvah and will include activities that relate to 13 mitzvos that will be highlighted throughout the library. Children young and old will have the opportunity to perform Mitzvos such as Tefilah, Ahavas Yisrael and Simcha in the library. It’s sure to be an event you don’t want to miss. more

Rabbi Aryeh Pinchas Strickoff, author of the recently published work, “Inside Chanukah: Fascinating and Intriguing Insights on Chanukah, Its Miracles, and its History” [Feldheim 2012] perhaps said it best in his perceptive opening preface: “Jewish holidays serve a much loftier purpose than simply marking special moments in time or commemorating historical events, though those functions are no doubt important...." more

As I write this column, on Cyber Monday, people are at home, work, in cars or public transportation, on their desk tops, laptops, smart phones or tablets checking out amazing deals on things they can’t live without, have to replace, want to buy as gifts, for the thrill of a bargain or just simply want. more

The third annual Global Day of Jewish Learning, held on Sunday, November 18th, was an overwhelming international success and inspiration for thousands of Jews throughout the world. An initiative of the Aleph Society and world-renowned scholar Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, the Global Day of Jewish Learning unites Jews from all backgrounds to celebrate and study foundational Jewish texts. more

Jacob sent angels ahead of him to his brother Esau, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, “So shall you say to my master to Esau, ‘Thus said your servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban, and I have tarried until now. And I have acquired oxen and donkeys, flocks, man-servants, and maidservants, and I have sent to tell [this] to my master, to find favor in your eyes.’” The angels returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother, to Esau, and he is also coming toward you, and four hundred men are with him.” (Sefer Bereishit 32:4-7, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) more