Archive for February, 2009

Ora Rachel bas Tziporah Bracha: Pictures, Updates & More!

Ora 3

Dear Friends and Family,

I can not begin this update without apologizing to all those who have emailed wondering how Ora Rachel bas Tziporah Bracha has been doing. I’m sorry I haven’t responded until now. The fact of the matter is, that between all of my teaching and the additional responsibilities of serving as Overseas Director at Bnot Torah/Sharfman’s Seminary, I haven’t found the time as of late to write an update on cute little Ora Green.

Truth be told this is a good thing!

Why?

Honestly, the fact of the matter is that we have begun to get back to a sense of normalcy. In other words, teaching, having guests for Shabbos, spending quality time with our other kids, and so on and so forth has begun to occur as of late…!!

And so, I believe that this is all a huge sign as to how Ora Rachel bas Tziporah Bracha is improving—thanks to your continued Tefillah.

Week by week she is slowly putting on weight—she’s now over 8 pounds!! Indeed, she is making slow but visible progression at her twice a week physical therapy sessions, and her siblings love interacting with her. Best of all, we love watching her smiling and cooing back at Sima and Eliezer. What’s more, as of late, she’s even begun putting her pacifier in her mouth—by herself!

Now let’s be honest. I’m often stopped in the street or emailed, “should I still be Davening for your daughter?”

The answer is: Yes! Please continue! Her recovery will be a long but IMY”H continuously progressive one.

Clearly we have seen that through Achdus, Torah learning, Tefillah and a slew of other deeds that Klal Yisrael has performed, it has greatly impacted the immediate and long term prognosis of Ora Rachel bas Tziporah Bracha. Honestly, from a simply medical perspective the virus that she contracted while in the womb is still in her and could very well still effect her for several years!

That said, the pejorative word is could…it is ultimately up to Hashem, the Rofei Cholei Amo Yisrael, to determine what will be the final outcome.

We have seen that many of the morose outcomes that the experts predicted, have not materialized, Baruch Hashem! And this is clearly because Tefillah Hei HaTerfufah, prayer is (also a) medicine!

As such, we call upon every one of you to further your words of Tefillah and pleas on her behalf to the Ultimate Creator, Hakodosh Baruch Hu, that she only continues to improve and progress!

Indeed, her existence continues to be an Ora, a light, to the greater Klal Yisrael—and even to the not yet religious brethren who live with us in Eretz HaKodesh. You see, Ora goes twice a week to Gan Shikumei, which has a lovely brand new building at the base of Bayit Vegan. The care, love, and attention we have been receiving there is to our knowledge, unheard of in Israel, and we are forever indebted to the staff, for their devotion to our situation. What’s more, I was asked, by the head of the program, a lovely women by the name of Malka, to speak to some of the parents in the program, and share with them the secrets as to how we, as parents, seem to always walk in the building and interact with Ora and her overall state, in such a continuously positive perspective.

As frum yidden, we know that there is no secret—it is clearly due to Emunah and Bitachon (parenthetically, I’d encourage everyone to read this post in terms of having Emunah in today’s economy) and our overall increased relationship with Hashem that has infused us with this ability to appear to the general public as: B’Simcha Tamid.

We didn’t always have this ability; but we feel that we’ve been on a Spiritual Exercise Program, and that Hashem has been our Personal Trainer, guiding us and silently encouraging us along the way. And now, looking back on the past couple of months, we see how much stronger we are as individuals and as a family through the birth of Ora. Unsurprisingly, now that we have reached this stage, Hashem is asking us to share some of the experience, and the wisdom that we attained from it, with others. And so, due to the birth of Ora, I will IMY”H be speaking in Hebrew and enlightening others with the Jewish secrets to never having to pursue happiness—but to always recognize that everything that Hashem does…IS FOR THE BEST.

Every time I look at Ora, even as I type this to you now as she is sitting here in her stroller and fondly gazing up at me, I think to myself and say, “Thank you Hashem for such a beautiful Miracle!”

What’s more, while one can brush it off and presume that the timing has just worked out for Ora’s Kiddush to finally occur, I believe it’s without coincidence that her Kiddush will be taking place IMY”H the 25th of Adar / March 21st, Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei. Not only will we be graced with the presence of Ora’s great-grandmother and great-grandfather, Rabbi and Mrs. Salomon Jacobovits of Washington Heights, but all of this simcha will culminate in the month that chazal state: m’shnechnas adar marbim b’simcha (when we enter the month of Adar we increase our state of happiness). To that end, on behalf of my wife, we would like to extend an invitation to all of you who have davened, and are continuing to pray and learn for the continued health and refuah shelemah of our daughter: Ora Rachel Bas Tziporah Bracha…Thank you for your emails and words encouragement. Thank you for your conversations with Hashem, only He knows how much you have impacted our lives and the life of our daughter!

We hope that you can all make it to the Kiddush! Moreoever, we encourage you all to continue to forward these updates and invite those who we don’t even know but who certainly have aided in her recovery as well. If you will be in the neighborhood, we would love for you to stop on by…

February 22, 2009 | Tags: , , , , | 5 Comments 

An iPhone and a Mikvah!?!?

The title of this post sounds like a funny joke right?

I’m sure you’re all thinking to yourself, “where’s the punch line Rabbi?”

Truth be told, as I look at the title of this post I myself am still wondering what is a modern gadget doing in the same sentence with a mikvah, a word that connotes ancient tradition and holiness?

Well, welcome to the 21st Century Folks!

As you know, I’ve written about Jewish iPhone Apps before (see here). But the recently released Mikvah iPhone App that aides couples with following the Jewish Laws of Family Purity, at first had me scratching my head…

I honestly wasn’t sure what to make of it.

However, after some thought and discussion with colleagues of mine, I came to the conclusion that if this new app can help even one couple keep the mitzvah of Taharas HaMishpacha (family purity) then the creators of this app will certainly have partaken in a great mitzvah.

Let’s be honest! To more people then you can imagine, keeping the mitzvot can be challenging and at times confusing. And yet, while there are a multitude of English books on this particular subject, one can still walk away dazed and confused. Sadly, I know of too many couples who just feel soo frustrated that they’ll give up, and no longer try to understand the procedure, or let alone consult a Rabbi!

However, this new iPhone App really simplifies the entire process. What’s more, it is clean and clear and the usability of the Mikvah iPhone App may very well even encourage couples to take upon this once confusing and challenging mitzvah!

What do you think? Does this help or hinder the mitzvah?

February 22, 2009 | Tags: , , , | 5 Comments 

Fascinating News from the Jewish Book World

I’m always interested to see how long it takes until mainstream media or award winning authors/columnists explore different venues or mediums-such as blogs-to reach their audience. Truth be told, I grew up enjoying the insightful and inspiring and at other times humorous columns of Rick Reilly. That said, it comes as no surprise that despite the fact that at one point in time, he ripped blogs-he now has a blog of his own! He seems to have followed the saying of: “If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em!”

Likewise, if mainstream media doesn’t evolve and reach their audience using new mediums (and frankly it may be too late), they will simply become no longer relevant and sooner then later…worthless. Just this past week it was reported that The New York Times stock value had fallen to less then the price of the Sunday paper.

Indeed, while Rabbi Gil Student of Yashar Books has used his highly popular blog to promote books from his printing house, I find it fascinating that three of arguably the most reputable publishers of Jewish books, namely Artscroll/Mesorah, Feldheim Publishers, and Targum Press have begun to spread their wings a bit…

Case in point, while for good or for bad, there has been a blog that magnifies upon the every word of Artscroll (see here) the publishing house finally released The Official Artscroll Blog. Honestly, I find it aesthetically pleasing, well branded and believe that it reaches out to the masses effectively. It supplies samples of their books, allows for comments, and tells you when and where you can meet an author in your area. I only look forward to Artscroll/Mesorah adding more features to this site.

Likewise, I also appreciate the direction that Feldheim seems to have taken. They have placed some of their books on Google Book Search (see here). While I wish that it was not a “limited preview,” I do think that it’s a step in the right direction.

As far as Targum is concerned, they have compiled a list of author blogs that can be followed here. This is a remarkable development! That said, I do hope they expand upon this list. For instance, one name that I believe is a grave omission is that of Rabbi Tal Zwecker, the author of this Targum book. In fact, correct me if I’m wrong, but his blogs (see here and here) have a rather impressive online presence. And so, while he may not be as well known as Gila Manolson or Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz, I’d hope that they continue to integrate more names onto this blogroll. Finally, I must admit that I’ve enjoyed the behind the scenes prospectives from their Editorial Director and Editor-in-Chief!

In short, I believe that the above mentioned tactics certainly can help the chances of driving me to their website more. Additionally, it’s no secret that in today’s downtrodden economic world, one needs to be increasingly aware of useful and creative marketing trends that will make people interested in a book, and by extension, will enlighten fellow brethren to the the beauty that Judaism offers. As such, I’m pleased to see these companies join in the footsteps of Rabbi Gil Student, who to my knowledge was the first person to openly market his company’s books on his blog. Let’s be honest, if the online/technological creative juices of Artscroll/Mesorah, Feldheim Publishers and Targum Press continue to flow, we may soon see the day in which Artscroll Gemorah’s and Feldheim’s Messilas Yesharim are available on Amazon’s Kindle! As someone, who spends several weeks a year traveling, it would be wonderful to only have to pack a Kindle and have access to a plethora of traditional Jewish wisdom 24/6.

All in all, I’m glad to see that “The People of the The Book” are reaching out to a generation, who more then ever, make decisions as to what they want to buy, or whom to elect as the 44th President of The United States of America, based upon what they read on a screen.

February 22, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments 

Rabbi Noach Weinberg zt”l: Pictures & Video

Words can not describe the feelings that I, along with the entire Jewish people, are experiencing upon the loss of Reb Noach. I am certain that over the next couple of weeks, there will be throngs of individuals who will come forward to share stories about the greatness of Rabbi Weinberg zt”l.

And so, in the spirit of “pictures say a thousand words” I’d like to share with you some of the images that I captured this afternoon. I feel fortunate to be counted amongst the many who attended this levayah and showed respect to a luminary whom we have forever lost.

On another note, if one is interested in viewing the speech that Rabbi Yitzchak Berkowitz shlita delivered at the levayah please click here.

February 6, 2009 | Tags: , , , , | 4 Comments 

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