Well, today I got to see not the iTablet, but the iTalmud for the very first time!

Allow me to explain…

During my years in Yeshiva, regardless of where I studied, be it in America or Israel, year in year out, it was necessary to have a bookbinder bind the Gemorah, the tractate of Talmud that the Yeshiva would be learning. Reason being, between learning various chapters and pouring over this Sefer, for sometimes 12 hours a day, the pages and the binding of this particular work would quickly become worn. Indeed, there is almost this silent code of understanding that if your Gemorah looks a bit “beaten,” it invariably means that you have been learning “shtark” and have been devoting much times to diligently mastering the topics in this tractate of Talmud throughout the night and day! And so, many Bachurim would not simply bind their Gemorah. Instead, many Bachurim take the opportunity to also have the binding of their Gemorah stand out and have a cool design. What’s more, while some people in contemporary society are proud of their tattoo or their shoes or what have you, for a Yeshiva Bachur, the way in which his Gemorah is binded is not only cool, but could also acts as a Siman, a sign that that this is HIS Gemorah!

You see, in large Yeshivas, where thousands of young men are pouring over the SAME text, it is quiet easy to loose your Gemorah, and never see it until several weeks later…let alone the end of the Zman (the equivalent of a Semester in the Yeshiva system). And so, in order to help differentiate your Gemorah, people would have the bookbinder etch with tape (or perhaps in different colors of tape!), on the side of the Gemorah, a neat design, your initials in Hebrew or English, and so on and so forth….

And so, when I stopped to Daven Mincha in a particular Jerusalem based Yeshiva and saw how this individual had added a creative Siman, a sign to help him quickly identify his Talmud, I took a quick picture and decided to share it with you all:-) I decided to dub this Talmud, the iTalmud. Apple and Steve Jobs has surely done a wonderful job of marketing if a Yeshiva Bachur in Jerusalem feels that it would be cool to brand his Talmud with their iconic logo!

On Sunday, we enter the Jewish month of Cheshvan. Our Sages however, refer to this month using the name: Mar Cheshvan. If you are thinking that the word Mar sounds a bit familiar, you are right! You probably recognize that it is ever so similar to the word Marror, the Bitter Herbs that we eat at the Pesach Seder.

Truth be told, our Sages relate that this month, is Mar, it’s bitter, because there are no holidays in this month. Indeed, there is not even a formal fast day! At a spiritual level it’s a bitter experience. We just went from such a high and elevated state. We  lived in a Sukkah and experienced joyous dancing at Simchat Torah.

And yet, the reality is that somewhere between the start of the High Holidays and Simchat Torah, one may have turned on “cruise control” or “auto-pilot” and by extension, such an individual may not have gained as much as they could have from the holidays found in the months of Elul and Tishrei.

And then…reality sets in.

The fun is over.

The weather begins to change, and we find ourselves in a month called  Cheshvan, that does not offer any easy holidays from which one could use as a launching pad to elevate them to a higher and lofty spiritual state. If we want to continue to climb or fulfill our New Year’s Resolution(s) the work begins not through any short cuts. Life is not one big holiday. There are no elevators or escalators to achieving growth/our goals. We have to take one step at a time—and doing so can sometimes be an arduous task!

Let’s face it.

It’s harder to keep kosher than to not keep kosher.

It’s harder to prepare a Shabbat meal than to veg out in front of the TV watching Reality Television all day long (do you know that they even have a channel dedicated to watching such shows 24/7!).

It’s harder to read the Torah portion than to read Harry Potter.

So why do we do it? Why do we lead a Jewish life? Why do we insist on running up the stairs when the vast majority of the human race is taking the easy way out on the escalator?

Because this is the life that G-d wants us to be living. We need to remember that even if there is no party, no celebration, no Jewish Holiday or Sukkah party to attend, as Jews, we are forever blessed with the ability to hear the music playing underneath our feet as we climb up this ancient and holy staircase.

And this is our mission as Jews: to raise our children so that they we will also hear the subtle yet incomparable melody that emanates from shoe-level as we climb this Jewish Stairway to Heaven.

As such, even in the month of Cheshvan we can change the tune from a bitter one to an uplifting one, by simply asking: what are you going to do today to make being Jewish a little more fun, a little more melodious, for you and your child?

Join the 3 million people who have already watched this incredible 90 second video and be sure to share this post with them. Have a meaningful month of Cheshvan:

This blog post is based upon a post authored by Rebbetzin Chana (Jenny) Weisberg here. While I drive at a different message, I have used some of her thoughts in the above piece. I thank the Rebbetzin for sharing this video with me.

Thankfully, we have been doing a lot of walking around the city over the past couple of days. Indeed, we’ve walked from Ramat Eshkol to Shaarie Chessed on more than one occasion. Here is a map of the route that we took:
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Walking has enabled us to not only exercise (Sukkos, like many Jewish holidays, requires one to eat many festive meals, and if you don’t exercise a bit, you may find yourself putting on a couple of unwanted pounds ) but it has also allowed us to enjoy the many beautiful and diverse neighborhoods of Jerusalem. As such, we have been privileged to see many festively decorated Sukkah’s. Accordingly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share with you the coolest/most original looking Sukkah that we came across. We found it in the Nachlaot area of Yerushalayim. My kids (you can hear my son Eliezer in the background of the video below) have aptly called this Sukkah, “The Windmill Sukkah.” Enjoy the short video below…and Chag Sameach!

I’ll admit: it was hard work, and it did not feel all that rewarding. However, at the end of the camp, the boy gave me a big hug at my knees. I still remember that hug to this day.

Not withstanding that one summer, I had never been exposed to the day to day needs of special needs children. Nowadays, our daughter Ora, who Baruch Hashem continues to progress, attends private physical therapy sessions twice a week at Gan Shikumei in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Jerusalem. As such, while she does not seem to be as physically delayed as a kid with CP for instance, both my wife and I now see special needs children–and their parents in a new light! We view them with a great amount of admiration and respect.

And so, I thought I’d be remiss if I didn’t share this inspirational video about a young boy who joins a Little League team, despite the fact that he sits in his wheel chair, and can only talk using a electronic device. This whimsical tale takes a turn, when young Tom Ellenson’s dreams go large, as he lunches with Joba and A-Rod and gets invited to Yankee Stadium, to throw out the first pitch!

May we all be inspired to remember the beauty of LIFE that the Almighty gives to us all!

Indeed, being that this is a very transitive community filled with people who will in a short term return to North America, a lot of the strollers used by young couples here are imported/brought with them from America. From Bugaboo’s to Phil and Ted’s you name the brand, style, and make, and I’m certain that I have seen the model you are referring to in the past couple of days. What’s more, despite the fact that these strollers that roll the streets can cost upwards of a thousand dollars (yes you read correctly!), people adorn them with seat accessories, hoods for additional shade for the passenger and so on and so forth all in an effort to personalize the look of their  car stroller!

That said, I have yet to see the stroller designed by Valentin Vodev. The Roller Buggy is a multi-functional baby stroller that will really help a father drop off his kids of at a babysitter or a local Gan and still get to Kollel on time

What’s so unique about this stroller?

It transforms into a scooter with a simple pull of the lower body and even has a specially-made hydraulic brake system with two disk brakes that enable speed reduction at any time thus still looking out for the child’s safety. There is also a safety belt on the child’s seat.

I encourage you to check out the video below and if you are in the market to splurge on a stroller, be the first one in Ramat Eshkol to have this one

And yet, just several months ago, millions of Americans converged upon Washington D.C. to partake in the swearing in ceremony of our nation’s 44^th President. Indeed, years from now your children and grandchildren may ask, “Where were you when the 44^th President of the United States of America was sworn in?” All politics aside, when America elected President Barack H. Obama barriers of prejudice and race where forever torn down.  However, Mr. Obama did not travel upon a simple road to success and power. History suggests that he revolutionized the campaign process by promoting his presidency on the internet and starting his campaign practically two years prior to the election. However, at one point in time, the greatest obstacle that would have stood in his path towards the White House was the color of his skin. Nonetheless, the issue of race began to change with the leadership and efforts of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln—who is largely credited for the advancement of African Americans in our country and overall society.

To that end, we all are familiar with the expression, “hindsight is twenty-twenty.” This idiom suggests that every human being—and certainly world leaders, presidents and persons of power—need to look into the past to learn the mistakes and successes of how previous generations navigated through wars, recessions, politics, race, and various other timeless issues of interest. In light of the above, as we find ourselves on the cusp of the High Holidays, it would be prudent of us to observe a group of leaders who lived during the period of the Exodus, a time in which Hashem showed the world that he is the Creator and we are his people.

Truth be told, when you think of the leaders of the Exodus, the first names that probably come to your mind are that of Moses and his brother Aaron. And yet, the Talmud (Sotah 11b) relates: “In the merit of the righteous women of that generation, the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt!” In other words , the driving force towards God performing the plethora of miracles and splitting the Red Sea were none other than the Jewish women and the feminine leadership of the time.

How did they inspire change and forever impact the generation of the Exodus, and Jewish history for that matter?

Let us turn to the first model of feminine leadership found in the story of the Jewish midwives Shifrah and Puah. The Torah records that Pharaoh instructed them to systematically kill Jewish babies at their birth.

What do they do?

They do not argue with his orders.

Instead they practice insubordination by ignoring his immoral decree. Let’s be honest. That took some real guts to do back then. If they were ever caught by the Egyptian authorities invariably their heads would roll! How did they act so calm, cool and collected in front of Pharaoh, and yet have the courage to do what was right?

The Mai Hashiloach, Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica (1801-1854) teaches a powerful concept that rings true to this very day, and answers our question. He is of the opinion that when a person is afraid of people, and thinks that people solely run the world, then one can feel consumed by varying emotions of anxiety and stress—and under pressure and duress, loose his or her composure. However, if one realizes that Hashem is ultimately in control, even in turbulent times—such a person possesses a great sense of calm. It was this sense of emunah, of faith in Hashem, that Shifrah and Puah had and by extension, allowed them to act with defiance towards the edict of Pharaoh.

What’s more, the courage and feminine leadership did not stop with this one instance. In fact, if you think we, who are entrenched in a deep recession had it bad, try envisioning living through the tough times the Jewish people endured while in slavery.  Honestly, if I was around back then I could see myself very much giving up hope. After all, the Jews were enslaved for a couple centuries under the rule of the wicked Pharaoh. Indeed, Jewish tradition relates that this is exactly what happened. The men of the period—even great men such as Moses’s father—separated from their wives so as not to bring any future Jewish children into such miserable slavery. And yet, the Jewish women once again did not give up hope and faith in the Almighty. Instead, they preserved, remained steadfast in their belief in Hashem and encouraged their husbands to procreate and further establish the Jewish nation.

Finally, after God miraculously saved the Jewish people by splitting the Red Sea and drowning their Egyptian pursuers in it, the Jewish men sang a beautiful song to Hashem. The Jewish women, however, lead by the prophetess Miriam, seemingly outperformed the men by accompanying their song with music and dancing. Rashi explains that the Jewish women in Egypt were convinced that they would merit further miracles. And so, they packed instruments to play while singing praises to Hashem. In spite of the centuries of oppression and suffering in Egypt, they remained very optimistic that they would see a period of change, in which they would be able to celebrate the taste of freedom and the dawn of a new era.

And so, while it appears that the economy seems to only get worse with each day, we too must never give up on the notions of “hope” and “change” for a better tomorrow. We must remember that  all along we are in good hands—the hands of Hashem. May we merit that this upcoming year is a sweet one for all of Klal Yisrael, and that we finally see the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash speedily in our days.

Even before it became mainstream and in use by CNN to The New York Times, I’ve been invited to join Twitter by people who are even decades older than me—and I’ve always politely declined.

That said, I’ve come to the realization that at least during the school year, I simply don’t have the time to consistently write posts on a daily basis and share original content, Torah thoughts, inspiration, and so on and so forth.

And yet, I believe that through the venue that is Twitter, it will enable me to share a “short vort” or an inspirational insight/saying from a piece of Talmud to one of the Mussar Masters.  In other words, this means that I don’t intend on using Twitter in the “conventional method” of announcing my every move. Likewise, being that over the summer I will be presenting a course at Ner LeElef Institute titled, Technology and Kiruv, it’s only fitting that I take Twitter for a spin.

All in all, I see Twitter as a vehicle to share with others how Jewish wisdom is relevant and powerful  and can enhance your daily life—even in a hundred or so characters.

I invite you all to join in the voyage here!

I give a brocha that all of us this year (and of course myself as well), that we should truly be able to rid ourselves prior to Pesach of all of our Chometz. The physical Chometz and the spiritual Chometz as well:

What is the spiritual Chometz that I am referring to?

Chometz is spelled- ches, mem, and tzadik.

Ches- stands for Chutzpah. May I be privileged this year to remove and to burn from within me all of the Chutzpah which I can sometimes display towards others. Chutzpah in all of its forms is insidious and damaging, it destroys families and marriages. All of us should do our best to rid ourselves of this venomous character trait of being Chutzpadik. Do not think this malady is limited to the children of the community; not true, all of us must work and work hard to eliminate this trait from ourselves!

Mem- Stands for Machlokes. How we go into Pesach when in certain families the fire of Machlokes is raging? How can we stand and burn the Chometz when inside we are enraged with the fire of anger and machlokes against our spouse or our neighbor? This year before Pesach we must destroy the poison of Machlokes from among us.

Tzadik- (self) righteousness. We have to rid ourselves of our feeling of self-righteousness. We are constantly declaring ourselves to be righteous and correct. How often when we are involved in our family issues do we become obstinate and self-righteousness, refusing to apologize and forgive and forget in order to make peace. We use our feigned status of tzidkos – feigned piety- to allow situations of Machlokes to continue and fester.

We must rid ourselves this Pesach of the false tzidkos- false piety -which interferes with our serving Hashem.

We should attempt to be forgiving and not standing on our ‘principles’.

And before I forget, check out Rabbi Eisenman answering one of the most hilarious questions related to the Pesach Seder I’ve ever heard: “How do you open the door for Elijah the Prophet when one is in a submarine?”

Enjoy!

Consequently,we find the midwives described the Hebrew women to Pharaoh saying, “Ki chayot heinah.” The simple meaning of this expression is that the women were like chayot, animals, because according to the Talmud (Berachot 63b), they were all miraculously giving birth to six children at a time!

However, Tiferet Shlomo, explaining this verse from an esoteric perspective, reveals that they had now reached the level of “Chayah,” the level of Chavah (Eve) prior to the sin, and so the curse or difficulty in childbirth no longer existed for them. Accordingly, Tiferet Shlomo (Ki Sisa, p. 71a) says, if not for the sin of the Golden Calf, the world would have reached a perfect state of rectification(also see Shnei Luchot HaBrit 74a and Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer, Chap. 45, 107a for further analysis on this topic).

In light of the above, when you think of the leaders of the Exodus, the first names that probably come to your mind are that of Moses and his brother Aaron. And yet, The Talmud (Sotah 11b) relates: “In the merit of the righteous women of that generation, the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt!” In other words , the driving force towards God performing the plethora of miracles and splitting the Red Sea were none other than the Jewish women and the feminine leadership of the time.

To that end, I found it appropriate that on the Shabbat that proceeds Pesach,the weekly Torah Tidbits had an entire article dedicated to discussing the halachic ramifications of a women who recently birthed many children at one time: The Octomom.

Check out the entire article from The Puah Institute, titled: The Octomom and Halacha here (scroll down to the highlighted section).