The Power of Words

(Hat tip: Shoshana K) A brilliant ad on the power of words.

EZ Reads 3/11/11

Some interesting and fun reads/views before Shabbos comes...

• A huge kiddush Hashem by some YU students, who noticed while doing a magic show that there were unused labs in a public school - so they volunteered to conduct science labs for the kids.
• The Yated (on Matzav, via reader YS) has an interesting op-ed entitled Life is Not a Popularity Contest, which discusses how we must start speaking out in the community against those who act improperly and dishonestly.
  

  Prominent shady characters are given carte blanche to enact their agendas and the dishonest are permitted to continue their detrimental behavior and actions. We beat gingerly around the bush, dancing around the edges, afraid to proclaim the truth.
  
  What are we afraid of? Why are we silent?

  Amen. I hope this is the start of a transition, and I'm curious what set it in motion. (Orthonomics is also pleasantly surprised.) Nice bonus: I may not face as much fallout as originally thought from the Honesty and the Jewish Community series after all.
• Adventures in Chinuch starts from the beginnings and questions if the root of the problem in Jewish education is perhaps the parents.
• Absolutely hilarious routine at Life in Israel on an Israeli in a NY restaurant.
• Tamar Snyder interviews Dr. Alan Kadish about Touro, filling Dr. Lander's shoes, and where the school is headed. Interesting if unsurprising that Touro is focused on being an educational rather than a research school.
• ZionTrain posts an oldie that is a take on how halachos seem to be born in today's times.
• Jewish men can jump? An article on Jews dunking... I've seen many guys dunk, but only a couple who did so in a game (and on a fastbreak only).
  

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Gift of Life (Bone Marrow) Request & EZ Reads 3/8/11

Just a few pieces for a slow Tuesday, and one important request:

The 1-year old daughter of Hindy Poupko and Seth Galena (of Bangitout I believe), Ayelet Yakira Galena, was recently diagnosed with a rare bone marrow failure disorder and will need a bone marrow transplant. Gift of Life is an incredible organization which does simple cheek swabs (essentially a Q-tip in your mouth for a few seconds) and keeps a record of your bone marrow on file, so if you're ever a match for someone who needs it they'll know. I did a swab 10 years ago, and it was the easiest way to potentially help save someone's life - and you never need to do a swab again. From one of the e-mails I received:

Here are some ways you can help us out:

1. You and everyone you know can get your cheeks swabbed at the bone marrow and sent it to the gift of life here is the direct link https://www.giftoflife.org/Public/Online/Donor/Guidelines.aspx

2. If you think you are already in the registry, double check here: https://www.giftoflife.org/Public/quickcheck/default.aspx

3. Currently, Gift of Life (the Jewish bone marrow registry) does not have the funds to process all of the new registrants (each test costs $54) so consider donating to Gift of Life through our dedicated donors circle at: http://www.giftoflife.org/dc/Ayelet-Galena/blog.aspx. If you cannot afford it I am personally working on getting sponsors.

4. If you banked your child's cord blood and would consider donating it in the event that it is match - please be in touch with us

5. Forward this email to everyone you know.

6. Upcoming drives:

March 7th, 2:00-7:00pm, New York Region of Hadassah
5 West 58th Street, NY, NY 10019

March 19th and March 20th, 8:30-11:00 PM, The Jewish Center
131 W. 86th St., New York, NY

Thank you for your time and help, Hindy Poupko and Seth Galena

Elsewhere:

• A fantastic article in the NY Times called The Tire Iron and the Tamale, via Rafi, on a man who has been stranded three times on the side of the road in the past year, and the people who came to help him out. Excerpts:
  

  Each time, when these things happened, I was disgusted with the way people didn’t bother to help. [...] But you know who came to my rescue all three times? Immigrants. Mexican immigrants. None of them spoke any English. [...]
  
  His wife produced a large water jug for us to wash our hands in. I tried to put a 20 in the man’s hand, but he wouldn’t take it, so instead I went up to the van and gave it to his wife as quietly as I could. [...] After I said my goodbyes and started walking back to the Jeep, the girl called out and asked if I’d had lunch. When I told her no, she ran up and handed me a tamale.
  
  This family, undoubtedly poorer than just about everyone else on that stretch of highway, working on a seasonal basis where time is money, took a couple of hours out of their day to help a strange guy on the side of the road while people in tow trucks were just passing him by.
  
  But we weren’t done yet. I thanked them again and walked back to my car and opened the foil on the tamale (I was starving by this point), and what did I find inside? My $20 bill! I whirled around and ran to the van and the guy rolled down his window. He saw the $20 in my hand and just started shaking his head no. All I could think to say was, “Por favor, por favor, por favor,” with my hands out. The guy just smiled and, with what looked like great concentration, said in English: “Today you, tomorrow me.”

• Waiting For Next Year has a great piece on the NFL labor dispute, saying "Don't Pick Sides" in the Plain Dealer, then continuing on the blog.
• The Times has a fun piece on Cleveland envy among Knicks fans. That's what happens when 25% of the lowly Cavs' wins are against the same team.
  

Enjoy!

EZ Reads 2/18/11

Today's links are mostly fun as opposed to serious, so have a good time and a great Shabbos!

• R' Gil caps the symposium he's held on his blog about the ethics of brain death and organ donation with Part X and gives a closing statement. Excerpt:

  This symposium was not a dialogue. Such a conversation is extremely desirable. Until that happens, the warnings offered by many participants to proceed with respect and caution are worth heeding. ... Until we are able to listen to each other, we will never be able to talk. We did not solve this dilemma here but we can at least leave knowing where the problem lies.

• R' Moshe Grylak in Mishpacha (hat tip: Chana):

  We met in a certain shul. And this is what he reported: “What can I tell you? I’m a kollel man, I learn well; I even enjoy my learning, and I stick to a regular schedule. But I’ll be honest with you — I don’t believe in G‑d. Everything I do is just a sham.”

• Chana writes a difficult piece on Why We Cut.
• Via Diana, there are some nice pictures as CrownHeights.info highlights Cleveland's Friendship Circle which held a dinner for 120+ people for the volunteer-based organization, which works with children with special needs.
• Via Ariella, Divrei Chaim rants about ads promoting luxurious trips... to kevarim.
• Really cool: Wires transform objects from inanimate to hilarious pieces of art.
• Doghouse (cartoon) explains how to explain things to teens these days.
• Why patience matters when selling something online (Lifehacker).
• And finally, xkcd does it again in Let Go (wish I could do what he does in the scroll over text):
  

Cleveland Helps

A nice story from this morning (my brother had told of the Dessler aspect of the story when he came home from davening this morning; they showed up at shacharis pretty unexpectedly) -

The return flight from Eretz Yisroel for Rabbi Eli and R’ Reuven Dessler and family was set to arrive in Newark this morning and then transfer to Cleveland later, but due to the weather had to be redirected. ...Cleveland was somehow chosen.

...other stranded passengers from this flight, 40 of whom were dependent on kosher food and various Jewish necessities...

Immediately upon hearing about this flight being redirected, Yaakov Moshe Berkovic of  Davis Caterers and Mrs. Sara Shapiro of Bikkur Cholim (and the many people who volunteer for them) got the ball rolling to get much needed food and other things to this group of people. Kinneret Pizza was churning out pizzas, Dovid Greenberger and his Bagel Shoppe made an innumerable amount of bagels and baked goods.  Other people stepped in to help in a variety of ways.

(Note: I'm guessing it was a Continental flight, and was rerouted so they'd have planes at another hub of theirs, the closest of which is Cleveland.) Anyway - great story, and a nice testament to the frum community of Cleveland.

Rabbi Machlis in Queens 8:30 TONIGHT!!!

You may have been a guest in their home for a shabbos meal during your year in Israel. You may have only heard of the dining room in which “there is always room for one more.” For over twenty years, Rabbi and Rebbetzin Mordechai Machlis have opened their home to hundreds of individuals every shabbos in a remarkable display of chesed, kindness, warmth, and joy.

TONIGHT is your chance to hear Rabbi Machlis speak on a topic he is quite familiar with “Avenues of Chesed in the Modern World.” Join us in welcoming him to Queens and sharing his Divrei Torah TONIGHT at the home of Yermi and Tamar Ornstein at 147-17 72^nd Drive in Kew Gardens Hills.

Don’t miss this opportunity!

Kindness Really Does Happen

Yesterday Erachet and I were the recipients of a truly overwhelming act of kindness, an example of the Jewish community at its best.

As new Heights-dwellers, we set out yesterday on our first expedition to the nearby Target (easily accessible by subway!) in search of apartment essentials and cereal at a decent price. Once in the store, of course, we discovered that we 'needed' a lot more than we previously thought we did. Erachet and I currently share a not-so-large room, and we're still figuring out how to maximize our space, so I was excited to find a piece of furniture on sale that looked like it would suit our needs. However, the box itself was too heavy to lift, and certainly not transportable by subway. I asked a Target employee about delivery, but it isn't a service they offer (and I ask: whyever not? This is New York City, people! You know we don't have cars!). The employee suggested that I order the item online, but acknowledged that in-store sales often don't apply to online orders. I racked my brain for friends with cars, and though I have a few, I didn't feel it would be appropriate or considerate to ask them for that kind of favour. Frustrated, I declared emphatically, "I wish we had a car!"

"Do you need a ride somewhere?" A young frum woman pushing her cart down the aisle had overheard my comment.

Surprised, I responded, "Well...um, yes, actually. We came by subway, but this piece of furniture is too heavy to carry."

"Where do you live?"

"The Heights." I told her our address.

"I can take you. I have a minivan, and I have some free time now."

Erachet and I were almost too overwhelmed to speak. When she initially offered the ride, I assumed that, like us, she lived in the Heights--but I soon found out that, in actuality, she lives in Riverdale, so the stop was completely inconvenient. Not only did this woman--an intelligent, accomplished mother of three children under five years old--offer a ride to two girls whom she had never met before, but she went far out of her way to do so, gladly taking time out of her busy schedule to help total strangers.

In the car (during stop and go traffic--for which she apologized to us, of all things), we chatted and played the obligatory game of Jewish geography. Passing a homeless man on the side of the road, our benefactress took out her wallet, rolled down her window, and dropped a bill into his cup. Clearly, we had stumbled upon someone who makes chesed her highest priority.

As we neared our destination, she exclaimed, "Oh! Do you want anything to eat? I'm sorry I didn't offer!" I was practically dumbstruck, and laughed as I thankfully declined. It wasn't enough for her to do us the favour of driving us to our apartment, but she also had to welcome us into her van as if it were her home.

As she dropped us off right in front of our building and even helped us carry our things to the door, all I could think was: wow.

So LL, thank you so much--you are an unbelievable baalas chesed, and truly inspiring. You made our day!

The Duck Banker

Moshe is going to love this story, which will certainly make you smile. A banker noticed a mother duck and her twelve ducklings stuck on a second floor balcony, and knew that the mother duck would call the ducklings to follow her to water - except the ground below was cement, and the jump would not be a good one for them. See how he saved them (and led them to water!).

This also is the perfect excuse to post this picture of Elianna with all of Moshe's ducks.

Helping Hands

As a general rule, I don't write about anything involving my work on this blog. This is the wisest, safest choice and avoids my ever running into a problem with work because of this blog. However, there's something I want to write about right now because I think it's important to get out, so bear with me please.

Many friends of ours have known for a while, and many other readers caught on from this post, that I am currently unemployed. (Managing a hedge fund? Call me! {wink}) While I happen to be enjoying unemployment immensely at the moment, with the extra time to read and write when Kayla takes a nap, and the ability to spend some time playing with her and Elianna, I understand (okay, Serach insists) that in the long run, I'm going to need to find a good job. So after taking a little time off to figure some things out, I started to look recently for positions that were up my alley.

What has been amazing has been the help from people, whether friends, people who read this blog, people who barely know us, and people who just hear that I'm unemployed. Everyone either has a lead, thinks their own company might be looking, or has friends to send my resume to who might be able to help. More impressively, some of those friends of friends - people who don't know who we are at all - will call and say that while they don't know of anything, here are some friends of theirs who might. Others will follow up with me before I've even had a chance to do so with them, e-mailing or calling me to offer their help. It's truly amazing, touching, and heart-warming.

The kindness of others has reached the point where I'm starting to feel bad. It's simply impossible to keep track of all the people who have contacted me and follow up with them all as I would like to. I've had to prioritize by which jobs seem most up my alley and that I would have a reasonable chance of getting the job, while pushing the rest to the back burner until those first few play out. This is obviously a wonderful luxury, but it hurts to not be able to properly thank all those who have been going out of their way for us.

So... for all those who are reading this, thank you.

Johnny the Bagger

(Hat tip: Pobody's Nerfect) I saw this video yesterday and found it to be really moving - feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. It is from the Simple Truths website, which puts out some really nice stuff.

Moving

A friend asked me yesterday an interesting question, not because I haven't been asked it before, but because of a couple of small, 'nothing' stories that happened recently that I thought said a lot.

My friend asked simply "What moves you?"

I've noticed that it's often the little things that 'move' me far more than anything else. The example I gave was a person taking an extra second, or a bit of extra care, to make sure someone was happy, that everything was okay, that they have what they need - that moves me more than (say) a large charitable organization doing what it sets out to do [however amazing that is].

I'll give a quick example from Shabbos. Friday night, while MordyS, G, and myself were davening in the non-post-Purim-Carlebach minyan behind the mechitza (long story), I noticed at the front left of what during the day is the women's section two young men sitting and davening with the front minyan. The one on the left was a regular, the other was a visitor, sitting alone. The one on the left asked the visitor a couple of questions about himself, then asked where he was eating that night; he pointed to the man just in front of the mechitza and responded he was eating by his brother, and the regular said "Oh well, I was going to ask if you wanted to come to us." I couldn't help but smile at the whole exchange.

The next day, as we were leaving shul, G tells me that he liked the shul (and not just because it was over after an hour and a half). I asked why, and he explained that after davening ended, the man on the table he was at asked him simply: "Hi; What's your name; Where are you from; Do you have a place to eat?" Now, this is not a shul that rarely has guests - every week, there are a large number of people who aren't regulars at the shul, there are plenty of new people constantly (KGH is a transient neighborhood with many young people in particular constantly moving in and out), and it's often hard to know if the person next to you is new or has been living next door for ten years. Odds are, people there have places to eat, usually their own house. This isn't the Young Israel of Cleveland where you know that someone is from "out-of-town" and not sitting with someone, so there are odds they might need a place to eat. And perhaps it's easier to assume that an "out-of-towner" might need a place for a meal in New York... but I still thought it was a great story.

When my friend asked me what moves me, it is stories like these that immediately rushed to my mind. People showing awareness of others and their needs, or even just something that will make their lives a little easier or nicer: Making a bunch of calls and sleeping on a floor to make sure someone else has a place to stay after a miscommunication - when it's not your problem. Bringing a couple small items that just make life that much easier. Taking someone else's daughter for a walk, or putting her down to sleep, or just keeping her busy for a little while. Inviting people to meals at places where you know it won't be a problem, because it's needed for whatever reason. Offering to switch places to stay when someone wants to go to sleep and everyone else wants to keep going. Not coming along even when you'll be bored to let a friend talk about something privately. Going to check on a friend first even though there are other important things to do. And in just about all of the cases above, these actions were treated as perfectly normal - expected, even - and were done in a rather low key fashion (or joked about). Modestly. Quietly. As if everyone does it.

Those types of 'little' things move me, even though they're rather common among people we know. Heck, all of those last few examples were just from our guests this past weekend. I don't know... this is what moves me.

What moves you?

Small Nisim and Small Packages

A couple of nice stories...

Story #1: My co-worker, who is not religious, came over to tell me about the small 'nes' (miracle) that happened to him last night (his words). He realized he didn't have any candles to light for Chanukah, so he planned on going to the Judaica store nearby after work. Unfortunately, work didn't end until 8pm for him - so he was going to try and get some then, though he didn't know where. But then he was invited out by his manager to drinks on 43rd St., and couldn't really pass it up - but by the time he came out, it was already close to 10:00. Where could he find candles at such a late hour?

He usually walks across 45th Street to get to his apartment on the East Side, but since the bar was on 43rd, he decided to walk across 42nd Street instead. As he was walking, he reached the corner of 42nd and 5th Avenue - and lo and behold, what does he see? A 15-16 year old Chabad kid giving out candles for people to light! He offers to pay a couple dollars and is refused - "They're all to be given out" - and takes home his candles and happily lights his menorah.

Story #2: This morning, as I got off the bus to get onto the subway, there was a woman trying to take a baby (in a snap-and-go) down the steps... and walk her child who was probably about 3 years old down, as well. She noticed the crowds coming off the buses behind her, and wanted to hurry down the steps, and tried encouraging the 3-year old to walk down on her own - but the girl wanted to hold her hand. So she tried to walk her down quickly, but the child was taking her time, holding the railing with her other hand and counting "1! 2! 3! ..." as she walked down the steps. The mother said to her, "C'mon, hurry..." and walked a couple of steps further down to encourage the girl to do so, but a lady right behind me called out to the mother, "Don't rush her! She's counting!" I thought this was really nice.

The mother still felt bad about the crowd, though, and tried again saying to the girl, "C'mon, honey, hurry - people are trying to get to work." Again the lady called out, "It's okay!" It was nice to see so many people patiently waiting, smiling, as the little girl continued her way down the steps.

Story #3: From SIL: Ben (5) and Hen (3) were standing on a stool watching me make latkes last night. The stool is a about a foot and a quarter wide, so it was challenging for both of them to stand comfortably. (Ben suggested that we either get another stool or skinnier feet.)

Ben: Hen, could you tell your yetzer hara to stop pushing me!

Ezzie's Blog Roundup, 11/19

We've got a family wedding to attend, but here are a few decent reads for the evening:

• OurBS, Eh? blames Canada.
• A really nice essay on Cross-Currents by Jonathan Rosenblum.
• Greg is polling what people believe about Creation.
• I've always liked these quotes of TR that Jack posted.
• And more importantly, I've posted at both Our Kids Speak and Kindness Happens, two great blogs that will always make you smile.
  

Enjoy! Excerpt from the KH post It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood:

The past while has been a bit rough for me. For us. I've been feeling for a few weeks that I really need a break - time to just freeze, to stop, anything to let me take a break from everything that's swirling and to just sit. To think. To write. To relax. To take care of all the stuff that's overwhelming me. To talk to some friends I've really wanted to talk to for a while. To plan a bunch of things that need planning. To just... I don't really know. Just a break.

Disco Rabbi: A Light in the Darkness of War

A non-religious but somewhat affiliated Jewish co-worker sent me a PDF of this piece this morning; I looked for it online and found that LindaSoG of Something... and Half of Something had posted it Sunday, so I've copied it from her. Through her post, I found this JPost article and picture.

A Light in the Darkness of War
by Shula Weissfer

A year has passed but First Lieutenant M. has not forgotten about the activities of Migdal Ohr which had been discreetly accomplished. With minor changes, we publish here for the first time in English, Lieutenant M's written recording of his experience.

"I remember the two weeks of near face-to-face combat, the confused orders and insufficient combat gear, the intense hunger, physical and emotional exhaustion and toughest of all, the self-imposed silence and disassociation with our surroundings."Now is not the right time to complain, but when it is over," we thought to ourselves, "when the air raid sirens stop and we are out of these fatigues, we can talk and the truth will be known."

When the news came that we were receiving a day off, our hearts soared. We suffered so much stress and hardship. Where would we go? How should we take full advantage of this gift? Rumors begin to circulate that we were going to some school in Migdal Ha'Emek. "This must be a joke! Who ordered ten buses to bring us to some yeshiva with some Rabbi who is just going to try and brainwash us?"

Then, a few of the guys remembered. "Rabbi Grossman, that's the Disco Rabbi right? The guys all give him great respect." But what do they know? He is still some rabbi. Tired and emotionally drained, we got off the buses and stood face to face with an old-world looking Jew, complete with a white beard, side locks and long jacket.

"So here it comes," I thought, "the push to put on tefillin or to say prayers together. Some day off." "Boys," the rabbi's words thundered, "I suggest that first thing you do is take a dip in the pool and freshen up. In the meantime, we will make you something to eat."

In amazing simplicity, Rabbi Grossman heard in passing that the brigade was looking for a home for a day, and he immediately volunteered his campus. "What's the problem? 600 soldiers? They should all come, of course we have room!"

With the echoes of war from the battlefield still in our ears, it seemed like a mirage or hallucination. Soft music came from everywhere and flowing water and greenery surrounded us. Within minutes, the tables were set with cold refreshing watermelon, cakes, and beverages, followed by cheeses, fresh vegetables, and soft rolls.

Then we heard, "Out of the pool, get dressed and eat something."We saw piles of new undergarments. 600 new undershirts and underwear appeared as if out of nowhere, laid out on tables for our choosing.

Rabbi Grossman sat with us and laughed, "Have a good time boys! Have a great time! This evening, I will put on the most spectacular performance you have ever seen."

I am not a religious person by any means, but I can't help but envision the first Jew, Avraham, standing and personally serving his guests perfectly naturally and without the slightest hint of condescension. He respected each individual and cared for all their needs. Like Avraham, Rabbi Grossman saw in this an obvious act of kindness, a mission of a Mitzvah that had fallen into his hands.

As the evening continued, we learned quickly that this was the essence of who Rabbi Grossman is and what he is all about. He loves everyone and accepts everyone as they are with all his heart and soul. "Tell me friends," Rabbi Grossman said, "I heard you are lacking different pieces of equipment. Do me a favor. Here is a pencil and paper, just write down everything you are missing and leave the paper on the table."

That night, we enjoyed the entertainment and afterwards, slept in soft beds and air-conditioned rooms. Like in a fairytale, we awoke in the morning and could not believe our eyes. Mounds of gear which we so desperately needed had arrived at Migdal Ohr. Attached, was a small note from Rabbi Grossman, "To my dear soldiers, from all my heart!"

Rabbi Grossman personally and immediately raised over $60,000 worth of equipment from friends literally overnight! The essential equipment included ceramic bulletproof vests, helmets, canteens, knee pads, backpack water canteens, night vision goggles, toothbrushes, socks and more.

Interestingly, a few months before the war broke out, a special friend of Rabbi Grossman from France was interested in donating a new Torah scroll to the main Migdal Ohr Beit Midrash (studyhall).

For some reason, Rabbi Grossman requested to postpone the event until an unspecified later date."Now is the right time!" Rabbi Grossman realized. He immediately made arrangements and in an early evening ceremony, we participated in the completion of writing the Torah.

While the scroll was carefully laid on the table next to a special pen and ink, Rabbi Grossman addressed the soldiers. "My holy ones! I am going to bestow upon you the merit of a holy mitzvah, which can be considered a once in a life time opportunity. Each one of you will complete a letter in the Torah scroll. While you are executing this holy task, each one of you should pray the prayer of his heart and request from G-d that the merit of the letter he has completed will protect him in battle. Holy sparks will emanate from these sacred letters and disperse around you, creating a protective shield which will keep you safe and bring you home safely.

"Those moments were the most exciting and emotional ones in my life. Shaking from the intensity of the immeasurable experience,still not believing, we held the edges of the Torah scroll while our hearts beat rapidly. There was complete silence all around. One after the other, we dipped the quill in the ink and completed a letter in the Torah scroll.

A bystander would have seen a breathtaking scene of incredible elation and spiritual exuberance. The world seemed as if shrouded in silence. The strings of our heart felt strummed and the tears flowed freely down our cheeks.

"Mother!" cried one of the soldiers into his cell phone, "you wont believe what I have done! I have written a letter in a Torah scroll! Mother, are you there? Can you hear?! Me, a Shmutznik (a member of a non- religious Kibbutz), who can't differentiate between Shabbat and the rest of the week, who has not seen tzizit (ritual garment) in my life. Me, I wrote a letter in a Torah scroll! I can't believe it. I can't believe it. "

After the completion of the Torah, the ceremony continued. Leading the procession was a decorated car with multi-colored lights strung all over it and with a crown of lights spinning around on its roof. Following the car, bearers of a decorated canopy marched while people danced around it. Under the canopy, others held the Torah scroll, which was clothed in white and crimson with a silver crown at its top. 600 soldiers and thousands of the town residents marched and danced in the procession, a loud speaker accompanying them, playing traditional Jewish music.

As the ceremony came to a close, Rabbi Grossman approached every soldier and kissed him while placing a half-shekel coin in his hand and said "shliach mitzvah aino nezok," messengers of a mitzvah are not harmed. Rabbi Grossman concluded, "When you return, G-d willing, healthy and unharmed, you will fulfill this mission I am placing upon you, and you will donate this money to charity.

"The night came. Twelve buses made their way atop the Galilee Mountains. Heavy darkness engulfed us, yet behind, in the growing distance, a bright flame pierced the night sky. In the midst of war and violence, we found love and unending human compassion at Migdal Ohr, the educational center established in Migdal Ha'Emek by Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman. Rabbi Grossman speaks "This was an immense "Kiddush Hashem."

For a long period of time, I cried and was very emotional." Thus Rabbi Grossman recalled the moment when he first read the words above written by First Lieutenant M.Rabbi Grossman has what to add to the end of this exciting memoir. "A moment before they returned to Lebanon, I told the soldiers, 'in the merit that you said "shema" and put on tefillin, wrote a letter in the torah, and are messengers of a mitzvah, I promise you, that you will all return safe and sound. None of you will be wounded or killed.'"

"Wasn't the Rabbi scared to commit to 600 soldiers that they would return home safe and sound?" asked Shula Weissfer, a journalist. "That is what came out of my mouth word for word," he replied. "This was a moment of exuberance."

"I continued and told them," Rabbi Grossman relates, "if this does actually happen that you come back safely, the first place you must come back to - before you go home - is Migdal Ohr. We will thank G-d together and from there we will say goodbye." I told them, "think of this as an emergency call-up. Do you accept?" The commanding officer replied in the affirmative.

Two weeks later, around midnight, Rabbi Grossman received a phone call. "Rabbi, your blessing has come true!" exclaimed the commander over the phone. "Everyone is safe and we are on our way to you. We will be there by two 'o clock in the morning"

Rabbi Grossman immediately contacted the kitchen staff and asked them to prepare a meal while he worked to organize a band. People asked him 'You need a band at 2 a.m.? Is Moshiach here?'

"At 2:30 a.m. the soldiers disembarked from the buses, each one carrying 60 kilo of equipment on his back. The band started playing music and the soldiers approached Rabbi Grossman, each one lovingly received with a hug and a kiss. This continued for two hours.

"I felt as I had never felt before," recalls Rabbi Grossman. "Each one told me his personal miracle. "One soldier, a kibbutznik and a lawyer in civilian life, relayed an incredible miracle. A group of soldiers were gathered in an empty house in a Lebanese village when one of them forgetfully lit a cigarette. Hezbollah terrorists immediately noticed the light and fired an anti-tank missile at the house. Coincidentally, two horses from the village ran in front of the house and were hit and killed. The missile, deflected by the horses, veered away from the house, landing elsewhere. Incredibly, the horses miraculously saved the soldiers inside the house.

After the warm reception, the soldiers recited "birkat hagomel,"and together with Rabbi Grossman, sang and danced until daybreak.

"To this day," says Rabbi Grossman, "we maintain contact with each soldier and have thus become one family."

Rabbi Grossman is a recipient of the "Award of Recognition for his Actions on Behalf of Soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces and the Second Lebanon War"

Story #2: Ghana

I had to take a pair of cabs yesterday to/from a client that is just a few blocks away to pick up some binders. I was curious if I'd have trouble thanks to the (dumb, idiotic) strike going on, but I got one within a few seconds. The first driver drove me just as he normally would, charging me on the meter. We had an interesting conversation about the political realm, as he was listening to talk radio, and I was only somewhat surprised to hear his viewpoints. It was entertaining and amusing, and he was clearly bright and well-informed, which was nice, and he sounds like a typical hard-working immigrant: Somewhere in the middle, really uninterested in Hilary Clinton but curious what I thought of her, and not a fan of some aspects of (say) Guiliani but still overall positive of what he'd do as President. Mostly, annoyed with politicians as a whole, the media trying to twist the political race to serve their own wishes, and calling the whole thing a stupid game. It occurs to me that it would be interesting to see a poll weighing whom people dislike the most or whom they trust the least: President Bush, Congress, or the media. I think Bush would come in 3rd in both.

The second one, however, was very different. He first informed me that instead of the meter, he'd be using a chart of zones, thanks to the rules of the strike. I asked how much that would be, and since it was just $1 more than the first cab on the meter (and I don't pay for it anyway), I agreed to the price. A few seconds later, the Ghanaian cabbie turns and says "Shalom!" I responded the same, and he asked what it meant. I explained it could be Hello, Goodbye, or Peace; peace seemed to be the one he was looking for. He started discussing a passenger he'd had the weeks prior from Israel; he apparently was struck by this passenger's kindness, would speak to the guy every evening, drove him around a bit, and was invited to come to the Israeli's home. He even had a piece of paper with the guy's name, address, and phone numbers and email in both Hebrew and English.

But this wasn't an empty offer: Next summer, he's heading to Israel. For a while. He then started discussing some friends of his who apparently live in Israel as well; one of his 'homeboys' apparently plays soccer there. He was surprised that his friend had gone there, but he said his friend is incredibly happy and really loves Israel... so much so that he named his son in its honor: Israel. Then he mentioned a story that he assumed I didn't know, but as soon as he started it, I realized that I'd read quite a bit about it in places such as the J-blogosphere: His friend plays for Ghana in the World Cup... but always wears an Israel jersey underneath his Ghanaian jersey. Cool, right? Well, then comes the famous part. This is the player whom, upon scoring a goal in the World Cup, grabbed an Israeli flag and ran around the field holding it over his shoulders. The one whom Israeli fans went crazy over, tremendously proud of his accomplishments, even though they were on behalf of Ghana - and before he ever grabbed that flag.

I wonder if that player was similarly introduced to Israel by some random Israeli talking to him. Perhaps not, but one need not look further than my cabbie to realize that we can, as individuals, have a tremendous impact on other individuals and how they view Jews, Judaism, and the state of Israel. I don't know who this Yeruchem Levi from Jerusalem is (the cabbie said he works in government), but he made quite a kiddush Hashem.

Camp Simcha in KGH - Lemonade!

Just a small public service announcement if you're in the Kew Gardens Hills area... Camp Simcha is running a cute little lemonade stand on the corner of 141st St. and 70th Avenue (just off Jewel), and an old chavrusa of mine and his friend are providing a little entertainment on the side, too. Go enjoy and support a very worthy cause!

Ode to a Princess & Cookies

We owe a HUGE thank you to our friend, and this week's birthday girl, Princess D'Tiara. She was eating here last Shabbos when Serach mentioned that she had to take Elianna to a pediatric specialist in the city today. She offers to drive Serach to the city early for this 11:00 appointment, which is not only a huge hassle, but obviously going to hit a ton of traffic.

Today, she drove them to the specialist, picking her up early at 9:45, then offered to stay until the appointment was finished to drive them back - even though it wasn't going to be a short appointment. And then things got very, very annoying. Serach and Elianna were waiting in the doctor's office for over an hour and a half, despite being there fifteen minutes early. Finally, they get let into the doctor's office at about 12:30, where she waits a while. Elianna has already fallen asleep at this point, she's so tired. The doctor finally walks in for a minute... then walks out, saying he'll be right back. He doesn't return for over 30 minutes (Serach was none too pleased), then they had to take and wait for X-rays... and then finally, were ready to go at 2:45 - and, despite constant suggestions by Serach that she should go home, Princess D was still waiting outside.

She'd moved her car three times. She'd gotten bagels, gone shopping, gotten a milkshake, and then finally sat in the car. She spent almost 6 hours of her day, just doing us a (huge) favor. So thank you very much, and have a wonderfully happy birthday, Princess D!!

On a completely separate note, what kind of cookie are you? G gave his answer in the comments to this post, which has led to a hilarious series of exchanges. They're all about cookies, of course. I've decided after little deliberation and without much knowledge of cookies that I'm a big colored sprinkle cookie.

Why We Love Jews

...because every once in a while, you get stories like this:

Here's a positive shoutout to the Baltimore community. My in laws have a friend who recently became unexpectedly disabled. She is a Federal employee, so my father in law was looking for other Federal employees to donate their vacation time so she wouldn't lose her job. Word got around to the Baltimore community, and many frum government workers have donated generously from their vacation time. Many of these people don't know my in laws or their disabled friend. Here's to you for a great chessed (kindness), Baltimore community.

As an aside, another good reason to love Baltimore (one of our favorite towns at SerandEz), courtesy of AlanLaz:

Once upon a time there was a rookie rabbi in town named Rabbi Weinreb. He was an accomplished psychologist and scholar…he took over a big shul and made a controversial speech that certain others in the community did not like. He received a blistering letter from someone telling him all kinds of things that really shook him up. He went to go talk to his good friend Rabbi Heineman, who asked him who wrote the letter. R' Weinreb said he didn't know because the guy did not sign his name. Rabbi Heineman ended the conversation right there and he said something along the lines of,"you're here to talk to me about a letter that shook you up that was written by a guy who wouldn't even sign his name?!.. He said that he never ever reads a letter unless it is signed - if the guys got something worth saying stand up and say it without hiding behind the curtain of anonymity.

Kindness Happens

Fires, wars, murders, drugs. Too often, we read in newspapers and see all over the TV and Internet the bad things going on in the world.

But what really makes the world go round is kindness, those little acts that often go unnoticed by all but those involved. Because these small acts don't get published and publicized, people often don't believe they actually happen. So it's time to share! So Ezzie and I have started a new blog - Kindness Happens. It is for posting those small acts of kindness that you do for others, or that others do for you. Hopefully, in having this group effort, people will be able to read about a number of kind acts happening daily and will feel better about life, and then hopefully, in turn, go on to carry out kind acts of their own.

We would love this to be a group effort, so if you would like to join in and help out (or have any great ideas, please send me an e-mail and I'll invite you to join the blog.