It’s hard to believe that 30 days have passed. I just came back from an azkara for a friend who passed away at the age of 62. We sat in a circle. I, as a friend, the staff of the assisted living residence (“the hostel”) in Jerusalem where he had lived, and the residents. I choked away tears when I quoted the Talmud that stated that Hillel caused the poor to be incriminated. Poor people, when they come to Heaven, bring to their defense the argument that they didn’t learn Torah because they were suffering from poverty. The “prosecutor” in the heavenly tribunal then points to Hillel: “Who could be poorer than Hillel? Yet he learned Torah!”

Aryeh Leib Freedman did his “homework” before he spearheaded the formation of Misaskim of Maryland, a full year ago, in memory of his father, Rabbi Mendel (Menachem Mendel Don ben Aryeh Leib) Freedman, z”l, longtime principal of Bais Yaakov of Baltimore. This homework included conferring with Sol Levinson and Bros. as well as with the Chevra Kadisha to gauge the volume of services needed. So Aryeh Leib was surprised by the higher than anticipated numbers of aveilim (mourners) that the eight-member volunteer organization serviced in its first year: over 150 shiva houses and over 350 aveilim (mourners).

“It was a lot more than we expected,” remarks Aryeh Leib. “We had heard there would be about 50 to 60 shiva houses per year. However, because many people sit shiva in Baltimore for levayas (funerals) held out of town, the numbers are much higher.”

The locally-run, independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which is modeled after the New York-based Misaskim, has alleviated the last-minute scrambling by Baltimore aveilim for shiva house items and other needs above what Levinson’s and other organizations already graciously provide for community members. These include: sifrei Torah, each with an aron kodesh; siddurim in nusach Ashkenaz, Sefard, Ari, and Edot Hamizrach; shtenders; a bima for laining; low aveilim chairs and tray tables; a lending library of English and Hebrew sefarim about the halachos of mourning; and Mishnayos charts, among other items. Air conditioners, fans, and heaters are also provided when needed.

When Misaskim first started, Mr. Dovid Davis, stepped up to donate two sifrei Torah for use in shiva houses. As the greater need became apparent, the Tuchman family, Chaim Pollack family, and Gershon Seidel family also lent sifrei Torah to Misaskim. Recently, the Zobdeh and Moeinzadeh families kindly donated a Sefardi sefer Torah for use by Misaskim as well.

Back in September of 2016 I wrote an article for WWW, “Vote Trump and Feel Good about It.” I think the things Donald Trump has done during the past 18 months have proven me right.

Fifty years from now, when people look back at the decade that began in 2010, and they ask what was most special about that decade for Israel, I think three things will come to mind: the train line now being completed that is going to put Tel Aviv just 28 minutes from Jerusalem; American’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital; and America’s recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli.

The 28-minute train between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv will forge a link between Israel’s two largest city centers, one largely spiritual and the other largely material, enriching both, and making Israel much stronger. Jerusalemites will be able to lead a spiritual, Jerusalem-based life and find work, 28 minutes away.

To the Shadchan:

I met a guy in graduate school, and we have been going out for a few months now. We have a wonderful relationship, and he is starting to bring up marriage. I think he would make a great husband. He is very nice, observant, and has a career ahead of him. And we enjoy each other’s company.

So what’s the problem? His mother. He is the youngest child in the family and is very close with his mother. In fact, at age 26, he still lives at home. I have met his mother a few times and have eaten there on Shabbos. She is a personable and intelligent woman but very overbearing and opinionated. For example, one Shabbos, her daughter and son-in-law’s family were also at the table. One of their children was misbehaving, and the mother was criticizing the way they handled it, right in front of the child. The parents of the child backed down. My impression is that she is used to everyone listening to her and doing what she says.

Also, she asks too many questions, about everything. She seems to know a lot about me – too much. She was widowed many years ago and doesn’t seem to have many friends. Her whole life has been about her children.

I grew up in a home where I was taught to be respectful to adults, and I would never say anything inappropriate. But I am worried. If I marry this man, it seems like it will be a marriage of three. I’ve seen marriages break apart over that scenario. I would be really sad to end this, yet I am afraid. Should I run while I can, or do you think this is a manageable situation? If so, how should I go about it?

Several years ago, T-shirts bearing the words “I Found the Afikomen!” were proudly worn by young children after the Seder nights. The shirt was a fad, which, like most fads, faded, but the sentiment lives on. The joy of finding the afikomen will never be lost. The customs surrounding the afikomen may be based on the Talmud’s statement, “We grab the matzot on the night of Passover, so that the children will not sleep.” Sometimes, the broken part of the middle matzah  is passed from hand to hand until the end of the meal, when whoever has it can bargain for a gift. And sometimes, the leader hides it, and the children must hunt until they find it.

Growing up in Baltimore in the late 40s and 50s, my afikomen gifts hold special memories for me. I remember Seders on Cylburn Avenue, which my Great-Aunt Cele, hosted. Although Aunt Cele never married, she was the matriarch of the family, who treated her nieces and nephews as her children.

Around her beautiful Seder table, sat my beloved mother, her niece, and my dear father. My brother and I sat across from them with Aunt Cele between us. As the aroma of simmering chicken soup wafted in from the kitchen and we listened to the words of the Haggadah, our eyelids would droop. That’s when Aunt Cele started whispering to us about when and where to search for the afikomen. She made it a mystery, an exciting game. My brother and I knew that if we found the afikomen – and every year we did! – we would get a prize.

It’s always exciting when “one of our own” makes it big. By now, most of us have heard of Judge Rachel (“Ruchie”) Freier, the chasidishe super-woman. So when Rabbi Yisrael Motzen, of Ner Tamid, introduced her last month in a program in memory of longtime congregant Dr. Frank F. Schuster, it made for a fascinating evening.

Rabbi Motzen pointed out how both Judge Freier and Dr. Schuster had successfully persevered to break the status quo with what he called their “holy chutzpa.” Dr. Schuster clung to the unpopular path of Torah in the early 50s, even while facing opposition and hardship in his pursuit of a medical degree at Johns Hopkins. Similarly, Judge Freier overcame many obstacles to arrive at her present position. A “regular” wife and mother in Boro Park, she worked to support her husband’s learning. After he earned his degree in accounting, she, too, went to college and, subsequently, law school. In their shared office, she practiced real estate law, while her husband did commercial financing.

With Pesach coming, writing an article about chinuch (Jewish education) seems appropriate. The whole Yom Tov revolves around passing our heritage along to our children. We have two full nights of Seder and weeks of preparation devoted to this sacred task. How do we teach about Yetzias Mitzrayim (the exodus from Egypt) so that it is joyful and not tedious for our children and students?

Before giving any advice, I need to preface it with a disclaimer that should probably accompany every article I write: Anything I recommend works for some; it does not work for others. The Haggadah talks about four sons – all raised by the same parents – who turn out completely different. Our parenting comprises our hishtadlus (effort), but the results are not up to us. With my first child, I thought I had it all figured out. I read the books, had parenting rules to live by, and thought I had this parenting thing down pat. I did, until number two, three, etc. came along and showed me that it had nothing to do with me. My kids have their own personalities and will grow up into whomever Hashem wants them to be. I can’t take the credit – or the blame – for the results. But I am still expected to try my best.

With that said, I’d like to share some ideas to help us think about how to teach Yetzias Mitzrayim, whether at the Seder or in the classroom.