(Based on a True Story in Zichronos Harav Maza)

 He was my grandfather’s father. His name was R’ Yeshaye ben R’ Moshe. His father, R’ Moshe, had been the av beis din of Bober, in the province of Mogilev, near Kropki. The son, R’Yeshaye, was a very distinguished man, famous for his wealth, his scholarship, and his yiras Shamayim (fear of heaven).

Yes, this R’ Yeshaye was the famous Jew who hefkered his chometz. Yes, he gave it all away because of the Poritz’s meshugas. Of course, all the Poritzim were crazy. It’s not surprising; remember, each Poritz in the Ukraine was an absolute dictator of all the peasants and Jews (there were no others) who lived on his lands; he literally had the power of life and death over his subjects. But this Poritz was particularly crazy, or eccentric, if you prefer that term. He derived particular pleasure from devising new and original ways of embittering the lives of his Jews.

Written in December, 1991

The story of Rabbi Akiva and his wife Rachel has not only served to inspire other couples to sacrifice on behalf of Torah but has also remained a gripping human drama, inspiring authors and novelists down to our own day. Our past, however, contains many other fascinating true tales of famous couples whose stories are less well known. Here is one:

Rabbi Yehudah Loew ben Bezalel, who became known all over the world as the Maharal, was born in Posen (Poland) in

The recent visit between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu has been characterized by the world press as remarkably positive, chiefly due to the lack of any public display of disagreement between the two in the course of the visit. This is like the couple who say, “We have been together all afternoon without a single fight. We are a perfect couple.” As I read the body language of President Obama, he seemed to say, “For better or worse, Bibi is here to stay for the rest of my term. It has been my fate to have Netanyahu as PM of Israel during my time in office, no matter who else I might have preferred. Bibi is (sadly) my destiny, and I might as well adjust to that fact.”

news source: theyeshivaworld

Current events never occur in a vacuum. Most of us know this but never put in the actual effort that’s required to truly understand the historical context of events surrounding us. This is especially true of what we see unfolding before our eyes between, Iran, Europe and the Obama administration. We now see an Iran that is destabilizing the Middle East through the funding of terrorist proxy states, building a nuclear arsenal and we ask “Why?”. Context is needed. Historical context is essential to grasping the “why?”. So, I will attempt here to outline for you a very

Election Day June 24 is upon us, and with it the endemic problem in the frum community: How do you get people to go to the polls and vote? In theory, and indeed in reality, voting is a duty, and intelligent voting is a matter of self-interest. Such is precisely the theory of democracy, and such is precisely how the Founding Fathers designed our American political system. The voters are responsible for seeing to their interests. If they are dumb enough to hand their fates over to unelected powerbrokers, well then they deserve what they get, which means, in the words of Will Rogers, “We get the best government money can buy.” Intelligent self-interest on the part of voters who vote lies at the heart of our American form of government.

“All politics is local; all politics is personal.” Such was the judgment of that famous Irish Democrat, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Thomas “Tip” O’Neill. And he was right. I know, because I have experienced it. I am voting for Ehrlich. Here’s why.

Like some others in the Jewish community, I have a child with what they euphemistically call “special needs.” In plain English, my daughter Elisheva, 15, has Down’s Syndrome. There are many others in our community, more than you’d guess. Well, one of the challenges in raising such a child is chinuch. What does one do? As expensive