We often hear about the high spiritual level of the generations that came before us as compared to our own. So it was refreshing to find out that our community has improved in relation to people with special needs. “It is amazing how much the attitude of the world towards children with disabilities has changed for the better in the last 10 years,” says Mrs. Rochel Vim. “Today, there are many more programs and opportunities, and there is less embarrassment and less stigma involved in having a child who is different. When my daughter was much younger, people clearly had

An elderly woman sits at the table in her small apartment. She is lonely and waits eagerly for company. Pictures of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren decorate her wall. A bride and groom gaze down from a large portrait in the corner. The bride wears a beautiful gown whose long train surrounds her majestically. If a visitor looks closely, she can see that the woman and the beautiful bride are one and the same. Though pictures cannot talk, this one speaks volumes. It tells of life – of how we are all on a one-way journey to the next world.

Going home for Yom Tov: It’s traditional, it’s expected, it’s the essence of family building over the generations. It is, in fact, one of those unwritten “laws” of Yiddishkeit, which frequently brings the anticipated joy to all concerned but can also, at times, present challenges. Like many things in life, the outcome depends on how it is managed, and the wonderful advantages make it worth the effort.

Take the story of Rivki* and Dovid, who are coming home for Pesach a few weeks after their marriage. Excited to be the “new couple” at the Seder after years of helping entertain her

When I was in sixth grade in a day school in Philadelphia, I had a math teacher whom everyone feared, students and parents alike. Once, I had forgotten my homework and was trembling in my seat, waiting for Mrs. Rummel to discover my sin. I remember hearing her high heels clatter down the hall and trying to figure out how I could avoid her wrath. To my great relief, she said, “Oh, your father just called to tell me that you forgot your homework at home. You can bring it in tomorrow.” My father had saved the day! That was

Dovid was misbehaving. It got to the point that his mother was being asked to pick him up every day, and the school was ready to throw up their hands and expel the third grader. How could they take the responsibility for a boy who just wouldn’t do what was expected of him?

Panic stricken that he would really be thrown out of school, Mrs. Posner tried speaking to her son. She tried threatening him. She tried rewards and consequences; nothing seemed to make a difference. The teacher and the administration did not know how to improve the situation, either, so

It is the night after the vort. The happy crowds have gone home. The food is put away, and the floor is vacuumed. But the big Mazal Tov sign still hangs on the wall, and the parents, along with the chasan and kalla, are still smiling at the memory of the kisses, hugs, and brachos that embraced them so warmly the night before.

  Now reality sets in. The parents worry: “How are we going to find the money to set up this new couple? It is not only the wedding expenses that loom on the horizon but also all