Close your eyes and imagine that you are standing at the Kosel Hamaaravi. What are you davening for? 

“If I could daven at the Kosel right now,” Mrs. Penina Rosenberg began, “I would daven that, in this crazy world, my children should grow up pure, ehrlich, and happy to be a Yid. And that when there are challenges, and even emergencies, I should know how to deal with them.”

This is how Mrs. Penina Rosenberg, Hineni L’Doros facilitator in Lakewood, began her talk to tens of women of the Baltimore community on Sunday evening, March 10, in a special event entitled, “Evening of Hineni: Understanding the Technology Challenge.”

Hineni L’Doros, a project of TAG International, arranges a six-week series of workshops for mothers, providing them with guidance needed to help their families navigate the challenges of technology. It is a division of Hineni, a three-year curriculum, created by TAG, to give the future mothers of Klal Yisrael the hashkafos and tools to live their lives and fight the challenges of technology.

One of the most stressful things about being a parent is taking your child with a learner’s permit out to practice driving. I don’t think my father ever forgot what happened when he took me driving as a teenager. Suddenly, we found ourselves on the beltway going in the opposite direction of all the other cars. My father remained calm, and we quickly got off at the next exit, but it was very scary.

I remember one of my first driving experiences after I got my license. I lived on Yeshiva Lane and took the car to go to Shapiro’s, the kosher supermarket on the corner of Old Court and Reisterstown Roads. I turned right on Old Court but then was too scared to make a left turn into the Shapiro’s parking lot. I just continued driving straight, on and on, because I was afraid to turn around. Soon I was lost. This was in the days before cell phones and Waze. Finally, I was brave enough to pull over at a pay phone and call my mother. She called our neighbor and cousin, Sheftel Neuberger, z”l, who knew everything. After I described which billboards were in front of me he directed me on how to get home. 

A few months ago, the Where What When published an informative article by Howard Shiman, an avid local bicyclist, with some “rules of the road.” A subsequent issue included a letter to the editor about driving, citing violations of Maryland law as well as basic driving etiquette. I’d like to expand on that writer’s letter, as I, too, am frequently amazed and stunned by some of the illegal as well as dangerous driving habits in our neighborhood.

There are too many near accidents in Northwest Baltimore. For example, I was stopped at the red light at Park Heights and Fords Lane. The driver idling next to me in the left lane made a right turn onto Fords Lane, right in front of me. Lucky for me, the light was still red, and I was not moving.

With the house cleaned from Pesach, we already have a head start on my follow-up topic: general organization. Tidying, decluttering, straightening, organizing – whatever term you deem worthy – can be a big stress reducer. In this article, I will explain various tips, tricks, and hacks that I have implemented in my life as a busy, working parent to make life a little less chaotic.

Clutter Conquest

Here’s an organization basic: When attempting to straighten an area like a closet or home office, the trick is to stick to that one area. When you find an object that goes in a different room, leave it in a bin or a pile in the hall outside that room. As you return various items to other spaces in the house, resist the temptation to start straightening up here and there. You will wind up with several semi-tidy areas rather than one completely functional space.

By now everyone is aware of the sudden passing of Senator Joseph Lieberman, of blessed memory. For me, and so many others, it was a shock. He was sharp, fit, and active until his untimely death. Just two weeks ago, an article he wrote appeared in the Wall Street Journal chastising Charles Schumer, saying “He has lost his way.” Joe Lieberman was interviewed by Fox News a day later. As always, he was clear and concise, while speaking respectfully about his shock and disappointment in the positions taken by Schumer and our current administration. It was less than a week later that Fox News covered his funeral.

Joe Lieberman was a larger-than-life figure, who accomplished great things, met with presidents and kings yet always remained the humble Yosef Yisroel ben Hanan. In his own words, “I’m just a simple Jew trying my best to honor G-d and my parents.” I was privileged to know Joe Lieberman, and of course, many thousands of people can say the same thing. I would like to share a few personal recollections which may help those who didn’t know him understand who he was.

I’m the kind of person who ponders over things. I guess I’m not one of those water-off-a-duck’s-back kinds of people. Don’t get me wrong, I’m good at making snap decisions, like what to make for Yom Tov or what kinds of presents to buy for our grandchildren. But there are other, more challenging decisions that I find harder to make, especially if they are ones that I’ll have to live with for a long time, like choosing window coverings. Should they be Roman shades or honeycomb? Horizontal or vertical? And don’t get me started about the color. Which is better, bright white or warm white or perhaps butter cream?

 Administrator, Baltimore Bais Din

Reviewed By Rabbi Mordechai Shuchatowitz, Head of the Baltimore Bais Din

In a previous article, we discussed some fundamentals of the prohibition of ribbis, interest. To summarize, ribbis is a prohibition that applies when someone takes a loan, and then returns the principal amount of the loan to the lender and adds on some extra as payment for the loan. We discussed that the most common case of ribbis is for a loan of money, where the borrower spends the money and then returns the principal amount with interest. However, the prohibition of ribbis applies to anything that is consumed. The most common example of this is lending food. For example, if the lender gave a loan of one pound of flour, and the borrower returned two pounds of flour, that would be a prohibition of ribbis. If the interest of the extra food was stipulated at the time of the loan, that would be prohibited by Torah law. This is called ribbis ketzutzah, stipulated ribbis. However, if the borrower returns more on his own because of the loan, this would be prohibited by rabbinic law, called ribbis me’ucheres, ribbis given by the borrower on his own, and is discussed in the Gemara Bava Metzia 75B.

Are you a young person thinking about the kind of work you want to do, but you don’t want to go to college? I can certainly understand. A recent article in the Washington Post showed that colleges are rife with academic dishonesty, mental health issues, difficult peer relationships, alcohol and substance abuse, and safety issues – and most recently, antisemitism!

Thankfully, there are many work options that can be meaningful and satisfying and are predicted to have plentiful job openings in the foreseeable future. Many of these work options pay as much as or more than college-required positions. Please note that the salaries stated are ranges, depending on your experience. Your starting salary depends on how well you convince your interviewer that you can offer what the organization needs.

One interesting and hopeful trend is that some employers – having discovered that college does not make a difference in employee performance – have recently dropped their college degree requirements! Among them are IBM, Accenture, Okta, Dell, Bank of America, Google, and Delta Airlines; many others are expected to follow.

Shabbat, Shmini Atzeret, October 7, 2023, is a day that will not soon be forgotten by Jews worldwide. The story of the brutal attack and the ensuing bloodbath is well known by now. So, too, are the heartening actions taken by Jews around the world, who joined in unity for prayer, rallies, fundraising, and volunteer missions to show support to our Israeli brethren in distress. One of the less obvious outcomes of the Gaza war has been the massive downsizing and closures of businesses, medical centers, and a dearth of manpower on farms and kibbutzim as a result of most of the young work force being called up to military duty. In response, organizations mobilized volunteers from around the world to travel to Israel and help in any way possible, from picking ripe fruit off trees to packing supplies for soldiers. Those with emergency medical skills and healthcare training were invited to sign up to be activated when and if the need arose. One such organization is the Emergency Volunteer Project (EVP), a disaster relief and rescue organization whose primary mission is to recruit and deploy international volunteer teams to Israel in times of crisis. Baltimorean and Pikesville volunteer firefighter Captain Scott Goldstein is EVP’s director of medical and civilian recruitment. It was through EVP’s Baltimore connection that I heard about the dire need for physical rehabilitation personnel in Israel. In fact, many hospitals were short-staffed, some down by 50% due to the army call-up of necessary military personnel.

When illness strikes, so much is at stake, yet a person feels like he is lost in a forest with no way out. Thankfully, our wonderful Jewish community has many organizations to help people who find themselves in that situation. There are a number of organizations in the NY/ NJ area that help people with everything, from expediting appointments to getting insurance coverage to running to a pharmacy for an unusual medication. They include Echo, Refuah Health Line, Chaim Medical, and RCCS. Our Baltimore organizations also help people with advocacy and referrals. All the organizations in both cities work together and assist each other serve the people who need their help.