It’s Thursday night, and I’m setting the table for Shabbos. As I spread the snowy white tablecloth onto the table, I feel something crunchy beneath my feet. I peer down and spot a lone Cheerio laying peacefully on the rug. I smile as I pick it up then start to unfurl the plastic table covering. Oops, there’s something else underfoot. This time, it’s a piece of pretzel coating from the schnitzel we had for dinner the night before. And look, I see a piece of construction paper over there.

The purpose of this article is not to make judgments; rather, it tells how frum life was back–in-the-day and how things have changed over the past 70 years. There have been some very positive changes and some negative ones. Let the reader draw his or her own conclusions.

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In the 1950s, I was a student of Talmudical Academy, my sister was a student at Bais Yaakov, and our family was a part of the very small and close-knit Baltimore Orthodox community. Our home and my parents were very frum, with many minhagim (customs) and special music for all Yom Tovim that were based on a strong German mesorah (tradition) passed down by our avos (ancestors) from generation to generation. Our home was one of hachnasas orchim, chesed, and tzedaka. Limud Torah was not visible in the home and was centered, instead, in our schools and our shul. Granted, there was no ArtScroll back then. Still, how was it that our home had practically no sefarim?

“Miriam the prophetess took her drum in her hand, and all the women went forth after her with drums and with dances.” (Exodus 15:20)

Rashi, commenting on the Mechilta of Rabbi Yishmael, says that the righteous women of that generation brought instruments with them due to their confidence in Hashem’s miracles. They knew the geula (redemption) was coming and prepared for celebrating it while still in Egypt. Song has a special place in our tradition, and some of us feel a special communication with Hashem through music. Yet Jewish women don’t always have the opportunity to express themselves due to the halachas of kol isha (the intimacy of a woman’s singing voice). So, what can they do to connect to Hashem through music?

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I want to share some examples of what women in our community are creating to inspire themselves and others and to connect to Hashem.

I grew up in a musical family and began studying classical piano at the age of five. Throughout my youth and college, I also studied guitar and music theory. I sang in numerous choirs, composed music, and performed in many different venues. Music was a major part of my life, even though I ended up pursuing a different vocation. But Hashem beckoned. I became completely observant, and all my vocal performances ended. I stopped composing because what I had previously expressed in lyrics no longer interested me. My story is in no way unique. I have spoken to many women who followed similar paths.

by Shani, Dena, and Daniella

Winter break is coming. And now that the price of a dozen eggs is almost as much as the cost of the chicken itself, how do we plan a family winter vacation that won’t break the bank? We enlisted the help of three experts to help us all plan a winter getaway that is more budget conscious.

he Family Business: Like Father, Like Daughter 

 In case you missed our last article, I am a fairly new teacher at Bais Yaakov, and my father has been teaching in yeshivos for more than 20 years. It’s nice to be able to come home at the end of my day and talk shop with my father, and as it turns out, many of the questions and issues he has dealt with (and continues to deal with) are the very same ones I come home with. Take a moment and eavesdrop on another of our recent dinner conversations.

by Shani, Dena, and Daniella

Babysitting – a loaded topic for sure. Finding a babysitter can be challenging in and of itself, but once we do find one, how can we best facilitate a good babysitting experience for the babysitter, children, and parents, too? We trust babysitters with our most precious jewels, sometimes for the majority of the day. Don’t all parents want to know what the sitter is really thinking? To get an insider’s perspective, we spoke to a real-life nanny, Adriana Rosie, to find out what babysitters really care about.

Adriana is better known to some as the “non-Jewish Nanny.” A single ad she placed on care.com turned into a career nannying for the Jewish community of South Florida. Having never interacted with a Jewish person prior to her first babysitting job, just two years ago, Adriana has fallen in love with the Jewish community and eats yapchik with the best of them. We sat down with her to get her take on the dos and don’ts when it comes to babysitters, her must-have baby products, and her thoughts working in the Jewish community.

Whenever I speak about staying safe in dangerous times, I remind people that my purpose is not to scare them. Whether I am giving my seminar, Refuse to Be a Victim, or teaching women how owning and carrying a handgun fits into their defense of family and home, I try to empower rather than frighten.

Carjackings, muggings, home invasions, and even squeegee encounters can be scary and demoralizing. We may not be able to stop these situations, but there are often ways to avoid them – and if you cannot avoid them, you can survive them. Situational awareness is your best tool. Keep your eyes and ears open, and keep your head on a swivel. The earlier you recognize a potential threat, the more likely that you can avoid or mitigate it.

As darkness descends a bit earlier each evening, our opportunity to notice the night sky increases. Gazing up at our galaxy spread out before us like a luminous tapestry, one can’t help but feel very, very small. The absolute vastness of space is so overwhelming that we can easily lose ourselves in its ostensibly endless depths. At the same time, we know that everything was created especially for us, and being aware of the essential role that we play in holding up the universe imbues us with a universal sense of purpose, making us feel very, very significant.

As an accountant, I talk to a lot of people about their finances and the difficulty of covering their expenses, and I am often asked about what is the best way to obtain a car: new, used, or leased?

Cars are, without question, the most expensive consumer item – not counting houses and tuition, that is. Clearly, the smoothest way to buy a car is to buy one brand new. There is no worry about who owned it before or if it has problems that were covered up. It will certainly drive nicely (and have that new car smell). The only downside is that it is the most expensive option. Therefore, if one is trying to save money, he or she will buy a used car. You see, many people keep cars for three to ten years and then sell them, often back to the dealer in the form of a trade-in. The dealer then resells that car – hence, the enormous business of selling used cars. Here is how it works: The original owner trades in a car to a new car dealer. That means the car owner is selling the car to the dealer for, say, $5,000. The dealer then resells the car to a used car buyer for $10,000. In this example, $5,000 is the wholesale price, and $10,000 is the retail price.

Welcome to Rhodes – the Island of Rhodes, that is, not Rhode Island! Rhodes is a small island near the coast of Turkey. Rhode Island is one of the New England states. Interestingly, there is a connection between the two. An Italian explorer in the 16^th century thought an island off the east coast of America looked similar to Rhodes, for the coastline and beautiful beaches that make up both of these lands. And after seeing pictures of the beaches and castles in Rhodes, I am ready to take a trip there myself! In the meantime, however, I may have to make do with Newport on this side of the world.