I walked by my dining room just now and closed an open drawer. It was from a little table we bought after moving here a few years ago. I needed it for my leichter, and it was a chore finding just the right one. I learned that what I was looking for is called a console table and searched high and low but couldn’t find one that fit the very small space that I had for it. I remember feeling pleased when my search was finally over – and even happier when the table fit perfectly in the spot where it needed to go.

The console table has three drawers, which I had no intention of using when I first bought it. But wouldn’t you know: Those drawers are now stuffed to the gills. Well, I could argue that they’re filled with necessary things that I use when I light my candles every Friday night. One drawer holds boxes of wicks, another the book of brachas I say for Shabbos and Yom Tov, and the last one contains lighters, matches, and tea lights – all things needed for candle lighting. I wondered as I closed the drawer where I would have put all those things if I didn’t have that cute little console table. Frankly, I just can’t imagine.

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

 Shemiras halashon – observing the Torah laws of proper speech – is among the basic obligations of a Jew striving for care in performance of mitzvos. This has especially been so in klal Yisrael since the Chofetz Chaim published his sefer on the halachos of shemiras halashon nearly 150 years ago. While the halachos of Hashem are immutable, the methods of communication have definitely changed in significant ways in modern times. The invention of the telephone in 1876 was arguably the first invention which made shemiras halashon relevant to modern methods of communication. In today’s world, we can add email, social media, and all forms of electronic communication to the list of communication methods that are subject to the halachos of shemiras halashon.

The Chofetz Chaim dedicates the last chapter of the halachos of Lashon Hara to the halachos of toeles: conveying negative information for a constructive purpose. We have all heard about its application to shidduchim. Other examples that the Chofetz Chaim gives are taking on a business partner or making a loan. There is another area in which these halachos become quite relevant: when passing information about the services of a professional or the purchase of merchandise from a vendor. This article will examine what halacha has to say with regards to passing information about these different providers.

We will now give some case studies through which to examine these halachos:

For many years, Mr. Greenberg* wrote a Torah book every year, which he sent out to a specific mailing list. He built up a following of people who looked forward to getting the book each year and responded generously. The money was used to support a yeshiva. Mr. Greenberg was very proud of the money that he was able to raise, and said that his books brought in more money than any other donor to the yeshiva.

When I think of my father, Chonon Shugarman, a”h, an anecdote that he shared with us, his family, arises in my mind. That is of my father as a little boy, sucking on a candy ever so slowly, trying to keep the moment of pleasure for as long as possible. His love for life and enjoyment of the wonders of this world led my father to explore a question that he entertained even as a youngster – which was what happens after death? None of the adults around him were able to give my father an adequate answer to his persistent question. Born into a traditional family and attending Baltimore public schools, my father’s search for truth was aided by the Hebrew School he attended. By the time he reached bar mitzva, he was already keeping Shabbos and kashrus as best as he could. Later, Harav Moshe Heinemann, shlita, as well as the community surrounding TA, Etz Chaim Center, and his co-worker Chaim Pollock contributed to his becoming a proper Orthodox Jew.

Having a baby is always an exciting event, and while no two births are the same, after a few births, many women feel a certain level of comfort. They think that they know what to expect. Well, that changed when COVID reared its ugly head. I personally found my last birth and hospital stay to be a very different experience than the previous ones. I decided to ask some friends and neighbors for their say on the matter.

I recently ran my first marathon, and it struck me how much learning and growth goes into such an experience. Funny how I have likely planned and trained more for this than for my wedding, having kids or any other life changing event. I’ve learned so many lessons, and have journaled them on my blog. Here they are:

Run your own race: Someone from our local frum community organized a weekly group to focus on speed work. At this group, it was easy to fall into the feeling of having to “keep up” or wondering why I couldn’t go as fast as someone else. But my friend wisely counseled me, saying, “You have to run your own race.” What a life lesson. We need to stop all the comparison, being someone or doing something because others expect it, because others are doing it. In this life, it’s only our own race that matters.

I cam to learn in Eretz Yisroel after three years of beis medrash (post-high school). I grew up in Lakewood, New Jersey, and, like most   

Remember, two years ago, when ads suddenly flooded the frum Jewish media asking us to vote for a new “political party” to represent the religious community at the World Zionist Organization’s upcoming Congress? Few people in our community even knew what WZO did or why it was important. But we learned: The WZO has tremendous influence on the Israeli government’s policies vis a vis the Diaspora. It comprises parties that stand for the whole range of pro-Israel Jewish opinion, from far left to right, and the policies it adopts are determined by the vote at its Congress.

Dear Dr. Weisbord,

Ever since elementary school, I have always dreamed of going to seminary in Eretz Yisrael. Now that I am finally in twelfth grade, I am becoming less enthusiastic about the idea. I am still eager to experience Eretz Yisrael, and I still feel like I will benefit from the high level of learning. However, there doesn’t seem to be any place that is right for me. There are several seminaries that I am considering, but all of them have significant drawbacks, and there are extremely compelling reasons not to attend each one. I feel as though I am trying to choose between the lesser of two evils. Ten months is a very long time to spend someplace. I don’t see how I’ll be able to hop on a plane and go to any of these seminaries. I would not want to give up the whole idea, but I just don’t know where I belong.

Not Fitting In

About three months ago, I was perusing my newsfeed when a story from the famous modern artist, Yaeli Vogel, showed up. Her message was strong yet clear: Her newborn baby was inexplicably unable to eat and sustain weight gain. Doctor after doctor had been consulted, and, thankfully, every possible culprit was ruled out. This week, Yaeli posted an update that made my blood run cold – not because the diagnosis was severe; on the contrary. Her story resonated with me personally on a deep level as I went through something very similar about three years ago. Although it was the same mystery solved in the end, the path to get there was very different. One thing, however, was exactly the same: the lack of physician education on, and the failure to take seriously, a matter that took such a small fix.