As the temperature drops, there may be nothing that says “comfort” quite like sipping some hot soup. With every spoonful, you can feel the warmth radiate throughout your body. Whether you are chilled, aching, or just tired, finishing a bowl of soup is like being wrapped in a warm blanket on the inside.

It is fascinating how this simple sustenance can be both an inexpensive meal and a gourmet dish. It is fed to prison inmates and soldiers – and also to presidents and kings. It exudes warmth and comfort to the family yet takes little prep and inexpensive ingredients. Anyone can handle the straightforward cooking process – cut this, boil that – and there are hundreds of varieties to please any palette.

It is possible to question why we “eat” soup instead of “drink” it, since it’s a liquid. The fact that we don’t put it in a mug is also troublesome. Isn’t soup just a hot drink? As an important part of the meal, deserving its own course and requiring separate utensils, soup is far beyond a beverage.

Long ago, soup was eaten as an accompaniment to bread, which was used to soak up the liquid. When people started eating the soup on its own, in the 1600s, they adopted the name we know today, deriving from the Latin verb suppare, which means “to soak.”

This year’s presidential election has brought into focus the ominous polarization between right and left in America. Indeed, political turmoil marks the current political climate around the world. But, beyond the obvious, several political movements are progressing far below the radar. None of them is grabbing headlines, but, if successful, their repercussions would be disastrous.

Interestingly, the words of our talmidei chachamim are often relevant to current events. Consider the Malbim’s commentary on these pesukim:

“A river issues forth from Eden to water the garden, and from there it is divided and becomes four headwaters. The name of the first is Pishon… The gold of that land is good… and the Shoham stone. The name of the second river is Gichon… that encircles the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Chiddekel…that flows toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates” (Bereishis, 2:10-14).

As a real estate broker, I have witnessed firsthand how thoughtful home improvements can significantly impact a property’s market value. Whether you are planning to sell your home or simply want to enhance its appeal and functionality, understanding which upgrades add the most value is essential. Not all improvements are created equal – some projects yield a high return, while others may not add as much value as expected. Let’s explore how strategic upgrades can enhance your home’s value and appeal.

Homeowners often ask, “Should I focus on structural updates or aesthetic upgrades?” The answer lies in balancing practicality and visual appeal. Buyers are drawn to homes that are move-in ready and visually attractive, but they also value properties that won’t require significant repairs in the near future. Structural and functional improvements may not be glamorous, but they are critical for ensuring your home is safe, efficient, and market-ready.

“Anything Can Happen” is my favorite song in the play, Mary Poppins. The first line of that song is “Anything can happen if you let it.” Something happened when Meira Berendt (Levi) decided she wanted to do a production with women. With the help of Hashem, after eight months of hard work, supported by her musical directors, choreographers, cast, and crew, it happened: the women’s play Mary Poppins. The result was a spectacular production that could have been on Broadway.  

As a teacher, I always loved the character of Mary Poppins. For many years in Atlanta, I dressed up on Purim as Miriam Poppins (a Jewish Mary Poppins) and visited Morah Dena Friedman’s kindergarten class at Torah Day School, bringing joy to the children (and myself) as I marched around with my bird head umbrella and sang “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” So when my daughter was practicing for the play, I bought tickets for both nights’ performances, December 22 and 23, at the Panther Theater. I sat at the edge of my seat during this all-woman professional performance. After the play, I went to sleep singing the songs and got up singing them. The acting, singing, dancing, scenery, costumes, special effects, and more were beyond what I expected. It was so enjoyable that I wish I could watch it again!

There are two things that I notice when I look down at my hands.

The first is how closely they resemble my mother’s. I never noticed that as much as I have since October 7 because since that fateful day I simply cannot bring myself to polish my nails. My mother never polished hers.

You have to know me to appreciate just how meaningful and significant a change it is. Some things are sacrosanct, and for me, this is one of them.

Since I was a very young teen (and that’s been over three score) and first discovered the intoxicating smell of fresh polish, except for a few hours here or there, my natural nails have not seen the light of day.

by STAR-K

Mazal tov! Whether you have just purchased your very first house, the lot on which you’re building one from scratch, or you’ve finally saved up money to renovate your 70-year-old home, let the buyer/builder/remodeler beware! This is not your grandfather’s house! The average Torah-observant consumer would have to have a thorough understanding of things like electricity and plumbing – and their applications vis-à-vis halacha – to ensure that their newfangled home improvements providing safety, comfort, and convenience are also Torah-compliant. These include everything from comfort pumps to induction stovetops.

Rabbi Eliyahu Krieger was my menahel in high school. Born in Berlin to an Eastern European family, he arrived in the United States when he was young and studied in Yeshiva Torah Vadaas under Rav Shraga Feivel Mendelovitz, who single-handedly created Torah chinuch (education) in the United States. Rav Shraga Feivel created Torah Umesorah, whose mandate was to build Torah day schools in every small Jewish community in the United States. To accomplish this, he rallied gedolei Yisrael from across the spectrum to support Torah Umesorah’s activities and programs. Yet this was a sidebar to his official endeavors, which were to build Yeshiva Torah Vadaas in Brooklyn, Kollel Beis Elyon in Monsey, and various programs to train Torah teachers. He created the yeshiva settings whereby Rav Shlomo Heiman, Rav Reuven Grozovsky, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, and many others were able to influence the American Torah scene, and he was also instrumental in the building of several other yeshivos in America.

Returning to Rabbi Krieger, whereas most of his contemporaries who arrived on the American shores as refugees from the Nazis were eager to start businesses or pursue professions, Rabbi Krieger was interested in studying in yeshiva and became a disciple of Rav Shraga Feivel. This meant that he became committed to chinuch, as did the most of Rav Shraga Feivel’s talmidim. As happened to many, he also became the de facto “rabbi of his family,” since he was the first one to receive a yeshiva education and develop that perspective on life.

As soon as I got my driver’s license at 18, I drove to my friend Ruthie’s house to celebrate. But as I was parallel parking, a skill I had just learned to pass my driver’s test, I hit a car. “I’m not getting back in there,” I told my friend’s mother.

“Oh, yes you are,” she said, and the owner of the car I hit agreed. Through their kindness, I got back into the car, and, b”H, I’ve been driving ever since, even teaching my children how to drive when they were teenagers. Still, through the years, I’ve avoided parallel parking and mostly park my 2012 Camry at the curb in front of our house or between the white lines in parking lots. Now that I’m a senior (not a high school one, of course) my new problem is maneuvering my car between the white lines in those parking spaces.

When I settled in Baltimore in 1979, it was understood that “learning in kollel” meant the kollel of Ner Yisrael, established just 20 years prior. Today, 250-plus kollel fellows learn at Kollel Avodas Levi (subsequently named in memory of Rosh Hayeshiva Rav Yitzchak Ruderman, zt”l) in one of the five to seven chaburos (learning groups, see sidebar), with guidance from its Rosh Kollel, Harav Ezra Neuberger. Yet, dozens more men are learning in other local kollels, which seem to have sprung up overnight. Here are just some of them.

Kollel Nachlas Yosef

“There’s a real energy in the beis medrash, and everyone is shtieging,” says Rabbi Aron Tendler, rosh kollel of Kollel Nachlas Yosef. Named in memory of Rabbi Yosef Tendler, zt”l, longtime menahel of Ner Israel’s high school, the kollel was founded to ensure that young men entering the workforce or who are in school have a place to learn with the same intensity and enthusiasm they experienced during their yeshiva years. It is open to those who want to learn long term, short term, or even one seder (session, see sidebar) a day.

The kollel, under the guidance of seder rosh chabura, Rav Shimon Greenwald, started with 12 yungerleit (young married men); another seven, who are learning in Eretz Yisrael, joined for the month of Elul. To create an environment of intense and enthusiastic learning, the kollel yungerleit learn in one chabura (learning group) in one beis medrash, where they can take advantage of the great group dynamic and enjoy the ru’ach haTorah (the atmosphere of Torah) that comes from such an experience.

Morning and afternoon sedarim at Kollel Nachlas Yosef are held in its beis medrash on Smith Ave. For night seder, the kollel joins the many bnei Torah learning in Derech Chaim (Rav Pinchas Gross’ new shul). “Indeed, it is a wonderful testament to the amazing people of our kehilla that so much Torah is being supported throughout our community. And it is inspiring to see how many people come to learn after a long day at work,” says Rabbi Tendler.

?I like the American holiday of Thanksgiving which was just celebrated. Unfortunately, these days, instead of giving thanks to G-d and showing gratitude to others, many Americans think that Thanksgiving is simply a time to shop for bargains.

Giving thanks and showing appreciation are core Jewish values. The Modim prayer of thanksgiving is recited daily in our Shmoneh Esrei/Amidah. As Chanukah approaches, we Jews are reminded to be thankful for the miracles that Hashem performed for our ancestors. Our survival then, as now, has always relied upon miracles. In recent times, though, both of these holidays have become more about getting than giving. It seems that we need to be reminded to give with an open hand, to appreciate, and to be thankful, because our spiritual health and wellbeing require it.