I remember Purim last year, when we all sat in shul listening to the Megillah. No one thought about “social distancing” as we broke our fast together in packed social halls. The term hadn’t been invented.. Those successive urgent email messages from the Agudath Israel hadn’t begun yet either. And masks and gloves were still primarily worn by doctors and nurses. But before too long, the world as we knew it had completely changed, and we started to wonder when it would ever be the same again. Remarkably, our lives began to transform in good ways, too. We became more focused on davening, and our learning had more meaning than ever before. We rose to the challenges that Hashem put before us and forged ahead.

The use of silver and gold has a long history, beginning from when the Jewish people left Egypt. These precious metals were used in the Mishkan and the Beis Hamikdash, and Jews throughout history fashioned beautiful items from them to enhance the mitzvas.

When it comes to silver, Gilda’s Gifts is a Baltimore “institution,” serving the needs of Baltimoreans for 36 years. I had the opportunity to interview Gilda to find out about her business. When Gilda began her story of hashgacha pratis, I was surprised to learn that my father actually played a part in the story.

Chazal say that childbirth is one of three keys that Hashem retains and does not give control of to an intermediary. Childbirth is an amazing, primal process over which we have little control. Science still doesn’t completely understand many of the hormonal mechanisms of labor. The fact that a woman gets pregnant, carries her baby to full term, gives birth safely to a healthy baby, and experiences an uncomplicated postpartum period can only be considered a miracle.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, our nation witnessed the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, a gleaming edifice of marble and gold described by the Gemara as the most magnificent building in the world. To this day, we cherish the memory of that structure along with the ever-present hope that it will soon be rebuilt. A new book, titled The Original Second Temple: An Illustrated Guide to the Layout and Design of the Pre-Herodian Beis Hamikdash (Feldheim, 2021) by local author Yoav Elan sheds a new light on this timeless topic.

 When we stand at the Kosel, we are looking at the remnants of the western wall of Har Habayis (Temple Mount). Two thousand years ago, the entire Har Habayis was surrounded on all four sides by tall walls like this one. Each wall had one or more gates to allow the steady flow of pedestrian traffic to enter and exit Har Habayis. The following excerpt (with some additional material from my blog) gives a brief overview of the gates of Har Habayis, and concludes with an interesting connection between the Beis Hamikdash and the upcoming holiday of Purim.*

The storm has been raging now for a full year, and some days I feel like I can barely keep my head above water. We are living life day-to-day, never knowing what text message we will find in the morning to tell us of another class closed or another name to have in mind in our prayers. Struggling against powerful currents that pull us farther and farther from shore, we search for a bubble of calm that we can use to steady ourselves like an anchor in rough seas.

These essays were written about Covid 19 for the Machon Menoras Hachochma 2^nd annual Esther Malka national writing contest by the 9^th grade students of Mesivta Shaarei Chaim.

I remember way back when I was in second grade (trust me, it was way back!), and I came home one day rather upset. My dad was sitting in his favorite chair concentrating on his newspaper. He saw me standing there and said, “Do you need something?”

I said, “Yes, a kid in my class beat me up today!”

My dad looked at me and said, “Well, as I see it, you’ve got two choices: Learn to fight or learn to run.”

Yep! That was the sum and total of our conversation. Can anyone imagine such a conversation taking place today? These days, many parents reflexively intervene to defend their kids “rights” and demand answers from teachers, school administrators, and sometimes lawyers to look after their “fragile” kids – that is, their kids whom they themselves have made fragile.

Today, as on the last couple of Sundays, I hitched my bike rack to the rear of my car to load my bike and then pick up my riding partner and hit Israel’s trails. I inadvertently over-loosened a mechanical arm that holds the bike in place, and it came apart. Not being mechanical, I was at wit’s end. It “just so happened” that a fellow wearing a kippa and a spotted mask walked by, and, although I didn’t know him, I asked if he could help me put it back together. He gave it a try and succeeded! He literally saved the day. It was as if G-d had sent an angel. And it made me think of angels in my past, especially the “invisible” and the unexpected ones – those messengers who worked behind the scenes. This article is dedicated to a few of these people: people who cared and who made a major impact on my life – some without me even being aware of it until years later.

A new source of hope in the treatment of COVID-19, nearly a year after its emergence, is a therapy called monoclonal antibodies. This treatment is now being offered by Hatzalah of Baltimore. We asked Dr. Yosef Levenbrown, Medical Director of Hatzalah of Baltimore, to help us understand the treatment and to whom it is available.  

The praises for Rebbetzin Dr. Aviva Weisbord, a”h – affectionately known simply as Aviva – pour in from around the world. They paint a picture of an extraordinary personality. Steeped in Jewish values, Aviva also had incisive intelligence, insight, good judgment, and empathy. What can we at the Where What When add? Indeed, Aviva was one of those people for whom no amount of praise will suffice. And so we decided to let Aviva “speak for herself.”

You see, aside from being so many things to so many people, Aviva wrote for us. She was generous with her time and her wisdom, and her monthly advice column, “Growing up Is Hard to Do,” ran for many years. The articles she submitted were models of clarity that seemed to flow effortlessly from her orderly mind. Not a misspelled word or a misplaced comma was to be found on the sheets of paper covered with her neat, curvilinear handwriting. (Yes, in the early years, the columns came by mail.) Aviva always grasped the essence of the problem. At the same time, she was full of kindness and encouragement. Here are some short excerpts from her writing:

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