Month: June 2020

Author’s Note: This article appeared in the July, 2020 issue of The Scroll.

It is a rare thing when I get to do a Mitzvah for the first time, so rare that I cannot remember the last time it happened to me. Oh sure, I remember the first time I put on Tefillin and even the first time I recited the Birkat Kohanim with my dad. But, the truth is, after 56 years of life, it sure feels like  there is not much that I haven’t done (that I can, that is). Still, recently I had the experience of performing a Mitzvah that I do not recall ever doing before. How it came about is an interesting story; one in which I have found some meaning and would like to share with you.

Authors Note: This article appeared in the June, 2020 issue of The Scroll.

Ahhh… Shabbos. My favorite day of the week. Even when I was locked up in quarantine and then isolation, Shabbos was still my favorite day of the week. I can’t exactly tell you why… It’s not that I don’t work on Shabbos; after all, I didn’t work when I was in quarantine and isolation. There is a special quality to the day that just calls to me. Shabbos is just a mental recharge every week, regardless of what the rest of my week was like. I also, sometimes, get my best ideas on Shabbos.

Author’s Note: This article was written for the May, 2020 issue of The Scroll.

One thing about being a Torah learning Jew: you learn about the history of our people and about our trials and tribulations. Not everyone goes beyond the Tanakh and Talmud but I decided to, many years ago, and have read extensively on many subjects regarding our history, with many more topics on my list of areas to explore. One thing you learn quickly, though, is that we are no strangers to tragedy. We have been through wars, pogroms, a holocaust, epidemics, pandemics, you name it. We have been through it and come through the other side.

Author’s Note: This article was one of two written for the March, 2020 issue of The Scroll.

Have I ever told you about the attic? When I was growing up, my mother, may she rest in peace, had hundreds of books stored in our attic. She was a veritable bookworm and she passed that wonderful quality on to me. (I am proud to say that I have passed that on to Yitzchak who also reads incessantly). I have very fond memories of going up into the attic, rummaging around in countless boxes and pulling out a gem. I would then sit in the attic under the window and read for hours. To this day I can hear my mother’s voice yelling “MENACHEM!!!” in her futile quest to find her missing son.

Author’s Note: I wrote this article for the February, 2020 issue of The Scroll.

When the Torah was accepted on Mount Sinai, which we will read about on February 15th in Parshat Yisro, our sages tell us that the Jewish people were united. They were “one people with one heart”. Unfortunately, that probably was the only time in history when that statement could be made.