Yocheved Goldberg

With Elul in the air, and as we prepare to begin a new zeman in our yeshivos, I would like to share a thought that has changed the way I look at both Torah learning and our relationship with Hashem. Maseches Berachos begins not with the general halachos of Krias Shema but with the question of when exactly the day begins and ends. Ever wonder why? Instead of starting with something clear-cut, why does Shas open with the uncertainty of neitz, alos, and bein hashmashos?

Friday Night Fire by Chavi Kesler From my seat at the Shabbos table, I noticed that the furthermost candle was very close to the framed, gold-plate rendition of Yerushalayim hanging on the wall behind it. Too close. I made a mental note not to go to bed until that candle had safely burned out. At the end of the meal, my husband and oldest daughter went off to a shalom zachar,and the other children went to sleep.

We all knew that every summer, Rabbi Moshe Hauer a”h and his family would leave Baltimore and head out for a week to Deep Creek Lake. When we could finally follow, it turns out that he gave us the perfect formula for our own family bonds Location: Deep Creek Lake, Maryland Where summers took us: In the footsteps of our rav The members of Rabbi Moshe Hauer’s Baltimore shul, Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion, knew that the Rav a”h tried to take it a little easier the second half of every summer.