“Tonight my soul is happy. This is the first time since Dani was killed that I’ve felt genuine happiness.” Gal Alush, dedicating a Sefer Torah to a secular school in her husband’s memory.

Before the Blind, Do Not Put a Stumbling Block’ (Leviticus 19:14) A Torah command against leading others into aveiros, from toys on the floor to tempting words. Sheina Gilbert reminds us: Guard your actions to lift others up, not trip them. ‘Laugh WITH your friends, not at them... When Kindness leads our will.’ Avoid stumbling blocks; foster goodness every day.

11 years of infertility. Doctors said “no hope.” A mekubal asked one question: “Did you hurt your childless aunt in Johannesburg?” They flew across the world days before Pesach and begged her forgiveness on her doorstep. She forgave. Next Pesach: their son Yisroel Meir was born. One sincere “I forgive you” unlocked Heaven’s greatest blessing.

A kind non-Jewish visitor at the tefillin stand asks to put on tefillin as a gesture of solidarity. The young Chabadnik smiles warmly, places a gentle hand on his shoulder, and says, “Your heart is in exactly the right place — thank you. Tefillin are a special sign between Hashem and the Jewish people, but for you there are Seven Beautiful Commandments that light up the entire world. Let me share them with you.

Yaakov didn’t just love Yosef more; he showed it in ways his other sons could see and feel. The colorful coat wasn’t just fabric; it was a public declaration that shattered the fragile balance among brothers. Thousands of years later, the Torah still whispers the same warning the Gemara shouts: even a small act of visible favoritism can wound a child’s heart forever.

A young Jewish woman in modest dress and headscarf sits chained at the wrists, her face illuminated by a single candle’s flickering light. Behind her, a crowd of shadowy bearded men in traditional attire loom with judgmental expressions, their forms blending into walls covered with faint Hebrew text. Painted in haunting deep blues and reds, the dramatic scene powerfully symbolizes the isolation and entrapment of an agunah surrounded by community scrutiny.

A pardon for Netanyahu is no longer about guilt or innocence, it’s about ending a decade-long national paralysis that has crippled Israel’s leadership and deepened its divisions at the worst possible time. Sometimes the law must yield to the survival needs of a nation.

Trapped as an Agunah: Community ‘help’ turns to judgment, husband launches smear, ‘She’s crazy!’ Blame shifts, Get withheld. Image over truth. Freedom? Still waiting. #AgunahStories

“TIS THE SEASON” This time of year the world lights up In many different ways... So let us treat each others’ joy With kindness and true cheer Respecting every sacred day that visits this time of year.Long after our Hanukkah is over, we can take that light... and help make the world a better place.

As Chanukah nears, Parshas Vayeishev teaches us to be like Yosef: refuse the demands of Greek-like culture and say “No” to the outside world. Even amid life’s fluctuations, we can settle in tranquility with bitachon, constantly growing in Torah and Hashem’s service.

Chanukah celebrates the eternal battle of light over darkness: the Jews fought Greek culture that sought to sever our spiritual connection to Hashem. We won by affirming that the physical world emanates from transcendent Torah, and human intellect can even partner in creating Torah Sheba’al Peh.

Rav Nissim Yagen zt”l calmly faced a $26,000 shortfall for kollel salaries, saying simply, “Hashem will take care of me.” Without panic or frantic calls, he continued his day of learning and teaching. Moments before deadline, a stranger delivered exactly $26,000 in cash, an open miracle born of pure bitachon.

The ideal time to light Chanukah candles is at nightfall (about 15 min after sunset) or within the following half-hour, to maximize pirsumei nisa. If missed, one may still light with a bracha all night long, per Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 672). Strive to light promptly!

After losing her grandparents, Ilanit Zakowski began recording their Holocaust survival stories in a messy Google Doc. Joining the Holocaust Museum LA’s DOR Program helped her transform scattered memories into a structured presentation. She urges everyone: start now, write the stories for future generations.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their children Archie and Lilibet volunteered at OBKLA, a kosher nonprofit kitchen in Pico-Robertson, rolling cookie dough alongside rabbis and locals. Producing 105,000 meals annually, OBKLA teaches values through action, reminding us that service bridges divides and transmits dignity. Visit obkla.org to volunteer.

At a bar mitzvah kiddush, yeshivish boys chanted “ICE, ICE, ICE” at a Hispanic worker who asked them to wait. The only one with dignity was her. They can probably beat me in Gemara, but they have no middot, no derech eretz. Torah without character is priceless wine poured into a cracked cup, it all spills. Derech eretz kadma l’Torah isn’t a slogan. It’s a warning.

On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, discover Israel’s beauty without barriers! KKL-JNF’s 4 fully accessible trails let every family, wheelchairs, strollers, everyone, enjoy blooming irises on Givat HaMoreh, splash by the Jordan River pools, stand before the Scroll of Fire memorial, and gaze from the dramatic Arch Cave. Nature is for all of us.

Instant returns never matter. Jacob could have quit after seven years; any consultant would have told him to sue. Instead he worked another seven. Because some things are worth the wait, and the wait itself builds the value. Your marketing is the same. The customers no one fights for, the messages no one sends, the positions no one claims — those are your speckled sheep. Take them. Tend them. Wait. Real wealth always comes later, but it stays forever.

Parshat Vayetzei: Yaakov worked 14 patient years for Rachel. Laban changed wages 10 times. Guess who left rich? Short-term tricks look like wins on the spreadsheet. Long-term trust builds empires. Be a Yaakov marketer, not a Laban.

One Year to the 2026 Midterms: Trump Must Get Serious With Nov. 3, 2026, immigration, affordability, and Latino voter shifts (Trump now -38 pts underwater per CNN) will test his leadership. Midterms aren't just races, they're a national referendum on direction. Will Congress partner or block? The clock's ticking, governing meets judging.