Tag: loss

The Jewish Press joins Klal Yisrael in mourning the loss of Rav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, a world renowned Talmudist and posek, longtime rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Torah Ore in Jerusalem, and one of the foremost figures in the yeshiva world for three quarters of a century.

Meet Josh Mandel, who won the Ohio GOP primary and will take on Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, in the fall. A new-age GOP, his fiscal policy comes down to this: he says the country needs to undertake "sweeping regulatory reform." Mandel is a strong supporter of Israel—He and his wife Ilana were married in Jerusalem in 2008. In February 2009, during Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli government thanked Mandel for his staunch support.

The German soccer federation condemned an anti-Semitic act involving Kaiserslautern's Israel striker Itay Shechter, 24, and says such abuse has to be "nipped in the bud" and "we must act decisively." Sunday's taunts came the day after his team's 4-0 defeat by Mainz – their fourth straight loss – in which Shechter did not play.

This week’s parshah, Parshas Mishpatim, discusses many various halachos regarding monetary issues. One of the topics is when one damages another person’s property.

It's official. My "just had a baby" card has expired. Now that my son is 15 months old, I can no longer pull that out as an excuse for why I have not yet lost the weight.

Question: Lately I have seen some young men who though they wear a yarmulke have ponytails or other long unruly hair – I’ve even seen some ear piercings. Somehow I find this behavior to be incongruous.

It seems that whenever there is a tragedy in the heimishe olam, almost always the horrific, premature loss of life due to a car crash, a drowning, a freak accident or mindless violence/terrorism, it immediately is followed by a chorus of anguished voices screaming out the need to do teshuva.

We join all Americans in mourning the deaths of those who perished in the crash in Afghanistan of a military Chinook helicopter on Sunday. The deaths of these young men are a vivid reminder that even in these times of great self-interest and self- indulgence, there are those who selflessly and unhesitatingly put their lives on the line to defend the nation.

"And Avraham expired and died at a good age, mature and content and he was gathered to his people." (English translation of verse 8, chapter 25, Parshat Chayai Sarah in the Book of Genesis.)

There's a legendary story about a kingdom, which was hit by tragedy one year. The entire harvest was poisoned and everyone who ate of it went crazy. The good citizens were at a loss, not knowing what to do. If they were to eat, they would become mad. On the other hand, if they refrained from eating, they would starve to death. What to do?

There is so much tragedy, so much sham in the world, that people no longer know how to make a distinction between emes - truth, and blatant falsehood - and we Jews suffer from this plague more than others. Israel is constantly under attack, constantly demonized by a world that has become increasingly anti-Semitic, by a world that would secretly be happy to G-d forbid, see yet another Holocaust unfold.

With a title such as this, Rabbi Winston's new book belongs in every Jewish home and institution. Page 180 holds a delicious, psychologically satisfying insight and answer to your confusion about the purpose and function of personal suffering.

JERUSALEM - With nations around the world condemning Israel for the deaths of nine activists aboard a Gaza-bound ship, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned visit to the White House.

"My mother will be buried at the Yarkon Cemetary, Geula Hall, on Wednesday, March 17, at 11:30." The terse message from Eli Lato delivered a stunning, unexpected blow. Does "will be buried," mean that Theresa Lato is no more? Is Theresa Lato, the frail, soft-spoken lady who was like a one-woman armada fighting simultaneously on multiple fronts -silenced forever?

Beloved nutritional counselor a.k.a. naturopath Shoshanna Harrari lives in Israel and hops around the globe helping clients to live healthier lives. With an impressive record for reversing disease, the author is an in-demand speaker and consultant. Her recipe book is a tool for resting her voice and a great addition to many kitchens. Photos by Shoshanna's husband Micah Harrari show the bounty of blessings upon our plates, if only we'll put them there.

There is an old joke that describes a passerby who sees a man repeatedly hitting his head against a wall. Each time his head hits the wall, the man yelps in pain. Concerned, the first man runs up to him and asks why he keeps banging his head when it obviously hurts when he does so. The man answers, "Because it feels so good when I stop."

Our forefather Yaakov is considered to have been the patriarch who endured the most suffering. Although our rabbis look to the binding of Yitzchak and the trial of Avraham as the epitome of suffering in the form of self-sacrifice, Yaakov is our greatest teacher in the difficult subject of dealing with life's hardships.

How does one comfort an individual mourning the loss of a loved one? What does one say so that the grieving person will feel consoled?

Have you ever asked yourself-or anyone else: If you could live your life all over again, what different choices would you make?

Have you ever asked yourself-or anyone else: If you could live your life all over again, what different choices would you make?

Many well spouses have written to say that their partners' behaviors has changed drastically, making life very difficult for the entire family. "What in my spouse's behavior is choice and what is a result of the illness and beyond my partner's control?" It is a question that tortures many spouses of the chronically ill.

As we saw last week, the response to the articles entitled The Loss of Femininity (July 3, July 10, 2009) showed an overwhelming number of women identifying with the loss of femininity as they care for their ill spouses. Along with this loss came letters expressing the loneliness they feel, because their spouse's illness prevents many caregivers from attending s'machos of friends and family.

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When you lose your spouse, whether s/he was sick or healthy, whether it's through divorce or death, the transition period into the next part of your life is a difficult one. Many new singles find that they no longer fit into their old friendships. They are no longer part of a couple, so associating with couples can be uncomfortable.

Last week I wrote about how female caregivers are affected by the role reversals that take place as they care for husbands with chronic illness. As the husband's illness progresses, and he is able to do less and less for himself, his wife ends up doing more. And, as she continues to take on the traditional male roles, her loss of femininity may escalate. When this happens, it is reflected in how she cares or perhaps in how she stops caring and taking care of herself.

For most women, care-giving means taking on many of the roles that were routinely filled by their husbands, in addition to those things they were already responsible for. For many of these women, this has been hard to deal with. Not just because of the difficult physical nature of these new, additional roles, or even the tremendous emotional burden that has been added to the women's daily routine.

Remembering My Dear Wife, Rebbetzin Lillian Chomsky, On Her First Yahrzeit                                    Alone and not alone am I,   Little till now did I know why.   Of...

My mother's recent yahrzeit after Pesach, coupled with Yom HaZikaron and recent Yom Tovim and Shabbatot spent with my children and grandchildren, has cemented my belief that I was robbed of a major life asset - my grandparents. While I knew that having them was a life-enhancing relationship, I didn't truly comprehend it until I became one.

We are back to that time of year again. The winter clothes are going to the back of our closets and the summer clothes are starting to come out. This is the time to make changes, so we will be prepared for summer.

Dear Rabbi Horowitz: Our family is recovering from the terrible, unexpected loss of a loved one who passed away far too young. My husband and I have differing views on seeking professional help to help our children cope with the tragedy. (Thankfully, at least on the surface, they all seem to be doing well.) I am strongly in favor of seeking this help, while my husband, who is an amazing father and has been our bedrock throughout this ordeal, thinks that we should leave well enough alone and not subject our children to the agony of pouring their hearts out to a stranger. We are regular readers of your columns and recently re-read your "Open Letter to Teens Who Lost a Parent," where you very clearly encourage them to seek help if they are having difficulty dealing with their grief. But what if they don't seem to be exhibiting any such signs? We would greatly appreciate your thoughts on this matter. Respectfully, Susan