Chabad Times, April 2003

T o n VOL XI NO. 3 v April 2003/Nissan 5763 WHY WHY? Passover's Four Questions by the youngest are not small fry. The child has rehearsed and prepared for this precious moment; and who doesn't swell and kvell with pride as the little one chants the familiar tune? "When your child asks" is a most crucial point when the historic baton of tradition is relayed from one gen-eration to the next in a 3,315 year marathon since the Exodus. The Questions are so vital, that if not asked on their own, we must try to pique their interest. Isn't this why we dip the Karpas in saltwater? T IS NOT A CROOKED LETTER Questions aren't just for kids. Indeed, if celebrating the Seder alone, you ask yourself the Four Questions. Do we adults pretend to know everything that we needn't ask? And asking isn't just for Passover. Judaism encourages us to always ask and inquire, to learn, think and understand. "He who is afraid to ask cannot learn" (Avot 2). Yes, it is kosher to ask and discover the hows, whys and wherefores. Did you know why Jews often answer a question with a question? Why not? THE WHY'S GUYS Of course, there are those wily why's guys of Wyoming who care more for their question than the answer. But while G-d's ways are beyond us to fully fathom, Judaism leaves wide berth for us to know and understand why this and why that. The Talmudic question and answer system probes ever deeper and takes nothing for granted, and we utilize: Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge (Cha.B.aD) in our quest for G-d's essence. Satisfied know-it-alls actually know little. An ignoramus was dis-appointed to find his Rabbi learning late at night. Instead of appreciating his rabbi's diligence, he asked: "Aha! So you didn't finish Rabbinics before we hired you?" TO ASK OR NOT TO ASK, THAT IS THE QUESTION Last, but not least, the fourth son-who- knows-not-to-ask is often dis-missed as an imbecile. But is it that simple? If he's just another Simpleton type, why is he listed separately? Why is the Haggadah s response to this last son more elaborate than to those sup-posedly wiser? GOOD QUESTION! Don't underestimate he-who-knows- not-to-ask. He isn't stupid, just apathetic and indifferent. He may be a highly educated Ph.D, full of questions, answers and opinions on other matters. But his observance has become so routine and blase that he doesn't grow spirit-ually. He accepts Judaism blindly because he's afraid to question it! The Haggadah addresses and involves him too, coaxing him to open up to Torah's intellectual depth and beauty. Any Questions? ? 2003 Rabbi Israel Rubin Here's The Answer! Dear Friends, No, we don't have the solution to all of the world's problems: that'll have to wait for Moshiach, speedily in our days. But meanwhile, this publication helps provide answers to many of the questions that come up on Passover, as well as general year-round questions about Jewish life. We hope you'll enjoy the various essays and articles in this paper, ranging from the historic and philosophical to the entertaining and the practical. The Haggadah's Four Sons teach us that there are different approaches on different levels, so here's valuable info for the whole family. With best wishes for a Happy and Kosher Passover, with safety for the troops in Iraq and freedom for the US, Israel and all mankind! Sincerely, Rabbi Shea Harlig, Rabbi Yisroel Schanowitz, Rabbi Mendy Harlig Distribution: Direct mailed 5 times a year to over 3,000 homes in Las Vegas, NV Chabad of Southern Nevada NON-PROFIT ORG. 1261 South Arville St. U.S. POSTAGE Las Vegas, NV 89102 PAID (702) 259-0770 PERMIT NO. 447 xvivw.chabadlv.org LAS VEGAS, NV What's Inside? The Mountain and the Sea 2 Finding Freedom 3 A Rude Awakening 4 Chabad News 5 The Quality No-Frills Seder 6 Purim at Chabad 7 Four More Questions 8 ZAKA: True Kindness 9 Faith at Marquette 10 A Bakery Goes Against the Grain . .13 Holiday Laws & Customs 16-17 Praying for a Child 18-19 Kabbalah 101: Are We Different? . .20 Get Your Child to Talk 20 Delicious Passover Dishes 21 Jewish in Austria 22 Just What the Doctor Ordered 23 Candle Lighting/Chometz Form . . . .24 PUBLISHED BY CHABAD OF SOUTHERN NEVADA Practical Tips for a Joyous & Meaningful Celebration Passover Cookbooks and Recipes ZAKA A Jewish Organization That Wishes It Wasn't You know the feeling: we wake up to the realization that the world isn't as we would like it to be. A common experience, but there are many ways how to react. One man embarks on a quixotic crusade to change the world. A second gives up on the world and retreats into whatever protective walls he can erect around himself. A third takes the "practical" approach, accepting the world for what it is and does his best under the circumstances. A fourth rec-ognizes his inability to deal with the situation and looks to higher authority for guidance and aid. THE FOUR FACTIONS Our ancestors had this rude awak-ening after their exodus from Egypt. The Ten Plagues forced Pharaoh to let Israel go. After two centuries of slavery, the Jews were headed toward Mount Sinai and a covenant with G-d to be a "light unto the nations." Indeed, the goal of the Exodus was, as G-d told Moses "upon leaving Egypt, you will serve G-d at this mountain." But the sea was right ahead, as Pharaoh's army closed in behind. Egypt was alive and well. The sea was oblivious to the new nation's destiny. How did they react? The Midrash tells us that the Jewish people divided into four camps. Some said "Let us cast ourselves into the sea." A second group said "Let us return to Egypt." A third faction argued "Let us battle the Egyptians," and a fourth camp advocated: "Let us pray to G-d." But Moses rejected all four options, telling Israel, "Fear not, stand by and see G-d's salvation today; As you see Egypt this day, you shall not see them again, forever. G-d will fight for you, and you be silent." The Midrash explains that "Fear not, stand by and see the salvation of G-d" is Moses' response to the desper-ates who wanted to plunge into the sea. "As you have seen Egypt this day, you shall not see them again," is meant for those ready to surrender. "G-d shall fight for you," is the answer to those who wished to do battle, and "you shall be silent" is Moses' rejection of those who said, "This is beyond us. All we can do is pray." What are we to do when caught between a hostile world and an unyielding sea? "Speak to Israel," G-d told Moses, "let them go forward." TZADDIK IN A FUR COAT The road to Sinai was rife with obstacles and challenges. The same is true of the road from Sinai, our 3,000 year quest to implement Torah ideals in our world. Now, as then, there are several possible responses to an adverse world. There is the "Let's throw ourselves into the sea" approach of those who despair of resisting, much less impact-ing, the big bad world out there. Let us plunge into the sea, they say, the sea of the Talmud, the sea of piety, the sea of religion. Let us sever all con-tact with an apostate and promiscuous world. Let us build walls to protect ourselves fKjfft the alien storms out-side, so we can foster the Sinai legacy within. In the chasidic idiom such a person is 'a tzaddik in peltz?a right-eous man in a fur coat.' There are two ways to warm up on a cold day: you can build a fire, or wrap yourself in fur. When the isolationist tzaddik is asked, "Why do conserve your own warmth? Why don't you build a fire to warm others as well?" he replies, "What's the use? Can I warm up the entire world?" If you point out that one small fire can thaw several frozen individu-als, who may, in turn, create enough fires to warm a cor-ner of society, he just does-n't under-stand. He is a perfection-ist. There's no place for partial solutions in his life. "It's hopeless," he sighs with genuine sadness, and retreats into his spiritual Atlantis. THE SLAVE AND THE WARRIOR A second "camp" says: "Let us return to Egypt." Plunging into the sea is not an option, argues the Submissive Jew. G-d placed us here. Our mission is deal with it, not escape it. We'll just have to lower our expectations. This Exodus was obviously a pipe dream. How could we presume to lib-erate ourselves from the rules and con-straints that apply to everyone else? To be G-d's "chosen people" is nice, but we are a minority, dependent on Pharaoh's goodwill that holds sway in the real world. It is our duty to influence the world. But a Jew has many duties: it is his duty to pray thrice daily, to give charity and observe Shabbat. So we'll do what we have to. Yes, it's a tough life, keeping the laws while not antag-onizing the neighbors; but who said that being a Jew is easy? A third response to a hostile world is the Fighting Jew. He knows that it is wrong to escape the world, and equal-ly wrong to submit to it. So he takes it on, both barrels blaz-ing. The Fighting Jew strides through life with a holy chip on his shoulder, battling immorality, apostates, anti-semites, "Hellenist" Jews and non-fighting Jews. Not for him is the escapism of the first camp or the sub-servience of the second, he knows that his cause is just, that G-d is on his side, and ultimately he will triumph. If the world won't listen to reason, he'll knock some sense into it. THE SPIRITUALIST Finally, there is the Jew who looks at the world, looks at the first three camps, shrugs his shoulders and lifts his eyes to heaven. He knows that turning his back on the world is not the answer, neither is surrendering to its dictates and conventions. But he also knows that "The Torah makes peace in the world, for its ways are pleasant, and all its paths are peace." "You hope to peacefully change the world?" say the other three camps. "When was the last time you looked out the window? You might as well try to empty the ocean with a spoon." "You're right," says the Praying Jew. "Realistically, it can't be done. But who's being realistic? Do you know what the common denominator between the three of you is? Your assessments and strategies are all based on natural reality. But we inhabit a higher reality. Isn't the very Jewish exis-tence a miracle? Ours is the world of the spirit, of the word." "So basi-cally your approach is to do noth-ing," they c o u n t e r . "Again you are employing materialistic standards," answers the Praying Jew, "a world that views prayer as 'doing nothing.' But prayer from the heart can achieve more than a secure fortress, a flattering diplomat or powerful army." FORWARD! What does G-d say? "Speak to the Israel, Let them go forward." True, it is important to safeguard and cultivate all that is pure and holy in the Jewish soul, to create an invio-lable sanctum of G-dliness in one's own heart and one's community. True, there are times when we must deal with the world on its own terms. True, we must battle evil. Certainly we must acknowledge that we cannot do it all on our own. True, each of these four approaches have their time and place. But neither is the vision to guide our lives and define our relationship with the world about us. When headed toward Sinai and confronted by a hos-tile or indifferent world, our response must be: go forward! Not to escape reality, not to submit to it, not to battle it, not to deal with only on a spiritual level, but to go for-ward. Do another mitzvah, inspire another soul, take one more step toward your goal. Pharaoh's chariot-eers are breathing down your neck? An impregnable sea bars your path? Don't look up; look forward. Move toward Sinai. When we do, that insurmountable barrier will yield and that ominous threat will fade away. Despite "evi-dence" to the contrary, we have the power to reach our goal. Even if you have to split some seas. If only we move forward. Translated by Yanki Tauber from the Rebbe's talk (1962). IHJV fill M?RNS S a t i a t e . A p p e t i t e f o r ?-C-IL.?...lJI.,JlJ?.,J?..-?..-?..Ji ??.."-? -HIM-.' ,Qi H F N E F O O D S I S R A E L Visit out4 website and f:;\r cut \vK?i k supermarkets and grocery stores near you carry Israeli food and beverages w w w . f i n e f c o d s I s r a e l , c o m Holiday Thoughts by the Lubavitcher Rebbe BETWEEN Istood between the train cars, wind blowing in my hair, watching the Mexican countryside flash by. With each passing hour the train carried me further and further away from my obli-gations, bills, job, and the people who knew me. In twelve more hours, my wife and two children and I would get off the train, ride a bus for several hours, then take a boat to a place where no one knew us. A place where 1 would receive no phone nor electric bills, because there would be nei-ther electricity nor phones. Nor were there any roads in the small village that would be our home, so there would be no automobile to care for, no insurance fees or gas expense. The palm-thatched palapa in which we lived cost $150 per year. I would live off the land with my hands, my machete, and a crude Mexican-made fishing device to supply most of our food. I was finally free! I had left obligations, the con-straints of societal norms, and the expectations of others behind me. My time and my life were my own. Today, I have seven children. I work 12 to 14 hours a day. I have even less time than money. My obligations to family, work, and community are greater than anything I left behind when I boarded the train to Mexico. Yet, there is a sense of freedom in these obligations that surpasses the most idyllic, sun-filled days spent fishing in a dugout canoe on the Pacific Ocean. A hungry person is not free, but enslaved by the need to end the growling in his stomach. In those Mexican days, I was hungry for the connection and fulfillment I thought I would find in this primitive, natural environment. The freedom and pleasure I discovered were wonderful, but only a diversion from the goal that I had set to achieve. Late at night, sitting in our palapa, the kids tucked into their hanging bamboo beds, the kerosene lantern casting its glow around the makeshift table, dimly illuminating the palm fronds that sur-rounded our home, I would still feel the same emptiness that had taken me to Mexico. And though I would not dwell on the thoughts and feelings that crept into consciousness in the silence of the night, I knew that the true purpose of this journey was not being achieved. I was still starv-ing for meaning in life. My quest had taken me through many experi-ences and investigations, much study and explo-ration. It was a search that had gone from the moun-taintops of Oregon to the jungles of Mexico and many places in between. But I didn't find freedom from this hunger until I reached the gray, workaday city of Milwaukee. It was in Milwaukee that I dis-covered Chabad and Torah Judaism. One cannot be truly free unless one knows who he really is, what he really wants and what he is meant to do. Regardless of how fantastic or roman-tic, dramatic or adventurous the masks I wore, they were only masks, and not my real face. I am not a machete-carrying Mexican peasant working the land. I am a Jew con-nected to G-d through mitzvot. When I am being who I truly am and fulfilling my purpose in this world, the yokes of worldly obligation are no longer the markers of whether or not I am free. They become the tools with which I exercise my freedom. I need my car to do Mitzva errands. I must earn money to give my children the education they need to be Torah-lov-ing people. The telephone is vital to my work and my ability to communicate words of Torah or help a friend. The rent I pay (more dollars per week than the annual cost of the palapa in Mexico) pro-vides a home of Torah, mitzvot and good deeds, with warmth and love and nur-turing for my children in a community and environment that strengthens, sup-ports and encourages the values on which I base my life. The adventure I seek is found in the constant exploration of who I am and who I can be as I stretch further and further in my quest to become the best parent, husband, friend, Jew and chasid I can be. Today, my soul no longer aches. It is nourished by a connection with G-d and a sense of His presence in my daily hours. My hunger is filled, rather than diverted by constantly shifting adventures and pleasures. My life, thank G-d, is filled with purpose, satisfaction and a profound love of my family. My children are not running barefoot through the sand, but walking sure-footed through life, feet firm-ly planted in Torah and a way of life that cherishes the finest and highest of Divine and human qualities. I don't fish, have little time for vacations, and carry a tallit bag rather than a machete. I serve G-d to the best of my limited ability. And I have never been more free. ]ay Litvin is a 55-year-old husband, father, writer, filmmaker, PR consultant and a chasid. here was an early morning j Y chill in the air as I got into a C^S?* cab to the Reno/Tahoe Airport enroute to my corporate headquarters in McLain, VA. My plane was leaving at 6:00 a.m., too early for my morning prayers, whose appropriate time is at sunrise. I'd never yet prayed on a plane in front of strangers, so I decided to wait until I stopped in Washington to pray. Before boarding the plane I donned my kipa skullcap and read the Travelers' prayer. I then noticed a fellow wearing a brightly colored beret very proudly. I had reached for my kipa to tuck it away, when I suddenly felt better leaving it on. I've had a lot of "firsts" since dis-covering Chabad and pride in my Judaism, but I had never worn a kipa outside my home or shul. Watching the fellow proudly wear his beret made me think, "This is the day to go public with my kipa." Filled with trepidation over what my fellow passengers would think, I pushed my kipa to the back of my head like a confused cowboy, and boarded the plane. I planned to wear it until I arrived in Denver and then take it off while running to my connecting flight. The trip to Denver was a long two hours. I was self-conscious, thinking everyone was looking at me, judging me, laughing at me! Actually, my fel-low passengers were more interested in their USA Today than in my kipa, but you don't feel the truth when you're filled with anxiety. As we approached Denver, the flight attendant informed us that the Denver to Washington flight was delayed two hours. I suddenly had plenty of time for my morning prayers. I strolled through the airport until I found a nice, private place to pray. After I was done, I wrapped my tefilin and folded my talit i n t o my The ice broken, we started talking, and she shared a sad tale about her son who was mentally challenged, as a result of surgery that went wrong. With tears her by Steve Hyatt t^i in bag. Just as I reached to grab my kipa and put it away, the guy with the brightly colored beret strolled by again. I kept the kipa on. Walking to the gate I decided to leave it on until I arrived at my hotel later that day. "Go for it, Shlomo 'Yakov," I told myself, "make your dear Great Grandfather Charlie proud." Next to my seat on the connecting flight was a sad looking woman. I said "good morning," and when she glanced up at me, the woman smiled. t o l d me that he was in a rehab center and needed care for the rest of his life. She was very angry with the doctor and couldn't believe in G-d anymore. I asked if she prayed to G-d while her son was in the operating room. She had. "So you do believe in G-d," I said. "But you're angry at Him." "I guess you're right," she said. "I just don't understand how G-d could let it happen." Drawing on the lessons my good friend Rabbi Vogel from Chabad of Delaware shared with me over the years, we talked four hours about her feelings toward the surgeon who operated on her son, her husband who never wanted the surgery in the first place, and her inability to do any-thing constructive for her son. We discussed that it takes time to learn how to deal with a negative expe-rience. We also agreed that it's impossi-ble to understand why bad things hap-pen to good people. The limited human being can't fathom G-d's plan. As the hours rolled by she began to brighten up and literally surge with energy. When we were moments away from landing, she began to cry. She said that she NEVER speaks to strangers when she trav-els, but this time she felt it was okay. I asked her why, and she con-fided that she was born into an observant Jewish family but mar-ried out and lost her Jewish identity. But seeing my kipa, she felt comfort-able speaking with me. I smiled, and told her that I've been on a spiritual journey for several years, but this was actually the first time I wore my kipa in public. "Why of all days did you wear your kipa today?" she asked. I told her about the guy with the beret, and she laughed. "Maybe it was meant to be," she whispered. "I guess so," I whis-pered back. As we rose to leave the plane she said, "This was very enlightening. I am now going to channel my energies into positive efforts. I'll become an advo-cate for mentally challenged patients like my son." I marveled at the events that tran-spired that day, resulting in this meeting. I never saw the guy with the beret again! A Rude Awakening When a sniper gunned down a score of citizens for a few weeks in Washington D.C., millions of people were terrified for their lives, and normal life was turned askew. For almost three years now, hun-dreds of Israelis have been murdered and thousands seriously injured. Buses, stores, restaurants and hotels are under constant attack. How can people carry on like this with their daily lives? The goal of our enemies is to cripple Israel's will through fear and suffering. With the paralysis that follows each attack, how much more can we bear? Let's think back; we've been here before. Our ancestors have faced major threats, yet they survived, and we are their descendants. Our ancestors saw the events in their time as a challenge to over-come, and considered their spiritual response equally important to politi-cal, military or media strategies against their oppressors. They believed that radical personal and communal change helped bring G-d's help It is painfully obvious that this con-flict is not only about specific territo-ries. It is about Jews. Polls report that 70% of Israelis and 80% of Palestinians view this as a battle over Israel's exis-tence. by Rabbi Shalom Schwartz The Jewish response to "Death to the Jews!" has always been to "Live as Jews!" If evil targets us because we envision a world built on different val-ues, then our answer must be to live even more passionately by those val-ues. Anti-Semitism today has donned the cloak of anti-Zionism, and its attack on Israel's existence should prompt us to do some serious person-al and national soul-searching. In 1948, the world looked on as we emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust and returned to Zion. What would they create? Many saw Israel as a safe haven from anti-Semitism. But Israel was meant to be something much more than an escape hatch. It was meant to be the springboard from which we would develop and carry forth our destiny. Facing repeated attacks, Israels citi-zens spent most of their waking hours worrying about sur-vival. When there was time to come up for air, they had to build the country from ground up: roads, schools, infrastruc- J CO ? Sinai faniniuta ? MWTOM ovwan ol HMIT ture, and institutions. Who had time to think about a higher national purpose? Back then, it was enough to know that Israel would be a place of refuge for Jews around the world if another holocaust threatened. Who could imagine that the threat of destruction would actually come from within Israel's own borders? Elie Wiesel compares contempo-rary Jewry to a messenger who was hit on the head and knocked out. When he woke up, he couldn't remember the message, who had sent him, to whom he had been sent, or the very fact of his being a messenger. Have we lost sight of our destiny? Judaism is much more than just a nation-al identity. It is to be a Light unto the nations, to repair the world and be a source of bless-ing to humanity, through Jews liv-ing out their tradi-tion in their ances-tral land. How can a tiny Jewish nation be a catalyst for world repair? Christian scholar and histo-rian Paul Johnson wrote in his best-selling History of the Jews: / IJlyp ? ) ; ? f ! v ! ; V ' ? ISRAE.iL . - i %DMSQft u. "One way of summing up 4,000 years of Jewish history is to ask our-selves, what would have happened to the human race if Abraham had not been a man of great sagacity; or if he had stayed in Ur and kept his higher notions to himself, and no Jewish peo-ple had come into being. Certainly a world without Jews would have been a radically different place. All the great conceptual discover-ies of the intellect seem obvious and inescapable once they have been revealed, but it requires a special genius to formulate them for the first time. The Jews had this gift. To them we owe the ideas of equality before the law, divine and human; of the sanctity of life and the dignity of the human person; of the individual con-science, and so of personal redemp-tion; of the collective conscience, and so of social responsibility; of peace as an ideal, and love as the foundation of justice." We always had faith and hope in the future. We looked forward to Redemption. We stayed focused on our purpose even when we were exiled from one country to another, suffering cruelty even as we taught the world about a loving G-d. We strove to bring good to the world, thereby being targeted by the greatest evils. The Middle East situation calls out to each and every Jew. Whether in Israel or in the Diaspora, whether Jewishly knowledgeable or ignorant, religious or not, it is a wake up call to reaffirm our Jewish identity and mis-sion. Just as our enemies do not differ-entiate between Jews, we too must not make any exceptions. It's time to wake up! We're all in this together. DUTY CALLS by Yisrael Nathan Herr Rosenau received the letter, but never answered it. It was placed in a desk drawer where it stayed for twenty one years. Ruth, the teenage daughter of the German Jew, grew up and married Eugene Wienberg, and had three small children. The year was 1938, Adolf Hitler has taken over Germany and anti Jewish proclamations were being contrived and enforced. Now a grand-father, Herr Rosenau was bothered stamp caught his eye. He pulled out the envelope with the American postage stamp. "Grandfather, can I have this?" Twenty one years had passed since he got the letter. "Take it," the grandfa-ther replied. After years of giving, an old forgotten envelope makes his grandson happy. He takes it home to his mother. "Look, look what grandfather gave me!" The mother and her husband, Herr Wienberg eyed the envelope with curios- The year was 1917. America entered World War I, and US troops poured into Europe in the final stages of the war. A lone Jewish soldier, Alex Lurye from Duluth, Minnesota, found himself in a German town called Seldes. It was Friday night, the young soldier was lonely, and decid-ed to check out what the local Jewish population was like. He created a stir as he entered the local synagogue. An American soldier in uniform! The Americans had fought the Germans in bitter combat. The lone soldier felt out of place, but was greeted by a German Jew called Herr Rosenau who made him feel comfortable in the synagogue. After the services, Herr Rosenau invited the soldier to his house for the traditional Friday night meal. The beauty of a warm traditional Shabbat dinner and the kindness of the German-Jewish family impressed the young sol-dier. He was a stranger, even an enemy. Yet because he was Jewish he was invit-ed to another Jew's home, given a delicious kosher meal, complete with wine and the traditional Shabbat songs. Herr Rosenau's fam-ily gave the soldier the feel-ing that he was not alone, certainly not an enemy, even that distant land. The soldier wasn't able to meet the kind family again, but the warm Shabbat experience did not leave him. It meant so much to him that when he finally returned to Duluth, Minnesota, his hometown, he took time to write a letter to the German Jew who had touched his life. about the dismal future for Jews in Germany. Rosenau didn't pay attention as his 11 year-old grandson Sigbert rum-maged through his desk looking for something of interest. A foreign postage ity. Inside they found the thank you note from the American soldier, twenty-one years ago. The mother remembered the young man. "Let's write him! Maybe he will remember us and sponsor us to immigrate to America." The envelope had no return address, only the name, Alex Lurye, and, Duluth, Minnesota. "We have no future in Germany, we must get out before this madman Hitler does worse things to the Jews." So they wrote a letter addressed only as follows: Alex Lurye Duluth, Minnesota Can you send a letter to a person in a large city without a street address and expect it to be delivered? You'd have to be foolish to think it would get to its destination. But Alex Luyre had become a wealthy businessman who was well known in Duluth. The postmaster deliv-ered the letter. When Alex received it, he quickly sent a return letter acknowledging his receipt of their letter and pledging to bring the Wienberg family to Duluth. Alex kept his promise. The entire Wienberg family arrived in May of 1938. Shortly after, the Rosenau family also came over to America. In Duluth, the Wienberg family worked hard through the Depression. Two jobs were necessary for both the father and mother to make it through the week. Yet in Duluth as in Seldes, Germany, the family always made sure that the Shabbat was honored. The kindness that Herr Rosenau extended to a stranger two decades earlier had come full circle. It spared Herr Rosenau and his family. That family has since sprouted and grown, with many children and grandchildren and great-grand- children, all committed to honor-ing the Shabbat. JEWISH LEARNING INSTITUTE TO CONTINUE ITS NEXT SERIES OF CLASSES ON UNLEASHING OUR SOUL POWER Many different factors have contributed to this being a spe-cial year at Desert Torah Academy. The school has grown in size, now numbering over 150 students. Many classes are filled to capacity or near capacity. Anyone considering enrolling a child in Desert Torah Academy for the next year should do so as early as possible. The teaching staff has been enhanced by the addition of three excellent teachers. Mrs. Sharon Bloom teaches the 5th grade and middle school secular classes, Mrs. Jean Witmer the 1st grade and 4th grade secular classes and Mrs. Shayna Attal the 6th and 7th grade Judaic class. These new additions enhance the wonderful staff members that are already teaching at Desert Torah Academy. This year, teachers on the Judaic staff have participated in an innovative teacher-training program. They have learned how to recognize learning differences and potential learning disabilities in their students. They have also learned about a variety of teaching strategies including Gardners "Multiple Intelligences", Bloom's "Taxonomy" and "constructivist education". The class has also taken time to formulate a comprehensive scope and sequence Yahdus (basic Judaism) curriculum. Another innovative program that has happened this year at Desert Torah Academy has been the implementation of "Kids Are The Core." This unique program has taught students such diverse skills as anger management, how to make correct deci-sions and other "people" skills. Rabbi Rodman, Principal of DTA has taught "Kids Are the Core" in a number of classes. He remarked, "I see that the children really enjoy learning the pro-gram. They adapt to the new skills quickly. I've seen major changes in behavior at our school because of "Kids Are the Core." Extra curricular activities c