Dei'ah veDibur - Information & Insight
  

A Window into the Chareidi World

29 Av 5759 - August 11, 1999 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
NEWS

OPINION
& COMMENT

HOME
& FAMILY

IN-DEPTH
FEATURES

VAAD HORABBONIM HAOLAMI LEINYONEI GIYUR

TOPICS IN THE NEWS

HOMEPAGE

 

Sponsored by
Shema Yisrael Torah Network
Shema Yisrael Torah Network

Produced and housed by
Jencom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOME & FAMILY

Preparing For The Future
by R' Zvi Zobin

Dealing With the Big Scream

It's all a matter of leverage -- manipulation. "What can I do to get my way?"

From the moment a child is born, he begins to learn that crying will get him whatever he needs. The distress of hunger, thirst, a soiled diaper or just feeling discarded, can be relieved by opening up your mouth and crying as loudly as you can.

Blast of the Ram's Horn : Excerpted from "Where Heaven Touches Earth"
by Dovid Rossoff, distributed by Feldheim

(From "Bygone Days -- 1870-1900, pp. 361-2)

Late one night in Nachalas Shiva, the stillness was suddenly shattered by startling noises. Abruptly awoken, Yosef Rivlin sat up in bed and bent his head towards the window. The spring air rippled across his face. Listening carefully, he realized that he was hearing the sound of men and animals jostling around. Fully alert now, he carefully peered outside. In the darkness, he discerned a large number of silhoutted figures approaching Nachalas Shiva with a herd of horses or mules.

Unplugged
by Miriam Luxenberg

Not long ago, I read an article about the phone which said, among other things, that Bezek has rigged things so that it is practically impossible to miss any opportunity to use your phone. Between call waiting, Star 41 and 42, the ta koli answering service, pelephones, faxes etc. there doesn't seem to be anywhere to hide anymore, and the phone company is getting rich on us, besides.

The Day of Manhood
By Rifka Goldberg

Before we know it, the New Year will be upon us, and we will all be one year older, along with the world. Will this year bring an added maturity?

Regard Your Friend's Possessions as Your Own
by Tzvia Ehrlich-Klein

I had a particularly hectic erev Pesach this past year. For the entire two weeks before the Celebration of our Freedom, people kept sending their children to knock at my door.

What was all this coming and going, you ask?


Poet's Corner
La Shadchanit
by LMW

A few quiet moments of contemplation,
Part of a cherished summer vacation,
And then the lines start to buzz,
And your brain feels like fuzz.
Unlimited calls on cells, tels, and pels,
Memory bursting with names and claims
About singles, and their clan, names dropped with elan,
At the park, in the pool, on a trail, in school,
In a mall, in a hall, in the air, on the phone,
At home, on the roam.
Files, facts and figures about the elibigle elite,
The delicate and petite,
The robust and smart, dazzling in music and art,
The politest, the nicest and brightest yet,
Grandma's favorite and/or the teacher's pet.
Catch names as they whiz by, at least, try,
Blazing a trail from Vienna to Calgary,
From Toronto, Joberg, Boropark, even Gary,
And back again. No answer? Oh, my! Why?
Mix and match, it's your gamble, take the dare,
But you're dealing with people so handle with care.
It's a heavenly vocation, part of the act of creation,
You may project and propose, suggest and dispose,
Your intent must be right, your goal in sight.
You may miss your goal or misread your role,
Friends may put you on hold; he's too young, she's too old.
They may boycott your call, but you give it your all.
Ignore bad vibrations, orchestrate deliberations,
Heed the tears of singles, waiting for liberation.
Plant seeds of hope for those who grope,
Split the Red Sea for those still on the periphery.
At times you feel lost; forget you're not the boss,
Can't speak with authority, cannot guarantee,
Hesitation and delay, motive us to pray, and pray.
Then the Matchmaker gives a nod, the couple feels a prod,
Salvation is just round the bend, Mazel Tov to the happy end,
Which is really the happy beginning,
And again, La Shadchanit's head begins spinning.
And the lines start to buzz, and your head feels like fuzz...


All material on this site is copyrighted and its use is restricted.

Click here for conditions of use.