`A World Gone Mad` (Continued)
          In last week`s column I related the story of a legendary city in which the harvest was poisoned and rendered people “mad”.  The citizens were confronted by a hard choice – to eat and become mad, or to die of starvation. After much deliberation, the King came up with a solution: “In order to live, we must eat,” he said, “but we dare not forget that we have gone mad, so everyone must place a sign on his forehead reading, ‘Don’t forget, we are mad. That way, we will be able to gauge our actions and one day return to normalcy.”
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`A World Gone Mad`
            There’s a legendary story about a kingdom which one year was hit by tragedy.  The entire harvest was poisoned and everyone who ate of it went crazy. The good citizens were at a loss as to 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?......
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`I Wasted My Life` (Part 3)
           In last week’s column, I published a letter from a divorced gentleman of fifty-two who took exception to an e-mail written by a single professional woman who wrote that she regretted wasting precious years building a career rather than focusing on a home and family. She complained that at this point in her life, the shidduch recommendations made to her are very often men who are incapable of earning a living. She stated that she couldn’t possibly consider such individuals for a husband and referred to them as “losers”.  It is this term, “loser”, that prompted the gentleman’s letter and his vehement objection.
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`I Wasted My Life` (Continued from last week)
          A few weeks ago, I published a letter from a forty-five year old single professional woman who expressed regret at having placed career before marriage. She bemoaned the years wasted and the opportunities lost for bringing children into the world and establishing a true Jewish home. In my response, I told her that it’s never too late – that rather than agonizing over the past, she should concentrate on the here and now. I told her to bear in mind the many miraculous happenings of our past as well as the amazing stories of today of all the singles who, through the many mercies of Hashem and modern medicine do marry and have children later in life.
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`Mazel Tov - Cause For Weeping`
        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.
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`I Wasted My Years` (Conclusion)
         In last weeks column I published a letter from a woman in her late forties, a physician, who, despite her success, was very unhappy in her personal life.
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`I Wasted My Years`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

            I just finished reading your book “The Committed Marriage”. How I wish that I had discovered this wonderful book years ago.  How different my life could have been!

`It`s Not The Length of Our Years, But The Meaning of Our Days`
         We live in such turbulent times. As I mentioned in my last column, not only do we see the scourge of anti-Semitism rising again, not only are we challenged by economic and social disasters, but we are also tested by terrible illness that does not discriminate between the young and the elderly –children and adults. At first glance it all seems so painfully hopeless, but we Jews know that our situation is never hopeless.
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`A Light Behind the Darkness`
            It is Chodesh Tammuz – the month of Tammuz, and in a matter of days, we will inaugurate the month of Av. This is a period that from the very genesis of our  history has been marked by tragedy and even if we refuse to see the Hand of G-d, there is nothing coincidental about that which befalls our people.
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`More Than A Tour`
         As has often happened in the past, I am writing this article on an El Al aircraft en route to New York.  At least once a year, we have a Hineni tour to Eretz Yisroel. These tours are always amazing and life transforming. Every day is unique; every day has its own flavor; every day is miraculous and spiritually elevating – and this year’s tour was no exception.
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`Sharing With My Extended Family`
           From time to time, I share my personal simchas with my extended family, you, my dear readers of “The Jewish Press”. So it is my zchus – privilege” to publish in this column, an article that my daughter, Slovie Jungreis Wolff (Hineni lecturer and author of “Raising a Child With Soul”) wrote for Aish.com on the occasion of the Bat Mitzvah of her daughter Aliza.
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`Is It Really PR?` (Conclusion)
            In last week’s column, I wrote about the condemnation of Israel by the world community. Israel is once again ostracized. This time it’s because of the Flotilla fiasco. She is even castigated by her most loyal friends, including Jews, for her inept P.R. Yes, the friends all blame it on P.R.  In my last article, I stated that while it may be true that Israel’s P.R.  is wanting, the universal vilification to which she is subjected has nothing to do with P.R. Even if Israel had the most brilliant, eloquent, and articulate representatives speaking on her behalf, it would be of no avail - she would still be demonized.
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`Is It Really P.R.?`
           I am interrupting the sequence of my articles regarding questions posed by widows and widowers. B’ezrat Hashem, I will continue that discussion in future columns. But for now, I feel compelled to address the tragic events that have once again unfolded in Eretz Yisrael.
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`From Another Perspective`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

For the past few weeks, I have followed your articles which focused on the pain and trauma of widowhood. Truth be told, no one who hasn’t been there can understand the loneliness and the suffering. Even in marriages that were not quite perfect, where there were conflicts, there is pain. In addition to loneliness, there is much guilt that the widow or widower has to deal with. Even as your last letter writer indicated, we who are left behind,  tend to second guess ourselves with those three haunting words – could’ve... should’ve....  would’ve.  I know, because I have been, and am still there.

`Plagued By Guilt` (Conclusion)
         In last week’s column, I published a letter written by a tormented widow who agonized over what more she could or should have done for her terminally ill cancer-stricken husband. Her agonies were many: In retrospect, she felt that at  the first sign of illness she should have insisted that he consult with a specialist rather than with their local internist. She also felt guilty about the hospital that she chose for his post-surgical treatment. In short, she questioned everything she did regarding his care.
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`Plagued By Guilt`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

          I am overwhelmed by pain... I have no peace.  I can’t sleep. Every night I lie in bed thinking and thinking, and all my thoughts cause me anguish. Please Rebbetzin, hear me out. I know how busy you are, and I apologize for the length of this letter, but in order for you to understand my suffering,  I have to tell you my whole story.

Happenstance?
        Events are unfolding so rapidly, that before we can fully absorb them, another is upon us, and after a while, we become so inured that we no longer react. Mother nature is wreaking havoc with our environment. Tsunamis, floods, volcanoes, tornados, earthquakes, oil spills, etc. follow one another in rapid succession. Add to this, the collapse of the giants of finance and industry, and consider devastating illness that  affects, not only the elderly, but the young as well. And as if this were not enough, we, the Jewish people have an additional menace with which to contend – the demonization of Israel and the escalation of anti-Semitism.
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`What To Do?` (Conclusion)
          In last week’s column I published a letter from a seventy-six year old widow who was  concerned about her future. Specifically, she wanted to know whether she should sell her house in Brooklyn and move in with her daughter who lives in Queens. She wrote that she felt lonely living alone, but was concerned about being a burden to her children, although both her daughter and son-in-law assured her that that would not be the case.
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`What To Do?`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis,

          I don’t quite know what to do, so I decided to write to you to seek your guidance and advice.

`How Do We Understand It All?`
            I have been on the road non-stop. Different countries, different languages...  but they are all the same, because in every place that Hashem grants me the privilege of speaking, it is to my people that I speak.
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`It`s All From Above`
           We know that there are no random happenings.... everything is orchestrated from above. From the minor to the most major, nothing escapes Hashem’s attention.  Our sages teach us that a man does not stub his toe without Hashem being aware of it. Behind every incident there is a wake-up call. Every morning, we recite the brocha. “Hamaycheen m’tzadey gover –  and thus thank G-d for guiding our footsteps”. While the ways of Hashem are hidden from us, and most of the time, we are not conscious of His guiding Hand or His intent, we are nevertheless sustained by faith and trust that everything that befalls us is “l ‘tova “ – for our benefit, even if that tova – benefit, is beyond our understanding. In a small way, I saw this unfold this past Pesach.
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`In Honor of G-d`s People` (Continued from last week)
         I arrived in Paris on a Monday and over fifteen hundred people were waiting. I do not speak French, but no matter, for there is a language that transcends all difficulties and barriers, and that is the language of our people – the language of the heart based on our timeless truths: “Words that emanate from the heart must enter into another’s heart, and that is at the root of our “Jewish Law of Gravity.” It is a law that never fails and its veracity has been proven in every generation, in every century. I saw it unfold a thousand and one times ..... Most recently, I witnessed it in France, Hungary and Israel, and I never cease marveling at its power. 
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`In Honor of G-d`s People`
            As I write this column, it is the month of Nissan, the month when we usher in the awesome Yom Tov of  Pesach, and once again, I find myself on a plane en route to New York from Eretz Yisrael. This time, I am returning from an extended trip that encompassed programs in two large cities in France – Paris and Marseilles, then a hop over to Budapest, and from there to Yerushalayim, where I spoke in Binyanei HaOuma, as well as to a group of beautiful young people...students and professionals. Throughout my journey, I once again discovered that spectacular magic engraved in every Jewish heart, which in Yiddish we call the Pintele Yid - a tiny Jewish dot - the letter Yud.
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`The Readers Respond`
           I have received many e-mails from my readers in response to my series on “Why Can’t I get Married?”  There is one common denominator that unites them – finding a marriage partner has become one of the most challenging problems of our generation, and the older one gets, the more formidable this simple quest becomes.
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`Why Can`t I Get Married` (Continued from last week)

"What To Look For – How To Find The Right One"

        As promised, I will now try to offer some recommendations on how to find “Mr/Ms Right”. 

`Why Can`t I Get Married?` (Part 4, Continued)
           Some weeks ago, I published a letter from a secular Jewish woman in her mid-thirties. To all appearances, she had everything going for her - a successful career, good health, a dynamic personality, many boyfriends and relationships. She wrote however, that it all had no meaning. More than anything, she yearned to build a home and start a family, but marriage kept eluding her.
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`Why Can`t I Get Married` (Continued)
         In my last column, I posed a simple question – Why has that short walk down the aisle become such a long arduous trek?.... painfully difficult for so many?
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`Why Can`t I get Married?` (Continued from last week)

            My last week’s column, “Why Can’t I Get Married?” evoked a tremendous response. Many men called or wrote expressing interest in meeting the young lady. I will be more than happy to make such introductions, however, it is not my policy to make any shidduch recommendations unless I first meet the candidates. So to all the gentlemen who wrote, may I suggest that you call our office for an appointment.

`Why Can`t I get Married?`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

            I’m not the type of person who writes letters for advice. As a matter of fact, I’m surprised at my own self for seeking out your guidance, but I feel so desperate and frustrated that I decided to give it a try in the hope that you could shed some light on my problem.

`Connecting the Dots`

         As I write this column, we are in parshas Yithro – the portion that focuses on Matan Torah – the giving of the Torah, And yet, paradoxically, the parsha is not entitled Matan Torah – the Giving of the Torah, or Aseret HaDibrot – The Ten Commandments, or even Moshe Rabbenu, who brought the commandments down from Sinai, but amazingly, the parsha is named for Yithro, the heathen priest. What did Yithro do to merit such a distinction?

`Converting Crushing Experiences into Wisdom and Hope`
         Most of you, my dear readers, are aware that many moons ago, I was privileged to establish Hineni – the very first kiruv - outreach movement in the world, with the exception of Chabad. 
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`A Young Woman`s Story`
In response to my recent articles in which I described the odysseys of secular Jews who found their way home, I received many e-mails. Among those that reached my desk is the story of a young woman whose journey is typical of the angst and confusion with which assimilated Jews often have to struggle. But what is obvious in this woman’s journey and the journey of all Yiddishe neshamas, is that Hashem’s providence and guiding hand is always there. We  need only open our eyes to discern it.
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The Living Megillah - No Gender Differences
          I have often been told that, when it comes to Jewish self-discovery - tshuva, it is easier to reach out to females than to males, and indeed, there are some indications of this. But I have found this theory to be wrong. If, in some circles, there are more females attending Torah study programs, it is only because the men have not yet been tapped. The truth of the matter is that the pintele Yid is as potent in males as in females and is able to ignite the heart of a man even as that of a woman. Just as the pintele Yid is not affected by the ravages of time, so it is not subject to gender differences.
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The Living Megillah (Part 3)
As I indicated in my last column, there are a thousand and one inspirational stories that I could share with you, all testifying to the miracle of the pintele Yid that is imbedded for all eternity in every Jewish heart. Sometimes it’s a book, sometimes it’s a speech, sometimes it’s a Shabbos experience  – a loving, kind word  – a hug, a kiss, a blessing from a bubby, a zeide,  a rabbi or a Torah teacher. It matters little what it is, but what does count is that in an instant, that pintele Yid can come to life, make a journey that spans thousands of years and reconnect the soul to Sinai – and thus, every day, Yiddishe neshamas are reborn.
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`The Living Megillah` (Part II)
            As I write this column, it is parshas Vayechi, in which our father Yaakov imparts his blessing to his descendants. The Torah teaches that, as he was about to give the brocha to Ephraim and Menashe, the sons of Yosef, he suddenly posed a very strange and troubling question. “Mee ayleh? –  who are these?”
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`A Living Megillah`
           Many moons ago, at the inception of Hineni, when our children were small, my husband and I would spend our summers at the Liebowitz’s Pine View Hotel in the Catskill Mountains. It was a special time – pre computers, cell phones and text messaging – a time when people actually talked to one another and were happy just to get away from the city and breathe some fresh country air. To me however, that which was most special was that I had the zchus, the merit, to host  my dear, revered parents every Shabbos.
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`Ovi Mori, Z`tl`
            This past week was the yahrzeit of Ovi Mori, my dearly beloved father, my teacher, my guiding light, the eminent sage, HaRav, HaGaon HaTzadik Avraham Halevi Jungreis, Z”tl. It is difficult to believe that eighteen years have already passed since he was called to the Heavens above. In my mind’s eye, I hear his kind, gentle voice; I see his magnificent, holy countenance and his loving smile, and yet, the years have passed.  Eighteen is not an ordinary number.... eighteen is chai – life – so I would like to recall some of the memories from the exemplary life of my saintly father, Ovi Mori.
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`Conflicts, Conflicts, Conflicts` (Continued from last week)

Special Note: I am pleased to share with you that our film, “Triumph of the Spirit”, depicting my experiences during the Holocaust and the Kiddush Hashem of our holy martyrs, will, B’ezrat Hashem, be shown at the Bais Yaakov of Boro Park (1371 46^th Street) on Monday evening, December 21, at 8:30 PM. The film has been accepted at major film festivals throughout the United States. Most recently, it was screened at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, and will now, B’ezrat Hashem have its first showing in Brooklyn, following which I will address the audience. I look forward to greeting you. The program is being sponsored by Agudah Women. For reservations, call 212-363-8940.

`Conflicts, Conflicts, Conflicts`
Special Note: For the past two weeks, my columns have focused on the sad state of contemporary family life – controversies between siblings, parents, and children. Unfortunately however, this deplorable state of affairs is not limited to families – our communities, our institutions, are all ridden by “infighting”. I have received countless e-mails and letters from readers bemoaning this deplorable reality that crosses all boundaries and gender lines, running the gamut from the observant to the secular, from the young to the elderly, and from male to female. 
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`Family Conflicts Are More Prevalent Than You Think`
By Special Note: It appears that my articles on the pain of a family torn apart touched sensitive nerves. Sadly, too many of our families have become fragmented, too many are suffering from a lack of sholom bayis. The deluge of e-mails and letters that I received  are all painful testimony to this breakdown of traditional family life. The following is just one of these letters.
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`When Conflicts Tear A Family Apart` (Conclusion)
           In last week’s column, I published a very sad letter from a young woman who wrote that two of her sisters were not on speaking terms and had splintered the family with their animosity.
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`The Pain of A Family Torn Apart`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

            I feel embarrassed to write to you about the conflicts that are tearing our family apart, but I have no recourse. I have tried many avenues, however none have worked and I am hoping that, if you publish my letter, the people involved will recognize themselves and perhaps get the message.

`Where Did We Go Wrong?`
           If you love Eretz Yisroel, you must also feel overwhelmed by a sense of frustration. Why is Israel demonized all over the world? Why has she become the new source for the age old canard of anti-Semitism? And why is it that she cannot present herself in her true light? The question is all the more puzzling, since we, the Jewish people, are renowned for our fidelity to justice, righteousness and truth. And more, how is it that Israel has such dismal, horrible P.R.? How is it that we, who are masters of language, are so inept at imparting the glorious history and priestly calling of our nation?  After all, we are “the People of the Book” – who, if not we, should be able to address the nations of the world and communicate our true essence.
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Do You Remember?

             Are you one of those people who was outraged at the bias, the libel, the naked hatred evidenced in the Goldstone Report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland?  Were you stunned by the blatant lies? Were you left shocked and speechless at the sad realization that the author of this venomous report was Goldstone – yes, a Jew!

`A Vacuum To Be Filled` (continued)
         In last week’s column I published a letter from a young woman who was raised in an assimilated, reform home, but something in her soul always yearned to make a connection with Hashem and her Jewish roots. Unfortunately however, despite the fact that she grew up in a predominantly Orthodox community in New York, no one reached out to her. None of her neighbors ever thought of inviting her for a Shabbos meal, to shul, or to their sukkah, and  the yearning in her heart remained unstated. And so it was that she became easy prey for an evangelical missionary who enticed her into being baptized and joining a Messianic Christian sect.
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`A Vacuum Yet To be Filled`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungeis

            I have been wanting to write you for a long time because you helped me in such a profound way. I am so very thankful for your work, your message, your books, and your unapologetic call to all Jews to return to our Torah and heritage.

`When Spirits Soar`
          For many years now, our Hineni organization has had the zchus – privilege of holding Rosh Hashana/Yom Kippur davening in the beautiful ballroom of the Plaza Hotel, located in the heart of Manhattan. As if by magic, in just a few short hours we transform the banquet room into a majestic synagogue, and by the time the Aron Kodesh is in place, one has difficulty remembering that just hours earlier, this was a hall in which weddings an dinners were celebrated. What is amazing about our services however, is that they attract Jews from every walk of life.
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`A Happening`
         “Happenings” are not every-day events. There are classes, programs, seminars, lectures – but “happenings” that leave an indelible mark on the mind, heart and soul are rare. This past Aseret Y’mei Tshuva ( the ten preparatory days before Yom Kippur), we of Hineni were”zoche” – had the merit to experience a “happening” that was nothing short of a Kiddush Hashem – sanctification of G-d’s Holy Name, and for that I would like to publicly proclaim my total gratitude and indebtedness to the Almighty G-d.
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`Nothing Is As Simple As It Looks`
              In my last column, I published a tragic letter from a young woman who, after a painful bout with terminal illness, departed from this world. She attributed her plight to abandonment of our Torah way –  specifically to the laws of tznius. Her letter evoked much response. One of the  writers wrote that she had a similar experience, but Baruch Hashem, with a positive ending. She too, had been rebellious, she too had turned a deaf ear to the pleas of her family, but she never had to struggle with illness. Her sister however (an embodiment of everything that a yeshiva girl should be), was in a very serious car accident and had to undergo several surgical procedures and a difficult rehab.. While no one ever accused her of being responsible for this accident,  she  nevertheless was plagued by feelings of guilt, so when her sister requested that she daven for her and alter her life style, she readily acceded.
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`I Too Was There`
Special Note: In last week’s column I published a tragic letter from a young Israeli girl who was at death’s door. Subsequently,  I  received many e-mails in response to her painful cry, and I will share one of them with you.
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`A Call From Death`s Throes`
Special Note: The following letter was written by a young girl struggling with the Angel of Death. At her request, the letter was sent to many rabbis and rebbetzins who are in a position to give voice to her message and disseminate it among our people. Tragically, she is no longer on this planet to see her letter published, but as we come to the Rosh Hashana –Yom Kippur season, her neshama will surely have an aliyah in the knowledge that her request has been fulfilled and her message was read and taken to heart by many.
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`Anti-Semitism Is Alive and Well`
         You may recall that not too long ago, after returning from a two week tour of Europe at which time I spoke in a different country every day, I wrote in this column that Europe 2009 reminiscent  of pre-Holocaust Europe. Anti-Semitism is once again raising its sinister, ugly head,  not only in Europe, but throughout the world, and we, the Jewish people, are sleeping, even as we did in the early ‘30`s.
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`More Than a Film`
          A few weeks ago, while I was in Yerushalayim, we had the privilege of premiering our new film, “Hineni’s Triumph of the Spirit”. You may recall that I wrote about this once before, when the film was first produced, but now, we actually premiered it in the holy city of Jerusalem, and the response was greater than we could ever have anticipated.
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`Sweating Over the Small Stuff` (Continued From Last Week)
         In preparation for the Yomim Noraim – the High Holiday season, I focused last week on mitzvos bein Adam l’Chavero – interpersonal relationships that are too often overlooked, such as  the escalation of chutzpa, that has become emblematic of our society.
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`Don`t Sweat Over Small Stuff`
       There`s a popular adage that tells us not to sweat over small stuff. I always thought that that meant that we should not make an issue out of  incidents that impinge on our “koved”, such as someone taking our parking place, seating us at a badly located table, or addressing us inappropriately, etc., etc. 
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`And We Are Sleeping`
         With every passing day, our world becomes more menacing. Events are unfolding so rapidly that we can’t quite absorb them. Alas, the news is mostly ominous, be it local or international, situations are occurring that could not possibly have been anticipated.
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Hearing is Not Seeing Seeing
          Our Sages teach “ayn domeh..... there is no comparison between hearing and seeing”...  Thus, it is one thing to hear or read that our brethren in Shderot are subject to a constant barrage of kassam rockets and something else again to go to that city and actually see the devastation. It is one thing to hear about people who have been left scarred and maimed, who have seen their friends killed and blown to smithereens, and it is something else again to meet these people face to face and see the suffering  in their eyes.
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The Hineni Tour - A Life-Transforming Experience
Special Note: I have just returned from Eretz Yisrael, and while the experience is still fresh in my mind, I would like to share it with you. Hineni tours are life-transforming experiences – Those who are secular become Torah committed, and those who are already observant reach a new plateau in their emunah – faith, and love of Hashem. The change commences from the moment that we set foot in the Holy Land.
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Kiruv - Outreach - A Family Affair

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

         I come from a solid, yeshivish family. My parents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles are all Toradik people. Most of my friends have similar backgrounds, and when the time came for me to go to Sem. in Yerushalayim, I was most fortunate to be accepted with my friends at a great school. I had an amazing year in learning and in inspirational experiences. An entire new world opened up and I loved every minute of being in Yerushalayim. Now that I am back in New York, I truly miss Eretz Yisrael and feel sad not to be there.  It was probably one of the happiest years of my life.

`How Do We Understand That Which Is Unfolding?`
Special Note: In last week’s column, I wrote about the seemingly inexplicable events that are unfolding throughout the world. How do we understand the demonization of Israel, the new escalation of anti-Semitism, and the preponderance of Islamic terrorists throughout the world?  Whenever we encounter challenges, be they major or minor, general or personal, it is always best to consult the Torah.  But, you might ask, where are we to look? To which page should we turn?
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`How Do We Understand That Which Is Unfolding?`
         As I write these words I am on my way to Toronto for a commemoration of the martyrs of Mumbai. Rabbi Moshe Steiner, the local Chabad Rabbi who organized the program, informed me that Rabbi Holtzberg, the father of Gaby and father-in-law of Rivka Holtzberg, martyrs of Mumbai, would also be there for the occasion.
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`Triumph of the Spirit`
           I feel privileged to share with you the story of the creation of our new film, “Triumph of the Spirit”. For the longest time, I have felt that there is a terrible void in Holocaust films and memorials – the epic story of the mesiras nefesh, the boundless sacrifice, that our people made in clinging to Torah and mitzvos. --the devotion with which they served Hashem during one of the darkest moments in the annals of mankind has yet to be told.  I am most grateful to Hashem for granting me the merit of making a contribution, however small, in that direction and relating the story of my holy Zeide and Bubba, HaRav HaGaon HaTzadik Yisroel Halevi Jungreis and his Rebbetzin, HYD, who were killed al Kiddush Hashem in Auschwitz, As well as the story of my holy parents, who, even in that horrific time, in the midst of savage brutality, tenaciously clung to Hashem, and lovingly kept the light of Torah burning in our hearts.
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`It`s All From Hashem`
Special Note: Several weeks ago, I published a letter from a young father, Akiva Shapiro. Many years ago, Akiva discovered the world of Torah through Hineni. He not only became part of our organization, but a leader and an activist. I was also privileged to introduce him to his aishes chayil – his soul mate, and today, he and his lovely wife are the proud parents of a beautiful family.
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`What Did You Take Away From Shavuos` A Letter from Israel

           The beautiful Yom Tov of Shavuos has passed, but our Yom Tovim never passes. We are charged to carry them with us throughout the year.  While this holds true for all our Yom Tovim, it is especially valid for Shavuos. Shavuos is the one day for which our Torah does not designate a specific time or date.  Shavuos is “Zman matan Toraseinu - the season of receiving our Torah, and that is an eternal happening  which every one of us must re-experience and re-live  every moment of our lives. “Not with our forefathers alone did Hashem seal the Covenant, but with us, we who are here, all of us alive today (Deuteronomy 5).

`I Am Saddened` (Conclusion)
          In last week’s column, I responded to the mother/grandmother who wrote about the escalation of chutzpah on the part of the young vis a vis their parents. In my answer I suggested that we have adopted some twenty-first century attitudes that not only countenance this obstreperous behavior, but actually endorse it. I also mentioned that, while we may take a certain consolation in knowing that that which we are experiencing was predicted long ago, by our sages (the escalation of chutzpa is one of the signs of Ikvei d’moshiach) nevertheless,  it does not mean that we of the Torah community should countenance it.  Chutzpah toward parents/grandparents, teachers and elders in any shape or form is unacceptable.
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`I Am Saddened` (Continued from last week)
         In my last two columns I published a letter from a mother/grandmother who felt very saddened and discouraged at the shameless chutzpa that marks today’s parent-child relationship. In the first segment of her letter, she cited the disrespectful conduct of children, and in the second, she gave examples of the deplorable behavior of young adults – even married couples.
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`I Am Saddened` (Continued From Last Week)

Special Note: In last week’s column, I published the first part of a letter written by one of our readers who related that this past year, circumstances had compelled her and her family to go away for Yom Tov, but she was terribly embarrassed by the behavior of many of the people in her group. Her discomfort started on the plane when she saw children running around unsupervised, making nuisances of themselves and disturbing the other passengers. This out -of-control behavior continued throughout the flight and at the hotel as well. In this, the second part of her letter, she comments on the chutzpadik inconsiderate attitude of married children who come home for Yom Tov. The following is as continuation of her letter:

`I Am Saddened`
Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:
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`It`s All How You See It`
          There are no coincidences in life. We know that everything that befalls us is basherte – to the point that it is written that even if a man stubs his toe that too is orchestrated from Above. It was not by coincidence that, on Parshas Tazria Metzora, I received an amazing letter from an amazing young man. Some ten odd years ago, I had the privilege of launching him on his Jewish journey.
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`Shalom Bayis - Building a Family`
Special Note: For the past two weeks, my columns have focused on ways and means to establish shalom bayis in our homes and our families. The following is the third installment of this series.
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`Peace at Home and Among our people` (Continued from last week)
Special Note: In my last column, I discussed the tragic consequences of Sinas Chinam – the jealousy and hatred of the brothers toward Joseph that cast us into our first exile in Egypt, and which continues to plague us to this very day. The following is a continuation of that column:
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`Peace At Home and Among Our People`
        In this season, when we gather around the seder table to celebrate the birth of our nation, it behooves us to take a few moments to consider what we have learned – what we are taking with us to guide us throughout the year, Among the many priorities that we should consider, surely shalom and achdus – unity, must be in the forefront. Sadly, today, these pillars of our faith are missing from our families, from our communities and from the world at large. While we may not be able to influence the world, our communities or even our families, we can and must impact upon ourselves – we must emerge from this Pesach different.
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`A Miraculous Nation`
         Once again, I am on a plane. This time, I am returning to New York after a long, two week journey. It has been a grueling, but exhilarating tour. Each day, I addressed the Jewish community of another European country.
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`Our Lives Have Turned Upside Down`
Special Note: I have received many inquiries as to where I will be speaking this Pesach. I am happy to share with you that I will be exclusively at the Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.
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The Power of Faith - The Readers Respond `Win Or Lose`
Special Note: I have received many inquiries as to where I will be speaking this Pesach. I am pleased to share with you that I will be at the Fairmont Banff Springs in the Banff National Park, in Alberta, Canada.
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`How Do I Cope?` The Readers Respond
Special Note: The letter written by the woman who is experiencing a financial crisis has evoked a strong response. Many people identify with her plight and still others have come forth to share their own experiences in confronting painful, difficult challenges. I am pleased to publish one of these letters. Since the financial crunch has become a universal problem, many are suffering and unable to cope. Therefore, I invite those of our readers who have successfully dealt with their own challenges to share their trials and tribulations so that others may learn from them and be strengthened.
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`How Do I Cope` (Conclusion)
        In my last column, I published a letter from a woman whose husband, like many others, was experiencing financial reversals. While, in the past, they had been prosperous, overnight everything changed. She was concerned for her husband’s health since he has a history of high blood pressure and heart problems. He had become tense, irritable and depressed. She conceded that she herself was in the same emotional state – nervous and depressed, and her mood was impacting on her children.
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`How Do We Cope?`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

          Your column is the first one I turn to when I get “The Jewish Press”. Your last articles concerning the world situation and our responsibilities as Jews said it all. I cut them out and passed them on to all my friends and acquaintances, I only wish that more people could read them and take their message to heart. I am writing to you at this time with a problem that, I am afraid, is affecting many families – some harder than others, and unfortunately, I find myself in the latter category.  I am referring to the current financial crisis.  

`The Third Meal`
         Everyone is concerned about the economy, and rightly so. Sadly, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel, and to one extent or another, we are all impacted. This concern is not imaginary. Unfortunately, it’s only too real, but there is an even greater danger that looms ahead – a danger which has been obscured by our absorption with the economic melt -down. Ahmadinejad’s avowed plan to wipe Israel off the map remains unchanged. Even as Washington makes plans to engage Iran in dialogue, Ahmadinejad puts forth pre-conditions for such negotiation – “that the U.S. stop supporting the Zionist outlaws and criminals.” At the same time, the Iranian government controlled media reported that Iran has no intention of bringing its nuclear program to a halt.
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`Gemilas Chasodim - Loving Kindness`

"A Tested Formula" 

          I was planning to write this column on Gemilas Chasodim several weeks ago, but events unfolded that, with the passage of time, would have lost their immediacy, so this article was put on hold.  But there is a reason for everything, and I guess it’s no coincidence that I am writing this column in the wake of Parshas Va’era and the yahrzeit of my beloved husband, HaRav Meshulem Halevi Jungreis, Ztl, for both the parsha and the exemplary life of my husband, provide us with insights on gemilas chasodim.

`A Wake Up Call or Business As Usual?`
         In my last column, I began to outline the three-fold formula that our sages advise will preserve and protect us from the severe and painful birth-pangs of the pre-Messianic era.    And now, with Hashem’s help, I will continue, for there is no subject that is of greater urgency, But to those who have sent me e-mails and letters regarding personal problems and concerns, let me assure you that I am responding to all your correspondence personally.
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`A Time to Act - Every Jew A Soldier`
         In previous columns I indicated that Hashem, in His infinite mercy, endowed us with a three-fold formula through which we can protect ourselves in this most trying period of Chevlei Moshiach the birth-pangs of the pre-Messianic era.  As promised, I will now outline what, exactly, that formula entails.
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`How Do We Understand It All?`
       As I write this column I am on my way home from the Philippines. Yes, you read right, the Philippines! Are there any Jews in the Philippines, you wonder? Hashem’s people are scattered throughout the four corners of the world. And now, as we enter the period described as Chevlei Moshiach – the birth pangs of Messiah, the holy flock has to be awakened and gathered.
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`More Wake Up Calls`

         For the past few weeks I have been writing about the crisis that has descended upon our world – a crisis that is nothing less than Chevlei Moshiach – birth pangs of Messiah – the pain and suffering that has been predicted will occur in the pre-Messianic era. Events are transpiring so rapidly that we can’t quite absorb them. Even as I write these lines, our brethren in Israel are in the throes of battle – may Hashem guard and protect each and every one of them. For the longest time now, our people have been subjected to constant rocket barrages. These rockets are the “thank you’s” from the Islamic terrorists to Israel for having given up her land and uprooted her people so that the Palestinians might have their own state.

`What Are We Missing? - Prayer`
         In my last column, I promised that, B’ezrat Hashem, I would outline constructive steps to help reverse the madness that seems to have overtaken our world. One of the most powerful weapons that we, the Jewish people possess, that has been our shield from the genesis of our history is prayer. Through genuine prayer, we can conquer and triumph over every adversity.  “Am zu yatsarta lee... – I created this nation,” Hashem declared. “so that they might proclaim My praise.” Indeed, to be a Jew is to know how to pray and proclaim the One-ness of G-d.
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`Prayer - What Is Missing`
Special Note: I feel very much encouraged by the overwhelming response of our readers regarding my recent columns relating to the ominous world situation that is enveloping us today. From day to day, or more correctly, from moment to moment, our predicament becomes more perilous.  As I promised in my last column, I will get down to basics and begin outlining what we must do to convert darkness into light – tragedy into blessing. As always, everything that I say, write and teach is not a matter of opinion, but can be substantiated by our Torah – Hashem’s road map for life. 
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`What Will It Take For Us To Get It?`
        Those of you who have been following my column and those of you who have read my books, especially “Life Is A Test”, know that in the closing chapters, I focus on Acharit HaYamim – the days that will precede our redemption, known as Chevlei Moshiach – the birth pangs that will herald the coming of Messiah. If you are familiar with those prophecies, there is nothing astonishing about that which has befallen us in Mumbai and the world at large. It has all been predicted thousands of years ago, and I spelled it all out in “Life Is A Test”. But that which we are doing to ourselves in Eretz Yisrael – attacking our own people and protecting those who are sworn to annihilate us, is beyond words, although that too has been predicted. Nevertheless, the pain is too great to bear.
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`From One Tragedy To Another - When Will We Learn?`
         The tragedy of Mumbai was still fresh in our hearts. The cry of little Moishele, “Efoh Eema? Efoh Eema? – Where is Mommy? Where is Mommy?” kept reverberating in our minds. The heart-wrenching hespedim – eulogies for the kedoshim, holy martyrs, tore us apart. Indeed, these holy souls “were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions, to serve their Creator.”  All of Israel was cast into deep mourning and the families were still sitting shiva, when another tragedy befell us. A tragedy that hit us hard, very hard – Hevron, and this despite the fact that the Holtzberg family had pleaded with the Israeli government not to disturb this time of shiva and sow conflict in Israel.
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`Daughters & Daughters-In-Law Also Need Help`

Special Note: Once again I share with you that, as much as I had planned to conclude our discussion on daughter/daughter-in law – mother/mothers-in-law problems, the letters keep pouring in. It appears that these internal family conflicts are more widespread than we realized. But before I publish yet another letter dealing with the subject, I feel that it would be unconscionable not to speak of the tragedy that befell all of Am Yisrael with the brutal slaughter of our holy brethren in Mumbai. When I wrote this article, the siege had just begun and the news from India was hazy and confusing. Nothing was confirmed, and we were hoping and praying that these righteous, holy people, who lived for Torah and the service of Hashem, would be freed and allowed to return to their families – and it was with that prayer that I e-mailed my article to the Jewish Press. But then, our worst nightmares were realized.

`Daughters & Daughters-in-Law Also Need Help` (Continued)
Special Note: As I indicated in a past column, I was planning to conclude the discussion on daughters and mothers-in-law, but as it turned out, I received an avalanche of mail which I felt should not be ignored. Some of these letters expressed so much anger, bitterness and downright hatred that I could not publish them, and even those that I did publish, I had to tone down and re-phrase to temper the animosity that they conveyed. As I mentioned in the past, Baruch Hashem, these types of situations are not the norm (at least, I would like to think that they are not). I would like to believe that the great majority of our families have shalom bayis, and that our generations live and communicate harmoniously in accordance with the teachings of our Torah.
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`Daughters and Daughters-In-Law Also Need Help` The Readers Respond
Special Note: Subsequent to the publication of my article on the conflict between a young woman and her mother-in-law, I received an avalanche of mail. I feel very saddened to share with you that these letters all reflected anger, resentment, and most tragic of all, a deterioration of what used to be the beautiful cohesiveness of Jewish family life. Of course, I am aware that there are countless people out there who do enjoy the blessing of shalom bayis, but that does not minimize the reality of the conflicts that are plaguing us today. It also appears that this conflict is not only prevalent among in-law children, but between mothers and daughters as well. I am publishing two of these letters.
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`Daughters and Daughters-In-Law Also Need Help` (Conclusion)
Special Note:  In last week’s column, I published a letter from a young mother of a special needs child. She wrote of the trials and tribulations, the frustrations and aggravations that raising such a child represents. Her husband works very hard trying to make a living and their budget does not provide for household help, so she is obliged to do everything herself. She writes that just trying to get through the bureaucratic red tape of services for her little one is, in and of itself, an all consuming job.
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`Daughters and Daughters-in-Law Also Need Help`
Special Note: Those of you who have been following my columns know that for a number of weeks, I have been focusing on current world events, which are indeed overwhelming and frightening. Just the other day, I had a discussion with a prominent businessman who is also knowledgeable and connected to the world of politics. He made a simple, but telling statement, “Rebbetzin, if a year ago, someone would have told me that the powerful financial institutions of Wall Street – Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, etc., would disappear and the current political situation would look as bleak as it does today, I would have said, ‘That’s preposterous and impossible!’”
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`The World Is Running Amok`

Part III

`Viewing It All Through Jewish Lenses`

          Nothing occurs randomly in the world. Nothing happens accidentally. Time and again, the Torah admonishes us not to fall into the trap of “keri”, the belief that that which befalls us is mere happenstance....that things just happen because they happen, and there is no Divine Hand guiding it (Leviticus, 26).

`The World Is Running Amok`

Part II

`The World Is Running Amok`
         The world is running amok -- Institutions that only yesterday appeared as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar are crumbling before our very eyes. It cannot be. What is happening?
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`Our Amazing People`
          In these very stressful, dismal times, when in the Heavenly Court the existence of every individual in the entire world is being judged, I would like to give a report to Hashem that testifies that, despite everything – Holocaust, assimilation, alienation, the Jewish people have not forgotten Him. Embedded in every Yiddishe neshama is that pintele Yid, which, if touched, in a second can become a flame.
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`The Tragedy of History Repeating Itself`
         As I write these words, the new Hitler has arrived in New York – New York, the great city which is emblematic of the spirit of democracy is welcoming for the second time, this monster who denies that the Holocaust ever took place and yet openly threatens to inflict a new Holocaust on Israel. How, you might ask, is it possible that such an outrage could take place? How could such a despicable hate monger have been invited to address the U.N.? How could he have been accorded such respectability by that so-called August body?
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`An Opportunity to Recreate Ourselves` (Part Two)

(Continued from last week)

Special Note: I have just returned from Budapest where, Baruch Hashem, an unprecedented, historic event took place. As you may be aware, in Hungary, as in most of Europe, if you can gather fifty people for a Torah study program, you are doing well. If one hundred show up, it’s over the top.

`AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECREATE OURSELVES`
Special Note: Nowadays, there are, Baruch Hashem, many kiruv organizations with soldiers who are out there in the trenches; soldiers who are ready and willing to give their all in order to bring home Hashem’s children.  While we are all aware of the many kiruv movements, not too many of us know of the efforts being made by individuals – individuals who are the Jewish mavericks of our generation who are ready to try new and innovative programs to awaken the hearts and souls of our people.
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`How Do You Respond?`
         Thursday evenings at Hineni are always long nights for me. I rarely get home before 2:00 AM. Following my shiur (Torah class) I see people privately in my office. The problems that come my way range from trivial to the most devastating. I realize of course, that for the person who feels conflicted, his problems are not trivial, and I address them all seriously. But then there are situations that are agonizingly painful, that truly test a person’s mettle, problems for which there appear to be no easy answers, and to all of them, I try to offer Torah solutions.
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`The Mystical Power of the Jew`
         We hear so much about the assimilation that is plaguing our nation, and it is all very dismal. But there is another side to the coin, and I discover it and re-discover it every time I have the privilege of speaking in a community.
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`Another Dimension`
Special Note:  Once again, I am writing this column on an airplane – this time en route to New York from Budapest. Those of you who follow my columns know that very often, when I go abroad to speak, I share many of my experiences with you. I do so in order to create a greater sense of closeness and unity with Achenu Kol Beis Yisroel – our Jewish brethren throughout the world.
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`Camp Visiting Day - Summing Up`

          For the past few weeks we have had a discussion on the pros and cons of camp visiting day. The subject evoked much comment from our many readers and I would like to express my appreciation to all those who have taken the time to write.  Obviously, I couldn’t possibly publish all the letters and e-mails that reached me, however, please know that I value the opinions they reflected.

`Visiting Day Nightmare` - The Readers Continue to Respond
Special Note: I had planned to conclude the discussion on camp visiting day, but I have been inundated by e-mails. It seems that the subject of visiting day strikes a sensitive chord with many parents. As a matter of fact, even the Vos Iz Naies web site published the letter and they too received many responses to it. Through this column, I bring to you the following two letters.
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`Essential or Inconsequential - Responses To Camp Visiting Day`

(Two Letters)

`Visiting Day Nightmare`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis

          After reading your most recent column, I feel silly writing to you about columns that are by comparison, trivial, but my husband, who is a big fan of yours, assured me that for Rebbetzin Jungreis, every problem is a valid concern, not  just situations that are world crises – so with sincere apologies, I write to you about my concern.

`I Can`t Understand!`

         Dozens of letters and e-mails cross my desk regularly, and this week was no exception, but I have decided to respond to them privately rather than through this column, for my conscience does not allow me to write on anything other than that which is unfolding in Eretz Yisrael. Oh yes, I know I wrote about it last week, but our sages teach “ayn domeh shmeeya l’reeya - you cannot compare that which you hear to that which you see.”

`How Could They Capitulate?`
          Ominous clouds are hovering over our people, and tragically, we have been caught napping. The Israeli government has capitulated to its foes on every front, and here in the United States, the political situation is, to say the very least, precarious. But that’s for another column. For now, let’s discuss Israel.
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`More On The Working Boy - The Girls Speak Up` (Conclusion)
         For the past few weeks, my articles have been focusing on shidduchim and the “working/learning boy”.  I was about to close the discussion when I received a large volume of e-mail from girls who wanted their voices to be heard as well.
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`More On The `Working Boy` - The Girl`s Speak`
Special Note: I had planned for last week’s column to be the conclusion of our discussion regarding the “working/learning boy”, provided that, I didn’t receive any new communications that focused on issues that had as yet, not been explored. And that is exactly what happened. A slew of letters reached my office from girls who hoped to marry working/learning boys, or whose fathers were worker/learners. These girls also felt that they were being treated like second class citizens, and asked that their voices be heard. The following are just two letters of many. 
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`More On The Shidduch Problem - Our Readers Continue to Respond`
Special Note: The letter from the young man who complained that he had difficulty finding a “good shidduch” because he was working and learning simultaneously continues to generate an overwhelming response from our readers. Obviously, I cannot possibly print all the letters and e-mails that have reached my desk, but I appreciate everyone’s interest as well as the time and energy invested by those who chose to write. Requests from families, shadchanim and young women who are interested in meeting this person keep pouring in, all testifying to the great demand for someone who combines work with Torah learning. I would be very happy to accommodate all these requests, but the letter was written anonymously. I did however suggest in my column that the young man contact me. In any event, he’s one young man and to date, I have received over 50 requests.  May I however suggest to these young women that they come to see me B’ezrat Hashem, I might just know someone for them, but I cannot make a shidduch recommendation sight unseen.
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Special Note: In my response to the young man who complained that Torah committed  “good girls” would not want a husband who has made a synthesis of Torah study and work, I stated that I know many young women who are proof to the contrary – who are , yes, “very good girls” who would appreciate a husband of this caliber. In addition to the many such girls that I know, I have been literally deluged by letters, e-mails and phone calls from parents and young women who are very much interested in meeting this young man, reinforcing my contention that a working boy, who is “kovea  itim” learns Torah daily, davens with a minyan and gives tzedukah, is in great demand by “good girls” from “good families”.

`Another Aspect of the Shidduch Problem - The Working Boy` - Conclusion
       In last week’s column I published a letter from a young man who felt that he was treated unfairly in his quest for a shidduch. A yeshiva graduate who excelled in learning, he was also determined to become a professional, and that is where his woes commenced. He complained that the Torah community was intolerant of someone who earned a livelihood and was not a full time learner. He was troubled by a value system that looked askance at those who learned and at the same time were gainfully employed. Born into a good, observant family in which he witnessed his parents’ devotion to Torah and their commitment to the work ethic, he wondered how earning a livelihood could be regarded as a negative.
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`Another Aspect of the Shidduch Problem - The Working Boy` (Excerpts)

Dear Rebbetzin

         A particular shidduch issue has troubled me for some time. It is a practice that is pervasive, ongoing, utterly ignored, and thus, an issue deserving of attention. I would ask that you weigh in so that similarly situated people as well as the community at large can be properly guided. (Please publish this letter and your response).

`What They Should Have Said`
It has been a hectic, but most rewarding few weeks. I was scheduled to be in Eretz Yisrael to participate in the simcha of one of our most distinguished Hineni families, and to speak at a Yom Hazikaron commemoration. I had previously committed to some speaking engagements in New York, so I could stay for only a few days -- but then came the invitation from the White House to join the Presidential delegation to Jerusalem in celebration of sixty years of friendship between our two nations.
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The Pain of Loneliness (Conclusion)
Special Note: In last week’s column, I published a letter from a man who experienced some very severe tests in his life and consequently lost his way. While his background was strong and positive, and he was raised in a warm, loving, religious home, his marriage was a failure. He went under the chuppah convinced that the girl was his basherte (destined soul mate), but very quickly, his hopes were dashed as he realized that his marriage was just not working. The thought of divorce entered his mind many times, but then he decided that he had to give the marriage a chance. Soon, his young wife informed him that she was expecting a baby, putting thoughts of separation on hold.
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`The Pain of Loneliness`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

          Where do I begin? If someone had told me a year ago that I would write to you for guidance I would probably have said, “You’re out of your mind!” I was so turned off from Judaism that a rebbetzin was the last person I would have wanted to speak to although I heard many wonderful things about you.

`The Story`
Special Note:  At the conclusion of last week’s column, I wrote of the power of a story to inspire and strengthen, and I explained that, B’ezrat Hashem that would be the medium that I would use in my address in Jerusalem on Yom Hazikaron - the day designated to memorialize the fallen soldiers of Israel.
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`A Time To Speak`
Special Note: I would like to take this opportunity to extend my warmest good wishes to all our many readers for a Chag Kasher V’Sameach. At the same time, I would also like to express my appreciation to those who have written and e-mailed to convey their own good wishes. I am deeply touched by the volume of mail and the brachas, the blessings that have come from every part of the globe. Please accept my heart-felt appreciation. May Hashem grant that this Pesach usher in our true geula – our true redemption, and may we merit to behold Elijah the Prophet announcing the coming of Moshiach speedily in our own day.  
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`In Honor of My Father`

Special Note: Every year, it is incumbent upon us to recount the story of Passover and our exodus from Egypt, and we never tire of it. But it is not only our collective history as recorded in the Hagadah that we recall, – we also have our own personal memories that we associate with Pesach. In the past, I have shared with you some of my own recollections, and now, in honor of the holy memory of my dear revered father, HaRav, HaGaon, HaTzaddik, Avraham HaLevi Jungreis, Z’tl, I will once again relate the story.

`The Pesach Dilemma` (Conclusion)
         In last week’s column I published a letter from a mother of five children who had a “Pesach Dilemma” in reverse. Most often, it is Bubbies - grandmothers, who complain of the Pesach pressure – children and grandchildren coming home for Yom Tov and treating  Bubbie’s home like a resort complete with maid and baby-sitting services as well as dining facilities. Somehow, they seem to lose sight of the fact that there is only one person responsible for all these services, and that is Bubbie.
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`The Readers Respond - Two Letters`
Special Note: Some weeks ago, I published a letter from a religiously observant young lady of twenty six who was dating a secular young man. He promised to become observant after marriage, and the girl wondered whether she could trust him to follow through. I responded with a capital “NO” and explained that whatever changes he intends to make must be done here and now. Promises for the future are just minefields that explode and destroy shalom bayis. I received many letters in response to her dilemma and I share with you excerpts from two of them.
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`The Pesach Dilemma`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

          Twelve years have passed since I was married, and Baruch Hashem, during these twelve years, Hashem has blessed us with five adorable children, blee ayn hara. I work very hard at keeping an orderly home, doing homework with the children, and transporting them to school (even though they could be bussed). The bus comes very early, and if my children took it, they would have had to sit on the bus for more than forty-five minutes, while I can get them there in less than ten minutes. I’m not complaining. I know I don’t have to do it – but it’s my option and my pleasure to do so. I make mention of all this to give you some idea of my daily schedule.

`Even A Child Can Understand`
         As I wrote in my last column, I have just returned from an extensive speaking tour of South Africa. The very first time that I was invited to speak there was over thirty years ago when it was still an apartheid state, but despite the political situation at the time which limited the number of people attending public gatherings (especially on university campuses), with the help of Hashem, I was privileged to address overwhelmingly large crowds, not only at synagogues, but at universities as well. I also spoke at the Coliseum, which, in those days, was the Madison Square Garden of Johannesburg.
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`How Can It Be?`
           I began writing this article on a return flight from South Africa. For the past two weeks, I have been speaking in Israel, Johannesburg and Cape Town. It was a long, arduous, but most rewarding trip, and I wrote an article on the plane in which I conveyed the many amazing events that had transpired – the spectacular hearts and souls of our people that always respond to words of Torah. Indeed, I can testify that the eternal spark that Hashem planted in the Yiddishe neshama glows as brightly as ever one must only ignite it.
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`Passing Life`s Tests`
Special Note: In last week’s column, I mentioned that, B’ezrat Hashem, I am embarking on a new project - the publication of the sequel to Life Is A Test. I explained that I have received countless letters and e-mails from young and old, male and female, secular and observant, relating how the book impacted on their lives and brought about a transformation. At the suggestion of my publishers at Art Scroll, I will, B’ezrat Hashem, compile these stories, all of which demonstrate how Torah values can enable us to overcome life’s most difficult challenges, and I invite all our readers to participate. Send your story to me by letter (232 West End Avenue, NY, NY 10023) or e-mail (hineni@hineni.org), and please indicate if you want your name used or you prefer to remain anonymous.
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`Hooked By Your Book`

Special Note: Since the publication of my book, Life Is A Test, I have been deluged by mail from all over the world. These letters have come from the Torah community as well as from secular, assimilated sources. But there is a common thread that unites them all, and that is the impact that Life Is A Test has had upon them.

`Can I Trust Him?` (Conclusion)
Special Note:  In last week’s column, I published a letter from a young lady who found herself caught in a web of indecision – “to marry or not to marry”.
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`Can I Trust Him?`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

          I feel very troubled and confused. I have to make the most important decision of my life and I am very conflicted and lacking in clarity, so my parents, who are great fans of yours, suggested that I write to you for guidance. As far back as I can remember, your articles were always read at our Shabbos table, and seeing how you responded with wisdom and sensitivity to each and every problem, I felt very comfortable writing to you. Should you decide to print my letter, please omit my name and the name of the community in which I reside. I wouldn’t want anyone to recognize my story.

`The Enemy Without and the Enemy Within`
         Your destruction shall come from within” is the prophetic warning imploring us to come to our senses- but the call is lost in the darkness of our chaotic world.
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`Life Is A Test - The Power of Faith`
Special Note: When I wrote my most recent book, I weighed and considered what the most appropriate title should be, and although I examined many options, the title that kept repeating in my mind was “Life Is A Test”.  The reason for this was two-fold - first and foremost, because that is the metaphor through which our Torah itself describes life: “V’Elokim nissa et Avraham...” - “And Hashem tested Avraham...”, and secondly, because ours is a generation which is being severely tested. Indeed, the passage from our Torah, Ain bayis sh’ain shom mase... – “There was no home that was not afflicted...” is only too applicable to us today.
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`Final Word On The New, But Troubled Mother-In-Law`
          To all intents and purposes, when I responded in my column to “The New But Troubled Mother-In-Law”. I thought that I had concluded the discussion. However, I received quite a lot of mail on the subject, and I was struck by one common thread that ran through all the letters, and that is that none of them actually dealt with the problem that the woman presented!  Instead of addressing her conflicts, they injected their own personal biases, and based on that, proffered their advice.
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`New But Troubled Mother-In-Law` (The Readers Respond)
Special Note: The focus of my last two columns was on a conflicted new  mother-in-law who wondered whether she had the right to speak her mind or whether it would be the better part of wisdom to remain silent and not jeopardize the shalom bayis of her daughter. I responded and advised her how to best deal with her situation. In the interim however, I received many letters from our readers expressing their opinions, and I will now share two of them with you. 
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`A New But Troubled Mother-In-Law` (Conclusion)
          In last week’s column I published a letter from a new mother-in-law who felt that she was navigating in turbulent, uncharted waters. Her eldest daughter, age twenty-three, was married six months ago, and since this was the first shidduch in her family, she was uncertain as to what her role as a mother-in-law should be. At what point should she voice her opinions, and at what point should she remain silent.
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`A New, But Troubled Mother-In-Law`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

          This year, my husband and I had the great zchut - privilege of taking our oldest daughter under the chuppah. We have, Baruch Hashem, six children, and this was our first wedding and  a first for my parents as well, since our daughter is their oldest grandchild.

`From One Who Is Living It`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis

          I read with great interest your article regarding the crises our people are confronting in Israel and throughout the world. As much as you write, (and I appreciate every word, because sadly, too few tell the story like it is), it still doesn’t fully reflect the enormity of the crisis.

`How Can You Sleep?`
           “Ma Lecha Nirdom?” How can you sleep? – Get up and call out unto your G-d?” was the challenge with which the captain of the ship confronted Jonah as the vessel tossed on the angry sea on the brink of capsizing.
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`It Is In Every Yiddishe Neshama`
         We hear so much about the hopeless predicament of our assimilated brethren. The latest statistics show that our young people are indifferent to their faith, to their heritage, and would not be unduly perturbed if, G-d forbid, Eretz Yisrael would disintegrate.
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`Personal Experiences From Our Readers`
Special Note: A few weeks ago, I published a letter from a single woman who was in conflict as to whether or not she should accept a marriage proposal from a man whom she described as “kind, smart, but nerdy”.  Subsequently, I have received many letters from our readers who wrote of their own experiences. The following is just one of them:
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`We Dare Not Be Silent`
           I usually write my articles at the last minute. My kind editors at “The Jewish Press” are very patient with me. They take into consideration that it is not lack of will that makes me late, but rather, my schedule, which Baruch Hashem, is so loaded that I have all to do to fit everything into a twenty-four hour day.
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`Is He For Me?` (Continued from last week)
Special Note: In last week’s column I published a letter from a thirty-six year old woman who made aliyah from New York to Jerusalem and was torn by a shidduch dilemma. While she desperately wanted to marry, establish a true Jewish home, and bring children into the world, she had difficulty saying “yes” to the man who proposed marriage to her. She was simply not attracted to him, and while she found him to be a fine, considerate, smart person, she also described him as “nerdy”.
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`Is He For Me?`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

          Your article regarding the thirty-six year old woman who was in a state of confusion as to whether she should marry, lit a fire in my family and put me on the spot. Allow me to explain and give you some background.

`The Power of the Jewish Soul`
           During the past month I have spoken in Jewish communities throughout the length and breadth of the U.S. - and I have also crossed continents to reach out to our people in far flung places throughout the world. Very often, as in Argentina, I did not speak the language and had to rely upon simultaneous translation to convey my message, but amazingly, there was no language barrier. Whether I was in Europe, South America, or right here in our own U.S.A., it made little difference. For our people, there is only one language, only one message - and that is Torah.
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`Should I Marry Him?` (Conclusion)

Special Note: In last week’s column I published a painful letter from a young woman whose mother passed away while she was in high school and who assumed the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings. Her father remarried, but unfortunately, the marriage was a disaster and ended in divorce. A subsequent marriage turned out to be troubled as well but nevertheless remained intact.

`Should I Marry Him?`

"Should I Marry Him?"

`What Are We Doing To Ourselves?`
          There are a pile of e-mails and letters on my desk. For the most part, they are questions concerning relationships, and they run the gamut from shidduch problems -- finding your soul mate, shalom bayis (harmony in the home) and raising children, to caring for elderly, infirm parents. Ours is a generation beset by problems – nevertheless, this time, I have decided to respond to these questions privately, for I feel that I must write about the unconscionable outrageous situation vis- a-vis Israel that is unfolding before our very eyes.
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`The Greater Threat` (Continued from last week)
           Events unfold so rapidly in our society that before we can quite absorb one situation, something new erupts. So, Ahmadinejad speaking at Columbia University is already tired news. But tired as it may be, we have to stop and consider how it was possible that such a grotesque travesty was permitted to take place on a New York City campus on which many of the University’s Board members, professors and students are Jews.
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`Shameful!`

         I find it astonishing and shameful that nothing has been learned from our recent history. How is it possible that just sixty short years after Hitler, a new Hitler is being feted at one of New York’s most prestigious institutions – Columbia University?  Can it be that anti-Semitism is once again rearing its ugly head – even in America? Or is that which we are witness to, an indication of academic absurdity – academicians who are leaning so far to the left that they are actually legitimizing terrorism... How else can one interpret Columbia President Lee Bollinger’s decision to invite one of the most evil men of our time to speak in the hallowed halls of Columbia University in the guise of “Freedom of Speech.”?

`Memories`
          As I write these words, it is a few days before Yom Kippur. Memories crowd my mind – memories of my holy parents, HaRav HaGaon Avraham Halevi Jungreis, Z’tl and Rebbetzin Miriam Jungreis, O.H.  Even now, I hear my father’s voice – I hear his brochas; I feel his loving hands upon my head; I see the tears welling in his compassionate, beautiful eyes. And I hear my father’s awesome voice. I hear his tefillas, his holy prayers.
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`Yom Tovim Are Not For Me`
Special Note: I would like to take this opportunity to publically express my gratitude to the Ribbono Shel Olam - the Almighty G-d, for having granted us the privilege of celebrating the most spectacular Torah dedication - a Kiddush Hashem in every way.
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`The Yom Tovim Are Not For Me`

(Continued from last week)

`THE YOM TOVIM ARE NOT FOR ME!`
Special Note: May I take this opportunity to extend my personal best wishes for a K`siva V`Chasima Tova to all of you, my dear readers and friends. As I mentioned in a previous column, at this time of year, my husband, HaRav Meshulem HaLevi Jungreis, Z`tl, would always interpret the meaning of the New Year through an acronym that would portend blessing.
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`It Has To Give You Goose Bumps`
          My grandfather five generations back, HaRav HaGaon HaTzaddik, Rav Osher Anshil Halevi Jungreis, Z’tl, better know by his monumental work, “The Menuchos Osher”, was a world renowned sage who was privileged to bring blessings and miracles to the Jewish people. Stories about him are legion, and whenever I am in Hungary, I, like countless others, visit his holy grave site in the shtetl of Csenger. His miraculous powers were such that even the peasants in the shtetl speak of him with great reverence, and his grave site is protected and cared for.
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More On `How Much Do I Have To Tell?` (Continued)
Special Note: Several weeks ago, I published some letters regarding shidduchim and disclosure of illness. While I thought that the discussion was closed, I have since received many letters reflecting the points of view of those who themselves were suffering from illness. I am pleased to share their views with you through the following excerpts from four letters:
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`How Could It Have Happened?`
          I am writing this article en route to New York from Budapest. Whenever I visit Hungary and pray at the grave sites of my ancestors who were all gedolim, tzaddikim, righteous holy souls who dedicated their lives to the service of G-d and led their people with love and devotion, I am overwhelmed by one thought – how could it have happened?  How could that magnificent Jewish community have disappeared? How could they have wiped out six million of our people overnight?
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`JEWISH WITHOUT BEING JEWISH`

           “Wait a minute, Rebbetzin,” you might protest, “isn’t the title of your article an oxymoron? How can you be Jewish without being Jewish?”

“I agree with you wholeheartedly, but that is the phenomenon to which we have been witness this past week.”

`How Much Do I Have to Tell` (Continued from last week)
Special Note: An avalanche of mail has come to my desk since the publication of the letter from the mother of a bi-polar son. It appears that there are many victims who have suffered in marriages and were left scarred by their spouses.
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`How Much Do I Have To Tell?`
Special Note:  In last week’s column, I published a letter from a hurting, conflicted mother. She described a very sad but real dilemma confronting her and her husband. Their son, who to all outward appearances was an exceptional young man - bright, tall and handsome, suffered from an emotional illness which psychiatrists had identified as bi-polar disorder. By dint of great effort, she and her husband had managed to keep this information secret.
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`How Much Do I have To Tell?`
             I grew up with your column. My Bubbie, who lived with us after my Zeide, O”H, passed away, was your greatest fan. I was fortunate enough to have a very special relationship with her. She was an amazing lady - one of a kind, full of love, wisdom, and emunah, the likes of which you do not see today. I write all this so that you may understand why I am turning to you at this time. I know that if my Bubbie were alive today, she would say, “Mei kind,freig an aitze fun dee Rebbetzin...”  – “Go ask  for advice from the Rebbetzin.”
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`Preparation For Life`

"Preparation For Life" 

         My granddaughter, Shaindy Wolff-Eisenberg is currently living in Yerushalayim. She is in her Shana Rishona - first year of marriage, which our tradition terms a most special time in a young couple’s life. Rebbetzin Assaf, the esteemed minaheles of Manhattan High School for Girls, invited Shaindy to write an article describing her experiences. Her message was so sensitive and heartfelt, that I felt that it should be shared, not only with the student body of that very fine educational institution, but also with you, my dear readers. So here it is:

`To See and Yet Not to See`

"To See and Yet Not to See"

          Who can comprehend the blindness that has overtaken our Israeli political leaders?

`An Eternal Spark` (Two Letters)

         Sometimes you wonder what one speech, one teaching of Torah, one Jewish experience can do. Conventional wisdom dictates that by necessity, such experiences are superficial and therefore cannot have any lasting impact. Having been among the first to start outreach over forty-five years ago, I can testify that there is a magic in the Yiddish neshama - a magic that is eternal, a magic that may appear to be dormant, but is very much alive, a magic that is called “the pintele Yid”.

           What is this pintele Yid?

`Shidduch Crisis - Self Inflicted`
Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis

          I have been carefully following  your articles on shidduchim.  Baruch Hashem, I’m not looking for a shidduch – all of my children are married. Hashem gave us a brocha, and this past year, the youngest of our children went under the chuppah, and I might add that we have thirteen children, eleven of whom are girls. Often, I wondered what would be.

`Is This My Shidduch?` (Continued from last week)
           Special Note: In last week’s column, I published a letter from one of our readers who suggested that I share with you excerpts from the chapter on shidduchim in my new book, “Life Is A Test.”
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`Give Me a Segula to Find My Shidduch` (Continued from last week)

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

       I’ve been following your articles in regard to finding a shidduch and segula-omens that people seek to help them attain this goal. I thought that your answer to the young lady was right on target, but I also think that your chapter on finding your soul mate in your new book, “Life Is A Test” should serve as a guide to parents as well as to every single person in finding a  marriage partner.

`Can You Give Me A Segula?` (Continued)

Special Note: My column on “Can You Give Me A Segula - Omen?” has evoked much comment. Many letters and e-mail have arrived at my office expressing various points of view.  It is gratifying to see that so many care enough to take the time to respond and share their views.

`Can You Give Me A Segula?` (Conclusion)
 In last week’s column, I published a letter from a young woman who bemoaned her single state. She describes her terrible pain, her feelings of loneliness, and her hopelessness at finding a shidduch.
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`Can You Give Me A S`gula?`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

          I really don’t know where to begin - I am so sad, but I am beyond tears. I can’t even cry any more, so I am writing this letter to you in desperation. I guess I should tell you something about the painful situation in which I find myself. I am still single - all of my classmates are married and have children, but nothing is happening with me. It’s like everyone forgot about me. I feel so terribly alone.

`Is This My Shidduch?` (Conclusion)

          In last week’s column, I published a letter from a ba’alas tshuva who was in a quandary as to whether she should marry the young man she was dating. She wrote that she loved him and cared deeply for him, but at the same time, she was very troubled because he came from a dysfunctional, abusive home and had a very bad relationship with his parents.

`Is This My Shidduch?`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

          I have been following you for years... your column in The Jewish Press, your books, and whenever the opportunity presented itself, your amazing Torah classes at Hineni on the Upper West Side as well as at K.J. on the Upper East Side Presently. I find myself in a terrible dilemma, and I just don’t know how to resolve it. I keep vacillating, not knowing which way to go, so I decided to ask you for your input because the uncertainty is driving me mad.

`Hold On To The Spirit`
          The days of Pesach are past and the time has come to recite a special ode of thanks to the unsung heroines of this Yom Tov - the many balabustas - mothers and grandmothers who lovingly gave of themselves.... cleaning, cooking and baking for their extended mishpochas, who, Baruch Hashem, came home for Yom Tov.
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`When Parents Are not Accepting` (Conclusion)
        In last week’s column I published a letter from a young mother, a ba’alas tshuva (new returnee to Judaism), who was experiencing some very difficult trials with her parents.  She grew up in a home in which there was virtually no religious observance or commitment outside of a perfunctory visit to a local reform temple on the High Holidays. Her siblings were all intermarried and had xmas trees in their homes, and her parents had no problem accepting that. When however, she embraced a life of Torah and mitzvos, they vehemently objected and today,   five years later, their animosity has not abated.
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`When Parents Are Not Accepting`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis

          I just finished reading your book, “Life Is A Test”, and I must tell you that it made a huge difference in my life. As matter of fact, I purchased ten more copies to give as gifts. In discussing your book with friends, what I found most amazing was that those who were F.F.B (observant from birth) and those who were ba’alei tshuva (newly returned Jews), as well as those were uncommitted, were all inspired and impacted  - so I thank you and hope that you continue to write.

`Spiritual Blockage`
     Since the publication of my new book, “Life Is A Test”, I’ve been on book tour all over the world - wherever Jews live.
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`Role Reversal - When Mom is the Problem` (Conclusion)
Special Note: In last week’s column, I published a letter from a stressed-out woman. There were six children in her family; nevertheless the responsibility of caring for her elderly, widowed mother fell solely on her. Her siblings live out of town, while she lives in close proximity to her parent, so she is in charge.
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`Role Reversal - When Mom is a Problem`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

          I never thought hat I would be in a position in which I would have to write for help, but I guess that no one ever thinks that a problem can happen to them until they are hit with it.

`Purim Replay`
           If you stop to consider, it might occur to you that there is something surreal about Purim this year. It is almost as if we are witnessing “replay”.
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`A Blight On All Of Us` (Conclusion)
During the past few weeks, I published letters that our readers wrote in response to the plight of the woman who is still suffering from the trauma she experienced in high school when she was ousted from yeshiva because of her single/divorced mom’s inability to pay tuition.
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`A Blight On All Of Us` (Continued from last week)
Special Note: The letter from the young lady who was traumatized during her yeshiva high school years has evoked much response. She wrote of the pain she suffered - the humiliation that she experienced because her single mom could not afford to pay school tuition.
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`A Blight On All Of Us`

Dearest Rebbetzin:

          I have long enjoyed reading your weekly column and would like to express my gratitude and thanks to you for being the role model that we so need in these times. Through your column, you cite words of Torah, words of chizuk and give tremendously insightful responses to painful and perplexing situations.

`Unnecessary Hurts` (Continued from last week)
Special Note: As often happens, I had planned to call a moratorium on the subject of the divorcee and the unnecessary hurts that were inflicted on her children, but the many letters on the subject  that have reached me are relevant, not only to that woman, but to our general readership as well. So I am pleased to share two such letters with you.
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`Unnecessary Hurts` (Continued from last week)
Special Note: My column “Unnecessary Hurts” has evoked an enormous response. Baruch Hashem, there are many people out there who care and share the pain of this unfortunate divorcee with five children who was abandoned by her husband. I was especially moved by a call from a man of chesed, a true descendent of Avraham Avinu, who offered to underwrite this family’s needs for Pesach.
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`Unnecessary Hurts` (Conclusion)
In last week’s column, I published a letter from a young woman whose husband abandoned her and her five children. She wrote that she has all but given up hope of remarriage, for she quickly discovered that any man who had something going for him was not interested in a divorcee with five children (especially since there are so many unencumbered women available). 
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`Unnecessary Hurts`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

          I don’t even know where to begin....I’m so upset. I feel a need to vent and since you have the ear of multitudes, I decided to write you in the hope that you will publish my letter. Perhaps some of your readers will be inspired to act and correct this injustice.

`More Frightening Than Nuclear Weapons`
          In my last column, I mentioned that even as there is a law of gravity in nature, there is a law of Jewish gravity that guarantees our survival - and that is our Torah the covenant that we sealed at Sinai. If that covenant is abrogated, we place ourselves at risk, but if it is upheld, there is no power on earth that can prevail against us.
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`What Can We Do?`
In my last column, I wrote of the dark clouds that are once again gathering around the world.  I wrote that I fear that we are witnessing 1938 all over again. A friend who heard me say this commented, “Rebbetzin, I discussed this with an expert on Jewish and international politics and I was told that it’s not 1938, but more like  1942 - when Hitler had his technology  - the gas chambers, in place for his final solution.
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A TEST FOR THE WORLD
   I’m scared, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. As a matter of fact, I feel compelled to share my fears with anyone willing to listen. I am a child of the Holocaust - the memories of the persecution, the ghetto, the cattle cars, Bergen Belsen, have never faded, but I have managed to tuck them away in the hope  that such evil could never again reoccur.
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`Give Me a Reason` (Conclusion)
I had planned to close our discussion on why married women have to cover their hair, but then I received a letter from a woman who wrote that her friends and family mock her for observing this mitzva and taunt her with statements like “In this day and age hair is no longer seductive”, and, “If hair is considered enticing, then why don’t single girls or women cover their hair as well, like Moslems do?” - “Anyway”, they cynically argue, “some sheitels look better than your own hair - so what’s the point of wearing one?”
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`Give Me a Reason` (Continued from last week)

Special Note: The letters keep pouring in - so as much as I was planning to call a moratorium on the responses of our readers as to why women should cover their heads, I feel constrained to keep the discussion going. Obviously, this topic touches a very sensitive nerve in the hearts of many Jewish women, so I am pleased to share with you some additional thoughts on the subject.

`Give me a Reason`

Special Note: Once again, I feel compelled to thank our many readers who have responded so enthusiastically to my new book, “Life is a Test”. Please know that your letters and e-mail are very meaningful. I would also like to add a special word of appreciation to Naomi Mauer, editor of “The Jewish Press” for her incisive, sensitive review.  Too often, reviews fail to capture the spirit of a book, and it is so refreshing when they do! So, thank you, Naomi.

`Give Me a Good Reason`

Special Note: I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have written or e-mailed in regard to my just-published book, “Life is a Test”. I wrote this book from my heart and it means a great deal to me to know that it has entered your hearts.

`Give Me A Good Reason`

Special Note: The letters keep pouring in. It appears that the subject of women covering their hair is one of great concern. I am deeply moved by the many women who are willing to share their experiences and have taken the time to write long letters so that others might find the necessary motivation and inspiration to embark upon this path of discipline and commitment which to say the least, is not an easy one in our 21^st century society.  So, one again, I am pleased to share a candid, heartfelt letter. Very often, such communications can be more meaningful than a logical dissertation.

Give Me A Good Reason 2

Special Note: The letter on “why a married women should cover her hair has evoked much interest. No sooner was it published than I was deluged by an avalanche of mail. It appears that this is a subject to which many people have given thought and have been conflicted by. I thank all those who have written - I always appreciate hearing from my readers. You will, of course, understand that I cannot possibly publish all the letters, but prior to giving my response, I will share some of them with you.

`Give Me A Good Reason`

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:

          I grew up in a modern Orthodox home and the “Jewish Press” was always part of our lives. Your column was always the first one that we turned to and when I say we, I mean “We!” The entire family - my bubbie of blessed memory, who lived with us for many years, my mom, my dad, and even my two brothers. Your column was and continues to be the favorite. So now that I have a problem, I feel comfortable in turning to you.

`Single and Happy, But Frustrated` Part II
           In last week’s column, I published a letter from a young lady who complained about the insensitive manner in which people address the singles problem. She vehemently objected to the popular buzz-words “Shidduch Crisis,” claiming that such terminology makes singles feel even worse - “No one wants to be described as being in a state of “crisis”, she wrote.
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`Single and Happy, but Frustrated`
Dear Rebbetzin:
I had written you a letter in the past and signed “Twenty-two, Single and Happy. This letter is a follow-up to the first. I am now twenty four, still single and happy, but I am now very frustrated. I am not writing this letter to complain about the fact that I am not married. Nor am I writing this letter to tell you how it hurts me when a friend of mine becomes a kallah, because it does not hurt me.
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`Unfinished Business`
With all that has been happening on the international scene, the political challenges in the United States and the painful struggles in Israel, I was continually interrupting the sequence of my articles to comment on these crises. But since we are bidding farewell to the old year, I feel that it is necessary to address unfinished business.
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`Back To The Shidduch Scene`
Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis:
I was compelled to write you because I needed to vent to someone other than my loving parents. My parents happen to agree with me about this issue and feel just as strongly as I do, but we are powerless to do anything about it. I thought that with the power that your column has, that thousands of fellow yidden read it, what I have to say may resonate with a few of your readers.
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`We Can All Make A Difference`
As much as I had planned to return to my customary format of responding to personal problems, I cannot. I can’t bear to be silent and not comment on what is happening in the world.
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`Preparing For Our Day in Court`
It is Chodesh Elul, and we have to prepare ourselves for our day in court with the King of kings, Judge of judges and Father of fathers, so I would like to give a report to Him on His children.
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