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Finding an apartment in the city you have just moved to or you are about to move to can be really tough for a thousand reasons. You might not have the right acquaintances and contacts (yet), you have no one to be your guarantor, you can't speak the language (yet), you're a poor and jobless student… You know what? We've all been there. And we have already come up with the perfect solution.
Here's our first piece of advice: you won't be alone, especially if you are willing to find a roomie or a housemate to share your room or apartment with. Sometimes being the last one to join a group of roommates who are already living together is not that easy. Buy, like you, they want to find the right person to share their personal space with. That's why they usually make you go through a strict selection process. It's also why you should be the one to be proactive. Take the initiative and make the first move!
Teamwork is the key: it's actually easier to find an apartment when you have an entire team supporting you who are aiming for the same goal as you and will help you in your search!
That's why you definitely need to post your ad on Room4talk. Have a look at the many students who have already posted on our website and are looking for a housemate, contact them via the platform and make your offer: "John, do you want to share an apartment with me? Let's do this together". We're sure you'll receive a lot of positive answers, especially in big cities like Paris where the demand for apartments is extremely high. Teaming up with other people can really make the difference.
Once you've found your housemate, you can go and find an apartment. Together.
We want to go further and make sure you have all the information and tools you need to succeed in your search. Here's a list of some online estate agents and their websites in France, for instance:
You're welcome ;) Finally, don't think for a moment that you will be on your own. Whether you need help or have further questions, feel free to contact us on our websiteand on our Facebook page. We'll be glad to help you!


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RANSOMVILLE, NY- Matt Farnham from Tonawanda, NY won his second Krown Undercoating Modified feature of the season as Regional Haulage, Tim Hortons, Hy-Tech Concrete, Randy's Smoke Shop, and the Lewiston Fire Company presented the racing action at Ransomville Speedway on Friday night. Austin Susice from Ransomville, NY won his first Investors Service Sportsman feature of the season. Pete Stefanski from Wheatfield, NY won his fifth KiPo Chevrolet Street Stock feature of the season. Ashley Blech from Ransomville, NY won her first Gippsters Collision 4 Bangers feature of the season. Kenny Washburn from Ransomville, NY won his second Stevenson's Hardware Novice Sportsman feature of the season.
"The Professor" John Smith and "Hot Wheels" Greg Martin brought the Krown Undercoating Modifieds to the green flag for their 30-lap feature with Martin showing the way. Matt Farnham entered the top trio after passing Rick Richner and then would go after John Smith. Farnham would take over second place on lap four and would set his sights on race leader Martin. Pete Bicknell would reel in Smith for third place as Chad Brachmann entered the top five after passing Richner on lap seven. As Martin and Farnham battled for the lead, the divisional rookies were being chased by two multi-time track champions Bicknell and Brachmann. Farnham would take the lead on lap 21. Pete Bicknell would pass Martin to take over second on lap 24. Farnham would hold off "Mr. Small Block" to claim his second win of the season.
Justin McKay and qualifying heat race winner Austin Susice shared the front row for the 25-lap feature for the Investors Service Sportsman with Susice showing the way with McKay, Cam Tuttle, Robbie Johnston, and Brett Senek racing in the top five. Chris Burek slowed in turn four with Kevin Wills and James Henry colliding to bring out the caution on lap six. Entering the night's action, Chris Burek sat second in track points, just four markers behind points leader Brett Senek. All three were able to rejoin the field on the restart. Brett Senek would take second away from Justin McKay on the restart and would quickly go after race leader Austin Susice. Senek was in the tire tracks of leader Susice with 10 laps remaining, as McKay, Dave DiPietro, and Cam Tuttle raced in the top five. Susice would hold off Senek to score his first win of the season.
Pat Dell and Brandon Sherwood were on the front row in the 20-lap feature for the KiPo Chevrolet Street Stocks with Sherwood jumping into the early race lead. Pete Stefanski would move into second place and would challenge Sherwood for the lead. Stefanski and Sherwood would continue to battle for the lead throughout the feature distance as Cory Sawyer was moving up from his rear of the field starting spot. A lap 10 caution would bunch the field back up as Sawyer would battle with Stefanski and Sherwood for the lead. The lead trio would battle as Jordan Moden and James Thompson raced in the top five. Stefanski would take the lead with two laps remaining and would go on to score the win.
Steve Matson and Nick Tarnowski brought the Gippster's Collision 4 Bangers to the green flag for their main event with Tarnowski showing the way. Ashley Blech would take the lead away over Tarnowski, Matson, Matt Hornquist, and "Mr. Peanut" Ryan Plante. Tarnowski and Blech would battle for the lead, but Blech would hold Tarnowski off. Hornquist would make it a three-car battle for the lead with two laps remaining, but Blech would hold off the challenge to keep the lead. Hornquist would take second away on the final lap but Blech would hold off the boys to score her first win of the season.
Kenny Washburn and Orval Harris were on the front row for the Stevenson's Hardware Novice Sportsman feature with Washburn in the lead as David Fingerlow, Cody Wolfe, and Bubby Pawlak all move to race inside the top five. Orval Harris and Cody Wolfe came together in turn one and Mike Martin had nowhere to go to bring out the caution on lap two. On the restart, Washburn would continue to lead over Fingerlow and Pawlak. Washburn would pull away to earn the win, his second of the season.
NEWS AND NOTES: Scott Kerwin and Dave Conant were the lucky recipients of a brand-new Hoosier Tire. Special thanks to Hoosier Racing Tires for their continued support of racing at Ransomville Speedway! Lap sponsorships are available for the King of the Hill Street Stock 100, BEI Lightning Series 40, and the Gippsters Collision 4 Banger event on September 14. Laps are $20 to purchase and you can contact the Speedway Office, see Ashley from 50/50, Jeff Anstett, Jenn Martin, or Steve Petty to purchase. The Sid Jeffery Memorial for the Modifieds has been rescheduled to Friday, September 7. The Ransomville Speedway Awards Banquet will take place on Saturday, November 10th at the Lewiston #2 Fire Company. Jonsie will be the musical entertainment and the banquet will be catered by Donna Eick. More information about the banquet will be announced in the coming weeks.
Racing returns on Friday, August 31 as WGR 550 and Salerno Snowplowing presents Season Championship night for the 358 Modifieds and Sportsman. Also, on the card will be the Labor Day Smashtacular Demolition Derby! It is also Team Spirit Night, so fans are encouraged to wear and support their favorite drivers plus a full card of racing! Pit gates will open at 5 pm with grandstand gates will open at 6 pm and the first green flag of the night will fly at 7:15 pm.
RACE RESULTS –Regional Haulage, Tim Hortons, Hy-Tech Concrete, Randy's Smoke Shop, Lewiston #1 Fire Company NIGHT SUMMARY
Krown Undercoating Modifieds: MATT FARNHAM, Pete Bicknell, Chad Brachmann, Greg Martin, Rick Richner, Erick Rudolph, Scott Kerwin, Ryan Susice, John Smith, Jeff McGinnis, Jesse Cotriss, Tommy Flannigan, Allan Wills, Kenny Wills, Steve Lewis Jr
Qualifying Winners: Rick Richner, Ryan Susice
Investors Service Sportsman: AUSTIN SUSICE, Brett Senek, Dave DiPietro, Justin McKay, Cameron Tuttle, Chris Burek, Robbie Johnston, Derek Wagner, Noah Walker, Garrison Krentz, Darrell Borkenhagen, James Henry, Vince Fargnoli, Kevin Wills, Dave Conant, AJ Custodi
Qualifying Winners: Austin Susice, Robbie Johnston
KiPo Chevrolet Street Stocks: PETE STEFANSKI, Cory Sawyer, Jordan Moden, Brandon Sherwood, James Thompson, Bryce Richardson, Pat Dell, Chris Dziomba, Matt Tracy, Randy Zimmerman, Mike Short, Jim Coble, Casey Jonathan, Pat O'Keefe
Qualifying Winners: Brandon Sherwood,
Gippsters Collision 4 Bangers: ASHLEY BLECH, Matt Hornquist, Nick Tarnowski, Ryan Plante, Steve Matson, Brandon Potter, Chad Desso, Anthony Hermanson, Cole Susice, Chuck Cala, Brandon Close
Qualifying Winners: Nick Tarnowski, Matt Hornquist
Stevenson's Hardware Novice Sportsman: KEN WASHBURN, Bubby Pawlak, Brian Harris, David Fingerlow, Cody Wolfe, Matt Foster, Jim Forster, Lane Matteson, Orval Harris, Mike Martin
Qualifying Winners: Bubby Pawlak, Cody Wolfe

subset: commoncrawl


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פרשת בהר בחוקתי
In this week's parsha we find what at first glance seem to be rather mundane pesukim regarding the sale of homes in Eretz Yisroel. And like all the details in the Torah we have no doubt about their importance. And yet, unless you are learning Mesichta Eiruchin and have an interest in the details of the sugya, or are studying what the Zohar says about these dinim, you almost begin to wonder what lesson could be learned from these halachos. However, it is on the surface of the Torah, in the p'shuto shel mikrah, that you will often find the deepest secrets, the most important principles of living a true Torah life. Only that often it is those ideas that are right in front of your nose, that go unnoticed and ignored.
So let us begin. There is a law in the Torah that if a man sells his ancestral home, a home that he has inherited from his forefathers in Eretz Yisroel, so the Torah gives him a special right – the prerogative to buy his home back from the buyer. Many years later he can come back to the buyer and claim "seller's regret". גאולה תהיה לו – "You can always redeem your ancestral home" (Behar 25:31). And even the man who doesn't take advantage of this Torah right to repurchase his home, eventually, his property will revert back to him in any case. Because the Torah declares that when Yovel comes, the home becomes his again. וביובל יצא – "And at Yovel it goes out from the buyer [into the hands of seller]" (ibid.)
But you must know, that the pesukim limit this right of the seller to one who sells his home in an open town, בתי חצרים. However, when it comes to בתי ערי חומה, houses that are situated in walled cities, the laws are fundamentally different. The homes of a walled city in Eretz Yisroel are an exception to the rules we learned above. When a man sells his house in a walled city then it doesn't come back to him anymore. לא יצא ביובל – "The home in the walled city does not go out from the possession of the buyer on Yovel" (ibid. 25:30). And not only that, but the seller is given only one year in which he can buy it back. Unlike the seller of a home in an unwalled city who can renege on the sale at anytime; over here, after the year is up, the buyer can say, "I'm not selling it back to you."
That's a remarkable chumrah for a house in a walled city, an aberration from the typical rules of real estate in Eretz Yisroel. A home in a walled city has a different din, a different law, and a different status, than any other home. And this matter requires study; why should this home be any different from another home?
So we see there is something going on here. Hashem is making something apparent in these pesukim, and that is, that there is something special about a walled city. Hashem doesn't give us fifty years to think about buying the house back, no. There is a certain sense of urgency when it comes to reacquiring this house. Buy it back now! Hurry up; it's now or never! And so the owner of a house in the walled city weighs his options very carefully before selling his home.
He knows that he's making a decision that will soon be irrevocable. He will have only one year to redeem it from the seller, and when that year comes to an end, he will have lost his home forever. And even when he does sell the home, he feels that urgency, that pressure to buy it back, because it's now or never. אם לא עכשיו אימתי. Hakodosh Boruch Hu is bearing down on this poor fellow. "Whatever you do, don't sell your house in a walled city," He says. "And if you did, hurry up and redeem it while you still can."
We see here Hashem's intention of encouraging the original residents of a walled city to remain in their ancestral homes. Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants the resident of a walled city to forever remain a walled city man. And therefore, He is discouraging this man from selling his home – לא יצא ביובל, you will not get it back; your ancestral home will be lost to you forever. And if he makes the error of selling, the Torah encourages him to repurchase it as soon as possible. ואם לא יגאל עד מלאת לו שנה תמימה וקם הבית אשר בעיר אשר לו חומה לצמיתות לקונה אותה לדורותיו – "But if he does not redeem it within the first year, his house in the walled city shall belong permanently to the buyer forever" (ibid. 25:30). Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants people to remain in the walled cities and He is making that very obvious in our parsha. There is something going on here, in the walled cities, something special, and it pays for us to study what it is.
And this is not the only place in the Torah where Hashem emphasizes the importance of a walled city. When we search a little more we find other areas of Torah law that provide exceptional rules for these arei chomah. A few weeks ago we read about the metzorah, the person who becomes afflicted with tzara'as, a strict form of tumah. And so we learned that he is sent out of his city and must take up residence outside of the city walls.
The metzorah is sent out of his city because he is tamei and we cannot permit that tumah to profane the holiness of a Jewish city. However – and listen to this – if the metzorah lives in a small village or town, or in an unwalled city, he does not have to leave. He can remain at home. The din that requires him to leave his city was true only with regard to the walled cities, the batei arei chomah.
Now, I want you to pay attention to something that at first glance seems queer. We know that a metzorah is tamei with what Chazal refer to as tumah chamurah, a very strict form of defilement, and that he therefore must leave all places of kedusha. Now, we would understand why the metzorah is forbidden from entering onto Har Habayis, and why he would would even be sent out of Yerushalayim. Of course we understand that. To have a person who is tamei with one of the strictest forms of tumah in a makom kodesh is unfathomable.
But what is it about the arei chomah, the walled cities, that they are given this status as well? The pesukim here are not only discussing the walled city of Yerushalayim. Yerushalayim, I'd understand. A city where the Beis Hamikdash stood, the city where Hashem resides – that's a city of holiness! So for the metzorah to have to leave Yerushalayim, that we could understand. But no, we are talking about any walled city in Eretz Yisroel. A city may bep far away from the makom ha'mikdash, but if it's walled, then that city is holy and spits out from its midst the tumah of the metzorah.
We have to ask ourselves: What is this holiness that seems to be caused by walls? What's so special about a walled city that makes it so different, so much more kadosh, than the unwalled city right next door? And what is it about a walled city that finds so much favor in the eyes of Hashem, that He encourages us, by means of the arei chomah laws, to remain living within its walls forever?
And so to better understand this, we'll study together a fundamental principle – a principle that we must be aware of all the days of our lives. The Rambam in Hilchos Dei'os (6:1) writes: דרך ברייתו של אדם – "It is the way that a person is created, that means that the nature of a human being is, להיות נמשך בדעותיו ובמעשיו אחר רעיו וחביריו – to be drawn in his attitudes, his ideas, and the way he thinks and acts, after those with whom he associates." That means that you become what your environment is.
You know what nimshach means? It means that you're drawn like a magnet to the attitudes and behavior of the people around you. You don't have to do anything. Just by being there, you're pulled along; unless you fight back. But if you're passive then you're going to be drawn along. And it's so smooth, so subtle, that you don't even notice it until it's too late, until you're already in the Next World.
And this is a very important statement you're hearing right now. It all depends on who your friends are, with whom you associate. The Rambam said that you'll be drawn after רעיו וחבריו, your acquaintances and your friends. Friends, I understand. But the Rambam is telling is that even your רעיו, your acquaintances, your neighbors, your coworkers – anybody who you come into contact with – will affect you. You have to know that when you associate with people, when you live among others, you are automatically being shaped in their mold. And not only will you act the way they act, but you'll think the way they think, and your middos become like their middos.
The Rambam continues: ונוהג במנהג אנשי מדינתו – "And a person will always behave like the people of the country where he lives." It can't be helped! That's why I always say that a tzadik, even the biggest tzadik, when he comes to America, is already an Amerikahner. If you're living here in America, then I don't care how long your peyos are, you're going to be an American. It's impossible for a person to avoid the influence of the country in which he lives. Of course, I'm not saying that you're jumping head first into everything they do, but still, there's no question that as soon as you come off the boat, you're already being influenced by the environment.
I'm telling you right now – it's affecting you. It's taking place this minute. Just the fact that I'm speaking to you in English right now is a sign of our environment pressing down upon us. At home I speak only yiddish with my children. They answer me in English – what could I do? We're all being affected! You are affected by the secular environment, no doubt about it. And in many ways. Don't fool yourself. It's happening in every part of your life.
And therefore there is only one solution to this problem of a man's environment: לפיכך צריך אדם להתחבר לצדיקים – "A person must always make it his principle to join with the tzadikim, to stay as close as possible to the frummeh – to the best of our people. ולישב אצל החכמים תמיד – And to sit always together with chachomim." To always associate with chachomim and tzadikim. תמיד the Rambam says. All the time! כדי שילמד מעשיהם – In order to learn their deeds."
Now that's a very important admonition that you're hearing from the Rambam. To try your best to always be in the company of the choicest of our people. Because something is sure to rub off on you. There's no question about it – it's going to affect your neshama. All the things that you think and do will be different because of your association with good people.
And now we can begin to understand why walled cities are so important and so kadosh in the eyes of Hashem. There is really only one answer to that question, and that is that a walled city is a yishuv of strength and permanence. A city with a wall around it meant "We're strong and we're here to stay." You know that in the ancient times – and in many places it's true even today – a walled city was the safest place to live. In the days of old it was the wall around your city that afforded you with protection and security. The high walls surrounding the city acted as a bulwark against attacks of the enemies and infiltration of bandits and marauders.
And therefore people who moved into a walled city tended to settle permanently and remain there from generation to generation. The walled city, because of its strategic value as a safe residence, secure from external enemies; became a haven for people to move to, a safe place to raise a family. And what happened in all walled cities was that they soon became crowded, very crowded. Because the walls limited the expansion opportunities – you couldn't keep building outward – so the walled cities of Eretz Yisroel naturally developed into cities crowded with frum Jews, all living in close and cramped quarters. The ir chomah was a city with ovdei Hashem packed into crowded streets and homes, with families forever growing and overflowing, all living with each other side by side.
It's impossible to compare the dwelling places of the Jews in the walled cities, and those out in the open expanse of Eretz Yisroel. Because in those secure and crowded cities you were surrounded on all sides by ovdei Hashem. Wherever you turned there were frum Jews. Men with black hats, big yarmulkas. Boys riding their bikes with their tzitzis flying in the wind. Women with their hair covered pushing carriages – you know what that looks like – there are two children in the carriage and another few running alongside. Bais Yaakov girls walking home together in large groups, all dressed the way a bas Yisroel should dress. Shuls everywhere. It was a beautiful sight to behold and a happiness to be a part of.
Now, maybe it was cramped; maybe the streets were narrow – it wasn't the suburbs after all – but still, these were the dwellings where families had lived for hundreds and hundreds of years, since Yehoshua entered Eretz Cana'an. There was a certain sense of permanence in avodas Hashem that couldn't be matched elsewhere. And the masses of frum Jews all living together served as an encouragement to one another. Wherever you went in that city, you felt like you were part of a nation whose sole purpose in this world was the service of Hashem. Just the mere fact that you were living in a city that was overflowing with frum Jews and always humming with avodas Hashem, that itself transformed you into a better oived Hashem.
And that is the key that unlocks for us the mystery of the kedusha of the walled cities. You were living among the frummeh, in the densely packed communities of the Am Yisroel. And that meant living with these demonstrations of large scale avodas Hashem every day, all day long, all night long. Frum Jews wherever you turn! Big yeshivos! Bais Yaakovs! Kosher this and kosher that! Stores selling tzniyusdikeh clothing, and shuls and shtibelach on every corner. Shiurim all the time.
Every erev Shabbos the streets are packed with thousands of men and women preparing for the Yom Menucha. Is there a bigger public demonstration than that? The streets are crowded with Jews running to and fro. The stores are overflowing with people – and what are they all doing?! Shabbos, Shabbos and more Shabbos! And on Shabbos as well; men, women and children walking the streets in their finest clothing. The whole city is one big demonstration of avodas Hashem!
When you have a few good Jews who are very devoted to the Hashem and His Torah, that's very good. Very good! But when you have, let's say, troops and troops of Jews all walking the streets on erev Shabbos, in and out of stores, preparing for the Shabbos, that's already a different world.
And the children as well are part of this great demonstration of Shabbos. You walk by the Yeshiva, let's say on Erev Shabbos, when the boys are getting out. And there are twenty buses waiting to take them home. Twenty buses! Twenty buses packed with the children of Hashem all heading home to get ready for Shabbos. And you walk by a big girls' school and there's another twenty buses lined up. The streets are filled with buses. And you'll find thirty girls walking, with long skirts. Tzniyusdikeh girls. Thirty girls here. Twenty girls here. It's so crowded, it's hard to get around! Boruch Hashem!!
You know, I was walking with a man once on Friday afternoon and the streets were crowded, packed with children. All yiddeshe children, boys and girls, beautiful kinderlach, coming home for Shabbos. And this man says to me, he says to me of all people: "It's too crowded here in Brooklyn, it's too much. I can't get around in the car on Erev Shabbos." A fool! Mamash a fool! It's such a beautiful sight. Such crowds, such traffic, what could be better?! Wherever you look, you see a ribui of the Am Yisroel. And that's a tremendous encouragement! If you look with seicheldikeh eyes then it's an encouragement on a very big scale! And that's an ir chomah!
You have to realize that the ribui, the multiplication of the number of Jews, is the greatness of the Am Yisroel. The streets where the frum Jews walk, the stores where they shop, the corners where they congregate, those are the places where the sh'chinah rests. It's the legions of Jews living congested within the city walls, all serving Hashem together! That's why the Presence of Hashem dwells in those walled cities more vigorously, more strongly, than anywhere else. In a place where the Am Yisroel reside in great numbers and in permanence, that's where Hashem is. Hashem loves the Klal Yisroel. And even more than that, He loves numbers in Klal Yisroel.
Hakodosh Boruch Hu says: "I am there with the Bnei Yisroel because they are permanent there. I rest My shechinah in the place where Jews live together because those are the places that matter to Me most." Yerushalayim ir hakodesh is a makom kadosh – of course. But the Torah wants you to never forget that the walled cities, and all the places where the Am Yisroel resides in great numbers, are just as holy in His eyes.
And it is because Hakodosh Boruch Hu loves these cities full of frum Jews so much, that He rests His shechina there more than any other place in Eretz Yisroel. And that my friends is the source of the kedusha of the walled cities in Eretz Yisroel. It is the Am Yisroel, living one on top of the other, filling the homes, and overflowing into the streets. That's kedusha! And that's why the metzorah was sent out beyond the walls; because the kedusha of the myriads of Jews living closely together couldn't be soivel, it couldn't tolerate that tumah.
When you walk in these streets where there are Jewish homes one after another, frum Jews on all sides, you should know that you're walking on admas kodesh, on holy ground. Absolutely it's holy ground. No question about it! And you have to gain that attitude. And if you're thinking that I'm just exaggerating, then you're far from having true Torah attitudes. Very far away.
Don't listen to people who like to criticize frum Jews. We should have only the greatest love and admiration for the crowded streets of the frummeh. Because we have to learn to appreciate the things that Hashem appreciates. Hashem loves all the shomrei Torah u'mitzvos and therefore we disregard what the naysayers spout forth. We ignore them and we teach ourselves to love the Jews of Boro Park, to love the Jews of Crown Heights, to love the Jews of Williamsburg, to love the Jews of Lakewood and to love the Jews of Flatbush. Wherever you have frum Jews crowded together – Meah Shearim and Bnei Brak in Eretz Yisroel. Because there's no question that אהבה רבה אהבתנו השם אלוקינו – No question, He loves us!
Now, I don't know what out of towners think, but the truth is that I'm not interested. I'll tell you what I think! I'm מעיד על עצמי, I can testify about myself that whenever I walk in Boro Park, I walk with the greatest derech eretz. I say to myself, "I'm walking on admas kodesh, on holy ground."
Now you Boro Parkers have to think about that! As you walk in the streets of Boro Park, houses and houses, blocks and blocks of shomrei Torah u'mitzvos. It's a place of kedusha. One mezuzah, another mezuzah, no end to the mezuzos. And when you look up to the roofs, no antennas, no televisions. It's holy ground! It's a holy place. Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh. The heart of Hakodosh Boruch Hu is in Boro Park, is in Williamsburg, is in Crown Heights, is in Lakewood and it's in all the places where the frum Jews live.
As you walk the streets where you see frum houses, you should feel humbled, you should feel that it's kedusha. Mothers are bringing up big families of children. They're giving their lives, working day and night, to take care of children. And fathers are working hard for parnasa, to pay bills and to pay the schar limud. It's all kodesh kodoshim. קדש ישראל אשר אהב – "It's the holiness of the Am Yisroel that Hashem loves." And it's that love of Hashem that makes the ir chomah, the city that is crowded with frum Jews, so holy in His eyes. It is the places that are filled with shuls and shtibelach, yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs, frum streets, frum stores, frum homes and frum places of work, that interest Hashem most. And it is those places that should interest us most as well.
But even more than that, even more than the kedusha, is the tremendous benefit that each individual achieves by living within these walls. Because it's these places that are most conducive to growth in His service. Every frum Jew is affecting the next one, and together they are growing in avodas Hashem.
When you're around good people you're soaking up all of the attitudes of the good people around you. You're absorbing their middos tovos, the way they talk, their mannerisms, even the expressions on their faces. The human being is a s'fog, a sponge. You know that if you put a spoon into a cup of coffee, it won't absorb anything; you just wash it off and it's as good as new. But when you put a sponge into the coffee it soaks everything up. And that's what you're doing all day – you're soaking up everything around you.
And now we understand the recommendation of the pesukim, we understand all of the dinim in the parsha which are encouraging us to reside in the walled cities. Through these halachos Hashem seeks to encourage us to remain among the best Jews, and to stay in the place where the Shechina resides most strongly. "Don't give up the great opportunity of living among the frummeh. "Stay here with Me and soak up all of the Torah attitudes that surround you," says Hakodosh Boruch Hu. "Don't leave the admas kodesh!"
Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants you to fulfill this principle of the Rambam that we mentioned earlier, the principle of making sure to always live among the best. Hashem desires that we be the best, and therefore He desires that we should live among the best. And the more numbers and the more crowded, the better it is in His eyes; because those are the places where we can best grow in service of Him.
On the other hand, those who lived in scattered settlements; the towns, villages and unwalled cities, were not zoicheh to such a strong Presence of Hashem. The people were spread out far from one another; houses scattered among the countryside, separated from each other by fields and open area. No crowding, no congestion; only a few Jewish families here and there. And therefore all the previous dinim encouraging the Am Yisroel to remain in their cities do not apply here. Those living in these open cities are not penalized for selling their homesteads; we don't find Hashem encouraging them to repurchase their homes. Instead, these laws encourage them to relocate and dwell with their brethren in the vibrant Torah life of the walled cities.
Everyone knows by himself that he's affected by the sight of multitudes of Jews. Unless you have a heart of stone, you can't help but be excited with pride at being chosen to be a part of this holy nation of ovdei Hashem. I can't forget the one Hoshana Rabbah when I went to see the old Satmarer Rebbe, zichrono l'vracha, in Williamsburg. The place was jammed! Hoshanos took four hours and he himself was the chazan. He was the shatz and it was beautiful! It was packed with people; there was no room to move. Just being there for four hours and witnessing such a sight inflames the neshama with a desire for avodas Hashem. It lights a fire of love of Hashem in your heart.
If you bring somebody there, to see so many Jews together in one place, all servants of Hashem, it changes a person's nature, his mind. You won't have to give him any arguments against evolution; no need for hours disproving Bible Criticism and Zionism. No arguments at all! Just being surrounded by so many frummeh changes a person for the better. Just the sight makes you stronger in your dedication to the Torah. When you see that you are not alone, when you see the great numbers, it is an inspiration to dedicate yourself to avodas Hashem and to be an important part of those masses of His loyal servants.
Large scale demonstrations of avodas Hashem reach into the depths of your neshama. When twenty-thousand people came to the Siyum Hashas of the Agudas Yisroel it was a great demonstration of the service of Hashem, a demonstration that inflames us all. The Am Hashem was arriving in droves, pouring out of buses, cars and trains. And by the way, it inflames the irreligious as well, but in a different way. It killed them to see such a thing. It murdered them. Kein yirbu! Boruch Hashem! But us – it inflamed us in the service of Hashem.
I remember when we made a demonstration against Medinas Yisroel when they wanted to draft Jewish girls into their army. I remember that! In Manhattan the streets were jammed with frum Jews. There were Jews everywhere! The subways were crowded with frum Jews! Everywhere frum Jews! The goyim in Manhattan didn't know what to do with themselves. Manhattan was jammed with those who came to protest against the Israeli government. Thousands and thousands of Jews coming together to stand up for Hakodosh Boruch Hu. It was hard not to be affected by such a sight.
Because when you see so many people standing up for Hakodosh Boruch Hu you can't help but be strengthened in your convictions. You're encouraged, your convictions are strengthened, and you become a changed person. The same way that a bad environment is a sakanah for your success, the good environment is a yeshuah. When you are surrounded by ovdei Hashem, you want to be a part of it as well.
So when you walk in the streets of Boro Park, Williamsburg, Flatbush, or any place where the Jewish people reside in large established communities, secure and numerous, and you see the Am Yisroel all around you – all the mothers and fathers and children – you should be filled with happiness that you are living in a place where the Shechinas Hashem rests most strongly; a place where there are large numbers of Jews and the place where the fire of love for Hashem is burning most brightly. And the happiness you should feel, is only a pale shadow of the happiness that Hashem feels, His nachas, His satisfaction, when He sees His children living together in large numbers in close quarters.
And I must tell you the following. Don't merely rely on your thoughts. Your thoughts are very important, but you must inspire your thoughts with your dibbur, your words. Stop in the street and say, "Thank you Hashem for this great opportunity of living among the ribui of Your people, the Am Yisroel. I love you Hashem!" Now, if you're too embarrassed, then go into the telephone booth, pick up the phone and make a "long-distance" call to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Talk to Him! Let people think that you're talking to your wife or to your boss. But you're actually talking to your real Boss. "Hashem, it's a pleasure to be surrounded by so many frum Jews." And the more you say it with your mouth, the more you'll appreciate living among the frummeh.
All the places where frum Jews live: Boro Park, Flatbush, Kensington, Williamsburg, Crown Heights – you have to know that it's a wealth to live in these communities. It's much more of a wealth than the bigger homes in West Orange and the trees and gardens of West Hempstead. To walk down the crowded streets of Williamsburg is a wealth. You're a rich man; your pockets are full of money. You have to know that that's called living. That's living life. Because you're nimshach, you're being drawn after the best. And that's the wealth of life!
Happiness in life is not because you're living in a certain place where you can have a big palatial home. And happiness is not having trees and gardens in front of your house! True happiness is when you accomplish the purpose that you're here for. The purpose of life is to be close to Hashem. Of course, gardens are nice. And trees and grass are beautiful. But to give up the beauty of the crowds of ovdei Hashem, to give up that ma'aleh, is a tragic mistake. Because the effect of the masses upon your own growth is the real wealth of life. That's the spur for perfection.
Ahh! It's a glorious thing! To live packed among the Am Yisroel is a delight! Wherever you look it's Yisroel and Yisroel and Yisroel! Not like the lady who came here one time and told me, "Why would I want to live here, packed with other Jews like sardines?" Sardines?! That's what the Am Yisroel is to you?! Sardines?!
You have to learn what a great privilege it is to live among the Am Yisroel. This lady unfortunately had the opposite idea. She thought that happiness is when you can move way out and escape the sardines. And those are the ones who eventually go lost. ואבדתם בגוים – "And you'll get lost among the goyim" (Vayikra 26:38). I'm not saying that they become goyim. No, they're still frum Jews. They wear tefillin and daven three times a day. But there's no question that if you live among the goyim, you begin to think like them. Your mind goes lost. You lose your mind. And all of our brothers don't even realize that they're getting lost among the gentiles. They think that they're getting lost in the gardens, and the trees, but really they're getting lost among the gentiles.
Because usually those beautiful gardens of the the suburbs come along with other accompaniments that are not so beautiful. You'll have gentile neighbors and modern Orthodox neighbors. And that means you'll be surrounded by gentile ideas; their attitudes and ideals, their clothing, their baseball, and their newspapers and magazines. Everything that comes along with the grass is the destruction of a Jewish home.
And just like a person would give up so much of what he wants in order to save his life, it's even more important your give up the suburbs for the greatness of living among the throngs of the Am Yisroel. I knew a man in my old shul who had a sick child. And the doctor said that the boy needs Southern Italian climate to survive. "You have to move to Southern Italy," they told him. Southern Italy! Otherwise the child would die. This happened fifty years ago. And he moved! He picked up and moved there! To Southern Italy! He did everything – he sold his business and packed up and moved. I don't even know what he did there; he wasn't a rich man. But to save his child's life he gave up everything.
A man will do anything for life! And a life without the frummeh is not living life. And so, when you are moving from one place to another, you must make that decision with great yishuv hada'as. הוי מתונין בדין. And not only with your wife! You should go to chachomim and ask them where to move. It's of utmost importance!
How can a man move into a neighborhood and not inquire beforehand about the shuls in the neighborhood?! After he moves and he settles in, that's when he starts chomping around for a shul?! Isn't that insanity?! It's such an important thing! Who is going to be the kehillah that you're going to be with? Who are the people you're going to talk to on Shabbos morning at the kiddush in shul? And who's the rabbi who you're going to be listening to? Are people so stupid, so careless, about their lives, that they're mafkir everything?!
The most important thing is your environment. And therefore choose the best for yourself and for your wife and for your children. The best neighbors, the best shul, the best yeshivos, the best Bais Yaakovs, the best friends, and the best Rabbonim. Because otherwise it's a sakanah, a great danger. Your children must have the best environment, your wife must have the best environment, and most important, you must have the best environment.
When you live in a frum neighborhood – the frummer the better – your family is transformed. You can send your sons and your daughters to the best schools – schools where people who have TVs aren't allowed there. You know, that the children don't talk about TV in the good places. The Bais Yaakov schools are the best place for your girls. In the crowded and frum neighborhoods, you'll find the best institutions. So if you care about your family, then you should make sure to follow the advice that Hashem is giving you in these pesukim. And make sure to surround yourself on all sides with frum people and frum attitudes
And even in the same neighborhood, between one block and another, you must be careful to make the right choice. Because your entire future, and the entire future of your children, depends on that choice.Everything depends on who lives next door to you, and who your neighbors are; who davens in your shul and who plays with your children. If you move in next to the right person, he can change your life in this world and the next. Of course, not always can you choose, but to the best of your ability make sure that you get the most for your money.
This is a very important admonition you're hearing now. To try your best to always be in the company of the choicest of our people. Because something is sure to rub off on you. There's no question about it – it's going to affect your neshama. All the things that you think and do will be different because of your association with good people.
Of course, it takes time for people to understand that, to really understand the depth of this yesod. It takes time and effort. But once you do, you'll begin to love the crowded frum neighborhoods. And you'll want to live there forever and ever. It's mamash a pity to have to die and say farewell to such a good neighborhood where the frum Jews live all together.
And living in neighborhoods full of frum Jews is fulfilling a mitzva in the Torah. We find that Hashem commands us to cling to Him. ובו תדבק – "And you should cling to Him" (Devarim 10:20). And the Rambam (Hilchos De'os 6:2) says: How does one fulfill the mitzvah of clinging to Hashem? You should eat with the talmidei chachomim, he says. You should drink with them. You should live among them. You should do business with them. להתחבר להן בכל מיני חיבור, he says. You should make sure to join them in every connection possible. And living among the frummeh – and the frummer the better – that's the best chibur possible. When you choose to live near good people, near the frummeh, you are clinging to Him. בו תדבק refers to physical proximity. When one chooses to live next to a talmid chochom, when one chooses to live among the genuine Jews – those with true Torah attitudes whose lives exemplify the Torah ways – he thereby comes closer to Hashem.
Here's a man who lived in Pumbedisa in Bavel. Pumbedisa was a Torah-center; a Yeshiva town. And this man moved to Bei-Kubi. Now, Bei-Kubi was not too far away from Pumbedisa. It was a nearby city. But Rav Yosef put this man in shamtah – he excommunicated this man (Kesuvos 111a). Now, this man did not relinquish any mitzvos. He didn't stop eating kosher or davening with a minyan. He was still a frum Jew! And yet Rav Yosef viewed his move as such a rebellion against Torah Judaism, such a chutzpah, that he excommunicated him. Because when one forsakes a strong Torah-center for another community – even though he may still be a meticulously pious man – but he already harbors in him the germs of defection! Physical proximity to a ribui of dedicated servants of Hashem is not only a symptom of the closeness of the mind to Hashem, but it is also a cause of closeness of mind to Him. The well-established and strong kehillos of the Am Yisroel are saturated with yiras shamayim. Sometimes, it may even be considerably inconvenient to dwell there, but to be close to the good people, is an achievement that cannot fail to mold your history and the history of your posterity.
And we pray for that every day. In the shemonah esrei, in Al Hatzadikim, we say ושים חלקינו עמהם – "And put our lot with them!" Ribono Shel Olam, please let us be zoicheh to live as close as possible to the tzadikim and the chassidim. Now, where are you going to find the tzadikim? In Nebraska?! In Bayonne?! No, only by us. Only in the "walled cities" of the Am Yisroel all over the world. And so, when you say these words you should be thinking, "Hashem, please give me the opportunity to be with the tzadikim in this world. Help me live close to them, and learn from them."
So you'll tell me that you thought the pshat of ותן חלקינו עמהם means "Hashem, put our lot with them in the Next World." That's true, that's true as well. But the only way to join the tzadikim in the Next World is by joining them as much as you can in this world. And therefore, wherever you go in this world, you must always make sure that the first and the most important question is: How could I best join myself, בכל מיני חיבור, in every way possible, to the frummeh who will be around forever and ever as loyal and dedicated servants of Hashem.
Now let's listen to the advice of a good counselor. Shlomo Hamelech tells us: הולך את חכמים יחכם – "The one who walks together with the chachomim will become wise" (Mishlei 13:20). It doesn't say, "If you go to his yeshiva and study his shiurim you'll become wise." No, it says, "If you walk with him," p'shuto k'mashma'o. To acquaint yourself with the chachomim, to live among them, to eat where they eat, to walk where they walk, to shop where they shop.
So why forsake the best communities that we have, filled with idealism and avodas Hashem? Because if you do, Shlomo Hamelech tells you in that same possuk what will be the end: ורועה כסילים ירוע – "One who associates with the fools, the result will be that he'll be broken" (ibid.) At the end of his life, he'll look back and he'll see nothing but a shattered ruined life. And his children? He could have had children bnei Torah, and he could have had many of them too. But one of the first results of moving away is that your wife listens to the urgings of her foolish neighbors, "Don't have too many babies." And therefore, רועה כסילים ירוע, the ones who forsakes the best communities in the world for the condominiums of Florida and small towns out west become ruined by the kesilim, the fools. Because if they're not from the frummeh, if they're not from the best, then they're already fools.
And in Shir Hashirim, Shlomo Hamelech says as follows. Hakodosh Boruch Hu is talking to the Am Yisroel, His bride. It's a good shidduch and the chosson, Hakodosh Boruch Hu is talking to His kallah. He talks to her about their future. It's a good thing by the way. If you're seeing your kallah anyhow, so talk about your future. Where do you want to live, what part of town do you want to settle in, what kind of family do you want to have, how your house will look. It's important. Get a picture, each one from the other one, what are your ideals. What's your plan for the way you'll spend the rest of your lives together. You have to do that. Don't just marry because she smells good, or because he puts on a good aftershave lotion. That's not enough to get married on. That's how many people get married by the way; they fall for a smell or a curl in the hair. He doesn't know that she spent two hours in front of the mirror making that curl. He thinks she was born that way and that it'll be there forever.
So Hakodosh Boruch Hu says to His kallah, the Am Yisroel: איתי מלבנון כלה – "My bride, come with me from Levanon" (Shir Hashirim 4:13). Hakodosh Boruch Hu is telling her what's going to be. "It won't be all good times," He says. "But listen to Me anyhow. Because no matter what, it will always be with accomplishment in life. איתי – if you'll be with Me, if you're willing to stick with Me, and associate only with Me, then תשורי מראש אמנה – "You'll look down from the top of the Mount Amanah." Mount Amanah is a mashal for emunah which means loyalty and faithfulness. If we stick with Hashem and His people faithfully then we'll make great progress in life. We'll climb mountains with Hashem. We'll make great progress and reach the summit of all types of progress.
It won't always be easy; staying loyal to Me and My people. But come with Me always! איתי – Stick with Me and you'll succeed at your purpose in life. Our career together will be a career of greatness. That I promise you, says Hashem. We'll climb mountains together; we'll attain greatness walking together.
And we did! Hakodosh Boruch Hu's promise was fulfilled. We climbed – and continue to climb – the great mountains of perfection in avodas Hashem together with Him. We live holy lives, successful lives, beautiful lives, by walking with Him, by living with Him in the "walled cities."
But Hakodosh Boruch Hu's promise was fulfilled only for those who went איתי, for the ones who went together with Him. איתי means walk with Me, by walking with My people. But those who began to walk apart, those who leave the "walled cities" where Hashem resides most visibly, and most strongly, are getting lost.
And that's why in America they're going lost too. Do those Jews who moved out to the outskirts of Long Island have nachas from children? If they have any children at all, they're bums. The girls are I don't want to say the word, a filthy word, that's what they are today. Their parents' hearts hurt them when they see their children in insane asylums as a result of taking narcotics, and having nervous breakdowns. And many of them end up in the morgue at an early age. That's the nachas of those who forsook Hakodosh Boruch Hu.
But those people who walked with Hashem have gone to the chasonos of all their children, and the chasonos of their grandchildren. And they see generations growing up all around them, frum children with their tzitzis out, walking in the ways of the Torah; many of them are talmidei chachomim. So Hakodosh Boruch Hu didn't deceive us. איתי, "Come with Me, my kallah," He said. And we'll walk with Him forever and ever in the "walled cities" of strong Torah communities, where we are forever inflamed with the desire to serve Him.
And that's why Hashem says to you: If you stay with My people then you're staying with Me. And when you stay with Me then I promise you success! When we understand what the Torah is trying to teach us in these pesukim of batei arei chomah, then we understand that our whole Olam Hazeh and our whole Olam Habah depend on what the Rambam says, האדם נמשך אחר רעיו וחבריו – A man is pulled after his friends and acquaintances. He's pulled! That's how it is and it can't be helped. And so, if someone is going to pull us, let's make sure that we're always being pulled by the right people, by the best of our people, into the welcoming arms of Hakodosh Boruch Hu!


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"Dissolving illusions for health to emerge."
Tuaca Kelly
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"As soon as we believe that Death is inevitable, we have already lost our purpose... Life does not even begin until Death has been overcome!" - Cory Herter
FAQ/Frequently Asked Questions:
How can I prepare for a session?
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I have loved ones on the other side I want to connect with, what is too much to tell you?
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How on earth do you do what you do?
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Questions & Answers:
How can I prepare for a session?
Hydrate very well with pure pristine water, drinking preferably from glass not plastic (if possible from MIRON glass) before a session and refrain from consuming alcohol or partaking in any psychedelics or social drugs 24-hours prior to your session. Ideally please also omit any stimulants or 'exciting' foods such as caffeine, spices or sugar 12-hours prior to your session.
May I ask questions during a session?
Of course! While every interactive session is entirely unique unto itself customized for you there are aspects of the process, which are also entirely mutable, to share in advance. I created a client intake form, though really it is my download sheet, where I take notes of the information I receive from my amazing counsel of loving guides – and believe you me I deeply love, respect and appreciate my 'crew' daily. I'll go over with you what came through. 99.9 – 100% of the time all the questions, concerns, decisions or issues you arrived with will have been addressed or no longer have the same charge or energy as they did before the session. Trust your self in this process, as your own intuition will be activated.
May I tell you directly about my medical/health condition, issue or concern?
You're welcome to do so and we'll get right to it.
I've loved ones on the other side I want to connect with, what is too much to tell you?
Wanting to connect with someone who has crossed is natural. You're welcome to say their name, at most your relationship to them, however, please do not tell me how or when they crossed or anything else. Let them tell me, I'll tell you and you can comment/validate as we proceed. Photos or their personal items are not required. Also be aware that if someone you're not expecting shows up, it could be inherent to your process or you are being asked to deliver a message to another person in your life. Just remain open to the messages. We all have purpose.
May I bring a friend to watch?
No. The reason for this is because people can hold back the essential gems yearning to see daylight when they know they have a third-party audience only to deny the full expression or enlightenment they wish to realize. The sacred space we enter goes beyond the mind, beyond ego, into the ineffable. Your body and spirit will remember all it needs to and you're also welcome to write notes. I sometimes write notes too which your welcome to have though I can't promise you'll decode my writing.
How on earth do you do what you do?
The first thing to fully understand is that everything is energy including the language of intuition and the ability to download information and to facilitate healing in oneself or another. My expertise largely resides in my evolving ability to be present, to notice what I notice (including how I notice what I notice, because that is also incredibly insightful), to listen closely to my guides who are always with me and communicate, download and/or transmit (especially in telekinetic, quantum or shamanic healing work) all the experiences of my senses.
I experience time, space distance and dimension quiet differently than most. I consider past, present, future and parallel or multi-dimensional lives all happening right now. While my beloved and respected quantum scientists have wondrous mathematic formulas to map this out, I leave the math to them and stay grounded in my deeper knowing of this truth and my ability to navigate these dimensions, to assist others and myself with realizing human potential. Now I'm gonna let you in a something really big. When we realize our human potential, Mother Earth does too. This means global healing or to put it another way: we create Heaven on Earth.
Star Trek or X-Men fans will understand this concept immediately. When I am working it is very much like I am on a Holo Deck or in the X-Mansion's Danger Room (not to imply danger that is just what the X-Men call their virtual training/work out room.) I'm simultaneously in a 3D and 4D interactive 'space' and all at once I can see inside someone, or in their 'phantom' body or hologram body, what is calling for attention be it physical/structural, emotional, spiritual, nutritional, environmental or social/relational and feel/experience these things with my own hologram body. While in this multidimensional energy 'space' or vibration I'll also see images, dreams, thoughts or 'movies' from either their life, someone else's or my own to realize insight and healing. This is also true for what I hear, such as counsel from my guides, your higher self or an ancestor speaking, songs or sound bites as well as what I perceive with smell or taste.
In channeling, I am an interactive conduit in the process also witnessing the words coming out of my mouth or watching my hands moving energy through space much like a conductor moves the musicians in their orchestra. I also just 'know' (claircognizance). I am an empath that feels what my client is feeling (clairsentience) regardless if they are human or animal, regardless of geographical location, time or space or if they still have a body or not. This is to say I consider ancestors (and pets) who have crossed over my clients too.
While these concepts maybe completely new to your reason and what you've been taught, what all modern and western cultures have been taught – how to live and make decisions from the mind – I invite you to journey beyond the mind through your deeper knowing back a few hundred years or more to a vibrant planet inhabiting multi-colored indigenous and non-indigenous tribes that all lived off the land, from their hearts and who by being integrated with their higher self, guides and guidance, shared wisdom and natural healing with each other. The mind cannot find words for the sacred any more than anyone can prove to another that one feels love. It is experiential. Take a breath and allow your own intuition to go beyond the mind.
How do I schedule a session?
For in person, sessions via Skype or house calls, please contact via the contact page to schedule. For appointments on tour, please also check the contact/coordinator for that location. Appointments are confirmed when payment is received. Should you need to change your appointment you must notify our office within three days prior to your session. There are no refunds; however, we will reschedule your appointment for a future date or put you on the wait list to receive the first available session. There are no refunds for missed appointments. Events that require national/international travel must be confirmed at least 21 days in advance. Mark your calendar clearly. This is a special engagement for you!
Where are sessions held?
All confidential intuitive/healing sessions are conducted in person or via Skype.
When may I have another session?
This is entirely unique to you, related to your process and the life 'homework' you do. Some folks will see me weekly when they're in the midst of monumental life changes, upgrades or light warrior training. This is especially true for those coming into alignment with their life purpose and intuitive/healing abilities. Some come monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly. I've one client whose cycle is specifically one year. When I asked my guides when they were to return, I repeated exactly what I was advised: "Come back in one year." This is also true: when you get the nudge to return you will.
'Tuaca', is that Native American?
No. I'm named by my mother after the Italian milk-brandy, "Tuaca". That name is an amalgam of the two Italian surnames Tuoni and Canepa. Tuoni means "thunder" in Italian (underworld in Finnish) and canepa means "Cannabis". For the full whimsical tale visit my
Where's the Music Cowgirl?
yone who knows me knows that if it is earth friendly, organic, spiritual, sensual and naturally humanistic, I'm likely to be involved. Music, possessing all of these attributes, is a great healer and an important integral part of my life. I've had amazing experiences writing, recording and performing with some phenomenal and well-known artists to bring healing to live and world-wide listening audiences through the medium of
To be on stage and witness the live time healing of individuals in a theater or to be in the audience and witness a singer or musician channel light beyond even their very own recognition is quite something to experience. I'm grateful for all of it. What is also true is that I have a spiritual house with a music room not the other way around. One day my guides said to me with a tap on the shoulder that this era and experience was all for good, clearly a part of my process, yet I was ultimately here for something else. It was a gentle reminder of what I have deeply known my entire life.
Photos by the warmhearted talent
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I highly recommend him!
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Tuaca Kelly
Education & Training
Esoteric Insight
The Muses
SOMAVEDIC - EMF Mitigation
Clean Slate | Zero-In
Healing Sessions
Schedule Your Session
The Musician's Healer
Gathering of Light
The Alignment
Embodying the Sensual Mystic
Medical Testimonials


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By JENNIFER LEVITZ | The Wall Street Journal | wsj.com 15 August 2012
The Federal Aviation Administration gave its stamp of approval Wednesday to a long-brewing plan to build the nation's first offshore wind farm off Cape Cod in Massachusetts, saying the turbines wouldn't interfere with air navigation.
The decision was a victory for Energy Management Inc., the developer of the project, known as Cape Wind. The project suffered a setback in October when a federal appeals court said the FAA's previous review was inadequate.
In its latest ruling in favor of Cape Wind, the FAA said its study found that the proposed 130 wind turbines had "no effect on aeronautical operations."
Energy Management said the FAA approval means it has received all necessary regulatory permits to proceed with the project, first proposed a decade ago. The developer aims to begin construction next year in a shallow, 25-square-mile part of Nantucket Sound, a body of water surrounded by Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. The project is now in the financing stage, Energy Management said.
"Cape Wind is now closer to creating the public benefits of cleaner air, greater energy independence and new jobs," Mark Rodgers, an Energy Management spokesman, said in a news release.
The project still faces hurdles: Its opponents have pending lawsuits in federal court, citing environmental, safety, and historical concerns.
Opponents expressed anger at the latest FAA decision, and said the agency's approval could be appealed again.
"Today's Federal Aviation Administration ruling shows a complete and total disregard for public safety," the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, a group opposed to Cape Wind, said. The group repeated its argument that by approving Cape Wind, the FAA was acting under "political pressure." The Obama administration has said it wants to increase renewable energy projects.
Cape Wind's developer said Wednesday that "this is the fourth 'Determination of No Hazard' the project has received from the FAA since the agency began its review of the project in 2002" and that the agency's review and approvals "span back to the Bush Administration."
—Ryan Tracy contributed to this article.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/08/16/faa-approves-wind-farm-off-cape-cod/
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Our Eclipse Earrings bounce the the polish of brilliant cut white diamonds off the dark beauty of rough black diamonds. These tiny sculptures are strikingly original yet comfortable to wear.
The setting is 9K yellow gold. The piece measures 5mm x 4.5mm.
One off piece. Designed and made in Melbourne.


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CLOT x adidas NBA 67 Jersey
The 2010 FIFA World Cup has been nothing but a big upset. France and Italy went home early, and USA finally broke their streak of miracles. Sure, a good portion of the world is out of home teams to support, but many can still have their minds wrapped around Brazil, everyone's second favorite team (unless you are from Brazil). However, CLOT still has their mind on the NBA Finals which had just ended in Kobe securing his fifth ring and Lakers hanging up the 16th banner. And to commemorate the sport, and celebrate their love for it despite the season's end, they have partnered up with adidas to remake the NBA 67 jersey.
The CLOT x adidas NBA 67 jersey comes co-branded in two colorways. One with a weaved red, white and blue plaid stamped with gold and black embroidered letters, and the other is a clean white and gold version featuring "CLOT" rendered in traditional calligraphy. While the first colorway pays tribute to Hong Kong, the other pays tribute to the sport with "SOLDIER" featured in gold embroidery on the back. Still reminiscing for NBA and can't really wait a few more months before you get back into the game? Wear a jersey and live vicariously through it for the time being!


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My Harrell Family roots
My husband will tell you that I have spent several hours every day during the past 2-3 weeks consumed with researching my Harrell Family line. He is correct that I have done little else during this time. It seemed that the more I browsed and read whatever I could find online about this family, the more confused I became. There were just too many family members with the same given names and references with conflicting stories. But, last week, I think I finally solved what I call The Mehitibel Mess.
It all began when I was searching for documents that would connect me to one Levi Harrell in my maternal line who lived in South Carolina between 1750 and 1803. Hopefully, the relationship chart below will assist in referencing some of the family members included in this post. 1
As I set out to establish Levi's relationship as my 4X-great-grandfather, I began by using my routine search strategies and working my way through available sources in Ancestry.com and then moved on to Google searches. It didn't take long to realize that I had stumbled into a long-standing Harrell Family quandary. In fact, it appears that identifying Levi Harrell (known as "Fat Old Levy" 2) and his descendants has been the subject of much speculation and controversy long before I found my way into it. 3 But that is another story for a future blog post.
Baffled by Mehitibel
My descendancy from and relationship to Lewis Harrell, Sr. (1796-1843) is reasonably well-documented. However, in trying to establish Lewis, Sr. (see Figure 1) as a son of "Fat Old Levy," I came across a very interesting story about how the Harrell Family came to settle Louisiana. This story had been told by a grandson of Levi Harrell in an "Autobiography of William Harrell" 4 shared through The USGenWeb Project . As part of his story, Mr. Harrell names each of the Harrell Family members who first settled in East Feliciana Parish and how they were related to each other. His statement that, "Uncle Louis and Leny (Levy) married daughters of a widow Bryant," 5 caught my attention because my family records indicated that Permelia Rentz was Lewis W Harrell's mother and my 3X-great-grandmother.
Of course, I assumed the easiest explanation was that Lewis Harrell, Sr. had probably been married twice. Sure enough, I located two marriage records 6 among the databases at Ancestry.com verifying that Lewis Harrell, Sr. and Mahitybee Brian had married on 01 February 1816. Somewhat surprisingly, this union was also documented in a statement on the War of 1812 Widow's Pension application filed by my 3X-great-grandmother, Permelia, in 1878 (see Figure 2). 7
So the pension application clearly lined out that Mehitibel Brian was the first wife of Lewis Harrell, Sr. and Permelia Rentz was his second wife. Mystery solved, right? Not exactly.
Baffled again by Mehitibel
While searching for records to find out more about Mehitibel Brian, I learned that she is recorded as one of seven children born to Hardy Brian, Sr. and Jemima Morgan of Darlington County, Cheraws District, South Carolina. 8 But Mehitibel's story became very confusing to me as I read through Hudnal's often-cited, "History of Francis Brian" in which the author stated that Mehitibel had married Eli White on 04 March 1816. 9 The paragraph continues by noting Mehitibel died on 05 October 1820 and that she and Eli White had one daughter, Virginia Brian White. 10 But, wait! Wasn't she already married to Lewis Harrell, Sr.? Was that marriage annulled and she married again one month later? Did they divorce? Was it simply a typing error by the author? I was very confused.
My confusion about Mehitibel grew as I continued reading this report. It included a transcribed letter from Hardy Brian's great-great-granddaughter wherein she noted that her grandfather told her "that his sister, Mehitibel Brian, had married Eli White." 11 The letter goes on to describe Mehitibel White's efforts to assure that Hardy Biran would be buried in the White Family cemetery and that she too was buried there later "near her father and husband." 12
But the truly confounding piece of information included in this report was a transcribed 1828 East Feliciana Parish Court record naming the heirs of Hardy Brian for the purpose of partitioning his land. 13 Mehetabel White is listed among the heirs and she is represented by her husband, Eli White. 14 But then just a few lines further down, the name, Mehetabel (no last name), appears again and is identified as a "minor of the Parish of Natchitoches." 15Holy cow! How many more Mehitiabel/Mehetabel's were there?
Untangling the Mehitibel/Mehetabel Mess
Indeed, at first glance, the list of heirs appeared to add to the Mehitibel confusion. However, upon closer study, the named heirs of Hardy Brian would become the keys to untangling this family naming mess. Table 1 lists the heirs in the order that they were recorded in the court document. 16
The minors, Jacob and Elizabeth Harrell, first caught my interest because my research indicated that they were the children of my 3X-great-grandfather, Lewis Harrell, Sr. and Mehitibel Brian. Since they are listed as minors and the date of the court record was 16 September 1828, both individuals would have to have been born after 1807. In addition, if Jacob and Elizabeth did not share the Brian surname but are listed as heirs, they must be related to Hardy Brian somehow. As such, this implied relationship would support the claim that both were the children of Hardy and Jemima's deceased daughter, Mehitibel Brian Harrell and thus, his grandchildren. This claim is further supported by noting that Lewis Harrell and his family appear in the 1830 U.S. Census record living in Amite County, Mississippi. Although only Lewis' name appears in the record, there is one male and one female enumerated between 10 and 14 years of age 17 who likely could have been Jacob and Elizabeth.
In considering the other minor, Mehetabel, she also had to have been born in the same timeframe as Jacob and Elizabeth. Since this minor could only have been at most 9 years old when my 3X-great-grandfather married Mahitybee Brian in 1816, it is highly unlikely that she was the same person. The court record also notes that she was living in Natchitoches Parish and not in Mississippi. She is listed with no surname, but her implied relationship to Hardy Brian resembles that of Jacob and Elizabeth meaning that she is likely another grandchild.
So now it appears very likely that there were at least two Mihitabel/Mehetabel's – one born around 1800 and one born sometime between 1807-1828. Which one of these females is the daughter of Hardy Brian? Which one marries Lewis Harrell and which one marries Eli White? Possible answers to these questions are found in an 1825 East Feliciana Parish notarial record which named the heirs of one Levi Harrell, deceased. The identified heirs were Mercy McClendon, Hezekiah Harrell, Anna Harrell and Mehitibal Harrell. 18 Looking again at Table 1, the list of Hardy Brian's heirs includes three persons whose given names match — Marcy McClendon, Ann P[R]eitzell, and Mehetabel White.
Anecdotal evidence mentioned earlier in this blog post indicated that Levi/Levy Harrell had married a daughter of "a widow Bryant." 19 Evidence that one Levi Harrel married Elizabeth Brian on 03 March 1808 in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, was found in the Ancestry.com database. 20 When all of these records are considered together, it appears likely that Marcy McClendon, Ann P[R]eitzell, and Mehetabel White listed as Hardy Brian's heirs in 1828 are the children of Levi Harrell and Elizabeth Brian and thus, his grandchildren. This also means that all three children were born after 1808 which supports the claim of at least two Mehitibel's.
A search of US census records at Ancestry.com revealed a Mehitabel White recorded in 1880 as married to Eli White. 21 This record indicates that she was born about 1815 in Louisiana which is consistent with earlier census records for the same household. 22 The age of this Mehitabel White also is consistent with that of Mehetabel Harrell, the daughter of Levi Harrell and Elizabeth Brian.
After examining all of these records and considering the implications, it calls into question the earlier-cited Hudnal claim that Mehitibel Brian (1799-1820) is the daughter of Hardy Brian and Jemima Morgan and married Eli White. In fact, it appears much more likely that Hardy and Jemima's daughter married Lewis Harrell, Sr., in 1816 and died in 1820. It also appears more likely that Hardy and Jemima's granddaughter, Mehitibal Harrell, was born about 1815 and later married Eli White.
There ends the Mehitibel/Mehetabel Mess. There were two different individuals:
- Mehitibel Brian – born ca. 1799 in South Carolina to Hardy Brian and Jemima Morgan. She married Lewis Harrell, Sr. in 1816 and died in Louisiana in 1820; and
- Mehitibal Harrell – born ca. 1815 in Louisiana to Levi Harrell and Elizabeth Brian. She married Eli White ca. 1828 and died in 1889 in Louisiana.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've updated my family tree records to reflect these relationships. I'm also pleased to report that the lines in my forehead are no longer furrowed due to frustration and confusion.]
- Jacqueline Marshall Menasco, "Relationship Levi Harrell to Jacqueline Ann Marshall," supplied 2016 by Menasco, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Peoria, Arizona; offers only a generic list, with no specific documentation of any piece of data. ↩
- Unknown author, "Nurturing Our Roots: The Harrells of Tangipahoa Louisiana," at Tangelina.com (http://www.amitetoday.com/nurturing-our-roots-0 : accessed 17 October 2016). ↩
- Garland Lively, "[HARRELL] Fat Old Levy," RootsWeb.com, HARRELL-L Archives list, 05 January 2011 (http://newsarch.rootsweb.com/th/read/HARRELL/2011-01/1294286122 : accessed 10 October 2016. ↩
- "Autobiography of William Harrell," transcript, USGenWeb Project – Louisiana Archives Biographies of East Feliciana Parish (http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/eastfeliciana/bios/wmharaut.txt : accessed 10 October 2016), file contributed by Shannon Smyrl. ↩
- Ibid. ↩
- Hunting for Bears, comp., "Louisiana, Marriages, 1718-1925," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 October 2016), entry for Lewis Harrell and Mahitybee Brian, 01 February 1816; Ancestry.com., "Louisiana Marriages to 1850," Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 October 2016), entry for Lewis Harrell and Mahitybee Brian, 01 February 1816. ↩
- "War of 1812 Pension Files," database and images, Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com/image/313885419 : accessed 10 October 2016); Claim of Widow for Service Pension; in Permelia Harrell's pension claim no. 29891 (Approved), service of Lewis Harrell (Capt. L. C. Griffith's Co., La. Cav., War of 1812); citing "War of 1812 Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, compiled ca. 1871–1900, documenting the period 1812–ca. 1900, Record Group 15, National Archives, Washington, D.C. ↩
- "Brian, Chance Family Record," transcript, USGenWeb Project – State-Wide, NC GenWeb Archives: Bibles (http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/statewide/bibles/brian01.txt : accessed 10 October 2016), file submitted by LGHS, Jun. 1998. ↩
- Martha Rowena Hudnal, "History of Francis Brian,"24 December 1921, report, BMGEN.COM (http://bmgen.com/document/pdf/History_Francis_Brian.pdf : accessed 11 October 2016), p 22. ↩
- Ibid., p 23. ↩
- Ibid., p 16. ↩
- Ibid. ↩
- Ibid., p 18-19, transcript of East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, "Notarial Record, Vol A-B, 1824-1832," p 435, Heirs of Hardy Brian, dec'd, partition of land, 16 Sept 1828; Thomas W Scott, Parish Judge, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://interactive.ancestry.com/9067/007671586_00229 : accessed 21 October 2016). ↩
- Ibid., p 19. ↩
- Ibid. ↩
- Ibid. ↩
- 1830 U.S. census, Amite County, Mississippi, p. 64, Lewis Harrell; image, Ancestry.com (http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=1830usfedcenancestry&h=1327668 : accessed 21 October 2016); citing FHL microfilm: 0014838. ↩
- East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, "Louisiana, Wills and Probate Records, 1756-1984," online database with images, Ancestry.com (http://interactive.ancestry.com/9067/007671586_00072 : accessed 21 October 2016); record imaged as p. 132 of "Notarial Record, Vol A-B, 1824-1832," John Rentz and Richard Taylor appointment to partition Levi Harrell estate, 6 September 1825. ↩
- "Autobiography of William Harrell," transcript, USGenWeb Project – Louisiana Archives Biographies of East Feliciana Parish. ↩
- "Mississippi Marriages to 1825," database, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 21 October 2016), entry for Levi Harrel and Elizabeth Brian, 03 March 1808. ↩
- 1880 U.S. census, East Feliciana, Louisiana, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 116, sheet 22-B, dwelling 167, family 167, Eli White; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 October 2016); citing Roll: 453; FHL film: 1254453; page 143B; Enumeration District 116; Image: 0496. ↩
- 1860 U.S. census, East Feliciana, Louisiana, population schedule, Clinton Post Office, p. 92, dwelling 621, family 621, Eli White; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 October 2016); citing Roll: M653_411; page 95; Image: 95; FHL Film: 803411. ↩