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Today's post was written by Soni, horticulturalist for our Butterfly Center. She and the other employees are hard at word preparing for our upcoming Plant Sale on April 10.
|photo credit: Randy Son Of Robert
Got butterflies? Probably not, if your garden suffered freeze damage over the past few months. After this unusually long and cold winter, many of us have lost plants, especially species that are more tropical and not adapted to freezing temperatures.
But now that winter is finally behind us, it's time to replant! Butterfly gardeners won't want to miss the Cockrell Butterfly Center's Spring Plant Sale. It's happening soon: Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the 7th level of the parking garage at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
Some of you may be seasoned butterfly gardeners, but others may be asking, "How DO you 'garden' for butterflies?" It's quite simple. For a successful butterfly garden you need two types of plant: nectar and host plants.
Coneflowers and Rudbeckias
Thanks to their specialized mouthparts – a long, thin, straw-like proboscis – adult butterflies can only consume liquid food. The blooms of nectar plants produce a sugary liquid (nectar) that butterflies sip to give them the energy to fly, mate, and produce eggs. Most nectar plants have colorful flowers borne in showy clusters. Some examples of good nectar plants for our area are Porter Weed, Echinacea (Purple Cone Flower), Zinnias, Rudbeckia (Brown and Black-eyed Susans), Monarda (Bee Balm), Lantana, Salvias, Eupatorium (Mistflower), Cuphea, Buddleia (Butterfly Bush), and Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower), among many others.
Eastern Black
In contrast to the adults, baby butterflies, aka caterpillars, have chewing mouthparts and eat leaves. Many butterflies are quite choosy in their caterpillar stage, and can only survive and grow on specific plants, which we call host plants. For example, Monarch caterpillars will only eat Asclepias (Milkweed); they cannot and will not eat anything else. Female butterflies seek out the appropriate host plants for their babies when they are laying eggs. Some host plants that can be included in your butterfly garden are Asclepias (for Monarchs and Queen Butterflies); Passionvines (for Gulf Fritillaries and if you're lucky, Zebra Longwings); Citrus and Rue (for Giant Swallowtails); Dill, Parsley, and Fennel (for Black Swallowtails); Aristolochia aka Pipevine (for Pipevine and Polydamas Swallowtails); and Cassia aka Senna (for Sulphur Butterflies). If you see caterpillars eating these plants, rejoice! You will soon have lots of beautiful butterflies coming to your nectar plants.
Some of you may think you don't want caterpillars eating away in your garden. If so, you can avoid host plants and include only nectar plants. However, you'll get more butterflies if you plant both. We predict that soon you'll be treasuring every caterpillar!
Many of the nectar and host plants listed above will be available at our sale. We strive to provide butterfly-attracting plants that are either native or naturalized in Texas, and that perform well in the Houston area. Our sale is also a good place to learn more about butterfly gardening. Several experts will be on hand to answer questions and to help you choose plants.
Plant Sale! At the Cockrell Butterfly Center from HMNS on Vimeo.
So save the date: Saturday, April 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come early, the plants go fast!


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Classic Heart Tin
Mrs. Fields Signature Collection
- Contents
- Details
- Reviews
Mrs. Fields Signature CollectionArrives with 60 Nibblers® bite-sized cookies in assorted flavors.
Due to our dough mixing process, all of our products may have come in contact with nut oils.This item is Kosher.
- Nibblers® bite-sized cookies come in an assortment of our most popular flavors.
- Nibblers® bite-sized cookies come packaged in sets of 3 in a special wrapper designed to preserve out-of-the-oven freshness since no preservatives are used.
- Cookies taste best when eaten within two weeks of arrival.
- Brownies are best when refrigerated or frozen.
- Some tips if you have to save some cookies for later: never refrigerate - they dry out, store in an airtight container with a piece of white bread, may be frozen in an airtight bag.
- Thawed cookies can be warmed in the microwave for up to 10 seconds or a 375 degree oven for 1-2 minutes.
- Frozen cookies can be warmed in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or a 375 degree oven for 1-3 minutes.
1 customer review has been submitted for the Classic Heart Tin.
Overall Rating: (5.0 of 5)
A real winner!(05/10/2016)This was a gift to my mother for her birthday! She loves the cookies and the lovely cookie tin. It's so funny. She wants to eat them all, but is savoring every bite because they're so delicious she doesn't want to run-out of cookies. It looks like the cookies are a real 'hit.' I'll be ordering again. Thanks, Mrs. Fields.

subset: commoncrawl


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When business slows down, drilling contractors may have to lay-up some of their equipment. But when things pick up again, the equipment may no longer be "fit and ready" to take on new assignments. Here's the best way to find out.
Mining contractor Small Mine Development of Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA, prefers to hold on to its drilling equipment rather than sell it when business is slow. This way, the company does not have to source new rigs when the work suddenly returns. In this respect, SMD is typical of many similar companies around the world. As Mike Schomer, SMD's Maintenance Superintendent, puts it: "You can't bid for jobs with equipment you don't have."
" The RigScan audit helps us get assets we already own to go back into service so much faster than waiting on a new rig delivery or sourcing a different one for remanufacture. "
Two of the company's Atlas Copco Boltec rock bolting rigs are a case in point. They had recently been standing idle on the surface, one of them for almost two years, after working 24/7 underground. But what repairs and maintenance did these rigs need at the time they were sidelined? How far had their performance fallen in relation to the manufacturer's specification? And what had exposure to the Nevada summer sun and a severe winter done to their hoses, electrical components, mandatory safety labels and signage?
"If we had invested in bringing the rigs back to specification right away," explains Schomer, "we would have allotted a good portion of our capital indefinitely to idle inventory. But we knew the industry would pick up again, so we were looking for the fastest way to get the rigs back into service condition as soon as potential new contracts appeared again." The solution was a thorough audit of the rigs using RigScan technology. Schomer says: "The RigScan audit helps us get assets we already own to go back into service so much faster than waiting on a new rig delivery or sourcing a different one for remanufacture." The audit was carried out by the Atlas Copco facility in Elko where Matt Roemmich, Underground Product Support Technician, explains: "The audit gives the customer a thorough OEM inspection. It identifies everything and will label each item as a critical safety or performance issue or a regulatory concern, all the way down to cosmetic items.
Read the full story at Mining & Construction online


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Driving a classic car out on the road is stressful enough these days without having to live with the fear that at any moment some idiot is going to smack into the back of your pride and joy. Thankfully, some cars will stop automatically, but the rest of the tailgaters who multitask while they drive are still a serious threat. Trust us, there are few things worse than watching in your rearview as some jackhole locks up his brakes, while you grip the steering wheel and go to maximum pucker point as they ram into your car.
What are you supposed to do to prevent this horrible situation? One way to get their attention is to convert our incandescent bulbs to brighter, faster and more efficient LEDs. Let's face it: Just about every new car sold today has bright LED tail lights and the '50s brake light technology just doesn't hold a candle to them.
The LED conversion we are talking about is the one offered by Dakota Digital. The company offers upgrades for all the Tri-Five models (plus '58s and '59s) and doesn't just stuff a bunch of LEDs in a simple housing; it builds a complete circuit system. Scott Johnson, sales manager at Dakota Digital, says, "For the '56, we wanted a stock look with no hot spots, but use the technology of the LED. LEDs turn on much quicker and every millisecond counts. At 60 mph, that could be a few feet of difference."
Another benefit of the LED is its longevity; these are rated to 50,000 hours. Even with that lifespan, Dakota offers a limited lifetime warranty, so these will be the last set you will have to buy.
To house the trick LEDs, we picked up a set of all-new tail light housings from Danchuk. Steve Brown, general manager of Danchuk, says, "Reproductions of '56 tail lights have been available in the industry for years, but not anything like this. We started with a perfect set of originals and then began the process of making all the tooling 100-percent in the United States of America. After casting, we sent them out to get the best quality chrome-plating money can buy.
The end result is a set of tail light housings that are absolutely breathtaking. Brighter, good looking, and they just might save you and your car.
From the January, 2011 issue of Super Chevy
By Calin Head
Photography by Calin Head


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Elder Kevin R. Duncan
Elder Kevin R. Duncan was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 3, 2010. At the time of his call, he had been serving as a member of the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy in the Utah South Area. He is currently serving at Church headquarters as an Assistant Executive Director in the Temple Department and on the Scriptures Committee.
Elder Duncan received a bachelor's degree in accounting, a master's degree in taxation, and a juris doctor from Brigham Young University in 1991. He began his career as a tax attorney in Seattle, Washington. In 1996 he founded CaseData Corporation, from which he retired in 2005.
Elder Duncan has served in a number of Church callings, including full-time missionary in Chile, temple ordinance worker, Church-service missionary as the associate international legal counsel in South America, president of the Chile Santiago North Mission, Area Seventy, and president of the Central America Area.
Kevin Read Duncan was born in Ogden, Utah, on October 6, 1960. He married Nancy Elizabeth Smart in June 1986. They are the parents of five children.
General conference talks
The Healing Ointment of Forgiveness
Full Name Kevin R. Duncan
October 6, 1960
Place of Birth Ogden, Utah, United States


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Sometimes names change slightly between directories - for example a first name might be revealed whereas in a previous directory it had an initial only.
However in the 1928 Kellys directory, the 1st whip at Ascott, William Bodington, appear to have suddenly acquired the middle name "Faux" - did he pronounce this Fox perhaps? Looks like this might be an affectation rather than a name he was born with...
Friday, December 07, 2007
Fox Hunt
Sometimes names change slightly between directories - for example a first name might be revealed whereas in a previous directory it had an initial only.
Posted by Alex Coles at 6:44 pm
Labels: Ascott House, Bodington, directories
7 comments:
- Anonymous said...
William Faux Bodington was born in 1882 at Towcester. Possibly the son of a Robert Bodington and Lucy (nee Faux).
- 26/1/08 11:33 am
- Alex said...
So definitely not an affectation then! Are you connected with this family? If you happen to know anything more about William's work with the Rothschilds I would love to hear about it.
- 26/1/08 7:01 pm
- Ayla said...
I think Wiiliam Faux Bodington was probably a grandson of Robert Bodington and Lucy nee Faux (born1810 Merivale),rather than a son.
On the 1851 census Robert and Lucy had 3 children ....
Martha (8), Robert (4) and William 10 months. There may have been others, including Edward Faux Bodington (1840-1906) of Kenilworth, Kent and South Carolina.
- 17/5/08 6:53 am
- Alex said...
Thanks Ayla! Can anyone find them in later census records? There is a William E Boddington born the right year in the 1891/1901 census from Finedon Northamptonshire, but Finedon's not in the Towcester registration district, his father is also Finedon-born, and his middle initial is very clearly E in both census records, so he looks like a red herring.
If there were family connections in the US, I guess our William may have been born in Northamptonshire but raised overseas.....
- 17/5/08 9:10 am
- Ayla said...
According to the IGI William Faux Bodington was baptised August 1882 at Towcester son of William and Kathleen Clara Bodington.
The 1881 census has William Faux Bodington's parents surname spelt with 2 ds at the Pomfret Arms ,High Street, Towcester. Kathleen already has 3 children under 3 (Frank, Frances and Charles).
I can't find the family on the 1891census at all but by 1901 William and Kathleen are in Maidstone Kent where William Boddington is running a livery stables. There are 2 younger children with them Kathleen Lucy aged 16 and John Harold aged 9. No sign of William Faux Bod(d)ington
Edward Faux Bodington, who was William Bodington's elder brother also settled in Kent after his return from South Carolina.
- 17/5/08 7:15 pm
- Ayla said...
The 1891 census on Ancestry.co.uk has William Faux Bodington as William Faux Coddington. He, parents and siblings are living at Hove in Sussex where his father is descibed as a manager of a riding school.
- 17/5/08 11:10 pm
- Alex said...
Excellent work Ayla! It looks like the whole family took horsemanship seriously.
- 18/5/08 8:36 am


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Shutl.co.uk is branded web service enabling immediate and convenient delivery of online shopping. Shoppers can choose to receive their orders within: 90 minutes of purchase or a 1-hour window of their choice, same day or any-day. Shutl.co.uk integrates across all of our sales channels to offer shoppers a compelling, unique and affordable delivery solution. Shutl.co.uk aggregate capacity across a network of local same day couriers, matching individual deliveries to the optimum courier in real time according to best fit with the specific job. The Shutl.co.uk SaaS platform weighs performance history, price and consumer feedback to allocate each job efficiently.
Venture Slogan: Online Delivery Revolution
Venture Link: shutl.co.uk
Source: Venturebin.com


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"Lead Mines. Water Parks. Houses on Rocks. Dells. Muk Luks. Waterfalls. Brats. Championship Golf. Let's Go!" Quickie Summary: State "Trunk" Highway 23 connects a veritable plethora of sights in Wisconsin. From the beautiful hills and history of the Lead Mining Region to the Frank Lloyd Wright architectural sites, from the Dells and lakes of central…
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Mark Madison
I agree with the previous comment. That's a very practical approach. Also, I had not heard of the IE7 Script and I'm thinking why not use that and see how it works for most of my projects. I don't want to spend a lot of time debugging for IE6 or learning the art and science of same. I crave the script.


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A Closer Look: Reassessing executives' value in a changing economy
Publication Date:
October 2011
As the economy remains shaky, companies are less willing to make risky hires or promotions; moves that would have raised no eyebrows now come with question marks attached. Résumés no longer get away with skipped years and fudged language. And for candidates, there's less margin for error.


text: On December 18, 2009, family members of 11 women murdered in a small, impoverished African American community on Chicago's Southside jumped up from their seats and stomped out of Courtroom 402 as the judge read the jury's verdict.We, the jury, after weighing the factors in aggravation and mitigation, one or more jurors do not find death is the appropriate sentence. The court shall not sentence the defendant Andre Crawford to death, but shall sentence the defendant to natural life imprisonment.As the family members exited the courtroom, one could hear them ask, "How could the jury do this to us?" Anger, disbelief, and tears filled their faces. At the same time, an alternate female juror nearly fainted and almost fell to the floor. Crying and gasping, her face expressed shock and disbelief at the verdict. Another female juror, visibly shaken and angry, buried her head in her lap and sobbed. Her emotions could not be camouflaged through the makeup smeared over he


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A famous Bay Area native has taken up temporary residence at the Oakland Museum of California—the elusive Bay Bridge Troll, known now as Troll Senior. Since the opening of the new east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the whereabouts and fate of the Bay Bridge Troll have been closely guarded. Now, this storied protector of the Bay Bridge is on view to the public for a limited time in the Museum's Gallery of California History.
Designed by Bay Area blacksmith Bill Roan, the troll stands 18 inches tall, has large horns, carries a spud wrench, and is made of steel. The Bay Bridge Troll was affixed to the Bay Bridge's east span at the place where the bridge collapsed in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Ironworkers repairing damage caused by the earthquake welded the troll to the place of collapse for symbolic protection from future disasters. The Troll arrived in secret on the bridge, without authorization from Caltrans officials, and remained relatively low-key until the San Francisco Chronicle brought him to public attention in 1990.
In Nordic mythology, trolls are master builders, metal workers, and protectors of treasure who live under bridges. Other famous trolls include the famous Fremont Troll under Seattle's George Washington Memorial Bridge (also known as the Aurora Bridge) and the fabled troll of The Trollstiegen road in Norway which boasts an official "Troll Crossing" sign.
The Bay Bridge Troll will be on view coinciding with the run of the major exhibition Above and Below: Stories From Our Changing Bay, as well as three additional special exhibitions that celebrate the Year of the Bay—Peter Stackpole: Bridging the Bay, Bay Motion: Capturing San Francisco Bay on Film, and A Cinematic Study of Fog in San Francisco.


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Guided gratitude
One of the best things about joining an organised adventure in New Zealand is getting to know the kiwi guides. But what makes them so passionate and fun?
1 / 5
My name is Rob Franklin, the proud owner and operator of Walking Legends Guided Walks.I would like to answer a question we (happily) get asked all the time but first a little background...
My guiding career began at the age of 19 in the southern alps of New Zealand and after learning the trade I moved home to the volcanoes and rainforests of New Zealands north island and founded my own business walking legends . Now 17 years on I'm the one responsible for finding, hiring and 'giving guides a shot' at this dream job. And I must be alright at finding the talent because the number one question I get asked by our clientele is, "where do you find your awesome guides?
I'm under no illusion that our (Walking Legends) guides are the only guides with super-human customer service skills and unshakable great attitudes to life in general, so let this serve as a shout out to amazing guides everywhere!
Although the question I'm usually asked is "where do you find your great guides", I think the more apt question is, how do our guides get to be this awesome. Or how does someone who rose before dawn, cook, clean, carry, organize, administer first-aid, inform, inspire, and generally take care of every detail of the lives of a dozen souls day after day rain or shine, without breaking stride or losing their smiley disposition? and what planet do they come from?
There is no real secret or special training although I'm sure their mothers and fathers did an exceptional job. When looking for a guide I look for confidence,practicality and easygoing people skills. The most important part of the interview process is how quickly we can achieve relaxed conversation over a cup of tea (not always easy at a job interview) Then we want to hear about their past adventures and how they handled the situations when these adventures didn't quite go to plan. Next I angle the questioning toward their reason for wanting the work.. Any answer that includes a love of people and a passion for the outdoors is acceptable!
Some of our guides have had Tertiary education in adventure tourism for up to three years, this is a huge plus but no substitute for a great attitude, personalty and a passion for the outdoors.
Once interviewees have pass the "cup-a-tea test" we begin training them up, here is where we take a little credit. Having great training, systems and tools is what let's guides preform their daily miracles with style and good humor. From my own experience I know guides can only do their best work if they are well prepared and can be proud of the service they deliver from the Vehicles they use to the food they prepare and the stories they share.
But wait.,.. I've still only given half of what makes guides so damn ....um?... Dynamic!
Another huge factor in how walking/adventure guides can take customer service to new levels has got to do with the clients themselves, our hikers!
Please excuse the cliche but its completely true. The only way we as guides could keep bringing the passion day after day year after year is because of the first class clientele we entertain!. Ive worked at the front line in many customer service roles and many of the of the interactions left me deflated and disillusioned with the public. Multi day hikers however are a cut above! The average multi day hiker is, in my opinion some what an enlightened soul striding past the gift shop and roadside attractions ready to forgo daily comforts and endure physical exertion with the hope of discovery, They come humble and ready to accept the weather and the terrain as it is and they come ready to make the most of any situation.
Hosting such people can be a real joy an opportunity to share our knowledge with passionate listeners and thinkers and their appreciation inspires and rewards all efforts. I find that,by the end of the trip when everyone has won each others friendship the guide can feel reluctant to accept the praise and thanks of what was truly a team effort!
So.. To hard working guides every where.. Thanks for the passion and be sure to enjoy every moment, you may never be fitter than you are now,you may never be surrounded by as much appreciation,positivity or laughter and you will certainly remember these longest working days as some of the best you had!
And to the walkers and adventurers who join them if your guide was filled with unlimited energy and enthusiasm your positivity made it possible a perfect example of getting out what you put in. Keep it up!
Thanks to all involved for an extraordinary career and incredible memories!


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I noticed something yesterday: Christmas is only seven weeks away.
I haven't even put my garden hose away yet, so you might expect my reaction to be one of surprise and dismay.
Not this year.
Instead, I shocked myself by thinking, "Well, then, it's about time I started planning for the holidays."
This is new and different. And a little disturbing.


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Have you ever wondered what a girl has to do to achieve spot-on Scandanavian style? No? Us either! (We kid! We love H&M!). Anyway, for some reason, Style.com's The Sartorialist did wonder, and so trekked off to Sweden to document what makes the girls there sing (and no, he assures us, it isn't "Dancing Queen," a song he abhors). Don't have time to rifle through all his photos? Here's your 3-step guide to Swedish style:
1) Ride a bike. It instantly gives you that gamine look, and brings a healthy flush to your cheeks to boot. And oh yeah, maybe it'll help with that little weight-problem even the tall and normally-svelte Swedes are said to suffer from.
2) Slip on your shades — you'll keep your cool and your air of innocence.
3) Scarves! Scarves! Scarves! And did we mention... scarves?
How Swede It Is [Style.com]


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MARKS, Miss. (AP) -- With her hair in a ponytail and her smile quick and wide, it's hard to tell that high school junior Donyell Hollins has been pulling all-nighters for most of the semester to take care of her infant daughter.
Her situation isn't unusual in the small Delta town of Marks, home to one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state that leads the nation in the statistic. But unlike teen mothers in previous decades, 18-year-old Hollins is benefiting from a change in attitude that's paving the way for frank discussions about parenting skills, career goals and contraception.
Instructors from the Delta Health Partners Healthy Start Initiative come to Hollins' high school monthly to teach lessons that incorporate some of the newest theories on the relationship between poverty and teen motherhood. It's a far cry from decades past, when women in Hollins' situation were given little guidance and often left to drop out and languish.
Part of the goal is to change patterns of communication about sex that have persisted for years.
"I'm going to talk to her more about it, inform her," Hollins said of her 5-month-old daughter. "'Cause I didn't have that talk with my mom. I had to learn on my own."
The Delta Initiative, run through Tougaloo College since 1999, is a forerunner in the state's changing attitude toward teen pregnancy. Next year, a new state law will require schools to teach sex education, and they'll have more leeway in how much information they can incorporate about birth control. Schools previously had to get special permission to teach anything but abstinence. Delta Health Partners' classes are run independently of the school districts' curriculum, though they use classrooms at welcoming schools to make it convenient for the girls to attend.
Republican Gov. Phil Bryant has also created a task force to discuss ways to reduce teen pregnancy - considered an important acknowledgement of the problem in a state where elected leaders were once loathe to discuss it.
Mississippi's teen birth rate declined modestly over the past decade as rates around the country fell. But Mississippi still has 55 births per 1,000 15- to 19-year-old girls, compared to a national average of 34.3, according to the most recent figures from the federal government's National Center for Health Statistics.
Experts say there was a culture of silence around the issue for decades in Mississippi, allowing the problem to build. Teen mothers were expected to drop out of school, or even leave town.
Delta Health Partners work in one of the poorest sections of the poorest state in the U.S. Recent research by economists Phillip Levine of Wellesley College and Melissa Kearney of the University of Maryland challenges the long-held assumption that pregnancy is a deciding factor in whether a young woman slides into poverty.
"If two identical people going down a path in life, did the one who had a baby do particularly worse?" Levine asked. "It's hard to find evidence that's true."
In the Marks classroom, more than a dozen girls told Delta Health Partners caseworkers about their plans to become nurses, pediatricians and cosmetologists.
When asked how their pregnancies have impacted their lives, 19-year-old Shalendrick Tribble said things are largely the same.
"There's just certain things at certain times you can and cannot do," she said.
"For me, it got harder," Hollins chimed in. "My mom, she helps me to a certain extent. But she's trying to make me responsible, so she makes me do everything."
It was clear from the girls' stories that life has become more complicated. Some parents gave them the silent treatment. Others had watched boyfriends promise support, and then ignore them when asked to take on the responsibility of fatherhood. They also told of friends who dropped out of school when they couldn't arrange childcare.
Delta Health Partners is not the only initiative aimed at addressing teen pregnancy. The Mississippi Department of Human Services lists more than two dozen resource centers that provide education on teen pregnancy, and some districts work with the girls to keep them in school.
States such as Idaho and Texas have public schools designed specifically for pregnant and parenting teens, which provide in-school daycare. Deborah Hedden-Nicely, head teacher at the Marian Pritchett High School in Boise, Idaho, says schools designed specifically for teen parents make a difference by pushing them to finish high school and go to college.
"Our mascot is a mortar board and a diploma," Hedden-Nicely said. "We have speakers who come in and tell them, `yes, life is going to throw down roadblocks. You've got to get around them.'"
Advocates say that fighting teen pregnancy ultimately requires a lot more than sex education classes.
"It really circles back to education and job opportunities, it circles back to health care, to generational poverty," said Jamie Bardwell of the Mississippi Women's Fund. "These are all interconnected issues with lots of different players. Good people are working on it, but we have to realize for the teen birthrate going down, we need more than people talking about it. We need legislative action. We need more funding for this issue."
Research by Levine and Kearney underscores this message. When poor young women are pessimistic about their chances of reaching the next economic class, researchers say they tend to care less about whether they'll get pregnant.
The Delta Health Partners know they must fight this ambivalence and instill in the girls hope that they can accomplish their goals. To do this, they visit the girls both in 17 Delta high schools and at their homes.
A recent visit to Hollins' school, Madison S. Palmer High School in Marks, was the last day the case workers would see some of the girls in school before graduation.
Jodi Bailey, a nurse and case manager, read off some statistics to the students. Half of high school students who get pregnant don't graduate. Three in 10 girls in the U.S. will get pregnant before age 20.
"We want to keep you in high school, we want you to graduate and say `I did it,'" Bailey said. "If you're having problems, we're here. We'll help you any way we can, OK?"
For its part, the Marks school district plans to adopt a curriculum to include more comprehensive sex-education, which will still emphasize the benefits of abstinence.
Some in the small town about 70 miles south of Memphis, Tenn., still think teen pregnancy should be addressed in the home, not the classroom. Harold Smith, a local evangelical pastor, said sex outside marriage is a sin and parents - not educators - should teach children to avoid it.
"You've got to spread the gospel," Smith said. "If they get a hold of God just right, they won't have (children)."
But limiting discussion to the home didn't work for Hollins: "I wish my mom would have talked to me more about sex."
That's why Delta Health Partners is seeking to change the pattern.
"You've got to do something different," said social worker Debra McGee. "You cannot keep doing the same thing and expect a different result."
© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.


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When new internal and external hires are set up for success, it reduces the time to proficiency in the role. Beyond the paperwork, your onboarding strategy should include education and training for the job, as well as socialization activities so new employees quickly become part of the organizational culture. Learn the steps you can take to streamline your new hire processes, manage new employee data, and use onboarding to extend the candidate experience into the employee experience.
Recommended Onboarding Resources
Leadership DNA: New Criteria for Identifying and Coaching Leaders to Their Full Potential
Are your leadership development programs working? Join us at the 2019 Learning & Leadership Development Conference in Boston on September 10-12, 2019 to learn how companies achieve success by developing managers that will drive engagement, collaboration, and innovation.Learn More
Learn More about Onboarding with our Top Resources
Beyond On-Boarding: Using "Day Zero" Engagement to Kickstart the New Hire Experience
Don't Sabotage Your New Hire! Try These Bold Onboarding Ideas
While the employee onboarding process should instill confidence in new hires, it goes beyond warm fuzzies. You and your team are preparing the new employee for the reality of the job. Give them the wrong idea about your company or their position, and you will see a quickly exiting or disengaged hire. Aside from the critical steps of the employee onboarding process, your team should be using your company culture and values to inspire a unique experience. Don't worry, bold doesn't always mean costly. Read on to see some of our favorite employee onboarding ideas.
The Art and Science of Onboarding
Innovative organizations are increasingly aware of the impact that onboarding experiences have on new hires. Although many confuse it with recruitment, orientation, or training, the reality is that onboarding is a fusion of all ...Read more
Build Your Own 90 Day Onboarding Roadmap
Using the categories and components of the 3Ps listed below, design a 90-day onboarding plan for an employee segment. Define specific activities (e.g., lunch, welcome videos and/or gifts, etc.) you think should be included. Details will help you ...Read more
Thrifty and Nifty: Measuring Time to Productivity, Making the Most of Onboarding
Explore best onboarding practices, Time to Productivity measurement tips, and real world tactics to help you fully understand the ROI of great onboarding, and reduce new hire costs in your organization.
Executive Onboarding Is a Risk Management Process
Interviewing candidates for an executive role can provoke anxiety for hiring managers, and those concerns are compounded with the realization that senior-level positions usually require change leadership and come with high performance pressures. While the company may have made the ideal hire, their new leader's success is not a foregone conclusion.
Effective Onboarding Tips for 2018
Too many hiring managers look at onboarding as something they need to hack in order to achieve long-term employee retention. Sure, a good onboarding process will aid in keeping employees longer, if it works. But your best bet is to focus on the people you're hiring. What do they want? New hires want to feel prepared, confident, motivated, and welcomed to this new adventure they're about to embark on.
New Hire Momentum: The 3 P's of Onboarding You Can't Miss
Learn more about the 3 P's of onboarding you can't overlook, how to design onboarding programs with specific goals and success measurements, and how to delegate tasks cross functionally to ease burdens on the manager and smaller teams.
Leadership DNA: New Criteria for Identifying and Coaching Leaders to Their Full Potential
The talent that makes for a successful individual contributor is not the same talent that makes a great manager. Join us at the 2019 Learning & Leadership Development Conference in Boston on September 10-12, 2019 and get strategies you can use right now to identify and develop the managers that will drive engagement, collaboration, and innovation for the success of your business.
Location & Venue
Encore Boston Harbor
One Broadway
Everett, MA 02149
Take advantage of the room block rate of $329. Don't wait, the offer expires August 7, 2019.


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7 Jul 2011
Understanding the 21st century crisis in cities in the global South: a critical review of the utility of the historiography of urban modernity (and its shadows)
Susan Parnell (University of Cape Town)
7 Jul 2011
Slow moving shadows: transport, travel and shanty towns
Gordon Pirie (University of Cape Town)
7 Jul 2011
Shifting boundaries and enduring connections: networks of interaction in Nairobi's informal transportation sector
Meghan Ference (Washington University Missouri)
7 Jul 2011
The evolution of Nairobi segregation patterns. Semiotic and material practices in the discourse on the city since independence (1963)
Ilaria Boniburini (University of Florence)
7 Jul 2011
Unauthorized neighbourhoods of India's intermediate classes: a hidden side of shadow cities?
Sanjeev Vidyarthi (University of Illinois Chicago)
7 Jul 2011
The long shadow of the Acropolis: migrant shanty towns on the outskirts of Athens, 1923-1955
Bryan Claxton (King's College, University of London)
7 Jul 2011
Locating the location of a South African location: the paradoxical pre-history of Soweto
Howard Phillips (University of Cape Town)
6 Jul 2011
(Un)planned slums under the Soviets: hidden aspects of the development of the concept of the Socialist City in the 1920s-30s
Ivan Nevzgodin (Delft University of Technology)
6 Jul 2011
Addressing informality after Peronism: the Plan de Emergencia as a founding step for the Argentinian discussion of informality
Adriana Massidda (Cambridge University)
6 Jul 2011
'One Hundred Years of Fortitude': growth and change of informal settlements in Caribbean Colombia
Peter Kellett (University of Newcastle)
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Free-condom dispensers at 22 Philly schools
'This is a serious public health matter'
(PHILLY) — Coming over the holiday break to about a third of Philadelphia high schools: clear plastic dispensers chock-full of free condoms.
The dispensers will be placed in the 22 high schools whose students had the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases, and condoms will be available to any student – so long as their parents did not sign a form opting them out of the program.
It's a pilot designed to address "an epidemic of sexually transmitted disease in adolescents in Philadelphia," said Donald F. Schwarz, the deputy mayor for health and opportunity. Since April 2011, the city has given away about four million condoms, and now, STD rates are falling.
But, Schwarz pointed out, 25 percent of new HIV infections in Philadelphia are teens, and that's a major worry.


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26th November 2018
As AMEC Measurement Month 2018 draws to a close, Loretta Ahmed and Stephanie Stamatakou look ahead at what the future might hold.
Please download the paper, and engage with the debate on Twitter, using #AMECmm
Loretta Ahmed is Chief Executive Officer at Grayling Middle East and Africa and Stephanie Stamatakou is Chief Executive Officer at Grayling Asia Pacific.
Grayling Team
15th November 2016
Will Kunkel, Executive Vice President for Creative and Content in Grayling New York, on the final of our #7for17 trends, Live and Uncut'Timing is everything' has been a favorite line to many but...Read More
8th November 2016
Danica Ross, Grayling San Francisco US Executive Vice President, on how brands can guide themselves through the 'the new space race' – part of our #7for17 trends series.In an era where brands...Read More
3rd November 2016
Russell Patten, Chair of Grayling's European Public Affairs practice, looks at one of the major political trends as part of our #7for17 series. It's been a turbulent year in politics, with the...Read More


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NEW YORK, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- "Today" co-host Kathie Lee Gifford said she was a wreck after dropping a squirming puppy on its head during the New York morning program.
People.com said Gifford apologized profusely to the dog as she picked it up and tried to calm it down on Thursday's segment about pet adoption, but she was still feeling terrible about the incident Friday.
"The puppy's OK, but I'm a wreck!" she said during an on-air phone call to her "Today" colleagues Friday. "It's very upsetting for me. I have three dogs of my own and I adore dogs."


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Engine Oil Filter for
Toyota Japanese / Thai Import - Land Cruiser
DescriptionBOSHI Industries Limited was established in 1985 as a manufacturing company, supplying high-quality filtration products to carmakers and the automotive aftermarket
FUJITOYO Filters are an OE manufacturer certified to ISO/TS16949 and ISO9001 standards.
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With the 49ers going to the Super Bowl, safeties Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner will have to pass on the Pro Bowl.
So the NFL turned to the team that the 49ers beat in the NFC Championship Game to replace them on the roster. The Falcons have announced that Thomas DeCoud and William Moore will both be heading to Hawaii to take on the AFC.
It's the first trip to the Pro Bowl for both men. DeCoud had 89 tackles and a team-high six interceptions for Atlanta this season. Moore posted 105 tackles, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and a sack despite missing four games at the end of the season with a hamstring injury.
With DeCoud and Moore on the team, the Falcons will have three Pro Bowlers taking part in the game. Tight end Tony Gonzalez will play while quarterback Matt Ryan is passing on the game after injuring his left shoulder in the loss to the Niners.


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For the first two weeks of the season, it was interesting to note that Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs Honda rider Cole Seely had led more laps than anyone in the 250 class, only to lose the lead—and the win—on the last lap. He was snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, pushed right out of the winner's circle by Jason Anderson. To his credit, Cole did not let the back-to-back disappointments get to him, and his wire-to-wire win on Saturday night was a beautiful piece of race craft. He left no doubt in anyone's mind that he was the fastest man in the 250 class.
While Seely deservedly got most of the attention for his win, he was also part of a bigger success story that played out on Saturday night. The Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda team had four riders in the top ten. Malcolm Stewart earned himself a third-place finish, though he didn't get to the podium—he was promoted following the penalty given to Anderson for jumping on the red-cross flag. The rookie Shane McElrath had his best night so far, with a solid sixth-place finish, and Jessy Nelson rounded out the top ten.
Troy Lee himself was there, and he had to be ecstatic for his riders, team manager Tyler Keefe, and his entire crew. The TLD Honda team has won before, but this was special—it was a celebration of forty years of supercross, which meant a lot of heroes Troy Lee once painted helmets for were there to see his team outperform everyone else. It hasn't been easy or cheap for Troy to go racing—he has invested in a big team with a lot of riders, mechanics, and technicians—so seeing them all gel over the course of fifteen laps made for a sweet night for all. It also served as another reminder that time is running out on a rebound by preseason favorites Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki and GEICO Honda.


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10 Legendary Bad Girls of Literature
"Wake me when you cover the Bad GIRLS of Literature," wrote a commenter who goes by the handle of "Literati" on our recent "10 Legendary Bad Boys of Literature" post. Well, rise and shine, friend, because it's happening. For this post, we showcase ten fantastic female authors whose careers span 3000 years — from Sappho to Alice Walker — and are just as capable of badass behavior as their male counterparts. We easily could have made this list five times as long, so make your case for any omissions in the comments.
Sappho (Seventh Century BC)
Known both in her own time and today as one of Greece's most important lyric poets, Sappho has also provided much of our current vocabulary surrounding female homosexuality. Hailing from the isle of Lesbos, she gives us both the noun "lesbian" and the descriptor "sapphic." But Sappho didn't just write love poems to people of both sexes — she also ran an academy for young, unmarried ladies that was dedicated to the cults of Eros and Aphrodite, and rumor has it that she was the object of some serious girl-on-girl worship, too. There's little concrete biographical information to back up the millennia of gossip, and yet, all signs point to Sappho being Western literature's first full-fledged female badass.


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July 24, 2007
By Paul Feinberg
They say you learn something new every day. For Ralph Boulware ('92), it's not just something you say, it's a way of life.
He retired six years ago after a long and successful career as a data services executive. In retirement, he's found continued fulfillment in the classroom, spending his days taking courses, participating in seminars and attending lectures, workshops and conferences.
Boulware was working for Dataline Services Corporation when he decided to earn an MBA. At the time, Dataline handled the back office data-processing for 85% of the saving and loans in California. Boulware had been recruited to Dataline from First Interstate Bank. After a year as a vice-president, he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer.
During that year, both the president and CEO - each part of the ownership group at Dataline - started making plans to retire and discussions began regarding succession. The discussions centered on bringing in outsiders to succeed them or promoting from within. As COO, Boulware was in consideration for the Chief Executive position. It was at that point that it was suggested to him that he might consider an Executive MBA, as the advanced degree would help facilitate his ascension to the CEO position.
"There were many reasons," Boulware says now. "But it just made sense to do it then. My oldest daughter was at UCLA at the time. We had gone through the school-choice process with her and we liked UCLA. It was a perfect fit - a local school with a prestigious world reputation." As for Anderson's cross-town rival, he said "They had twice the price, and half the ranking."
Boulware's experiences at UCLA Anderson really whet his appetite for expanding his knowledge base. He did an international project for Sony that took him to Tokyo. Seizing the opportunity, he expanded the trip to include Hong Kong and Beijing, with his family in tow. "The experience introduced us to China and opportunities there," Boulware said. "My youngest has just gone back, in fact."
Dataline ended up being sold and there was no opportunity for Boulware to become CEO. He went to work for another data services company - ACS - that operated out of Dallas. His interview for that position took place in the terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, his potential new boss flying in specifically to meet with Boulware. The interview was brief and Boulware remembers noticing that the only thing his interviewer had underlined on his resume was that he had an Executive MBA degree from UCLA. "His position," Boulware recalls, "was that you don't have to ask if someone can read a spreadsheet if they have a UCLA MBA. He clearly knew the school's reputation and it really mattered to him."
After a few years commuting between the home office in Dallas, his territory in San Francisco and his home in Los Angeles, Boulware took a position with Western Financial Savings. He was still working there when he retired in 2001. Looking for something to do other than play golf (he did try the game a few times but dismisses it now - "it's always the same, they just move the pins around"), he started law school, but didn't like it.
His wife (he and his wife have been married 40 years) discovered the Plato Society on the Internet. The Plato Society, a unit within UCLA Extension, is (according to their brochure material) "a community of retired or semi-retired men and women, who enjoy the challenge, stimulation, and growth of continued learning. But unlike the traditional teacher-student approach, PLATO members study fascinating topics in interactive groups where everyone participates." Their courses cover a wide-variety of topics from architecture to economics to politics - and that doesn't begin to cover them all.
Boulware fell in love with the society immediately. Courses are offered on a tri-semester basis and he takes two courses each term. He's currently enrolled in Civil Liberties and National Security and What's Up in Science, a survey course covering everything from stem cell research to brain imaging. The courses don't have grades and tests, but students are required to do class projects. In addition to the coursework, Plato members volunteer their time; Boulware is currently on the membership committee, spending his time interviewing potential new students. He also attends the annual Spring Retreat, monthly colloquiums at the Skirball Museum and brown bag lunches with UCLA faculty as guest speakers.
In addition to his Plato Society membership, Boulware is part of UCLA's Friends of History, where four times a year a UCLA professor gives a talk to members. He's a member of Extension's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, a group that offers lectures to members. This past winter, he returned to UCLA Anderson to attend the Wilbur K. Woo Greater China Business Conference, bringing full-circle his interest in China which began while a student at Anderson.
Why does he do it? "It's the stimulation," he said. "You learn a variety of things and expose yourself to those who have lived those experiences." He noted with a smile that one history course he took included a discussion of President Harry Truman. A fellow student and the instructor got into a debate - a debate that ended when the student owned up to being Eleanor Roosevelt's secretary and a veritable witness to the incident being discussed.
About UCLA Anderson School of Management
UCLA Anderson School of Management, established in 1935, is regarded among the very best business schools in the world. UCLA Anderson faculty are ranked #1 in "Intellectual Capital" by BusinessWeek and are renowned for their teaching excellence and research that advances management thinking and practice. Each year, UCLA Anderson provides management education to more than 1,600 students enrolled in MBA, Executive MBA, Fully-Employed MBA and doctoral programs, and to more than 2,000 professional managers through executive education programs. Combining highly selective admissions, innovative learning programs, and a world-wide network of 35,000 alumni, UCLA Anderson develops and prepares global leaders.


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About Me
- Rabbi Chaim Coffman
- Rabbi Coffman has helped people from all across the spectrum to prepare themselves properly for Orthodox Conversion to Judaism. His students admire his vast knowledge and appreciate his warm, personal attention and endearing sense of humor.
Welcome to Rabbi Chaim Coffman's Blog!
I would like to thank you for visiting my blog, Beyond Orthodox Conversion to Judaism.
The conversion process can be a lengthy and daunting one to say the least and I want you to know that I am here to help you through it.
I have been teaching newcomers to Judaism for over a decade and over the last few years I have seen that conversion candidates really lack the support and knowledge they need to navigate the conversion process and successfully integrate into the Orthodox Jewish community.
I created my mentorship program in order to help make this whole experience as smooth and as painless as possible! (Can't do much about the growing pains, though ;)
Feel free to get to know me a little through the posts on my blog and visit the mentorship and syllabus page if you are interested in possible joining us.
I sincerely wish you all the best in your search for truth and spiritual growth.
Looking forward to meeting you,
Chaim Coffman
The conversion process can be a lengthy and daunting one to say the least and I want you to know that I am here to help you through it.
I have been teaching newcomers to Judaism for over a decade and over the last few years I have seen that conversion candidates really lack the support and knowledge they need to navigate the conversion process and successfully integrate into the Orthodox Jewish community.
I created my mentorship program in order to help make this whole experience as smooth and as painless as possible! (Can't do much about the growing pains, though ;)
Feel free to get to know me a little through the posts on my blog and visit the mentorship and syllabus page if you are interested in possible joining us.
I sincerely wish you all the best in your search for truth and spiritual growth.
Looking forward to meeting you,
Chaim Coffman
My Rebbe, Rav Moshe Sternbuch
In case you were wondering why I have all of these articles written by Rav Moshe Sternbuch, he is my Rebbe, and one of the gedolei hador (greatest Rabbis of our generation).
Rav Sternbuch fully endorses me and supports my mentorship program.
He is the address for all of my halachic or hashkafic (practical and philosophical) questions that I or my students may have.
The articles are based on his weekly talks on the Torah portion that the Rav gives in Jerusalem in his kollel. As a member of the kollel I get first dibbs on the photocopies and I type them up for my blog so you can all benefit from the Rav's erudition and insight.
Rav Sternbuch fully endorses me and supports my mentorship program.
He is the address for all of my halachic or hashkafic (practical and philosophical) questions that I or my students may have.
The articles are based on his weekly talks on the Torah portion that the Rav gives in Jerusalem in his kollel. As a member of the kollel I get first dibbs on the photocopies and I type them up for my blog so you can all benefit from the Rav's erudition and insight.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Wake-up Calls
11:43 AM | Posted by Rabbi Chaim Coffman | | Edit Post
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
"And so that you may relate in the ears of your son and grandson how I made a mockery of the Egyptians" (10:2)
Paroh made himself into a laughingstock amongst the members of his own nation by shouting "Hashem is the righteous one and I and the nation are wicked" one moment, and then, as soon as the plague stopped declaring: "Who is Hashem that I should listen to him?"
Similarly, in times of distress, or on occasions such as Yom Kippur, we are quick to pray with great sincerity to Hashem, making all sorts of vows if we are saved from our woes, and then, once they disappear, forgetting about the vows, or diluting them with various rationalizations. Even if we stick to our promises, we tend to go back to our daily routine as if nothing has happened, until the next misfortune strikes rachmono litzlon, and so on and so forth in a never-ending cycle.
The Torah tells us that we have a duty to tell our children about this fickleness on the part of Paroh and to stress to them the importance of making fundamental and lasting changes in our lives following divine wake-up calls, lest we become guilty of the same pattern of behavior as Paroh.
"There was total darkness in the entire land of Egypt" (10:22)
Rashi at the beginning of parashas Beshalach (13:18) says that 4/5 of the Jews died during the three days of darkness. Since 600,000 men left Egypt, this means that 2 million Jews died during the plague of darkness, and this figure does not include women and children, so that an estimated 10 million people died altogether.
How could so many yidden have failed to reach the required spiritual levels after having witnessed eight unprecedented supernatural plagues during which the Egyptians received so much retribution? One would have thought that these must have made a profound impression on them.
In a period of open miracles Hashem demands much more from us. The people who died were not outright heretical resho'im, but they failed to sufficiently internalize Hashem's Providence, so that in light of the miracles they had experienced they were judged strictly and found worthy of being punished.
By contrast, in periods when Hashem's Providence is less apparent and the wicked appear to flourish, the reward for those who remain strong in their faith is multiplied manifold. The Arizal states that during such periods of hester ponim levels of avodas Hashem, which in previous generations could only be attained with great effort, can be attained much more easily.
Chazal tell us that in the future and final redemption, we will experience miracles surpassing even those we experienced in Egypt. Hence, people assume that even completely wicked people will repent during that time. However, the Brisker Rov zt"l told Rav Sternbuch this is not the case, and only those who constantly contemplate the wonders of Hashem now will be able to recognize then that He is the Creator, because the evil inclination acts in tandem with the miracles, and it requires effort on our part to overcome it.
Spiritual treasure
"Speak, please in the ears of the people, and let each man borrow from his friend" (11:2). Rashi: I ask you to warn them about this, so that the righteous man, Avrohom, will not say He fulfilled His promise "and they will enslave them and oppress them", but He did not fulfill with regard to them "afterwards they will go forth with great possessions".
This chazal quoted by Rashi is difficult to understand. If Hashem promised Avrohom that they will go forth with great possessions then surely He would keep this promise irrespective of what Avrohom will say.
"Great possessions" in the plain sense refers to material wealth, but, in truth, material possessions are not a blessing, but the reverse, as Moshe told Hashem: "because of the gold and silver which you heaped upon them, they made the Golden Calf" (see Masseches Berochos 5b). Hashem, to Whom everything is revealed, was going to give them a great spiritual treasure instead, namely the Torah and mitzvos, which are of eternal value, but so that Avrohom and his followers would not say that Hashem did not literally fulfill His promise that they will go forth with great possessions, Hashem said that each man should borrow gold and silver from his Egyptian neighbor, so that His promise would also be fulfilled in the literal sense.
discrediting the righteous
"About the time of midnight" (11:4). Rashi: "About midnight, either [slightly] before or after, and he did not say 'at midnight' lest Paroh's astrologers make a mistake and say, 'Moshe is a liar'!"
By this stage Moshe Rabbeinu had already overturned nature no less than nine times by means of the plagues throughout Egypt, and yet Moshe was still concerned that if the plague of the firstborn would appear to commence one moment before or after the designated time, Paroh would say triumphantly that Moshe was a liar and all the previous miracles were one big hoax. In the middle of all their anguish and the death of the firstborns, Moshe was worried that they would still not lose the opportunity of "discrediting" him and Hashem.
Deep inside, the wicked recognize the truth and the vacuousness of their idol worship and materialism. However, in order to grant legitimacy to their way of life, when faced with a holy righteous personality whose entire life is devoted to Hashem, they endeavor to find even a miniscule alleged defect in order to magnify it and declare that person and everything he stands for to be a lie.
It was the same with Homon. The possuk says "Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordechai the Jew sitting at the king's gate". Given that all the other king's servants were bowing down to him, one would think that Homon would be totally unconcerned about the actions of an insignificant Jew, so what is the meaning of this possuk? Homon knew that all the obsequiousness demonstrated by the others was completely false, and that the only man of truth was Mordechai. Hence he was afraid of him, and felt that all the "honor" accorded to him was completely valueless as long as there was someone representing the truth. That was the cause of his fury, which led him to attempt to destroy the whole nation to whom Mordechai belonged. Following nine plagues, the Egyptians too had no doubts that Hashem controlled the world, and that all their idol worship was false. They were therefore likely to go out of their way to attempt to prove that Moshe was a liar.
Toras Eretz Yisroel
"This month shall be reckoned to you as the beginning of months" (12:2)
The Ramban says that the names of our months (Nisan, Iyar etc.) originated in the Babylonian exile, and we continued using them upon our return to Eretz Yisroel. Why did we, in fact, continue using these non-Jewish names?
Some heretics in golus argued that all or some of the mitzvos only needed to be observed in Eretz Yisroel. Zionists, on the other hand, argued that the observance of the Torah was restricted to chutz looretz serving as a bulwark against assimilation, whereas here in our homeland we should forget our "galuti" past, and simply adopt nationalism. By contrast, the holy chachomim at the end of the Babylonian exile knew that the period of the second Bais Hamikdosh would not yet constitute the final redemption, and we would still have to undergo a further period of exile.
They therefore wanted to create a link between the period of exile and the period of our return to Eretz Yisroel, so that the masses should not think that now that we had returned to our homeland, anything had changed in terms of our connection to Torah, and all the takonos enacted in Bovel, and, of course, subsequently, the Babylonian Talmud, are of central importance for all generations both in chutz lo'oretz and in Eretz Yisroel.
private acts of Kiddush Hashem
"The blood will be for you as a sign on the houses" (12:13). Rashi: "'As a sign to you' but not as a sign to others [Mechilta].
Blood signifies mesirus nefesh (dedication and self-sacrifice). This Mechilta does not mean to exclude acts of mesirus nefesh performed in front of others, but should rather be taken as an injunction to also perform private acts of Kiddush Hashem on a day-to-day basis within the confines of our own homes to which no one is witness, which the Rambam talks about (Yesodei Hatorah 5:10).
This takes place every time we overcome our evil inclination by refraining from sin, performing a mitzvah, or performing it with fervor, and when we set aside regular times for learning Torah and educating our children properly. In other words, the sign, which is situated outside as it were, should always be before us inside too, serving as a constant reminder of our duty to serve Hashem with dedication and to refrain from sinning.
Eternal nation
"And it will come to pass if your children say to you, 'What is this service to you'? You shall say, 'It is the Pesach-offering to Hashem… And the people kneeled and prostrated themselves'" (12:26-27). Mechilta: "the Jews received evil tidings at this time, namely that the Torah would be forgotten amongst the Jews in the future. Others state that they received good tidings, namely that they would merit to see children and grandchildren.
According to the Mechilta cited by Rashi below (13:5) the descendants in question refer to wicked descendants, so how can these be termed good tidings?
The bad tidings of which the Jews were informed were that there would be heretics in every generation, and the good tidings were that that there would nevertheless be continuity to the Jewish nation, with children and grandchildren continuing in the path of Torah who would say this is the Pesach-offering to Hashem.
Throughout the generations some of our erring brethren have attempted to disconnect the link connecting the generations. They sought to "modernize" fellow Jews by doing their utmost to estrange them from their parents and from the values of previous generations for the sake of more "progressive" values, such as the belief that we are better than our ancestors and that divine values are subject to current philosophical, social or other theories.
It is only logical that such attitudes will stem, in part, from the theory that our ancestors were apes, instead of the holy beings, which they actually were. We know that the further removed we are from ma'amad Har Sinai, the less close we are to our original elevated spiritual status, but if one believes merely in science and technology, then each succeeding generation will look with disdain at their predecessors.
The Torah is telling us that even if such aberrant views would be held by the majority of the nation, they would still not succeed in uprooting its eternal sanctity, which remains incapable of being contaminated. When the nation heard these tidings, the people kneeled and prostrated themselves.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Internalizing the Makkos
11:20 AM | Posted by Rabbi Chaim Coffman | | Edit Post
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
"I revealed Myself to Avraham, to Yitzchok, and to Yaakov as e-l sha-dai, but My Name Hashem [adnus] I did not make known to them" (6:3)
The name Sha-day refers to Hashem's restriction of His greatness in this world which enables us to recognize Him. Kabbalistic and chassidic books discuss the concept of tsimtsum at great length, but for us it is sufficient to know that neither mortal beings, nor even angels, can comprehend Hashem's greatness. Even our forefathers, who attained supreme levels, were only capable of grasping the Creator's greatness on the basis of what He in His wisdom allows a human being to understand.
Moshe Rabbenu, with whom Hashem spoke pe el pe, had the merit of communicating with Hashem and recognizing Him on a level that was less clouded by tsimtsum. Hashem taught Moshe that the main aspect of Hashem's greatness is to be found in the shem havayo, which teaches us that He wishes to suppress His anger and conduct the world with the trait of mercy. Of course, not even Moshe Rabbenu could truly understand Hashem's greatness - he could only see His back and not His "face" - but whatever he did comprehend, on the basis of the middos taught to him by Hashem, surpassed the levels of understanding attained by our forefathers.
TOrah and Eretz Yisroel
"I will bring you to the land… and I will give it to you as a heritage" (6:8)
The only other time the same word (morosho) is used in the Torah is in connection with Torah: "The Torah that Moshe commanded us is a heritage for the congregation of Yaakov". Torah and Eretz Yisroel are interdependent, because our right to Eretz Yisroel is dependent on complete observance of the mitzvos of the Torah.
Chazal say that whoever does not mention bris and Torah in bentshing has not fulfilled his duty. Therefore, in the second brocho we thank Hashem for the covenant which He has sealed in our flesh, and the Torah, which He has taught us, and we conclude the brocho by blessing Hashem for the good land which He has given us. This clearly shows that our rights to Eretz Yisroel are dependent on observance of the bris and the Torah in general.
The reference to a covenant may also be taken as an indication that Hashem concluded an agreement with us: if we stick to our part of the bargain by observing the Torah, Hashem will ensure that Eretz Yisroel will remain ours.
"These are the heads of the fathers' houses" (6:14)
The young son of a Rebbe once lost a piece of paper containing his family tree, which was packed with famous names, and he started crying. His mother comforted him: "don't worry, your yichus will start with you!" In another incident two friends were having an argument. One told the other: "You might be a big talmid chachom, but I have an illustrious lineage". His friend retorted: "The difference between us is that your yichus ends with you, whereas mine, with the help of Hashem, begins with me!
The heads of the tribes did not consider it sufficient to be the descendants of the ovos hakedoshim, but wanted to become righteous in their own right. Similarly, every Jew must know that although he traces his lineage back to Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov, it is up to him to become the head of a household in his own right, so that his descendants will be proud to stem from him, as Yaakov said: "let my name be named on them".
Two different types of leaders
"That is Aharon and Moshe". Rashi: "In some places the Torah places Aharon before Moshe, and in other places it places Moshe before Aharon, to tell us that they were equal". (6:26)
The Torah states explicitly that Moshe was the greatest of prophets, so Rashi cannot be referring to the level of prophecy. What Rashi rather means is that they were equal in the sense that each one fulfilled the specific task which Hashem had designated for him, and each one was equally indispensable and worthy of hearing the Word of Hashem.
Aharon was more closely connected with the nation, because he was involved in making peace between fellow Jews, whereas the greatness of Moshe Rabbeinu was epitomized by the level of prophecy he attained, which was not matched before or after his time. Similarly, in every generation we need leaders to disseminate Torah, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, we also need leaders who are able to fight battles to defend the Torah and to take care of all the needs of the nation.
Maintaining free choice
"The sorcerers of Egypt also did likewise with their magic art" (7:11)
The chartumim managed to turn a stick into a snake and water into blood using kishuf. We do not encounter the ability to perform such actions either before or after this generation of yetzias mitzrayim. How was it possible?
During periods of hester ponim (Hashem hiding His face from us, as it were) our challenge is to see through the veneer of nature and recognize that Hashem runs it, but when revealed miracles are prevalent and exceptional holy individuals such as Moshe and Aharon are in our midst, Hashem grants great powers to the forces of tumoh, such as the sorcerers in Egypt and Bilom with his prophecies, in order to maintain the required balance of free choice.
People can then either choose to be misled by such forces or contemplate the actions and writings of the righteous individuals of the generation who explain the difference between the forces of holiness and those of tumoh, whose only goals are to fulfill the desires of their hearts.
The power of One person
"And the frogs came up" (8:2). Rashi: It was one frog, and they hit it, and it split into many swarms of frogs.
When a dog barks, others join in with him, and the croaking of one frog was probably enough to trigger off a whole cacophony of discordant noises in Egypt. Just like one frog can arouse countless others, so too are people able to arouse others to shout senseless things together with them. Take the case of Hitler, one unknown painter, who single-handedly used his rabble-rousing drivel to brainwash a supposedly cultured and sophisticated nation.
Lehavdil, both the Baal Shem Tov and the Vilna Gaon, each of them working on their own, had a revolutionary impact on Jewish life for all future generations. Once again, although Hashem clearly guides historical phenomena, there is always room for free choice, even on the national level.
HAsHgocho Protis
"So that you will know that I am Hashem in the midst of the earth" (8:18)
The first idol worshippers and philosophers throughout the generations argued that although Hashem did create the world, He does not get involved with events on earth. In Egypt this fallacy was put to rest for good.
The Kiddush we recite on Friday night is not only a declaration that Hashem is creator of the world (zecher lema'ase bereishis) but also that He controls it with individual divine providence and is intensely involved in our world: zecher liyetzias mitzrayim. By recollecting the Egyptian experiences we reinforce our belief in hashgocho protis and by refraining from work on Shabbos we demonstrate our belief that Hashem's providence showers us with enough sustenance if we work only for six days, and whatever has been set aside for us will reach us irrespective of when or how much we work.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
The Eternity of the Jewish Nation
6:11 AM | Posted by Rabbi Chaim Coffman | | Edit Post
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
History repeats itself
"A new king arose over Egypt" (1:8) Rashi: "Rav and Shmuel: one says he was really new, and the other one says: His decrees were new"
According to the latter opinion, if these edicts were renewed, what were the contents of the original edicts?
Initially, Paroh wanted his Jewish subjects to become totally assimilated and he was opposed to the territory of Goshen becoming a semi-autonomous kingdom. Thus, he had suggested to "appoint them livestock officers over my cattle" (Bereishis 47:6). In other words: "Let us all become one nation and let them serve our religion." When this attempt failed, and our ancestors refused to change their names, language or clothing, Paroh decided to enact laws that denied them any rights as citizens, and emphasized that they were nothing more than slaves who had nothing in common with their host nation. From our viewpoint, the initial policy was no less a decree than the new one. It may have been sugarcoated, but the policy was identical: to destroy our religious identity.
This scenario repeated itself in Western Europe. When the ghetto walls were removed, large numbers were enticed into assimilating into the surrounding non-Jewish culture by being offered equal rights and opportunities. Unfortunately, this strategy succeeded only too well in many countries, and after more than a century, the country, which up to that time in many ways epitomized everything that Western culture had to offer, renewed its edicts. Within a very short period, these new laws resulted in crimes which by common consent outdid even the terrible misdeeds of Paroh's compatriots.
"Who did not know Yoseph" (ibid)
Paroh did of course know about Yoseph. According to the second opinion, he knew him personally, and even according to the first opinion, he must have heard about everything he did for the benefit of the nation. However, when someone lacks gratitude he pretends that his benefactor never did anything worthy in the first place, in order to soothe his conscience. The medrash says that someone who is ungrateful to a human benefactor will also deny that he is a recipient of blessings from the Creator, and will eventually deny His very existence, just like Paroh did.
By contrast, we are enjoined not to despise the Egyptian since we were strangers in his country (Devorim 23:8). Notwithstanding their persecutions, we are still meant to feel gratitude towards them for hosting us in times of trouble (Rashi ibid). The Torah puts such great emphasis on feeling gratitude for others, so that we may come to feel gratitude towards the Creator, whose kindness is limitless.
Protesting injustice
"Let us deal shrewdly with them" (1:10)
Chazal tell us (Masseches Soto 11a) that Bilom who advised Paroh to kill the Jews was punished by death at the sword, whereas Iyov, who kept quiet, was punished by having to endure terrible suffering. Why did his mere silence warrant such a severe punishment?
This teaches us what a serious sin it is to hear about plans to commit mass murder and remain silent and indifferent as if this matter is of no concern to him. They say in the name of the Brisker Rov zt"l that Iyov was punished measure for measure: he kept quiet thinking that protesting would not help anyway, in return for which he suffered afflictions which made him cry out even though he knew that his cries would not alleviate his suffering.
When a fellow Jew is suffering spiritually or materially, and we are able to protest, but do not care enough to do so, being concerned solely with ourselves and those closest to us, we must realize that this is a serious transgression. Similarly, when decrees are enacted endangering our spiritual or material welfare we are duty-bound to at least cry out and object to such measures, in order to show that we care. Even if our protests are not crowned with success, we will at least have done our bit.
expecting the redemption
"And his sister stood from afar, to see what would happen to him" (2:4)
Chazal say that because she waited here, Miriam was rewarded by having the whole nation wait for her when she became a meztora after she spoke negatively about Moshe Rabbeinu. On the face of it, she did little more than satisfy her natural curiosity to see what would transpire with her baby brother, so why did this act deserve such a great reward?
The first thing we will be asked when we are judged is whether we expected (tzipisa) the redemption. Rav Yechezkel Abramsky zt"l noted that it does not say "kivisa leyeshuah," because every believing Jew hopes for the redemption. The question we will be asked is whether we expected it the same way that we expect someone to arrive for an appointment at a prearranged time. We don't hope that the person will arrive. We expect him to. Hashem has not revealed a prearranged date for Moshiach to come, but we are meant to hope and wait for him in eager anticipation and expectation bechol yom sheyavo.
Similarly, Miriam waited with the conviction that the yeshuah would come for her brother. She did not know exactly how, but she harbored no doubts that he would be saved, and merely waited to see what form the salvation would take.
Qualities of true leaders
"He struck the Egyptian" (2:12)
Rashi on the previous possuk states that Paroh had appointed Moshe over his house, and yet when Moshe saw one Jew hit another, he did not keep quiet and rationalize that his job was to deal only with lofty royal matters and not with a dispute between two private Jews. Instead, he risked his own life when he saw one Jew raise his hand at another.
No matter how busy they are with public matters, our gedolim have always been concerned for each and every individual. That is why they are called our "shepherds", and why Moshe Rabbeinu and Dovid Hamelech practiced this profession. Each and every sheep is equally dear in their eyes.
Rav Sternbuch once met someone who, when he became a rov, went to see Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzhinsky zt"l. Rav Chaim Ozer asked him what he felt to be the duties of a communal rov. He answered with a whole list of tasks such as maintaining appropriate kashrus standards. Rav Chaim Ozer responded that he had forgotten the main thing: a rov must take care of widows and orphans.
"Moshe consented to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moshe" (2:21)
Chazal tell us that Yisro agreed that Moshe would marry Zipporah on the condition that the first son produced by their marriage would be handed over to idol-worship and Moshe agreed. Moshe was punished for consenting to this when his grandson Micho served idol worship.
The Gerer Rebbe, the Beis Yisroel zt"l, explained that Yisro's request is not to be understood literally. He rather argued that it would not be feasible for Moshe to bring up all his sons in an insular Torah-only environment. At least one son should be exposed to the philosophy of idol worship, so that he would be able to refute it. Moshe Rabbeinu was punished for agreeing to this request, because, as we saw last week, it is a parent's job to ensure that his children receive an intensive Torah education. There will always be enough people to engage in da me shetoshiv outreach activities, and it is not a parent's job to educate their children by exposing them to non-Jewish or anti-Torah material.
Eternal nation
"The thorn bush was burning with fire, but the thorn bush was not being consumed" (3:2)
Throughout history, our foes have endeavored to destroy us physically or spiritually, and when they witness our suffering they imagined that this nation, which is such a thorn in their eyes, was finally going up in flames. However, we are a nation that defies any laws of nature or history, so that even when the bush is burning it never becomes consumed, and since we enjoy special Divine Providence, we will remain an eternal nation.
UtiliZing the potential of the Shovevim Period
"Now [ve'atah], behold, the cry of the Bnei Yisroel has come to Me" (3:9)
What is the meaning of ve'atah in this posuk? Perhaps the prayers of the nation in Egypt had not been recited with sufficient outpouring of emotion, but Hashem, taking into account their dire situation and suffering, said He would nevertheless be willing to accept their prayers "now" even though they had not sufficiently repented, because of the state of the generation. We too should plead with Hashem to have regard to the condition of our generation and hasten our redemption.
We have entered the period of Shovavim, and the commentaries make a distinction between superior [illa'a] and inferior [tata'a] repentance, saying that although, strictly speaking, in order for repentance to be effective the sinner must want to repent due to a feeling of awe before the greatness of Hashem (yiras haromemus), in our situation today in this bitter exile, when tumah is so pervasive to such an unprecedented scale, Hashem listens to the cry of the Bnei Yisroel and makes do with "low-grade" repentance, which is motivated by yiras haonesh (fear of punishment). The main thing is to regret the past and remove any trace of tumah from our homes. If we do so, Hashem will surely have pity on us and listen to our prayers.
HAshem awaits
"Hashem said to Moshe, "Ehyeh asher ehyeh"[I will be what I will be]" (3:14)
The more that we let Hashem into our lives and make Him part of it, the greater will be the Divine Providence that we enjoy, as it says: "Let Your mercy, O Hashem, be upon us, to the extent that we have waited for You" (Tehillim 33:22). Similarly, says the Kotzker Rebbe zt"l, Hashem tells us: "I will be wherever I will be", i.e. wherever someone lets Me in and wants Me to be there.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Subjugation and Redemption
9:37 PM | Posted by Rabbi Chaim Coffman | | Edit Post
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
SPiritual decline
"Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years" (47:28). Rashi: Why is this section closed? Because, as soon as Yaakov Ovinu passed away, the eyes and the heart of the Jews were "closed" because of the misery of the slavery, for they [the Egyptians] started to subjugate them.
After Yaakov's death Yoseph still remained king, and, what is more, at the beginning of parashas Shmos the Torah relates that it was only when Yoseph, his brothers and all that generation had died, that the subjugation began. Why then, the commentators wonder, does the medrash here identify the death of Yaakov Ovinu as the start of the Egyptian exile?
As long as Yaakov was still alive, he served as a unifying force for his descendants to remain true to their religion and values. Once he had passed away, the spiritual subjugation started. The Jews no longer remained within the safe spiritual confines of Goshen, and started settling all over Egypt. They became closer to the host culture and assumed that it would welcome them, but, as has happened throughout history, the closer they became to non-Jewish culture, the greater was the animosity felt towards them by their hosts.
The eyes and the heart of the Jews were "closed": they were unaware of the process of which had set in upon the death of Yaakov. Spiritual declines which go unnoticed are the most dangerous. In this case our spiritual subjugation was the forerunner of our physical subjugation, which commenced upon the death of all the tribes.
unforetold EXILE
Rashi (ibid): Another explanation: That he [Yaakov] attempted to reveal the End to his sons, but it was "closed off" [concealed] from him
The great gaon and tzaddik Rav Mordechai Pogramansky, who endured a veritable hell during the Second World War and survived, only to die a few years afterwards, noted that although we find allusions to the various exiles in history either in tenach or in chazal, our sources contain no hint that there will come a time when non-observant and anti-religious Jews will rule Eretz Yisroel itself. This exile amongst Jews is not talked about in our sources.
Rav Pogramansky suggested that Yaakov ovinu was indeed told about this situation, and attempted to tell his sons about it, but was prevented from doing so, because had it been foretold to us, it would have caused unbearable despair. According to this explanation, the "End" referred to by the medrash cited by Rashi, is the end of the exile, but not yet the beginning of the geulo.
homes as havens
"He [Yaakov] said, "Swear to me," and he swore to him. Yisroel prostrated himself on the head of the bed" (47:31) Rashi: none of his offspring was wicked as is evidenced by the fact that Yoseph was a king, and furthermore, that [even though] he was in captivity among the heathens, he remained steadfast in his righteousness.
Yosef, the second most powerful man in Egypt, was asked by his father to take an oath. Someone else in Yosef's position would have been likely to get angry that his father did not trust him to fulfill his request after having told him "I will do as you say", but Yosef subjugated himself completely to his father and, without saying anything, unhesitatingly took an oath without further ado. When Yaakov Ovinu saw this response and realized the extent of the kibbud av vo'em exhibited even by Yosef, who had spent so much time in the Egyptian environment and had become a powerful figure there, he was satisfied that his bed was indeed perfect.
Yaakov blessed Efraim and Menashe that they should be "called by my name". Kibbud av vo'em is a critical component in the education of our children. With us it is a given that the closer a person is to maamad har Sinai the more do we look up to him. By contrast, according to the non-Jewish or secular attitude as technology, science, and medicine progress so do we, and the further a person is removed from these advances the more is he they looked down upon. As a corollary to this approach, the relationship between parents and children has become almost egalitarian. Unfortunately, elements of this attitude have seeped through to us so that some parents have become more lax in insisting that their children observe all the details of kibbud av vo'em.
On the other hand, the aim of kibbud av v'oem is not merely to induce children to honor and respect their parents but also to forge a close association with them. In fact, a warm relationship between father and son is the surest recipe for ensuring that the son will remain on the proper path and impervious to the many detrimental aspects of the outside world as long as he is in his parents' household and beyond. Making our homes into havens for every child must be made into a top priority in our day and age.
WHat is a jew
"I will make you into a congregation of peoples" (48:4)
Rav Yaakov Yechiel Weinberg, the Seridei Esh zt"l, told Rav Sternbuch about a meeting of academics that took place in Berlin for the purpose of establishing the definition of a Jew. Should it be argued that being Jewish is a matter of religion, that cannot hold water, because an apostate is also considered Jewish. On the other hand, being Jewish could not be a matter of nationality either, because many Jews are descendants of converts.
As they were discussing this matter a simple Jew entered the room and offered his solution for this conundrum: "a yid is a yid". Rav Weinberg heard this suggestion and told his fellow participants that this Jew had hit the hammer on the nail! Being Jewish was neither a matter of religion only, nor merely a matter of nationality, but something that cannot be defined in conventional terms. Jews are sui generis, they are a "congregation of peoples" who defy any definition.
Family Harmony
"And he blessed them on that day saying: "Through you shall the Jews bless saying; 'May Hashem make you like Ephraim and Menasheh and he placed Ephraim ahead of Menasheh" (48:20)
The greatest blessing a person could hope for is to be blessed with sons who are talmidei chachomim. In the merit of such a son the father will live forever. Efraim was the one who spent all his time in Goshen, learning Torah with his grandfather Yaakov. Goshen contained none of the allure of city life, since all its inhabitants were shepherds, who were abhorred by the Egyptians. Menashe spent his time helping out his father with his royal duties.
Efraim was placed ahead of his older brother, as he was the one who learnt Torah from Yaakov, in order to teach us that the foremost priority of any father must be to educate his son to become a godol beyisroel and dedicate his life to Torah. The alternative is to educate our sons to be like Menashe, who learnt from Yosef how to behave like a ben Torah in every situation in life, and to set aside regular times for Torah learning, but this must remain only the second-best option.
By referring to Ephraim and Menasheh when blessing our children we also pray for harmony between our children, just like there was between Ephraim and Menasheh when Menasheh was not upset and did not envy his younger brother for being mentioned first by Yaakov.
Why are dogmas only implied
"Until Shiloh comes" (49:10). Rashi: This refers to the King Moshiach, to whom the kingdom belongs [shelo]
We find that concepts such as the coming of moshiach and the resurrection of the dead, are only hinted at in the tenach. Why are these fundamental principles, which are listed amongst the articles of faith of the Rambam not stated explicitly?
Something stated explicitly in the Torah bears greater weight than something derived by applying one of the principles by which the Torah is expounded [midos shehatorah nidreshes bohem]. Similarly, if these fundamental articles of faith had been stated explicitly in the Torah, the punishment for disregarding them would have been too difficult for us to bear. Hence, Hashem in His kindness, only hinted at these concepts in His Torah. In any case, we must realize that the stronger our faith is in the coming of moshiach, the more will we this hasten his coming and our final redemption.
feeding the poor
"As for Osher, his bread will shall be fat, and he will yield regal delicacies" (49:20).
This means that Osher limits his expenses, and only buys fat and healthy bread whereas he provides others with delicacies fit for a king. He is not interested in deriving pleasures from this world, preferring to wait the rewards of the world to come, but is very generous when it comes to taking care of others' material desires. As Rav Yisroel Salanter zt"l said: "My friend's material needs are my spiritual needs". This is indeed a high level to strive for, and the halocho also directs us to provide a poor person with the best food available in the house.
"Hashem will surely remember you [pokod yifkod] and take you up out of this land" (50:24)
Rav Meir Shapira zt"l noted that the double phrase pokod yifkod refers to both a spiritual and a material redemption. The geulo cannot take place if there is a material redemption unaccompanied by a spiritual one, and all the more so if material success is accompanied by spiritual decline, such as took place in the period following the founding of the State. So far from being a sign of redemption, such a situation is unfortunately merely a desecration of the Divine Name. Let us pray that this stage of the exile, which Rav Programansky talked about, will be brought to a speedy conclusion, and the final redemption ushered in.
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text:
My mother, no doubt, feels vindicated. She always insisted on "family time" as she called it. Our entire family was required to sit down at the dinner table together – no TV, no phone calls. To reconnect. Of course, my brother and I resisted just to drive our mom crazy… We complained, we whined, we rolled our eyes. But, in the end, we sat down and ate.
It's a dying practice, according to recent statistics, which reveal that one in five meals is now eaten in the car.
And while farmer's markets are growing in number, so are the offerings of heat-and-serve meals at your grocery store. It can be tempting, at the end of a long day, to turn on the microwave and sit the family down in front of the television. Or to grab dinner en route to hockey practice or dance class.
But what price do we pay for this convenience? And what is to be gained by insisting on the family dinner as a ritual of connection – to each other and to the earth that provides our food?
A decade long study from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse revealed that teens who regularly have meals with their family are less likely to get into fights, think about suicide, smoke, drink, use drugs, are more likely to wait until they're older to have sex, and these teens perform better academically than teens who do not. The study also showed that eating with parents was associated with higher intake of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.
Laurie David, producer of An Inconvenient Truth and author of the just released The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time, insists that family meal time should be sacred. Not only is it a chance to ensure that your children are eating a healthy diet, it's a chance to reconnect in an increasingly fractured world. If extracurricular activities are interfering with your family's ability to sit down and break bread together, she says, eliminate the extra-curricular activities. Nothing, she says, is better for your kids than the family dinner. Like David and my mother, I insist that my three children sit down with us to eat. And like my brother and I, they often resist in various ways. Sometimes I'm forced to endure a steady chorus of "yucks" depending upon what I've put on the table.
More often, though, we talk. About what we're eating. ("Angela has good pigs," my seven-year-old enthused recently, referring to the pork we were eating from our local farmer Angela). What's going on in our lives. Sometimes we talk about nothing special. However, it's as important a family ritual as bedtime stories and good-night kisses. And my mother, three years gone, is undoubtedly thinking to herself, "I told you so."