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The passing of Rebbetzin Temah Kamenetsky a”h late this past Sunday evening left the frum world in mourning. The rebbetzin was the eishes chaver of Maran HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Kamenetsky, the Rosh HaYeshiva of Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia and member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel of America. The rebbetzin was always at her husband’s side, being an active supporter of his work circulating Torah.

Showing appreciation to law enforcement is always appropriate; however, the holiday season brings a unique opportunity to highlight the service and dedication of our servicemembers. Each year, the start of January coincides with the beginning of winter – and this year is expected to be frigid.

During the time of Tu BiSh’vat, all the plants appear to be the same as it was the day before. But beneath the rough, lifeless bark, hidden from sight, there is a stirring…a silent awakening…a new life beginning to emerge that will eventually, with Hashem’s help, blossom and bear fruit. We can learn three important lessons from Tu BiSh’vat.

From Wednesday, December 22, to Thursday, December 23, One Israel Fund hosted a virtual event and donor campaign called “Give a Little Heart,” which culminated in an amazing online Evening of Entertainment on Thursday evening. The campaign was an incredible success!

The Atrium at Queens Borough Hall’s Helen Marshall Cultural Center was a sea of excitement on Tuesday, December 14, as the Honorable David J. Kirschner was inducted as Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. In this position, Kirschner, who ran unopposed in the November General Election, will serve Queens residents at the highest level. David’s journey to the top is a celebration for frum Jews around the globe, especially in his hometown of Kew Gardens Hills.

Midrash L’man Achai, under the leadership of Rav Shmuel Z. Kleinman, gave its talmidim an inspirational Rosh Chodesh Shevat experience. The students were invited to a formal seudah that included divrei chizuk from veteran mechanech Rabbi Mordechai Finkelman. The esteemed mashgiach of Yeshivas Ohr HaChaim in Kew Gardens Hills illustrated his remarks with a poignant story of a thirteen-year-old bachur with a striking life lesson, “The most valuable gift that this boy received for his Bar Mitzvah was his watch,” related Rav Finkelman, “because it reminded him that time is ticking, and we do not get the minutes back. Life is time.” The mashgiach followed on the discussion of the importance of time, noting, “American has a whole industry of killing time.” This was said about people not knowing how to use the time that they are given wisely and succumbing to the pressures of the theater industry where a person can get lost in the world of the screen for hours on end. “To us, every minute is valuable,” said the Rav, giving pointers to the students to use every minute appropriately starting from how we conduct ourselves on Rosh HaShanah – the brain center of the year – translating into our actions throughout the months that follow.