Rabbi’s Musings & Amusings

Growing up, I always felt like I was living in the shadow of my older brother Yitzie. Our personalities were quite different, and we didn’t look alike back then. But that didn’t change the fact that I was “Staum’s brother.” I was two grades behind him and often had rebbeim and teachers that he had.

I can’t say I’m very fluent in Yiddish, though I wish I was. Like many Orthodox Jews, I know “ah bissel.” From my years in yeshivah and hearing drashos, I have gleaned more of the “shprach.” I know enough to quote things to my students in Yiddish to make them think I know Yiddish. But there’s always at least one student who – when I say something in Yiddish – gives me a funny, knowing look that says, “Rabbi, both of us know that that didn’t make any sense grammatically.”

One of the more dreaded destinations these days is the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). It’s a place that many try to avoid as much as possible. But sooner or later a visit there is almost unavoidable.

In American society, there are certain things that we take very seriously. This includes whether a person chooses to put mustard or ketchup on his hot dog, and what he prefers – chocolate or vanilla.

 In case you aren’t aware, President Trump was impeached, put on trial, and has since been acquitted of the charges that led to his impeachment.

It’s a fascinating story. Prince Harry, a member of the English royal family, and his wife, Duchess of Sussex, have informed his grandmother the Queen, and the world at large, that they no longer wish to perform their royal duties.