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It’s wonderful when others do their best to help singles by redting shidduchim or by including them in their families when the single doesn’t have any local family to go to for meals or yamim tovim. When I was a teenager, I remember four single men who used to come for Shabbos and Yom Tov meals. They became part of the family. They felt comfortable coming to our home and we felt comfortable having them. They were over very often, many calling my parents on a Thursday night saying they didn’t have any plans for Shabbos, asking if they can join us. My parents always welcomed them and said they were invited whenever they wanted and never had to wait for an invitation. Most of those men are now married. My parents can’t take credit for setting them up with their wives, but my parents did redt them each several shidduchim over the years. We felt like a member of the family got engaged when we heard the wonderful news when one became a chasan. My parents used to joke that it was a s’gulah for a single man to have a Shabbos meal in our home because he would soon became a chasan. (Unfortunately, the s’gulah did not work for me, because I ate every Shabbos meal at the same Shabbos table, and it took me a looooong while to become a kallah!)

We live in crazy times. I don’t think anyone will argue with that. But I recently realized that I don’t ever remember a period in my life when people didn’t comment that we are living in crazy times.

I clearly recall sitting at a Shabbos table a few years ago when someone said exactly that.

Dating is hard. I feel that we should always do what we can to make it easier. For instance, you

Recently, one of our neighbors joined us for a Shabbos seudah. The neighbor appreciates fine wine, and he gave us a bottle as a gift. It’s always a bit uncomfortable for me when I’m gifted with a bottle of wine, as the extent of my appreciation of wine doesn’t go much beyond Cream Malaga, Bartenura, and Asti. I do not understand when people swoosh their wine in their glasses or any other “wine etiquette.”

There have been some strange and unusual events in the last few weeks.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge was opened in March 1977 to carry the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) across the Patapsco River. The bridge bears an estimated 11.5 million vehicles annually.

A friend who is a dentist gives mishloach manos full of huge cavity-inducing candies… and a business card.

In truth, there is more of a connection between rotted teeth and Purim than you may realize.