Jack Gindi

The December air carries the scent of wood, smoke, and possibility. I’m sitting in my home office this evening, surrounded by the year’s writings, each one a blueprint drawn from lived experience: the construction sites that taught me about foundations, the grief that stripped me to the studs, and the slow, intentional work of rebuilding a life of meaning.

What began as individual pieces about body, being, balance, and business becomes something more: a complete architectural plan for building dreams together.

The Foundation Year

This year, I found myself returning to the construction metaphors that shaped my early career. Not because I miss those days of steel and concrete, but because I’ve realized the same principles that create sound buildings, solid foundations, strong frameworks, patient craftsmanship – also build meaningful lives.

Writing “Building Dreams Together” forced me to confront my own neglect. After my son Shaun’s passing, I’d treated my body like a tool shed instead of a temple. Those extra pounds, caused by comfort food replacing proper meals, wine helping ease difficult nights, and exercise forgotten took their toll. The Body Codes became my daily practice, not just words on a page.

“Thoughts Become Things” took me back to that young man in a commercial real estate office, deciding to act “as if” success were already mine. I can still feel the nervous energy, straightening my tie before meetings where I wasn’t sure I belonged. That mindset shift changed everything, not through magic, but through the steady power of clarity, focus, and aligned action.

But it was the family articles I read that surprised me most. Exploring the research on family rituals – those kitchen-table moments we’ve lost and can still reclaim – reminded me that the most important construction project isn’t a building. It’s the family framework that holds our deepest connections.

The Framework That Emerged

What I was uncertain of at the time was how these separate explorations would weave together into a system. The Four Pillars aren’t just categories – they’re the load-bearing walls of a well-built life. When I neglect my body (foundation), it clouds my spiritual clarity (frame), which strains my relationships (systems), and ultimately weakens my ability to contribute meaningfully (structure).

The CODE Framework – being REAL with facts, RAW with feelings, RELEVANT in focus, and clear about RESULTS – became my compass through every challenge. It’s not about having all the answers; it’s about trusting a reliable process to find them.

Seasonal wisdom added rhythm to the work: November as harvest time, honestly assessing what I’ve built. December as blueprint season: designing the sacred architecture of what comes next.

The Work Ahead

As I prepare this article for publication, I’m struck by something I want you to know: this isn’t just my work – it’s our work. These blueprints are meant to be shared, tested, and built upon by families ready to create something stronger than what they inherited.

I think about parents who might start one small tradition after reading my articles, – the person who will see their body as a sacred vessel deserving care. The entrepreneur who will bet on their future self instead of waiting for perfect conditions.

And I think about the moms and dads who will use the CODE Framework to navigate their next challenge, because having a reliable process makes the impossible feel manageable.

Building Into 2026

The foundation is laid. The blueprints are drawn. But the real construction begins when these ideas move from the page to home – from concepts into daily choices, from my story into your family’s architecture.

This year taught me that the deepest satisfaction comes from sharing blueprints that help families build dreams together. Every article was an act of faith that someone would read these words and decide to strengthen their foundation – or create one small ritual that transforms ordinary time into something sacred.

As we step into 2026, I offer what I’ve learned: life is a construction project requiring intention, patience, and daily courage.

The materials are available. The blueprints are ready. The question is: what will you choose to build – now and tomorrow?

The foundation is yours to lay. The dreams are yours to build. Start building today.

Jack Gindi helps families navigate life’s challenges through the I Believe in Me Foundation. Contact: jack@ibelieveinmefoundation.com.

Michele Shrem

The special lights of Hanukah are so meaningful, and we need our light to keep shining and triumph over any darkness that surrounds us. Let’s elevate our celebrations this year as we gather around the menorah. We need to have in mind the faces of the hostages who have returned, as well as the souls who now have a final and peaceful resting place where they belong. May Hashem shine His countenance upon us.

This is what our community members had to say about their personal family traditions. The central commandment of Hanukah is the lighting of the candles, yet the ritual can often feel rushed. Everyone I spoke to felt that it is very important to slow down in order to really experience the power of light.

Community Member #1

“We have a tradition of spending a few minutes in complete darkness before we light the candles. Then, when the first candle is lit, piercing the darkness, we can see the room in the light. These few moments are very holy to us, and a time for special prayers. I then place the menorah in our front window so it is visible to the street to show the world our light.”

Community Member #2

“My family has a story night. It started when my kids were very young. I bought children’s Hanukah books, then moved on to letting them tell us stories that they learned in yeshivah, and then when they became older, we started to have more spiritual conversations that turned into stories. We also go around telling miracles from our own lives that we witnessed throughout the year.”

Community Member #3

“I have game night on one of the nights. Every year I buy a new game, based on the ages of my kids at the time. Then, we can play it throughout the year. Our first time playing the games are when the candles are burning, and then we can remember that memory all year. We also play dreidel and the winners get chocolate coins. Even my big kids want chocolate. We also try to spin the dreidel upside down, and winners get two coins!”

Community Member #4

“I like to fry fresh latkes several times during the holiday, and no matter how many I make, my family asks for more. A few years ago, I started getting together with a few of my friends to make larger batches. We hang out together while we get busy grating, mixing, and frying up the latkes to take home for our families. It’s fun when you are busy talking and maybe stealing a few to eat fresh.”

Community Member #5

“We dedicate one night to music by singing a variety of songs including traditional Hebrew songs as well as modern ones. We sit in our living room and just sing together. It may sound strange, but we laugh and make memories for years to come. Especially when the kids sing, they are so cute! This year I think I am going to create a playlist in advance so that we don’t forget all of the songs that we want to sing.”

Community Member #6

“For my family, Hanukah is the time for special cookies. My mom makes these buttery soft sugar cookies, and my whole family loves them! Sometimes she makes them during the year, but on Hanukah, it is a staple every year. I’m thinking of them right now, the warmth of them fresh out of the oven. To us, this is better than donuts even if they aren’t fried. I’m also not much of a baker, so I just buy donuts.”

Community Member #7

“I wrote a story many years ago called “The Littlest Latke,” and every year we laugh about it. It started off as a family joke, and every year we laugh harder and harder. I can’t say what it is about exactly since I never published it, but the drawings I added were even funnier than the story. Maybe one day I will actually publish it.”

Community Member #8

“We have a family picture night. We take out old pictures from both sides of our families from our grandparents to the present. There are so many special pictures from weddings, brises, bar mitzvahs, special birthdays, vacations, and more. It’s fun to see everyone grow up through the years. It is also nice to see pictures of family members that have passed away. We see that the fashions change, haircuts and colors, beards, mustaches, too many to name. Some of them are so funny, we laugh about them for days.”

Community Member #9

“Our family has a little gift night, similar to a grab bag. First, I put all of our names into a bowl, and then on the Shabbat before Hanukah, everyone chooses a name from the bowl. Then, they have a few days to think of an item that is $5 or less to buy for their chosen family member. You really have to know the person to pick out a gift that they would like, so it will show that you really know them. My kids tend to get very creative with this tradition, and we have so much fun with it!”

Community Member #10

“This year I decided that I am going to attempt to fry donuts. I went through some recipes, and I think I can do it. I am going to buy all of the ingredients and see what happens. I even bought an injector to fill them with jelly. First, I am going to do a test run a week before so that just in case it doesn’t work out, I can just buy them.”

The eight days are an opportunity for us to continue spreading our spiritual light. By focusing on the intentionality of the light – by sharing stories, singing songs, and committing to acts of goodness – the flames will not only illuminate our homes but will also strengthen our community.

We are reminded that the miracle is not just historical; it is continuous. We will endure as each generation celebrates Hanukah year after year, refusing to let our faith be extinguished. Each flicker of light is a declaration of enduring hope, resilience, and the triumph of light over darkness. May this year’s Festival of Lights be your most meaningful yet.

Michele

Sam Sutton

Sunday morning. Playoff football. The air was crisp, the stakes were sky-high, and the Deal Football League delivered another unforgettable chapter in what’s shaping up to be its most electric season yet.

We’ve officially reached the Final Four. The field has been cut in half, and what’s left standing are four powerhouses, four locker rooms filled with belief, and four captains who can practically taste the champagne.

But to get here, it took guts, grit, and a whole lot of game.

Bengals Stay Hot, Dolphins Go Home

The first playoff showdown of the morning pitted the Miami Dolphins against the Cincinnati Bengals, a rematch of the now-legendary Miami Massacre. The storyline was clear: could Miami erase the memory of that beatdown and get redemption, or would Cincinnati prove that their late-season surge was no fluke?

Spoiler: The Bengals were for real.

Led by Shimi Cohen, who’s been in absolute command the last three weeks, Cincinnati came out with composure and confidence. Cohen’s offensive play-calling was crisp, methodical, and relentless. The Bengals played smart football, executing a balanced attack that kept Miami guessing all morning.

And then there was Moshe Shuk, back in the lineup and making his presence known. His intensity on both sides of the ball shifted the tone from the very first drive. Every big play seemed to have his fingerprints on it, and every drive felt like a statement.

By the time the final whistle blew, the Bengals had not only punched their ticket to the championship, but had also extended their win streak to three straight. A few weeks ago, this team was hanging by a thread. Now? They’re one win away from the biggest stage in the DFL.

Their opponent? The undefeated Baltimore Ravens – a team that’s looked untouchable all season long. Last time these two squads met, the Ravens took care of business. But this time, they’ll face a Bengals team that’s found its rhythm and identity. One team’s chasing perfection; the other’s chasing revenge. Buckle up this one’s going to be a war.

Demons Dominate, Vikings Silenced

The second game of the morning saw the Deacon Demons face off against the Minnesota Vikings, a team that snuck into the playoffs at the last possible moment after a late-season surge.

But if they thought momentum would carry them into the semifinals, the Demons had other plans.

From the opening possession, the Demons were dialed in. Their offense clicked. Their defense suffocated. Their energy was unmatched. It was mass destruction from jump.

Quarterback Zacky Cytryn put on a clinic, a dual-threat performance that defined leadership. He orchestrated the offense with poise and precision while also turning heads on defense, locking down the corners and picking off two passes that crushed any hopes of a Viking comeback.

When the dust settled, the scoreboard told the story: Demons 27, Vikings 0. A statement win in every sense.

Now, the Demons advance to face the Detroit Lions, a team riding their own wave of momentum with five consecutive wins and the advantage of a first-round bye. The Lions already beat the Demons once this season but this rematch feels different. This time, it’s personal.

The Final Four: The Stage Is Set

And just like that, we’re down to four: Ravens (undefeated), Bengals (three straight wins), Lions (five straight wins), and the Demons (dominant and dangerous).

No pretenders. No flukes. Just four heavyweights left standing – each one capable of hoisting the trophy.

As we head into the semifinals, one thing’s clear: the DFL has never been more alive. The energy, the talent, the storylines – everything is peaking at the perfect time. Four teams remain. Two will move on. One will rise above them all.

Welcome to the jungle. The road to the DFL Championship runs through it.

Every family has its own story, its own journey worthy of care and attention. In this case, Dad was a sales executive, earning $350,000 a year, until he abruptly got sick and landed in the hospital. He could no longer work, forsaking the joy and pride of providing for his family. Mom was a fitness instructor who made roughly $60,000 a year. Typically, she’d teach three sessions a week, but due to Dad’s health concerns, she had to take a work hiatus in order to take care of her husband. Mom and Dad have three children: a thirteen-year-old daughter and two sons, ages fifteen and eighteen. Mom had her hands full, whipping up delicious dinners every night, helping with homework questions, and imparting her kids with essential life lessons; however, the home structure suddenly flipped from comfort to chaos. Mom and Dad had too much on their plates to be present for their kids, to shower them with the love they deserve. The youngest child wasn’t doing well in school, the middle child didn’t even want to attend (and protested by misbehaving), and the oldest child was worried because high school graduation was looming and he needed life guidance. Putting her pride aside, Mom knew exactly whom she needed to turn to; she needed the full-package assistance that SBH provides. Knowing when to reach out for help is the first step, and being strong enough to make the call is just as important. Mom demonstrated bravery by heeding to a community volunteer member’s advice and contacting the SBH Client Services Division.

SBH’s mission statement is threaded in hope, assurance, and a guarantee that they will do their absolute best to mitigate family crises and take the form of a complete support network. Mom was vulnerable with SBH’s intake coordinator and opened up to them regarding her family’s recent struggles. The coordinator conducted an initial assessment of the case and made sure that the specific case fit the criteria.

“Here’s how the client service structure works,” the intake coordinator explained to Mom. “Each family that goes through our system is assigned a case worker and a community volunteer (referred to as a “captain”). That is the team that will walk families through crises, collaboratively creating both short-term and long-term goals. We employ a holistic approach for the entirety of this process. The holistic model enables us to cater to both the individual and the family as a whole. We work as a collective, as a team.”

Mom nodded with appreciation and was grateful for SBH’s dedication to help.

The intake representative continued to detail the confidentiality aspect. SBH would never disclose the names of its clients. Plus, before someone is ocially assigned a team, which consists of a social worker and a captain, SBH verifies their names with that individual to ensure that they are comfortable having them on the case. Assigning the right team to the right client is vital. SBH wants to cater to every family’s needs and find everyone the perfect match. The entire process is laced in compassion and understanding.

Later on, the team was confirmed with Mom, and they began their services by conducting a house visit. The social worker noticed disarray. Mom and Dad were behind on their bills and were drowning in their mortgage. There was a lot of financial stress. The team agreed that it would be important to attend to the family’s physical needs and mental health needs. The goals are as follows— working towards providing Mom with more daily structure, facilitating Dad’s eventual return to his job, and ensuring that each of the children reach a homeostasis and return to a healthy lifestyle.

The dominoes were then set into motion and SBH began to enlist their many incredible departments. The SBH Food Division sent over meals for dinner. The sbh medical division aided Dad with his recuperation process to make sure he was recovering properly and seeing the best doctors. The SBH volunteer division tutored and helped the kids with their homework; they also drove Dad to and from his appointments. The SBH Young Adult division assigned mentors to both sons to direct them through crucial formative years. Dad and Mom were referred to SBH’s counseling center, addressing anxiety and all the circumstantial uncertainty. SBH assisted with some of the family’s pressing bills, provided aid towards grocery shopping, and aimed to get Mom and Dad back to their normal routines. The SBH clothing division bought Dad a new suit and SBH career services helped polish his job resume, aiming towards getting him job ready. The SBH SEARCH program assigned a coach to their family that guided Mom and Dad on how to deal with a teenager that acts out.

Not only does SBH excel at collaborative problem-solving, but they highlight the importance of maintenance through weekly check-ins.

“Mom, how is everything progressing? Hey Dad, what are some skills we can accentuate to prepare you for a job interview? Are things running smoothly?”

As portrayed, there are numerous moving parts to this client service process, a harmonious intermingling of divisions, and a strong army of people who are eager to help alleviate families from crises. SBH provides an unparalleled level of care and guidance to those in need.

Your family may look dierent than the one depicted, every member undergoing their own journeys and hurtling over their own obstacles,
but the message remains — SBH is a pillar of support for every step of the way. Help yourself by letting us help you. With a case manager and captain guiding the process with love, care, and comfort we can get through some of the toughest treks.

Rabbi Elimelech Biderman

Dreidels are a beloved part of Hanukah celebrations the world over. And they’re far from being simple playthings. Dreidels symbolize deep spiritual concepts. Below are four enlightening messages that can be learned from the dreidel.

1. A dreidel hints to us that there’s nothing that happens in this world without it being decreed on high. Just as a person spinning the dreidel can’t know on what side it will land, so too he can’t know where his efforts will lead him. Spinning the dreidel harder doesn’t get you any closer to resolving this. Likewise, in life, the extra effort often just means a few more turns than necessary before getting to the result decreed on high. Hashem runs our life in a similar way. A man can’t change what was decreed for him from on high and all the extra efforts are just meandering off the path Hashem plotted for you.
    
2. Just as the dreidel spins only when you spin it from above, so too our world spins around by Hashem spinning it from above.

1. A person who spins and orients himself inwards toward Hashem will merit that he will spin out of and will escape the troubles that envelop him.

1. The Bnei Issachar explains: “…people spin the dreidel with the letters gimmel, shin, nun, and heh – and each faces a different direction with the dreidel spinning around a central point. These letters hint to the kingdoms of Rome, Babylon, Greece, and Madai, which oppose the four powers of man. Gimmel for “guf,” the body, shin for “sechel,” human intelligence, nun for “nefesh,” the soul, and heh for “hakol,” all of them.”

“They all spin on a central axis, which is Israel, that unites all the far away extremes. All the outside extremes are subservient to the middle they all spin around, and all the nations will nullify themselves to the nation of Israel and acquire a clear language (with which to come to Hashem).”

“We have to begin to explain the truth that if you support Palestinianism, you’re supporting an evil. You’re not supporting a good.” –
Alan Dershowitz

DAVE GORDON

Alan Dershowitz, the prominent Jewish American lawyer and law professor, known for his work in U.S. constitutional and criminal law, had a few choice words about New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

He spoke on October 27^th at the second annual Rage Against the Hate conference at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City. The event was organized by Shurat HaDin, the Israel Law Center. The conference focused on combatting anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment through strategy sessions, legal action, and public opinion. Dershowitz was joined by former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, Australian broadcaster Erin Molan, former IDF commander Yoseph Haddad (a Christian Arab-Israeli citizen who is a journalist and pro-Israel advocacy activist) Anne Bayefsky, President of Human Rights Voices, and other prominent figures in law and pro-Israel advocacy.

Dershowitz on the Jews and Mamdani

Dershowitz asked, “How did the new mayor gain a leading edge? The answer is Jews,” he proclaimed.

“We have a deep problem within the Jewish community. A troubling sense of self-criticism runs deep within the Jewish community today. I saw it when I taught at Harvard for 50 years. I saw it among the faculty. I saw it among the students. We’re now seeing it among the voters. It’s absolutely horrible.”

Dershowitz also blames Andrew Cuomo for not mounting a strong enough campaign.

The professor emeritus at Harvard law school, author, and civil liberties advocate, alleged that the Mamdani campaign was likely bankrolled by “Qatari money, other foreign money, George Soros money, and dark money (political spending from undisclosed sources).”

He pledged that he and his colleagues, will go into every rock to find the name of every contributor in order to follow the money.

Dershowitz said that what most frightens him is not Mamdani’s possible poor policy decisions. It’s the prospect that people will like him more if some of his policies do succeed.

“What frightens me most is that Mamdani may end up being a good mayor. Let me give you the analogy. I’m not analogizing Mamdani to Hitler, but I’m telling you that in 1932, many people – remember, he only got 32 percent of the vote, Hitler – many people voted for Hitler, not because he was an anti-Semite, but despite that fact, because Hitler promised to restore the economy and [reduce] unemployment. And for the first two years, he did that. He was successful,” Dershowitz said.

“And that’s what gave him the ability to turn people who didn’t care about anti-Semitism into overt anti-Semites because they liked what Hitler had done for the people of Germany.”

“Mamdani,” Dershowitz added, “has brought about international anti-Semitism.”

Dershowitz added, “What Mamdani says about Israel, could never in America or in American college campuses be said about other minorities. Indeed, when you accuse Mamdani of supporting terrorism because he refuses to denounce ‘Globalize the Intifada,’ his first response is Islamophobia.

“I can tell you one thing, that when you say, ‘Globalize the Intifada,’ you are encouraging people to do another 9-11 or another October 7th. And when you refuse to condemn globalizing the Intifada, you are complicit in terrorism.”

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Israel Law Center

Israeli lawyer Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the founder and president of Israel Law Center, told conference attendees that her next litigation target is the Old Gray Lady, a nickname for the New York Times (which comes from the color of its pages). “The New York Times is aiding and abetting Hamas,” she said, making it clear her intention is to take them to court for “blood libel and defamation.”

Israel Law Center uses legal action worldwide to fight for the rights of victims of terror, and to seek compensation for violations of international law.

Cases include suits against Al Jazeera (a Qatari state-funded media conglomerate and news organization) over its alleged ties to Hamas, and a high-profile lawsuit against the Palestinian Authority and PLO in the U.S., which initially resulted in a $655 million USD award for terror victims (later overturned). Other notable cases include suing Airbnb over delisting Jewish-owned properties in Judea and Samaria, and legal action involving Facebook regarding incitement and hate speech.

Recurring Themes

A recurring theme surfaced throughout the talks – the need to combat lies, communicate the Israel story better, and be attuned to what Israel’s enemies seek to do.

“The first and most important thing that we need to do collectively is to listen what they (Islamists) themselves say,” said Jonathan Conricus, a Swedish Israeli spokesperson and media commentator. He served as an officer in the IDF, where her served for 24 years, and is the former international spokesman of the IDF. He is now based in Washington, D.C. and is a regular fixture in the media defending Israel’s position.

“Islamists,” Conricus said, “want to dominate and take control of Western countries, and that they’re not shy in achieving it. They are politically organized and disciplined. They are funded. They have powerful mouthpieces, some of them very eloquent and fluent in King’s English.” “Elected officials need to understand that Israel is the Off-Broadway show. The real show, the real Broadway, from a Muslim Islamist perspective, is the West,” said the senior fellow at the Washington-based think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Preventing radicalization is a part of what Conricus calls “the battle of narratives,” which he added “with great regret, Israel isn’t yet really fighting this battle well.”

He suggested that more of Israel’s budget is needed for “narrative and media warfare” to “equip freedom fighters, defenders of democracy, [and] good people around the world, with data and information.”

British journalist Melanie Phillips said that Israel’s enemies “have been able to hijack the language and weaponize the West’s post truth, post moral culture, to push their agenda that Israel and the Jews are on the wrong side of just about everything that is good and right and true.”

The author and columnist in The Times said in her speech that the big lie that we are all up against is the notion that peace and justice in the Middle East will come with a Palestinian state.

Citing a need to “seize back control” of the narrative, it was her belief that those in the West must speak out against the media and governments that are lying to them.

Former news anchorman and Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy (originally from England) said that the “anti-Zionist grip on institutional power hoodwinked the world into believing their libel, and they use that power to commit an industrial act of gaslighting,” – which he calls “Gazalighting.”

“They have trashed Israel’s global reputation, made it toxic. They have delivered Hamas a tremendous victory in the form of Israel’s tarnished global standing,” he said.

Shifting the Narrative

Ysabella Hazan, a young lawyer from Montreal, said that “the way to shift the narrative on campus is to meaningfully engage with narratives we face, and to completely shift the dynamic of being responsive.”

She added that Zionist engagement must be pro-active. “Our efforts are strong, but our messaging needs to reflect who we are as a nation and our indigenous connection to Israel, rather than pointing out anti-Semitic incidents and issuing strongly worded statements, in hopes of the administration doing something. Whatever we hope administrations will do won’t actually shift the culture. It’s a cultural problem.”

Dershowitz offered his own ideas for pro-active shifting of messaging.

“I think we have to start making a case against Palestinianism. I think we have to start beginning to tell the truth about how the Palestinians became Palestinians, how they rejected the two-state solution back in 1937, 1938, 1947, 1948, et cetera,” he said.

“If any group of people did not deserve a state, it’s the Palestinian people. The difference between Zionism and Palestinianism is Zionism is designed to build a state. Palestinianism is designed only to destroy the [Israeli] state.”

Dershowitz said he has offered a thousand dollars to any college student who can show any Palestinian demonstration in favor of a two-state solution. “Nobody has come to claim that $1,000. These demonstrations are not in favor of a Palestinian state. They’re not even in favor of Palestinians. They are only against Israel,” he said.

“We have to begin to explain the truth that if you support Palestinianism, you’re supporting an evil. You’re not supporting a good.”

What Do Our Bones Do?

There are more than 200 bones in the human body, and the bones are all connected to form the skeleton. It is your skeleton that supports you, protects you, and gives your body its shape. Not only does the skeleton prevent you from collapsing into a Jello-like blob, it is a movable frame that helps you stand, walk, run, jump, lift, and push.

Bones also protect the soft organs inside your body. For example, the bony skull protects your brain, while your ribs protect your heart and lungs. But your bones don’t do everything themselves; many bones are joined together by muscles. Bones and muscles work together to enable you to move.

Bones are far from solid — otherwise your skeleton would be five times heavier! Each bone has an outer shell of a very strong, dense substance, called compact bone. The inside, called spongy bone, is porous and has hollow spaces within it, like a sponge. It is still strong, but its structure makes bones slightly flexible. The spaces within the spongy bone contain red bone marrow, which is where most of your blood cells are made.

Another function of the bones is to store vital minerals, such as calcium, which the body uses when needed.

Without our bones, we’d have no structural frame – we’d simply collapse! Our skeleton performs three essential jobs: it provides the necessary anchor for us to move, it protects our vital internal organs, and it serves as the body’s storehouse for essential minerals.

Busy Bones
Every second, the bone marrow inside your bones manufactures a staggering two million red blood cells for your body!

Facts & Figures
A human is born with about 300 bones, but only ends up with 206 as an adult. Where did the others go? Over time, many small bones fuse together (grow together) to form larger, stronger bones.

What Happens When You Break a Bone?

Broken bones are common medical emergencies for children. Fortunately, and incredibly, your body can heal broken bones all by itself!

When you fracture (break) a bone, your body gets to work producing new bone cells, which will help heal the break. Of course you need a doctor to help it along. He’ll give you a cast or sling to make sure that the bone heals straight and properly.

A broken bone heals in stages. When the bone first breaks, the area gets swollen, as your blood clots to stop the bleeding at the fracture site. Next, collagen fibers start to grow over the broken area. The collagen, together with cartilage (a flexible, connective tissue), bridges the gap between the two sides of the break. This bridge will continue to form and harden until the bone is healed. While the bone is healing, it can’t take the stress that a normal bone can, which is why people use crutches and slings to take the pressure off the bone while it’s healing.

There are several different types of fractures. A complete fracture occurs when a bone is broken all the way through into two pieces. Greenstick fractures happen when a bone cracks only on one side. If a bone breaks and then protrudes through the skin, it’s called an open fracture. Depending on the type of fracture and the size of the bone, the bone may heal in as little as a couple of weeks or in as long as a couple of months or more.

The collarbone is the most commonly broken bone among children, while when adults break a bone, it’s most commonly a bone in the arm.

Busy Bones
Every second, the bone marrow inside your bones manufactures a staggering two million red blood cells for your body!

Facts & Figures

A human is born with about 300 bones, but only ends up with 206 as an adult. Where did the others go? Over time, many small bones fuse together (grow together) to form larger, stronger bones.

That’s Handy!
Did you know the area of your body with the most bones is your hands, fingers, and wrists? Altogether, they contain 54 bones – that’s more than a quarter of all the bones in your entire body! It makes sense that they’re built for such intricate, complex work.

Words of Wisdom
The protective design of our bones can remind us of a powerful message. Just as the bones in our body are perfectly designed to protect the most vulnerable parts from harm, so too does Hashem safeguard us. This mirrors the verse in Tehillim (Psalms 35:10): “
Hashem saves the helpless from those that are stronger than him.”

Bone Renewal

Your bones aren’t static; they are constantly being broken down and rebuilt in a process called remodeling. This process is so thorough that it takes approximately seven to ten years for the cells in your bones to completely regenerate. That means, cellularly speaking, you get a whole new skeleton about every decade!