Tammy Sassoon

Staying Connected with Your Children

Oftentimes parents say that they feel they are doing everything for their children, yet they have a hard time connecting with their children when they act ungrateful, unkind, or selfish. Parents ask, “How do I feel connected to my child when they are treating me this way?” The answer is that both we and our children do not have to do anything at all to be connected to each other because the connection is natural and is always there.

​Sometimes, however, we do need to remove blockages that make us feel disconnected from our children. ​Blockages can include our thoughts about ourselves or our children. Most of the time those thoughts are judgmental in nature, meaning that our brains are telling us that our children ​should​ be doing things differently. All “should” thinking is destructive. There are no “shoulds” in life.

Here is one example: A mother tells her daughter to deliver a package to an older woman who lives down the block. Her daughter answers, “No, do it yourself.” The mother starts yelling at her daughter because the mother acts according to the root thought of “kids should listen to their mothers, and it’s terrible if they do not.” While her daughter’s response was clearly very disrespectful, and requires wise direction from her mother, the mother needs to respond from a grounded place of clear thinking in order to tap into that wisdom.

Instead of thinking, “My daughter should…” she can think clearer truths such as, “Let me think how to set a healthy limit/help my daughter take responsibility here so she can act respectfully.” (It is not healthy for the daughter to not listen to her mother.) “This challenge is uniquely and lovingly designed for me by Hashem to provide me with an opportunity to grow.” “If I got this challenge, I certainly have the tools inside of me.” “My daughter made a poor choice, and I still see her Real Self beneath that. Her mistakes do not define her.”

Now, if the mother is responding to her daughter from a place of clear truths, she will be able to see that her connection to her daughter was never lost in the first place, but rather that her original faulty thinking is what created the blockage. Consequently, when her daughter says, “No, you do it,” the mother might respond with, “That comes across like you think you do not have to listen, and I know you do not mean that. Now, please go and bring the elderly lady down the block this bag.” All that is said with zero judgement in the mother’s voice. She is not thinking less of her daughter and is not worried about her either. Her daughter simply made a mistake. It is just a bump in the road, and she needs to take responsibility.

How to Deal with Disrespectful Comments

If the daughter often makes disrespectful comments, the mother can have separate conversations with her at a different time.

Notice, I said conversations in plural because it’s two separate conversations, never to be mixed.

Conversation #1: Is there something her daughter needs?

Conversation #2:  What is expected of the daughter? (We do not make excuses for misbehaviors.)

I like to always tell the child that we need to have these two conversations and ask the child which one they would like to have first. They usually pick the conversation about what they need first. I then give my undivided attention as the child explains, “You always ask me to help you, and not my sisters.” Or, “Sometimes I am just not in the mood.” To that conversation I just listen, but I never excuse. Just help the child to feel fully heard.

Then comes the second conversation of, “The real you wants to speak respectfully. You need to find different words to use when you are having these feelings.” We then trust our child to want to do the right thing by smiling and asking, “Can you give me your word that you will work hard to remember that?” People want to keep their word, so the chances of improvement are high. If they forget after that, do not slip back into “should” thinking. Remember that this is part of your child’s journey with you. Use the challenge as an opportunity to see beyond the misbehaviors, so you can focus on the natural connection between you and your child, which never leaves you. That is when you will come up with the best strategies.

By Rabbi Moshe Arking and Rabbi Hayim Asher Arking

The days of counting from Pesah to Shavuot are in anticipation and preparation for the goal of yesiat Misrayim – receiving the Torah. Sefirat ha’omer is a time to prepare for Shavuot when we accept the Torah. We can master that greatness, one day at a time. The counting should be accompanied with a plan that one can visualize and have a takeaway of a tangible accomplishment.  We should make every day that we count – count.

When is the best time to count?

One should count right after nightfall, which is approximately forty minutes after sunset, so that he is counting the entire coming day. If one is concerned that he will forget to count, then already after sunset one may count with a beracha.

One who did not count at night, counts by day without a beracha and then on subsequent nights with a beracha. Therefore, we have a custom to mention the count during Shaharit, so that one who forgot last night will fulfill his obligation then.

Can I eat supper before counting?

From a half-hour before the time of a mitsvah, such as tefillah, keriat shema, and counting sefirat ha’omer, one may not eat more than a k’beitsah (50 grams) of bread or mezonot. Other foods, including rice, chicken, meat, etc., may be eaten even in larger quantities. However, if one appoints a family member or friend who is not eating to remind him to count after his meal, he would be allowed to eat a full meal of bread or mezonot. 

Why do we stand?

When we perform mitsvot, such as shofar, lulav, pidyon, etc., we stand. The source of standing by mitsvot is actually from omer as the pasuk states, “from the beginning of the sickle harvesting – bakamah – the standing crop.” The word bakamah also teaches us that we perform the mitsvot while standing.

I mistakenly counted the wrong number. Do I recite a new beracha?

One who counted the wrong day did not fulfill his obligation and is required to count again with a beracha. If the mistake was realized immediately – within approximately one and a half seconds – the correct day should be recited without a beracha. After that time, he will need to recite a new beracha and count.

Can I recite the beracha and then figure out the correct number by following the person next to me?

Like all berachot, before one begins, he should be saying it upon something known and specific, i.e. before reciting ha’ets, he should preferably know exactly which fruit he is reciting upon and even hold it in his hand. Therefore, one should preferably know the correct day before he starts to make the beracha.

Another important point is that one should realize what number he is counting. It is not merely about saying certain words that fulfills the mitsvah, but rather to understand the number counted.

I am not sure if I missed a day, do I continue?

According to some opinions, the forty-nine days of sefirat ha’omer require a continuous counting without missing a day. In deference to this opinion, one who misses a day, although he will lose the beracha, is required to continue to count on the following nights. However, if one is not sure if he missed a day or not, he will continue his counting with a beracha.

I always end up missing a day! May I start counting with a beracha?

Yes. Before a day is actually missed, one would still count with a beracha even if he knows that he will definitely miss a day. Therefore, if someone has a scheduled surgery or something that will prevent him from counting a complete day of the omer, he should still begin to count with a beracha.

Do women and children count the omer?

Young boys should be taught to count once they reach the age of hinuch – six years old, like every other mitsvah. A minor who missed a night of counting is different from an adult and should continue to count with a beracha. However, women do not count at all, even without a beracha.

I told someone what day it is. May I still count with a beracha?

When asked what day it is, it is best to respond, “Yesterday was such-and-such.” In order for one to fulfill his obligation, his counting has to be prefaced by saying, “Today is day…” Therefore, if one did not yet count and responded, “today is day six,” he would lose his beracha. However, if he just answered “six” or “it’s six,” he may still count with a beracha.

What if one becomes bar mitsvah in the middle of sefirat ha’omer?

A minor who will become bar mitsvah in the middle of sefira should start counting with a beracha until he turns thirteen. After his bar mitsvah, the question arises whether it is considered that he is starting anew in the middle of the omer; therefore, he may not be able to recite a beracha. For this FAQ, we would refer one to his rabbi.

When is the earliest time I can take a haircut, listen to music, etc.?

All the customs of the sefira (i.e. weddings, music, haircuts) apply until the morning of the thirty-fourth day. Regarding music, however, the custom is to be lenient on Lag la’omer if the music is being played at a hilula for Ribbi Shimon Bar Yochai.

Can I buy new clothes during the days of sefira?

One may buy new clothes during sefira. However, for clothes that require a sheheianu, it is preferable to wear them first on Shabbat and recite sheheianu then. Sheheianu on fruits may be recited even during the week.

Why do we study Pirkei Avot during sefira? As mentioned, these days are in preparation and anticipation of receiving the Torah. We therefore learn PirkeiAvot which motivates one to the observance of Torah and mitsvot, and the study of the foundation for Torah – our character traits. Secondly, Pirkei Avot focuses a lot on our interpersonal relationships that were at a low point during this period and therefore require our attention to study properly.

Y. Dror 

“The Omer counts days – but it measures our unity.” 

The forty-nine days that connect Pesach with Shavuot correspond to the forty-nine drives and traits of the human heart. In the desert each day saw the refinement of one of the sefirot that reflect these traits, which brought Klal Yisrael closer to achieving the level needed to obtain the holy Torah. 

Each year we retrace this inner journey with our “Counting of the Omer.” Beginning on the second night of Pesach, the day during which the korban haOmer was sacrificed, we show our thirst for Matan Torah and we begin to count the days and weeks – “Today is one day to the Omer,” “Today is seven days, which are one week to the Omer,” and so on – until “Today is forty-nine days, which are seven weeks to the Omer.”  

The number seven represents completion, as the entire world was created and completed in seven days. “Shavuot” means “Weeks,” teaching us that by the time Matan Torah is reached, and one had just completed seven cycles of seven, a forty-nine-step process of self-refinement, he is complete and ready to become a servant of Hashem and receive the Torah. 

On the day of Shavuot, the korban of “Sheteh Halechem,” which is made of wheat, is sacrificed. This korban is unlike the korban haOmer brought on the second day of Pesach, which is made of barley. This hints to us that prior to the forty-nine days we were on an animal-like level, as animals would eat simple barley. But now, after we have acquired a higher level, we offer a korban made up of wheat, which is eaten by humans.  

But in the middle of all this excitement of improving one’s self and preparing for Matan Torah, for the most part we are actually practicing several forms of mourning.

The Gemara in Yebamot (62) explains: Rabbi Akiva had twenty-four-thousand students, all of whom passed away due to not treating each other with the proper respect.   

One might ask: Can it really be true? 

Could it be that thousands of students of one of the greatest Tana’im – a man who restored Torah and halacha to Klal Yisrael – passed away for not treating each other with the proper respect? Furthermore, one may ask, why would it occur during a time that Klal Yisrael are preparing to receive the Torah?    

The Midrash Tanhuma cites a pasuk in Mishleh: “Do not rob a poor man because he is poor,anddo not crush the poor man in the gate.”Firstly, why would the pasuk need to tell us, “Because he is poor”? And second, if he is poor – then what is there to steal?   

The midrash explains that the pasuk means that if a person who used to support a poor man decides to discontinue his support, it is considered as though he is stealing from the poor person. 
Perhaps through this interpretation we can better understand what really happened with Rabbi Akiva’s students. Maybe they did not actually act wrongly or do anything inherently bad, but if, for example, one regularly greeted his friend every morning, and then stopped, it is like he stole and purposely did not greet him. “Hashem is meticulous with the righteous like a hairsbreadth.”    

Perhaps that is also one of the reasons they passed away during the time of year when we are preparing to receive the Torah. It is to teach us that without unity and the proper respect for one another it’s impossible to properly serve Hashem and accept the Torah even if your teacher is Rabbi Akiva.    It is imperative that we always keep in mind that Klal Yisrael accepted the Torah, “Keh’ish echad be’lev echad” – “As one man with one heart.” 

Investigative Journalist Lisa Daftari on Iran’s Uprising and the War Reshaping the Middle East

DAVE GORDON

The joint U.S. – Israel military campaign against Iran began not as a war of choice, but as a necessity. The attacks were a rapid and calibrated response to an onslaught of Iranian provocations over decades, that had pushed the region to the brink. Within days of precision strikes on Iranian command centers, defense analysts described what followed as a cascade of falling dominoes within the Islamic regime. Dozens of senior military and intelligence figures were eliminated, command communication fractured, and the once-formidable Revolutionary Guard showed signs of internal collapse.

The February 28th strikes came after weeks of protests that left a reported 90,000 Iranian demonstrators killed by the regime, and a total regime-led internet blackout of 90 million Iranians.

Tehran’s leadership appeared increasingly desperate, after a series of drone and missile strikes extended to eleven countries, including neighboring Muslim countries once considered off-limits.

For Washington and Jerusalem, the calculus was clear. After years of containment and deterrence, Tehran’s behavior left no diplomatic option. The ensuing strikes – swift, surgical, and devastating – signaled not escalation for its own sake, but the defense of global stability from a regime unmoored from restraint.

Award-winning investigative journalist and foreign policy expert Lisa Daftari weighs in exclusively for Community, clarifying the many layers needed to understand the conflict.

Born in New Jersey to Persian Jewish parents who met in the United States and married in Iran, Daftari brings to her journalism a deeply personal connection to the Iranian story. Even as a graduate student, she gravitated toward stories connected to Iran, producing an investigative documentary on an underground Iranian political and freedom movement that was later screened in the U.S. Congress.

Her early professional years took her into the world of Washington think tanks, where she researched Middle Eastern politics and terrorism, and produced detailed reports for the Pentagon and other government bodies. Immersed in policy debates on Iran, divestment, and regime behavior, she attended legislative hearings and compiled extensive research on Iranian youth movements and opposition networks.

Over the years, she has been a frequent guest and analyst on Fox News, as well as appearing on networks including CBS, NBC, and PBS.

As Editor-in-Chief of The Foreign Desk, a digital news platform she founded, Daftari oversees coverage of global affairs with a particular emphasis on how events abroad reverberate in American policy and domestic life. The outlet covers topics ranging from Iran’s internal unrest and nuclear ambitions to persecution of religious minorities in the Middle East and cyber threats originating from hostile regimes.

Over the course of her career, Daftari has covered some of the most significant developments in contemporary Iranian history, from the Green Movement and subsequent waves of protest to the ongoing 2025–2026 demonstrations sparked by economic collapse, corruption, and demands for political change.

This interview has been edited for brevity.

What is different about this recent wave of protests compared to earlier uprisings?

That’s a great question. One of the things I often talk about is the evolution of the protesters in Iran. So for years, we saw protests, but the Western world didn’t know what to make of them. We saw the Green Revolution (2009-2010). It was called a protest for reform because it was over a fraudulent election. Then after that, we saw the Iranians just starting to dabble with the concept of regime change. If you fast forward to the “women, life, freedom” protest (2022) [this protest movement launched after the death of a young Kurdish woman who was arrested by the morality police for not wearing her hijab properly], they began to be very clear – this is not just about women’s rights, but it’s about the entirety of the regime.

Really, all ages, all socioeconomic brackets [are involved] – and I think that’s an important part of this [current protest], that is really [happening] across the country. Iran is a diverse patchwork of different ethnicities, but right now they’re very much united in their message, and that is the message of regime change.

It’s almost the perfect storm. You have the regime at its weakest point ever, economically. The economy in Iran is in the downward spiral in terms of its proxies. They have been severely diminished by Israel the aftermath of the October 7th war.

And then, with regards to their weapons and nuclear program, we are just coming off of the 12 Day War [with Israel] in June, which severely degraded and also humiliated the regime, although they will not admit it. Then you have Bibi Netanyahu in Israel and Donald Trump in the United States, both leaders who have the moral courage to look beyond their terms in office, and look at the Middle East as a place where they can make significant change, and reset the entire region for decades to come.

I think this is going to put the Abraham Accords on steroids. What we’re seeing right now in the Middle East is a complete reset, with the Iran regime shooting indiscriminately into civilian areas, into these Arab states. We’re seeing realignment with Israel and its neighbors, and really seeing, hopefully, a new day for the Iranian people, for the region, and for global security.

How many people have taken to the streets in Iran so far, and how many people have been killed by the regime? Do we have those numbers?

It’s hard to verify. You’re not going to get real numbers from the regime, and there’s no way to really tell. But I would even say the numbers that we’re seeing are significantly higher than that [which the regime reports]. What we’re seeing quoted is 30 to 50,000 protesters killed.

There is consensus among Iranians of all 31 provinces. This is significant. Iran being twice the size of Texas. All generations are coming out onto the streets. We’re talking about millions of people, in a country of 90 million, because this is something worth sacrificing for.

The regime has responded with internet blackouts, arrests, and killings. What are you hearing from your sources inside Iran about how people are going about their daily lives?

It’s a great question. You know, the way I describe the Iranian people right now is with an “anxious optimism.” Obviously, nobody wants bombs coming over their heads. But imagine a people so desperate for change, so desperate for basic freedoms. We can’t understand this here in the West, but they are so desperate for basic freedom that they were asking for military intervention on their soil.

I think that that’s being lost in the mainstream media coverage of all this. They are trying to stay safe. A lot of people have gone out of the major cities for safety.

The Achilles heel of this regime has always been the people of Iran coming out in grassroots fashion, and rising up. They showed us in 2009 they were the first people on earth to use social media in an integrated effort, to tell the world their stories. They became citizen journalists. They were sending us videos and sending us stories, and telling us their stories without any reporters on the ground. So they [regime members] do the blackout, because they don’t want people to organize and to let one another know about where the next protest will be, or how they should organize politically.

You support the return of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. Why?

I support him for many reasons. From the time I was a child, my dinner table conversations revolved around this nostalgia about Iran that my parents carried with them to the United States. I was born in the United States. I was born after the revolution, but I inherited this nostalgia for a time under the Shah of Iran that my parents told me about. My mother went to university (in Iran), and she wore trendy outfits. They spoke of such a glorious time. The younger generation inherited their parents’ stories, too.

They want to go back to the glorious times of Iran. They are very cognizant of the fact that their country went backwards in the last 47 years instead of going forward.

I have had the honor of interviewing Pahlavi many times, getting to know him. I interviewed his wife. More recently, I interviewed his daughter, getting to know their family. They have become the guardians of this civilization. Pahlavi hopes to be a transitional leader – giving the Iranian people what they want, and putting them on the right course to reclaim their country and determine their future.

What signals do you look for to determine whether or how the US-Israel strikes are making a real difference?

It’s so interesting to me to watch the mainstream media and the political opponents here and around the world, whether they’re in Europe or the Middle East or in the United States, be so impatient. They’re asking: how are we going to dismantle a five decade tyranny in a week?

I think it really warrants more patience. I’m very much enthused, as I listen to briefings by the president, also by the IDF, as to what targets they’re hitting, and what their plans are. I’m enthused to hear that they are ahead of schedule. They’ve hit thousands of targets and eliminated fifty members of Iranian top-tier leadership. That’s a huge win for this war and for the Iranian people’s morale. If we don’t remove the regime now, we’ll maybe face nuclear weapons, more ballistic missiles, more proxy attacks, and an existential threat to Israel and the entire Middle East. I know the Arab countries being shot at now feel the same way.

There is no scenario in which this regime should be left with remnants [of munitions].

During a press conference on March 12, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a striking remark. “In these days, my team and I are weaving additional alliances with countries in the region, alliances that only a few weeks ago would have seemed unimaginable.” Is there code behind that? What does that mean?

I think it’s actually very clear that he’s talking about alliances with countries that now understand this threat better, clearer, than ever before. So, just as an example, the Qataris were housing and funding Hamas, and now Iran regime missiles are falling into Qatar.

The same goes for a long list of Persian Gulf Arab states that are now on the receiving end of the fury of this tyrannical maniac regime. I think that we’re looking again at a reset of the Middle East. We’re looking at an entirely new day on the horizon for the Middle East. I think for many years, a lot of us have been saying it, but now it’s become clear on the military battlefield.

If we remove the Iran regime, we will remove the biggest obstacle for Middle East security for decades to come, if not for generations to come. I think that that’s exactly what Netanyahu was referring to. This is the tremendous impact the removal of this regime will have on global security.

There is some discussion over what happens if the United States decides to halt operations before Israel is ready to do so. What does that situation look like, and how could that be handled?

I interviewed Ambassador Dr. Yechiel (Michael) Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, and posed the same question to him. He said very emphatically that the United States and Israel have never been so closely aligned from the beginning of this war to this very moment. So I’d like to echo his sentiments.

What message do peace-loving Iranians in Iran wish to send to the West?

I receive many videos, whether people are talking straight to the camera, or they are showing me graffiti, or they are dancing and praising Bibi and Donald Trump, for this very courageous effort. They look at this as a rescue mission.

Donald Trump saw an opportunity to end a war that started 47 years ago. From the first days of this regime, they said “Death to America.” They burned American flags, and then they took American hostages, and they started targeting our assets, and targeting our service members.

In the region, Iran was the number one state sponsor of terror. They put every dollar they had either into their nuclear program, their ballistic missile program, or into their proxies. The Iranian regime tried to train people to hate Israel and hate America, but that’s not the people of Iran. We love America. We love Israel. I think that they [the Iranian people] look forward to joining the global community and being free of this regime. So, they are grateful for this rescue mission.

Band-Aids in World War II

Although early sales of Band-Aids were slow, the product’s popularity took a big leap during World War II. As Johnson & Johnson expanded its first-aid supplies, it included Band-Aids in kits sent overseas to U.S. servicemen and allies, where they were widely used for minor cuts, blisters, and scrapes in training and combat situations. This exposure helped millions of soldiers become familiar with the product and brought Band-Aids into common usage when many veterans returned home after the war. The wartime distribution played an important role in transforming Band-Aids from a niche household item into a trusted staple in American first-aid care.

How the Boy Scouts Helped Spread the Brand

One of Band-Aid’s early marketing breakthroughs came through an unexpected partner: the Boy Scouts of America. In the 1920s, Johnson & Johnson included Band-Aids in first-aid kits for Boy Scouts, and later distributed free supplies to Scout troops. Scouts frequently encountered the kinds of scrapes and minor injuries that Band-Aids were designed to treat, making them ideal users of the product. This grassroots exposure helped familiarize entire families with Band-Aids and contributed significantly to growing demand nationwide. The Boy Scouts partnership is an early example of targeted product sampling that helped make Band-Aids a household name long before mass advertising.

Trademark vs. Everyday Language

The name Band-Aid has become much more than a product – it’s a well-known example of a brand name entering everyday language. While Johnson & Johnson still holds the trademark and officially refers to its products as “BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages” to protect that trademark, many people use the term generically to mean any adhesive bandage. This process, known as “genericization,” occurs when a brand name becomes synonymous in common speech with the category itself. Other examples include “Kleenex” for tissues and “Xerox” for photocopies. Even though Band-Aid remains a protected trademark, its widespread use in language reflects its deep cultural impact.

Inventions are the ingenious gadgets and machines that have made our lives a little more fun, interesting, and useful. Real inventions are the things that we did not think were possible yesterday, and yet, it would be difficult to live without today. From the tiny paperclip to the massive jet engine, every month we will explore the history behind our world’s most famous inventions and learn about the innovators who designed them.

This month we explore the history behind an invention that is an absolute staple of any home’s First Aid Kit…

The

BAND-AID

Earle Dickson was employed as a cotton buyer for large medical and healthcare firm, Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 1917, Dickson married Josephine Francis Knight. His wife routinely suffered minor injuries in the kitchen while preparing food. By 1920, Dickson became used to the routine of bandaging the occasional cut, burn, or graze on his wife’s fingers and hands.  Available bandages at the time were often big and bulky. It consisted of separate gauze and adhesive tape that you would cut to size and apply yourself. When Dickson noticed the gauze and adhesive tape his wife used would soon fall off her active fingers, he decided to do something about it.

Ingenuity and Determination

Earle  Dickson was determined to create something that would be easy to apply yourself, remain in place, and protect wounds better. He took a piece of gauze and attached it to the center of a piece of tape then covered the product with crinoline to keep it sterile.

This ready-to-go product allowed his wife to dress her injuries by herself. She now had access to a roll of pre-prepared dressings which she could cut a small piece off at any time to apply a small bandage to a knife-nicked finger or grazed elbow. For the first time, a dressing could now be applied easily and single-handedly by the injured person without any assistance.

Promotion to Vice President

When Dickson’s boss James Johnson saw the invention, he decided to manufacture the product to the public and make Earle Dickson vice-president of the company. The new bandages went into production in 1920.

The BAND-AID is Born

Executives struggled to come up with a title for the new product until the superintendent of the mill, W. Johnson Kenyon, had a spark of inspiration and suggested BAND-AID.

Sales, however, did not skyrocket right away. In the first year of production, only $3,000 of the product was sold. However, changes were made on both the marketing and product design sides. By 1924, the bandages were being produced in a range of convenient sizes – particularly the three inches long, three-quarters of an inch wide plaster people are most familiar with today, and the hallmark red thread pulled to easily open each plaster’s packaging was introduced.

Johnson & Johnson hired traveling salesmen to demonstrate how to use the product and also distributed large numbers of BAND-AIDS for free amongst Boy Scout troops across the entire United States. That seemed to do the trick, as sales rose sharply soon thereafter.

Major Milestones

Although the product itself has remained relatively unchanged throughout the years, its history still came with a few big milestones including the introduction of machine-made band-aids in 1924, the sale of sterilized band-aids in 1939, and the replacement of regular tape with vinyl tape in 1958, all of which were marketed as the latest in at-home medical care.

Successful Inventor & Innovator Earle Dickson served  as vice president for Johnson & Johnson until he retired in 1957. After his retirement, he was a member of the board of directors until his death in 1961. By this time Band-Aids were well-known and a hot seller for the company. At the time of Earle’s death, around $30,000,000 worth of Band-Aids sold each year. Quite an accomplishment from its first year total of only $3,000!

Dirshu Led by Rabbi Eli Mansour and Rav Dovid Hofstedter Transform Panama

Chaim Gold

“The first time I visited your community in Panama was twenty-five years ago. At that time, I remember meeting the unforgettable Chief Rabbi of Panama Haham Sion Levy, zt”l. During our conversation he told me, ‘HaRav Eli, do you know what the acronym (in Hebrew) of Panama is? It stands for Po Nimtzah Mamon Harbeh!’ [Here there is a lot of money.]

“That’s what he said twenty-five years ago. However, I have no doubt that if your great Rabbi, Haham Sion would be here tonight, he would for sure change the acronym and say, ‘Panama tonight – Po Nimtza Mattan HaTorah!’”

That was the powerful opening of a seminal address delivered by Rav Eli Mansour, Rabbi of the Safra Synagogue, at the historic Dirshu Maamad Ahavat HaTorah recently held in in Panama.

Dirshu Spectacular Community Event

To understand the history of the Torah revolution that the Panama Jewish community is undergoing, one had to witness this Dirshu event! It was an event where more than 1,000 men, women, and children representing the entire cross-section of the community came to celebrate Torah learning and to pledge their commitment to sustain accountable limud haTorah.

Never in its history has the Panama Jewish community ever experienced an event for the sole purpose of promoting limud haTorah. As one community leader related, “When I told people about the upcoming Dirshu event, the first thing they asked me was, ‘How much money do you want from me?’ Indeed, most Rabbinic guests who come to Panama come to raise money, but I told them that in this case Dirshu and its Nasi, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, are NOT coming to raise money! They are coming to GIVE! They want nothing more from the community than to increase Torah, to try facilitating more shiurei Torah, to try raising the level of daily accountable Torah learning in our community.”

Twenty-Five Years Ago Versus Today

“Should I tell you a bit more about my first trip to Panama twenty-five years ago?” Rabbi Mansour asked. “I’ll tell you! Twenty-five years ago, I wasn’t speaking in this beautiful, large auditorium. It was a gathering in The Club. Many of you weren’t even born! Rav Sion told me, ‘Rabbi Eliyahu we have a crisis in Panama, we need hizuk in kedushat hamishpacha, in shemirat Shabbat, in kashrut!’

“And who did I address in that club twenty-five years ago?” Rabbi Mansour exclaimed, “There were no white shirts! There were no black jackets! No one was wearing a hat! There was no band playing Jewish music, no Yoreh Deah on the tables, no talmidei hahamim at the dais! Nothing like this!

“I gave a speech for men and women sitting together. We were trying to convince them that it is kedai to keep tahara, to eat kosher, that it is kedai to keep Shabbat. Who would have believed that one generation later we would already be coming here?! Who would have believed that now the discussion is Daf HaYomi, Amud HaYomi, Daf HaYomi B’Halacha, Mishnah Berurah, this learning, that learning, more iyun, less iyun… Now we are already dealing with different sheailot!!

“I know our tradition says that there is yeridat hadorot but I question this because here in Panama we are witnessing aliyat hadorot! We are witnessing what the Gemara says, ‘achsar dara’ – the generation is getting better!”

A Line of Demarcation and a Night of Highlights

In truth, the Dirshu Evening of Hizuk was a rally on behalf of limud haTorah and a demarcation line that perhaps will forever be a “before and after moment” regarding the renaissance of Torah in the Panama Jewish community.

Never before in the history of the community has everyone – all the community’s Rabbanim, Ashkenazim, Sephardim, yeshivish, baalebatim – come together to show their support and admiration for something like Dirshu, an organization whoseraisond’être is to enhance Torah opportunities in the community.

One highlight of the evening was the speech of the Nasi of Dirshu, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, whose remarks, personality, and life story made a profound impact on the community. Rabbi Hofstedter also took the opportunity while he was in Panama to visit numerous Torah institutions throughout the city and address many of them as well.

Another highlight was the emotional, enthusiastic, beautiful musical entertainment led by Naftali Kempe and accompanied by a large band and choir, all of whom came especially to Panama for the event.

The combination of drashot and divrei Torah for the heart and music for the soul, provided the more than one thousand members of the Panama community an all-encompassing spiritual experience that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

One of the most heart-warming moments was the grand entrance of all the Rabbanim of the community culminating in more than twenty-five Rabbanim representing the entire spectrum of Panama Jewry taking their place at the dais. There could be no greater expression of the hashivut of what Dirshu is doing for the community than the presence of the entire Rabbinic leadership.

After the event, one prominent askan commented in amazement that the most powerful moment was when all the Rabbanim joined together to dance with ahdut and simha.

A Stellar Lineup

The evening began with welcoming remarks by Rabbi Gavriel Betesh, Rav of the Hebrew Academy of Panama, followed by addresses from four of the most prominent Rabbanim in the community, Rav David Perets, shlita, Rav Avraham Silvera, shlita, Rav Elazar Ben Hamu, shlita, and Rav Eliyahu Monobello, shlita.

An awe-filled silence settled on the room as Rabbi Eli Avraham, a prominent marbitz Torah who is at the forefront of many of Panama’s Torah activities, was asked to make a siyum on Masechtah Pesachim that is being completed by Dirshu’s Amud HaYomi program. After Rabbi Avraham completed the Kaddish the entire assemblage burst into spirited song led by Naftali Kempe. The emotion in the room was palpable as the feeling of being connected to the wider Torah world enveloped Panama’s Jewish community.

In an evening replete with highlights, the singular video messages recorded especially for the event by leading Gedolei Torah from Eretz Yisrael was particularly impactful. Special messages tailormade for the Panama community were delivered by HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of the Slabodka Yeshiva, HaGaon HaRav Avraham Salim, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Me’or HaTorah, HaGaon HaRav Dovid Cohen, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of the Chevron Yeshiva, and HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Yedidya Zafrani, shlita, Av Beis Din, Kesser Torah and Rosh Yeshivas Sifsei Chaim.

Their individualized words of hizuk contained timely messages for the community combined with a sense of joy, as each one of the Gedolim expressed their excitement over the fact that the Dirshu revolution is coming to Panama.

Strengthening Torah Learning

Rav Moshe Hillel expressed tremendous joy about the remarkable Torah strides made by the Panama community in recent and then he spoke about Dirshu, saying, “I have seen what Dirshu’s programs to strengthen the learning of Torah, whether it is Gemara or halacha, have done for the Jews of Eretz Yisrael and America. They have added so much to the spiritual lives of those who are part of Dirshu and who have profoundly upgraded their Torah learning. I am certain that joining Dirshu’s programs will likewise tremendously elevate the level of Torah learning in Panama.” 

Rabbi Gavriel Chizkiya, who leads Dirshu’s operations in Panama, related, “The community was very strongly moved by the fact that senior Gedolei Yisrael such as Rav Hirsch, Rav Salim, Rav Dovid Cohen, and Rav Zafrani sent special messages encouraging the Jews of Panama to join Dirshu’s programs and describing for us how they have seen the phenomenal impact that Dirshu made in many locales across the world!”

Rav Dovid Hofstedter

There is no doubt that one of the highlights of the evening was the powerful drasha given by Rav Dovid Hofstedter.

Rav Dovid began by recalling his last visit to Panama over thirty-five years ago.

“The reason I came then was not because of the wonderful weather or the other recreational opportunities that Panama has to offer. You’ll be surprised to hear this, but thirty-five years ago, the economic situation in the city of Toronto was such that several mosdot haTorah were in danger of closing their doors! Klal Yisrael is amazing! What does one do when faced with such a challenge? I was told that I should go to Panama because the wonderfully warm-hearted Jews in Panama would take care of us… and indeed, this wonderful community didn’t ask why Toronto was coming for support! Rather, they accepted us with open arms and did whatever they could to help us! And today? Look around. Wow! What a wonderful community! What a community with spiritual aspirations!”

Rabbi Hofstedter then went to deliver a dvar Torah that showed how a person having to come out of their comfort zone to go above and beyond. He explained that Mordehai HaYehudi had every reason in the world and every justification to bow down to Haman. It was permitted. It wasn’t idolatry. Nevertheless, the passuk tells us, “U’Mordehai lo yichreh v’lo yishtahave – and Mordehai refused to bend and refused to bow.”

Panama at a Crossroads

Rav Hofstedter continued, “There are times in life when a person or a community is faced with a challenge. There are times when there is every reason in the world not to try achieving a specific goal and many times it is possible that the reasons are even justified. Sometimes, however, when a difficult challenge presents itself, we, just like Mordechai, come to the realization that this is our purpose and if we don’t elevate and motivate ourselves to meet this challenge head-on, we may squander the opportunity forever.

“This wonderful community that has, bli ayin hara, grown so much, is at a crossroads. The foundation has been built. Now the people of this community are empowered to accept upon themselves and decide with an ironclad decision to elevate themselves and achieve an important goal! This city can become an ihr v’em b’Yisrael [a Jewish “mother-city,” a cultural center for the Jewish people] in Torah study! It can be a community that when people come to visit, they can say that this community, this unique community, has flourished to become full of talmidei hahamim from east to west and from north to south.”

The applause was deafening as the entire assemblage stood on their feet clapping. You could see the glint of the challenge in their eyes as they contemplated meeting that challenge head on.

Rav Hofstedter concluded his remarks with a fascinating story that emotionally drew the assemblage into his personal world.

A Young Girl’s Story

“We are now in the period between the Yamim Tovim of Purim and Pesah. I want to tell you a story about someone who had all the excuses in the world but instead rose to the occasion and merited in that zehut something eternal.

“Around one-hundred years ago this person, a young girl, lived in a tiny little village in Europe before the Holocaust. There was no Bet Yaakov school in her village, no day school, no summer camps, and no Bnot groups. There wasn’t even a minyan in town during the week. The hinuch she received was what she learned from her mother, her father, her grandmother, and her uncles. The town was so small that in order to have a minyan on Shabbos, they would have to bring in bahurim from a nearby town. In our world, we would say that she had no hinuch…

“When the war broke out, she was all of sixteen years old. At that young age, she was taken to Auschwitz, and from there to a brutal slave labor camp called Allendorf. Then came Pesah, Pesah, 1945. She knew that it was simply impossible for a Jewish girl to eat hametz on Pesah. But not eating hametz meant starving. Nothing less. Still the hinuch she had received at home was so real, so sincere, so Gd-fearing, that she felt that, come what may, she would not eat bread on Pesah. There was a problem, though. If the Nazis saw that the prisoners didn’t take the bread, they would beat them to death, so she had to take the bread. What did she do? She took the bread and buried the pieces in the ground.

“Not long after that fateful Pesah, the last Pesah of the war, the allies began bombing Allendorf. The Nazis liquidated the camp, sending that girl with all the other prisoners on the infamous Death March. They marched for days and days. People were falling and dying all around. There was no food, no water… nothing!

“And then it happened! One day, the Nazis suddenly disappeared! The allies were almost there! That girl and her friends were a short distance from a farmhouse when she collapsed. She simply couldn’t carry on. Her friends, however, brought her to the farmhouse, gave her water and some food that revived her and brought her back to life.

“What enabled her to last on the Death March until that point even though so many others had died? Just before they were herded away to begin the Death March, she remembered the hidden bread and retrieved it. It was that bread, bread that she had not eaten on Pesah so that she could refrain from eating hametz. That bread saved her life, giving her sufficient nourishment to withstand the cruel march into Germany…! Until they were finally liberated.

“Morai v’Rabbotai! That young girl was my mother, a”h! It is because she survived that I am here with you tonight! Because there was a young girl who had all the teirutzim, all the excuses in the world, but pushed herself above and beyond, to do what she felt was important in order to fulfill her purpose in the world!”

The History of Dirshu in Panama

Rabbi Gabriel Chizkiya, who leads Dirshu’s activities in Panama, described how Dirshu has grown in Panama, raising the spirituality of the community. Dirshu has been in Panama for more than a decade. It began with a group that learns the Daf Hayomi B’Halacha and more recently the Amud Hayomi. In the last few years, however, the community has grown exponentially. There is a very large yeshiva and there are also teachers of Torah who have come to the community and this has facilitated a tremendous spiritual growth and Torah learning. The younger generation, here in Panama, have also gone to learn in yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael and have later returned to the community after their marriage. These young people are coming with a background in Torah learning and are now being offered serious learning opportunities even as they are already involved in the business world.

Many baalebaim learn at the kollel in the morning or in the evening and they have avreihim as havrutot. Dirshu programs such as Amud Hayomi are perfect for them! The set schedule along with the built-in review and possibility of taking tests serve as even greater motivators. In addition, an Amud Yomi haburah has opened, where there are many havrutot learning at the same time and a rosh haburah who is available to answer questions.

“Now,” Rabbi Chizkiya continued, “in the aftermath of the event, I have been swamped with phone calls, messages and even people coming up to me in the street saying that they want to join a program. They came to the evening of Ahavat HaTorah and were so inspired! They don’t want to lose their enthusiasm! They want to grab the opportunity to incorporate more Torah into their life in a sustainable way.

“Another byproduct of the event,” Rabbi Chizkiya stressed, “was the very positive impact it made on the women of the community. Although many young men go to learn in yeshiva, most of the girls and women remain in Panama and don’t have any exposure to the Torah world as the boys do. One community member told me that the presence of prominent rabbanim and the opportunity to hear messages from gedolim, the inspiring music, and the fact that so many came to the event just to celebrate limud haTorah has strengthened observance and Judaism in many homes!”

The Price for Torah!

There was pin-drop silence as Rabbi Eli Mansour rose to deliver the keynote address of the evening. Rabbi Mansour elaborated on the miraculous way that Torah has endured throughout the Galut. He explained that we see how throughout the years, the only way Torah survives and thrives is when we pay a price for Torah. At the time of Purim, the Bnei Yisrael were threatened with death, but they were saved! Afterwards, Chazal teach us that the Bnei Yisrael accepted upon themselves the Torah with ahavah, with love as a result of the miracle of Purim, as a result of going from mitah l’haim, from the decree of death to life!

What ensued was most fertile periods of Torah. That was when the Talmud was written, the Mishnah, Gemara, etc.

“The bottom line,” Rabbi Mansour exclaimed, “is that every time there has been a renaissance of Torah it was only after the Jewish people paid a price! Now, in our generation,” he continued, “we are getting toward the end of the tunnel! We are starting to see the light of the Torato shel Mashiah. All the great roshei yeshiva who came after the Holocaust, whether it was Rav Aharon Kotler in America or the Klausenberger Rebbe. The Rebbe lost all his children, but he went on! These Gedolei Yisrael built Torah! They went forward! And since the price paid by Klal Yisrael during the Holocaust was so expensive – they went not from mitah l’haim. During the Holocaust six million Jews were killed! Now, look at the result! The result is unstoppable!”

A Novel Interpretation

Looking around at the crowd, Rabbi Mansour said, “I would like to offer a novel interpretation in your honor, and it is based on a story that happened with me. Many years ago, a wealthy Syrian Jew asked me to accompany him to Eretz Yisrael, so I took him. When I asked him where he wants to go, he replied, ‘I want to go see Rav Chaim Kanievsky.’

“Now, of course, I know where Rav Chaim lives. I had been to the rabbi many times. I had been to his father, the Steipler. I bought my set of Kehillat Yakov from the Steipler himself.

“So we go. Now, this wealthy man has everything. And there we were, walking up the steps and he gets rust all over his hands from the rusty banister. The steps are creaking like a haunted mansion. When we open the door to walk in, the door squeaks. We enter a very austere, modest abode. The light bulbs are hanging. There are no [light] fixtures. The Rebbetzin comes out, ‘Come, let me show you the kitchen.’ The kitchen we see is a small little hole in the wall with a Bunsen burner, a small skillet with some eggs and tomatoes – the Rabbi’s lunch.

“This rich man cannot believe what he is seeing! And then we go in to see Rav Chaim. He is sitting there on this warm spring day at his shtender, his jacket off, tzitizit over his shirt, the window is open and he is learning, with a smile from ear to ear. We got brahot, of course…

“On the way out, this fellow start crying and he says to me, ‘This man has nothing, no physical [comforts] or anything material. How is it possible that I have everything, I have planes, helicopters, and all the money in the world, but I don’t have the simhat haim that he has?! I don’t have the joy, the contentment that this man has! How is it possible?’

“I replied, ‘Please don’t feel bad for him. He must have something that is more pleasurable than what you have! That’s all. He is not sacrificing at all. As a matter of fact, he thinks you are making the ultimate sacrifice because you haven’t yet found something sweeter! Therefore, what you are involved in, your addiction, doesn’t bring you the same bliss, the same joy. You don’t have to pray for Rav Chaim.. His quality of life is perfect!’

“Hello! When you study Torah, you are doing yourself a favor! Our ancestors have paid the price for this Torah! They paid a price with their blood.

Following Hashem

“When the Jewish people left Mitzrayim, Hashem said, ‘Lechtech Acharei bamidbar’ and we followed Him to the midbar because we knew He was going to take good care of us. Gd would not tell us to go to the midbar if He wouldn’t provide ananei kavod, mohn, and the well of Miriam.

“But in the Holocaust?! ‘Lechtech Acharei’ – to where? To Auschwitz, to Treblinka??!To Dachau? We got nothing! After the 2,000 years of galut, we still came back to Hashem and said we want more Torah. What did we get? We only gave our lives! Hashem broke us!

“Today’s Torah is ahava she’ein teluyah b’davar. On Pesah, after 210 years of slavery, we got something. We accepted the Torah. On Purim, after the decrees of Haman, we got something, we accepted the Torah. In the 2,000 years of Galut, we gave our lives and no one had any claims! We still go to the Daf HaYomi, the Amud HaYomi, the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha. We are still plugging away and we are still learning!

“That is the highest level! The highest level of commitment!

“Mashiah is coming very soon! I am not a prophet. I have no inside information any more than any saddikim here. They can probably tell you more about what is going to happen. I know basic facts from what I read in the Talmud.

“I am just looking at forecast. All the simanim in Masechta Sota already came true including putting talmidei hahamim in prison. That was already predicted in the Torah. All the signs are here. All the simanim are coming together and I am glad that Panama did not miss the boat, that you didn’t miss the train!

Baruch Hashem you got in before it was too late. Not only did you get in, but you are doing very well! You caught up a lot! And I can testify! This event is not in The Club with your parents and grandparents. This is a new generation!

My blessing is ‘Ki Mi’Sion teitzei Torah.’ Your Grand Rabbi was Sion, his great sacrifice was planted on empty fallow ground and today we are reaping the benefits of ‘hazorim bedimah berinah yeksoru’ and I say on events like tonight, we can say, ‘laYehudim haysah orah v’simha v’sasson vikar!’”

“Panama Will Never be the Same Again!”

What happened next was also unique for the Panama community. A large part of the community including many of bnei Torah and bnei yeshiva gathered hands, coming together in a large circle and joined Naftali Kempe for a beautiful kumzitz.

The spiritual high and the inspiration were palpable as they sang with Naftali into the night. Many women remained in the Ezrat Nashim observing and swaying along with the moving music. It was a magnificent testament to their Ahavat haTorah. Perhaps the words of a prominent community leader said in the aftermath of the Dirshu event in Panama, says it all. “The day after the event, I went to pray in the kollel, and I met an avreich. This avreich told me, ‘You know, when we were saying Minha today, during Modim, do you know what I did? I thanked the Ribbono Shel Olam for sending this amazing event to Panama. Panama will never be the same again!”

“The Warmth of the People!”

During Rav Hofstedter’s stay in Panama, he visited many of the Torah institutions, yeshivot, the Bet Yakov, the cheder, and kollelim. His first visit was to the Talmud Torah where he was greeted with excited singing. The principal offered him the opportunity to ask the boys questions on what they were learning and Rav Hofstedter was amazed at their ready knowledge and instant answers to the questions they were asked. He then gave a small schmooze related to the weekly parshah. Rabbi Eli Avraham, who accompanied him, explained the miraculous nature of the renaissance seen by Rav Hofstedter. Many of the parents of the older grades never went to yeshiva, never had a Torah education, and now their children are able to recite entire Masechtot by heart.

When he came to the Beit Yakov of Panama, Rav Dovid was very moved by the respectful conduct and refinement of the Benot Yisrael. From there he proceeded to the Mehina, the yeshiva for boys around the ages of thirteen-fourteen and he also imparted words of hizuk to them.

One of the most inspiring visits was Rav Hofstedter’s visit to the yeshiva. The bahurim, still on a high from the previous night’s event, greeted Rav Hofstedter with spontaneous singing and dancing. Rav Hofstedter then delivered a mussar discourse full of words of encouragement and goal-setting suggestions. From there, he went to the kollel where he was asked by the Rosh Kollel to address the avreihim.

He then had a meeting with four of the prominent community and Torah leaders to discuss issues of communal relevance.

When Rav Hofstedter was asked by one of the community leaders which of all the visits made the greatest impression on him, he replied with just a few words, “The warmth of the people!” Yes, it was the warmth of the community members and the way the community had embraced the message that made the most profound impression!