Hand in Hand, by Malka Touger

Benny - Ivri Anochi - I'm a Jew and I'm Proud - The Music Video - בני פ...

Tzoma Lecho Nafshi

Interesting

https://www.facebook.com/A.A.Smith4/videos/953950997971509/

Great idea

https://www.facebook.com/SivanRahavNews/videos/1353046354748199/

Great advise

When the kids come home for pesach!

http://www.collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=37208

Water Carrier

https://www.facebook.com/inspiremoreofficial/videos/1334621436629938/

Great Read

The Kids Are Home for Yom Tov

When out of town kids come home for Yomtov, it is very easy for everyone to slip back into old habits; Toby Lieder of Australia, a mom of 14, gives tips on making the time a memorable experience.

By Toby Lieder - momof14.blogspot.com

When our out of town kids come home for Yomtov, a very short period of merely 2-4 weeks, it is very easy for 'all' of us, to slip back into our 'old habits'. 

Why not? We're back in our good old home, where we grew to love, have fun and created all our childhood memories, so of course home is where we long to be, together with family and friends, the way it was. 

And yet we find, when the kids return home from a long absence, we all go back to where we were at when they left in the first place. Everybody goes right back into their positions. The oldest one is the boss, the youngest so spoiled, old habits play out, the way we are all used to right?

After all, we are continuing where we left off.

I came to realize that a new system has to take place. We cannot treat the children that return home from out of town, for Yomtov the same like it was before.

Because they are home for such a short period of time, and we are all so occupied with yomtov, with guests, food preparations, cleaning up, and what not, that each and every minute really counts.

Time speeds by so fast, that before you turn around, pouf they are gone again!
What I came to realize was that, since the out of Towner kids are home for so short, let me make this time the most absolute precious memorable experience ever, for both me, and them.

Before they return home, I am busy with preparations getting ready for their exciting arrival.

Their bedroom is freshly cleaned (sometimes I buy new linen) with a new towel embroidered with their name on it, resting at the foot of their bed, that is calling out to be picked up.

I always have a welcome basket on their dresser, with their favourite chocolates and nash, plus a new sponge, and their favourite shampoo and knickknacks.
I change my gear up a notch; to talk to them like a guest rather then the child I used to order around to do this and that. I find that when I treat the out of Towner kids like a guest. in my mannerism, and speech, we suddenly become like best friends, instead of returning back into the mother/child I am the boss, and you do as you are told, habits.

Remember, they are home for such a short while, lets make it a most memorable, happy, peaceful, experience, where love and understanding between one and another has its place in a warm accepting environment, rather then the old habits we were so used to behaving.

The children have grown up now. They are now much more independent. We must recognise that, and shower them with a sense of respect, and praise their maturity, and keep reinforcing their positive behaviour.

The more we treat them as we would treat our guest, the more they will live up to that behaviour.

We have them for such a short time, lets chap arayn, seize the moments, and make this short visit a most positive experience, where they go away saying "I cant wait to come back home!"

Lets bite our tongues when a criticism creeps up, and have mesiras nefesh, self sacrifice, for the sake of peace, to practice seeing only the good, (as we would in our guests) and make our kids feel that home is a place where we feel safe and loved and not where they want to run away from.

Time flies so fast, right? Do you also say every week; it feels like there’s only 3 days to the week. Shabbos, Monday and Thursday. I don't know about you, but every time I turn around it’s Thursday again! Do you know what I mean?

This stage, of kids returning home from out of town, will slip by so fast, and before you know it, you are walking them down the chupa.

So, while we have them at home, please think twice before you open your mouth, and say to yourself, "What I am about to say to my child, will it make him feel good or bad?" as simple as that.

You have the power to make it or break it.

For more inspirations visit Momof14.blogspot.com

Warm story

Great warm story

By Rabbi Eisenman 

Bigger and Holy Group 

A pilgrimage to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital is a prerequisite for anyone considering a career which involves Chessed. On second thought, it is a prerequisite to being a compassionate human being. If you are looking for a model of compassionate care and unconditional acceptance of all, spend an hour at “Sloan”. On Friday morning February 12th with the temperature struggling to reach double digits, I returned to the place where so many people from all over the globe turn their hopes and their prayers. On this day it did not look like a world class cancer center that it is; rather, it was akin to a third world field hospital. There were patients on gurneys lining the halls. Many of these patients had spent the night in the hallway. This was because the hospital never turns anyone away. They were functioning at 118% capacity as every single bed in the hospital was occupied! I saw nurses patiently attempting to communicate and calm patients whose mother tongue was Hindi, or Punjabi; the nurses struggled to make themselves understood and to help the patients. The fellow who I was visiting informed me that he would be staying over Shabbos. When I inquired as to what he would be eating, he said there was nothing to worry about as there are Shabbos rooms stocked with supplies, Chulent and Kugel. He also mentioned that Satmar Bikur Cholim provides individual Shabbos containers including a silver-like Kiddush Becher, a small table cloth and disposable hospital approved candles. I marveled at the Chesed the Bikur Cholim societies provide to Jews they don’t even know. On the way out I noticed the Shabbos rooms and could not resist taking a peak to see for myself. I was awed. In the refrigerator were individual portions of Gefillte fish with small individual containers of horseradish, mayonnaise, and many other dips. I was impressed by the care put into making each serving just right. There were stacks of newspapers in Hebrew, Yiddish and English; all for the taking. Suddenly I realized I only had one hour on my meter and as anyone in New York knows: never be late for your meter! As I reached the vehicle I noticed a policeman removing his large ticket issuing device from his back pocket. As I approached him he said, “I’m sorry; however, your time is up.” However, before he actually wrote the summons, he eyed me in a strange sort of way. He was looking at my beard and studying my face. Suddenly he asked, “Hey, are you one of those guys who work for the “Bigger and Holy Group?” I had no idea what he was referring to; so I asked him, “What is the Bigger and Holy Group”? “You know, the group of people who look like you with the beards and hats who visit the sick and distribute food to those in the hospital and their families; they always tell me they are the ‘bigger holy group’” I slowly said to myself, ‘bigger and holy….. Bigger and holy…? What could he mean? When suddenly like a light bulb I began to hear myself say, “Bigger n’ Holy…. Biggur n’ holim… Bikur Cholim!!! “You must mean the Bikur Cholim group!” I said. The officer looked at me and answered, “Yes, that’s what I said, the Bigger and Holy group!” “No, sorry, I’m not part of the “Bigger and Holy group; however, I’m familiar with their work.” “So even if you are not an official part of the group you are still “one of them”, isn’t that correct?” “Yes officer, I know what you mean, I am one of them” “Well in that case, you can go. No ticket for you today.” “Officer, I don’t understand. What does the “Bigger and Holy Group” have to do with my not getting a summons?” The officer explained, “This morning, when it was about 9 degrees, a guy approaches me who looked like you; you know- big guy with a big hat and a big beard? And he says, “Excuse me, it’s very cold today please take this thermos of hot coffee and these Danishes.” “I said, “You know I’m not Jewish; why are you giving me this food?” “He says, “All of us, Jew and non-Jew are created in G-d’s image. (See Avos 3:14) It’s freezing outside, you need to stay warm; please take this.” “If he could do that for me on a cold day like today, I can do a nice thing back to one of his friends; no? After all, we’re all connected.” I looked at the policeman and thought back to the hospital full of people of all religions and ethnicities and of the equal and compassionate care they all receive, “Yes officer you so right, we are all connected.”

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