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Restaurants can be even more confusing then store bought products. In Queens there is a proliferation of “strange” hechshers that call themselves Orthodox, particularly on all those Bucharian eateries. And in Brooklyn, where every restaurant has a hechsher from a different Rav, many of whom I’ve never heard of with regards to kashrut, it can be very confusing. When an establishment is under a well known Vaad, it makes life a lot easier! Go 5Town and Queens!
Getting back to lunch, mine is at my desk, usually check emails and look at the news (YWN and drudgereport.com) while I’m eating. I have to get in the car to go someplace kosher, so its not worth it. Much cheaper to bring lunch. I’m just grateful that people around here (I work in a secular environment) recognize when I’m benching and leave me alone then.
Just read the other day that Amazon.com is either buying, or has already bought, diapers.com, which may explain why they have the offers. Wish that these things had been around when my kids were in diapers! However, my oldest was born just at the tail end of when Pampers used to have points on the boxes that could be used to get really nice toys. We got some very nice Fisher Price items that way, and then it was discontinued.
I’ve been very happy with my Kenmore, which is actually a HotPoint. Today I was at Best Buy and bought a Frigidare to replace a very old one in my basement. They had the best price for the size I needed. I had already been to one of the stores mentioned in this thread, I did better at Best Buy.
Definitely use chofetzchaim’s link. It will get you the deal for diapers thru Amazon, and it will help RSA. Known as a win win situation.
And that means we’ll be seeing Jimmy McMillian again on future ballots.
It isn’t necessarily that Rabbi Shafier is expounding any particular point of direction. His hashkofos clearly follow those of his yeshiva, RSA, and it’s blessed Rosh Yeshiva zt”l.
The Shmuz was originally started to provide a yeshivish type learning environment for yeshiva bochurim who are now part of the workforce. And I will not elaborate on whether or not yeshiva guys should be working or not, because that point is irrevelant here.
The shiurim are excellent, very listenable. My personal favorite, and I certainly haven’t listened to all of them, is the one about genevah.
If guests ask what they can bring, I usually tell them dessert.
I have a huge accumulation of candy dishes people have brought me when they were staying over for Shabbos. The only time I ever really used them was when we made a L’Chaim.
We like to bring wine, if the family doesn’t drink wine (amazing how many people make kiddush on grape juice!), they can always give it to someone else. If I’m in the mood, I’ll make cookies and put them in a nice dish.
There’s one of those places near me that makes up candy baskets. Those are nice in the $15 range, I just don’t feel comfortable when close friends bring gifts from there that are $40+. It’s totally unnecessary.
My husband’s drink is bourbon, so maybe we should be inviting lkwdfellow.
We used to have next door neighbors who weren’t Jewish, but we were friendly with their sons, so we always gave them candy. Now I know that any kid who rings my bell isn’t someone I know anyway, so I wouldn’t open the door because they are strangers.
Personally, I enjoy shopping at Costco because I can take care of a lot of things at one time. There are certain items that BJ’s is better on (for example, they don’t carry Poland Springs sparkling water in Costco – so once in awhile I go to BJ’s for that). The men in my family all like the Kirkland men’s white shirts (no iron), and at $16.99, it’s a steal.
Although the frozen salmon steaks have gone up a lot, they’re excellent.
This month there are coupons for a lot of items I can stock up on and probably not need to buy again for months – Vanity Fair Dinner napkins, Snap & Save, Craisins, etc. Plus, you don’t have to clip them, the sale price automatically comes off at the register.
Regarding kosher – the Cholev Yisroel cheese (Fresh & Natural brand I believe) is very competitively priced. However, for the most part the poultry and beef are not cheaper then what I get in my local neighborhood stores, but the quality of the beef is excellent.
All in all, it’s a good deal.
Dr. Pepper, your case, a Kohein is the exception, rather than the rule in terms of shidduchim. A female person reading a shidduch can inquire of a perspective young lady (and don’t ask her mother this, please – because regardless of whether or not the girl’s a BT, there are some things she may not have told her mom) if she’s “acceptable” to marry a kohein. If she doesn’t understand the question, then probably you can assume she’s not, or not yet on your level. If she blushes, ditto. Been there, done that, and had to assur some otherwise very nice girls for a kohein (himself, a BT) who I’m trying to set up.
But for the rest of the male world, if a woman has sincerely done tshuva, and no one has done tshuva like a BT, then why pass up a possibly great woman?
B”H our LOR is a posek who gets calls from around the world.
But I think that the term LOR is understood, not in the literal sense of “local”, but rather as being the Rav you personally ask shialas of, whether he’s your shul’s Rav, a Rosh Yeshiva, your Rebbe from EY, or whomever.
pascha bchochma, you’re absolutely correct. And especially when the weather is warm.
It isn’t hard to sit out the dancing. Plenty of people do it at frum weddings too.
OK, I am definitely not a posuk, in fact, I’m a woman who isn’t even a Rebbetzin, but I’ll take a shot at your questions.
1. Why ISN’T it permissible to attend the simcha? Just avoid the sanctuary, which is where we’re forbidden to go, not necessarily the simcha room. I know of many Orthodox couples who in years past got married in conservative shuls. It was commonplace up until the ’90’s in some communities.
2. What do the cousins do during the dancing? Yes, some turn their backs, but to be honest, I’ve never paid it much attention, and we’re generally seated pretty far away from the dance floor. Of course, it’s one of the rare opportunities that the frum cousins get to have mixed seating LOL. But none of us join in the “obligatory Hava Nagilla” set.
Personally, I’d be terrified to spray hairspray on my face. Couldn’t it be very dangerous if it gets in your eyes?
It’s certainly easy enough to verify whether or not a venue’s certification is up-to-date. Just call whoever they say they’re under. For example, if they say they’re under one of the Vaad’s, ask a Rav in that Vaad to check it out, or call the Vaad.
Maybe people who have more contact with the non-frum world are more sensitive to dealing with non-frum people, be they friends or family. So, Mr. QuestionForYou, looking at that from the perspective of someone who’s very involved with kiruv, I see opportunities to show that the frum family isn’t stuck up, as many NYF perceive them to be. How hard is it to wish someone a Mazel Tov and be mentsch? I recently made a rather long trip to wish a non-frum couple a mazel tov at their engagement party. ANd you know what? The kallah asked me to help her with the Jewish aspects of the wedding ceremony and recommend a book for her to read. That’s a beautiful encounter, that can’t happen if we always think everyone who doesn’t wear exactly the same type hat as us isn’t good enough to stand in the same room with.
Let’s face it, 3 days will kill anyone’s face. But waterproof Mabelline masquera does work somewhat. This past week I put on a deep color lipstick erev Yom Tov, followed by gloss/sealer, and it still was off by the end of the seudah. Oh well, I certainly wasn’t alone.
Having not followed this thread up till now, and not having the patience to read 80+ posts, pardon me if I’m repeating things that have already been stated.
It is permissible to attend a simcha (between 2 Jews only, intermarriage is assur, period, end of story) in a non-Orthodox venue. I’ve called up many caterers after being told by the non-frum hosts that “it’s kosher” to ask whose supervision they’re under. And if it’s not acceptable, I can eat before or after, and just have a coke while there. Avoid the synagogue’s sanctuary, the rest of the building isn’t assur. As a family of many yeshivish cousins, we wait in the lobby while “services” are going on, and then join them in the simcha room. Obviously, if it’s on a Shabbos, skip it all together with a polite “I don’t want to ruin your fun with my restrictions”. That statement works like a charm!
Now, back to the original question about marrying kids of BT’s – I think that’s very neighborhood specific. There are communities like Passaic, Far Rockaway and Kew Gardens Hills that have a true mix of BT’s and FFB’s, and no one really knows who falls into which camp unless they know the people more intimately. And B”H, there are plenty of marriages between both. So perhaps you might want to try to hook up with shadduchins outside of Brooklyn.
How could I have forgotten – one of the true gems for shiurim (audio and video) TorahAnytime.com.
YummyYummy, I don’t suppose you have any personal/business interest in the site you posted?
However, for good quality Jewish Music videos from many sources, try Gruntig.com.
Another reason there are so many languages is that, just as they do with applications, Microsoft will come out with their own version of someone else’s languages. Sun wrote Java, Microsoft modified it into their own C##.
Aish.com is better than fantastic, it’s awesome! Frumteens.com has generally attracted (so I’m told) kids not necessarily OTD, but with questions. Definitely not das Torah. However, I did find it helpful in figuring out what types of hashkafa various semanaries in EY have, ie those that were traditional Bais Yaakov, versus those that are “chilled” Bais Yaakov – and those that were very text oriented.
For the BT’s on this site, please check out BeyondBT.com. A great resource for the issues that tend to occur in a BT’s life even if they’ve been frum for many years.
As for asking questions, shouldn’t that be left to your LOR?
How does this differ from APs and/or the “jump” program that some of the girl’s HS’s have? Which HS’s are offering the dual enrollment option? Have never encountered it.
Grace, in looking through this thread again, something occurred to me in attempting to answer your request.
As some have pointed out here, the concept of “programming” has changed drastically over the past 10 or so years, with the move from applications programming, particularly mainframe applications, to web development and object oriented programming.
As someone who was trained at Cope in Cobol, I had to find a new route as the needs in my field evolved. I’ve pretty much carved out a nitch for myself.
What you don’t state is how much you know about computers, what your experience is, and how tech savvy are you? Personally, I don’t care for C#/java and other type programming (ie, object based) because I’m much more business oriented, but you really need to evaluate yourself and your skill sets before anyone can really give you a fair answer.
Too bad Cope doesn’t give those courses anymore. They were great!
Mint Chocolate Chip. Runner ups include anything mocha, cookies and cream.
One of the chief advantages of being Outside of Brooklyn is that it puts one in closer proximity to Max & Minas. BTW, they do have CY, but they don’t do the interesting flavors in CY.
1. Lipa Lipa Lipa!!!!!
2. Avraham Fried
3. Yaakov Schwekey
4. MBD
5. everyone else, I love music!
A number of years ago I bought a Eurowig at someone’s sheitel sale, and really love it. But when it came time to replace it, none of the local ladies seem to carry it, so i looked up the company online, and the owner has been extremely helpful about trying to find me a replacement, which is tricky because I need a large cap.
As I write this, a piece is enroute to me.
Thanks for the info about spending more for a daily piece. For some reason, in the 20+ years I’ve been married, i never thought of doing that, but when you think of it, it really does make a lot of sense! My weekday pieces usually look horrid very quickly, I wear them daily, and work in an area where there is a wind tunnel.
We’ve had a Geni accounht for several years. While there isn’t the same enthusiasm among its participants as there was originally, it’s still a lot of fun to find connections. We discovered an entire branch of my FIL’s family that’s frum.
It’s a great tool, highly recommend it, although don’t say I didn’t warn you that genealogy is one of the most addictive hobbies out there.
Are there electronic versions of seforim available yet? We know about the Rusty Brick products, but how about even PDF versions (there is an app that you can use to read PDF on an iPad or iPhone/Touch).
Minyan Girl, the problem is funding. These Jews for J type groups have massive funds behind them, some from evangelicals, some from who knows where. While there are some terrific Jewish groups out there, it’s like saving one tree is a huge forest (which isn’t doesn’t diminish the value of that tree, it just means it’s a drop in the bucket).
We need to keep these people out of our communities where they’re able to confuse unknowledgeable Jews with their misquotes. Where are our activists?
There is a similar group called Isiah53 (they have a website of the same name) that has been targeting Kew Gardens Hills this summer. They’ve done mailings, phone calls (erev Shabbos no less), and have an ad in a bus shelter right near Brachs.
To be honest, if that same ad was in on a bus shelter in certain neighborhoods in Brooklyn, it would have been demolished by now. I’m disturbed that this community has been so complacent.
Whenever someone I know becomes a Facebook friend, I send them a link to an article that is available (just Google it) called “5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private!) on Facebook” (I know the mods will not let this through with a link in it). It’s absolute must reading for everyone, adults, teens etc.
One of the most overlooked features of FB is privacy settings. What I’ve done is create lists of friends by categories such as people from my kehillah, other friends, relatives, work associates, etc. Then you can use those lists as easy ways to filter what you post. For instance, perhaps I don’t want my work associates to see my pictures. So they’re in an album filtered to either allow or block specific group(s). Or, on the otherhand, if it’s very generic, you can omit filters. It’s worth spending the time to review the settings. The idea being that FB should allow you to share stuff with people, but allow you the ability to limit how much and with whom you want to share anything. That doesn’t only mean pictures, but virtually anything about you that you post, be it education, work history, status updates, etc. You can also utilize the privacy setting to set how people can locate you. For example, if they know your email address, can they find you via a search?
Bottom line is use common sense. You wouldn’t tell a casual acquaintance something very personal, would you? The same applies here. And don’t accept a friend request unless you know who the person is! Just like you don’t let strangers into your home.
There are as many different types of Sephardim as there are Ashkenazi. And there are many other factors, such as where did the boy learn. We know quite a few boys like that, in fact, except for their nusach, you probably wouldn’t know they’re Sephardi, which includes their physical appearance, ie, not all Sephardi are dark haired.
Maybe 20-30 years ago, it was also considered “intermarriage” when Litvaks married Chassidim. Now that’s quite common too.
The screen on the IPad is significantly bigger then the other two. Coincidently, we were at an Apple Store today checking one out because my husband would like to be able to use one for learning on the subway. There are two books available for purchase, IMishna and ITalmud that are readable on either an Ipad, Iphone or Ipod Touch. But for now we thought the Ipad was still a bit pricey.
Are there seforim out there that are compatible with the Kindle?
Brown rice is excellent. Before the NYC Marathon, all the runners eats lots of spaghetti, because for once we want the carbs to stick to us.
In Queens, boys yeshivas are in the range of $8,000-$10,000, ditto Bais Yaakov. The reason I’m not giving an exact figure is that I’m out of those schools for the past 2 years, so things have probably changed.
For those reading this thread who are looking for family style (as opposed to 5 Star) vacations, I second Niagara Falls, from the Canadian side. You’ll need passports to go into Canada.
In the USA, we’ve done the White Mountains in NH many times – lots of Hassidim up there in the summer. Also, a few years ago, we randomly picked a place called Jimminy Peak in the Berkshires (MA). As we drove in, we were amazed to see so many frum people! There were ample minyans, and rooms have mini-kitchens. Also they allow you to BQ on the premises.
BTW, a great item to pack is a George Forman grill. We’ve cooked chicken in our hotel room without any odor or smoke and it’s very easy to clean off.
Ditto.
What I wanted to say is that I don’t care for the new format at all. It’s very cluttered, print is too small, and most of all, it’s hard to read the news and find things. Bring back the old site!
Costco sells a superb mango salsa. I take the roll of fish, pour the salsa over it (you can do this, of course, with any type salsa), cover it and put it in the oven for about 2 hours.
For men, CLEPs may be the only alternative, since lots of Mesivtas don’t offer AP’s because they want the bochurim to stay focused on learning, not college credits. That’s what a Rosh Mesivta advised me.
My son is now doing an advanced degree from TTI, he clepped his way through a big part of the undergrad process while learning FT. Does he know as much in his CLEP subjects as someone who took the course at a “regular” college? Possibly not, but he got a good mark got his degree, so ultimately, who cares?
We made a wedding this year.
Our choice was Tiferes Mordechai (Ave C& McDonald aka Belz). It was beautiful, everything went very smoothly, and as I told the caterer at the end of the evening, I wish I had another daughter. It’s a bright and cheerful looking hall. Nice size dance floor too.
EDITED
Whoops, continuing along with the pareve cheesecake:
2 packages of PLAIN tofutti cream cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar (can substitute splenda)
Mix all ingredients together, pour into a graham pie shell and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until it starts to brown a bit on top. Then cool and put in fridge. Takes about 5 minutes to prepare! That’s my kind of baking!
I’d highly recommend the cookbook from Chabad called “Spice & Spirit”. The recipes are fairly easy and don’t contain too many ingredients. Usually community cookbooks (such as from shuls and yeshivas) are also a lot simpler then things like Kosher By Design, which I still find intimidating.
These days you can easily google for recipes – one day I did “Shabbos salads” and came up with quite a few. And from them I also found a link to a foolproof pareve cheesecake: 2 pkgs PLAIN tofutti cream cheese;
I’m for the ban, and fully stand behind this Principal. My son’s Mesivta (not in Brooklyn, of course), has this policy, and the boys for the most part totally respect it. My son doesn’t even want to have a cellphone.
We all went to HS without them, and survived quite well. Aside from the access to the internet, and texting capabilities, I don’t like the fact that a lot of kids use texting to cheat on exams.
Generally speaking, I oppose bans, but this is perhaps the exception to the rule.