Mammele

Soaking the Menorah in very hot water with some Arm & Hammer washing soda (not to be confused with baking soda) works great if it’s not aluminum (then it’ll corrode). If it’s silver, I think the black engravings will come off as well. So I just use this for the kids brass menorahs, but it should work for glass or other metal etc. as well.

To clarify RD’s tip, you preheat the oven THEN TURN IT OFF before you put the menorah inside. I don’t think the paper towels are necessary, just in case someone mistakenly turns the oven on.

Some people need a smart phone to manage Type 1 Diabetes, so you really shouldn’t judge.

I was always under the impression that the opposite is true, as long as you’re not paying extra for them to deliver on Shabbos or Yom Tov it’s okay. But that assumption was based on the Psak at a place I worked at way back. They shipped orders via UPS (and maybe Fedex) — and UPS Ground from NY to NY generally doesn’t take more than a day. Saturday, and Next Day deliveries cost extra, so they wouldn’t ship that way on an Erev, but regular, not expedited shipping was allowed anytime.

Nowadays with Amazon I hate Saturday deliveries as I have to peek out the window to see who’s buzzing and run down to manually open the door (as early as 8 am) so I try to avoid it. And I’ve had Postal delivery guys lie (this was during the week) and note they unsuccessfully attempted delivery when they never did so they don’t miss Amazon’s “by 8:00 PM” promise.

My point is that their compliance is far from 100%, so I wonder if that could be a mitigating factor. OTOH IIRC you get a $10. reward if they fail to deliver as promised and you complain, so there’s definitely pressure to deliver on time for all involved.

Pesach: for social reasons it’s best if the host can partake in the food she serves alongside her guests.
I believe LB avoids eating gluten.

This is not a direct response to your question, so please don’t take offense as I know nothing about your medical situation, but I feel compelled to talk as there may be others that it is relevant to in the CR.

If your or a loved one are experiencing any form of psoriasis, diet may be the answer. Try avoiding gluten, dairy and nightshades for a few weeks and see if symptoms improve. It may be difficult at first but it is doable, and hopefully when things get better you can try to reintroduce one food at a time.

Despite what doctors may tell you (that there are no studies proving that avoiding certain foods helps) the reason for this is that nobody had an incentive to create such a study.

A refuah Sheleima to those in need!

Another common option is to distribute pens. The boys go back to Yeshiva after the engagement so that’s when it’s given. The kalla’s friends come to the engagement party and they often bring balloons. I’m talking about a Chasidishe vort, so maybe there’s less jealousy by the girls, as there’s no female shidduch crisis…

I’ve been told that even those that had money worked hard back in the day. There was enough work to go around even with full time maids. And “doing nothing” wasn’t an acceptable pastime. I’m sure there were exceptions, but as a general rule we are a more spoiled generation, and our kids more so…

To clarify, colored walls are not what makes us spoiled, it’s just a symptom of being catered to our whims, which for most wasn’t the case in days gone by.

And to answer one of your questions LB, as far as I know the walls were whitewashed (with lime) for the general populace, while the rich had decorative tapestries and mirrors etc. covering their walls. (And since you made me consult Wikipedia, I now know that wallpaper was a thing a few hundred years ago for Europeans not quite as rich or aristocratic to afford large tapestries. I don’t think it included the average shtetl dweller…)

I’d assume the craftsmen for each trade helped with design, but for all I know there were professionals/specialists that could be hired or consulted to be the design mavens.

Home schooling in groups or “Associations” is coming to a house near you. And for better or worse, it’ll affect the status-quo of Yeshiva/BY education. Schools will likely rethink a lot of their services and expenses if this indirect competition materializes.

Additionally, due to numerous very small venues, the lessons and garbage the state is trying to mandate will be almost impossible to enforce. Which may cause many more parents than just anti-Vaxxers to gravitate towards home-schooling.

Time will tell if I’m right. So bookmark this page…

Since some of the key scientists behind the success of the moon landing were former Nazis who performed dreadful experiments to further their knowledge during WWII and/or used slave labor to build German war rockets – skills they later used to help the Americans (and then got US citizenship illegally) – should we perhaps stop being enthralled?

Anyone?

And Chicago and Rochester are just too cold in the wintertime for many to want to move to.

IIRC the cost of the actual Chasuna night I heard is $1,200.

Paper goods instead of real dishes, buffet style food, “DJ” music, and family and friends chipping in by making potato kugel etc. with students clearing up. And I assume the shul is free.

I believe they’re up to Chasuna number 5. Only R’ Yoely Roth’s Bresolver Chasidim so far. So whoever wants to sign up either join them or simply call up R’ Roth to see if he accepts outsiders. And get some folks to help you with the kugel…

Cooked.
To be honest I only made it once so far, and I never follow recipes to a tee… But it still came out great.

Double chocolate quinoa brownies. I chose almond extract for flavor. Surprisingly good! (Don’t over-bake it, the toothpick will always be chocolatey… A bit tricky there.)

On a side note, what do you guys say about the Chinese new “merit system” that literally punishes non-conformers?
Sure seems like the best government to me…

Oops…

It needed to be said twice😀

Why are debating a topic asked about in 2010? Give it a rest, guys, unless someone new has questions.

Charlie: I’m pro-Vaxx, but don’t you think it’s ludicrous that you had to get all three vaccines when you only needed one? Why can’t there be an option of choosing what you need/taking it step by step? It’s this shoving stuff down our throats (or extremities in this case) that makes the vaccine companies/Health Dept. seem morally wrong and makes people question their motives.

Whether Mae or female, the OP is right here (except for the spelling, but what else is new?).

The mannequins are very often in the display window to the street, which he/she may be referring to. Either way, if they cater to a Frum clientel they should be more sensitive to the community.

AMD: Thanks for the link, and you’re probably right. The possibility still exists though that since he’s using a different screen name, he’s taken a different approach and his standards here have changed.

Wolfish: Imagine not even having cake with milk! Unless the cake is vegan, chances are there are eggs in there. I think “Rebbetzin troll” forgot that eggs are in sooo many foods, not just in scrambled, sunny side-up or boiled eggs.

Lucky for her, trolls don’t have to be well thought out or take reality into account when trolling. It’s known as the famous trolling kula, which is based on the fact that trolls don’t die, they live online forever, have no atzmos, yet there are no know kol koros against them.

ZDad: I mentioned shopping being done by foot, specifically on the spur of the moment, then it’s impractical. It’s not such a big deal to stash a few bag in your car. No one wants to lug empty bags around all day so that they can perhaps drop in for groceries on their way home from work, presumably first using mass transit. I’m not saying you shouldn’t use reusable bags if they work for you, and perhaps the paper bags can be sturdy as well. But to legislate it, is a whole different story.

And it’s kind of ironic when NYC is trying to limit the cars on the road (Midtown Manhattan is just the beginning, these laws work like Pharaoh’s did) with crazy tolls passed in the same budget. Reusable bags are not really compatible with the very mindset NYC is trying to cultivate. Unless buying a new bag or three every time one does grocery shopping is considered environmentally friendly…

And if more than one family member might do the shopping at any given time, on the way home from school etc., having bags on hand for everyone becomes more than just a small inconvenience.

According to my “expert photo analysis”, most likely Rabbi Jacobson doesn’t trim his beard, just tucks it in with “rubber bands”. For some reason it’s very commonly done by Chasidish men, but apparently uncommon in Lubavitch.

On the original topic: when construction tradesmen are busy doing business in one neighborhood, once that area becomes maxed out (whether Jewish or not) they can hopefully use their expertise elsewhere as long as the economy/construction in general is still on the rise. Just as many Yidden are busy with the Brooklyn/LIC construction boom regardless of who the eventual residents are.

Slightly off topic, the Frum Yidden in Airmont just ousted the old Mayor that was behind the literal harassment Frum Jews had to put up with. It’ll be interesting to see how the neighborhood will manage to balance expansion with the quality of life Yidden moved for. (Unlike Monsey where many moved for cheap housing, I don’t think that was the main driver of the Airmont Jewish expansion.)

ZDad: I wasn’t comparing numbers, communities, or history here. My response was to AviK who wants to kill Yiddish because he (to put it mildly) doesn’t like it. Yes it’s a niche market, but said market is growing in number Ka”h. It’s not about winning or losing, but letting families choose their own course.