Captivating Articles in Kislev Issue of N’shei Newsletter

The Kislev N’shei Chabad Newsletter has gone to print! Here are four of the articles that were prepared especially for you:

Chaya Mushka Gaerman found the most impactful and interesting way to teach us about the importance of kashrus… through letters and stories of the Rebbe! As Chaya Mushka writes, “To the Rebbe, kashrus was never just one detail of observance. It touches the deepest layers of a person’s physical and spiritual life.”

Here is just one of her fabulous stories (not the best one) (for that you need to buy the new issue in Crown Heights stores before Chanukah, or subscribe at https://nsheichabadnewsletter.com/subscribe/):

Rabbi Yekusiel Farkash of Yerushalayim shared a story that illustrates how the Rebbe viewed kashrus not only as spiritually significant but deeply connected to a person’s wellbeing. During the final illness of Rabbi Farkash’s daughter, one doctor at Hadassah Hospital became exceptionally devoted to helping the family. Though not directly responsible for her treatment, he visited constantly, personally assisted with procedures, and showed extraordinary compassion. After his daughter passed away, Rabbi Farkash visited the doctor to thank him. “I cannot repay you,” he said, “but I can share with you what Hashem has graced me with. Would you like to learn Torah together?” The doctor, who knew very little about Torah or mitzvos, was hesitant.

“What are you going to teach me?” he asked, sounding a little cynical. Rabbi Farkash responded, “How about Kaballah?” That word seemed to sell the idea. The two began learning weekly. The doctor started becoming closer to Yiddishkeit, putting on tefillin and slowly taking on other mitzvos. His wife, however, remained resistant.

Then one day, everything changed. Rabbi Farkash arrived at their home for a scheduled learning session and found the apartment dark and silent. The blinds were drawn. When the doctor finally opened the door, he looked distraught.

His wife had developed a terrifying condition. Every time she began falling asleep, her body would seize violently. Her tongue would swell, and she could not even cry out for help. Despite extensive medical testing, doctors could not determine the cause. Rabbi Farkash suggested to the wife to write to the Rebbe. At first, she strongly resisted. “Does the Rebbe know my medical records? Is this some kind of joke?” she protested. Finally, with nothing to lose, she agreed.

The response came quickly: “Eat and drink only kosher foods; azkir al hatziyun.” At first, she assumed this meant avoiding obviously non-kosher meat and fish. Rabbi Farkash gently explained that it meant kashering the kitchen and establishing a fully kosher home. She agreed. Rabbi Farkash arranged professionals to come the very next morning and upgrade the kashrus in her kitchen in every detail. The following morning, Rabbi Farkash called the house. The wife excitedly told him, “Rabbi! I slept peacefully for eight hours straight without a single seizure!” She then added, “But your Rebbe is very wise. He didn’t tell me to become religious. He only told me to keep kosher.”

Morah Devorah taught in a Conservative Hebrew school while in seminary in Australia. After she got married, she heard of an opening to teach in a Conservative Hebrew school near her home in Monsey, so she took the job. She did what any Lubavitcher girl would do— taught the children about Hashem and did mitzvos with them. On Succos, her husband came to school with her to bentch lulav and esrog with the students. Decades passed. And then one day Morah Devorah received a phone call from a former student, one who was raised in a non-religious home, who had attended public school throughout elementary and high school…

We are very grateful to Rivka Herman, the former student, for sharing her thoughts, feelings, and experiences with us! Now Rivka is not only enjoying Yiddishe, chassidishe nachas from her family, she also shares her story with girls at speaking engagements around the world, and learns Tanya.

In the upcoming Kislev N’shei Chabad Newsletter, author, mother, and mechaneches Shona Schwartz opens our eyes about children and screens. Here is a brief excerpt of what she told the N’shei Chabad Newsletter:

Child melting down in the checkout line? Hand over the phone. Siblings fighting in the back seat? Pass the tablet. Restless at a chasunah? Last hour before Shabbos, house all ready for guests, can’t risk a new mess? Screen to the rescue. The discomfort crisis is averted. Everyone is calm. The house stayed neat. But here’s what that child just learned: Uncomfortable feelings and difficult behaviors should be immediately escaped, not worked through. And the uncomfortable truth for us as parents is not just that our kids struggle to handle discomfort, but often, it’s that we, the parents, struggle to handle their discomfort. We panic at their boredom. We can’t tolerate their frustration. We have no ideas or plans for how to deal with it. Parenting through tough moments is messy and uncomfortable, and screens offer a clean, quiet, immediate solution, all at the expense of our kids’ development. The ability to tolerate frustration, to sit with discomfort and work through it, is one of the most essential capacities a child can develop. It underlies emotional regulation, academic resilience, healthy relationships, and the kind of inner strength our mesorah has always valued. Every time we short-circuit that development with a screen, we’re stunting our children and stealing from their future. Remember: Tantrums are loud but not dangerous. Boredom is uncomfortable but not harmful. Sibling rivalry is exhausting but completely normal. A messy house is embarrassing but normal. Screens are easy and quiet, but they are stealing our children’s emotional regulation development…

Dr. Ira Weiss is the expert cardiologist who was part of the team that cared for the Rebbe after his heart attack on Shemini Atzeres 5738/1977.  Dr. Weiss spoke with the N’shei Chabad Newsletter and shared some of his priceless memories. Here’s a taste:

After coming back to Chicago, I would speak to the Rebbetzin on the phone every night about the Rebbe’s health. The Rebbetzin would get updated during the afternoon cup of tea she always had with the Rebbe, and then, a bit later, she and I would speak for about 15 minutes. We would sometimes discuss things going on in my life as well. Rebbetzin Chaya Moussia could read me, even over the phone. Somehow, she could always tell what kind of a day I’d had. These daily conversations with the Rebbetzin enabled me to be on top of the Rebbe’s medical condition without bothering him. All these decades later I continue to follow the Rebbetzin’s guidance…

These and many more good stories await you in the next NCN. Don’t find yourself out of the loop! Be able to join the conversations around you! Pick up the new issue in Crown Heights stores before Chanukah, or subscribe at https://nsheichabadnewsletter.com/subscribe/

With much appreciation for your loyalty, friendship, and support,

NCN Staff