Rabbi’s Musings & Amusings

Dedicated in loving memory of my Savta, Mrs. Minnie Staum, Shprintza bas Avraham Yitzchak, whose yahrzeit is 17 Cheshvan. May her memory be for a blessing.

I don’t remember the last time I was able to so relate to a powerful story I heard, in a manner I never could have imagined.

I was asked to share divrei Torah in my neighborhood shul before Hakafos on Simchas Torah evening.

Shortly before Rosh HaShanah, I read an article entitled, “His Best Friend Was a 250-Pound Warthog – one day it decided to kill him.”

For those living in New York City, it’s quite rare to see deer. But for those of us who live on the other side of the Hudson River, it is quite common. In fact, recently the number of deer has grown exponentially. It is not unusual for a family of deer to sprint across our yard, or even be grazing calmly in our yard. (So far, my effort to get them to pay for their usurped meals haven’t been successful…) Often, when I walk into my own backyard, the deer chilling there glare at me as if I am intruding on their property.

I know the Jewish people have been doing the Simchas Torah dancing thing the same way for thousands of years. But based on some trends I see in America, I was thinking of some new ideas we can introduce into our Simchas Torah celebration.

Each year before Tish’ah B’Av, I spend a considerable amount of time working with the learning director of Camp Dora Golding, my rebbi, Rabbi Noach Sauber, to develop a program for our campers that will be engaging, inspiring, and meaningful.