Eddie Esses

For years, many believed our community simply didn’t have a meaningful voice in government, that we had no sway over the decisions made on our behalf by those in Albany and City Hall. Those days are over. Over the last several years, our community has undergone a political awakening. Through record voter registration and unprecedented civic engagement, we have become a force that politicians can no longer ignore.

At a moment when New York is being pulled more and more toward the extreme by radical socialists who attack our values, our schools, our neighborhoods, and our support for Israel, there has never been more at stake. This November is not just another election. It is a referendum on the future of our community.
State Senator Sam Sutton is seeking reelection in the 22nd Senate District, while his chief of staff, Joey Saban, is running for the State Assembly in the 45th District. Their victories would give our community something it has never truly had before, strong, unapologetic representation in both chambers of the New York State Legislature. And make no mistake. Who represents us in Albany matters.
Every day, radical voices are gaining influence in New York politics. Politicians who want to weaken law enforcement, slash support for Israel, impose policies that threaten religious institutions, and prioritize ideological agendas over public safety are becoming louder and more powerful. While ordinary families worry about antisemitism, rising crime, and the future of their children’s education, too many elected officials are focused on appeasing activists and political extremists.
The question facing voters this November is simple, Who will stand up and fight back? Sam Sutton already has. At a time when antisemitic incidents have exploded across New York, Senator Sutton led the fight to establish protective buffer zones around houses of worship, ensuring that families can attend synagogue without fear of intimidation.
He helped secure $20 million in security funding for yeshivas and Jewish schools from Governor Hochul and delivered millions of dollars more for our community institutions. These are not empty promises or campaign slogans. They are real victories that have made our community safer and stronger.
And behind many of those victories has been Joey Saban. Joey has worked alongside Senator Sutton every step of the way, helping write legislation, secure funding, and advocate for our community. Unlike politicians who suddenly appear every election season asking for votes, Joey has already spent his time fighting for our community in the halls of government. Now he is ready to take that fight to the State Assembly.
Joey’s campaign is built around the issues that matter most: combating antisemitism, strengthening public safety, supporting the NYPD, protecting yeshivas and private education, increasing security funding for schools and synagogues, and standing firmly against extremist and socialist policies that threaten our community.
But perhaps the most important reason this election is so important is that we need our voice represented in the majority conference in Albany. Simply put, New York is overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats. Unfortunately, members of the minority party are not able to accomplish anything in Albany, and their voices are considered meaningless.
Real change will not come from politicians shouting from the sidelines. It will come from strong voices inside the majority who are willing to challenge their own party when it embraces dangerous ideas. Joey Saban would immediately become one of the strongest moderate voices in Albany, standing up loudly and strongly every day to the growing influence of the Democratic Socialists and politicians like Zohran Mamdani, who seek to push New York in a radically different direction.
He would be a voice for common sense, public safety, religious freedom, and unwavering support for Israel. Together, Sam Sutton and Joey Saban would create a powerful partnership capable of fighting for our community’s priorities in both houses of the Legislature.
But this election is about more than two candidates. It is about whether our community will continue the political revolution that began years ago or retreat into complacency while others shape the future of New York without us. The truth is uncomfortable: If we do not organize, others will organize against us. If we do not vote, others will decide our future. If we do not fight for our values, we cannot expect anyone else to do it for us.
The last few years have proven that civic engagement works. When our community registered to vote in record numbers, Albany paid attention. When we became politically active, politicians started listening. When we showed up at the ballot box, we gained influence that previous generations could only dream of.
Now, the stakes are even higher. The forces reshaping New York are organized, motivated, and determined. The only question is whether we will match their energy and determination. This November, every vote is a statement. Every volunteer matters. Every conversation counts.
The future of our schools, our synagogues, our neighborhoods, and our community’s place in New York politics will not be decided by pundits or activists. It will be decided by the people who show up on Election Day.
For the first time in a generation, we have an opportunity not simply to participate in government, but to help shape it. The question is whether we are willing to seize it.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l

There are many lovely explanations for why we blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, but one of the most powerful is given by Moses Maimonides. For Maimonides, the shofar is G-D’s alarm clock, waking us up from the “slumber” in which we spend many of our days. What did he mean?

G-D’s greatest gift to us is time, and He gives it to us on equal terms. Whether we are rich or poor, there are still only 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week and a span of years that is all too short. Often we spend our time on things that, in Maimonides’ words, “neither help nor save.” How many people, looking back on a lifetime, say, “I wish I had spent more time at committee meetings”? By contrast, how many say, “I wish I had spent more time with my children, or helping others, or simply enjoying being alive”?
Sometimes we can be so busy making a living that we hardly have time to live. Experts on time management speak about two types of activity: the urgent and the important. Often our days are spent on the urgent, and we lose out on the important. I remember a conversation with someone who had been a workaholic, busy seven days a week. As a result of a personal crisis, he decided to keep Shabbat. He later told me it was the best decision he ever made. “Now,” he said, “I have time for my wife and child and for my friends. Going to shul has made me part of a community. The strange thing is that the work still gets done, in six days, not seven.”
Shabbat teaches us to take time for what is important, even though it isn’t urgent. Thirty years ago, when technology was less advanced, most people who wrote about the future saw it as an age of leisure when we would have far more free time. It has not happened that way. We seem more pressurized than ever and less relaxed. Mobile phones, e-mails, and pocket computers mean that we are constantly on call. As Wordsworth said, “The world is too much with us; late and soon / Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.” The Psalmist put it best: “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are when we number our days. Asking to be written in the book of life, we think about life and how we use it. In this context, the three key words of the “Unetaneh Tokef” prayer are fundamental: teshuvah (repentance), tefillah (prayer), and tzedakah (charity). Teshuvah is about our relationship with ourselves. Tefillah is about our relationship with G-D. Tzedakah is about our relationship with other people.
Teshuvah means not only “repentance” but also “returning”: to our roots, our faith, our people’s history and our vocation as heirs to those who stood at Sinai more than 3,000 years ago. Teshuvah asks us: did we grow in the past year or did we stand still? Did we study the texts of our heritage? Did we keep one more mitzvah? Did we live fully and confidently as Jews? Teshuvah is our satellite navigation system giving us a direction in life.
Tefillah means prayer. It is our conversation with G-D. We speak, but if we are wise, we also listen, to the voice of G-D as refracted through the prayers of a hundred generations of our ancestors. Tefillah is less about asking G-D for what we want, more about asking G-D to teach us what to want. A new car? A better job? An exotic holiday? Our prayers do not speak about these things because life is about more than these things. It is less about what we own than about what we do and who we aspire to be. We speak about forgiveness and about G-D’s presence in our lives. We remind ourselves that, short though our time on earth is, by connecting with G-D we touch eternity. Tefillah is our ‘mobile phone to heaven.’
Tzedakah is about the good we do for others. Sir Moses Montefiore was one of the great figures of Victorian Jewry. He was a wealthy man and devoted much of his long life to serving the Jewish people in Britain and worldwide (he built the windmill in Jerusalem, and the area of which it is a part, Yemin Moshe, is named after him). Someone once asked him how much he was worth, and he gave him a figure. “But,” said the questioner, “I know you own more than that.” “You didn’t ask me what I own, but what I am worth. The figure I gave you was how much money I have given this year to charity, because we are worth what we are willing to share with others.” That is tzedakah.
Certain mitzvot in Judaism are rehearsals for a time to come. Shabbat is a rehearsal for the messianic age when strife will end and peace will reign. Yom Kippur, when we do not eat or drink or engage in physical pleasure, and when there is a custom to wear a kittel like a shroud, is a dress rehearsal for death. It forces us to ask the ultimate question: what did I do in my life that was worthwhile? Did I waste time or did I share it with my faith, with G-D, and with those in need?
Knowing that none of us will live forever, we ask G-D for another year: to grow, to pray and to give. That is what Maimonides meant when he called the shofar “G-D’s alarm call,” asking us not to slumber through life, but to use it to bring blessings.
May the Almighty bless us, our families, and the Jewish people, and may He write us all in the Book of Life.

Life after Magen David Yeshivah High School

Yvonne Orfali

With the world at their fingertips, Magen David Yeshivah High School 2026 graduates set out to begin life after high school. Given the tools for skill-building and success, each young adult is navigating his or her path for what’s to come.

“In Magen David Yeshivah it’s all there for you to capitalize on,” said Sam Hamway, who graduated from the MDY Scholars Program this past spring. “MDY High School formulated my four years into a pathway to success,” he reflected. Sam heads to NYU Stern in fall 2026 and credits MDYHS with helping him gain acceptance. Head of School Dr. Daniel J. Vitow was highly instrumental and met with Sam frequently to ensure he was on the right track. Ms. Laura Miller, Director of College Guidance, reviewed which classes and APs Sam needed to take in order to build his resume and receive acceptance into the college he wanted. He participated in the Bloomberg Financial Analysis club, which met after school hours, to further achieve his goals. “I took advantage of every single thing MDYHS offered,” said Sam. “But you need to be well-rounded. Rabbi Mansour is a big advocate for balancing secular with Judaic studies.” While Sam always enjoyed studying the stock market trends and focusing on finance, he surrounded himself by Torah classes as well. Every area of growth is significant and part of our multi-dimensional graduates. They truly find the balance.

The beauty in MDYHS lies in its ability to cater to what students’ interests are. Rabbinical Leader Rabbi Eli J. Mansour works seamlessly with Dr. Vitow and leads an extensive Judaic Studies program while encouraging students to be well-rounded on all fronts. “There are people who help you with everything and anything you want to do,” said Philip Elo, a 2026 graduate who will be attending Lev Aharon in Israel this year. Philip is spending this summer working as an athlete coordinator for NFL players at Sparx Marketing Group, while maintaining a connection to MDYHS rabbis and teachers and focusing on his goals. “All of the rabbis really encouraged me and helped me grow spiritually,” he said. “I want to be able to learn Gemara without having someone teach it to me.”

Magen David is known for being a second home with its warmth and personalized care. “Leaving MDYHS was bittersweet,” said Barbara Ezon, 2026 valedictorian and member of the Jeff and Rachel Sutton Scholars Program. “I loved going to school and am sad to leave, but I feel like I got the most out of my experience,” she said. With acceptances to NYU Stern, Boston University, Northeastern NYC Scholars, Fordham, Brandeis, Drexel, and Yeshiva University, Barbara ultimately decided to attend Barnard College this fall. “I chose Barnard because I wanted to be part of a community of strong, motivated women who challenge one another to excel. I wanted to be a part of an ambitious environment,” said Barbara.

MDYHS helps cultivate that ambitious environment from a pre-college age through its internship program, the Next Senior Internship Program, geared to placing students in high school internships that are applicable to their preferred area of college study. Barbara spent her internship learning about law under the guidance of Judge Gina Abadi, attending court every day. Shirley Kabariti, a Scholars’ graduate who plans to attend Macaulay Baruch College to pursue an accounting degree, said, “MDYHS set me up in the Next program in an internship at Wietschner Ziegler, LLP, which really taught me a lot about what my future would look like and the backbone of accounting.” Each student appreciates the personalized attention for his or her placement, and the internship program prepares them for what’s to come after high school.

Applying to college can be daunting, but Ms. Laura Miller greatly eases the process. “Ms. Miller was there for me every step of the way,” said Barbara. “I was in her office every day, even after school hours. She helped me write essays, and if I didn’t get into a school I applied to, she comforted me.” MDYHS also helps students prepare for college and life after high school by teaching how to balance multiple activities and stay organized. “For example, if I had tests or homework and also had a basketball game that night, I would have to manage my time correctly,” said Barbara. When asked what she sees herself taking with her after high school, Barbara was quick in her response. “Having emunah and praying every day. Those are some of the values Magen David instilled in me.”

“Success at Magen David is not measured against a single yardstick. It is measured one student at a time,” said Associate Principal Audrey Abade. “Our task is not to move every graduate along the same track but to help each one find their own passion, their own voice and their own path.” MDYHS opens a multitude of doors at once, allowing students to encounter their interests, discover inner strengths, join teams that speak to them, and begin to shape a direction that is theirs alone.

“For one graduate that path may be to spend a gap year in Israel, which strengthens the bond to Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael,” said Mrs. Abade. “For another the journey will lead to university, where the critical thinking and disciplined study MDYHS cultivated have room to stretch. For another it means the first steps toward a career, working beside professionals in a field they had only imagined.”

Although the destinations differ, the heart beneath them remains the same. “Wherever our graduates go, they carve out time for lifelong learning, they give back to the community, and they step into an ever-changing world not warily but confidently, grounded, curious, unafraid to explore it,” shared Mrs. Abade. And that is the multi-faceted young adult that emerges from MDYHS. Regardless of the path each student takes, he or she carries a sense of pride for our community at large, our Jewish nation and strives to be the best version of themselves.

Yvonne Orfali is a member of the board as well as a parent of MDYHS.

Eddie Esses

For years, many believed our community simply didn’t have a meaningful voice in government, that we had no sway over the decisions made on our behalf by those in Albany and City Hall. Those days are over. Over the last several years, our community has undergone a political awakening. Through record voter registration and unprecedented civic engagement, we have become a force that politicians can no longer ignore.

At a moment when New York is being pulled more and more toward the extreme by radical socialists who attack our values, our schools, our neighborhoods, and our support for Israel, there has never been more at stake. This November is not just another election. It is a referendum on the future of our community.

State Senator Sam Sutton is seeking reelection in the 22nd Senate District, while his chief of staff, Joey Saban, is running for the State Assembly in the 45th District. Their victories would give our community something it has never truly had before, strong, unapologetic representation in both chambers of the New York State Legislature. And make no mistake. Who represents us in Albany matters.

Every day, radical voices are gaining influence in New York politics. Politicians who want to weaken law enforcement, slash support for Israel, impose policies that threaten religious institutions, and prioritize ideological agendas over public safety are becoming louder and more powerful. While ordinary families worry about antisemitism, rising crime, and the future of their children’s education, too many elected officials are focused on appeasing activists and political extremists.

The question facing voters this November is simple, Who will stand up and fight back? Sam Sutton already has. At a time when antisemitic incidents have exploded across New York, Senator Sutton led the fight to establish protective buffer zones around houses of worship, ensuring that families can attend synagogue without fear of intimidation.

He helped secure $20 million in security funding for yeshivas and Jewish schools from Governor Hochul and delivered millions of dollars more for our community institutions. These are not empty promises or campaign slogans. They are real victories that have made our community safer and stronger.

And behind many of those victories has been Joey Saban. Joey has worked alongside Senator Sutton every step of the way, helping write legislation, secure funding, and advocate for our community. Unlike politicians who suddenly appear every election season asking for votes, Joey has already spent his time fighting for our community in the halls of government. Now he is ready to take that fight to the State Assembly.

Joey’s campaign is built around the issues that matter most: combating antisemitism, strengthening public safety, supporting the NYPD, protecting yeshivas and private education, increasing security funding for schools and synagogues, and standing firmly against extremist and socialist policies that threaten our community.

But perhaps the most important reason this election is so important is that we need our voice represented in the majority conference in Albany. Simply put, New York is overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats. Unfortunately, members of the minority party are not able to accomplish anything in Albany, and their voices are considered meaningless.

Real change will not come from politicians shouting from the sidelines. It will come from strong voices inside the majority who are willing to challenge their own party when it embraces dangerous ideas. Joey Saban would immediately become one of the strongest moderate voices in Albany, standing up loudly and strongly every day to the growing influence of the Democratic Socialists and politicians like Zohran Mamdani, who seek to push New York in a radically different direction.

He would be a voice for common sense, public safety, religious freedom, and unwavering support for Israel. Together, Sam Sutton and Joey Saban would create a powerful partnership capable of fighting for our community’s priorities in both houses of the Legislature.

But this election is about more than two candidates. It is about whether our community will continue the political revolution that began years ago or retreat into complacency while others shape the future of New York without us. The truth is uncomfortable: If we do not organize, others will organize against us. If we do not vote, others will decide our future. If we do not fight for our values, we cannot expect anyone else to do it for us.

The last few years have proven that civic engagement works. When our community registered to vote in record numbers, Albany paid attention. When we became politically active, politicians started listening. When we showed up at the ballot box, we gained influence that previous generations could only dream of.

Now, the stakes are even higher. The forces reshaping New York are organized, motivated, and determined. The only question is whether we will match their energy and determination. This November, every vote is a statement. Every volunteer matters. Every conversation counts.

The future of our schools, our synagogues, our neighborhoods, and our community’s place in New York politics will not be decided by pundits or activists. It will be decided by the people who show up on Election Day.

For the first time in a generation, we have an opportunity not simply to participate in government, but to help shape it. The question is whether we are willing to seize it. q

Eddie Esses has been civically engaged in the community for many years, alongside Joey Saban. He is an active board member of the SCF, senior advisor to Senator Sutton, and owns multiple retail franchise stores.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l

There are many lovely explanations for why we blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, but one of the most powerful is given by Moses Maimonides. For Maimonides, the shofar is G-D’s alarm clock, waking us up from the “slumber” in which we spend many of our days. What did he mean?

G-D’s greatest gift to us is time, and He gives it to us on equal terms. Whether we are rich or poor, there are still only 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week and a span of years that is all too short. Often we spend our time on things that, in Maimonides’ words, “neither help nor save.” How many people, looking back on a lifetime, say, “I wish I had spent more time at committee meetings”? By contrast, how many say, “I wish I had spent more time with my children, or helping others, or simply enjoying being alive”?

Sometimes we can be so busy making a living that we hardly have time to live. Experts on time management speak about two types of activity: the urgent and the important. Often our days are spent on the urgent, and we lose out on the important. I remember a conversation with someone who had been a workaholic, busy seven days a week. As a result of a personal crisis, he decided to keep Shabbat. He later told me it was the best decision he ever made. “Now,” he said, “I have time for my wife and child and for my friends. Going to shul has made me part of a community. The strange thing is that the work still gets done, in six days, not seven.”

Shabbat teaches us to take time for what is important, even though it isn’t urgent. Thirty years ago, when technology was less advanced, most people who wrote about the future saw it as an age of leisure when we would have far more free time. It has not happened that way. We seem more pressurized than ever and less relaxed. Mobile phones, e-mails, and pocket computers mean that we are constantly on call. As Wordsworth said, “The world is too much with us; late and soon / Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.” The Psalmist put it best: “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are when we number our days. Asking to be written in the book of life, we think about life and how we use it. In this context, the three key words of the “Unetaneh Tokef” prayer are fundamental: teshuvah (repentance), tefillah (prayer), and tzedakah (charity). Teshuvah is about our relationship with ourselves. Tefillah is about our relationship with G-D. Tzedakah is about our relationship with other people.

Teshuvah means not only “repentance” but also “returning”: to our roots, our faith, our people’s history and our vocation as heirs to those who stood at Sinai more than 3,000 years ago. Teshuvah asks us: did we grow in the past year or did we stand still? Did we study the texts of our heritage? Did we keep one more mitzvah? Did we live fully and confidently as Jews? Teshuvah is our satellite navigation system giving us a direction in life.

Tefillah means prayer. It is our conversation with G-D. We speak, but if we are wise, we also listen, to the voice of G-D as refracted through the prayers of a hundred generations of our ancestors. Tefillah is less about asking G-D for what we want, more about asking G-D to teach us what to want. A new car? A better job? An exotic holiday? Our prayers do not speak about these things because life is about more than these things. It is less about what we own than about what we do and who we aspire to be. We speak about forgiveness and about G-D’s presence in our lives. We remind ourselves that, short though our time on earth is, by connecting with G-D we touch eternity. Tefillah is our ‘mobile phone to heaven.’

Tzedakah is about the good we do for others. Sir Moses Montefiore was one of the great figures of Victorian Jewry. He was a wealthy man and devoted much of his long life to serving the Jewish people in Britain and worldwide (he built the windmill in Jerusalem, and the area of which it is a part, Yemin Moshe, is named after him). Someone once asked him how much he was worth, and he gave him a figure. “But,” said the questioner, “I know you own more than that.” “You didn’t ask me what I own, but what I am worth. The figure I gave you was how much money I have given this year to charity, because we are worth what we are willing to share with others.” That is tzedakah.

Certain mitzvot in Judaism are rehearsals for a time to come. Shabbat is a rehearsal for the messianic age when strife will end and peace will reign. Yom Kippur, when we do not eat or drink or engage in physical pleasure, and when there is a custom to wear a kittel like a shroud, is a dress rehearsal for death. It forces us to ask the ultimate question: what did I do in my life that was worthwhile? Did I waste time or did I share it with my faith, with G-D, and with those in need?

Knowing that none of us will live forever, we ask G-D for another year: to grow, to pray and to give. That is what Maimonides meant when he called the shofar “G-D’s alarm call,” asking us not to slumber through life, but to use it to bring blessings.

May the Almighty bless us, our families, and the Jewish people, and may He write us all in the Book of Life. q

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks ZT”L was an international religious leader and philosopher. The author of over 30 books, Rabbi Sacks received multiple awards in recognition of his work. Sadly, he passed away in November 2020.

Ten sound investment rules from Jewish tradition, and the modern financial giants who echoed them

Menachem Katz

Jewish sources have a lot to say about money. Scattered across the Talmud and its commentaries is a body of financial wisdom that Buffett, Graham, and Munger would only formalize thousands of years later. Here are ten Jewish rules that still hold up.

1. Diversify
   Never stake everything on one position.
   The ancient source
   “Divide your portion into seven, or even into eight, for you do not know what misfortune may befall the land” (Ecclesiastes 11:2).
   A person should always divide his wealth into three, a third in land, a third in merchandise, and a third in liquidity. The Talmud sources the principle with our Patriarch Yaakov, who, fearing Esav, “divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps” (Bereishis 32:8–9), so that if one camp were struck, the other would survive (Talmud Bavli, Bava Metzia 42a).
   The modern echo
   Harry Markowitz won the Nobel Prize for Modern Portfolio Theory and summed it up in one sentence: “Diversification is the only free lunch in investing.” Spreading risk across uncorrelated assets lowers risk without sacrificing return. Researchers have tested the Sages’ “thirds” allocation against Markowitz’s model and found the Talmudic portfolio holds up remarkably well.
2. Insist on a margin of safety Don’t overpay.
   The ancient source
   The Talmud (Bava Kama 7b) observes that while real-estate values dip in the off-season, land does not fall below half of its value. That built-in floor protects the buyer who respects it from being wiped out by bad timing.
   The modern echo
   Benjamin Graham (né Grossbaum), Buffett’s teacher and the father of value investing, reduced the discipline to three words: margin of safety. Buy with a wide enough gap between price and value that even your mistakes leave you whole.
3. Own productive, income-generating assets
   The ancient source
   “A person should always seek to sell a field and purchase goats, to benefit from their milk, wool, and offspring, and a person should not sell goats and purchase a field.” The goat yields year after year; a bare field does not (Chulin 84a). Likewise, when managing a child’s assets, one buys a fruit-bearing tree so the child benefits from the produce (Bava Basra 52a).
   The modern echo
   In his 2011 Berkshire Hathaway letter, Warren Buffett drew the same distinction. A block of gold, however large, produces nothing; farmland, businesses, and real estate generate output, crops, dividends, rents, year after year. Like the Talmud’s goat, the productive asset compounds; the inert one does not.
4. Invest in what you understand
   The ancient source
   It is better to deal in a smaller quantity of merchandise close to home than a larger quantity from far away, the nearby trade is the one you can actually watch and understand. (Pesachim 113a) The Talmud likewise warns that “a person cannot know from which merchandise he will profit” (Pesachim 54b), and to keep a close eye on your own workers. Stay where your knowledge is real (Bava Metzia 29b–30a).
   The modern echo
   Peter Lynch, who ran Fidelity’s Magellan Fund to roughly 29% annual returns, built his philosophy on four words: “Invest in what you know.” Buffett calls it staying within your “circle of competence.” The edge belongs to the investor who understands the business in front of him and not chasing the unknown far away.
5. Treat it as a business Mind the details.
   The ancient source
   The Talmud is strikingly operational. Collect payment before you measure out the goods. Watch your employees. And, pointedly, one who merely earns back his investment is not really a merchant (Pesachim 113a; Bava Metzia 40b). The details are the business.
   The modern echo
   Graham taught that investing is most intelligent when it is most businesslike: do the homework, run the numbers, and never mistake a flat result for a real gain. Wealth is built by a careful proprietor, not a gambler.
6. Be greedy when others are fearful
   The ancient source
   “In a time when others are scattering, gather in; and in a time when others are gathering in, scatter.” Move against the crowd (Brachos 63a). This pairs with the Torah’s warning, “Do not follow a multitude to do evil” (Exodus 23:2), independence of judgment is a virtue, in markets as in morals.
   The modern echo
   This is nearly word-for-word one of Buffett’s most famous maxims, from the depths of the 2008 crisis: “Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.” When the herd panics, prices fall to where the patient buyer steps in; when the masses are euphoric, take a step back.
7. Don’t be greedy on the way out Take the sure gain.
   The ancient source
   “Butzina tava mikara, a small gourd in hand now is better than a large one later” (Kesuvos 83b). Better the certain modest gain than the speculative larger one (Succah 56b).
   The modern echo
   Bernard Baruch, who sold out before the 1929 crash, put it plainly: “I made my money by selling too soon.” Chasing the exact top is a fool’s errand; the disciplined investor banks the gain. Buffett made the same point with the old adage, “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”
8. Let it compound Reinvest and be patient.
   The ancient source
   “One who wishes to become wealthy should engage in raising small domesticated animals” (Chulin 84b), because they breed quickly, and their offspring beget further offspring. The Rambam captures the same instinct (Hilchos Deot 5:12): aim steadily to improve your position and “to exchange the impermanent for the permanent”. Small gains, reinvested over time, become large ones.
   The modern echo
   Charlie Munger, Buffett’s partner for half a century, reduced wealth-building to one discipline: “The first rule of compounding: never interrupt it unnecessarily.” Most of a fortune’s growth comes at the end of the curve, if you have the patience to leave it alone.
9. Live below your means True wealth is contentment.
   The ancient source
   The Sages advise living below your means (Chulin 84b), and define wealth not by the size of one’s holdings but by the state of the heart: “Who is rich? One who rejoices in his portion” (Ethics of the Fathers 4:1). One is also required to live within his means (Rambam Deot 5:10). The goal of all the above is not accumulation for its own sake, but security, generosity, and peace of mind.
   The modern echo
   Warren Buffett, one of the wealthiest people alive, still lives in the modest Omaha house he bought in 1958. Great investors tend to be frugal: the fortune you keep depends more on temperament than on returns. Spend less than you have and reinvest the difference.
10. Guard your integrity above all
    The ancient source
    The first question a person is asked before the Heavenly court is, “Did you conduct your business affairs faithfully?” (Shabbos 31a) Honesty in commerce is not a footnote to the spiritual life, it is the opening question of the final accounting. It is also a Biblical command: “You must fulfill what has crossed your lips” (Deut. 23:24).
    The modern echo
    Buffett tells his managers the same thing: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” He will forgive lost money but not a shred of reputation. Trust is the most valuable asset on any balance sheet, and the hardest to recover once lost.

A Closing Thought
Together, these rules describe a disposition: prudent, patient, honest, and aware of what cannot be known. “A person cannot know from which merchandise he will profit” (Pesachim 54b), so he diversifies, demands a margin of safety, stays within what he understands, and lets time and integrity work.
Modern finance has spent centuries rediscovering this. Perhaps this tradition helped Jews thrive financially through centuries of persecution. q

Laura Shammah, MS, RDN

This year, there’s barely a chance to catch our breath. Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, but before we’ve even unpacked the beach bags or settled into new school routines, Rosh Hashanah is already here. Instead of easing into one season before preparing for the next, we’re hit with everything at once: school supplies, carpools, work schedules, holiday shopping, cooking, family obligations, and the pressure to have it all together.

For many people, this is exactly when healthy habits begin to unravel. As a dietitian who specializes in eating disorders and helping people build a healthier relationship with food, I see it every year. When life becomes stressful, people stop making themselves a priority. They skip meals because they’re busy. They grab whatever is convenient. They tell themselves they’ll “get back on track” after the holidays. But that’s exactly the mindset that keeps people feeling stuck.
The goal isn’t to have a perfect routine. The goal is to build what I call a healthy-minded head. A healthy-minded head understands that life changes. Schedules change. Seasons change. Your eating habits don’t have to become all-or-nothing every time your calendar gets busy.
Maybe your workouts aren’t an hour long anymore. Maybe they’re 10 to 20 minutes. That’s still taking care of yourself. Maybe dinner isn’t homemade every night. That’s okay too. Maybe the kids’ schedules have completely changed. Instead of only planning their meals, ask yourself, “When am I going to eat today?”
As parents, we become experts at taking care of everyone else. We pack lunches, organize activities, remind our children to eat, drink, and sleep. Yet somehow, we convince ourselves that skipping lunch or eating standing over the kitchen counter is acceptable. It isn’t. The healthier your relationship with food, the healthier your family’s relationship with food can become. One of the greatest gifts you can give your children isn’t a perfect meal. It’s watching you respect your own body.
As we prepare for Rosh Hashanah, think beyond the symbolic apples and honey. A sweet new year doesn’t come from another diet that starts in January. It comes from making small decisions today that support your physical and emotional health.
Plan ahead. Keep mealtimes regular as much as possible. Stock easy meals for busy afternoons. Schedule movement into your week the same way you schedule appointments. Give yourself permission to enjoy holiday meals without guilt. Most importantly, remember that one busy season doesn’t erase all the progress you’ve made. Healthy people don’t have perfect routines. They have flexible routines.
This Labor Day and Rosh Hashanah, don’t strive for perfection. Strive for consistency. Go into this new school year and the New Year feeling prepared instead of frazzled, nourished instead of depleted, and committed to taking care of yourself just as well as you take care of everyone else. Because when your mind is healthy, your choices become healthier too. And that’s a gift worth carrying into every season.

Debbie Gutfreund

Ditch “How was your day?” and instead try these four questions to get your kids talking.

Getting your kids to talk to you can feel like a herculean task. Ask “How was your day?” and you’ll probably get “Fine.” Ask “What did you do today?” and you’ll probably get “Nothing.” Here are four better questions that are open-ended and reflective, and help build real connection.

1. Who did you help today?
   I’ve asked my kids this since kindergarten. It shifts the focus away from what they achieved and onto the kindness they brought into someone else’s day. Even your youngest kids will remember a small moment: “Josh tripped on the playground, and I helped him pick up his books.” Older kids will open up about things you’d never otherwise hear: “Shira’s dad is in the hospital, so I sat with her at lunch so she could talk about it.” This question teaches them that who they become matters more than what they become, and it nudges them to look for chances to help.
2. When did you feel most like yourself today?
   This question connects your kids to what actually matters to them. Listen without judgment, and you’ll learn what they truly care about. It’s hard, at any age, to recognize your authentic self. We usually only catch glimpses of it when we’re doing something that draws out our real strengths. But kids often know exactly when they felt most like themselves: “When I played soccer with my friends.” “When I figured out that problem on my computer.” “When I made the baby laugh.” “When I wrote that poem on the porch.” The specific answer doesn’t matter. What matters is that your kids see you care about what matters to them. Ask this enough, and they’ll start asking themselves: Does this choice bring me closer to who I really am, or further away?
3. When did you keep going even when something was hard?
   We live in a culture built for instant gratification and shortcuts. One of the hardest things to teach kids, and ourselves, is that doing hard things is the only way to accomplish anything worthwhile. This question brings back the moments they felt stuck and uncomfortable but pushed through anyway: “I was out of breath a block before the finish line, but I kept running.” “I was stuck on a math problem, but I tried different answers until one worked.” “I wanted to walk away from a hard conversation, but I stayed and told them how I felt.” Even on days they don’t answer, they’ll remember a moment that tells them they can handle discomfort, and that when things get tough, they can push through.
4. What was going on for you when that happened? What did you need in that moment?
   Parenting expert Dr. Becky Kennedy developed this question as a replacement for “Why did you do that?” That question sounds reasonable, but it puts kids on the defensive and shuts them down. What you actually want to know is what was happening in your child’s world when they did whatever they did. It’s a small reframe, but the answers you get will surprise you. A kid who got into a fight on the playground might say: “Right before it started, Charlie tripped me and took the hat Grandpa gave me. I knew I shouldn’t have hit him, but I needed a place to cool down and couldn’t find one.” What you’ll hear underneath: I needed understanding. I needed safety. I needed space. You’ll understand what happened, and you might even help them avoid it next time. More than that, your child will feel like you genuinely care how they experience the world, without judgment. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks taught, “To be a Jewish parent is to make space for your child, as G-D makes space for us, His children.” The questions you ask your kids can close off that space, or open it wide. The more curious and open-ended your questions, the more your kids will feel like you genuinely care what’s going on inside them.

Beauty Breakthrough or Too Good to Be True?

The ads are hard to miss. A cream promises smoother skin, tighter pores, a lifted look, and a glow that seems to belong in a filter. The label is Korean, the packaging is elegant, and the language sounds scientific. For anyone tired of expensive treatments, the message is tempting. Is this skincare, or is it wishful thinking?

The answer is somewhere in the middle. Korean anti-aging creams are not Botox in a jar. They cannot freeze facial muscles, erase deep lines overnight, or replace a dermatologist. But some of them do contain thoughtful ingredients that can improve how your skin looks and feels when used consistently.
Korean skincare has earned a strong following because it often focuses on prevention, hydration, barrier repair, and daily routine. That approach is different from the quick-fix promise many people expect from anti-aging products. Instead of one strong cream that does everything, K-beauty often builds results through layers. A gentle cleanser. A hydrating toner. A serum. A moisturizer. Sunscreen in the morning. The goal is skin that looks healthier because it is better protected and less irritated.
The current wave of Korean anti-aging products is built around ingredients that sound almost medical. You may see PDRN, peptides, exosomes, snail mucin, cica, fermented extracts, ginseng, niacinamide, and bakuchiol. Some of these have real value. Peptides may support the skin’s firm look over time. Niacinamide can help with uneven tone and the skin barrier. Cica, also called centella asiatica, is often used to calm redness. Snail mucin is mainly valued for hydration and repair. Bakuchiol is often described as a gentler retinol alternative, though retinoids still have the stronger research record.
Then there are the trendier ingredients. PDRN, short for polydeoxyribonucleotide, has become one of the biggest names in Korean beauty. It is often connected with skin repair, hydration, and post-treatment recovery. In clinics, related ingredients may be used with professional procedures. In a cream or serum, the effect is more modest. It may help support the skin, but it should not be treated like a medical treatment at home.
Another trend is the “Botox-like” cream. This phrase is where consumers need to slow down. Botox is a drug that is injected by a licensed professional. It works by relaxing targeted muscles. A topical cream does not work the same way. Some creams use ingredients that may soften the look of fine lines by hydrating the skin or temporarily smoothing the surface. That can be useful, especially before makeup or for dry skin. But it is not the same as changing muscle movement.
This does not mean the products are scams. It means the claims matter. A cream that says it helps skin look smoother, plumper, brighter, or more hydrated may be making a reasonable cosmetic claim. A cream that suggests it can deliver the same result as an injection should be viewed with caution. Good skincare can improve texture. It can help dull skin look fresher. It can reduce dryness that makes lines look worse. It can support the barrier so skin looks calmer. Those are real benefits. They are also different from a facelift, laser, filler, or neuromodulator.
The safest way to judge these products is to ignore the most dramatic advertising and read the ingredient list. Look for familiar, useful ingredients near the top. Hyaluronic acid, glycerin, ceramides, niacinamide, peptides, panthenol, centella, and sunscreen filters all have practical roles. If you want anti-aging results with stronger evidence, retinol or a prescription retinoid remains one of the better studied options, though it can irritate some skin. If your skin is sensitive, bakuchiol, peptides, and barrier-repair creams may be easier to tolerate.
You should also pay attention to how your skin reacts. A product can be popular and still be wrong for you. Fragrance, essential oils, strong actives, and exfoliating acids can bother sensitive skin. A glossy ad does not protect you from redness, burning, breakouts, or rash. Try one new product at a time. Use a small amount for several days before putting it all over your face. If your skin stings or peels badly, stop using it.
Buying from a reliable source matters too. Korean skincare is widely available in the United States, but the market is crowded. Choose established retailers, clear labeling, sealed packaging, and brands that list ingredients in English. Be careful with products sold through unknown marketplaces, especially if the price seems unusually low. Skincare does not need to be expensive, but it should be traceable.
The most overlooked anti-aging product is still sunscreen. No cream can do much if your skin is getting daily sun damage. A simple morning routine with sunscreen and a simple night routine with moisturizer and one active ingredient will usually serve you better than a shelf full of half-used miracle creams.
Korean anti-aging creams are worth paying attention to because they reflect where beauty is going. Consumers want products that feel gentle, look elegant, and fit into daily life. They want skin that looks healthy, not frozen. That is a good shift. The problem starts when the language gets too big for what a cream can honestly do.
The best approach is open-minded but realistic. Try the products that make sense for your skin. Give them time. Keep your expectations grounded. A good Korean cream may help your skin look smoother, calmer, and better hydrated. That is not Botox. It is skincare. And sometimes, that is exactly what your skin needs.

Six practical rules to cut through the noise and choose with clarity and confidence

Dr. Leslie M. Gutman

SOME DECISIONS ARE GENUINELY COMPLICATED. BUT MANY OF THE DECISIONS THAT DRAIN US AREN’T THAT COMPLEX. SHOULD I GO? SHOULD I STAY? SHOULD I APPLY? THEY’RE JUST EMOTIONALLY NOISY. PSYCHOLOGISTS CALL THIS DECISION FATIGUE, WHEN EMOTIONAL OVERLOAD MAKES SIMPLE CHOICES FEEL OVERWHELMING.

You hesitate because you’re afraid of choosing the wrong thing, disappointing someone, or stepping into discomfort. Here are six rules that cut through the noise and help you choose with clarity and confidence.

1. If it’s a mitzvah and you have the capacity, then say yes.
   When a mitzvah presents itself and you’re genuinely able to do it, do it. The Talmud teaches “When a mitzvah comes your way, don’t let it become spoiled by delaying” (Talmud Bavli, Megillah 6b). This doesn’t mean overextending yourself or ignoring your limits. It means that if you have the time, emotional bandwidth, and resources, a mitzvah is a built in compass. It points you toward meaning, connection, and purpose.
2. If it matters to someone you care about, make every effort to be there.
   Judaism places enormous weight on showing up, being present, and standing with someone in their moment. Strong relationships are built on consistent presence. When something is important to someone you love, your attendance becomes part of the meaning. You don’t have to stay for hours or be the life of the party. You just have to be there.
3. If the only benefit is thrill based danger, the answer is probably no.
   The Torah commands us to guard our bodies carefully and live responsibly. There’s a difference between courage and recklessness. Courage is stepping into a challenge for a purpose. Recklessness is risking your life for a dopamine spike. If the activity is dangerous and purposeless, then all signs point to pass.
4. If it involves mild discomfort but leads to a meaningful reward, say yes.
   Growth rarely feels comfortable. New adventures, new roles, and new opportunities stretch us, and this can feel awkward. Psychologists call this “productive discomfort”: the small, healthy stress that accompanies learning and expansion. If the reward is real, such as connection, growth, contribution, or purpose, then the discomfort is not a warning sign. It’s a sign you’re stretching.
5. If it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity you’ll regret missing, say yes.
   Regret research shows that people regret inaction far more than action. You regret the things you didn’t try, the doors you didn’t walk through, the experiences you let pass. Judaism values seizing the moment: “If not now, when?” (Ethics of the Fathers, 1:14) If you can already feel the future version of yourself saying, “I’ll wish I had gone,” listen to that voice. Some doors don’t open twice.
6. If your whole body says, “This isn’t safe,” listen.
   Your nervous system is purposefully designed to detect danger before your mind can articulate it. If your body tightens, your breath shortens, or something in you says, This isn’t right, pause. Listen to your body; it’s your first defense mechanism. Most decisions don’t require perfect certainty. They require alignment with your values, your relationships, your safety, your purpose, and your future self.
   These six rules won’t eliminate every dilemma, but they will give you a framework that is spiritually grounded and psychologically sound. Apply them, and the right choice will likely become clearer.

Advice on Being a Great Daughter-in-Law

Sarah Pachter

Your mother-in-law may be zipping her lips shut, but this is what she wants you to hear.

1. Empathize
   Imagine you’re the founder and CEO of a major corporation, and after 20 years you get fired. You’re devastated. After all, you created this company. How can they fire you from your own company? As you determine your next steps, you find out that the new boss is a young upstart, fresh out of college. Your blood is boiling. You’re appalled that you’ve devoted your entire life to the company and with the blink of an eye, you’ve been ousted by someone with no experience. This is what it’s like to become a mother-in-law. You created a human. You endured sleepless nights worrying and raising your child. You gave every ounce of your body and soul to this person. And suddenly, just like that, some young rookie with no life experience has taken him! Recognize the years of toil and love that your mother-in-law poured into your husband and empathize with this most difficult transition that she has to navigate. One day, you’ll be that mother-in-law, and karma is a beast.
2. The More You Include Me,
   the Less I Will Intrude
   “The more you include, the less they intrude.” Commit this mantra to memory. Since your mother-in-law is the CEO emeritus, the more you invite her into your life, the less she will encroach and force her way in. There are simple, small gestures that can help her feel important, appreciated, and loved. Ask for recipes, call her often with the children, buy her thoughtful gifts, and send her “thinking of you” cards or texts. If you live in the same city, offer to pick up something from the market and visit regularly with your children. Treat her like she is your mother, only nicer. You can ask your husband what types of gestures he thinks she would appreciate, pleasing both your husband and your mother-in-law. Show kindness and your mother-in-law will feel less threatened. In turn, she’ll respect your need for privacy.
3. Respect Me Even If You Don’t Like Me
   Your marriage is more akin to a marathon than a sprint. So, when dealing with heated, emotional topics with your mother-in-law, think about the long-term effects of your words. A few seconds of silence can buy you years of positive feelings. Pick your battles and choose respect over all else. Even if you don’t like your mother-in-law, you still need to respect her. At the end of the day, you have to look in the mirror and feel proud of what you see. Your mother-in-law carried, birthed, and raised the man you married, and that alone deserves your respect, even if you like nothing else about her. Words, actions, and facial gestures need to all reflect your inner values.
4. Allow Me to Have a Relationship
   With My Grandchildren
   You may feel more comfortable and trusting with your mother than your mother-in-law when it comes to helping you with the baby, but give your mother-in-law equal time and opportunity to see and love her grandchild. It is unfair for mothers-in-law to feel second fiddle. Even if you’re not so fond of your mother-in-law, it is a basic act of kindness to allow her to have a relationship with her grandchildren.
5. Don’t Call Me Only When You Need Me
   “She mostly ignores my existence until she needs something. At that point, she butters me up and is sweet as honey. Then, once she gets what she needs, she continues the cycle of purposeful distance.” Mothers-in-law often feel used and taken advantage of. They continue to give out of desire to have a relationship, but often feel deflated by the results. Call regularly and maintain a relationship, not because you want to get something out of her, but just for the sake of the relationship.
6. Don’t Contradict Me. If You Disagree, Just Don’t Respond.
   Zipping the lips is a great idea for both parties, but it’s extra important for daughters-in-law. As a daughter-in-law, sometimes you have to swallow your words, bite your tongue, and smile and nod. It’s basic respect. She’s older and the parent of your spouse. For that reason alone, she deserves respect. Undermining her in front of her friends and children is disrespectful and impolite. If she is hurting you or embarrassing you, you don’t have to withstand it. However, in areas where you can relinquish control, do it. As long as she is saying something that has no real impact, why not just keep quiet? Smile and nod, and don’t contradict her, even if you know she’s wrong. Get used to the phrase, “Oh, that’s interesting,” even if you emphatically disagree. You can still hear the perspective of the other person without commenting in a dissenting, argumentative way.
7. Express Gratitude
   Find a way to thank your mother-in-law regularly. Perhaps she helps with the children, offers financial help, or respects your privacy. Let her know why you feel so fortunate to have her as your mother-in-law. Even if your mother-in-law is no angel, there is something she’s doing right. Find something to thank her for.
8. Don’t Speak Ill of Me, Especially in
   Front of Your Children
   As much as you may want to let off steam, your children are learning how to treat their parents by watching you. Also, don’t speak negatively about your mother-in-law to your spouse. No one wants to hear that their mother is difficult, even if they know it deep down.
9. Please Offer to Help Me
   As a daughter-in-law, try to help your mother-in-law in any way she needs. Do dishes, clear the table, and tidy up after your children in their home. Bring a gift of flowers when you see her or just because. And if you commit to helping with something, do not flake.
10. Make Boundaries
    If your mother-in-law is toxic or abusive, you have the right and the need to make boundaries. You do not have to accept abuse and can limit your time together to prevent making the relationship worse. Sometimes less is more when it comes to family harmony. q

Dena Schusterman’s new memoir explores faith, family, Chabad life, and the stories that shape who we become

Every family has stories that get told again and again. Some are shared at the Sabbath table. Some are repeated at simchas, Some are passed down quietly, through habits, expectations, and the way parents and grandparents live. Over time, those stories become part of how we understand who we are. That is the heart of Stories Carry: We All Carry Them. Some Even Carry Us, Dena Schusterman’s memoir.

Schusterman is an Atlanta-based writer, educator, community leader, and mother of eight. Raised in Berkeley, California, as the daughter of Chabad emissaries, she later built her own life of shlichus (Chabad outreach work) with her husband, Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman, at Chabad Intown in Atlanta.
For Orthodox Jewish readers, Stories Carry speaks in a language that feels familiar. It is about Sabbath tables, busy family life, guests at the door, family history, chinuch (Jewish education), marriage, community responsibility, and the quiet pressure of living with purpose. It is also about the stories passed from parents and grandparents to children, the kind that shape how we understand faith, resilience, sacrifice, and belonging.
The memoir moves through four generations, from California and New Mexico to present-day Atlanta. Along the way, Schusterman reflects on life inside Chabad-Lubavitch, not as an outsider looking in, but as someone formed by that world and still living within it. She writes about the beauty of tradition, the weight of expectation, and the work of making inherited values personal.
That question gives the book its strength. Which stories do we carry forward because they give us courage, and which ones do we need to understand more deeply before passing them on? Every family has stories of survival, mesirut nefesh (devoted self-sacrifice), faith, pride, pain, humor, and love. Some are told at the table. Some are absorbed without words. Schusterman asks what it means to receive those stories with gratitude, while also growing into your own voice.
Early praise has come from several notable readers. Melissa Fay Greene called the book “enchanting and enlightening.” Jonah Platt praised its portrait of life inside the Chabad community, saying it brings “new humanity and relatability” to a world often seen from the outside. Mayim Bialik noted that Schusterman’s dedication to transmitting her family’s legacy feels “as relevant now as ever.” Rabbi David Wolpe described the memoir as “a charming and inspiring journey.”
Stories Carry is a memoir about living with faith, family, and tradition in a real and honest way. Schusterman writes from inside the world that shaped her, with respect for its values and a clear eye for its challenges. For readers who care about family legacy, Jewish identity, and the stories that shape a home, it offers a thoughtful and timely read. Stories Carry: We All Carry Them. Some Even Carry Us will be published in September 2026 by Mercer University Press.

This month’s Community Photo Album celebrates the children of our community enjoying camp and making the most of summer. From exciting trips, sports, camp activities, and community events to time spent with friends and family, these photos capture the fun, energy, and special moments that make summer so memorable.
Summer gives children the chance to explore new interests, build friendships, try new experiences, and enjoy a well-deserved break from the school year. Whether they are away at camp, attending a local program, traveling, or simply enjoying the outdoors, we are proud to share these happy moments from across our community.