Community Magazine May 2013

INSPIRED TO HELP SAVE LIVES It was enlightening to read about how AJ Gindi donated a kidney to a sick man, thereby granting him many more years to live. They say when a man saves someone it’s as if he saved the whole world. The man he saved is now able to be a person who enjoys his family and all activities without having to worry about dialysis. Thank you for bringing up this issue, describing the process of donating, and alerting us to the problem of people being dissuaded from donating a kidney. Raquel Boujo CAREFULLY CONSIDERED BET DIN I look forward every month to Community’s new issue. I enjoy every page of it, reading it thoroughly from cover to cover. But most of all, I enjoy reading Files of the Bet Din. It’s not just something I can read and move on. Every month I look up the sources, and then read the article again, scrutinizing every line, every detail. I’m sure many others, too, spend much time analyzing the case, trying to reach the same verdict as the Bet Din, and gaining a lot of Torah knowledge along the way. How much lies between every line of the article! How many questions are answered just with the carefully selected words! And how much time and effort must have been put into it, just so it can be clear, concise, and accessible to any reader, young or old! Thank you, Rabbi Sutton, for each monthly masterpiece. S.E. SITO ADVICE I would like to share my thoughts on the advice Sito gave last month to the sister of the lady having issues with her mother-in-law. The advice was to try to encourage her sister to not get hurt by the comments and also to validate her feelings. First of all, I think it’s important to note that when someone lends a listening ear, it is very difficult to validate feelings without adding his or her own input, especially in the case of two sisters. No one wants to see the other in pain, and it can cause the one listening to the pain and suffering to also feel resentful towards the mother-in- law. Validating is saying, “Your feelings are valid, because what your mother-in-law is doing to you is hurtful.” Secondly, encouraging her sister to not take the comments to heart is an easy thing to say, but an extremely difficult thing to do. Many times when someone is hurt they are not ready to hear that kind of rational advice. Thank you for a fantastic magazine. R.R. THE SCIENCE OF TORAH I was very impressed with Rabbi Adi Cohen’s article, “The Science of Torah.” The fact that many of today’s so-called “new” inventions and “recent” scientific discoveries are already documented in the Tanach, which was written thousands of years ago, is quite remarkable – to say the least! The tremendous wisdom of our great Sages is simply incredible. Articles like these are a reminder to all of us on how fortunate we are to have great rabbis to serve as our leaders and role models. J. Gindi TOUCHED BY THE HAND OF HASHEM I was very moved by Harold Shammah’s article, “Touched by the Hand of Hashem.” Four years ago, I shared a similar, very emotional, experience when I suffered through an unfortunate accident. During that time, however, I felt Hashem’s presence at every step of the way. Every time I think of that day I get such hizuk (encouragement) that Hashem is the one in control. I share my story whenever possible to praise Hashem for all He has done and continues to do for me every day. I think what you are doing will inspire many people in our community. Thank you, N.H. KNOWLEDGE FROM PROFESSOR NOE ITAL I’m thoroughly enjoying all the new knowledge I’m receiving by reading the new Professor Noe Ital column in Community Magazine. I totally love reading the magazine and look forward to getting it each month. I even send it to a friend now living in California, who looks forward to receiving it as well with great interest. . Selina Siegel LETTERS TELL US WHAT YOU REALLY THINK! WRITE US A LETTER MOBILE: Scan the Quick Response (QR) code here with your tablet, smart phone or other mobile device. EMAIL: letters@Community M .com WEB: www. Community M .com FAX: 718-504-4246 POST: Community Magazine 1616 Ocean Pkwy Brooklyn, NY 11223 Letters submitted become the property of Community Magazine and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Letters may be edited and revised for length, style and grammar before publication. All submissions are considered for publication unless otherwise requested. Preferential consideration is given to brief comments and insights that relate directly to published content. Anonymous letters are generally not reviewed or considered for publication. NOTICE: On page 63 of the April 2013 issue, a chapter of Tehillim was printed bearing the Name of Hashem. We ask our readers to ensure that the magazine is treated in an appropriate manner, and apologize for the oversight. 14 Community magazine