FIrst Emaciated, Now Slouching?

Have you seen the new Lord & Taylor catalog?

I think slouching is now a new modeling technique, or style.

One of the models is slouching in almost every picture. Not really a slouch, more of a concave body arch, like the beginnings of a collapse due to bad cramps.

Her expression kind of goes with the whole contortion.

Hello, give your models Midol before snapping the picture.

She OBVIOUSLY doesn't have a good jewish mother who yelled at her every day before she went off to high school "Stand straight! You look nebbish! What are you cowering about? Your beautiful! Gorgeous! And you need every Inch!"

Maybe she screamed back at her mother, "Oh yeah?? When I grow up and get outta this one horse town I and my Slouch are going to be Famous!"


and so it is!

Good Boy, Good Home, Good Family

Who makes that decision about what or who is good?

Is it if there are no kids at risk, no relatives divorced, no sister that dresses too trendy, no siblings in any Out-Of-NY-Schools? Who decided that those things render a family "different" "off beat" or "not good"?

Or is it a "Good" family, home, boy, because they do everything like everyone else?
Nothing out of the ordinary?

Why are we so afraid of people and families who are a bit different?


It's like an unpredictable popularity game; even if the details all look the same, you never who is going to be "in" and who isn't.

I stray today from my usual lightheated complaints to open a discussion and see what you have to say about it.

yeshiva tuitions are strangling us. Even if a family has only three children, not very common in our Orthodox world, the tuition can be, at a minimum, $30,000. If you are sending to high school, seminary, or Yeshiva, the fees go up. So a family with 5-7 children, ranging from a pre-school to seminary, post high school yeshiva, or any college (Touro, community, four year), is drowning in tuitions.

What do we do?

There has been talk that educating our children should become a community responsibility. No one would disagree.

But I suggest, or humbly ask:
Do we need SO many kiruv organizations? Do we need SO many Hachnasas Kallah organizations? How many "unique, individualized, small" new boys' high schools do we need in the greater Tri-State area? Can't these various, very important, and successful organizations combine forces?
Ah, you say, then what will all those employees with children in Yeshiva do for Parnassa?

My answer? Something else. Not in the kiruv/chinuch field.

And combine the Chinese Auctions. Or have a percentage of each Chinese Auction go to support a school in the same community.

Let's face it, when the Orphanage in Israel sends you a pad of paper, or a Kiruv organization sends you a glossy brochure of five dollar tickets, which of them is getting your money?

Do you contribute to A big famous Chinese Auction for a Yeshiva you have no connection to?
or Do you contribute for a small box of candles from a Yeshiva that has been sending out candles for decades? Have only changed the size of their box? (actually, I give them a check: for the candles, the powdered Charoses, and the esrog jam).

So there must be some way the struggling Yeshivos can cash in on the money brought in to organizations for Chinese Auctions.

YES!! I mean NO!! oops! Sorry! Move on!

A boy gave us a yes to date one of my daughters in the parsha.

We didn't get back to them quickly enough, in their opinion, so they decided to "move on".

They gave a yes Friday afternoon- late- and changed their minds by Tuesday night.

Think maybe THIS contributes to the shidduch "crisis"? Saying yes, then saying "sorry, we waited long enough and in our opinion you should have already gathered all your info, so too bad! The next unmarried girl awaits the attention of my son! Tra la and good luck!"

my favorite: They consulted with Da'as Torah who told them it was okay to go on to the next girl.

deeeep breaths...

what do YOU think? Dear blog followers, be honest, even though you are my readers, tell me if you think we were wrong (I am not even discussing reasons or excuses, I think they are irrelevant).

Thou Shall Not Lie... in Bed Shabbos Morning

Is going to shul on Shabbos morning an "issue" in your house?

I think the females should go. They don't always agree.

Should Shabbos only be about sleeping late, getting up to eat, sleeping the afternoon away, and then rousing yourself to get dressed, do your face, and go out partying with friends?

Somehow there isn't much sanctity there.

Something nice about davening in shul, hearing laining, hearing a speech, saying a whole bunch of Amen's. Without a party.

what say you?