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Tucked into Parshas Eikev is one of the most striking mitzvos in the entire Torah: love the ger, because you yourselves were strangers in Mitzrayim. What does it actually ask of us?
"And you shall love the ger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." Of all the reasons the Torah could give for a mitzvah, this one is deeply personal — remember what it felt like to not belong.
In the middle of Parshas Eikev, right after describing Hashem's own love — "He loves the ger, giving him bread and clothing" — the Torah turns to us: "V'ahavtem es hager, ki gerim heyisem b'eretz Mitzrayim." Love the stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Most mitzvos are given simply as Divine command. This one comes with a memory attached. Hashem isn't only telling us what to do; He's reminding us how it felt to be on the outside — friendless, foreign, without status or a place at anyone's table.
Our sages count this command, in its various forms, among the most repeated in the entire Torah — a sign of how easily it's forgotten once we're no longer the ones on the outside. Comfort has a way of erasing memory. Once we have a home, a community, a table of our own, it's tempting to lose touch with what it felt like not to.
That's precisely why the Torah insists on it here, in Eikev, a parsha all about not forgetting — not forgetting the desert, not forgetting Who gave us our blessings, and, it turns out, not forgetting where we came from.
Practically, this mitzvah doesn't require a stranger at the border. It shows up much closer to home: the new family in shul who doesn't know anyone yet. The classmate who eats lunch alone. The neighbor who just moved from out of town and hasn't been invited anywhere. Loving the ger, in its quietest form, is simply refusing to let anyone feel like an outsider at your table.
Every woman who's ever set an extra place, walked over to introduce herself first, or made sure the new girl had a seat, has fulfilled this mitzvah in its most literal sense — using her own memory of not belonging to make sure someone else never has to feel it.
May we always remember what it felt like to be the stranger — and let that memory turn into someone else's welcome. 🏡
Little hacks passed down from Bubbies, neighbors, and years of trial & error. Send us yours — we'll add them to the collection.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the cut surface, then press plastic wrap directly onto the flesh — no air, no brown. Stays green for a full day.
Portion unbaked muffin or coffee cake batter into a lined tin and freeze. Bake straight from frozen (add 5-8 extra minutes) for oven-fresh Shabbos morning treats.
Tuck a slice of plain bread into the bag or container and seal overnight. The sugar pulls moisture from the bread and softens right up.
Shock eggs in an ice bath right after boiling, then gently roll each one on the counter to crackle the shell all over. It slips off in one or two pieces.
Layer dressing on the bottom, sturdy vegetables next, and greens on top in a mason jar. Keeps crisp in the fridge for days — just shake and pour before serving.
Place a damp paper towel underneath the board before you start chopping. It grips the counter and keeps everything steady.
Pop onions in the freezer for 15 minutes before cutting. The cold slows the release of the compound that makes your eyes water.
Group condiments and small jars on a lazy susan on your fridge shelf. One spin finds anything — nothing gets lost or forgotten before candle lighting.
Ideas to save your sanity on long summer afternoons and hot Shabbos weekends. Grouped by situation — pick a tab, pick an idea, and go.
Arrange 12 household items on a tray. Let everyone study it for one minute, then cover it up. Go around calling out items from memory — last one to forget wins.
Call out a food, kids race to say the correct bracha out loud. Get it right, you stay in; miss one, you sit out a round. Last one standing wins.
Everyone stands in a circle and grabs two different hands across the group. Working together (talking only, no letting go!) untangle back into one big circle.
Blow up a balloon before Shabbos starts. See how long the whole family can keep it from touching the floor — no hands allowed for the littlest ones is extra fun.
Freeze small toys in ice cube trays. Kids "excavate" them with spoons and warm water. Cools them down and buys you 45 minutes.
Give each kid a section of the sidewalk. When done, walk the whole family through the "art gallery" and give awards.
Set up out front. Real money, real customers. Kids learn making change, customer service, and marketing. Great mitzvah opportunity: donate to tzedakah.
Make a bingo card of things to find outside: red leaf, feather, three types of rocks, a bug, a puddle. Walk the block. First to bingo wins.
Chairs, cushions, hula hoops, a broomstick. Have older kids design it. Time each other. Bonus: video the runs.
Give kids paintbrushes and buckets of water. Let them "paint" the fence, the driveway, the siding. Water evaporates — endless canvas.
Old socks + markers + buttons + yarn. Kids make puppets, then perform a show for the family after supper. Curtains: a blanket over two chairs.
Kids write "menus," set the table, take orders. Serve real snacks. Amazing pretend-play. Great vocabulary building.
Sheets, chairs, cushions, flashlights. Read books inside. Serve lunch in the fort as a special treat. Instant magic.
Cut open a cereal box or shoe box. Kids glue in cardboard pieces and straws to make a marble maze. Design + engineering + hours of play.
Big plastic tub + rice or dry beans + small toys hidden inside + scoops and cups. Kids can play for an hour. Contain to one room!
Give kids 3 safe ingredients from the pantry. They "compete" to make a snack. You judge. Winner gets to pick supper for that night.
Give a muffin tin and a bowl of pom-poms, cheerios, or small blocks. Toddler "sorts" by color into the tin. 30 quiet minutes.
Two cups, one bowl of water, tray underneath. Toddler pours water back and forth. Improves fine motor. Bring towels.
Sheet of stickers + blank paper. Toddlers can peel and stick for a shockingly long time. Buy stickers in bulk on Amazon.
Homemade play-dough (flour, salt, water, food color) + cookie cutters + a rolling pin. Set them up at the table. Save the tray for next time.
Wooden spoons, plastic measuring cups, silicone spatulas, small pot. Give them their own drawer in the kitchen. Endless fascination.
Painter's tape on the floor becomes roads. Toy cars zoom around. Easy to peel up after. Endless configurations.
Moshe continues his closing address, promising Bnei Yisrael that if they carefully keep even the mitzvos people are tempted to "trample with their heel" — the small, unglamorous ones nobody's watching for — Hashem will bless them abundantly in the Land. That word, eikev ("heel" or "because"), gives the parsha its name and its theme: consistency in the little things matters as much as the big, dramatic ones.
Moshe recalls the forty years in the desert, and the test of the manna — teaching that "man does not live on bread alone, but on every utterance from the mouth of Hashem." He also warns of the opposite danger: prosperity. When the land is good and the home is full, it's easy to let your heart grow proud and forget Who provided it all.
Eikev is also the source of the second paragraph of Shema, and of the mitzvah of Birkas Hamazon — because after we eat and are satisfied, we're commanded to notice, and to say thank you.
Hot summer Shabbosos raise a very practical question: what can be adjusted once Shabbos has started? As a general rule, anything that involves turning an appliance fully on or off, or changing a thermostat setting in a way that triggers the compressor to cycle, falls under the same concerns as turning on a light — it should be decided before Shabbos, not during.
Many families solve this by setting the air conditioner to a comfortable, steady temperature before candle lighting, or by using a Shabbos clock (timer) so units switch on and off automatically without anyone touching a dial. A simple fan on a timer, set in advance, is often an easy way to stay cool without any Shabbos concerns at all.
As always, specific situations can vary by circumstance and community — when in doubt, ask your own Rav.
Borer means taking something out of a mixture and setting it aside — the classic example is separating unwanted stones or chaff from grain. In the Mishkan, this was done while preparing dyes: after threshing, any remaining pebbles or debris had to be picked out by hand. That simple act of sorting is why Borer appears on the list of 39 melachos, and why so many everyday kitchen moments touch on it.
To separate something on Shabbos without violating Borer, three conditions must all be met: you're taking the food you want away from what you don't want (not the reverse), you're doing it by hand (not with a strainer, sieve, or other tool made for separating), and it's for immediate use — right before eating, not to set aside for later.
A few familiar examples: when eating fish, it's best to remove the bones from your mouth as you go, or eat around them, rather than picking bones out of the fish first. Watermelon seeds should be spit out while eating, or shaken/picked out right before a bite, not sorted out in advance. A teabag should be lifted out of a cup with a spoon, not squeezed and set aside. In each case, the same three conditions decide whether it's permitted.
Sourced from the Mishna Berurah, Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa, and contemporary poskim. This is a general overview for learning purposes — for any specific situation, please ask your own Rav.
Born in Germany in 1920, Margot was named valedictorian of her grade school class at age 14 — only to be told on graduation day that the Nazi regime would not allow a Jew to hold that honor. She survived the Holocaust, eventually settling on Staten Island with her husband, where the two ran a neighborhood produce market for years.
For decades afterward, Margot never stopped telling her story. She spoke to Staten Island schoolchildren and to students from the Wagner College Holocaust Center year after year, insisting that the world remember what hatred can do — and that it can be stood up to. She passed away peacefully in her Staten Island home on October 21, 2024, just two days before what would have been her 104th birthday. Her testimony lives on in every student she ever taught.
Authentic Hungarian-Jewish classics for summer — dairy, meat, and parve, all fully kosher (no seafood, and meat and dairy are never combined in a single dish). Click any recipe to see full ingredients and step-by-step instructions.
A hearty, one-pot beef and vegetable stew, deeply spiced with sweet paprika. Fully dairy-free and endlessly comforting, even in summer.
The classic Hungarian braise, kept simple and completely dairy-free: chicken simmered low and slow in a rich, paprika-red sauce.
Sweet bell peppers stuffed with seasoned ground beef and rice, simmered in a light paprika-tomato sauce. Freezes beautifully — no dairy required.
Hungary's answer to ratatouille — sweet peppers, ripe tomatoes, and onion, slow-cooked in paprika. Naturally parve, and perfect for a hot summer night.
Sweetened chestnut purée pressed into delicate strands over a cloud of whipped topping. Parve as written, with a dairy option for a Shabbos afternoon treat.
The original one-pot Hungarian classic: tender cubes of beef slow-simmered with onions, potatoes, carrots, and plenty of sweet paprika into a rich, hearty stew. Fully meat, with no dairy anywhere near the pot.
Hungary's most famous chicken dish, kept simple and fully meat — no dairy substitutes needed. Chicken thighs braise low and slow in a rich, paprika-red onion sauce until completely tender. Serve over egg noodles or rice.
Sweet bell peppers stuffed with seasoned ground beef and rice, simmered low and slow in a light paprika-tomato sauce. A meat classic with no dairy needed — and it freezes beautifully for busy weeknights.
Hungary's answer to ratatouille: sweet bell peppers, ripe tomatoes, and onion, slow-cooked together with paprika until silky. Naturally parve, it's a light, vegetable-forward side that pairs beautifully with either a meat or dairy meal — and it's a wonderful way to use up peak-summer produce.
A beloved Hungarian classic: sweetened chestnut purée pressed through a ricer into delicate strands, piled over a cloud of whipped topping. As written it's parve, so it works after any meal — and for a dairy Shabbos afternoon spread, simply swap in real whipped cream for an extra-special treat.
Our community says Tehillim together for those who need a refuah shleima. Join the group, or submit a name for the list.
WhatsApp group of Staten Island women. We split up the sefer daily so together we say the whole Tehillim. Names shared regularly.
Sign Me UpSubmit a name (Hebrew name and mother's Hebrew name) for the community to daven for. Shared in the WhatsApp group each morning.
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