An Unannounced Hospital Visit

Several years ago, I finally blogged about an encounter that I had with my late father during the shiva mourning period (see “They Never Really Leave – Visits From My Dad Z”L After His Passing” on my blog page). What was so uncanny about it was how a cousin of …

Upon the Death of My Father

The feelings one has upon the death of a father is not something that can be encapsulated in a single blog post. My dad, Rabbi Benjamin Shandalov (A”h), passed away on early Shabbat morning, November 23, 2019 (25 MarCheshvan 5780) in a quiet hospice room in Chicago. The purpose of …

How Do You Get Past the Rage?

I have been asking some of my Facebook friends this questions today: How do you get past the rage? Rage…. Because today, four children from two families became orphans, when their mother/father were savagely murdered by yet another “freedom fighter.”  According to published reports, the murderer (I will not give …

In the Heavens Today

In the heavens today, there are two men that weren’t there yesterday and by all rights, shouldn’t be there today. Actually, to say they are in the heavens is incorrect. One is in heaven. Now we know, his name is Yotam Ovadia. And that he was only 31 years old, a …

Rabbi Auerbach and the True Judge of Israel

Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach leader of the Jerusalem Faction died last night…at the age of 86. Tens of thousands rallied at Rabbi Auerbach’s funeral. I can only hope in the last moments of his life, he was blessed with enough clarity of mind to do tshuva [repentance]. His followers, numbering in the tens …