Your Say • Readers Write

Welcome to the inauguration of our Your Say section where your opinion is all that matters. In this column, we encourage feedback of the content we publish as well as positive and encouraging community happenings you encounter and yes those concerning situations that you would like to bring to light. The deadline for submissions is the Sunday prior to our next issue hitting newsstands. Thoughts are encouraged by Sunday, May 15 at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Dear Editor,

In the BJL’s last issue, in an opinion article entitled The Misuse Of The Zohar And How It Can Hurt Our Boys, Mr. Shalom Meirov argues that some in the Bukharian community have taken the approach of the Zohar on issues of purity and holiness and have adopted it in their approach of educating their sons and students on these matters. Meirov argues that this is a wrong and potentially dangerous approach for various reasons. He also cites a newly published book From Boys To Men, by Dr. Shlomie Zimmerman to help bolster his argument. While I agree that this issue should not be front and center and should not be given greater weight than any of the other myriad of challenges facing young boys, I also believe that we should try to encourage our boys to pray that they are successful in this area. Prayer can be a powerful way for our boys to deal with a test that is as challenging an issue as purity.

Avraham Kulangy
Kew Gardens Hills, Queens

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Dear Editor,

Thank you for publishing The Misuse Of The Zohar And How It Can Hurt Our Boys. I hope it was well-received. I want to point out that the gedolim very much agreed that the correct approach to the issue of purity is to direct and channel the mind to healthier outlets. I just read a book that I highly recommend, Secrets Of The Soul, (Feldheim) which is based on the teachings and lectures of Rav Shlomo Hoffman. Hoffman was a top Israeli mental health counselor who was very close to the gedolim of yesteryear. One central theme in his teachings and this book is that people should not let sins get them down and should instead focus on positives like learning, performing mitzvot, and moving forward.

Nissan Yusupov
Rego Park, Queens

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Mi K’Amcha Yisrael

Dear Editor,

I came across this special act of chesed and felt a desire to share it with our community. The following was reported by Sparks of a Nation, on April 24, 2023 in a memo submitted by a reader. Several years ago in Eretz Yisrael, on a stormy Friday afternoon an hour before closing for Shabbat, in a large Yochananof supermarket in Ramat Hasharon the power suddenly failed. The supermarket was bursting with shoppers with their carts packed to the brim with erev Shabbat delights. Without electricity, the registers were down, and it was impossible for customers to check out. Tzvi Abraham, the supermarket manager, had to make a quick decision. Seeing his customers with their Shabbat purchases, Abraham announced, “Take your groceries home and pay next week.” Nearly 100 customers returned to their homes with their Shabbat purchases unpaid. On Sunday, most of the customers returned to pay for their shopping, with the rest coming over the next few days. On a televised interview, Abraham reported, “I couldn’t believe it! Customers had come back with lists they had prepared and photos of their purchases with the barcodes! More than ₪37,000 worth of goods were paid for and the supermarket did not lose even one shekel!

S.R.
Queens, NY