Letters to the Editor

Matchmaker for the Disabled
Pesach Issue I read the article about Bracha Tzemel (“Matchmaker on a Mission,” April). I was so impressed and inspired by her faith, her courage, and her determination to help others despite her own difficult situation. Congratulations on publishing for us this wonderful story of hope.

Rickel Geffner
Brooklyn, NY

I found “Matchmaker on a Mission” very powerful. The fact that Bracha Tzemel, herself disabled, has been able to excel in the mitzvah of making shidduchim for other disabled people is testament that we all have the ability to do more than we are doing.

Every person has something holding him (or her) back. It may be finances, or a lack of self-esteem, or shyness, or, as in Mrs. Tzemel’s case, physical hardship. Don’t let it stop you! If you push to your limits, you will find that you often can exceed them.

Name Withheld Upon Request
(received via E-mail)

I look forward to receiving your magazine in the mail. It always has interesting articles.

In regard to the use of the term “hocus pocus” in the Bracha Tzemel article, I think that as a religious publication, you should be aware of the fact that “hocus pocus” is derived from the Catholic mass, in which it refers to the wafer and wine becoming the “body and blood.”

In contrast, “Abracadabra” comes from the Aramaic statement “Hashem creates from nothing.” It is a much more appropriate term.

Sheila Deutsch
(received via E-mail)

Editor’s Note: We are pleased to report that the article about Bracha Tzemel has led to several inquiries concerning shidduchim. Her phone number is 972-3-535-4105. Her fax number is 972-3-535-0078.

Chilean Wine
I thoroughly enjoyed your article about kosher Chilean wine (“A Winemaking Adventure in the Andes,” April). Your writer captured the taste and smell of Villa Alegre; I almost felt that I was in the Andes, harvesting grapes along with your mashgichim.

I found the wines excellent, although preferring the regular Merlot, which was quite different from any other Merlot I have tasted, and better.

Richard Fishman
Los Angeles, CA

Keeping Time
Time management is a subject I have studied at length. Your article on this important issue (“How to Manage Your Time,” April) hit the bulls-eye. Rabbi Jeff Forsythe is correct in saying that if one steals someone else’s time, there is no way to repay the theft, and the time is lost forever. I can think of no better way to express the importance of making each minute on earth valuable.

Rhoda Levy
(received via E-mail)

Educational Idea
I am a longtime reader of your publication. Each edition challenges me to double-check my kitchen and my shopping habits.

As a synagogue pre-school teacher, I am always learning with my students about hechsherim and searching for creative ways to help the kids learn. We recently created a book entitled Find the Hechsher. Each page is cut from the front panel of a food package. Pages are bound together with notebook rings. Students “read” the packages and search for the hechsher.

We’ve learned to recognize the ~ hechsher along with many others. Parents report back to me that their children look for hechsherim while shopping. Find the Hechsher has become our most popular classroom book. Perhaps other readers will be able to employ this idea.

Myra Jacobson Lieberman
B’nai Avi Early Childhood
Education Center, Weston, FL

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