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What’s Inside:
Message from the Yachad NY Staff………………………… Page 3
Divrei Torah…………………………………………………... Page 4
Ask Esti………………………………………………………. Page 33
Yummy Recipes…………………………………………….... Page 34
Interviews …….………………………………………………Page 47
Games and Riddles…………………………………………... Page 54
Coloring Pages………………………………………………... Page 61
Taboo Game………………………………………………..…. Page 65
Answers ………………………………………………………. Page 68
2 ד"סב J A quick note from the Yachad NY Staff! J!
3 ד"סב
Avrohom Adler
International Director, Yachad
We are approaching the awesome holiday of Shavuous. There are so many amazing aspects to this holiday, and many customs. We read the story of Ruth which ends with the Ruth’s great grandson David who goes on to become the King. It is from King David that the ultimate Moshiach will come from, may it be speedily in our days. Many people have the custom to stay up all night learning Torah, eat dairy meals, and buy plants and trees for their homes and synagogues, all of this for a 2-day holiday.
One of things that sets the Jewish people apart is the Torah. Hashem chose the Jewish people to give His Torah to. Shavuous is called “Zman Matan Toraseinu” the time of the giving of the Torah. On Shavuous we celebrate being given the Torah and the uniqueness of our relationship with Hashem. The Torah is our guide, it gives us direction. The Torah teaches us how to act and interact with each other and the Torah teaches us how to interact with Hashem through His Mitzvos.
So why is the holiday called Chag Shavuous and not Chag Torah? There are many reasons given, but there is one in particular that speaks to me especially during this time. The word Shavuous comes from the word Shavuah- PROMISE. What is the promise related to
Shavuous? It is the promise from Hashem to His people that He will never forsake us, and it is a PROMISE from us, the Jewish people, that we will never forsake Him. Through the
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Torah and the Mitzvos we keep that PROMISE and through Hashem watching over us every second of every day He keeps that PROMISE.
This speaks to me in such a strong way given all that we are going through. We are all sad that we cannot be together physically and pray for the day to come speedily where we can be together once again. Our PROMISE to you our dear Yachad family is that we will never forsake you. We will always be there for you and know that you are always there for us. We will always be B’Yachad.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy Shavuous
Avromie Adler
5 ד"סב
Rebecca Schrag Mayer
Director, Yachad New York
As the Jewish nation prepared to receive the Torah, the pasuk in Yisro (19:20) describes
“Vayered Hashem al Har Sinai” (Hashem descended onto Har Sinai). Rashi explains that at that moment Hashem combined the upper world with the lower world and thus the kisei hakavod (throne of glory) descended upon the world. Why was it necessary for the kisei hakavod to descend upon earth when we received the Torah? We see from here that the incredible experience of Hashem giving us the Torah was not only meant as a means to receive the 613 commandments, rather it was to receive the laws AND experience the holiness of Hashem fusing the world we live in with the incredible spirituality of the heavens, something that can be accomplished when we come together.
If I had to choose a Jewish holiday that best represents Yachad, I would choose Shavuos.
As the Jewish nation stood around Har Sinai anticipating receiving the Torah, we became unified as am echad, b’lev echad (as one nation with one heart). Every member of the
Jewish nation came together, young and old, male and female and individuals with disabilities and individuals without disabilities. It was only as EVERY Jew came together, with no one left behind, that we became ONE nation. I will humbly suggest, as we experience at Yachad, once we come together in unity, we can better merit receiving the kisei hakavod and the incredible spirituality of combining the upper and lower worlds.
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While we miss seeing all of our friends in person, we hope that this Shavuos booklet, made with love by your friends and staff, help us celebrate together, even from afar, as we receive the Torah and deep spirituality as ONE nation.
A big thank you to the Yachad NY program directors for putting this incredible booklet together and for working so hard to bring meaningful programming to us on a regular basis!
Wishing you and your family a beautiful kabalas HaTorah and good yuntif!
Rebecca Schrag Mayer
7 ד"סב
Robin Tassler Junior Yachad
In a shiur given over by Rabbi Weil, he explained that the Jewish people live a dialectic existence. In masechet Shabbos (Daf 88a) there’s the famous story of Hashem holding Har
Sinai over our head while giving the ultimatum: accept the Torah or else you’ll be buried.
Rabbi Yitzchak Avraham Twersky offers a more precise translation and explanation of
means that Hashem ” ובציתיו תחתב י ת רהה ... רהה גכ י ג תי “ .what this Gemara is really saying bent the mountain over our heads into the shape of barrel while we stood inside it; he explains that the Jewish nation starts our journey in a protective cocoon of Torah. However,
, ומיק ולבקו later on in history during the times of Achashverosh when we said
Bnei Yisroel received a new understanding of what it meant to accept the Torah. The other side of choosing to be Hashem’s nation, is subjugating ourselves to being a target of immense amounts of hate and anti-Semitism. The Gemara shouldn’t be taken literally in the sense that Hashem actually held the mountain over our heads. Rather, it’s all an allegory for how the Jewish people accepted the dual nature of the Torah. By being Hashem’s nation, we are faced with never ending enemies, yet at the same time Hashem will always be there to protect us in His cocoon of Torah. There’s another aspect of our dual nature as nation that we see in the holiday of Shavuot. Whether or not we accept HASHEM’s Torah,
children of HASHEM. The entire shir hashirim, as well as - ” נב םי קמל ו ם “ the neviim call us many other places in tanach, give over the mashal of Bnei Yisroel being married or in a romantic relationship with HASHEM. Matan Torah also represents the spousal elements of
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, השענ עמשנו - our relationship with HASHEM. A spousal relationship is one of volunteering
.( רה גכ י ג תי but a child parent relationship is “forced” and can never be broken (similar to
Post Chet Haegel, Bnei Yisroel lost that spousal aspect of choosing and instead we were
However, on shavuous night, we have the .” נב םי מל םוק “ just left with the coercive nature of opportunity to restore the spousal aspect by staying up all night learning and showing our enthusiasm for our beautiful Torah. One idea for why we stay up all night to learn, when it would really be more productive to sleep and then learn the whole day, is because we’re in a loving relationship with HASHEM and love makes people do crazy things. The holiday of shavuous is about recognizing our dialectic nature of what it means to be a Jew and taking account of our actions to see if we’re living lives of ovdei Hashem. May the learning we do this shavuous truly show our love for HASHEM and the beautiful gift of Torah that
He gave us and be enthusiastic enough to ultimately bring the third beis hamikdash so we can truly be Aliyah l’regel.
Chag Sameach!!
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Eitan Schneier
Senior Yachad
As many of us know, Shavuos is the holiday where we commemorate receiving the Torah at Har Sinai. Often, we celebrate and focus on the excitement and appreciation that we have for receiving the Torah, because that is what defines us as a nation. In truth, though, there are also some practical messages that we can learn from the way the Torah was actually given. The Medrash tells us that the Torah was given with fire, water, and in the
“midbar”, the desert. Many commentaries try to explain and point to the significance of these things, and how they are related to the giving of the Torah. One suggestion is that just as fire, water, and the desert are all free items or places, so too the Torah is free for anyone who wants to come and learn from it. This is the first message to take away from the actual giving of the Torah; that Torah is always available to us and is something that we can all gain from in some way or another. Alternatively, others suggest that each item on the list represents a different aspect of Torah. Torah is analogous to fire in terms of the passion or” heat” that we should feel when we delve into learning. The fire is telling us that we should approach Torah with a sense of joy and passion. Next is water, which the Gemara compares to Torah in that just as water flows from a higher point to a lower point, so too, the Torah flows from a higher point of someone who is arrogant, to a lower point, someone who is humble. This represents the fact that only someone who is humble can properly learn and succeed in Torah learning. Another explanation of the connection between Torah and water is that just as water is necessary to survive, so too Torah is necessary to survive. However, when it comes to determining the connection between a
10 ד"סב desert and receiving the Torah, the connection is less obvious. The Ohr HaChaim suggests that a desert also is a suggestion of humility, that just as a desert is a barren, empty space, we must make ourselves empty from arrogance and haughtiness in order to properly accept the Torah. In a similar vein, some suggest that Hashem chose to give the
Torah in the desert, an empty place, because there would be no distractions, and everyone would be able to hear and internalize the words of Hashem in the way that they understood it. The desert represented the ability to focus and internalize the Torah each in our own way. With this idea, it is important to approach Shavuos with the recognition that the Torah has something to offer to each and every one of us, and we should make it a goal of ours to try and tap into the messages and ideas that the Torah shares with us.
Chag Sameach!
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Stephanie Sugarman
Junior Yachad
Many people ask the question why Shavuot is called Shavuot. There are two common answers. The first falls in the meaning of the word, meaning weeks. When the Jews left Mitzriam, they waited seven weeks until they were worthy of receiving the Torah. In equivalence, we also count seven weeks from Pesach to Shavuot to prepare us for the receiving of the Torah. Another answer is in the second meaning of Shavuot, stemming from its root Shin, Beis, Ayin, meaning to promise. When Hashem granted Am Yisroel the
Torah, they promised to keep it, follow its laws, and have unfailing Emunah in Hashem. In return, Hashem promised us that he would always love, cherish and protect his Children.
Both meanings play a huge role in who we are as Jews. The importance of working on ourselves, and understanding this immense Bracha of being Hashem’s chosen nation takes time and effort. We are constantly needing “the seven weeks” to work on ourselves and become worthy of the Torah. Additionally, Hashem will always love us no matter what Teshuva we need to do, and that started from Avrohom Avinu and continues to do this very day.
CHAG SAMEACH!
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Rachel Fellus
Senior Yachad
Yuntiv was given to us so that we develop a closer relationship with Hashem. The
Mishna Brura says that Chol Hamoed is also included in this as it forms a weeklong Yuntiv which is mainly to strengthen our relationship with Hashem.
The Darchei Mussar says for Pesach and Succos we have an entire week but Shavuos is only one day so how can that be achieved?
There are some people who are anti all-night learning Shavuos as the following day you do a lot less and you’re tired so isn’t it just better to get a good night’s sleep and be awake the next day?
Rav Yitzchack Berkovits says if the true goal was to learn as much as possible those people might be right. However, the goal is to strengthen our relationship with Hashem and express our love for torah and that’s why we’re staying up all night.
What can we learn from this? Although Shavuos may only be one night, the passion we show throughout that entire night is just as great as any weeklong Yuntiv and although it’s only one night we express our gratitude towards Hashem like no other day.
Chag Sameach!!
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Sophie Zayden
Rayim Yachad
Shavuot is the holiday we celebrate God's giving us the Torah.
Interestingly, Mt. Sinai, the special mountain God chose to give us the Torah, wasn't the tallest mountain in the world or even the tallest in the area. One of the reasons God chose it, however, was to teach us an important lesson: just like Mt. Sinai, sometimes the greatest things - and people - are the ones that don't seem flashy on the outside.
People often value in others external things like good looks and fame putting people like that 'on top' regardless of who they are inside. However, in the spiritual reality of the world of truth, toward which we are all heading, those things don't count for much, rather the real value comes from true inner wisdom, healthy morals and good character traits. Let’s always try our best to remember that our worth doesn’t come from our belongings, but from what is within ourselves and may we all merit
“kabolas HaTorah besimchah ubepnimiys” – to receive the Torah with joy and sincerity!
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Chani Infield
Senior Yachad
The power of our Community
Parshat Yitro is a very exciting Parsha, it’s Matan Torah! This is when we get the
Torah from Hashem! We have finally finished counting up to the days of the Omer and now it is Shavuot! Bnei Yisrael finally received the ten commandments from
Moshe Rabbeinu on Har Sinai! Bnei Yisroel had finished their journey and they were ready to set up camp.
ןַחִֽיַּו ־“ The Torah writes describing that bnei yisrael camped out across from Har Sinai. The iss ,” ָהָה רֽ ֶנ דֶג֥ ֵאָרְשִׂי ל֖ ם֥ ָשׁ is is written in singular form instead of in plural to correctly coi " ןַחִֽיַּו " ue with this is that
Rashi, brings in the idea that all of bnei yisrael e ." ָרְשִׂי ל֖ ֵא " ncide with the plural subject of xperienced Matan Torah “k’ish echad, belev echad”, or "as one man with one heart". Rashi
highlights how special and impactful achdus can be.
Usually, this message of achdut is much easier to internalize when we would attend our shabbatonim or when we learn all night and attend shul for consecutive days together; unfortunately, due to the tragedy that is COVID19, many of us are stuck apart with no ways of being able to accept the Torah together. That's why THIS is the year where we must really focus on the fact that we accepted the Torah together. We must remember that we're one people on the same mission, even if it's at a bit of distance. And allow for it to be all the more special when we finally are in each other's presence again!
15 ד"סב
Gittie Freeman
Rayim Yachad
In Judaism, names have a lot of significance including Holiday names. This holiday of Shavuot is called Shavuot for a couple reasons. One that I find to be very powerful is the definition of Shavuot which comes from the root shavuah which means to promise. On this holiday the Jews promised
God that they would accept his Torah and follow it. God too promised to the
Jews that he would never abandon them. I think this is important especially in these times. A lot is uncertain, and a lot seems scary. It is important to know and recognize that God never abandons his people. On Shavuot we are reminded that God loves and cares about every single Jew and promises us yearly on Shavuot that he will never give up on us.
Chag Sameach!!
16 ד"סב
Adam Auerbach
Senior Yachad
Hey everyone! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy at home. This is Dvar Torah I saw from Rav Moshe Kormornick and wanted to share with all of you and your families.
The Sforno in Vayikra (23:2) tells us that Yom Tov was given to the Jewish people in order for us to be able to develop a closer relationship with Hashem.
The Mishnah Brurah comments that Chol Hamoed is also included in this special opportunity.
That being the case, Yom Tov and Chol Hamoed come together to form a week-long festival
.of Hakodesh Baruch Hu and his torah הארי and הבהא focused on developing our
The Darchei Mussar points out that this explanation seems to make perfect sense by
Pesach and Succos. For those two of the Shalosh Regalim, achieving this closeness and oneness with G-d seems like an attainable goal because we have an entire week to work on it! We have a full seven days to learn, daven and perform other special mitzvot all with this one objective in mind. However, for Shavuos, we are only given one day (or two outside of Israel)! How much could we possibly connect with Hashem in just one day?
In light of this question there is another question that must be addressed. We all know that many people stay up the whole night of Shavuos to learn. However, there are some who are against this custom. They argue that while the goal of this lack of sleep is to learn as much as possible, it actually results in much less learning being done. Their logic goes as follows: if one is planning to stay up all night, they may spend the whole day before resting. Then once Shavuos begins, it is already late, and after a long meal one is tired before they even begin learning. You stay up all night, stay awake just enough to make it through davening, and then
17 ד"סב you sleep for the whole rest of the day! Surely, these people say, it would be better to go to sleep at a normal time, get up early and then spend the whole next day learning as opposed to sleeping.
Rav Yitzchak Berkovitz offers a response to these claims. It is true that if the goal of Shavuos was simply to learn as much as possible it might be better to do as these people suggest. But, the goal of Shavuos is to show an outpouring of love for Hashem and His Torah. It is not to learn as much as possible. We spend all night learning to express how much we appreciate the Torah. It is about showing Hashem that we would sacrifice sleep just to learn
Torah, it is not a contest of who can turn the most pages. “It is for this reason,” explains Rav Berkovits “that when I am asked what one should learn on Shavuos, I tell them that it is clear that they should learn whatever brings them the most amount of ahavas haTorah, love for Torah.”
The entire day of Shavuos is a day when we renew our relationship with Hashem and His
Torah. Returning to our original question, why is it enough to have only one day of Shavuos?
Would we not need an entire week to accomplish this lofty goal?
Rav Chaim Shmuel Niman offers an answer to this question with a mashal, or parable: In the middle of the night, a man is wandering alone, lost in the darkness. He is walking along a path, not knowing where it will lead, when eventually he comes to a fork in the road. He stumbles around, looking for any sort of sign to help guide him out of the blackness. He suddenly feels a plank of wood with an arrow pointing right and left—he has found the sign, but because it is so dark, he cannot make out any of the words. Then, out of nowhere, there is a flash of lightening, and in that moment, he sees the writing on the sign and is able to begin along the right path home.
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So too Shavuos is our lightening. In order to reaffirm our relationship with Hashem, and to re-clarify the direction we are heading, we only need one moment, one flash, one day to demonstrate our abundant joy over the Torah that Hashem has given us. From the expression of ahavas haTorah that we show on Shavuos night, we are able to follow the right direction in our daily living, our Torah learning and our relationship with Hashem for the entire year.
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Betzakel Kosofsky
Rayim Yachad
describes that שרדמ The . תוחול portrays the giving of the מש ו ת הבר in שרדמ A fascinating
held the bottom two השמ and חפט י ם grasped the top two 'ה .tall חפט י ם were 6 תוחול the
What is the meaning of . השמ and 'ה while the middle two served as a separation between this Midrash? What is this image trying to convey to us regarding the role of the Torah?
I would like to share with you a thought that I saw by Rabbi Josh Kahn who is the head of
University High School for Boys) that I saw on ישי הב ) Academy ות הר the Manhattan
.website לוק ות הר the
are fulfilled in our mind. For צמ ו ו ת can be divided into three categories. Some צמ ו ו תווצ
of the mind. A second category צמ ו ו ה a ,'ה example, we are commanded to believe in
and we , תבש we are commanded to sanctify תרשע רבדה ו ת relate to speech. In the צמ ו ו ת of
that relate to our actions, such as shaking צמ ו ו ת do so with words. Finally, there are some
in בש ו ע ו ת in an essay about , צחוס ' רבו בר י The . וש רפ or blowing a , בלול a
points out that we have varying degrees of control over these three , רפס םש משמ ו א ל his
We have limited control over our thoughts. Sometimes a person’s . צמ ו ו ת categories of thoughts may wander, even against his will. Actions are on the other extreme. They are fully within one’s control. Speech is in the middle. On the one hand, it is within a person’s
'ה control. On the other hand, sometimes a person tries to express himself, but it is up to how the words will come out. For this reason, we often pray that our words should come
.( שמ ל י out accurately (16:1
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The upper . תוחול s description of the’ שרדמ This model can be seen in the
held , חפט י ם of our mind. The bottom two צמ ו ו ת represent the ,'ה grasped by , חפט י ם two
.s, nor our, hands’'ה are not fully in חפט י ם represent our actions. The middle two , השמ by
It is a partnership.
is illustrating that these three categories work in שרדמ On a practical level, the consonance. It is our responsibility to take care of what we can. If we take control of our
meets us halfway and helps 'ה then ,'ה actions and direct them towards the service of with the rest.
last תבש ו ן family דחי relates a remarkable story that I heard on the בר חספ רק ו ה ןהור
and was very strict in ensuring that he would םילשורי lived in בר ףסוי ברפטוג .year
this practice was easy to uphold; there , םילשורי Since he lived in . נמ י ן with a בד ן always
at any time. He נמ י ן could find a בר ברפטוג where האמ עש ר י ם factory” in נמ י ן “ was a maintained this practice for over 30 years. But one night, he had several projects he needed to complete and did not finish work until close to 3:00 AM. He went straight to
waited for בר ברפטוג .factory,” but unfortunately, found only one other man there נמ י ן “ the a few minutes and went outside to see if he could find anyone, but there was no such
and told him that he thought they would not get בר ברפטוג luck. The other man turned to
.asked him to wait five minutes and give him a chance בר ברפטוג .that night נמ י ן a
.pulled out his cell phone and started dialing בר ברפטוג ,Suddenly
The best the company . בר ברפטוג Hi, I need eight taxis, all with Israeli drivers,” said“
called another company and asked them to send an בר ברפטוג could do was send five. So additional three taxis. When the eight taxis pulled up, the drivers got out of their cars
21 ד"סב with a quizzical look. This did not look like a wedding hall, but why else would someone need eight taxis at 3 AM?
came out to greet them and explained that each driver should go back to their בר ברפטוג
if they had one, and come inside. They all followed his , הפיכ cab, turn on the meter, grab a
together. The רעמ י ב and they said רודיס gave them each a בר ברפטוג .instruction
and , בר ברפטוג ,was made up of eight not fully observant Israeli taxi drivers נמ י ן special
”.factory נמ י ן “ the other stranger at the
approached each taxi driver to follow through on his end of בר ברפטוג ,ended רעמ י ב When the deal. As he tried to pay them, each driver responded that he should be the one
for the inspirational experience he provided. With that, they refused his בר ברפטוג paying money and drove off.
committed to purity of action and בר ברפטוג illustrated, when םש משמ ו א ל Just as the
with a creative בר ברפטוג helped provide 'ה ,doing everything that was in his control
.will help us complete the task 'ה ,solution. If we follow through on what is asked of us
22 ד"סב
Zak Shayne
Rayim Yachad
On Shavuos we read Megillat Rut, the story of Rut leaving her home in Moav and following her mother-in-law, Naomi, to the land of Israel where she committed herself to a life of Torah, Mitzvos and righteousness. The Megillah tells us about Naomi leaving Moav to return to Israel.
ָתַּו םָק֤ ִה ֙אי ֶתֹלַּכְו ָהי֔ ָתַּו בָשׁ֖ ֵדְשִּׂמ ֣ י אוֹמ ָ֑ ב י֤ ִכּ ֙הָﬠְמֽ ָשׁ ִ בּ ְשׂ ה֣ ֵד בָ֔אוֹמ ַ֤קָפ־יִֽכּ ד ֙הָוהְי מַּﬠ־תֶא וֹ֔ ֵתָל ת֥ ֶהָל םֶָ֖
ָל ׃םֶחָֽ
She started out with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab; for in the country of Moab she had heard that the LORD had taken note of His people and given them food.
ֵצֵתַּו א֗ ִמ ֙םוֹקָמַּה־ן ֶשֲׁא ר֣ ָה י ָשׁ־הָתְ הָמּ֔ שׁוּ ְ ֥ ֵ תּ י ֹלַּכ ֖ ֶת ָהי ָמִּﬠ הּ֑ ַלֵתַּו הָנְכ֣ ֶדַּב ךֶר֔ בוּ֖שָׁל ֶא־לֶא ר֥ ץֶ וּהְי ׃הֽ ָד
Accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, she left the place where she had been living; and they set out on the road back to the land of Judah. (Rut 1:6-7)
Rashi comments on the pasukim with the following question: If the Megillah already told
then why does it need to tell us that she , בשתו ,us that Naomi is returning from Moav
She can’t return to anywhere without leaving the place she is in. Rashi gives an ? אצתו ,left answer found in the Midrash Rabbah: When a righteous person leaves a place, it makes a noticeable impression. When someone like Naomi goes out from somewhere, that place loses some of its glory and beauty. So, why do we have this seemingly extra statement
To teach us about the effect a righteous person has on their environment and ? אצתו of how it follows them around, it will even leave a place when they do.
23 ד"סב
Rashi is quoting a Midrash from Bereshit Rabbah. However, the Midrash proposes a slightly different question then answers with the same lesson. The Midrash asks: why
in the plural, Naomi wasn’t alone, she ואציו in the singular? It should say אצתו does it say left with her 2 daughters-in-law along with many riches. The Midrash answers that this teaches us that when a righteous person is in a particular place, they are the glory and the beauty of that place but when they leave, that glory and beauty leave with them. So, why does the Megillah mention Naomi leaving Moav in the singular when she wasn’t alone? It is reference to a particular special effect she had on that place that was now leaving with her.
We know Rashi quotes the Midrash often, so why did Rashi ask a different question than the Midrash even though he commented on the same pasuk and concluded with the same lesson as the Midrash? I believe Rashi wanted to shift our focus to the positive. Yes, it’s
.that Naomi left Moav and with her left a special effect she had on that place , אצתו ,true
.she was returning to a place that she would bring a special effect to as well , בשתו ,But
During this conversation of people benefiting their environment and leaving an impression on their surroundings, Rashi wanted us to think about what lies ahead. Naomi and the impact she had were leaving Moav, but who she would benefit next and what impact she would make next is just as important. As we think about how to best contribute to our communities and leave an impression on our environment, let us think about who we have yet to benefit, where we are going and what kind of effect we want to have.
24 ד"סב
Eli Goldberg
Gesher Yachad
Shavuot is the culmination of the counting of the seven weeks, or forty-nine days of the Omer. After counting the Omer, we arrive spiritually at Shavuot, where we celebrate both the spring harvest and the day the Jewish people accepted the Torah from Hashem. Shavuot is known by many names-
Shavuot, Shavuous, The festival of weeks, the Jewish Pentecost, and the
Reaping Festival. Seven weeks after the exodus, the new nation stood at the foot of Mount Sinai as Hashem Finally invited them to accept their destiny as the chosen people. The Jewish people were offered the opportunity to be a
“Mamlechet Kohanim V’goy Kadosh”, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, by receiving Hashem’s Torah.
Chag Sameach!!!!
25 ד"סב
Eytan Aryeh
Senior Yachad
Chesed and It’s Connection to Torah
Five times a year we have the privilege of reading one of the five Megilot. Each
Megilah is read on a specific holiday which corresponds to their individual story. For example, Megilat Esther is read on Purim, while Megilat Eicha is read on Tisha B’av.
However, on Shavuot we read Megilat Rut, and on the surface, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact connection between the Holiday of Shavuot and the story of Rut. Rav Neventzal asks this question in the introduction to his commentary on Megilat Rut in his sefer
Yerushalayim Bimuadiya and gives a fascinating answer with a beautiful message that we can take from it. But before we understand the connection to Shavuot, we need to begin by understanding the underlying message of the Megilah itself.
Rav Neventzal explains that one of the many purposes of Megilat Rut is to show the reward for doing chesed. The story begins with Rut’s kindness towards her mother in law and continues into Boaz’s kindness shown back to Rut. Chazal teach us that because of Rut’s tremendous chesed, she had the merit to be the mother figure of Malchut Beit
Dovid. The entire dynasty of Dovid’s Kingdom until the end of time, sprouted from her because of her kindness. This seems to be a bit of an exaggerated reward though... no?
What does Malchut Beit Dovid have to do with chesed?
the throne will be established“ ,”וְהוּ֚ ַכן ַבּ ֶ֙ח ֶס ֙ד ִכּ ֔ ֵסּא“ says Yeshayahu sefer of 5 Pasuk 16 Perek through kindness”. It is clear from these words that the preparation and the building of the kingdom must be done through chesed. More than this, Shmuel is the author of
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Megilat Rut, and “coincidentally” he is also the person who appointed Dovid Hamelech as king, beginning the dynasty. However, I don’t believe that anything is simply a
Kah-incidences, brought into existence by Hashem as (י-ה) coincidence, rather they are all part of his master plan of the world. Therefore, Shmuel was the one chosen to be given the Ruach Hakodesh to write Megilat Rut, because he was required to know the background and the building blocks in which Malchut Beit Dovid must be built upon, chesed.
If this is so, it only makes sense that the kingdom roots from the epitome of chesed herself, Rut. However, there are many people who have done chesed throughout
Tanach. Why is Rut distinguished above everyone else?
The beginning of the story of the Megilah takes place in Moav, and Rut is described as a Moavite woman. There is a Halacha that we may not accept a male convert from the nations of Amon and Moav because of the way they treated Bnei Yisrael in the Midbar. If
explains that when Bnei Yisrael were כג in Perek ה we go back to Sefer Devarim, Pasuk traveling in the desert, the nations of Amon and Moav refused to give us food or water during our journey and made it extremely difficult for us to travel. Furthermore, Moav himself was the grandson of Lot’s wife, who came from Sedom, the city whose entire essence was the polar opposite of chesed.
The reason why the Megilah specifically stated the fact that Rut was from Moav was to show how special she truly was. In fact, the meforshim explain that the famous song “Eishes Chayil” was written about Rut herself! Rut was the princess of a nation whose nature was purely anti Chesed. Nonetheless, Rut overcame that nature and
27 ד"סב preformed act after act of Chesed. This is why she is more distinguished in her kindness, and this is why she merited to be the mother of the dynasty of Dovid Hamelech.
Now we can begin to understand the connection to Shavuot. The Gemara in Sota on Daf Yud Daled says that, “Torah begins with Gemilut Chassadim and ends with Gemilut
Chassadim”. Shavuot is the day in which we received the Torah. It is the day in which our journey as a nation in serving Hashem through the mitzvot began. One of the many reasons why we read this Megilah on Shavuot is to remind ourselves that without chesed, the Torah isn’t complete. Torah and Chesed go hand in hand, working together to serve
Hashem in the best way.
Chag Sameach Guys!! Miss you tremendously!
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Leora Wolff
Gesher Yachad
Party All Night?
Pulling an all-nighter is usually not recommended. Sure, if you have an assignment due and need to get it done, you’ll do what it takes but it’s never the ideal option. Why then, on Shavuos, do we stay up all night? A common explanation is that people didn’t show the proper excitement for matan Torah, and when we stay up all night to learn it is a tikkun for the lessened kavod at the time of matan Torah. Rav Chaim Yaakov Goldvicht ztl, who was the Rosh yeshiva of Keren bYavneh, explains differently. He says how could it be that the generation that witnessed krias yam suf and all the miracles Hashem did in mitzrayim, did not show enough excitement about receiving the Torah. He suggests that perhaps there is a different reason. In life, people often feel they have reached the top, or achieved all that they could. Whether it’s making partner in a law firm, or winning a gold medal, you eventually can reach the finish line. With Torah, however, we are never done.
There is always more that we can learn, and by staying up all night we’re saying that there is not enough time to learn all the Torah we want to learn, and we must squeeze every second we have to learn as much as we can. On Shavuos we take the opportunity to demonstrate how important Torah is to us, and that we are devoted to learning as much as we can. So, get that coffee ready, and beezras Hashem we should all merit to learn a lot of Torah for many years to come!
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CJ Wiesenfeld
Rayim Yachad
Shavuos is a holiday best known for nocturnal Torah learning, dairy products, and the reading of Megillas Rus. Torah learning, and dairy products are understandable elements.
The rationales behind them are fairly obvious - Shavuos is the day we received the Torah, so a night spent learning is a great way to show our love, acquisition, and symbolic re- acquisition of the Torah, and frankly any excuse to eat cheesecake is welcome, but why do we read Megillas Rus on Shavuos? What’s the connection?
There are several answers.
One simple answer is that the Rus story took place during the wheat harvest, and Shavuos also takes place during the wheat harvest. The similar season of the two led to Megallas Rus’ induction into the Shavuos services.
Another answer is that Rus was David Hamelech’s ancestor, and as Dovid Hamelech is known to have died on Shavuos, we read it then in his honor.
A final answer is that the story of Rus accepting unto herself the tenets of the Torah and
Jewish faith, is analogous to the story of the Jewish people doing the same at the foot of
Mt Sinai.
May we all be zoche to celebrate the next Shavuos in a Rebuilt Jerusalem.
Good Yom Tov!
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Moshe Rosenberg
Senior Yachad
Shavuot D’var Torah:
On Shavuot we receive the Torah.
In the Lion King all the Different animal’s come to see the new king.
On Shavuot all the different Jews have to come to receive the
Torah.
Also, in the Lion King Rafiki shows the new king to all the different animals.
The Jews have to act in a way that shows the goodness of the
Torah to all people.
Have a grrrrrrreat Shavuot!
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Stephanie Sugarman Junior Yachad It is customary on Shavuot to eat dairy meals; people make delicious cheesecakes, lasagnas, the most amazing desserts, anything you can think of. Did you ever ask yourself why?
Most chagim we are eating hearty meat meals, why specifically Shavuot is the chag to eat dairy. In Shir Hashirim, perek dalad pasuk yud alef, it says, “The sweetness of Torah drops from your lips; like honey and milk it lies under your tongue.” Because the Torah is compared to milk, we should be eating dairy on the holiday it was given. In continuation with this thought, we learn that honey is a made by a bee, and milk when in the process of being made within the cow is done so by the blood. Both the bee and the blood of the milk are tamei, considered to be impure but once developed and the product is made, they are tahor and clean for consumption. Torah is compared to milk and honey because of its ability to elevate and purify even one who has fallen and lost its spiritual and emotional connection to Hashem and Yiddishkeit, almost as if he has been contaminated. The sweetness of Torah has the capacity to overcome all evil and take a person from such a low to an incredible high. Another beautiful idea that follows suit is the the storing of milk. In the olden days, milk was kept in silver and gold utensils and the people soon began to notice that it was spoiling quickly. Once switched to earth products, less fancy bottles, the milk lasted longer. So, too, Torah remains with the humble people and stays with them throughout their whole lifetime.
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Ask Esti, by Esti Sompolinsky RAYIM Yachad
"I always stay up all night learning on Shavuos. Is there any reading material out there so
I can still learn all night while practicing social distancing?"
-Kenny Bildit
Hey Kenny!
I have just the thing that could work for you. There’s something called the Rayim reads.
They have made about 10 issues so far. I’d recommend printing all those out and even if you’re already read them all, I think they are awesome enough to reread.
If you are looking for advice about something or would like to ask me a question that would be featured in next week’s newsletter, email me at [email protected]
Looking forward to hearing from you!
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Homemade pasta!!!! Miriam Pincus
Rayim Yachad
• 2 and a half cups of flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
Step 1: Mix in a bowl the flour, oil, salt and the eggs. When mixed together the dough will be crumby that is how it is supposed to look
Step 2: Make the dough into a ball and cover tightly with plastic wrap for 30 min
Step 3: Roll out the dough and cut into strips
Step 4: Fill a pot with water and a pinch of salt and wait till it boils
Step 5: Put the dough strips in boiling water and cook for 1-5 minutes
Step 6: When done, drain the pot and enjoy your homemade pasta
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No Bake Peanut butter squares! Raphi Cooper
Senior Yachad
Ingredients:
• Peanut Butter (I used plain roasted peanut butter)- Enough for 1.5 cups
• Coconut Oil- This will be melted, but you should have at least ¼ cup of solid coconut
oil
• Maple Syrup-
• Optional- Melted Chocolate
Equipment:
• Baking Square pan
• Parchment Paper
• Microwave Safe Mug
• Measuring Cup
• Small mixing bowl
Steps:
1) Using a spoon, carve out ¼ cup of Solid coconut oil and place it in a microwave safe mug
2) Microwave the coconut oil until it is liquid, this should take about 45 seconds
3)Pour this liquid into your measuring cup
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4) Now add about 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup to your measuring cup where the coconut oil is.
5) Using a spoon and your measuring cup, add in 1.5 cups of your peanut butter
6) Now combine this mixture and transfer it to your mixing bowl
7) Mix in all of your ingredients so that your measuring cup is empty of any residue
*This is why we started with the coconut oil so that your ingredients won’t stick to the measuring cup! Oil helps all the ingredients flow!
8) Using a spoon, guide your mixture into the parchment lined baking pan, spread evenly so there are no pockets unfilled and make sure no areas are over filled!
-At this point if you melted chocolate, you can layer it above this peanut butter mixture now!
9)Transfer the baking pan to your freezer, make sure nothing is on top of your mixture and that it is flat in your freezer so it can freeze properly
10) After about 30-45 minutes, check to see if the peanut butter has frozen, if so, you can take it out and slide it off the parchment paper
• *Be Careful! Coconut oil melts very easily and quickly, holding pieces of this item
even for a few seconds will cause it to start melting!
• When serving this dessert item do not leave it out sitting long or you will have the
same liquid you started with before you froze it!
Healthy tips related to this amazing recipe!
o Peanut butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup are all tasty, but did you know they
also each contain a great deal of health benefits?
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o Peanut butter has a good amount of fiber per serving which can help keep you full
between meals! Which is why this is not only a great dessert but also a great
snack! It also has protein which is great to help your muscles grow and stay
strong!
o Coconut oil also has a lot of health benefits and is good for your skin, teeth, and
hair! Additionally, it may help with increasing metabolism and strengthening bone
health.
o Maple Syrup not only tastes delicious, but it also contains numerous antioxidants
and helps flight inflammation in your body!
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Yummy Cheesecake Recipe! Maddy Schwartz Gesher Yachad Ingredients: • 2 packages (20 sheets) graham crackers • 11 tablespoons (1 3/8 sticks) unsalted butter, melted • 2 tablespoons sugar • 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature • 1 14-ounce can (1 1/4 cups) sweetened condensed milk • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions: • Step 1 Put graham crackers in a large resealable plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin until very fine crumbs form. • Step 2 Pour crumbs into a medium bowl; stir in sugar. Add butter and stir until well combined. • Step 3 Press the crumb mixture into a 9-inch springform pan, spreading it 1 1/2 to 2 inches up the side; press flat. Chill the crust in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. • Step 4 Meanwhile, make the filling: Using an electric mixer set at medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the condensed milk a little at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl, as necessary. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. • Step 5 Pour the filling into the crust; smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. • Step 6 Unclasp sides of pan and remove cheesecake! • ENJOY!!!!!
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Recipe, by Chana Ahuva Rayim Yachad
Cheese pretzels
What you need: yeast, warm water, sugar, salt, egg, flour, cheese sticks
· 1 oz fresh yeast (dry =1tbsp + 1 tsp)
· ½ cups of water
· Mix together and let stand for 10 min to dissolve yeast
· Add 2 Tablespoons of sugar
· 1 egg
· 4 cups of flour (more if its sticky)
· Mix together and let stand for 10 min
· Make the dough into pretzel shapes if you are not using cheese
· Roll dough into a long stick and place mozzarella sticks inside (or other cheese, sticks is
easiest)
· Make sure sides are closed so the cheese doesn’t come out
· Spray the pan you are placing them into
· Cook for about 10-15 min or until golden
· Enjoy with a sauce or anything else!
Happy Shavuot!
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Har Sinai Cake!! Malki Infield Gesher Yachad
What you’ll need:
• Cake mix
• Whipped cream
• Chocolate frosting
• Deep Pyrex bowl
• Graham crackers
• Tinfoil
• Green icing
Directions:
• Bake the cake in a round Pyrex bowl. Let it cool, turn it upside down, and frost with
brown frosting.
• Decorate with flowers and grass (green icing).
• Cut tin foil into the shape of a lightning bolt and place on the top of the cake.
• Cut the graham cracker into the shape of the tablets and stick into the top of the
cake.
• Right before serving, add some whipped cream to the top to represent the clouds
that engulfed the mountain!
• Enjoy!
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Parve Cheesecake Recipe! Betzalel Kosofsky
Rayim Yachad
Ingredients:
- Three 8-ounce containers plain Tofutti cream cheese
- 1-pint container Tofutti sour cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Cream all three containers of the Tofutti cream cheese, then add eggs and vanilla. Fold in the container of Tofutti sour cream. Put mixture into lightly buttered 8-inch spring pan and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Turn off oven and allow cake to sit in oven for 10 minutes or more. When cool, refrigerate overnight till set.
Optional: Before serving, top with fruit.
THEN ENJOY!
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Recipe, by Dahlia Laury
Rayim Yachad
Roasted tomatoes:
Super simple and super yummy! Eat them plain or add them to a salad
Ingredients: cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper, olive oil
Halve the cherry tomatoes, and lay them on parchment paper or silver foil on a pan.
Spread them evenly. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper, to taste. You can choose to mix it up a little bit, but you don't have to.
Put pan in the oven at 350 for twenty minutes, or longer if you prefer but twenty minutes is usually pretty good
Enjoy!
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Strawberry Banana Coconut Popsicles! Maddy Schwartz Gesher Yachad
Ingredients:
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 cups strawberry, diced
• 1 banana, sliced
• 3 tablespoons honey
Preparation:
1. Place the coconut milk, strawberries, banana, and honey in a blender
and blend until the mixture is smooth.
2. Pour the coconut mixture into popsicle molds filled almost to the
brim.
3. Freeze the popsicles for at least 4 hours.
4. Unmold the popsicles.
5. Enjoy!
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Shavuot Baking Fun! Stephanie Sugarman
Junior Yachad
Cannoli Torahs:
What you will need:
1. 1 package of cannoli shells
2. Richs whip nondairy topping
3. Sprinkles (different colors)
4. Mixer
5. Ziploc bag
6. Powdered sugar
How to:
1. Take your Richs Whip and place in blender at high speed
2. Whip till peaks are created
3. Scoop into Ziploc bag and pipe into cannoli
4. Take the end and dip into sprinkles
5. Place them together and sprinkle powdered sugar
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Snack Torahs: Stephanie Sugarman
Junior Yachad
What you will need:
1. Pretzels sticks (thin)
2. Frosting or fluff
3. Sprinkles
4. Fruit roll up
How to:
1. Dip pretzel ends into fluff or frosting
2. Cover in sprinkles
3. Wrap the pretzels sticks together with fruit roll up
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Smarties Torahs: Stephanie Sugarman
Junior Yachad
What you will need:
1. Two packages of smarties candy
2. Label paper
3. Markers
How to:
1. Take your two smarties and place them together
2. Decorate your label paper
3. Wrap label around smarties
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Interview, by David Zakaim
Rayim Yachad
Advisor Interview: Dahlia
By David
David: How long have you been involved with Rayim Yachad?
DL: Three years, one year as a coordinator.
David: What would you say has been one of your favorite moments in Rayim?
DL: The Parsha games.
David: What do you do when you are not on Shabbatons?
DL: I go home for Shabbos or spend Shabbos with my friends.
David: How did you first get involved with Rayim?
DL: My friend Ayelet told me about it and I loved it.
David: Have you participated in any other Yachad programming?
DL: Not yet.
David: Have you made any long-lasting friendships in Yachad?
DL: Yes, we have a great group coordinators and awesome members!
David: What part of the Shabbatons do you miss most?
DL: Menucha, game time, and meals where we could talk to everybody.
David: Will you be involved in Yachad again next year?
DL: I will be working full time, but if I have time, I would love to still come on Shabbatons.
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David: Is there anything else you would like to share?
DL: Shout out to our coordinators and members!
Thank you, Dahlia, for your time, and I hope to see you soon!
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Interviews, by Eli Ginsberg
Rayim Yachad
Interview with Meir
Eli: How long have you been with Yachad for?
Meir: About twenty years. I was in juniors, seniors, then stopped for a little bit, and then came back for Rayim.
Eli: What is your favorite part of Yachad?
Meir: Davening for the Amud on Friday night.
Eli: I know you’re very into being the Chazzan and singing on Shabbatons. Do you have any previous experience with that?
Meir: Singing is in my family genes. My brother was actually in Miami Boys Choir, and so was my father. I love singing.
Eli: That’s so cool! What do you do during the week?
Meir: I go to Dayhab in Brooklyn, and I work in CVS on Mondays and Fridays, where I do customer service.
Eli: What is your favorite game we play on Shabbatons?
Meir: Fruit bowl, and you know why I love that game?
Eli: Why?
Meir: Because I get to talk all about me.
Eli: What is your favorite Shabbos food?
Meir: Pasta
Eli: That’s not Shabbos food.
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Meir: Fine, Deli roll and Kishka
Eli: Now that’s a Shabbos food! What do your hobbies include?
Meir: Playing poker, and photography.
Eli: What is one fun fact about you?
Meir: I am triple jointed in my pinky finger!
Eli: Before we’re done, any shout outs you want to give?
Meir: I want to give a shout out to Avi Kirsthein! Thanks for being the best program director!
Eli: Thanks for your time, Meir!
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Interview by Eli Ginsberg
Rayim Yachad
Interview with Malka
Eli: How long have you been with Yachad for?
Malka: I don’t remember exactly, but it was between 5-10 years ago. I started in seniors. I never did juniors.
Eli: What is your favorite part of Yachad?
Malka: Giving the Dvar Torahs. One time I stayed by someone’s house, and they told me that they told they heard me give such a great Dvar Torah, and that I should become a professional speaker.
Eli: Hmm, maybe you should.
Malka: Maybe one day.
Eli: What do you do during the week?
Malka: In the mornings, on Mondays and Wednesdays work in the Y, which is a babysitting place in Brooklyn. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go to Harmony Dayhab. In the afternoons every day, I work at a hasc school, where I play games with the students.
Eli: What is your favorite game we play on Shabbatons?
Malka: Apples to apples. It’s a very funny game. I also play it in my home, and we always crack up while playing it. It’s also nice, because everyone wins in it!
Eli: What is your favorite Shabbos food?
Malka: I like sweet and sour chicken.
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Eli: What’s your favorite community we go to?
Malka: Who cares what community we go to. They’re all great!
Eli: What’s a fun fact about yourself?
Malka: I like to make jokes and make people happy and help people out when they need it. I actually have a good joke to share! What did one elevator say to the other?
Eli: I don’t know
Malka: I think I’m coming down with something.
Eli: Haha! Before we’re done, any shout outs you want to give?
Malka: I want to thank my house mates and all of Yachad for being there for me! And I hope everyone is staying healthy! Remember to keep a positive attitude.
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Yehuda Furman
Gesher Yachad
Hey Yachad! What is your favorite Shavuot food?
• Zak B- PIZZA!
• Yehuda F- Pizza
• Benjy A. - Chocolate cheesecake
• Dovid Gad- Milk
• Moshe S- My mom’s special lasagna or her macaroni and cheese casserole!!
• Eli G- Zucchini Frittata
• Rachel M- I’ll stay classic and say Cheesecake!!
• Avi T- Soy Yogurt
• Raphi C- Nondairy ice cream
• Jonathan S- Cheesecake and Blintzes!
• Yudi P- Cheesecake and Blintzes!
• Chana Ahuva R- Cheese Pretzels
• Malki I- Strawberry ice cream!
• Chani I- Macaroni and cheese
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Shavuot Megilat Ruth Questions:
1. Who wrote the Book of Ruth?
2. During which historical period did the events of the Megillah of Ruth
occur?
3. Who was Naomi's husband?
4. After she returned from Moav, by what name did Naomi ask to be
called?
5. How was Boaz related to Naomi?
6. Into what did Boaz tell Ruth to dip her bread?
7. Why is Elimelech's brother referred to as Ploni Almoni and not by his
real name?
8. With what object did Boaz redeem Elimelech's property?
9. The people and the elders blessed Ruth that she should be like
whom?
10. What was Ruth's relationship to King David?
***Answers in the back!!
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Why is Megilat Ruth Read on Shavuous? 7 reasons why!
Here are seven reasons why we read the Megillah of Ruth on Shavuos:
1. The events occurred during the harvest season. Shavuos is the harvest festival.
2. Ruth was a convert to Judaism. Conversion is an individual Kabbalas HaTorah.
3. Ruth the Moabite was permitted to marry Boaz, based on a drasha (a teaching of
the Oral Law) of the verse, "A Moabite may not marry into the Congregation of
Hashem" (Devarim 23:4). This hints at the unity between the Written Torah and the
Oral Torah.
4. David Hamelech was born on Shavuos. The Megillah of Ruth concludes with
David's lineage.
5. To teach the greatness of gemillus chassadim - acts of loving-kindness.
6. To teach that the Torah is acquired only through affliction and poverty.
7. The name "Ruth" has the numerical value of 606. At Har Sinai the Jewish People
accepted 606 mitzvos, in addition to the 7 Noachide Laws which were incumbent upon
them already.
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\\\\\\
- Created by Eli Goldberg, Gesher Yachad
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Shavuot Riddles: Ellie Blanchard
Gesher Yachad
**answers can be found in the back!
- What kind of man was Boaz before he married?
- When is it time to go to the dentist?
- Why didn’t the teddy bear eat dessert?
- What do you call cheese that doesn’t belong to you?
- Why didn’t the cheese want to get sliced?
- What’s the problem with jokes about Shavuos
customs?
57 ד"סב , Shavuot Puzzle! Racheli Brakha Rayim Yachad
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***Answers can be found in the back!!
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Coloring pages!!
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Shavuot Taboo!! Steph Sugarman,
Junior Yachad
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Answer Key:
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Shavuot Megilat Ruth Answers:
1. The Prophet Samuel (Bava Batra 14b).
2. During the era of the Shoftim, the Judges. Boaz was the shofet at the
time (1:1).
3. Elimelech. (1:2).
4. Mara (1:20).
5. He was her husband's brother's son. (2:1, Rashi).
6. Vinegar (2:14).
7. Since he didn't want to redeem his brother's property and thereby
discharge his family duty (Rashi 4:1).
8. With a shoe (according to the Targum, a glove) (4:8).
9. Like Rachel and Leah (4:11).
10. She was his great-grandmother: Ruth, Oved, Yishai, David (4:22).
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Shavuot riddle answers:
1. What kind of man was Boaz before he married? A: Ruth-
less!
2. When is it time to go to the dentist? Tooth hurty (2:30)
3. Why didn’t the teddy bear eat dessert? Because he was
stuffed
4. What do you call cheese that doesn’t belong to you?
Nacho cheese!
5. Why didn’t the cheese want to get sliced? It had grater
plans!
6. What’s the problem with jokes about Shavuos customs?
They’re sort of cheesy!”
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