24 Dec SPEAK YOUR VUES WITH THE VUES MASTER

MEAT DONUTS
Dear Vues
Why are they putting meat in donuts?
YL
Vues Master’s Notes: They put meat in challahs, so
why not in donuts?

GIFT
Dear Vues Master:
Should a boss give a holiday gift to a worker that
just started working for his company within the last
6 months?
LP
Vues Master’s Note: That would depend if the boss
wants some extra effort!

WEIGHT LOSS
Dear Vues Master:
Is it ok for people that lose weight to brag about it
to their friends? I find it to be annoying.
LP
Vues Master’s Note: Well I am on a see food diet! I
brag about it and it is getting easier and easier to
see it. My stomach can now be seen even without
glasses! To me I don’t say to food Weight and see it!

JEWISH CONCERT PRICES
Dear Vues Master,
The price of a Jewish concert these days is off the
charts! Why should it cost my family of 6 over a
thousand dollars to go to a concert this Chanukah
season? Why? To make the singers wealthy? I
understand it’s there parnassah but to pay them over
10k to sing for an hour or two? Vues Master’s Note:
Again, it is called supply and demand! As long as
there are people ready to pay for them they will
be sold at those prices! Most concerts these days
benefit a tzedakah or an organization so they are
trying to raise money and that’s in part why they
charge so much.

OU EXPRESSES DISAPPOINTMENT
Dear Vues Master
The Orthodox Union Advocacy Center (OUA)
expressed deep disappointment and frustration with
Congress’s failure to enact the Antisemitism Awareness
Act (AAA), an urgently needed bill to combat rising
antisemitism on college campuses and nationwide.
Despite overwhelmingly bipartisan support, Majority
Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker Mike Johnson
failed to deliver this legislation to President Biden for
his signature before adjourning for the year.
The AAA codifies that the Department of Education
must use the International Holocaust Remembrance
Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism
in its application of Title VI. This definition includes
targeting of Jews using rhetoric and actions related to
Israel and Zionism.
“Congressional leaders dropped the ball,” said Nathan
Diament, executive director of Orthodox Union
Advocacy. “Antisemitism is surging, Jewish students
are being targeted, and Washington let politics get in
the way of important policy.”
OUA has been unwavering in its fight for this bill,
spearheading lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill and
galvanizing public support throughout Jewish
communities. OUA called on lawmakers to prioritize
meaningful legislation to combat antisemitism in the
next legislative session and reaffirmed its commitment
to working with leaders in both parties to advance
protections for Jewish communities.
“There is no time to waste in the next Congress,”
Diament continued. “In the 119th Congress, we plan
to propose and advocate for legislation that will
include the provisions of the AAA, but be broader
and more aggressively fight the surge of antisemitism
in America. We will work with allies to pass this bill
early in 2025 in order to protect all Jewish Americans
— on campuses, in the streets, and everywhere in this
great nation.”
MO
Vues Master’s Notes: Very disappointing!

STEP IT UP

Dear Vues Master,
Over the course of the year, many people
and shuls made ruchnius related kabbalos
in an effort to step up the koach hatorah
for the soldiers’ hatzlacha and safety of Am
Yisrael. It’s important not to back down
from them now or to become lax in their
commitment. Seeing the unprecedented
hatzlacha against multiple battle fronts
and watching the world’s head spin is only
reason to step it up more.
The success of the various things people
did is witnessing miracles in real life and
we still need more. If your shul is saying 2
kapitlach after davening, don’t be that one
looking for his coat in the middle or using it
as phone catchup time. If you are attending
lectures, keep going. If you took on the
study of hilchos shabbos (which benefits
yourself the most), now may be a time to
help someone else with it. Everyone knows
someone who can use it. I decided to send a
weekly good shabbos text to a few friends
and family members that contain a few
short halachos of shabbos with it.
In a year’s worth of Fridays, can you see
how many halachos that added up to. From
Borer to Bishul to Hotzaa, eventually
you finish the melachos. Many have also
forwarded the text to someone else they
know and the chain spreads quickly. If
even one person learned a single halacha of
Shabbos that they were not aware of before,
that’s a zechus for the soldiers that keeps
giving. It’s brought down that even if in
your entire life all you did was make one
person shomer Shabbos that wasn’t, your
life is stamped as a success.
It’s not about quantity, every neshama is
significant. In short, whatever kabbala

you made is really something you did for
yourself. Hashem will use the zechus where
he sees fit but not if we back down because
of the next shliach coming to the white
house. A shliach is as good as the sender
allows it to be. The rest is up to the Klal.
KLMY
Vues Master’s Notes: Thanks for the
reminder. Very true.

NYS TO REQUIRE SAFETY
CERTIFICATE FOR ALL
BOATERS
Dear Vues Master
This is John Payne from Paynes Watersports
in White Lake. There is a new law, the
Brianna law, that I want everyone to know
about that requires that all motorboat
operators must complete a boating safety
course and obtain a certificate from the
NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and
Historic Preservation by Jan. 1, 2025. In
2024, anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1978,
must carry a boating safety certificate while
operating a motorized vessel. In NYS,
there are increasing rules and regulations
for many recreational opportunities as the
results of accidents and related studies that
generate new safety rules. Conclusions from
the studies make the rules more formal and
laws are passed with good intentions. Laws
intended to protect participants. The new
NYS boating safety certificate is required
for all recreational boaters using motorized
vessels, including personal watercraft,
though operators of non-motorized boats,
such as kayaks and canoes, are not required
to have a certificate at this time. They are
encouraged to take a safe boating course, as
well. NYS does recognize the boating safety
courses issued by other states for visitors to
NYS. Folks are allowed to rent and operate
a motorboat from a
livery without first
obtaining a boating
safety certificate,
though staff at the
livery must provide
basic instructions
and safety
information before
departure. Go to
this website to get
more information:
https://parks.
ny.gov/boating/
e d u c a t i o n . a s p x
Please be aware.
John Payne
Vues Masters Note:
Thanks John!

DONUTS OR PIZZA
Dear Vues Master:
In Shulchan Aruch, there is no mention
of eating Chanukah foods fried in oil.
(Latkes & donuts etc.) In Shulchan Aruch
(Rema) it says to eat cheese on Chanukah.
Probably the first & only source for donuts
on Chanukah is from a copy of a Ksav Yad
(manuscript) that Rav Y.M. Toledano z”l
found. In his Sefer Vpalit Srid, he quotes
from a Ksav Yad of R. Maimon (Rambam’s
father) where he mentions the Minhag
of donuts on Chanukah. It seems Rav
Toledano himself wasn’t convinced of this
Ksav Yad to be authentic. Somehow the
location of his find is unknown. Donuts
or Pizza? It seems that the mesorah of our
mothers (fried foods) has precedence over
(cheese) Rav Toledano was a Rov in Tel
Aviv & also the minister of religion in Ben
Gurion’s Government.
MJ
Vues Master’s Note: I’ll take em both in no
particular order!

TOO MANY DONUTS
Dear Vues Master
It definitely feels like I gained 10 pounds
this week. I can’t control myself around
donuts. I’ve had so many different types
from so many different stores. Every party
I go to over Chanukah, people serve me
donuts. On top of that, my wife makes
the best latkes & I finish every batch she
makes. I don’t know what to do. I can’t
control myself. Please help me!!!
Vues Master’s Note: My rebbie always told
me that you don’t gain weight on Shabbos.
Who knows? Maybe it also applies to
gaining weight on Chanukah.

REBBE OR ROSH YESHIVA
Dear Vues Master:
According to the Meiri,a person should
always cherish a Bracha from a Talmid
Chacham. He should attempt with all his
might to receive a Bracha from the Talmid
Chacham. It would seem that if one needs to
make a choice between a Rebbe (unknown
to be a Talmid Chacham) and a Rosh
Yeshiva (Talmid Chacham) one should seek
the Bracha from the Rosh Yeshiva.
MF
Vues Master’s Note: I’ll take a bracha from
both of them!

COOOLD
Dear Vues Master:
It’s cold out there! I don’t remember it
being so cold in December before. I’m
dreaming about Florida these days. Am I

the only one???
ML
Vues Master’s Note: Shhh! It is global
warming!

GARBAGE
Dear Vues Master: Is it ok for me to throw
my garbage in the garbage can of someone
that has his garbage in front of his house?
The other day I had the garbage from my
lunch in my hand and I saw a random
person’s garbage can in front of his house
& I threw it into his garbage. After I walked
by, I was wondering if I was allowed to do
that? What do you think?
HK
Vues Master’s Note: I can’t see a reason
not unless you put it in the wrong can and
cause the guy to get a ticket.

TUITION
Dear Vues Master: Why do the yeshivas in
Eretz Yisrael charge so much money? My
son is in Eretz Yisrael this year. He finished
high school last year in a local yeshiva and
almost his entire class went to Eretz Yisrael
this year. The yeshiva itself is costing
me $30k. The flight is over $1800 round
trip. The extras (food, traveling, extra
trips, Shabbosim away from yeshiva) are
probably going to be in the area of another
4k plus my family is going to visit him
in January, another $10k. I have 5 other
children in Yeshiva right now & my tuition
is way over $120k. I get scholarships
that take off about $25k but it’s still very
difficult. How do people do it?
YB
Vues Master’s Note: With great difficulty.
Remember your tuition bill is not in
your budget at the beginning of the year,
chansee the Gemara in Beitza.

CHANUKAH JOKES
Dear Vues Master
Here are some fun Chanukah jokes.
Miriam goes to the post office to buy
stamps for her Chanukah cards one year.
She says to the cashier, “Please may I have
50 Chanukah stamps?”

The cashier asks, “What denomination?”
Miriam says, “Oy vey, has it come to
this? Okay, give me 6 Orthodox, 12
Conservative, and 32 Reform.”
_________________________
What’s the best Chanuakh gift for the
person who has everything?
A burglar alarm.
_____________________________
What’s the best thing to put into the
sufganiyot?
Your teeth.
Vues Master’s Notes: I’m laughing so
hard a donut fell out of my mouth

THE HORRIFYING TRUTH
ABOUT GIRLS SEMINARIES IN
ISRAEL
Dear Vues Master
I just saw this on yeshivaworld.com &
wanted to bring it to the attention of
your readers. A serious fire broke out at a
girls’ seminary in Yerushalayim this past
Monday. Dozens of girls were injured,
and several neighbors suffered wounds
as they bravely sawed the locks open
and worked to save the trapped students.
Miraculously, no lives were lost. But
the terrifying reality behind the incident
should shake us to our core. The girls
were literally trapped inside the building.
Not by accident, not by oversight, but by
design. The dormitory had been padlocked
shut to ensure that the girls could not
sneak out at night and wander the streets.
When the fire erupted, those locks could
have been a death sentence. This was not
just a fire—it was a preventable tragedy
in the making, eerily reminiscent of the
infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
fire of 1911, when Jewish girls lost their
lives because they were locked inside
their workplace. Even more startling is

the revelation that this is not an isolated
incident. After speaking with others,
it appears that locking seminary girls
inside their dormitories at night is not
uncommon. This practice is beyond
reckless. It’s a grotesque distortion of the
notion of safety, replacing one potential
danger with a far graver one. Some may
argue that these measures are necessary to
protect the girls from the risks that lurk
outside. The streets of Yerushalayim,
they say, can be dangerous at night, and
strict precautions are needed. I understand
this concern. But in locking the doors,
the seminaries are gambling with the
girls’ lives. Monday’s fire is proof that

the risks inside can be just as deadly as
those outside. And then comes the larger
question: Why are we still sending our
daughters to these seminaries at all?
Parents are paying exorbitant amounts—
tens of thousands of dollars—to place
their daughters in substandard living
conditions, often with cramped rooms,
poor facilities, and inadequate safety
measures. For what? The lessons and
values taught in these seminaries can
be conveyed just as effectively in the
United States, at a fraction of the cost and
without the life-threatening risks. Some
will say that the experience of living in
Eretz Yisroel is invaluable. Fine. Let the
seminaries organize month-long trips to
Israel instead of year-long programs that
put girls in harm’s way. A short visit can
provide the inspiration and connection to
Eretz Yisroel without requiring parents to
send their daughters halfway across the
world, unsupervised and vulnerable. The
seminary system has become a juggernaut
of expectation in our community, a rite of
passage for many girls. But at what cost?
Monday’s fire should be a wake-up call.
This system needs to be re-evaluated

from the ground up. Our daughters’ safety
must take precedence over outdated
expectations and financial burdens. We
have reached the end of the line with
post-high school seminaries in Israel.
It’s time to rethink what we are asking
of our girls and their families. If nothing
else, Monday’s near-tragedy makes one
thing clear: when it comes to seminaries,
enough is enough.
Sincerely, A Suddenly Terrified Mother
Vues Master’s Note: You’re right. We should
not send our kids to Eretz Yisrael, we should
all go as a family to Eretz Yisrael.

WORKING ON OUR MIDDOS
Dear Vues Master The Chazon Ish
once left his home to go into a car
that was waiting for him. On his way
from his house to the car, there were
a few people who came and gathered
around the Chazon Ish to speak with
him. Finally, when the Chazon Ish was
in the car with the door closed, he told
the driver, “Please drive away slowly”.
The driver was confused, as he knew
that the Chazon Ish was in a rush to be
somewhere. The Chazon Ish explained
to the driver, “People come to me and
tell me their Tzaros, all the difficulties
that they are facing. If you drive away
now at a quick speed, they might feel
hurt or slighted and they may say to
themselves that I don’t care about their
troubles and take what they say toheart,
and that I just want to get away from them,
to avoid them feeling like this, and this is
why I asked you to drive away slowly!”
TUT
Vues Master’s Note: We should all work on
our middos!

SITTING ON YOUR LAURELS
Dear Vues Master
When we delve into last week’s Parsha,
Parshas Vayeishev, we discover interesting
facts and remozim to Chanukah. When
Yaakov returned to Eretz Yisroel after his
harrowing experiences, he wanted to rest.
Well, instead of rest, new trouble with
Yosef being kidnapped by his brothers.
When the brothers saw Yosef in the
distance, they said “here comes the Baal
Hachaloimos the Loser”. The dreams
Yosef had were a subliminal conflict
with his brothers. If you switch two
letters, chaloimas becomes milchomois.
The brothers said “im moshoil timshoil
banu”- your dreams are a moshul
that you want to rule over us. The
milchomois are a precursor to the future
battles with the misyavnim. So they

sell Yosef to the Yishmaelim ancestors to
the Palestinians who in turn sell them to
Midyanim. Among the Yishmaelim was
Lot who had arichas yomim and was still
alive then. The Midyanim were called
them because they were middlemen
who facilitated business transactions. It
could also be short for Misyavnim. The
Midyanim sell Yosef to the Mitzriam,
specifically Potifar, Lord of the Butchers.
Meanwhile Yehuda has tzar gidul bonim
with his sons Er, short for Error, and
Onone. He should have asked a Shaila.
His daughter-in-law, Tamar fools him and
he gives her as collateral the choisum,
psilos,and the matah. These were obvious
remozim for Chanukah – seals for olive
oil, the wicks for the Menorah, and the
stick symbolizing milchama against the
yevonim. As an aside, someone invited
me to a kiddush on Shabbos. I asked him
”Ayei Hakedeisha?” Back to Yosef. He
turns out to be a good administrator and is
put by Potifar in charge of his household.
He runs into trouble with his wife and is
put into prison. Where was this prison? It
turns out that it’s in a dungeon in the same
house because Potifar is also in charge
of the prison. This prison was no picnic;
it was the sewer of the castle – the beis
hasoier. It was also near the place where
Potifar kept the slabs of meat since he was
the Lord of the Butchers. That place sure
didn’t smell good. But Yosef shows his
skills there too and he is successful and
moves into management. Potifar was also
talented – running a meat business and a
prison. In addition, he entertained Paroi
on his birthday. If you switch the letters
of Tabuchim, you get Batchonim. He
supplied the prisoners for entertainment
with varying results. However, the Saar
Ha’mashka forgot Yosef. What does
one expect from someone who’s around
booze the whole time? The acronym for
Vayishkucheiu is well known: Velcha Yid
Shpilled Kvitlech Chanukah Hiest Vinter”
– whoever bets with cards on Chanukah
gets Covid.
DF
Vues Master’s Note: Thanks for the vort!