It was sheva brachos for Yehuda Yitzchaki and Yehudis Yakabovitch. Yehudis’s father Yekusiel got up to say a few words.

“I would like you all to know why I took this young man as my son-in-law,” he began. “A few months back, I had to go from Yerushalayim to Bnei Brak. It was a blistering hot day and I was in a hurry, so I went to a hitchhiking spot to hitch a ride. A car stopped, and it was driven by none other than my new son-in-law Yehuda. We started driving and hit a real bad traffic jam. The trip took close to two hours, it was hot, and the car didn’t have air conditioning. Yet not once,” here he paused for dramatic effect, “not once during this frustrating trip did Yehuda honk at anyone. Not once! When I saw his self-control, I decided this was the young man for my daughter.” Yekusiel finished with a few words of brachah and sat down.

Yehuda leaned over towards him. “My horn wasn’t working that day,” he explained with an apologetic smile.

Got you to smile? Do I have your attention now? Sometimes all it takes is a short but powerful story, like the one above, to get your reader’s or your audience’s attention.

That’s why Rabbi Dovid Kaplan’s Impact! books are such a hit. Each one is filled with stories and anecdotes with punch lines that can make you roar with laughter, or fill your eyes with tears, or, at the very least, cause you to pause and think. What more can anyone who needs to give a speech—or to listen to one—ask for?

Shabbos Table Impact!, the latest book in the Impact! series, is no different. In this book, the “punchy” short stories are on the parshah, and each one drives home an immediate message or lesson for the reader that will make him think about the parshah in a way he may never have thought before.

For example, the above story about the chassan with assumed self-control appears in the book under Parshas Bamidbar. Oh, you want to know the lesson it brings out from that parshah? You’ll have to read the book to find that out…

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Do you have non-religious relatives whose kids are curious about Passover? Are your neighbor’s secular grandchildren coming to her for the Pesach Seder?

For those in need of a great kiruv tool this Pesach for newcomers to Judaism, Free At Last—From Mud to Mirth, is exactly what you need. Beautifully illustrated and accompanied by a Hebrew-English Haggadah, this whimsical and dramatic account brings readers behind the scenes of what happened during the slavery of Mitzrayim and the redemption. It comes along with its own musical read-along CD, so that even young children can appreciate what the book has to offer (before Yom Tov, that is; make sure to remove the CD from its sleeve if you want to use the book and Haggadah on Pesach!).

You may find yourself howling with laughter with Free At Last, but one thing is for sure: this book will definitely give its readers a terrific understanding of sipur Yetziyas Mitzrayim, in a really fun way!

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With my family’s bad dental history, I know I shouldn’t have been surprised. Still, when the dentist informed me that my four-year-old had seven cavities in her mouth, I kind of smiled, swallowed hard, and sweetly asked him, “Can you run that by me again, please?”

But my ears had heard right. And as my brain processed that information, I felt the horror rise up within me, faster than the bubbling water in the fountain outside in the medical building’s lobby.

Seven cavities! Seven cavities!

How, pray tell, was my daughter going to get through this? For that matter, how was I, her mother, going to get through this?

I wish I’d had the book Chani Goes to the Dentist, to help prepare my daughter for what was to come. But alas, this was last year, and the book hadn’t yet made its debut. And so all I had in my arsenal of tools with which to calm my little girl were my tefillos, of course; my hand (which she wouldn’t let go of the entire time she sat in the dentist’s chair); and some little trinket as a prize for when she was all done (you didn’t actually think the prize would be a lollipop, did you?).

But all of you parents who are presently dealing with your kids’ upcoming dentist appointments looming over your heads, especially if there will be cavity fillings done then—take heart! Here is a book that will really help prepare your child for all that will happen at the dentist, in a calm, reassuring, and even fun way!

In Chani Goes to the Dentist, written by the same author as the popular Moshe Goes to Yeshiva, kids discover exactly what happens when a cavity is filled, and how it’s not such a scary procedure after all. At the end of the book, Chani, who had a cavity filled, walks out of the dentist’s office with a big smile on her face—and your child can, too! All it takes is some gentle preparation beforehand, which is exactly what this book provides, and lots of Heavenly assistance from Above.

Oh, and a little trinket as a prize, too.

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Anytime my wallet is running short of cash, I send someone to check the mailbox. ‘What’s the connection?’ you ask. (You mean it’s not obvious?) There might be a million dollar check in there.

‘But Ma, is anyone supposed to be sending you a million dollar check?’ My son has often asked me. After all, most of the time he goes, he only returns with junk mail and bills. “No,” I am forced to admit, “but if we don’t go look, we’ll never know.”

Optimistically hoping for a magical solution to our challenges is definitely common. Getting that magical solution is not. Enter Rafi, a boy who receives a supernatural solution.

After his father is niftar, Rafi struggles to get through the day, yet yearns to be treated as the outgoing, happy boy he once was. Hoping to give him a chance to breathe and regroup, Rafi’s mother sends him to his grandparents’ home on a moshav. Far from finding tranquility there, Rafi is soon accused of stealing test papers from his new cheder! Have things gone from bad to worse? No way! Not when he has two new best friends to stick up for him, plus a purple bottle filled with amazing goop that turns him invisible.

Join Rafi and his friends, as they unravel the suspenseful mystery of the test thefts. Watch as he steps out of the role of sad, innocent victim and into the role of contented and powerful forgiver. Secret of the Purple Bottle is the first in The Invisibles series; an action-packed mystery fantasy with subtle, highly palatable life lessons that linger long after the back cover has swung shut.

Guest Blogger: Sara Miriam Gross

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I was looking for a homemade segulah – some way to acquire a zechus that would help me finish the book I’d been writing, on and off, for the past ten years. So when Rivkah called asking to set a time for some pro bono marketing advice it was hard to say no. Of course, it was also hard to say yes, since I had pressing deadlines that seemingly came before free brainstorming over a cup of tea. I promised her we’d sit down together a few weeks later. Then I piggy-backed on Rivkah’s enormous zechuyos and began davening, asking Hashem to help me get my book and other assignments done, so I would have time available to help Rivkah.

It worked. I joyfully submitted my re-re-re-re-re-revised final-final file for the book and eventually even put up some water to boil in the kettle. Rivkah left our meeting with a promising list of new directions and strategic alliances, but I was only half peaceful. I was happy to have made the time to help, yet I still heard a little voice saying: ‘You have no business helping market someone else when you really should go market yourself.’

Hashem did not let me feel that way for long. The very next day, an acquaintance emailed me, offering an unexpected assignment that was a perfect fit, and that booked me solid for the next month and a half. I helped market Rivkah and Hashem marketed me.

At times when we do something difficult, we immediately see the wave of good it has brought back to us. Other times we only see what a good deed leads to after years, or decades. And sometimes, we are not privy to the ‘end of the story’ at all.

The Blum and Solomon families navigate very challenging and dramatic lives. How else could it be for children whose parents live 6,000 miles away?

Why are the Blum children living with their grandparents in Israel while their widowed mother Tamar is alone in New York? They were only supposed to go for a visit. Will their grandparents’ unlimited hospitality be good for them in the long run?

When Tamar makes the ultimate sacrifice for her employer, will she be left to pay the price for her unusual heroism?

When Ruthie tries to cut Mimi out of her life, will it destroy Mimi or save them both?

Why doesn’t Ari Solomon know who his father is? When he finds out, and is forced by the Mossad to reunite with him, can any good can come out of it?

Journey along with the families of Common Denominator and savor their days. Watch your heart beat a little faster, as you wonder what happens next. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could daven for the characters in a novel? Then we could ask for a ‘happily ever after,’ every time…

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As a young couple with one young baby, my husband and I once went out to a mall and were approached by a man taking a survey. He had been hired by a vacation home time-sharing company that was interested in targeting the religious community. The first question that threw us (We got through the ‘Hi. How are you folks tonight?’ part just fine.) was: ‘Where do you like to go on vacation when you want to get away without the kids?’ We stared uncomprehendingly at this alien in human garb and were rendered speechless. Eventually we stammered “Go away, uhm, without our baby? Maybe you should ask someone else.” We were too new in the parenting profession to even consider it, although now, two decades later, I’m not sure we would refuse such an opportunity.

Truth is, most of the time religious couples pack up everything and go somewhere, they’re either fleeing chametz or heading to a simchah, and most of the time the kids come with. Practically speaking this means: 1) You can go anywhere in the world because getting out the door is getting out the door, whether you’re headed to Target or Antarctica, and 2) You don’t need to bring a tourist guidebook along because your young travel companions are bound to create a lot of street theatre wherever you go! If that’s true for an average family, imagine what traveling means when you’ve got way more than a minyan…

Touring London after a family chassunah, would be exciting for anyone, but with 21 kids ranging from 2 months up to 19 years (Yes, they do have lots of twins and that’s also part of the fun), the Schneider family ends up the talk of the town – literally. From pretending to be a wax sculpture at Madame Tussauds museum, to meeting Her Royal Highness the Queen in person, the action (and reactions!) never end.

I’m supposed to tell you that 23 Under 1 Roof: Look Out, London! is a wholesome, charming and funny book for kids, but all the “big kids” who worked on this project laughed along with it. That’s why you need to make your children promise to share it with you.

So come along for the ride. How else can you take your kids so ‘far away’ and have so many adventures, without even packing a juice box?

Guest Blogger: Sara Miriam Gross

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I think it’s safe to say that after the recent petirah of Harav Ovadiah Yosef zt”l, and all the media coverage that abounded afterward about this great and holy man, the thoughts and feelings running through countless Jewish parents’ minds were of an identical nature: How can my children become like this tzaddik? What can I do to inspire them to follow in his great ways?

While of course there’s no magical, fool-proof recipe to follow to succeed in raising children who are tzaddikim and talmidei chachamim, and at the end of the day, what everything really boils down to is lots and lots of earnest tefillos and siyata d’Shmaya, there’s no question that inspirational stories of our gedolim go a long way in touching our precious children’s hearts and motivating them to want to become gedolim ba’Torah, too.

And if the stories are written in a book, and told over in a kid-friendly way, with stunning, lifelike illustrations accompanying them all—well, it won’t take long before such a book becomes a fast favorite among children and begins flying off the bookshelves.

So, parents out there, take note, and consider yourselves forewarned! A Life of Torah—an unbelievably beautiful children’s book of stories about the greatness of Harav Ovadiah Yosef zt”l—has just been released, and it is only a matter of time before it becomes sold out…

A book as striking as this one does not come out often. Do yourself and your kids a favor and pick up a copy of it soon, while supplies still last. You won’t be disappointed.

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Which teen doesn’t have some kind of problem in her life? Problems with friends (think high school politics), problems with school (think the murderous math test coming up), problems with complexions (think the horrible pimple that just sprouted overnight), problems with appearances (think the stubborn ten pounds that just won’t get lost, no matter how many donuts you turn down or how many gyms you join). And while no one would ever wish for someone else to have problems, the fact is that hearing or reading about someone who’s in a worse situation than your own often makes you realize how very lucky you are after all—and sort of helps you gloss over whatever problems you do have.

That’s what A Family for Frayda will do to you. Teens reading this book will find themselves sympathizing for Frayda’s very real problem: she has no family she can call her own. Her father has passed away, and her mother, having divorced Frayda’s father years before, has remarried and lives far away overseas…which leaves fifteen-year-old Frayda basically on her own, in the care of a kind neighbor. And then the neighbor decides to go away on a trip abroad one day…

But this book is not only about whimpers and wishful dreaming. This is a book that pulsates with drama and dialogue; a book that’s filled with emotion and tochen; a book that really speaks to teens, as it gives them a peek into the life of a remarkable girl and her journey to finding a place where she finally feels that she belongs.

If you’re looking for a great read for your teen, and for yourself too,  A Family for Frayda makes an excellent choice.

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