Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Balak: Intended Intentions/2011

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:03:28 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Korach: The Thread of Truth 5771/2011

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 02:39:08 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Bamidbar: Everyone Counts 5771/2011

Tue, 24 May 2011 23:42:12 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Pesach: Bnei Brak Bounty 5771/2011

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:58:21 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Pesach 1: Freedom from Self to Self 5771/2011

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:13:33 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Shira Smiles - Zachor: Amalek, Eradicating Evil 5771/2011

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:43:19 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Shira Smiles - Pekudei: Bountiful Blessing 5771/2011

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 20:38:32 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Shira Smiles - Vayakhel: Mirroring Majesty 5771/2011

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 21:26:59 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Ki Tisa Covenant II Constant Challenge 5771/2011

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:53:42 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Tetzaveh: Secret of the Spice 5771/2011

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:27:04 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Terumah: Creating Closeness 5771/2011

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 01:29:44 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Mishpatim: Brick Burden and Buoyancy 5771/2011

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:56:03 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Yisro: Altar Accentuation 5771/2011

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 15:39:07 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Bo: Midnight Mindfulness 5771/2011

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:55:31 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Vaeira: Existential Exodus Experience 5771/2010

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 01:28:16 GMT

The compilers of the Passover Haggadah expend much effort in discussing the plagues Hashem brought upon Mitzraim/Egypt, as is only appropriate in celebrating the exodus. At one point, they focus on two terms, the Egyptians declaration that the plague of lice is “the finger of God” and the contrasting perception Bnei Yisroel declare at the Reed Sea as “the mighty hand of God.”

Rav Belsky in Einei Yisroel graphically explains the difference between using a finger and using a hand. When one is trying to teach a lesson, one points things out with one’s finger. In contrast, when one wants to strike or punish, one uses one’s hand. The plagues in Egypt, continues Rav Belsky, were meant to teach the Egyptians that Hashem is the only Omnipotent One, while the drowning in the sea was meant to finally punish and destroy them.

Rav Soroskin in Habinah Vehabracha builds on this idea by explaining that the lessons of the plagues were meant even more for Bnei Yisroel than for the Egyptians, and the Egyptians were the vehicles through which these lessons would become manifest. Rav Soroskin lists the three principles of our faith, implicit in Shema Yisroel Hashem- Elokeinu - Hashem Echad that the plagues are meant to teach us: Hashem – God exists, and He is Master of the universe; Elokeinu – He is our God, with a special relationship to Bnei Yisroel; Hashem Echad – He is One Force, no matter what aspect of His presence we perceive.

The first three plagues represent Hashem’s mastery over the world, as Hashem transformed water into blood and blood back into water. The second group of three plagues represents Hashem’s special relationship with Bnei Yisroel, for although these plagues, such as the wild animals, tormented the Egyptians, they held no sway over Bnei Yisroel. In the third set, Hashem proclaimed the Unity of His Being, for example by raining hail with a center composed of fire upon Egypt.

The perception of God as two separate aspects of one Entity can be inferred from the mateh, the staff with which Moshe performed the miracles. The staff was both the instrument of punishment that brought the plagues on Egypt and the instrument of Israel’s salvation, yet it is still the one and the same staff. It is both a tree of life and a poisonous snake, depending on who uses it. Rabbi Tatz discusses this idea in depth in Living Inspired. This staff, when held aloft in the hands of a righteous man, symbolizes the spirituality derived from heaven. However, when thrown to the ground it becomes a part of the base, mundane, earthly world, the world of the ensnaring snake. It is the same staff, but both possibilities are contained within it.

Rabbi Tatz uses an allegory to clarify this idea. When one walks along a straight path, he explains, one can always check back to see his point of origin. However, if the road bends or one takes a fork in the road, one can no longer see his point of origin. One can only know this point by remembering it. The upper realms, continues Rabbi Tatz, are straight and infinite, and the angelic beings inhabiting these spheres never lose sight of their origin. However, when our finite world was created, we became limited in our view, unable to see Infinity. This world, therefore, is distorted, with bends and forks. One can perceive the Origin only through memory, through the times Hashem has opened windows for us. So we are enjoined to remember creation, the exodus, our stand at Sinai, lest we forget the spiritual Source of all. These bends in the world create the possibility of choice and free will, for we can choose to believe in the Creator of all or to deny His existence, for we can see neither with clarity. We must hold the staff aloft, keep it straight. If we throw it down, it becomes the distorted snake, perverting and poisoning everything.

The Egyptians themselves were evil incarnate. They could take the straight staffs and transform them into snakes as Aharon had done. But only Aharon and Moshe, the Levites, could remain firm, and retain the straightness of the staff. In that straight form, in the line of truth, it would devour the other staffs and their evil distortions. Pharaoh refused to see God’s hand in this miracle, choosing instead the distortions of evil and sorcery.

Our purpose on earth is to retain the firmness of Moshe and Aharon against the distortions of evil, to reject the fatal venom the snake is trying to inject into us in small doses that will eventually poison our whole being and blind us to Hashem’s presence.

In Chikrei Lev, Rabbi Aryeh Leib Heiman also uses the image of the staff but focuses on the one who holds that staff. Pharaoh represents the yetzer horo (evil inclination) in all of us. Just as Pharaoh enslaved us slowly, enticing us with a false sense of belonging and accomplishment until we came completely under his control, so does the yetzer horo begin with us as children with simple wants and desires, hoping that as we mature we will not let truth enlighten us. He hopes to keep us forever in his clutches, until we are fully addicted to him. Only by being a Levite in the struggle, like Aharon or Moshe, and picking up the snake by its tail can we again gain mastery over it.

Even when Pharaoh finally seems to be acknowledging Hashem, it is all a subterfuge. After the plague of hail, Pharaoh admits to being wrong “this time” without admitting to the total picture. He seems to be making the ultimate admission “Hashem is the righteous One, and I and my people are the wicked ones.” But the Belzer Rebbe, the Shvilei Pinchas points out, Pharaoh is interjecting himself, his ego, into the name of Hashem. The acronym formed by the first letters of the first two words and last two words of Pharaoh’s confession, spell out YKVK in Hebrew (YKVK Hatzadik veani Veami Horshoim.) However, once we insert our egos the ani, into our acknowledgement of Hashem, we create and maintain a schism between the Ribbonoh shel Olam and ourselves.

In the simple reading of this continuing interchange between Pharaoh and Moshe, Pharaoh seems to relent. He tells Moshe to go and serve Hashem. But when Pharaoh asks Moshe who will be going, Pharaoh reneges. Pharaoh would allow the men to go, but not the women and children. Similarly, he understood that if he keeps the children away from this service, they will be strangers to the service of Hashem and adopt the culture of Egypt. This condition was unacceptable to Moshe, for the essence of Bnei Yisroel lies in our continuity through the education of our children in the ways of Hashem, and to shield them, at least as young children, from the depraved influence of pop culture.

The Bnei Yissaschar takes this schism that Pharaoh wishes to create to yet another level. Pharaoh will admit that there is a Hashem in heaven, but he wants to keep Hashem uninvolved in the earth. Pharaoh himself wants to rule here; he still demands that the ani and his people do as they wish. The Bnei Yissaschar suggests another acronym for Hashem’s name, an acronym that is not divided by ego, by ani: Yismichu Hashomayim Vetagel Haaretz. Pharaoh agreed that the heavens could be happy in Hashem’s presence, but he refused to accept that the earth should also rejoice with Hashem. The heavens, always aware of Hashem’s presence, will forever rejoice, but the earth will not rejoice as long as Bnei Yisroel is in exile, for His Name will not be manifest and recognized throughout the earth until Bnei Yisroel is free to spread His Name.

But we ourselves, Bnei Yisroel, may continue to be tightly bound up with the same problem of ego as Pharaoh. We may daven and do mitzvoth, but we may leave Hashem in the synagogue, forgetting (or even refusing, ch”v) to acknowledge His role in our everyday lives, from business successes to failures, from health to illness, and even to finding a parking spot. Accepting Hashem may remain a strictly intellectual pursuit without ever penetrating the consciousness of our daily lives. This disconnect is alluded to in the name Mitzraim. In Hebrew, the “M” has two forms, an open form at the beginning or middle of the word, and a closed form, without any openings, at the end of a word. The closed form symbolizes the intellect, for it lets nothing out of its enclosed space to interact with the world. The open form represents action which goes out of itself and does interact with the world. Between these two forms at the beginning and end of the name of Mytzraim, says the Bnei Yissaschar, lies the yetzer, man’s ego, the same ego that tries to keep our interaction with Hashem purely cerebral without impacting our daily lives.

The Netivot Shalom exhorts us to free ourselves from the shackles of ego and from the influences of foreign culture. Remain like Levi unenslaved and true to the Yiddishe neshamas within us. If we do not hold firm to our pure neshamas and let the neshama go, a “ruach shtus” will take its place, and a spirit of foolishness will enter us and cause us to sin.

If, like Bnei Yisroel in Mitzraim, we are not yet ready to free ourselves totally, let us use Shabbos and Yom Tov as our spiritual vehicles. Let us begin with a three day journey. As Rav Belsky explains, we need to prepare for these spiritual experiences of Shabbos and Yom Tov and anticipate their arrival. We can say “Lekovod Shabbos Kodesh,” when wiping down the candlesticks immediately after Shabbos so they will be ready for next week. Or we can buy our special Shabbos delicacies with that expression on our lips. We can dress in Shabbos finery and adorn ourselves in gold and silver as our ancestors did in anticipation of their redemption from Egypt.

We can strive to reach the heights of a spiritual existence by freeing ourselves from ego and purely materialistic considerations. We must control the staff of life in our hands, remember our holy origins, and keep focused on the mission of our people to unite heaven and earth with the knowledge and the joy of Hashem’s presence not only in heaven but also on earth.

Mrs. Smiles - Shemos: Acquiring Anonymity 5771/2010

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:27:24 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Vayechi: Tenacity and Truth 5771/2010

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 04:32:05 GMT

The major theme of Parshat Vayechi is Yaakov's blessing his sons and the progenitors of the twelve tribes prior to his death. While Yaakov imparts his wisdoms and insight to each of his sons, we notice that his focus is not so much on blessings that imply prayers for success as on identifying a particular character trait for each son. Indeed, says Rabbi Reiss in Meirosh Tzurim, the source of all success is recognizing your particular abilities and character traits and then using them to achieve your goals. This understanding is an even greater requirement when pursuing spiritual goals.

With this thought in mind, let us study the blessing imparted to Yehudah. Yaakov begins by saying, "Yehudah - your brothers shall acknowledge you. (yoducha)." This "acknowledgement" is a play on very name of Yehudah. The Medrash points out that this acknowledgment will come by way of identification, for Jews throughout the generations and in all places will be called by the name of Jewdah, or Yehudim. The initial, obvious recording of this fact is in the Purim Megillah, for Mordechai, although from the tribe of Benjamin, is nevertheless identified as Mordechai Hayehudi. What was it about Yehudah, highlighted in Yaakov's blessing, which merits all Bnei Yisroel being called by his name?

The answer lies in the dual meaning in the root of his name, for lehodos includes both admission and acknowledgement, and gratefulness. When Leah named her son Yehudah, she thanked Hashem for this special gift and acknowledged that she was unworthy of the favor of bearing more than her share of children to Yaakov. These two traits formed the integral basis of Yehudah's character, the traits Yaakov focused on in bestowing his blessing. When Yaakov predicted that Yehudah would rule over Bnei Yisroel forever, he was highlighting the particular character traits that Yehudah would need to focus on in order to succeed. Yaakov points out that Yehudah had already utilized this trait in his life, "You rose up from the prey of my son (Yosef)."

Rav Schwadron in Lev Shalom reminds us that Reuven had also argued against killing Yosef. What is the difference between the two, he asks, that Yaakov should praise Yehudah for this while not mentioning it at all in praise of Reuven. Rav Schwadron continues by pointing out the difference between the actions of these two that makes Yehuda's actions so meritorious. On the one hand, Reuven had always insisted that Yosef did not merit the death sentence. Reuven never considered Yosef a threat to the brothers, a rodef. Yehudah, on the other hand, had sat at the head of the tribunal and agreed that Yosef was a rodef and should be put to death. However, when the time for carrying out the decree came, Yehudah realized he had been mistaken. Yehudah's greatness was that he did not let his ego get involved. He admitted his mistake immediately even thou his prestige might suffer as a result.

In fact, his prestige did suffer. The Torah testifies that Yehudah "went down" from his brothers, for the brothers had removed him from his exalted position when they saw their father's anguish. They blamed Yehudah for not advising them and not leading them correctly.

Yehudah may have been down, but he was not out. He did not fall into despair, but "rose up" as a lion from the incident of Yosef being the prey. He left his family's home and built a new home for himself, married and had children. He never sensed that he was totally alone, for even when he was down, he still felt surrounded by Hashem. Yehudah's very name bears witness. The letter daled, signifying his afflicted condition is surrounded by the four letters of Hashem's Hebrew name, YKVK.

Rav Schwadron continues with his analysis of Yehudah's name as reflected in his life. When Yehudah's daughter-in-law Tamar is sentenced to death for committing adultery while awaiting a levirate marriage to redeem her from her childlessly widowed state, Yehudah again proves the strength of his character. At the end of her trial, Tamar presents the evidence of who impregnated her. Yehudah immediately acknowledges the truth and admits that he is the father of Tamar's unborn children. Rav Schwadron points out that Yehudah could have dismissed the case in light of "new evidence" that cast doubt on her guilt without implicating himself. But Yehudah's name is a reflection of the name of Hashem Himself, and the "seal of Hashem is truth." We who are the bearers of Hashem's truth on earth in all circumstances, no matter how dire, who recognize that the very soul Hashem breathed into us is part of His truth, go by the name of the tribe who was willing to demean himself for the sake of truth.

From a different perspective on sin, Rav Reiss cites the Panim Yafot on the verse "For I would know my transgressions" (Psalm 51). Yehudah's descendent, King David, understood that the very transgressions upon which one stumbles provide the means to rise to greater heights. When one does teshuvah for a wrong one has committed, the Baal Hatanya writes, one reties the severed cable that connected us to Hashem and strengthens the bond between Hakodosh Boruch Hu and ourselves.

The ability to admit one's transgression and the ability to express gratitude, explains the Sifsei Chaim, are derivatives of the same character trait, the search for truth based on humility. When one can diminish one's ego, one can accept his own shortcomings and admit his faults, and pave the way for personal growth. In a similar vein, when one thanks another for a service or a gift, one acknowledges that he is neither omnipotent nor in total control, and humbly accepts what another has to offer. How much more so is this the truth when we acknowledge and accept the gifts Hashem bestows upon us daily. In each case, we set aside our egos in favor of truth, as Yehudah had done. When one understands this truth, one can accept one's failures and shortcomings as the means to growth, just as a child learns to walk only after falling many times. As Rabbi Schachter explains, just as it is necessary to dig deep down into the ground to lay a proper foundation if a building is to rise high above the ground, so too is it necessary that we fall down so we can learn from these experiences and establish a strong foundation for rising to greater spiritual heights.

This was the lesson Yaakov wanted Yehudah to learn from his name if he would be a strong and effective ruler of this entire nation. If Yehudah is to be the lion protecting its pride, he must retain his regal manner by his unflinching dedication to truth. We too, as Yehudim, must all learn to recognize our essential and unique character if we are to reach our potential as servants of Hashem. Like Yehudah, we must be aware of Hashem's presence in our lives and not despair, especially when we could easily be overwhelmed. At those times as during the good times, we must remain Yehudim in gratitude to Hashem for all His gifts and especially for His constant presence in our lives.

Summary by Channie Koplowitz Stein

Mrs, Smiles - Chanuka: Light of Clarity 5771/2010

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:46:51 GMT

Rav Schwadron, the Maggid of Yerushalayim, presents several questions in relation to the mitzvoth and celebration of Chanukah based on the Al Hanisim liturgy. Since the essence of the observance of Chanukah is giving praise and thanks to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, and we thank Hashem for our deliverance, it seems strange to thank Him for the war itself, in addition to the salvation and victory. It would seem logical to assume that gratitude for the war would be subsumed under the generalization of “deliverance”. Further, since we did indeed experience a physical salvation from Greek tyranny, why did our Sages not mandate a festive meal, a seudah, the symbol of physical joy, for Chanukah?

Rav Schwadron begins his analysis and his answer by comparing the Greek strategy against Torah observance to a military war. In both, the best strategy is to postpone a direct frontal assault until the enemy has been weakened through indirect attacks. The Greeks did not begin by forbidding Torah study, or barring brit milah, Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh observances; they knew that such an egregious assault on Jewish life would mobilize the Jewish people against them. Instead, they allowed Torah study, perhaps even encouraged it. But the focus of Torah study would be as an intellectual and philosophical pursuit rather than as a means of connecting to Hashem and observing His commandments. They were going to draw us away from “Your” Torah rather than from Torah in general. In a similar vein, the Greeks did not dispose of the purified oil; they merely contaminated it, made it impure. Light your menorah in your Temple, but keep sanctity out of the process. The learned among the assimilated Jews agreed. According to halacha, they argued, it would have been permissible for congregational needs to light the menorah, even in the Beis Hamikdosh, with impure oil. Extending that philosophical analysis, the Greeks further argued that if one could sacrifice an animal in the Beis Hamikdosh, a pig was not different from an ox and the Greeks therefore sacrificed a pig on God’s altar. If everything was important only in the physical sense, then indeed there was no difference between a pig and an ox. The strategy of the Greeks worked, and indeed many Jews assimilated. While they retained the outer trappings of Judaism, the spiritual core and cleaving to Hashem was gone.

The Chashmonaim recognized the danger within the Greek strategy. They knew they had to step in at the top of the slippery slope and stop the slide into spiritual oblivion before it gained further momentum. They understood that Torah observance must include an emotional component to avoid being mere sophistry. And so the Chashmonaim girded themselves for battle not to retain the outer trappings of Torah and mitzvoth but to retain its heart, the purity of its soul. They fought the battle for the soul of Judaism. When the physical war was over, they dedicated themselves to reestablishing the spiritual essence of the Beis Hamikdosh and the mitzvah of lighting the menorah. Under these circumstances, impure oil, although halachically permissible, would not be appropriate; only pure, untainted oil would be acceptable. It is for the stirrings within the souls of the Chashmonaim, the war for the spirit and our connection to Hakodosh Boruch Hu that we praise Hashem even more than for the physical victory over the Greek armies. With the focus of the holiday being the spiritual salvation, our Sages did not mandate a festive meal, a physical celebration for a physical victory.

As for the candles themselves, although we have a mitzvah to light candles on Chanukah, except for the blessing over the lighting itself, there is no mention of this mitzvah in our Chanukah liturgy. The candles and the miracle of the oil remain the symbol of the actual struggle and the outward, physical manifestation of our inner gratitude, ”For the candle of God is the soul of man.” As the flame is always searching for the last drop of fuel to keep it continually striving upward, so did the Chashmonaim draw on every last bit of their inner strength to fight the onslaught of assimilation into Greek culture. So must we today, as we light the Chanukah candles, continuously draw on our inner strength to combat the encroachment of the mores of western culture. As the Saba of Naharvodok declared, “ I never think am I able to do something, but rather must I do it. For if I must do it, then I am truly able to do it,” and by such resolve was able to accomplish many great things in the face of tremendous hardships.

Rabbi Dov Yoffe builds on this concept in Leovdecha b”Emes – Chanukah. When we light our Chanukah candles and ponder the miracle of the oil and the miracle of the victory, we realize that nothing is impossible if Hashem so wills it. We must keep this thought in mind as we go about our day to day lives, for if I believe Hashem is always beside me, we take nothing for granted and nothing remains impossible, and there is no ceiling to my spiritual growth. Chanukah becomes a gentle wake up call to Hashem’s omnipotence and omnipresence in our lives, much as Rosh Hashanah is the loud alarm wake up call to awareness of His presence.

The Tolne Rebbe takes a somewhat different approach, based on the work of the Sefas Emes. He maintains that it is specifically the darkness of our troubles, of our daily battles, for which we must thank Hashem, for it is only through these dark times that we learn to recognize and appreciate the salvation provided by God’s presence. When we realize we are always in Hashem’s presence, we are filled with joy and are aroused to thank Hakodosh Boruch Hu for all the chessed He shows us, even for the struggles and challenges, for they bring us closer to Him.

In fact, explains the Netivot Shalom, all gratitude must have its basis in joy. He cites both Psalm 100, “A Psalm of Thanksgiving, … serve Hashem with gladness, come before Him with joyous song,” and the Psalm for the dedication of the Beis Hamikdosh itself, as King David foresaw it, (Psalm 30) which contains the acronym for simcha, joy, in its first four words, “Mizmor SHir CHanukas Habayis …” as proof of the presence of joy in the Chanukah celebration, in the rededication of the Temple as it was in its original dedication. The Chanukah lights are a present day reflection of the lights in the menorah of the Beis Hamikdosh which were themselves a reflection of the primordial, hidden light of creation. As Hashem’s presence was palpable in the Beis Hamikdosh, so too should we sense His presence throughout Chanukah, especially on the eighth day. As the Beis Hamikdosh was the place for thanking Hashem and singing His praises, says the Sifsei Chaim, so too do the days that reflect the light of the original menorah in the light of our Chanukah menorahs offer us an expanded opportunity to thank and praise the Almighty.

The Greeks wanted to silence this song, so sever our connection to the Creator of all. The Chashmonaim would not let the fire of God within their souls and within the souls of Bnei Yisroel be extinguished. They strove and fought to keep that holy flame alive. That light, hidden from the days of creation, revealed in the Beis Hamikdosh, reflected in the light of the Chanukah menorah, will again be fully revealed in the days of Moshiach when all will again recognize Hashem with the clarity of absolute knowledge. At that time, says Rav Reiss, the yetzer hora will no longer have any power and the battle against the Greeks and other assimilating forces will no longer need to be waged. We will always constantly thank Hashem and sing His praises, as we were always meant to do. We will IY”H again dedicate a pure holy temple in His Name and the kohein gadol will light that menorah as Aharon lit the original. May it be so speedily, in our days.

Summary by Channie Koplowitz Stein

Mrs. Smiles - Vayishlach: The Jarring Jugs 5771/2010

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:53:57 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur

Mrs. Smiles - Vayeitzei: Harmonizing Household Harmony 5771/2010

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 01:10:33 GMT

Mrs. Shira Smiles — Mrs. Shira Smiles' Weekly Shiur