By Dave Montalbano

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards went business as usual. The King’s Speech got the  major awards, Inception,  Alice in Wonderland and The Wolfman got their technical kudos and Toy Story 3 got  best animated feature and best song recognition. No film dominated the ceremonies and the Oscar award wealth was spread.

The memoriam forgot Len Lesser; hopefully next year’s will include Jane Russell, who we lost Feb. 28. Bringing out Kirk Douglas was a nice gesture, but not allowing Eli Wallach to speak for his lifetime achievement award was foolish. Given how articulate he was at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival a few years ago, Mr. Wallach would do a better job hosting the Oscars than James Franco and Anne Hathaway.

Having Hathaway and Franco host was a clarion call to get more “young people” to watch the Oscars, which was as successful as Rob Lowe dirty dancing with Snow White 22 years ago. Despite the hype, fad and trend of the new “hip” culture, this year’s artistic and box office winners contained conservative storytelling narratives.

Yet, every new decade seems to produce a motion picture that is a time capsule for its year. For example, Midnight Cowboy reeks of 1969. The same could be said of The Social Network, which heralds a new generation of young talent for the next decade, most notably Jessie Eisenberg and Rooney Mara. Given his character role as the blustery inventor of Napster, Justin Timberlake is now considered the “old man” of this actor’s ensemble.

Based on a true story, The Social Network opens with Mark Zuckerberg (Eisen-berg) and Erica Albright (Mara) speaking Aaron Sorkin dialogue for nearly five minutes. The couple breaks up. Incensed with the breakup and inspired by his own genius, Zuckerberg disses his former girlfriend on the Internet and the seed of “Facebook” is born.

Partnering with Sean Parker (Timberlake),  Zucker-berg and his college cronies grow Facebook into an internet staple within a relatively short period of time. Fast success breeds jealousy and Zuckerberg confronts rivals who used to be allies.

The Social Network is PG-13 and is a film for young people. While the pseudo-intellectual dialogue is as cardboard as a Shakespearean monologue, Sorkin deserves credit for reaching the mythological abstract of King Midas in a modern context. Following the Aristotelian principles of storytelling, the final scene has a payoff that reflects upon opening scene. The Social Network has nowhere near the best picture qualities of The King’s Speech or Toy Story 3,  but it will have an impact on the next decade of motion pictures.

James 5:13

13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.

NLT

No one is exempt from going through bad times, but please do not forget that we have many good times also. Whether everything is great or it just totally stinks, God should always have our attention.

The last time I went to Disney World, I knew I was in for a great day. How could it not be? I was in the “Happiest Place on Earth.” However, as I looked around at this happy place, I started to think. In this giant playground, there was a lost child, a man nursing a painful sunburn, a little one who had fallen and skinned her knee and a crying baby. I couldn’t help but think, even in the happiest place on earth, there is still suffering.

Even in church on Sunday mornings, there may be someone hurting or in pain, even though church is a very happy place. Check out Psalms Chapter 20. (Awesome).

Psalms 20

1 In times of trouble, may the LORD respond to your cry. May the God of Israel keep you safe from all harm.

2 May he send you help from his sanctuary and strengthen you from Jerusalem.

3 May he remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings. Interlude

4 May he grant your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans.

5 May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory, flying banners to honor our God. May the LORD answer all your prayers.

6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven and rescue him by his great power.

7 Some nations boast of their armies and weapons,  but we boast in the LORD our God.

8 Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm.

9 Give victory to our king, O LORD! Respond to our cry for help.

NLT

For some, our happiest place is with our family and friends or taking a walk on the beach.  We cannot escape suffering; no matter how hard we try we are not exempt. Sometimes, suffering is used for correcting, sometimes it is used for God’s glory, sometimes it is used to build our character and sometimes one person suffers for another’s benefit. Yet, there are times when we really don’t understand why others or we, ourselves, are suffering. Like Job from the Bible, we must seek to trust God and endure because we win when we do!

As Christians, we have a better happy place than Disney World. We have a happy place found in the presence of the Lord. If God could hear Jonah’s cry from inside the whale, then I am sure he can hear your cry. One thing is for sure: if we are suffering in any way, then we should be praying and talking to God a lot. What do you think?

Perhaps you are in a season of hurt or suffering right now. In this moment, it may not be clear why your suffering is happening. Your role in this season is to spend time with and reach out to the Lord, knowing He will help you through this trial with His strength. In this way, at the end of the day, you will be able to rejoice in who God is. James 5:13 says we should pray and praise God during the good times and the bad. In good or bad times, we better be spending time with God. Our happy place is in the presence of the Lord.

Pastor Tony Guadagnino

Christian Love Fellowship Church

By Gary Curreri

Brian Johnson grew up with the Deerfield Beach Little League.

Deerfield Beach Little League President Brian Johnson goes through Opening Day ceremonies on Feb. 27. Photos by Gary Curreri

The second-year president was sporting a huge smile as he walked around Opening Day at Deerfield Beach Middle School Athletic Complex on Feb. 27.

“This is our biggest day of the year,” Johnson said. “It generates the most fundraising. It is just great for all of the kids to be together and participate in all of the events. We have fast pitch events, home run derbies and a dunk tank. It is just great for them to come out and have a good day and, later on in the day, we start the season with four games. We gave out trophies for the different events too.”

There are 280 players, ranging in age from 6 to 18, on the league’s 23 teams. There are six divisions– Farm, Minor, Major, Junior, Senior and Big League.

“I have been involved in this league for 30 years, since I played when I was 9-10 years old,” Johnson said. “So not only have I played, coached and now I am on the board of directors, I now have kids that I coached back here with their kids and coaching.

“It is a cool feeling to know there are kids you helped as youngsters that have come back to the league and are giving themselves back to the same league,” Johnson added. “You keep them here in a community setting and off the streets. We want to provide six months out of the year a place where they can hang out even if they are not playing. They can have a good time and learn baseball on top of it.”

Rockhounds

Deerfield Beach’s Avery Thomas, 8, has been playing baseball for 5 years. Thomas plays on his father’s Minors Division team, the Rockhounds.

“My dad plays it and I like it,” said Avery Thomas, who plays mostly every position on the field. “I like playing baseball because you can meet new people. It is more important to have fun than win games. I’d like to play for the Marlins. It is a big dream.”

His teammate, Zachary Johnson, 9, also of Deerfield Beach, has been playing the sport for 3-1/2 years. He is a pitcher and can also play multiple positions.

“I like that you can hit the ball and pitch,” said Johnson, who also has aspirations of playing in the big leagues someday. He said he would oppose Thomas when they are older. “I want to play with the Red Sox.”

Johnson said he also was happy to learn how fast he pitches.

“It was really cool because I always wanted to know what my pitch speed was,” said Johnson, who was clocked at 38 miles-per-hour in the fast pitch competition.

Observer Rockhounds pictured above from L-R (first row): Zachary Johnson, Zachary Fletcher, Adam Musa, Isiah Harris, Michael Esau; (second row) Michael Ballesteros, Teriq Phillips, Justin Ray, Tristan Clark, Avery Thomas; (third row) Coach Shaun Thomas

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach boys coach Kenny Brown gives instruction to the Bucks during an earlier game this season.

Hopes for state championships for local boys’ teams were dashed this week when the remaining two high school squads, Highlands Christian Academy and Deerfield Beach, each lost their regional quarterfinal match-ups at home.

Highlands Christian Academy dropped a 37-35 decision to visiting Lake Worth Christian in a Class 2A game, while Santaluces rallied for a buzzer-beating basket to drop Deer-field Beach, 54-52, in a Class 6A contest.

Jeff Romeus scored 25 points to lead the Chiefs (21-7) past the Bucks (19-6) in Deerfield Beach; however, it was Chiefs’ senior Corey Johnson who was the hero. Johnson scored his only basket of the night as time ran out to give Santaluces the win. Santaluces rallied from a 52-48 deficit with 1:14 remaining to stun the hosts.

Santaluces’ Jeff Romeus hit his fifth 3-point basket of the contest, and after Kirby Simpson converted one of two free throws for the Bucks, then dropped two free throws with 53.4 seconds remaining to pull to with 52-50. The Chiefs’ Jess Ewald tied the game at 52-52 with two free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining.

The Bucks threw the ball away on the inbounds play to give the ball back to the Chiefs. Santaluces’ Steven David hit a cutting Johnson under the basket for an easy lay-up for the game-winner.

Teias Peaton-Lane paced the Bucks with 15 points.

Deerfield took a 41-39 lead into the fourth quarter after Simpson converted a 3-point play with 1.6 seconds remaining as he hit a runner from the baseline and was fouled by Corey Johnson. The Bucks led by as much as 49-42 with 3:14 remaining on a basket by Peaton-Lane before the Chiefs started their comeback.

Deerfield Beach, which won state titles in 1997 and 1999, hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2004. The Bucks had won 13 of its past 14 games and two in a row since a 67-62 loss to Blanche Ely in the Big 8 on Feb. 2.

Paul Jones had 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds, while Avalon George added 11 points as the Defenders (17-10) edged host Highlands Christian Academy. Senior forward Andrew Smith had a team-high 12 points for the Knights (18-10), which led by one at halftime.

“I give Lake Worth Christian a lot of credit in executing a very good defensive game plan on us,” said Highlands coach Jim Good, whose team had a season-low 35 points in the loss. “In the end, we still had our chances, but it seemed as if it wasn’t meant to be.”

Good said his team played one of its toughest schedules ever with most of its losses coming to teams that won district titles or advanced to the state playoffs.

“We will miss our seven seniors, Andrew Smith, Mike Gray, Justin Dann, Jeff Sullivan, Matt Moser, Lee Izquierdo and Chris Deshommes,” Good said. “It’s definitely going to be a rebuilding year next season – a challenge that I am looking forward too.”

Blanche Ely’s Germain DeCoste, right, tries to drive past Dillard’s Ryan Duncans in an earlier game this season. DeCoste scored 16 points in the Tigers’ 67-57 loss to Northeast ending their season. Photos by Gary Curreri

Blanche Ely dropped a 67-57 decision to Northeast in the District 16-5A semifinal to end its season at 18-6. Clide Geffrard had 22 points, while Germain DeCoste and Anterio Smith had 16 and 11 points, respectively, in a losing effort.

“We had a great summer and with the guys here my expectations were pretty high,” said Blanche Ely coach Melvin Randall, who has been at the school for 10 years and won a state title with the Tigers in 2007.

He also won two state titles with Deerfield Beach in 1997 and 1999. “We kind of jelled over the summer.”

Randall said as high school teams graduate players, he always seems to find a way to sustain success.

It’s a simple formula, he said. “The situation I am in is that I always go with the cards that I am dealt. It is about development. My staff and I try and develop these kids who are considered no names I guess by some people. Somehow they develop into these standout players, which we’ve known since day one, but not everybody knows about them. We may not have the most athletic players consistently, but we try and develop them into those types of players. I give that credit to my staff and also the players, who have put in the hard work.”

By Dave Montalbano

Cast of Two and a Half Jews – Mark Robert Gordon, the late Len Lesser & the late Bruce Adler

Best known for playing “Uncle Leo” in Seinfeld, Len Lesser had worked steadily as a character actor for over 60 years. Since the dawn of television, each decade, Lesser has had a part in popular TV shows, from The Untouchables to Everybody Loves Raymond.

After his service in World War II, Lesser pursued the craft of acting, thanks to his old friend, Lee Marvin. Lesser worked steadily for 65 years with a resume that includes 500 television shows, over 50 movies and 100 plays. Clint Eastwood spat on him in The Outlaw Josey Wales. In The Birdman of Alcatraz, he wrestled the rock from both Burt Lancaster and Karl Malden.

When I interviewed Mr. Lesser three years ago, the actor said of his career, “I have always been busy as an actor. I am fortunate to make a living and raise a family.”

He recalled a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

“It was a spiritual and solemn occasion with people dressed in exotic robes and submitting prayers to the wailing wall,” he said.

His religious moment was interrupted when he heard a person’s scream, “Hey, Look! It’s UNCLE LEO!”

We lost this kind gentleman last week. Hopefully, this Sunday, the Academy Awards will memorialize this reliable character actor whose track record goes beyond Uncle Leo.

Oscar Parties!

At Cinema Paradiso, the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival will host an Oscar-watching party featuring Michelle’s fine cuisine of The King’s Speech Chicken a la King, A Biutiful Paella, True Grit roasted potatoes and dessert featuring Black Swan Cake and Ice Cream Bar with Winter’s Bone toppings. www.fliff.com.

There are three film festivals proposed for Palm Beach county in March and April, and the veteran Palm Beach International Film Festival will host the only party that is sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This Oscar Night America will be held at the Bash of Boca on 6018 SW 18 St. in Boca Raton. Local red carpet arrivals begin at 7:30 p.m. www.pbifilmfest.org.

• Despite reports of the demise of PBIFF last year, Executive Director Randi Emmerman has managed to reunite the core PBIFF team and has expanded the festival to eight days during the last week of March. An announcement about the details is expected.

I recently officiated at a funeral with Military Honors. The young men and women who have this duty are so respectful, not just of the family, but of the flag.

While many young ones today might not know it, there is a special way that a flag is folded. And, when the bugler from the Military Honor Guard plays taps, he does not do what so many do when they sing the National Anthem before a ballgame. He just plays the notes as they were written — sweet, pure and simple. And, the Honor Guard doesn’t look for any praise from the people in attendance. Instead, the head of their detail will bend down on one knee and present the flag to the widow or widower and thank them for their spouse’s service to this country.

Oh, and one more thing, when it is a “lifer” or an officer who passed away, there is yet another ritual that occurs during the Military Honors… the rifle salute. I don’t know if you have ever been at a funeral that has had this or not; but I can tell you this, I have been at several, and to this day, whenever those shots are fired, something inside me jumps and, pretty much everyone at the service jumps or shakes, as they did not realize just how piercing the sound of those rifles was going to be. The other day I found out that those who have served in uniform still cringe when they hear such a loud explosion as well. I shudder to think what goes through their head, let alone what goes through the head of a veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

So, it was with much amazement that I had the thrill of attending the Founders’ Days celebration on beautiful Deerfield Beach. I was there the night of the fireworks display, and it was during that display that I again felt so blessed to be a part of this great country. It wasn’t just that the weather was perfect. It wasn’t just the beauty of the fireworks that brought an array of dazzling colors into the clear night’s sky. It was the loud bangs that came as those fireworks lit up the night. Some of those explosions were so loud that people screamed in momentary fear. But, right after that, we laughed in pure delight as we realized how blessed we were. You see, we all came together in peace that night. We didn’t feel threatened. We didn’t worry if the explosions were (as so many others in foreign lands deal with on a regular basis) an attack on sunny South Florida. Imagine so many people (and there was a huge crowd) able to come together in peace and enjoy the sights and sounds of the evening.

“Hine Mah Tov U’manaim Shevet Achim Gam Yachad.” (“Oh how good and how pleasant it is, when people can dwell together in peace.”)

On the beach, you see all ages and all ethnic groups; and talk about blessings, people were even courteous as they searched for a parking space in The Cove … and, that is indeed a miracle. The Founders would have been proud. Let’s keep the miracle(s) going.

Shalom My Friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a Hospice Chaplain and Member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also provides Professional Pastoral Care Services to a number of health centers in Broward County.

By Gary Curreri

For a while it appeared Pompano Middle School would end the 23-game winning streak of Silver Trail, and in the process win its first girls’ basketball county championship in seven years.

That was until the undefeated Mustangs flexed its muscle and rallied from an 11-point deficit midway through the third quarter and pulled out a 51-47 victory for its second consecutive county championship. Led by Shanell Atkins, who was named MVP after a 19-point, 16-rebound effort, they throttled the undefeated aspirations of the Bengals, who finished the season 11-1.

Pompano High Middle School girls’ coach Carolyn Hickson said it was a difficult defeat.

“It was real hard,” Hickson said. “We started with nothing but seventh graders, and we will be back next year. Some of them have never played before.”

“To end up here was a blessing,” Hickson added. “Destiny Frazier did a tremendous job. I couldn’t ask any more of her. Skaydrah Woods played great defense. The whole team stepped up. I have three eighth graders, but my whole starting lineup is seventh graders.”

When the season started, Hickson admitted she had her doubts.

“I didn’t think they would come this far,” Hickson said. “They improved every game. By the third game of the year, I started to think they might get here because they were improving with every game.”

Silver Trail opened the game on a 4-0 run before Pompano rallied for a 7-4 lead. After Silver Trail was able to battle back and take a 14-12 lead with 5:30 in the second quarter on a basket by Danielle Antieau, Pompano went on a 13-0 run to take a 25-14 lead on a 3-point play by Frazier with 2:30 left.

Samantha Provenzano stole and went in for a layup to trim the lead to 25-16 at halftime. Shanell Akins opened the second half with a bucket before the Bengals’ Skaydrah Woods hit back-to-back baskets to extend the lead to 29-18 with 4:38 remaining in the third quarter.

Silver trail closed out the period on a 14-4 run, including 5-0 down the stretch to pull to within 33-32. Provenzano’s bank shot at the buzzer gave Silver Trail the momentum entering the final stanza.

The teams traded leads in the fourth quarter with neither team holding more than a 3-point advantage.

Silver Trail took a 46-43 lead with 1:45 left in the game on a basket by Zebegret, before Frazier hit a 3-pointer with 1:28 left to tie the contest at 46-46.

Silver Trail’s Atkins and Pompano’s Woods traded free throws before Atkins hit a short jumper with 34.5 remaining and added two free throws with seven seconds remaining for the 51-47 victory. Atkins finished with 11 of her game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter.

Frazier paced Pompano with 18 points, while Woods had 13 points, and Kiyana Jones added 12 points. Allison Jordan and Danielle Carr each hit baskets.

Bucks, Knights win

Bendly Valdor had a game-high 13 points and 11 rebounds as Deerfield Beach defeated Boyd Anderson 45-42 to win the District 10-6A boys basketball championship.

Andrew Smith had a game-high 28 points to lead four players in double figures
as Highlands Christian downed Florida Bible, 89-69 for the District 14-1A title. Gabe Gabe Hantsbarger added 21 points.

Have you ever heard of the term “tough love?”  People will say, “I think that person needs some tough love.” There is a new saying that is true that I heard the other day, and I think it’s the opposite of that term because “love is tough.”

Valentine’s Day just passed, and it is easy to love on special occasions like that. However, there are still many days left out of the year where some days are easy to show love, and some days, we have to work hard at showing love to others. How about showing someone love who doesn’t love you back or even someone who may not treat you the way you believe you deserve to be treated.

COLOSSIANS 3:14

14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

NLT

When we clothe ourselves with love, as this verse says, then love is all over us. Love should be a big part of our lives. Love is something meant to be expressed, not something to be kept a secret. It seems like people even have a hard time saying “I love you” when we should say it all the time, and we should also show it all the time. It is tough sometimes, but it is not impossible.

1 PETER 4:8

8 Above all things, have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others].

AMP

I must say that this verse is very hard to live out without God’s help. We have to understand that we need God’s help to love others in the same way that He loves us.  We always want to put conditions on love, but God does not do that to us. We speak with our actions and say I will love you if you do this for me, treat me this way, or buy me this, etc. God does not work on the point system and neither should we. God tells us to love others, period. There are no conditions on that love. God does not say love someone if they (fill in your own blank). God says love each other, and if God tells us to, then we must be able to do it. Love is so many things, but it is not conditional. Let’s look at what love is.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud

5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

NLT

Love gives us the ability to be sensitive to the needs, hurts and desires of others and also to feel with them and experience the world from their perspective. Love gives us the ability to give with no conditions or expectations. Love builds up and encourages; it is determining what is best for someone and doing it. Pray and ask God to help you love the way He loves and He will help you. I LOVE YOU!

Pastor Tony Guadagnino

Christian Love Fellowship Church

By Dave Montalbano

While nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, Biutiful will be remembered for the Best Performance nomination of Javier Bardem. It is the first time a performance entirely in Spanish  has been nominated for an Academy Award. As Uxbal, Bardem is given a complicated role as father, husband, underworld broker and cancer patient. Bardem pulls off this complexity and is likely to give Jeff Bridges and Colin Firth a run for the golden idol.

Set in the black market district of Barcelona, Spain, Uxbal helps sweatshops find cheap labor. Neglecting his health, Uxbal’s untreated prostate cancer spreads to his liver, making his prognosis terminal. A single father with two children, Uxbal contemplates their future with their bi-polar mother. Despite his best intentions, Uxbal confronts consistent failure with every action.

Biutiful is one of the most depressing movies released since the Bush Admin-istration. It is a family movie about important things that are not said. Yet, there are moments of pure family joy between a son, a daughter, an estranged mother and a callow, but responsible father. It is these tragic and tender moments that give Biutiful a heart that will haunt the ticket buyer days after the movie concludes.

For those seeking a more uplifting experience, The Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery IMAX theater opens its new documentary, The Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3-D this weekend. Mixing Oceanography and surfing, it seeks to explain the confluence of natural forces that control wave creation in the oceans.

Surfer celebrity Kelly Slater challenges Tahiti’s most extreme surf break known as Teahupo’o. Located in the Pacific Ocean, the famed Teahupo’o is widely regarded as being on the ‘must-surf’ list of every real surfer.

Fortunately, Deerfield Beach neighbors have local surfing legend, Kali “da Big Kahuna” Montero, who will be offering surfing demonstration at the Museum. Before the afternoon screenings, Kali will talk about the history of surfing and Tahitian dance.  Between shows, there will be a Polynesian Dancing show produced by the Polynesian Proud company, along with arts, crafts and Poi tasting.

In South Florida, we take for granted the festivities offered locally.  Yet if one sees the poverty presented in a film like Biutiful, one appreciates how good we have it in the gold old U.S.A.

Rabbi Erin Glazer, of Westfield, NJ, used to lead services at the Hebrew Association of the Deaf in Manhattan. The Rabbi points out that the Siddur (prayer book) that they use has translations with more meaning to those who cannot use their ears. Think about that for a moment; if you can’t hear, then what do the words, “Hear, Oh Israel” mean to you?

So, they took out the word “Hear” and inserted the words “Pay attention.” While I think that was a great switch, the sad part is that most of us who are able to hear simply don’t pay enough attention. We don’t pay attention to the prayer and we don’t pay attention to the Mitzvot. Sadly, there are far too many times we are guilty of being as hard-hearted as Pharaoh.

If I have your ear, if you are paying attention, let me teach you a lesson using opposites. What is the opposite of paying attention? Believe it or not, the opposite of paying attention is being inattentive … or in a state of inattention. Inattention refers to someone who is inconsiderate or unconcerned, as in, they don’t really give a “you know what” about anyone else. They see someone who is hungry and they could care less as long as they have food for themselves. They see someone who is cold and they could care less, as long as they have a coat or a blanket themselves.

And get this, which is what makes the words “Pay attention” such a perfect fit to the Shema — to be inattentive means “to turn a deaf ear.” Wow, that is exactly what we are talking about here.

Moshe Rabbenu gives us the laws of the Torah and we respond in unison, “We will do and we will … pay attention.” If we start by saying that we will do it, then why do we have to add we will pay attention? Let me go back to the example of someone who is deaf for a moment. How does someone who cannot hear know when someone is calling? How does someone who is deaf avoid being hit by a car that is speeding down the street? How does someone who is deaf know such simple things?

That’s right, they pay attention. They pay attention to a flashing light. They pay attention to what is around them. In some ways, a deaf person pays more attention to the world around them than many of us do. So to heed the commandments, we must pay attention. We must be ever-alert to the cries of those in need. We must be ever-watchful for signs of where we are needed, of places where we have the opportunity to be of help; and then, we must be willing to attend to those who are in need.

Heed the Shema my friends. Pay attention and attend to those in need. Pay attention. Are you listening?

Shalom My Friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a Hospice Chaplain and Member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also provides Professional Pastoral Care Services to a number of health centers in Broward County.