Welcoming Shabbat with Eshet Chayil as Sung by Kobi Oved

Eishet Chayil (A Woman of Valor) is a hymn which is not sung in the synagogue, but in many homes after singing Shalom Aleichem and before saying the Kiddush. Traditionally, a husband sings the song to his wife, extolling her virtues, and expressing thanks for all that his wife has done for him and their family. 

Eishet Chayil is a twenty-two verse poem with which King Solomon concludes the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 31). The poem has an acrostic arrangement in which the verses begin with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in regular order. The poem describes the woman of valor as one who are is energetic, righteous, and capable.

This version is sung by Kobi Oved, a singer-songwriter, cantor, and musical director who performs in Jewish music projects both in Israel and internationally. He is known for his work as a singer, composer, children's choir conductor, and musical director, and has been involved in numerous musical projects. 

The transliterated Hebrew text and English translation appear below the video.

Enjoy, and Shabbat Shalom!  

   

Eshet chayil mi yimtza v'rachok mip'ninim michrah
An accomplished woman, who can find? Her value is far beyond pearls.

Batach bah lev ba'lah v'shalal lo yechsar
Her husband's heart relies on her and he shall lack no fortune.

G'malathu tov v'lo ra kol y'mei chayeiha
She does him good and not evil, all the days of her life.

Darshah tzemer ufishtim vata'as b'chefetz kapeiha
She seeks wool and flax, and works with her hands willingly.

Haitah ko'oniyot socher mimerchak tavi lachmah
She is like the merchant ships, she brings her bread from afar.

Vatakom b'od lailah vatiten teref l'vetah v'chok l'na'aroteiha
She arises while it is still night, and gives food to her household and a portion to her maidservants.

Zam'mah sadeh vatikachehu mip'ri chapeiha nat'ah karem
She plans for a field, and buys it. With the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

Chagrah v'oz motneiha vat'ametz zro'oteiha
She girds her loins in strength, and makes her arms strong.

Ta'amah ki tov sachrah lo yichbeh balailah nerah
She knows that her merchandise is good. Her candle does not go out at night.

Yadeha shilchah vakishor v'chapeiha tamchu felech
She sets her hands to the distaff, and holds the spindle in her hands.

Kapah parsah le'ani v'yadeiha shil'chah la'evyon
She extends her hands to the poor, and reaches out her hand to the needy.

Lo tira l'vetah mishaleg ki chol betah lavush shanim
She fears not for her household because of snow, because her whole household is warmly dressed.

Marvadim astah lah shesh v'argaman l'vushah
She makes covers for herself, her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Noda bash'arim ba'lah b'shivto im ziknei aretz
Her husband is known at the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.

Sadin astah vatimkor vachagor natnah lak'na'ani
She makes a cloak and sells it, and she delivers aprons to the merchant.

Oz v'hadar l'vushah vatischak l'yom acharon
Strength and honor are her clothing, she smiles at the future.

Piha patchah v'chochma v'torat chesed al l'shonah
She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the lesson of kindness is on her tongue.

Tzofi'ah halichot betah v'lechem atzlut lo tochel
She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.
 
Kamu vaneha vay'ash'ruha ba'lah vay'hal'lah
Her children rise and praise her, her husband lauds her.

Rabot banot asu chayil v'at alit al kulanah
Many women have done worthily, but you surpass them all.

Sheker hachen v'hevel hayofi ishah yir'at Hashem hi tit'halal
Charm is deceptive and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears God shall be praised.

T'nu lah mip'ri yadeiha vihal'luha vash'arim ma'aseha
Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase: Ed Ames Sings a Medley on The Ed Sullivan Show (1968)

Ed Ames (Edmund Urick) (1927-2023) was a pop singer and actor. He was also part of the popular 1950s singing group with his siblings, the Ames Brothers.

Best known for his singing career with three of his brothers as The Ames Brothers, and his acting in the role of Mingo, a Cherokee tribesman in the TV series Daniel Boone, Ames was a committed Zionist and president of the California chapter of the Zionist Organization of America.

In this video from the Ed Sullivan Show 57 years ago, Ames sings a medley including Gentle On My Mind, My Cup Runneth Over, The Look Of Love and Kiss Her Now.

Enjoy!

 

  #Throwback Thursday       #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: "Premier Shopper Status" - A Candid Camera Classic From 2001

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes.

In this Candid Camera classic stunt set in a California supermarket 21 years ago, a Candid Camera staffer posed as a shopper with special Premier Shopper status and cut in front of shoppers who had already started to check out. Watch their reactions!

Enjoy!

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Hevenu Shalom Aleichem Becomes a Line Dance

Hevenu Shalom Aleichem is one of the most widely played and sung Hebrew songs around the world, probably second only to Hava Nagila. We have been sharing versions of this song as performed in India, Guatemala, Australia, Korea, Belarus, and in an Irish pub.

After posting 25 versions of the song over the years, we came across a line dance version created by Indonesian choreographer Uli Elfrida and posted on the British line dance website Copperknob. 

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "Jewish Blessing"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. This week we're posting another joke from Dr. Jay Orlikoff, a retired dentist from Centereach, New York, a community on Long Island in Suffolk County.

After a distinguished and meritorious dental career, he is shifting his focus to telling and posting jokes on YouTube. We were fortunate to find some of his jokes and we're sharing one of the family-friendly ones with you today. 

It's an oldie but goodie that you've probably heard before, but like many of these, we find it interesting to see the same joke told in a slightly different way by a different joke teller.

Here's the setup: A Jewish couple from the suburbs get a new Mercedes. And they want to get it blessed. So they go to an Orthodox rabbi and they say "Rabbi, we got a new Mercedes." And then...

Enjoy!

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: Billy Crystal in an Early Standup Performance (1978)

We know Billy Crystal as an actor, comedian, singer, writer, producer, director, and television host. But he got his start in standup comedy.

For his work, he received numerous accolades, including six Primetime Emmy Awards (out of twenty-one nominations), a Tony Award, a Mark Twain Prize and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991. He has hosted the Academy Awards nine times, beginning in 1990 and most recently in 2012.

For this Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase, we're going back 47 years to 1978 to revisit one of his earliest appearances.  

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with Oseh Shalom by Abbie Strauss and Michael Hunter Ochs

Cantor Abbie Strauss is a renowned composer, multi-instrumentalist, and recording artist, with her works being enjoyed worldwide. 

Abbie founded the music school, The Institute of Jewish Rock and Judaism: Inside Out, driven by her desire to bring all people together as one in love and joy through music. She is a proud member of the Grammy's Recording Academy and an advocate for the arts.

Abbie is a Cantorial Soloist at Temple Judea, a Reform congregation in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where her husband, Feivel Strauss is a rabbi.

In today's video, she sings Oseh Shalom with composer Michael Hunter Ochs. In addition to his success in contemporary popular music, Ochs is universally recognized as a leading composer of Jewish and interfaith worship music. On any given Friday evening his music can be heard in synagogues around the world.  

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

Comedy Showcase: Meet Peter Fogel, Standup Comedian and Comedy Writer

Standup comedian Peter Fogel is a regular performer on the South Florida circuit.  

We're looking forward to seeing his show, Two Funny Jews With Nothing To Do, with Stu Moss and David Glickman at Temple Shaarei Shalom in Boynton Beach, Florida on December 25.

Here's a clip in which he talks about messing with telemarketers, trick or treaters and holiday shoppers at the mall.

Enjoy!

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: "Waitress Wants a Taste" - A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes.

In this classic episode from 2001, a waitress in El Paso tests customers' reactions to unusual service. Their responses range from amused to outraged, as the prank unfolds. Will anyone suspect a Candid Camera setup?

Enjoy!  

How Israeli TV Shows Turned Into Some of Hollywood's Biggest Hits

From spy dramas to teen chaos, Israeli TV has taken Hollywood by storm. Some of America’s biggest hits — from "Homeland" to "Euphoria" — started in Israel. 

In this video from Unpacked, we see how some of the award winning TV movies and series became the basis for American versions. Among the TV shows depicted are:

 

Homeland / Hatufim Euphoria / Oforia In Treatment / BeTipul Your Honor / Kvodo Echo 3 / When Heroes Fly Suspicion / False Flag 

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "How to Fry Eggs"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today Mickey Greenblatt is back with another good one.

Marshal (Mickey) Greenblatt received degrees from Columbia (BA and BS in Flight Sciences), a DC from Von Karman Institute (1963) and his PhD from Princeton in Aerospace Sciences. He worked as a researcher for NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory. 

With four other scientists, he founded Fusion Systems Corporation, which invented microwave-powered UV lamps for drying coatings. He founded and served on the boards of technology companies and is active in volunteer work. He served on the executive committee of the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington for many years.

Mickey also loves Jewish jokes and sent us this one to share with you. Here's the setup: A woman is frying some eggs for breakfast in the kitchen when her husband came in and said "Careful, careful, be careful. You're cooking too many at once." And then...

Enjoy!

Comedy Showcase: Israeli Standup Comic Dotan Malach (Erik Angel) on Israel's Shouting Culture

Erik Angel is an Israeli-Jewish comedian and the founder/producer of the Comedy for Peace Show. Born as Dotan Malach and raised in Israel, he moved to New York few years ago, and made his home on the Upper West side. Since then, he has been performing all over the world. 

He appears at The Laugh Factory, The Stand, The Comic Strip, and many other comedy venues all over the US. He tours Europe regularly, has opened for major headliners and has performed in Tokyo and Israel. He has been seen on CBS and have more than 2M views on Tik-Tok. His comedy is very surprising, clever, high energy, deals with being a recent immigrant, fortyish, a newlywed, that he's Jewish, and speaks English.

 

In this comedy set, he explains how Israel is a culture of shouting.

Enjoy!

 

Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam by the Temple Sinai Toronto Blue Jays Choir

Tonight we welcome Shabbat with the Cantors, Rabbis, and Cantorial Soloists of Toronto's Temple Sinai who join their voices in this virtual choir. They sing Adon Olam to the lively tune of "Ok Blue Jays," the beloved anthem of the Toronto Blue Jays, who are playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in this year's World Series.

This creative musical mashup celebrates Jewish tradition with a playful twist, uniting voices from near and far to uplift and inspire. Whether you’re a fan of Jewish music, baseball, or simply love seeing communities come together through song—this performance will make you smile.  

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

   

(A tip of the kippah to Mannie Young in Canada for bringing this video to our attention)

8 Yiddish Words Israelis Don’t Even Know Are Yiddish

Tamar Meisels is an Orthodox Jewish wife and mother living in Israel. She is a mom of 4 children, working full time in data. She posts videos about values, Judaism, Israel, personal development, family tips and cooking. 

She has posted videos about the history of the Yiddish language. In this video Tamar focuses on eight Yiddish words that Israelis use every day, often assuming that they are Hebrew. But actually most of them have origins in Yiddish.

Enjoy! 

 

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: All the Pumpkins You Can Carry for $1 - A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes.

In this classic episode from 2001, hilarious hidden-camera antics unfold at a pumpkin patch. People creatively—and sometimes comically—attempt to carry as many pumpkins as possible. Watch the many ways that people develop unique strategies for this fall challenge.

Enjoy!  

"Bad Shabbos", a Hilarious Comedy Starring Kyra Sedgwick, is Now Streaming on Netflix

Last winter, Bad Shabbos, a hilarious comedy film about a disastrous Friday night dinner on New York's Upper West Side, made its debut in Florida Jewish film festivals.

Now it is streaming on Netflix.

 As Natalia Winkelman wrote in The New York Times,

Those who have attended a Shabbat dinner — which occurs on Friday and kicks off the Jewish Sabbath — know that the traditional greeting is “good Shabbos.” The ensemble comedy “Bad Shabbos” telegraphs its silliness right from the title.

Directed by Daniel Robbins, the movie takes place over a disastrous dinner on the Upper West Side, where David (Jon Bass) and Meg (Meghan Leathers) — a newly engaged Jew and gentile — plan to introduce their parents for the first time. But before they can start, a disturbing prank by David’s brother, Adam (Theo Taplitz), goes awry, causing an emergency that the family must hide from the Midwestern in-laws. The crisis involves a body and a ticking clock, as well as a zany, meddlesome doorman (Method Man, always welcome) added for good measure.

In the video below, Kyra Sedgwick, a leading actor in the movie, invites you to join in the fun. Enjoy!

 

A Joke to Start the Week: "Crown Royal"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today we're sharing a joke by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak (YY) Jacobson, one of America's premier Jewish scholars in Torah and Jewish mysticism.

Rabbi Jacobson, an American Chabad rabbi from Monsey, New York, is one of the most sought after speakers in the Jewish world today, lecturing to Jewish and non-Jewish audiences on six continents and in forty states, and serving as teacher and mentor to thousands across the globe. 

He is considered to be one of the most successful, passionate and mesmerizing communicators of Judaism today, culling his ideas from the entire spectrum of Jewish thought and making them relevant to contemporary audiences. 

He served as editor-in-chief of the Algemeiner Journal, and as a choizer (transcriber) for Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

He also loves to tell jokes, and here's the setup: There was this fellow who would come each night to the bar and he would order two big glasses of Crown Royal. And then...

Enjoy!

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: David Steinberg's First Appearance on the Johnny Carson Show in 1968

Some of the best standup comedy was on TV shows and comedy specials in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Today we continue our Sunday Standup series, sharing some of the classic routines by iconic comedians on Sunday editions of Jewish Humor Central.

David Steinberg, Canadian comedian, actor, writer, director, and author, was one of the best-known comics in the United States during the late 1960s and mid-1970s. He appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson more than 130 times (second only to Bob Hope in number of appearances) and served as guest host 12 times, the youngest person to guest-host.  

Now 83 years old, David is the son of Yasha Steinberg, a strict, Romanian-born rabbi. He got his start in comedy at the Second City in Chicago, where he did improv for six years. He was known for his funny sermons based on suggestions from the audience. 

In this 1968 video clip of his first appearance on Johnny Carson's show, he delivers a sermon based on the lives of Solomon, Job, and Moses. After his sermon, he sat on Carson's couch with Anne Meara and defended his biblical references as coming from a place of respect and warmth.

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with Lecha Dodi Sung by Gershom Sizomu, Chief Rabbi of Uganda

Gershom Sizomu (born 1969) is a Ugandan rabbi serving the Abayudaya, a Baganda community in eastern Uganda near the town of Mbale who practice Judaism. Sizomu is the first native-born black rabbi in Sub-Saharan Africa. He is also the first Chief Rabbi of Uganda. Sizomu is a member of the Ugandan Parliament. 

As a Rabbinic Fellow at the Institute for Jewish & Community Research, he came to the U.S. to 2003 to study in a five-year graduate program at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles. He graduated in 2008 and was ordained as a rabbi under the auspices of Conservative Judaism. 

In this video Rabbi Sizomu sings Lecha Dodi at a Kabbalat Shabbat service with Cantor Jenni Asher who has sung as a cantorial soloist since 2020. As of September 2024, Asher works as the music director and cantorial soloist for a Conservative synagogue in Los Angeles. She was ordained as a cantor in 2025, becoming the first known black woman to hold the role.  

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

Musical Showcase: Lea Koenig, Shtisel Grandmother, Sings "My Way" in Yiddish

Lea Koenig was born in 1929 in Łódź, Poland, to a secular Jewish family of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Her parents were the Yiddish actors Dina and Józef Kamień. She spent her childhood in Poland, then in Tashkent, in the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. Her father was murdered in the Holocaust. 

In the end of the 1940s, Lea Koenig and her mother emigrated to Romania, where she began studying at National University of Arts in Bucharest and debuted at Jewish Theatre.  In 1961, she emigrated to Israel.

Primarily acting in Hebrew, Koenig performs in Israel and all over the world also in Yiddish theaters.She speaks English, Hebrew, German, Polish, Romanian, Russian and Yiddish.

Koenig, now 95 years old and nicknamed the First Lady of Israeli Theatre, had an important role in the popular Israeli TV series Shtisel, where she played Bubbe Malka, Shulem Shtisel's mother.

In this video she sings My Way in Yiddish, with the original English lyrics that Paul Anka wrote and gave to Frank Sinatra translated to Yiddish by Zvi Stolper. The clip was produced with the kind support of The National Authority for Yiddish culture.

Enjoy!

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Grocery Shopping From a Stranger's Cart - A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes.

In this classic episode from 2001, Candid Camera staffer Jose casually removes items from other shoppers' carts as he stroll down the aisles of a supermarket.

Enjoy!  

Comedy Showcase: Israeli Comedian Shahar Hason on Living with Missiles and Shelters

Shahar Hasson is one of the leading stand-up comedians in Israel, appearing on Israeli stages for over 25 years, He is a graduate of Yoram Levinstein's acting school. 

Shahar is an entertainer who paved his way through the best entertainment programs in Israel: Eretz Nehederet, Zahirut TV, TV at its best, Laughter from Work, Limited Edition, Fun Night, Express Hearts and more.

In this performance before a live audience, Shahar carries on about how glad he is to be living in Israel despite the need to be on the lookout for incoming missiles and siren alerts. His difficulty with the English language is funny and endearing, but the English subtitles make him easy to understand.

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "The Therapist's Advice"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today Mickey Greenblatt is back with another good one.  

Marshal (Mickey) Greenblatt received degrees from Columbia (BA and BS in Flight Sciences), a DC from Von Karman Institute (1963) and his PhD from Princeton in Aerospace Sciences. He worked as a researcher for NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory. 

With four other scientists, he founded Fusion Systems Corporation, which invented microwave-powered UV lamps for drying coatings. He founded and served on the boards of technology companies and is active in volunteer work. He served on the executive committee of the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington for many years.

Mickey also loves Jewish jokes and sent us this one to share with you. Here's the setup: A couple went to see a marriage therapist after 15 years of a very unhappy marriage. The therapist brought them into the office and said "Sit down." Before he started anything else the woman started into a litany of all the problems that they've had in their marriage. And then...

Enjoy!