As offices and classrooms move online, many frum families are forced to make changes in the technological capabilities of their homes

Drive-thru testing and drive-thru shopping have joined drive-thru fast food as part of life. But recent days have seen even more drive-thru innovation.

As offices and classrooms move online, many frum families are forced to make changes in the technological capabilities of their homes. It could mean adding software, changing settings, or asking for guidance from professionals. To answer the need, the Lakewood office of TAG (Technology Awareness Group) has opened a drive-thru tent, staffed by masked and gloved volunteers who are there to help families navigate the way through, while sending a symbolic message about the importance of proper protection and staying truly safe.

And they’re not the only ones. Rebbis and morahs stopped off to visit talmidim, waving, and dropping off care packages and booklets, as Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway offered a drive-thru “toameha” last Erev Shabbos. Parents with their excited children drove through the beloved campus where the Rosh Yeshivah and staff greeted them with packages of Shabbos food — the masks on their faces not thick enough to hide the wide smiles all around.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 809)

The road leading from the Hungarian village of Kerestir up to the tziyun of Reb Shayale lay desolate, as the tens of thousands of annual visitors were forced to remain home this year. But when Satmar askan Reb Moshe Aron Hoffman, who works closely with the Hungarian government, was invited to come by special permit, he asked Rav Shaya Rubin, a great-grandson of Reb Shayele, to join him. They stood alone in the empty ohel, with much to daven for — but then the news spread that they were there. The planned 20-minute midnight visit ended up stretching throughout the night, while requests from all over kept pouring in — the two men at their stations reading every last kvittel, only stepping out at daybreak, leaving new hope and sure yeshuos in their wake.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 809)