Tikkun Olam

I know there's a big fuss about Thanksgiving coinciding with Chanukah this year, and I can understand that. The former is an important American secular (as opposed to Christian, although it was that as well, generically) holiday, and Chanukah, although a "minor" holiday-as opposed to a Holy holiday such as Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Pesach/Passover and Shavuot-designated by our sages thousands of years ago (it ain't new, that's for sure), is quite big in the United States, giving Jews, both affiliated and not something to celebrate while their Christian brethren are making a big commercial deal about Christmas. But what is the reason we celebrate Chanukah? The popular narrative is that the one little cruse of pure, un-contaminated oil was only enough to last for one day, but miraculously, it lasted for eight!  Of course, I loved this legend growing up; it made Chanukah magical to me, and I'm sure to many others.  Here is an interview with Rabbi David...

I had been thinking about posting since October 4th, about so many different things--the U.S. government-closed for business, and the consequently dropping value of the dollar vis a vis the NIS (New Israeli Shekel), Israel's new medical inventions (artificial cartilage-see next post), etc. But I haven't felt up to par this week (was sick last Shabbat, and it dragged on), so instead I'm posting the next Maccabeat video, of--what else?--the Cup Song! Great beat, lyrics fit--our new zemer * for Shabbat afternoon zmirot ?...don't know if it's as good as singing Dror Yikra to The Sloop John B , but--learn the harmony, we'll sing it together! Here is a so-so rendition of Dror Yikra to 'Sloop John B,' without the harmony; but you can figure it out (my kids and I do it much better...). Shabbat shalom. * zemer: liturgical poems, religious songs and psalms traditionally sung Friday night and Shabbat afternoons *zmirot: plural of "ze...

I have not blogged since September 9th.  Two posts in one month.  In August, I posted twice; in July, twice or three times (-not even checking to make sure my numbers are correct. Go ahead, check it yourself).  In analyzing why this is happening, I think it's all Facebook's fault.  Instead of posting about my life, subjects important to me, people I care about, daily activities--on my own blog, I do it by commenting on my and others' pages and updating my status on Facebook! What has this world come to?  I've commented to certain friends on the concern in Israel vis a vis its Arab neighbors, most recently and more specifically,Syria and its terrible civil strife. I've commented on the holidays--our most important chagim , which this year were a veritable marathon, with a three-day Yom Tov (holy day) leading into Shabbat, starting from the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana--through this past week with the holiday of Sukkot.  I've written about my daughter hav...

Finally, here is something worth writing about for the Jewish New Year, which has just begun with Rosh Hashana this past Thursday and Friday.  On the occasion of the 4th of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, there is a very good chance that Israel might be on the way to energy independence, through the gas and oil discoveries in the Tamar and Leviatan fields in the Mediterranean. What impact will this have on Israel's economy, on its current dependance on the U.S. and other countries for oil? On its relations with its volatile neighbors the Arabs, in 'neutral' countries ( relatively speaking, as far as its Arab neighbors go) such as Jordan?  Or Egypt? Or the "Palestinians?" This is a door opening to a positive, exciting future. Here is my wish for the New Year: may Israel achieve energy independence and economic wealth, eliminate poverty among its citizens, and may this discovery help promote true peace with its neighbors in the Middle East.

We have just come down from the spiritual "up" of the holiday of Shavuot, which celebrates, in addition to the offering of the first fruits (originally it was also an agricultural holiday) to the Holy Temple, the receiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.  That is definitely a spiritual high , if there ever was one.  This is the culmination of the Jewish peoples' exodus from slavery in Egypt, a physical-freeing, building up over a period of seven weeks during which time we count the Omer (a measure of barley which in ancient times was brought to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem) to the spiritual-freeing of the Jewish people becoming G-d's chosen nation and receiving our "blueprint for life," the Holy Torah.  This year was just a little different, because I was sick during the holiday and we had no guests--nada--none, for the first time in a long time (we've always had, at least, guests for one of the four meals during the 2-day chag).  I was approaching non-f...

Black has been the color of choice for ultra religious Jews for years, one might say centuries-from the founding of chassidism in Eastern Europe, from where those kapotas originated. That might be changing, however: some Chabad rabbis are testing out new threads , and daring to wear, like their Rebbe before them when he was a young man, something different. In this case, a different color!                                            NEW YORK (JTA) — Yosel Tiefenbrun looked in the mirror and he liked what he saw. The 23-year-old Chabad rabbi and apprentice at Maurice Sedwell, a bespoke tailor’s shop on London’s Savile Row, was wearing a vintage double-breasted jacket with gold buttons, tasseled Barker shoes, a claret bow tie and matching handmade hat and square handker...

As we approach the second Pilgrimage Holiday of Shavu'ot ( Pentecost , in English), which comes seven weeks after Pesach (Passover), the first Pilgrimage Holiday, we look to commemorating the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, approximately 3,344 years ago, around 1313 B.C.E. In the weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, we Count the Omer , lifting ourselves spiritually higher and higher until we reach the peak: receiving the Torah. Here is a beautiful d'var Torah (a "word of Torah") by Rabbi Avraham Arieh and Rebbetzin Rachel Trugman of Ohr Chadash , explaining the spiritual aspect of the counting of the Omer approaching Shavuot, the portion of the Torah read on the Shabbat before Shavuot (Bamidbar), and how they have a deep connection to Jerusalem , Judaism's holiest ancient city, and the day which commemorates it: Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim, in Hebrew), which was today, celebrated all over Israel. ...

Well, Shabbat is over. I made havdalah around 9:00 p.m., not especially in a rush to end a day apart from all others. I made a delicious salad (if I do say so myself) and my friend's daughter brought me back the leftover, after they incorporated it into their second se'udah, as I told them to.  Might have some tonight, even; although it's late (almost 10) and I should get to bed at a decent hour, not having had such a good night last night (leg muscle cramps and aches). That was actually the only thing that marred my day: extremely painful feet in my metatarsal area.  I basically limped (with my cane) to my friend's house Friday night, and was in so much pain that I couldn't walk back, even with a cane, until she offered me her husband's walker.  You can only imagine how I felt: like an invalid.  Overcoming my (false) pride, I leaned on that walker and slowly limped home, accompanied by my friend.  I will ask my physician to refer me to a podiatrist, but I rea...

They have become very professional, in their harmonies and staging. Very different from when they first started as an a cappela group. The lyrics tell the Passover story in a different way. Have a very happy Pesach.  And to my non-Jewish friends, have a very happy holiday as well.

No time nor energy to research subjects for a new post, nor time for even writing my extemporaneous thoughts, so I am reposting a previous Pesach post here.  'Finding stuff' applies to each year, as well: this year, I found my Rambo's (youngest daughter, former combat engineering commander, now in wheelchair with RSD/CRPS) Tai-Kwon-Do yellow belt certificate.  Can't throw that away...but have to put it away--it had a food stain on it! Funny, though: in two years, while cleaning for Pesach, I haven't yet found my old SanDisk little pink MP3 player; I fear it's gone for good.  So last week, I bought myself a new one: a SanDisk Sansa Clip, 4 GB (the old one was 1 GB only).  But the new one isn't pink.  It's purple... Thursday, March 11, 2010 My Pesach-Cleaning-Findings-of: STUFF I dislike cleaning for Pesach, not only because it's hard on my knees and back, but because I always unearth something of personal value which becomes very em...

                                                                         My D.H. and I had a quiet Tu Bishvat (New Year for the Trees, on the 15th of the month of Shevat), just the two of us, at home.  We had invited friends but they politely declined, admonishing me to rest--and they were right.  However, the two of us didn't want to forgo a seder, so we decided to hold our own private little Tu Bishvat seder Friday night.  Just the two of us. My D.H. made roast chicken stuffed with oranges and clemantinas (clementines), which we had with side dishes of couscous, butternut squash and a special salad consistin...

My oldest grandson's Bar-Mitzvah was a truly special event.  He is a wonderful boy.  He is loving.  He is kind.  He has a sense of humor.  And he has Down Syndrome.  My eldest daughter is a wonderful mother, who raised him to be the kind, loving young man he is today.  He has a wonderful Rabbi and Rebbetzin, who understand his situation, and show him love and kindness, gently moving him forward in Judaism, in small steps, so that he can feel the accomplishments; all the time, gently. The 'theme' for today's NaBloPoMo (which, in case you haven't a clue to what that word is, stands for "National Blog Posting Month" by BlogHer ) is, "Which daily tasks take up the most of your energy (does getting out of bed count?)?" So I am posting instead, what energizes me the most: being with the people I love.  Here are some photos of the milestone of Yaakov Yehoshua's Bar-Mitzvah.  Obviously, we can't show you photos of the Shabbat service when h...

For Rosh Hashana I am posting this Latma TV video--have to bake my challot and my D.H. and I have to cook up a storm.  I wish all my readers (and also those who are not!) a Ktivah ve-Chatimah Tovah: may you be written and sealed for a good year. Shanah Tovah, everyone!

The Jewish people have sovereignty over the State of Israel which comprises at least part of the original Land of Israel.  We have sovereignty over Jerusalem, although our great president Obama doesn't recognize it--even though he stated in his presidential campaign in 2008 that it is the "undivided capital of Israel."  Israel is the only sovereign state without a capital city . Unheard of.  Disgusting.  The World should be ashamed.  We should be ashamed, for blowing our opportunity in 1967 to annex all the "territories" and also Har HaBayit--the Temple Mount. Instead, Moshe Dayan gave the ' key' of the Temple Mount to the Waqf . Instead, we still mourn on Tisha b'Av, wail, and fast.  It's ridiculous.  We had the opportunity.  G-d gave us the opening, but in our stupidity we didn't recognize the SIGNS.  The Temple, our Beit haMikdash, should have  been in the rebuilding stages already.  Moshe Feiglin stated that he was going u...

Did I ever mention that I HATE converting back to chametz after Pesach? About as much as I hate "making Pesach."  I just LOVE Pesach--that's the problem (!) There's gotta be a better way to do it (...yeah, like a whole separate Pesachdige kitchen in my mansion; but I didn't win Mega Millions this time). We just about finished converting back, and we started at 12:00 noon our time (it's now, as I'm sitting to write this, 5:22 p.m.!). Here's sort of how I feel sometimes (NOT). Pesach is generally not an easy holiday. There are many customs and traditions to browse up on. In the kitchen the scene is generally one of mayhem and effort. Many traditional dishes are prepared and many guests are invited. To many housewives, Passover is a time of spring cleaning, hard work, and toil. There is a famous story about a couple that many years ago decided for social mobility to convert to Christianity. After many years, the husband remarked to the wi...

Latma TV does it again.  I bet Aretha Frankliln never dreamed her "Freedom" song would be used like this . The message rhymes both in Hebrew, and English-clever.  This will probably be my last post before Pesach, so, thanks, Batya --and chag kasher ve-sameach to you, Caroline Glick (Latma is her brainchild), and everyone!

 With the fast approaching, incredibly awesome holiday of Pesach*, I am posting a message for us, to assist us in finding our clarity of purpose, as Jews.  Think about it: there is nothing like the miracle of the Jewish People who, against all odds, live on today, flourishing and thriving.  Here is a moving video (thank you, Margarete) by the Chief Rabbi of South Africa, Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein, featuring singer Yaakov Shwekey, which shows the "miraculous sweep of Jewish history," and expresses just that: we are living in an age of miracles, at least as great as those in the days of the Exodus. *Pesach : Passover

In honor of the approaching holiday of Pesach (Passover), I am posting this funny Israeli commercial (hat tip to Jacob Richman, here , and here, too ). Now I know the real reason why the Jewish people wandered 40 years in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt.  They, uh, got lost...until in the 40th year The Lord finally sent them...the new GPS by Ituran, heheh. Watch Aaron admonishing his brother Moses for 'getting lost,' using the Hebrew slang word   התברברנו (transliteration: "heetbarBARnu," or "heedbarBARnu") which is also a play-on-words for the word for desert: מדבר (transliteration: "meedBAR"). A Pesach kasher ve-sameach* to you all! *Pesach kasher ve-sameach: Hebrew holiday wishes we say before Passover, meaning 'a kosher and happy Passover.'

I can't believe we did this, but there was no alternative.  We left Israel two days before Purim. Incredible. Unbelievable.  Actually, there was an alternative: we could have spent Purim in Israel, and left on Shushan Purim, which was Friday, erev Shabbat--at one in the morning--and taken a chance that a) the flight would come in on time, and b) that we wouldn't be punch-drunk and jet-lagged for Shabbat and my niece's wedding motzai Shabbat.  Oh yes, and c) that El Al wouldn't accidentally lose our luggage with us going right into Shabbat, with no clothes... In short, too many safeks , so we left Israel before Purim, Tuesday at 1:00 a.m.  Still, to me, looking back, it's unbelievable.  We haven't spent a chag in Israel since we lived there from 1977-1981.  In 2005 I came right after Sukkot, when my son's sukkah was still up--so I saw it, went in, but it was too late for the mitzvah... So we heard the first Megillah reading at Chabad Midtown Manhattan, a...

I've written on this blog about the Jewish month of MarHeshvan several times, the most recent being this past November first ,  where I mentioned the double-entendre meaning of the prefix "mar", originally referring to droplets of water, Heshvan being the first month of the rainy season in Israel, and for which we pray for rain in the preceding month of Tishrei.  Later on, the month of Heshvan's prefix "mar" took on its sardonic second meaning of 'bitter', it coming right after a month laden with holidays, it being a bare-bones month of...nothing.* Today I came across an article about the significance of this month, but projected into the future.  According to tradition, the dedication of the third Bet HaMikdash (Holy Temple) will occur in the month of MarHeshvan.  Watch and listen to this video about the sweetness of the month of MarHeshvan. But (smugly), I knew this all along.  After all, three of my four grandchildren in Israel are Heshvan...