Tikkun Olam

There was a time, in the not-so-distant past, when ultra-Orthodox parents would sit shiva if a child of theirs left Orthodox Judaism.  To them, it was as if their child had died. That does not sit well with me, to say the least.  My child will always be my child, and I will love them forever--even if they choose a path of life different than mine.  I would prefer, of course, that they continue to be religious, even a little.  Why? Because I believe it is one of the most wonderful religions out there. Orthodox Judaism has a beautiful way of life--regardless of whether it is "true" or not.  Because I tried, as best I could with the tools that I had, to teach them the positive values of our religion, the beauty, kindness, love, which are manifested through chesed * and tzedakah *, caring for others in the community, in our close Orthodox kehilah *. The Jewish religion, as practiced through the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly rituals, plain and simple: makes t...

Just came across a guest post by Shoshanna Jaskoll on Life in Israel which is an eye-opener.  It opens a discussion on the attitude of religious and ultra-religious men towards women, from the extension of the prohibition to hear a woman singing while a man is davening the "Shma," to a general prohibition of women singing, period, including zemirot Shabbat (no sexual intent or content whatsoever) in a mixed group.  From condemning women for not being "tzni'us" enough to threatening to expose those women who dress in burkas; also disallowing photographs and ads depicting women (even of those modestly dressed) and essentially removing them from the "public sphere." Nowhere do I see any religious and ultra-religious male indignation, however, towards men who emotionally and even sometimes physically assault women who dare to do the dastardly deed of sitting in the front in buses not officially designated as "Haredi" (ultra-religious) buses. ...

An article on Israel National News indicated that a CBS survey showed more and more Israelis are becoming observant in their Judaism.  Life just has more meaning, when you believe there is more to it than merely the physical world in which we live, when you believe there is an underlying reason for our existence.  What sense does it make for a tiny nation such as Israel is to exist in an arid, originally inhospitable land, surrounded by many, larger enemy countries seeking its destruction, constantly under physical threat?  It makes no sense at all, except for G-d-given ancient Judaism which gives us Divine reasons for living in the Land of Israel.  A special Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) survey has found that more Israeli Jews are becoming increasingly religiously observant than the reverse. 21% of those surveyed said they are currently more religious than they were in the past, while 14% say they are less religious. After all, what is the purpose of ou...

 (nablopomo day 16) After that value-debased video and parody which I previously posted, I am returning to good, Jewish values.  This video below is not so new (I had seen it previously on a blog, don't remember which one, or I would have linked it), but it expresses, in a civilized, dignified manner, what is wrong with the world's attitude towards Israel.  It also expresses Israel's goodness, which can be attributed to the high morals and ethics of Judaism as taught us in the Torah, written and oral, which even if unbeknownst to them, have also been embraced by so-called 'secular' Jews. I want you to understand something.  There are unfortunately, many corrupt Jews, some even outwardly "religious."  I do not, nor would anyone with intelligence call these driminals "religious." In my book, they have missed the whole point of piety, and whatever religion they "practice" is just that: an outward show of religiosity, for mar'eet ay...

I first saw this on Shiloh Musings , republished from Jewish Israel , and was beside myself. What is going on here? Is Heichal Shlomo becoming a venue for missionaries whose agenda, underneath, is converting Jews? Read on: In an unprecedented and radical move, which most Torah observant Jews would categorize as an outright Chilul Hashem, Heichal Shlomo will be hosting a Christian “worship convocation” and banquet sponsored by evangelical missionary Christine Darg of Exploits Ministries . The event is scheduled for October 1, 2009 (a day before Erev Sukkot ), and is being promoted as a prelude to ICEJ’s Feast of Tabernacles. The advertisement for the event calls for an afternoon “Daughter of Jerusalem” Worship Convocation in the 18th Century Renanim Synagogue of the Heichal Shlomo, followed by a banquet at the Heichel Shlomo. Heichal Shlomo is a complex which for years served as the seat of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and currently houses the Great Synagogue, the Jewish Herit...

My feelings about the last three weeks are tied in to my feelings about my kids having made Aliyah on their own and with their intention of joining the IDF, so a little background is in order. We raised our kids to be Zionists and love Judaism. From in the womb I spoke to them (!) in Ivrit, sang Hebrew songs, played Hebrew music; I had such a love of Judaism and Hebrew, having been raised similarly, that I wanted to impart to my kids the same understanding, feeling and pride in their history, religion and heritage, and in leshon hakodesh . My husband and I years ago, with two children, had made aliyah, but after four years returned to the States. Never did I think that my kids would leave on their own for a brand-new life in a strange (but somehow, also familiar) land. But leave they did, one after the other: in 2003, our two sons left with basically 'the shirts on their backs' ( no help from Nefesh b'Nefesh) and a slight connection with their uncle, knowing no...

I shot some photos just before Shmini Atzeret of our sukkah with the few decorations we put up this year. Most years we had a child or two to decorate--this year, the child who graced our presence by her visit, Toodles (-or Tangus, as she is known by her pseudonym) visited for the second time this summer on the first day of chol ha-mo'ed , so the only ones who had time/patience/energy to decorate were...hubby. I was cooking at the time (a reversal, no?) Anyway, for the rest of the kiddies who couldn't be here and for our friends who made Aliyah(Baruch and Chani and Aunt Laya and Sol and Martha and Lynn and Tzvi and Rivkie and please forgive me if I didn't name you--and for everyone else--here are some pics of our sukkah, Sukkot 5769, in galut . Enjoy. This photo is inside the sukkah against the outer "front" door, looking into our kitchen: half of this fourth wall was the wall of our townhome (you can see the brick and patio light on the left). This one is ...

[ *Copyright Alert below ] I want to do at least one last post before Rosh Hashana *. I am trying--between job searching on the web, real job fairs and virtual job fairs--to keep up my posts as much as possible, but it's very difficult ( Jewish guilt plays a part here). I was awakened this morning by my chayelet bodedah* daughter, not really too early for me (except tor the fact that I had been awake until 2 a.m. the night before...); we had a great conversation and talked for over 40 minutes (it's her shekel!) It was wonderful. Even though I am so missing my kids not being with us for the chagim* , we do have guests, and have to finalize our menu and confirm everyone, and possibly also shop for ingredients for challot (which I will bake; round has GOT to easier than braided), traditional sweet side dishes such as carrot and sweet potato tzimmes and desserts-and, of course, food for Shabbat. Baruch Hashem, we have our main dishes for the upc...

Isn't it strange that the celebrating-life holiday of Tu b'Av comes so closely after the mourning- death- and- destruction day of Tisha b'Av (yes, and I know that 15 comes after 9*) ? But Tu b'Av is a little known, little celebrated holiday in the Jewish religion. It can pass one by almost unnoticed. Well, it's time we noticed it. This is what Rav Avraham Trugman of Ohr Chadash has to say about Tu b'Av: Tu B’Av – the Holiday of Love Our sages tell us there were no days as joyous in the Jewish calendar as Tu B’Av and Yom Kippur (Taanit 26b). Considering such a strong statement it is a wonder that Tu B’Av is perhaps the least known or appreciated of the holidays. In the last generation though, the significance of this day is slowly re-entering Jewish consciousness and observance. As described in the source above, this was a day when young women would borrow white clothing from each other and go out to the vineyards to sing and dance, and of...

I was trying to figure it out: I have all week, while I'm looking for work; why is it that I save it all up to post erev Shabbat, when I should be: 1) cleaning, 2) doing laundry, 3) cooking, and 4) baking -- Instead, I'm sitting at the computer, having this strong need to express that: 1) I sometimes feel as if the world is going to POT. There are wildfires in California, levees being breached in Missouri, flooded cities in Iowa, and heat waves on the East Coast. My new daughter in law, to whom I spoke earlier, is afraid to visit the U.S. because of all the Day After Tomorrow - type weather we are having (le-havdil. Have you seen that movie? In the light of the fact of global warming it might not be so far-fetched; G-d forbid. . . ) . 2) I'm upset about the political and military-security path Israel is taking. The so-called "cease-fire" has been declared, but of course (as we all knew it would) it has already been breached by mortars fired from Gaza , as writt...

As you can see, today I changed and added some elements to my blog homepage (I really lose track of time when I'm at the 'puter; it's been hours and I'm starving ), so please feel free to give me a little feedback as to how they look.  Right now, I'd like to tell you a bit about one of my new additions: Ohr Chadash . In my opinion, Ohr Chadash is one of the most wonderful sites on the web.  It is run by Rabbi Avraham Arieh and Rabanit Rachel Trugman, who have been involved in Jewish education and teaching Jewish spiritual paths for over thirty years. They have run Jewish programs for adults and youth, in Israel and the United States. For years Rabbi Trugman directed the NCSY youth group (founded by the Orthodox Union) in Denver, Colorado. Way before that, in 1976, the Trugmans were one of the founding families of Moshav Modiim, and the Rav served as the Director of Jewish Education on the Moshav, while Rabanit Rachel was one of the main educators. After their retur...

Haven't posted for a long while; work and busyness and tiredness (tired-itude?) have precluded and prevented my posting. I thank my loyal readers (ok, it's really just that they have nothing better to do with their time...) for their patience. I have actually had people - friends and acquaintances - ask me when will be my next post; that they looked periodically, searching, and (-to their consternation, of course) gurnisht* - or as they say in the vernacular in our commercialized, cerealized America, "nuttin' honey!" Ok, so I'm finally posting. About Pesach Sheni . What is that, you say? (What you really mean is, 'isn't ONE Pesach enough already?!) Pesach Sheni is a special day one month after Pesach (on yud-daled Iyar, the 14th of Iyar) which was set aside for those people who, because of being tameh - impure - were not able to bring the Pesach korban , or sacrifice, on the night of the 14th of Nissan, the first night of Pesach (the 15th being the f...

It is very close to Shabbat; I will need to light candles in approximately 15 minutes, but I wanted to express to you, my reader(s), that I thank G-d every minute of every day (a figure of speech) for Shabbat Kodesh ; it is truly a taste of "The World to Come," or as we say in our zmirot, " mey'en olam habah ." I haven't yet fully 'recovered' from our trip to Israel & our son's wedding; it was quite a stressful, if happy, time. And after an awful week, my feeling sick and coughing and my starting a new work project, I am grateful for the respite of Shabbat. There is nothing like it: we are commanded (yup!) to lay our stressful work-week aside, and devote our attentions to spiritual matters, to 'resting from creation,' to emulating Ribono-shel-Olam (as much as we humans can), and remembering the Holy One and from whence we came...we study the Torah, read holy works and stories, express our love of Hashem in prayer and song. This Sha...

( This post is rather long, but bear with it-there's a movie at the end, children !) Pesach is just around the corner. It was my most favorite chag as a child; different dishes, utensils and pots and pans; different tablecloths, kiddush cups and beautiful embroidered matzah covers instead of challah boards. Even different bedspreads on the beds; a scrubbed and polished apartment: I was entering a new universe, olam habah on this earth. My new and shiny surroundings set the stage for the important message of that holiday: That the Jewish People were delivered from slavery to freedom, to form a nation under the one G-d, who chose us for a higher purpose, to be a higher civilization; perhaps to give the world The Law, the Torah that Hashem gave us-to set the standard for ourselves and to raise the world to that standard as well. But I think we Jews have lost our way. Two thousand plus years in galut , and we are still having growing pains and identity crises. These were not so pre...

It is with mixed emotions that I begin preparing for our trip to Israel for our older son's wedding. Not that I am not happy to go: I am thrilled, incredulous, overwhelmed, grateful to Hashem. And flat broke. But, meshaneh makom, meshaneh mazal , right? Hey, does that apply to visits as well? Don't know; gotta ask a shailah . . . (actually I even applied online for a job in Rehovot. . . ) It's interesting, about in-laws. I hear such horror stories about very functional people marrying into dysfuncional families. I have very good friends whose son married a great girl with a dysfunctional mother. This girl, having met us just once for a short time at our friends' house, already invited us to stay with them while we're in Israel. Now, we're not talking about your average dysfunction, where you are mildly depressed, bicker with your better half, or have a syndrome, such as OCD or even agoraphobia. We're talking dysfunction, bigtime , where the mother of the bri...