Tikkun Olam

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...

 (nablopomo, day the last: 31) I am feeling very strange this motzei Shabbat.  Again, we had a pleasant Shabbat, with friends, in our beautiful setting here, right outside of our townhome.  It was a very hot day: in the 90s, but actually felt even hotter, as there was no cloud cover at all. I had been sitting outside with my friend's mother (who lives with her, and is also a friend)--in the 90 degree sun; we were trying to get in our daily dose of vitamin D, but I think we over did it.  After twenty minutes or so, I felt as if I was going to melt, and we called it quits.  This was after 1:00 p.m. but before lunch (seudah sheniyah).  Believe it or not, my D. H. comes home late from shul, (Chabad) and I myself haven't been going to shul lately, enjoying my peace and quiet alone in the house, davening or reading the parsha. Or a book. Or the Wall Street Journal. Good thing I didn't go today.  I would have had heatstroke, chas ve-shalom .  My D....