Happy Chanukah!

Harel Skaat, if you recall, represented Israel in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest. I'd like to wish a Happy Chanukah with this video to everyone!

Holidays, holy days

Chag Sameach everyone! Yes, I know that Sukkot is halfway over, but still! It's Sukkot! We get to eat in the Sukkah! We have Lulav! We have Etrog! We have all inds of shiny ornaments hanging from the ceiling of the Sukkah! We even have a world map to decorate it! (No idea where that came into the picture.) And my kids love the "etrog petting holiday". We love etrogs here! And this post has way too many exclamation marks!

The Day of Atonement

Today is Erev Yom Kippur, a day with a nice meal, sweet cakes and getting ready to fast from sunset tonight till nightfall tomorrow. 

Last year I wrote two entries about Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and I'd like to point you towards those two entries:

From Leonard Cohen in Israel to Yom Kippur

Prayer on the Day of Atonement

I especially enjoyed writing them, because, as weird as it sounds, Yom Kippur is my favorite day of the year. It's a great feeling to know that you get a new chance, and I love that time that I can spend with things that really matter on this day. 

The fast is hard, yes. Of course many many of the people around me will be spending the whole fast talking about the food they'll have to break their fast. It's not really an issue in my home: we feed the kids and then just don't talk about food beyond that, It doesn't mean that we don't think about it, either...

Soon I'm off to Kol Nidre. Everyone, have an easy fast!

From My Family To Yours...

 ²³And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
 ²⁴Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
 ²⁵Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

(Leviticus 23)

Rosh Hashanah Fun

Before I gather my strength to post about the first part of the Epic Cohen Rosh Hashanah Get Together, I'll just point out that we had an absolutely great time watching silly YouTube Videos all morning.

Let me just share one awesome awesome video, uniting three things I love:

Super Funny Comedy Duo Rhett and Link (Two funny Christian guys from NC), the Fine Brothers (two funny Jewish brotehrs originally from NY), and making fun of LOST.

I gotta warn you, clicking either of those links will pretty much cost you your whole day. And after laughing for a whole day, you will still giggle as you think of the awesomeness that their comedy is.

Shana Tova!

Rosh Hashanah - Images - Pictures

Happy 62nd birthday Israel!

After remembering with Harel Skaat's music on Yom Hazikaron.... let's wish a happy 62nd birthday* to Israel with one of his songs on Yom Haatzmaut!


If the waters are raging
And your life is so hard
Don't let your spirit fall
Come, discover yourself
Within you there is great strength

Like an everlasting fountain
Hand in hand, like a repeating song
Your two eyes in mine
They are an endless strength
They are light in the darkness
Hand in hand,
If only you'll give me your hand
Hand in hand,
We'll march down the entire road
Hand in hand,
If only you'll give me your hand
A hand, if only you'll give it to me
Hand in hand,
Down the whole length of the road
Hand in hand

Hand in hand, for lovers
There's no hope for those who are alone
Hand in hand, for the soldiers
Who are returning home again
They're returning home again

Hand in hand for the depressed
Sad-faced, wondering
To the light in the distance
To the light in the heavens
To the hope in dreams

* Israel's independence was proclaimed on May 14, 1948 according to the Gregorian calendar, which, according to the Hebrew calendar was Iyar 5. Israeli holidays follow the Hebrew calendar.

We remember those who can't be here and we celebrate the state they gave their lives for

The Silver Platter


The earth grows still. The lurid sky slowly pales over smoking borders.
Heartsick but still living, a people stand by
To greet the uniqueness
Of the miracle. Readied, they wait beneath the moon,
Wrapped in awesome joy before the light. – - Then soon,
A girl and boy step forward,
And slowly walk before the waiting nation;
In work clothes and heavy-shod
They climb
In stillness.
Wearing still the dress of battle, the grime
Of aching day and fired night
Unwashed, weary until death, not knowing rest,
But wearing youth like dewdrops in their hair.
- – Silently the two approach
And stand.
Are they of the quick or of the dead?
Through wondering tears, the people stare.
“Who are you, the silent two?”
And they reply: “We are the silver platter
Upon which the Jewish State was served to you.”
And speaking, fall in shadow at the nation’s feet.
Let the rest in Israel’s chronicles be told.

 -Nathan Alterman
Image from Jdate

On Iyar 5 and 6 this year Israel celebrates Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut: Memorial Day and Independence Day. 
Please visit Michal's Tefillin for a stirring editorial by Basia Ellen.  

Friendship by Chayim Guri
In the Negev, the autumn night falls,
And it kindles the stars in the quiet,
As the breeze rustles outside the door
And the dust settles down on the highway.
Time goes on, do we notice at all
How the months have gone by one by one?
Time goes by, there are few of us left,
And so many we once knew are gone.
Chorus:
They are gone from our midst,
All their laughter, their youth and their splendor.
But we know that a friendship like that,
We are bound all our lives to remember,
For a love that in battle is forged,
Will endure while we live, fierce and tender.
Oh, the friendship we bore without words,
It was silent and grey, it was wordless.
From the pain and the blood of those days,
It remains with us, ardent and yearning.
In the name of that friendship we know,
In its name we'll go on, every forward,
For those friends, when they fell on their swords,
Left us this precious gift to recall them.
Chorus:
They are gone from our midst,
All their laughter, their youth and their splendor.
But we know that a friendship like that,
We are bound all our lives to remember,
For a love that in battle is forged,
Will endure while we live, fierce and tender.

  

Today we lit the last Chanukah candle

Chanukah, these are days of light, chanukiyah is burning bright, reach inside and reveal the light and we begin to light up the world, we can light up the world.

Today, before sunset, we lit all eight candles on the chanukiyah before lighting the Shabbat candles.

It's the last night of Chanukah, and I'm a tad melancholic that the holiday is already over. I enjoyed having my boys home. Lighting the candles, playing with dreidels, spending time with family, visiting the Golan were all wonderful activities of the past week. However, the most profound activity this week was the annual Chanukah trip to the Kotel, otherwise known as the West Wall. After all, the whole holiday has to do with the dedication of the Temple.

My cousin's family joined us this time, again. It was the first time at the Kotel for their three newly adopted children. It was amazing to see the children listen to the story of the m,iracle of the oil and to light their chanukiyot and touch the stone that is all that is left of the Temple for us for now. There was that sparkle in their eyes, as they drank up the stories of miracles of old.

And so we begin to light up the world.

Busy busy busy

I haven't disappeared, but Chanukah keeps me busy busy busy. My kids are off school, and we have a gazillion activities for each of the 8 nights and days. We have had house guests and shul activities, not to mention a day trip to Jerusalem...

Happy Chanukah!

On a silly note.. Happy first night of Chanukah! Eat your sufganiyot (only 300 calories!) and latkes!

Chanukah is coming!!!

I'm so excited about Chanukah! It is one of my favorite holidays, even though it is a "minor," rabbinical holiday (that is, not mentioned in the Torah). I love it, because with all the holiday spirit, there aren't really restrictions. There are sufganiyot (jelly filled doughnuts) and latkes, dreidels and candles, family time as we play and lots of lots of light.

Around this time of the year, Jesus was celebrating the Festival of Light. He was lighting candles in the evening, remembering the mighty miracle of the oil that lasted 8 days. He was eating fried food and dairy, just like Jews have been doing it from before him till today.

The sofganiyot kiosks are springing up in Israel, and some places, where you'd least expect it, you can buy sufganiyot. Like the news stand across the street where I buy the top up cards for my phone.There are public chanukiyot (chanukah menorahs) all over, and after dark the windows are radiating the light of the candles.

Chanukah is coming.

From Leonard Cohen in Israel to Yom Kippur

I always loved this song. I didn't get to go to the concert this time, but some of my siblings and Kevin did go. I also missed the concert in Budapest last time, alas. But I do hope to see Mr Cohen at least one more time in concert.

It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

A song about... well, not about religion. It is a lot more about human life, about love, intimacy, disappointment, heartbreak, and... for me, at least, man's struggle with the divine.

And even though It all went wrong I'll stand before the Lord of Song With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Cohen.... He is more than "just" a singer song writer. He is a poet, a novelist. He is thought inspiring and yes, he is the genius behing Hallelujah. Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wrainwright and Alexandra Burke all did their magic with the song, but it was, it is Leonard Cohen, who created it.

As I listen to this song I remember the fraility of man. There was Samson, a mighty and powerful man, who fell when he revealed his secret to the woman he loved. And there was David, a king of Israel, anointed by G-d's prophet, and yet, he failed miserably when he let his desires lead him. When G-d's chosen men fail and sin, what can I, the ever doubting simple man expect? I fall short every day, and as hard as I try, there will be always something.

Yom Kippur is a day when we have a chance to ammend our ways. Not only with G-d, but with our fellow men as well.

Erev Yom Kippur just began as the sun set. Tonight and tomorrow we celebrate the upcoming Day of Atonement with two festive meals. We give to charity and ask for foregiveness and forgive others, going into Yom Kippur when we fast and pray, pray and pray.

I love Yom Kippur. It makes me clean again and again as I am forgiven as I forgive. As I sit here, listening to Leonard Cohen, I am examining my own soul and asking the forgiveness of all I offended this year.

I watch my sons sleeping, exhausted after a busy Shabbat and I reflect upon the wonders of Yom Kippur. I make plans for their meals and dig out the black canvas shoes, praying they still fit, and make sure the radio will remain turned on - just in case - and I remembre to say a prayer for all those who were fighting thirty-six years ago on Yom Kippur.

5770 so far

The year 5770 has been really nice so far.

My sister-in-law Maya and I teamed up with my step-mom Miryam in making honey glazed chickens with pomegranate sauce for dinner. It meant between 4-6 chickens for each of us. We used small, "grill" chickens and we had 30ish people to feed last night! We quartered the chickens and prepared the sauce and baked them and made mashed potatoes and rice and veggies. My kids helped bake challah and honey cookies.

We gathered at my dad's house and as the women of the family lit the Shabbat candles - that this time didn't only usher the shabbat in, but marked the beginning of 5770 as well - we set out to go to the synagogue and afterwards we devoured the chickens! When everyone was ready to burst, we walked home, put the kids to bed and watched some more Bones, while I was also checking on Michal's Tefillin. I was suprised to see over 100 hits and 300 page views in the first 24 hours, with several browsers being excluded from the stats.

Today was slow and lovely as well. Heading over to my brother's house for shabbat lunch. It wasn't cholent, no. But I found out that my brother already got Aharon Razel and Yerachmiel Ziegler's new album Secret of Shabbos. He lent it to me, even if he is not too crazy about my use of electricity on Shabbat and holy days (and especially when the two are on the same day, like today!), so I listened to it a couple of times and I love it! If you click the link, you can listen to samples. Justin already knows most of the words to the CD, and Matthew is humming along as it is played for the 4th time. I need to give it back to my brother when I see him tomorrow, but I know I'm gonna buy it! I am an Aharon fanboy, but I'm becoming a Yerachmiel fanboy, too! i love his cute American accent! I might not speak Hebrew, but I do hear the accents. The little video on the top of the sidebar is the first music video from their album. Generally I find the album to reflect the joy of Shabbat: the joy that HaShem intended for us on the Shabbat when He commanded us to sanctify and enjoy it.

I hope everyone is having a marvelous new year!

Shana Tova - Happy New Year!

Today at sunset the year 5770 begins. Sitting around the family table as the Shabbat candles are lit, we will welcome the new year. Dipping our pieces of apple into honey for a sweet new year, we will welcome the new year. Walking to synagogue and praying together, we will welcome the new year.

Happy 5770 to everyone!

August 20th

This year we got to spend August 20th in Budapest, Hungary.

Those who don't know why the date is significant, pick your choice of what Hungarians celebrate:

• It's THE National Holiday
• Founding of the State
• Constitution
• New bread
• St Stephen's feast (the first Hungarian king, not the one in December)

I'm sure I'm forgetting something else, but yeah, it's a big day. This year, again, we got to spend this day with our friends Mikey and Sheridan, who, with their infinite wisdom, decided to get a hotel room at one of the hotels on the river bank on the Pest side, facing Buda, with windows to the Danube. I am sure they paid way more for it than their usual hotel, but this way we could all watch the air parade and then the 9 p.m. fireworks (that last cca half an hour) from their hotel room. From their aur conditioned hotel room. Can I tell you how much fun it all was?

The kids were fascinated by the airplanes, and I think now I have one who wants a career in the air force. Of course last week he wanted to be a marine biologist.

It was really lovely to see Mikey and Sheridan. We hadn't seen them for over... way too long as we were in Israel and they were back in the States. This time they were only briefly in Hungary on their way to Estonia to pick up their new daughter and son whom Sheridan is adopting. After their adoption from Ukraine fell through, they are now really happy to finally expand their family. As I write this they are in Estonia, with an appointment for Monday (I think at court), but they can visit their kids over the weekend. Mazel tov, guys!

The whirlwind leading up to Lag B'Omer

We are counting the Omer. I am not taking the mourning part of it as strictly as many others, but every night we recite "Baruch atah A-donai E-loheinu Melekh Ha-olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al S'firat Ha-omer." Just as we are commanded in Leviticus 23:15-16.

The 33rd day og the counting of the Omer, Iyar 18, or, this year, May 11/12, is Lag B'Omer, when the restrictions of the Omer counting period is lifted and we celebrate with music and wedding and bonfires. It is undoubtedly one of my kids' favorite holidays. My youngest definitely has a fascination with bonfires, and putting those fires out, and, as good Jewish boys, all three love barbecues and picnics--both an important part of Lag B'Omer in my family.

This year we are invited to a wedding. You see, during the 50 days between Pesach and Shavuot there are no weddings, except on Lag B'Omer. I swear half of my family/friends have a wedding anniversary on Lag B'Omer!

We are not only invited to the wedding, but all three of my boys will get to participate in one way or another. They are extremely excited, this is the first time they will get to wear real suits and do real grown up things, like ushering and handing out menus and things like that. They are completely unprepared to received the billions of kisses and cheek pinching from aunties flying in from New York... Oh the innocence of ignorance! :-)

Today as I was at work my boys chatted up on me, asking me to bring them ties from Ireland. Matching ones. And not only for them, but for all 9 boys who are going to run around with Very Important Tasks To Perform at the wedding.

Pesach was just here. What happened, where is time flying? It's almost Lag B'Omer and then it's time to bake cottage cheese stuffed strudels and rolls in time for Shavuot and celebrate receiving the Law by studying Torah all night long and just enjoying the Israeli summer.