Another Song That Has Gotten Under My Skin
31 Oct 2009 2 Comments
in Jewish music
I have been broadening my music taste lately, and believe it or not I absolutely love the song One Day by Matisyahu.
It doesn’t make much sense though. I usually don’t like rap, and I am skeptical about what I call the “peace song” genre – you know, Kumbaya and all that.
But this song has gotten under my skin. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Matisyahu, he is an American Jew who has a talent for Reggae and rap, and has come to Orthodox Judaism through Chabad, although I don’t know if he identifies with Chabad anymore.
In any case he is another Jew discovering himself and making music along the way.
Enjoy!
Some of These Recipes Look Great….
29 Oct 2009 Leave a Comment
The latest edition of the Kosher Cooking Carnival is up at Mimi’s, and some of these recipes look great…..
Virtual or Real, Visit Kever Rachel Today
28 Oct 2009 2 Comments
in Jewish Holidays, Righteous Women
Today, the 11th day of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan, is the Yahrzeit (day of death) of Rachel Imeinu (Rachel the matriarch).
For those of you in Israel who can take the time – go visit in person.
For those of you far away, or who cannot make it physically, take a virtual tour.
The Chumra Stops Here
27 Oct 2009 5 Comments
in I want my religion back, Israeli Life
The Jerusalem Post reports today that a hearing has been held at the High Court of Justice on the segregated busses in Haredi neighborhoods. The Ministry of Transportation has submitted its report on the issue (after a lot of footdragging). The report states that it found that
”the segregation itself is not legal, but passengers may voluntarily segregate themselves if they so chose.”
This finding is an attempt to give Egged the right to continue having these separate busses. But it will only work if, as the petitioners demand
“that for every segregated bus on the special routes, there should be an integrated one as well. Furthermore, the segregated buses should be clearly marked as such.”
This last demand by the petitioners sums it up for me – and I wholeheartedly agree with them and I hope they win their case. Many people argue that in Haredi neighborhoods the busses should reflect the standards of most of the passengers, who think that men and women are required to sit separately.
I disagree. I think that public transportation is just that – public. One sector of the population cannot dictate their standards to everyone else, even if they represent the majority of passengers in these neighborhoods. Can Egged have lines to predominantly Muslim cities, and demand that every woman cover her face? Can Egged have lines in predominantly secular neighborhoods in Tel Aviv and prohibit the passengers from saying Tehillim? Of course not.
If one argues that the passengers have the right to choose a bus line that they are comfortable with – then I agree. But, as the petitioners demand, there needs to be an alternative line for those passengers who do not want to ride on a segregated bus, and they need to be clearly marked. This is the only way that a segregated bus becomes a choice, and not coercion.
Why I Haven’t Written About the Goldstone Report
24 Oct 2009 16 Comments
A lot of bloggers have written posts condemning the Goldstone report. I haven’t – for a very simple reason.
It makes me happy when the UN freaks out and condemns Israel – because it means that we did something right – we defended ourselves.
I didn’t know exactly how to express this, and today I came across Sarah Honig’s article - basically saying the same thing.
There are some who claim that the various condemnations are terrible for Israeli public relations, and worry about our image. My opinion is that the people who hate Israel and/or are anti-Semitic, do so for reasons of their own. The hate comes first, and then they point to various (usually distorted or false altogether) incidents to prove why they are correct in hating us. Perhaps they were taught to be that way from childhood, inheriting their hatred from their parents. Perhaps they have had a bad experience with an Israeli or someone obviously Jewish. The answer to this is for Jews to be careful in their private behavior, always remembering that their actions are under scrutiny. But there is no reason for those in charge of our security to change their actions in fear of our “image”. (This is not to say that there is no importance at all for the IDF to publish reports and videos showing our side of the conflict. I think it is positive, but mainly in order to give us more leeway to accomplish the main goal – protect ourselves.)
I wrote similar thoughts here, and I stand by them today.
…Speaking of Friendships
20 Oct 2009 3 Comments
in Girl talk
I work four days a week. I usually debate with myself about what to do with my day off – because sometimes I just need to stay home and catch up on the laundry, cleaning, etc., and sometimes I feel that I should be doing something fun.
Today was one of those days off – and I decided I would go to Jerusalem. I haven’t been to the Kotel for a very long time, and I haven’t been to a Jewish bookstore even longer. I said my daily Tehillim at the Kotel this morning , looking up every once in a while to see the various tourist groups. In the short time I was there a group from America, France, and India came and went (judging by their accents, language, and dress, respectively).
I bought myself a Koren siddur – all in Hebrew this time. The Artscroll siddur that I have been using for the past twenty-five years has finally started to come apart, so I knew that I needed a new one. I like the Koren siddur in both Hebrew and English, but I wanted the large format (the letters in the pocket sized one are a bit too small for me) and it seemed a bit heavy to hold in my hand. So I decided I could “graduate” to an all Hebrew siddur, which is much lighter. I don’t know why I hesitated, I daven from an all Hebrew siddur every Shabbat and I have no trouble finding my way around.
The best part of the day was going out to lunch with Aliyah06 – aka Baka Diary. (I can’t remember if she uses her real name on the blog at all, so I am playing it safe here).
With my kids growing up, I have decided that I finally have more time for female friendships, and I am making an effort to cultivate them.
Jack “Gets It” About Blogging and Friendship
18 Oct 2009 3 Comments
in Musings
Jack has a great post up about the power of blogging and how the friendships you make via your blog are very special. He is also right that people who don’t blog don’t really “get it”.
In a lot of ways blogging is like having thousands of pen-pals. You write about things that are important to you, and others do the same, and your thoughts are open to the public. Sometimes you hit a nerve and people are put off, and sometimes you express something in a way that just resonates with someone else, and they are drawn closer to you because of it.
Do I Detect A Pattern Here?
15 Oct 2009 6 Comments
in Musings
My parents raised me with some very good values. One of them was the necessity to be completely honest when it came to money. If my mother or father received too much change from a clerk in the grocery store, they would make sure to return it, since the money did not belong to them.
About six months ago, I went shopping with all three of my boys for clothes. When I got home from the store and I checked the receipt, I noticed that the woman who rang up our purchases had forgotten to charge me for one pair of trousers. I noted down the price, and the next time I went to the same store I told the woman to add it to my bill. Another woman behind me in line said “Kol HaKavod lach” (loosely translated as “honor to you”). I was a bit embarrassed as I didn’t think that it was worth mentioning.
A week or so ago I went shopping again for my boys, (not the same store) and guess what. The woman forgot to ring up a pair of trousers. (I really should check the receipt in the store and not at home later, but I am usually so relieved to be finished shopping that I rush out of there!). I haven’t had a chance to go back there yet, but I have the receipt and the price tag in my wallet so that I can pay them when I do.
A few days ago I checked with our bank and I saw that my office had given me too much salary this month. (They forgot to deduct my portion of the social benefits that I must put in). I told my boss about it the next day, and he said that they would take care of it next month.
Is there a pattern here? There are people who like to look for “signs” in what happens to them. I usually don’t dwell on things like that, but I couldn’t help but notice it this time. I just wish I knew what it meant.
Why Do They Call It A Cold?
12 Oct 2009 3 Comments
in Family Stuff
I am home today with a headcold – although I can’t figure out why they call it that. I don’t have a fever, but even so, my head is stuffy and I am going through tissues at an alarming rate. I must have picked up a virus during all of the visiting we did on Chol HaMoed.
It is much easier being sick when your kids are older – you just rest when you need to and let them fend for themselves. They even treat you nicely and do errands without complaining.
Luckily my brother gave me a bunch of books to read, so I am well stocked. He is into the science fiction/fantasy stuff, so I have been introduced to Robin Hobb. I started with her last trilogy – Soldier Son – and so far I like it.
I Knew Ramadan Was Too Quiet This Year
06 Oct 2009 1 Comment
in Israel Update, Jewish Holidays
The month of Ramadan was very quiet this year. I am used to stone throwing incidents on the roads where I live and in Jerusalem – especially in the Old City.
I guess the troublemakers were just awaiting their orders. Yesterday, the Israeli police banned a group of Jews from going up to the Har HaBayit (the Temple Mount) because of their fears of a riot – and Christian tourists were pelted with stones instead.
The police chief even went on to say that the Palestinians were showing ingratitude.
I can understand his “frustration”. I mean, really, they go to the effort of making sure Jews don’t even mouth any prayers when going up to the Temple Mount, and they banned a group from going yesterday, and the Arabs still caused problems.
I am wondering when even the secular Jews will realize that no matter what you do you cannot appease the Arabs, and they will finally let us go up whenever we want. (I use the term “we” loosely. I personally do not want to go up – I think we need to work on ourselves a lot more before we deserve the Third Temple to be built, but I respect those who do go up and I think they should have the right to do so whenever they want.)
