From Facebook: The Two Tzadikkim

Only in Israel - freely translated by Jameel @ The Muqata.  (Seen on Facebook yesterday, August 20th, 2012)

A heartwarming scene you don't see every day.

Yesterday on a crowded street in Jerusalem, as I returned to my parked car I saw a young Chareidi (ultra-Orthodox)  man,putting coins into the parking meter next to my car.  I asked him, "Are you aware that you are putting coins into the parking meter next to my car?"  He replied, "Listen, in another second you will get a parking ticket."

And just then, I see that 10 feet away is a municipal parking inspector looking to write tickets.

"Ashrecha!" [May you be blessed] I call out to the young man, yet he was already running ahead to put a coin into every car's parking meter that had expired.

Yet this wasn't the end of the story.  The parking inspector -- a bare-headed, stubble-faced, hefty Jerusalem man chased after the young man, caught up to him, and started correcting him. "This car's meter hasn't expired yet and doesn't need any coins."   And the two of them continued down the road. I could not contain myself -- I went up to them and said, "You made my day! You are 2 amazing tzaddikim (righteous ones) and may there be more like you in Israel!.  

"I am not a righteous person replied the inspector.  He is (pointing to the young man).  I am just helping him along..."
 

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Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

Only in Israel: Ben Gurion Airport

I left Israel the other day for a quick 24 hour business trip. On my way out, after passport control before going down the ramp to duty free, there is one more security check, where your passport/ticket are examined (or a piece of paper is given in).

The checker spoke as follows to the people in front of me:

To tourists visiting Israel: "Thank you for visiting, we hope you had a great trip"

to the Israeli teenager: "Have a fun time abroad!"

to my business colleague: "Shana Tova, Gmar Chatima Tova" (A good year to you)

to me: "Gmar Chatima Tova...Tzom Kal" (A good year...and have an easy fast [yesterday was a minor fast day])

Personalized service to every departing traveler -- with a smile!

(Have you ever gotten a smile out of TSA?!)


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Only in Israel: Gmar Chatima Tova

Photographed September 15, 2010 in Jerusalem by Jameel.

hat-tip for seeing the bus: Jameela the Cranio Sacral Doula

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Only in Israel, Rosh Chodesh Adar edition

Only in Israel, Rosh Chodesh Adar edition

3 very cool stories from Israel that transpired over the past week...

1. Friends of our in Maaleh Adumim were supposed to host 2 yeshiva guys for Shabbat lunch in the framework of a "shabbaton" a local yeshiva was hosting. Lunchtime arrived and the guests didn't show up...

Apparently, the guests used a different entrance to the apartment building and found a family with the same family name...and assumed THEY were their hosts for Shabbat lunch.

The other family happily invited them in, not even realizing that the 2 guys were supposed to eat at the other family!

No one even felt out of place...

hat-tip: Devra

2. Called in for a meeting at Israel mas-hachnasa (IRS), this person was rather apprehensive, and had his own prejudices about what to expect. After getting the run-around from clerk to clerk, he found an available desk:

When I noticed an opening at a table I lunged ahead and gave my best Israeli greeting to catch the attention of the seated clerk.

No answer.

I 'ahem'ed and said hello. Silence. I used the opportunity to look around his office to hopefully find something that would be an icebreaker for our conversation. What would I have in common with this middle-aged, secular Israeli from a Kibbutz in the south who had a sign of his membership to the Israeli Art and Theater Association?

I gave up and cleared my throat again hoping to get his attention once more.

He looked up and said, "one moment more, I am just finishing up with something." I noticed he was binding some papers together and was very involved in this process. "I am just finishing binding my book", he stated.

His book? What would a clerk in the tax department write a book about? Tax law? How to penalize evaders of tax? Or perhaps a script in some drama he was writing in his spare time.
"What's your book about?", I ask.

"It is a commentary on Torah. I just finished the book of Bereishit (Genesis) and have begun Shemot. I bind it together and present it in my Torah discussion group on my kibbutz."

!!!

...

I collect myself and say to this man that I too am writing a book on Tanach.

"Really", his eyes light up. "What about?"

Tehillim, I respond. And then he proceeds to do something which amazed me until this very day. He pulls his hand back on the table and reaches for his trusty Tanach and says to me the following: "Funny you should say Tehillim, I was having difficulty with today's Mizmor, perhaps you could explain it to me?"

Read it all here
hat-tip: CG

3. Avital Revital (yes, that is her real name) is a teacher at the "Re'ali" school in Hafia, where she has been teaching for years. Unfortunately, Avital was recently diagnosed with a life-threatening kidney ailment for which there is no treatment in Israel. The only treatment available is outside of Israel, and costs NIS 550,000 ($147,000).

Her students decided to take the matter into their own hands, and orchestrated a fund-raising evening last week, including top Israeli performers such as Rami Kleinstein and Pablo Rosenberg. Kleinstein performed for free, as her girlfriend was a former student of Avital. Rosenberg also performed for free, as his wife is also an alumnae of the Re'ali school.

The students have raised 350,000 NIS so far, and are confident they will raise the other NIS 200,000 to pay for their teacher's operation. (source, mynet in Hebrew)

Happy Adar People!

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Only in Israel: Heter Iska from Israel's Electric Company

A friend of mine recently wanted to invest in the Israel Electric Company by purchasing IEC issued corporate bonds. Yet, as an observant Jew, he was concerned about transgressing the Torah laws of charging interest -- and wanted to know if the IEC indeed had a "heter iska" to allow for earning interest from the IEC issued bonds.

"A Jew is prohibited from charging interest (ribit) to another Jew.

1. The Heter Iska was developed by the Rabbis in order to structure business transactions in such a manner as to avoid running afoul of the prohibitions against ribit (interest).

2. The Heter Iska principle is based upon the borrower and lender agreeing to be partners in a business venture, whereby one partner invests money and the other uses his entrepreneurial skills to manage the venture. The investor-partner can thereby earn "profit" attributable to his portion of the joint business venture, and the sharing of such profit by the manager-partner would not constitute payment of interest upon a loan. The arrangement thus has characteristics of both a loan and a trust. more here @ JLaw "

So...he wrote a simple email to the IEC with his question:

"Hello, I wanted to check if Chevrat Chashmal has a 'heter iska', to allow getting interest from the company’s agachim.

If so, could you please scan it & send me a copy?"

The IEC quickly replied with an email that of course they had a heter iska, and they sent the following attachment:

I'm impressed.

Yet another great reason to live here...

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Only in Israel -- Bride vs Israel Electric Company

This story is simply amazing.

The Israel Electric Company sent around notices that a certain neighborhood in Raanana was going to have their electricity turned off one day for routine service.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be the same day as someone's wedding, and it would be chaotic on the day of her wedding not to have any electricity at home!

She and her parents called the electric company -- and the outcome was more dedicated than any customer relations story I've heard about from anywhere else in the world.

Only in Israel -- read the story here. The submitter summed it up:

"...It was truly amazing. There are people here with big hearts who made it clear that our happiness was important to them as well.

We sent a warm thank-you letter to the electric company along with the attached pictures.

Just goes to show that Chesed [kindness] is alive and well in the land and people of Israel."

hat-tip: CR's wall on FB.

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Engaged on an Egged Bus

And then an Israeli Cop stops them in the middle...

hat-tip: Staam! (with 2 A's)

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Think twice before you honk!

So I get a call this evening from the United Hatzala* dispatcher -- they want me to shlep (transport) from Jerusalem the "Pesach (Passover) gifts" for the Hatzala EMT volunteers in my area. I don't really have the time, but I'm a volunteer EMT for Hatzala, so I really should help them out. They put me in touch with another shlepper -- the guy bringing the gifts from Jerusalem to Petach Tikva, and maybe I can meet him there. It's getting complicated.

I call him up and he says he's on his way...I say, "me too"...can I meet him somewhere on the Jerusalem-Tel-Aviv highway so I dont have to go out of my way to Petach Tikva to get the gifts? "Sure," he says, and we agree to meet at a gas station along the way.

He tells me he's driving a ZAKA** ambulance with the gifts in it; that's not really surprising -- there are many organizations like MDA, Hatzala, ZAKA, etc, that all have the same volunteers -- so it doesn't surprise me that a Hatzala volunteer is also in a ZAKA ambulance. (I'm in both MDA and Hatzala).

So we stop at this gas station along the way and I drive behind the ZAKA ambulance. I park behind him (there's hardly any spare room in the parking lot). I get out of my car and some guy starts honking. He wants to back out because a tanker truck is blocking the exit. I tell to hang on -- it will only be a minute. He doesn't care, and gets out of his car to yell at me. I tell him to chill out. He keeps yelling.

The Hatzala Pesach present this year is a large duffel bag/suitcase on wheels -- packed 4 at a time into long, gray, plastic bags.

The guy is now really yelling, and I open the back of the ZAKA ambulance and start dragging these huge "body bags" from the ambulance and throw them into my car.

The guy stops screaming at me mid-sentence and turns white as a ghost.

He stares at me holding these "body bag" lookalikes, as I'm transferring them to my car from the ZAKA ambulance. In a flash, he turns around and runs back to his car, slamming the door shut.

That should teach him not to start up with volunteers from Hatzala and ZAKA!

Chag Kasher vSameach!

Jameel @ The Muqata


*United Hatzala (“Ichud”) of Israel is a non-affiliated non-profit Emergency (EMS) Volunteer Organization that assists in responding to medical emergencies throughout Israel. The primary role of Hatzalah volunteers - trained and certified as EMTs, Paramedics and MD’s - is to provide an immediate response within 2-4 minutes from the onset of an incident.

**ZAKA is a volunteer organization that assists ambulance crews, aids in the identification of the victims of terrorism, road accidents and other disasters, and where necessary gathers body parts and spilled blood for proper burial.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

What makes you so special?

Sometimes there are big advantages only to those living in Israel.

I know that when posts like this have been posted here in the past, it started a comment war between those who think life is better in America and those who think life is better in Israel.

Well, here’s a new one for you.

Nefesh b’Nefesh is offering a $3000 prize for the best video… now get this… not on what is best about living Israel, but what is unique about living in Israel.

OK, so we can end this war right now: “Unique”, not “Best”.

Now I just need some unique ideas (so leave your comments).

The first idea is that this contest is uniquely open only to residents of Israel!


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Israel: Faster than the Speed of Light

"New Scientist" reports that that two German physicists have propelled photons faster than the speed of light. This would be in direct violation of a key tenet of Einstein's theory of relativity that states that nothing, can exceed the speed of light.

Günter Nimtz and Alfons Stahlhofen of the University of Koblenz, Germany, have been exploring a phenomenon in quantum optics called photon tunnelling, which occurs when a particle slips across an apparently uncrossable barrier. The pair say they have now tunnelled photons "instantaneously" across a barrier of various sizes, from a few millimetres up to a metre. Their conclusion is that the photons traverse the barrier much faster than the speed of light.

We all know that's not true...they aren't "the first."

Here in Israel, you can experience "faster than light" speeds all the time.

At any random intersection in Israel when you're stopped at a red light, the average Israeli driver behind you will start honking his horn at you EVEN BEFORE the light changes to green.

Silly Scientists.

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Only in Israel Pictures (edition 3)

I seriously doubt the majority of you have ever seen these "only in Israel" pictures before. If you know where these pictures are from, give a shout out in the comments.

You may be eligable for a frozen muqata waffle!

Coin operated air conditioning or heating (2 NIS for 20 minutes).




A memorial candle dispenser machine. (hat-tip: MikeAge)



Question: How many brachot does the following unfortunate person have to say?

A Canadian jogger happened to be carrying an iPod at the wrong place at the wrong time. Lightning struck his body during a thunderstorm, and the current ran along the path of the earphones and into his head, causing injuries to his jaw and ear eardrums. The patient's physicians say the combination of sweat and the metal earphones directed the current to his head.

I can think of at least 3...


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More Only in Israel...a picture.

From the mailbag...photo courtesy of Tzvi Harris (c) 2007.

Translation follows below

This sign is posted near the Kotel in Jerusalem's Old City,
by the Egged public bus company.

To the attention of our passengers:

When Shabbat is over, the Egged [bus] Company,
as a show of goodwill,
will provide bus transportation
for those who visted the Kotel over Shabbat.

The fare for this bus ride
should be paid for on Sunday without delay.

Wishing you a good week and safe travel,

Egged Management
Jerusalem.

Can you imagine that anywhere else? The honor system for public transportation?

Shabbat Shalom,
The Muqata

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

More: Only in Israel!

This is definitely working out conveniently for me, as I've been too swamped the past few days to adequately blog (but due to good reasons, family smachot).

Here's a new one I just received:

I took my son to the Kotel to put on tefilin for the first time. I told him that we would go on the Kotel tunnel tours after davening. Now, you can’t just walk up to the tunnel tours and buy tickets. You have to order and reserve your places in advance, and of course I didn’t do that. So we walk up to the man selling the tickets and I ask him for 2 tickets for today. He looks at me and says "No way! We are completely booked for today -- you need to reserve in advance."

So I said to him "but my son just put on tefilin for the first time today."

He said to me "Don’t say another word!" -- and he gave me 2 tickets, and blessed my son that he should grow up to be a big tzaddik.

Only in Israel.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Only in Israel...

Received from the Muqata Mailbag (from a loyal reader)...

Instead of spending 2 hours each morning sitting in bumper to bumper traffic trying to get into Tel Aviv I have recently started to take the train on a daily basis. Among the thousands of commuters who have "seen the light" one usually sees the same familiar faces, standing around the station each morning taking the 8:11 AM train into "town."

Yesterday, the station master, a young man with payot & a kippah sruga approached me as I was standing on the platform awaiting the train. This fellow sees tens of thousands of people a day pass through his station who buy tickets from him.

He said; "You usually buy a Chofshei chodshei (monthly Pass) don't you? I answered in the affirmative. He said, "I just want to point out to you that next month April, coinsides exactly with Chodesh Nissan. There aren't many work days in the month due to Pesach, Chol Hamoed, Yom Hazicaron &Yom Haatzmaut so I suggest you buy a daily, or weekly pass only -- save yourself some money and buy your wife something nice for the chag." I thanked him and smiles to myself.....only in Israel.

Come may, I bet the vice president of ticket sales won't understand why the Month of April saw a drastic drop in monthly pass purchases. If only the CEO of Israel railroad knew his train masters were giving his customers insider information......only in Israel

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael