The food is cooked. The table is set. Showers were taken, and here in TRLEOOB*, everyone is enjoying their traditional pre-Seder naps while listening to this newly-released song by Gad Elbaz:
!שבת שלום וחג כשר ושמח
May you and your families have a wonderful, joyous, and kosher Pesach, and may we all be privileged to celebrate together next year in rebuilt Yerushalayim!
______________________
*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog
It’s the dark flip side of living in a small, remarkably interconnected country.
It’s the sobering, solemn fact that nearly every terror attack is bound to affect someone separated from you by a mere degree or two of separation.
And as the number of victims of a specific terror attack increases, the likelihood that you have a personal connection with the victims and/or their families increases as well.
Because each and every victim encompasses an entire world, and the holy victims HY”D of the shocking massacre in Har Nof were no exceptions.
The four Torah scholars, who died al kiddush Hashem, and the heroic Druze police officer, who gave his life for Am Yisrael, were husbands, fathers, grandfathers, sons, brothers, uncles, and cousins.
They each left behind beautiful families and close-knit communities, neighbors and friends, coworkers and fellow congregants.
In this particular case, we know the brother and parents of one victim very well, and sadly, we also have direct and indirect ties to several of the other victims.
ה’ יקום דמם ויהי זכרם ברוך.
May Hashem avenge their blood; may their memories be blessed; and may their dear families be consoled among the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim.
Warning: The following post may exceed the recommended daily allowance for other people’s vacation pictures and videos. Proceed at your own risk.
And so, the succah is put away; the younger kids have gone back to school; and we’ve reached that elusive time of year known here in Israel as אחרי החגים (literally, “after the holidays”).
B”H we had a wonderful Succot. We spent time with family and friends and enjoyed various activities and outings – including, as promised, a repeat visit to the Circus Festival and, of course, the requisite trip to one of our beautiful country’s many national parks.
This time our destination was the Castel (aka Har Ma’oz (“Stronghold Mountain”) for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you).
Originally a Roman-era fortress known as Castellum, it was subsequently renovated by the Byzantines, who called it Castellum Belvoir and appreciated its proximity to similar fortresses in the area (such as Ein Chemed and others).
Soaring above and dominating Route 1 (the main highway leading up to Yerushalayim), the Castel was the site of a key battle during the War of Independence. Many brave men and women gave their lives during the heavy fighting.
At one point, the situation became so desperate that the Palmach company commander and his deputy famously ordered the privates to retreat – shielded by their commanders, who remained behind and continued fighting.
When the war finally ended, the newly-formed IDF dug a number of bunkers and communication trenches around the Castel, which overlooked what was then the Jordanian border.
And now, without further ado, the threatened promised pictures: (As always, please feel free to click on the pictures for a much better view.)
First, the traditional view of the price list… to show how much money we WOULD have saved, if we hadn’t allowed our National Parks membership to lapse:
Looking up at the fortress:
Inside one of the tunnels:
The view from the top:
And finally, a video showing a walk through one of the communication trenches:
חורף טוב, בריא וגשום!
Have a wonderful, healthy, and rainy winter!
________
P.S. The latest HH blog carnival is available here. Special thanks to Batya for including my Reasons 3721 and 3722 for making aliyah.
A short while ago, Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the United Nation’s General Assembly and concluded his excellent speech with a pasuk from Sefer Yeshaya:
“לְמַעַן צִיּוֹן לֹא אֶחֱשֶׁה וּלְמַעַן יְרוּשָׁלִַם לֹא אֶשְׁקוֹט עַד יֵצֵא כַנֹּגַהּ צִדְקָהּ וִישׁוּעָתָהּ כְּלַפִּיד יִבְעָר.”
“For the sake of Tzion, I will not be silent, and for the sake of Yerushalayim I will not be still; until her righteousness emanates like brilliance, and her salvation blazes like a torch.”
(Yeshaya 62:1)
For those of you who missed it, here’s Part I of the speech:
Part II:
Part III:
May 5775 be a year of besurot tovot, yeshu’ot v’nechamot (good tidings, salvation, and consolation) for Am Yisrael.
I realize that posting has been fairly sparse in recent weeks.
But I’m sure you’ll forgive me when you consider all the, ahem, important and meaningful things we’ve been doing here in TRLEOOB (=the real life equivalent of our blog).
For instance, this past Shabbat, we were extremely busy coming up with a list of acronyms for תשע”ה – 5775 – the upcoming new year:
.תהא שנת עליה הביתה
May this be a year of aliyah to our homeland.
.תחל שמיטה על הארץ
Let shmitah begin in the Land of Israel.
.תהא שנת ערבות הדדית
May this be a year of mutual responsibility.
.תשכון שכינתך על המקדש
May Your Divine Presence dwell in the Mikdash.
.תהא שנת עידן המשיח
May this year mark the onset of the Messianic Era.
.תשים שלום על הבריות
Bestow peace upon mankind.
.תביא ששון על הארץ
Bring joy to the land.
.‘תהא שנת עבודת ה
May this be a year of serving Hashem.
.תבוא שלום עוד השנה
May peace arrive this very year.
.תהא שנת עליית הרגל
May this be a year of going up to Yerushalayim on the festivals.
.תהא שנת עירך הבנויה
May this be the year of Your rebuilt city.
Please feel free to add your own suggestions in the comment section.
Yitzchak Meir and Udi Davidi sing “Ochila LaKel.” (Full disclosure: Last year, on Rosh Hashanah 5774, we had the privilege of davening in the shul where Yitzchak Meir was the ba’al tefilah.)
לשנה טובה תכתבו ותחתמו לאלתר לחיים טובים ולשלום!
May you and your families have a wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous, and sweet new year!
After spending over a month in heavy combat down South and before heading home for a well-deserved break, the IDF’s 51st Golani infantry battalion (which includes many hesder yeshiva students/soldiers and officers) went straight to the Kotel to recite the Birkat HaGomel thanksgiving blessing:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹקינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַגּוֹמֵל לְחַיָּבִים טוֹבוֹת שֶׁגְּמָלַנִי כָּל טוֹב.
Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the Universe, Who bestows kindness upon the unworthy, for He has bestowed every goodness upon me.
אָמֵן. מִי שֶׁגְּמַלְּךָ כָּל טוֹב הוּא יִגְמָלְךָ כָּל טוֹב סֶּלָה.
Amen. May He who has bestowed every goodness upon you continue to bestow every goodness upon you forever.
Over the years, in the days leading up to Tisha B’Av, it’s become somewhat of an Our Shiputzim tradition* to discuss a different “antidote to the meraglim (the Spies)” – i.e. yet another wonderful aspect of life in our beautiful Land.
This year, this post practically wrote itself.
Because as our Sages famously taught, the Second Beit HaMikdash was destroyed due to sinat chinam (generally translated as “gratuitous hatred”), and thus, the ultimate antidote to the meraglim is the unprecedented sense of unity that has gripped every sector of Israeli society over the past 7.5 weeks.
We are united in our belief that Tzuk Eitan is a just, necessary, and unavoidable war, and in our knowledge that the IDF is the most moral, ethical, and humane army in the entire world.
We are united in our prayers and support for the brave soldiers and officers of the IDF, who not only risk and sacrifice their own lives to save ours, but who are also – both literally and figuratively - our sons, our daughters, our husbands, our brothers, our sisters, our neighbors, and our dear friends.
We are united in our concern for our beleaguered brothers and sisters in the South, who have spent the last 14 years (!!) living under enemy fire.
We are united in our bewilderment and anger toward those – including many of our self-professed "best friends EVER” – who consistently condemn us for imaginary atrocities while turning a blind eye toward our savage enemies, who cruelly target our civilians while deliberately endangering their own (i.e. a double war crime).
We are united in our outpouring of love for our wounded; in our grief and sorrow over the loss of so many of our best and brightest; and in our condolences to the bereaved families.
And most of all - as I wrote in my previous post - we are united in our awe and gratitude to HaKadosh Baruch Hu and His countless dedicated emissaries for all the goodness that He has bestowed and continues to bestow upon us.
That long list of emissaries includes the three special families: the Yifrachs, the Sha’ars, and the Fraenkels. Their nobility and strength inspired us, and their holy sons HY”D saved us – both physically and spiritually.
In fact, they can be compared to modern-day Esthers and Mordechais. They took a nation that was “מפוזר ומפורד” (“scattered and dispersed” - Esther 3:8) and brought everyone together on the path to salvation. (Esther commands Mordechai, “לך כנוס את כל היהודים” – “Go, assemble all the Jews.” - Esther 4:16)
For instance, a chareidi acquaintance told us that in his [exclusively chareidi] community, people couldn’t stop talking about the three families and their extraordinary emunah (faith). “My neighbors used to think that they had a lock on emunah,” he observed. “But now they all say that they’ve never seen anything even approaching emunah like this!”
Interestingly, the prime minister’s wife used the same word in reference to the wounded IDF soldiers and their families. The TV cameras caught Mrs. Netanyahu in the middle of a long day of visiting different hospitals, and she said that she was amazed at the soldiers’ emunah and their desire to return to their units to finish their missions.
Consider also the following:
An Israeli neighbor stopped by the other day. After comparing notes about our respective soldier sons, we started talking about the incredible achdut (unity) that we have been experiencing.
“It means that the Geulah (the Redemption) is finally on the way,” she declared. “It’s so close we can almost taste it!”
And so, I turn to you, our beloved family and friends in the Diaspora.
Please join us here in Israel, and come experience this achdut for yourself. Am Yisrael needs you here in Eretz Yisrael, and you need to become part of העם היושב בציון (the Nation that dwells in Tzion).
May we indeed be soon privileged to experience the Geulah, and may our eyes behold Hashem’s return to Tzion with mercy, speedily and in our days. Amen.
יה”ר שיבנה בית המקדש במהרה בימינו, אמן.
Have an easy and meaningful fast.
_________________
* Previous “antidote to the meraglim” posts include:
Israel is in a state of shock today.
Shiputzim family friend Tzippi Sha-ked expressed what we’ve all been thinking and feeling, and she graciously allowed me to repost her essay (which originally appeared here) on this blog:
***
The Horror of It All…
by Tzippi Sha-ked
We are absolutely horrified that some young Jews could do something so heinous. The nation condemns their sick behavior.
This, however, remains an aberration, not a norm. Vigilante justice is extremely rare in Israel. The last time something like this happened was in 1994, when the mass murderer Baruch Goldstein took the law into his own hands.
Like all societies, we have our extremists, but we never let them control the majority. Unfortunately, the Muslim extremists control the silent majority which we hope want peace.
A brutal murder (of Muhammed) such as this, is so rare that when something like this happens we go into shock. As a nation, we gathered after the murders of the three boys - Eyal, Naftali, and Gil-Ad HY”D - and prayed and comforted one another. We did not take to the streets rioting.
Then the shock of all shocks. The unthinkable happened; and it was from our side. I can only say that the nation of Israel is not handing out candies in celebration; we are not raising three fingers in a sick victory signal. We have not incited our children in our textbooks to hate Muslims and to take the law into their own hands. Rather, we are horrified and are acting quickly to arrest and prosecute these mad young people and quell the violence.
In contradistinction to the actions of the Palestinian Authority, Israel will not name a street, a square, or a village after the perpetrators. The mothers will not be celebrating in their children’s honor. The families will not be awarded terrorist stipends, and the perpetrators will be tried accordingly under the democratic process.
There will be intense months of soul searching as we try to process this act. This has been the most horrific month here in Israel, and I fear that we are heading into a very trying period.
Today a couple of Muslims from Hevron visited the Fraenkel family. If we could guarantee our safety, many Jews would go and comfort this Muslim family in turn.
May peace reign over Yerushalayim in our time.
***
Amen, and thank you, Tzippi.
Almost exactly 76 years ago, on June 29, 1938, Shlomo Ben-Yosef HY"D of Rosh Pina was hung by the British.
He was the first of the Olei HaGardom (also known as the Harugei HaMalchut) – the twelve Jewish men whom the British sentenced to death in the pre-State era.
In response, two days later, on Rosh Chodesh Tamuz 5698, Rav Yaakov Moshe Charlap zt"l, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, wrote a letter of chizuk to his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.
This afternoon, Rav Gidon Binyamin shlit”a, the Rav of Nof Ayalon, read an excerpt from that letter at the funeral of Naftali Fraenkel HY"D.
(An English translation follows below.)
א' דראש חודש תמוז תרח"צ
בני יקירי, ורעיתך היקרה, והילד היקר - ד' עמכם.
אמנם המחשבות סוערות מאוד מעליית לגרדום אחד מבני ישראל על לא דבר. לא הועילו כל ההפצרות, לא הועילו כל ההתחננות. גם כל חלונות השמים נסגרו. כל התפילות, השוועות, הזעקות, והתחינות לא בקעו את העננים.
אשרי לאיש הזה שעל ידו נתעוררו כל כך הרבה הרהורי תשובה. אשרי לו שעל ידו נתאחדו לנקודה אחת כל ישראל. אך אוי מה היה לנו, מדוע שתם תפילתנו, אבל ביטחוננו בו יתברך שמו כי ינקום נקמת דם עמו לעינינו, ובמהרה נראה בבנין ציון וירושלים, ובבנין בית מקדשנו וכו'.
אביכם המעתיר בעדכם ומברך אתכם,
יעקב משהRosh Chodesh Tamuz 5698
My dear son, your dear wife, and the dear child,
May Hashem be with you.
Indeed our thoughts are in great turmoil after one of Bnei Yisrael was sent to the gallows for no reason. All the entreaties were to no avail. All the supplications were to no avail. Even all the windows of Heaven were closed. All the prayers, the outcries, the shouts, and the pleadings did not pierce the clouds.
Fortunate is this man, who because of him, so many were roused to contemplate repentance. Fortunate is he, who because of him, all of Israel was united as one. But woe, what has befallen us! Why were our prayers unrequited? But our trust is in Him, blessed is His Name, that He will avenge His nation’s blood before our eyes, and we will speedily witness the rebuilding of Tzion and Yerushalayim and the rebuilding of our Beit HaMikdash, etc.
Your father who bestows abundance upon you and blesses you,
Yaakov Moshe
May we continue to relish the beautiful achdut (unity) of the past two and a half weeks; may the three bereaved families be consoled among the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim; and may the memories of Eyal HY”D, Gil-Ad HY”D, and Naftali HY”D be blessed.
By now most of you have probably seen my in-laws’ incredible pictures of the Kotel from the summer of 1967 – i.e. just a few weeks after the Six Day War. (If you missed the photos, be sure to check them out here.)
Well, I recently discovered that my paternal grandparents z”l spent Pesach 1967 – i.e. just BEFORE the Six Day War – in Israel and took their own amazing pictures of Yerushalayim.
As always, I highly recommend that you click on each of these historic photos for a much better view.
First, two pictures of my bubby z”l standing in front of the Mandelbaum Gate (the former checkpoint dividing Yerushalayim), which was torn down immediately following the war:
Next, a view looking up Rechov Agron toward the intersection where King George Street becomes Keren HaYesod Street:
As you can see in the next picture, Heichal Shlomo, which was only nine years old at the time, still had no neighbors:
The old Yerushalayim train station:
Looking over the King David Hotel toward the walls of what was then the Jordanian-occupied Old City:
A view of Migdal David (the Tower of David) and Shaar Yafo (Jaffa Gate):
And finally, two views from Har Tzion (Mount Zion) – which remained in Israeli hands after the Jordanians seized control of the Old City in 1948 - looking back toward the Windmill and Yemin Moshe:
לשנה הבאה בירושלים הבנויה!
Happy Yom Yerushalayim!
For me, two distinct moments defined this year’s Yom HaZikaron-Yom HaAtzma’ut continuum:
Yom HaZikaron 5774 - Monday, May 5, 2014
11:00 AM
OS (=Our Soldier) stands at attention in one of Israel’s military cemeteries.
Although he’s wearing his dress army uniform, a scraggly mustache and beard obscure part of his face. Normally, this would be against military regulations.
But today, no one minds. In the IDF, the Jewish army, religious soldiers are exempt from shaving during the Sefirat HaOmer period.
As the siren wails, OS looks down solemnly at the grave of his former elementary school classmate, a hero who was killed while defending Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael.
T. stands a few feet away. He too was one of OS’s former classmates. The night before, T. appeared on national television. An officer cadet, he was chosen to be part of the honor guard participating in the Yom HaZikaron torch-lighting ceremony at the Kotel.
Yom HaAtzma’ut 5774 - Tuesday, May 6, 2014
12:30 PM
The entire Shiputzim family – including OS, who’s home on a short leave for the holiday - is driving along Kvish 6, the Trans-Israel Highway, on the way to the gorgeous Shomron for a wonderful BBQ (i.e. a mangal or al ha’eish, for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you) replete with great food and great company.
Kvish 6 is a marvel of Israeli engineering and ingenuity. A toll-road without any toll booths to impede traffic or serve as ugly blots on the scenery, its tunnels blend seamlessly into the Biblical landscape.
The Israeli flag attached to the car window whips merrily in the wind. Blue and white flags lining the side of the highway wave back, and electronic signs wish the travelers a happy Yom HaAtzma’ut.
Inside the car, the usual sibling squabbles (“He’s looking at me!” “She’s touching me!”) are surprisingly absent.
Perhaps the lull in the hostilities is due to the fact that everyone is simply enjoying the rare family outing. After all, in recent years, there have been very few occasions when the entire family was home and able to go on trips.
Or perhaps it’s because the Chidon HaTanach (the International Bible Quiz) is playing on the radio. Like most Israelis, the Shiputzim family has a close connection to at least one of the young contestants, and watching or, as in this case, listening to the Chidon is a cherished Yom HaAtzma’ut tradition.
What small yet meaningful moments defined Yom HaZikaron/Yom HaAtzma’ut 5774 for you?
Warning: The following post may exceed the recommended daily allowance for other people’s vacation pictures. Proceed at your own risk.
Think of it as an amendment to the original rule.
You see, according to the highly-acclaimed Our Shiputzim General Theory of Pesach Cleaning, now is the time for Stage II:
“Talking and blogging about cleaning in lieu of doing anything constructive.”
But seeing as this stage is essentially all about avoidance and denial, I would posit that an even better way to accomplish this goal is to ignore Pesach preparations altogether and, instead, to turn one’s attention to possible chol hamo’ed activities.
With that in mind – and with your permission, of course – I’d like to recommend a visit to the Ashdod port.
In principle, the Ashdod port meets the stringent criteria for “Ideal Late Summer Outings” – seeing as the tour is both free and air-conditioned. (Additional free and air-conditioned activities include the Bank of Israel in Yerushalayim and the Nesher Cement Factory in Ramle.)
But during most of the year, the Ashdod port is only open to schools and other large groups. However, during chol hamo’ed, families are welcome. [Note: Advance reservations are required.]
We were there on Succot (as you can see, it took me a while to get around to writing this post…), but I believe that the Pesach tours work the same way.
Seeing as there were no small children in our own group, we were very glad that kids under nine years old were not allowed (this rule is strictly enforced), because it meant that the tour was geared for adults and older kids.
The tour lasted about 1½ hours and was divided into two parts: a tour of the visitors center (where they have a few exhibits about the port’s history and operations, a couple of interesting audio-visual presentations, and several educational games) and a fascinating bus ride around the port itself.
IMHO, it is the latter that makes the Ashdod port well-worth the trip.
At one point, we found ourselves parked right next to a large ship, and we got to watch as the ship’s cargo was first unloaded and then reloaded.
Before I show you the threatened promised photos, I should explain that due to security concerns, visitors are only permitted to take pictures from outside the port’s perimeter, from inside the visitors center, or from a nearby scenic overlook known as Givat Yonah (literally, Jonah’s Hill – supposedly the burial site of Yonah HaNavi).
As always, please feel free to click on the pictures for a much better view:
In short, we all (yes, including the teenagers!) really enjoyed our visit to the Ashdod port. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable; getting to watch the port in action was quite thrilling; and we learned a lot.
I don’t know if it’s too late to make reservations for Pesach, but if not, I highly recommend that you do.
Have you ever been to the Ashdod port?
Chodesh tov!
In a stunning display of hypocrisy, inconsideration (schools and businesses across Yerushalayim were forced to close early, and thousands upon thousands of Israeli citizens were greatly inconvenienced), vindictiveness ("you push us, we'll push back," a chareidi MK reportedly said about his fellow religious Jews), ingratitude, and baseless hatred, chareidi MKs and community activists organized a mass rally/protest against military/national service today.
Unfortunately, I don’t have time for a full-length post, but I would like to share several important points.
Please click on the following links for details:
1) Serving in the IDF is a mitzvah. Period.
2) Of course, learning Torah is a mitzvah too. But that’s just one of the many reasons that - as Shiputzim family friend David Weinberg explains - the recent spate of attacks on the hesder program is particularly shocking.
3) Much of what is being said about the IDF and religious soldiers can best be described as misrepresentations, slander, and outright lies.
4) As Rav Natan Slifkin writes, many feel that those behind today’s demonstration do not seem to care about Am Yisrael as a whole.
May we all be privileged to remember that
“kol Yisrael areivim zeh l’zeh”
(literally, “all of Israel are guarantors for each other”),
and may we soon enjoy
besurot tovot, yeshu’ot v’nechamot
(good tidings, salvation, and consolation)
for Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael, and Torat Yisrael,
speedily and in our days.
!חודש טוב ומבורך
Am Yisrael suffered a devastating loss today.
Police reported that a staggering 800,000 mourners accompanied the Rishon L’Tzion, Maran HaRav Ovadiah Yosef zt”l on his final journey through the streets of Yerushalayim, and countless others watched the proceedings on television or online.
An unsurpassed Torah giant, Rav Ovadiah zt”l was renowned for his incredible memory, his encyclopedic knowledge, his love and concern for his fellow Jews, and most of all, his willingness to rule on complex issues that many others were afraid to address.
At one point, a TV anchor asked who would replace him, and one of the commentators responded that Rav Ovadiah zt”l cannot be replaced. After all, the commentator continued, the only previous “Maran” was Rav Yosef Karo zt”l, the compiler of the groundbreaking halachic code, the Shulchan Aruch.
The following video clip – of Rav Ovadiah’s hachtarah (coronation or investiture ceremony) as Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel in 1973 – aired this evening on Israel Television:
.יהי זכרו ברוך
Warning: The following post exceeds the recommended daily allowance for controversial topics. However, if you make it through the boring opinion stuff at the beginning, there are some cool pictures at the end…
It’s like a game of Mad Libs gone terribly wrong.
Women _______(preposition) the Wall.
Women around the Wall. Women under the Wall. Women behind the Wall. Women in the Wall. Women off the Wall. Women driving the rest of us up the Wall.
Each of these fictional organizations their real-life counterparts insists that it represents the Ultimate TruthTM; that the other guy started it; and that its members are the poor, misunderstood victims of the story.
But speaking in the name of the sane, silent majority*, I say that we don’t care.
*<explanation>”Speaking in the name of the sane, silent majority” is a social media term, which can be loosely translated as: “I feel a certain way, and therefore, that gives me the right to ascribe my views to the rest of the world and to condemn those who dare to disagree with me.” </explanation>
We don’t care which group instigated and which one retaliated. We don’t care which one provoked and which one perpetuated.
Nevertheless, we very much DO care that thanks to their combined efforts, going to the Kotel has become an unpleasant experience for countless women (your humble blogger included).
Of course, to be fair, these groups are not the only ones at fault.
Much of the blame goes to the ever-shrinking size of the women’s section at the Kotel; the Kotel’s ever-rising mechitzah; and the ever-growing barrier separating the Kotel itself from the plaza behind it.
All of these are unfortunate yet very recent developments. Indeed, up until about a decade or so ago, the Kotel plaza looked very different.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Instead, check out the following Shiputzim family photos from over the years, and be sure to click on the pictures for a much better view.
First, an historic picture from the summer of 1967, when there was no barrier at all:
Next, the summer of 1970:
We now move on to the summer of 1979:
Our next stop is early 1983:
And finally, circa 1986-1987:
Unfortunately, I don’t have any recent pictures of the Kotel plaza (or at least, none that would pass muster with this blog’s Director of Security), but a whole bunch of photos are available over at a Mother in Israel’s blog, here and here.
In conclusion, I should stress that this post is meant neither to bash anyone nor to generate negativity. My point is simply that not very long ago, the Kotel experience was much more positive and uplifting for women, and there’s absolutely no reason why it can’t be recreated.
Your thoughts?
Please keep it civil. Thanks!
Once again, Machon HaMikdash has a new thought-provoking video for the Nine Days:
"כל המתאבל על ירושלים זוכה ורואה בשמחתה."
"Whoever mourns for Yerushalayim will be privileged to witness her joy.” (BT Taanit 30b)
The Our Shiputzim Editorial Board proudly presents:
The Top 10 Reasons That Iyar Rates As One of the Twelve Best Months to Be Living in Israel
10) The entire country is decorated in blue and white.
9) The IDF – which, as I’ve noted before, does its very best to ensure that religious soldiers’ needs are met – automatically grants shaving exemptions for the duration of Sefirah to any soldier who so requests.
8) The shaving exemption even applies to IDF soldiers appearing on national television during the Yom HaZikaron ceremony at the Kotel.
7) In any given year, at least one of your kids is chosen to play an active role in a Yom HaZikaron/Yom HaAtzma’ut ceremony – whether in gan, school, your community, or even the army.
6) Three years after I first shared my in-laws’ incredible pictures of the Kotel in the summer of 1967, that post continues to be extremely popular - especially in the weeks leading up to Yom Yerushalayim.
5) That satisfying feeling of accomplishment you get after successfully completing yet-another Iyar Challenge (i.e. supplying each of your kids with enough white shirts to make it through the first week of Iyar).
4) The amazing seasonal music. (See, for example, Udi Davidi’s beautiful Hitna'ari (including a translation).)
3) Four words: Yom HaAtzma’ut in Israel. There’s nothing like it!
2) The way the Pesach/Yom HaShoah/Yom HaZikaron/Yom HaAtzma’ut/Yom Yerushalayim/Shavuot continuum serves as a poignant reminder that the future of the Jewish People is here in Israel, where we’re B”H privileged to have front row seats on Jewish history.
1) The newly-minted four-day Lag BaOmer weekend…
!שבת שלום ול”ג-ל”ד שמח
In between partying at last night’s wonderful Yom HaAtzma’ut celebration, watching the Chidon HaTanach earlier today, and then enjoying a delicious BBQ (i.e. a mangal, for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you), the Shiputzim family managed to find time to revisit Israel's version of the bridge to nowhere.
As you may recall, the bridge was built for the high-speed train which will eventually run from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim.
Since those pictures were taken, considerable progress has been made, and in honor of Yom HaAtzma’ut, Israel Railways offered free bus tours of the bridge and the tunnels behind it.
In addition, they had set up a festive fairground of sorts – complete with various attractions for the entire family.
As always, click on the pictures for a better view:
There were entertainers and patriotically-shaped balloons:
Other attractions included model trains, a picnic area, blue and white Lego, a movie, and inflatable rides for the kids:
Rounded concrete slabs which are used to line the tunnels and are installed robotically:
The erstwhile bridge-to-nowhere:
One of the tunnels:
The bridge leading into the tunnels:
Looking down at families on a Yom HaAtzma’ut hike in the valley below the bridge:
And finally, a video from inside the tunnel, which was bedecked with flashing lights in honor of Yom HaAtzma’ut. As you can hear, the bus driver played loud music, and if you watch carefully, you can catch a brief glimpse of the tour guide:
מועדים לשמחה
!לאלתר לגאולה שלמה
Happy Yom HaAtzma’ut to all!
Once again, in lieu of an actual post, here are various and sundry items of interest or note:
1) David M. Weinberg - a real life friend of the Shiputzim family - writes eloquently about reclaiming the world of Torah. (See also my related post from three years ago about religious-Zionist Torani communities.)
2) A guest post over at A Mother in Israel’s blog documents the separate and unequal situation at the Kotel.
3) HaRav Aharon Lichtenstein shlit”a - Rosh Yeshivat Har Etzion and one of the leading Torah giants of our generation - discusses drafting yeshiva students.
4) And finally, the following moving video provides a fascinating glimpse at the birth of the IAF:
!שבת שלום ומבורך
The chametz has been burned; the haircuts have been given; and the charoset (aka the chumus of Pesach) has been made.
Now the only thing left to do is eat our standard Erev Pesach lunch (hint: Kashla”P potato chips are certain to play a prominent role), set the table for the Seder, and then take naps.
But first, YZG and I want to thank the wonderful Shiputzim kids for their incredible help this past week.
They cleaned, cooked, baked, ran errands, peeled mounds and mounds of potatoes, and mostly (seeing as how we’re talking the week before Pesach and all), washed and dried a never-ending stream of dishes.
Thanks, guys! We love you!
But what makes the Shiputzim kids’ help particularly remarkable and appreciated is that they managed to accomplish so much in spite of the fact that they recently expanded this year’s List of Justifications Perfectly Understandable Reasons For Getting Out of Pesach Preparations.
As always, the list included the annual pre-Pesach youth group outing (i.e. the Masa Pesach, for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you), studying for the bagruyot, and various and sundry yimei iyun (“study days” or day-long seminars – i.e. a chance for the teachers to cram several weeks’ worth of uncovered material into a few hours).
But this year, the talented Shiputzim kids were able to come up with two more creative ways to avoid working legitimate excuses to be elsewhere: sherut leumi and army service…
On a related note, Our Favorite Bat Sherut had the honor of being the first one to use our brand new Pesach electric hand mixer (our old one is now, um, functioning-challenged…) when she whipped up a batch of these yummy cookies:
Non-Gebrochts Chocolate Chip Cookies
Slightly adapted from here.
Ingredients
Directions
Cream sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla sugar with the oil. Beat in the eggs. Add the almonds and the potato starch and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and mix through.
Put the batter in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Remove from the freezer and form small balls out of the dough. Place the balls on a baking-paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until done.
Yield: 72 cookies (The original recipe indicated that it yielded only about 45 cookies, but apparently, we made much smaller cookies.)
!חג כשר ושמח
The entire Our Shiputzim staff wishes our readers a joyous and kosher Pesach.
May we all be privileged to eat in rebuilt Yerushalayim from the zevachim and from the pesachim, speedily and in our days. Amen.
