*Life is A Tale Told By An Idiot*: Haveil Havalim #196- My Kids Wish It Was Chanukah Already

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*Life is A Tale Told By An Idiot*: Haveil Havalim #196- My Kids Wish It Was Chanukah Already

The Chanukah Countdown is coming!!!!

Prayer for the Economy?

Can you pray for a bailout?

In today's New York Times article about Detroit churches praying for a bailout:
The S.U.V.’s on the stage, a Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Escape and Chrysler Aspen on loan from local dealerships, were all gas-electric hybrids, and Bishop Ellis urged worshipers to combat the region’s woes by mixing hope with faith in God.

Is this really how prayer works?

Certainly we can pray for the strength to make it through tough times. We can pray for the ability to help ourselves and others. We can even pray for wisdom - for ourselves and our lawmakers.

Prayer, I believe, is within us. God is not a magic candy dispenser, giving us a gumball for a quarter, a bailout for a prayer. Faith must, I believe, be coupled with the inner work of the self and the outer work of culitvating our connection to humankind.

My prayer for today:
May difficult times bring us the power to help each other. May we all be blessed with the prosperity of spirit that will bring us together and uplift us even in dark days. May we find inner peace and outer community.
May we all be blessed.

Some Related and Possibly Useful Posts:
Human Rights
Change the World, One Sandwich at a Time
Growing My Own
Gifts of Tzedakah
The Obama Family Thanksgiving

and please consider donating to this DonorsChoose project which is about to expire.

G-dCast

More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com

(Normally I'm not a fan of the g-d spelling but it's their site!)

Shabbat Shalom!

Thanksgiving Ritual

Earlier this week, I posted my Thanksgiving Family Ritual, best for tables with young children present.
And over here, I posted an Ecumenical Version.

Today I present a more "grown-up" edition. Offering songs and readings from our nation's founding documents, I think it's a nice simple way to bring religious ritual to the table, so to speak.

Thanksgiving Seder

Get your own at Scribd or explore others: Judaism Religion prayer jewish

I'd love to hear your feedback!
Happy Thanksgiving!

The Jewish Blogosphere

If you're interested in seeing what's the what in the Jewish Blogosphere (or J-Blogosphere, as it's known), click over to this week's Haveil Havalim, the Jewish Blog Carnival. It's a wrap-up of the "best of" posts (self-submitted, mostly) in the Jewish blogging world this week.

A very interesting look at what Jews are talking about all over the world!

Pass the Candle!

Great Holiday Shopping Opportunity!

Always a great place to support local businesses, support JCYS Lutz Center, and get great gifts....

JCYS George W. Lutz Family Center is hosting its annual  Holiday Shopping Bazaar on Monday, November 17th from 9 am - 7 pm at 800 Clavey Road in Highland Park, and admittance is FREE!

Enjoy this great opportunity to get an early start on holiday gift shopping, with a chance to shop a wide variety of vendors under one roof. Unique merchandise includes items for babies, youth and adult such as clothes, toys, books, accessories, Judaic, house wares, and much more!

JCYS is a not-for-profit agency serving area families regardless of religious affiliation, and a portion of the Bazaar proceeds will benefit the JCYS George W. Lutz Family Center. For further details please call (847) 433-6001.

 

Click to enlarge (I think!)

Halloween....Some Thoughts (Re-Post from Last Year)

I am not a big fan of Halloween. Perhaps stemming from my first grade experience when the principal scared me half to death with his costume, I struggle each year with the way Halloween has become so "big" these days. Lights, costumes, candy, decorations, months of build-up...

Many Jews justify Halloween as "just like Purim." In fact, it's just about the opposite.

On Halloween, we send our children out to beg for candy.
On Purim, we send our children out with gifts of candy and other food.

On Halloween, our costumes glorify death and evil.
On Purim, our costumes glorify the struggles and triumphs of our people.

With that said, I know that even my own children will dress in costumes and engage in the practice of trick-or-treating...so....

Filing this under "if you can't beat-em, join-em"....here are some ways to add Jewish values into your Halloween:
- carry a UNICEF box or other tzedakah collection instead of or in addition to collecting candy.
- donate your uneaten candy to Children's Memorial Hospital or other groups.
- collect your Halloween costumes after the holiday to send to children in Israel or the Former Soviet Union for their Purim celebrations.
- talk to your kids about the origins of Halloween, what it means and where it came from.
- discuss with your family the merits of "begging" for candy and how that works in our society. What does it mean to be a "beggar" and how can we help those who are truly in need?

Read more here:
Should Jewish children trick-or-treat? This was a question posed to bloggers on Mixed Multitudes, the blog for MyJewishLearning.com.

Here is an interesting article about Halloween and Jewish law.

Making Peace with Halloween (a cute idea for telling the Midrash of David and the spider!)

Can you give but not get?

What do you think about Halloween?

Visit, Comment, and I'll DONATE!

Go see my other blog to read my post for Blog Action Day.

And comment there or here - for every comment, I'll donate $1 to one of my Donors Choose projects!

Chag sameach!

The Imperfect Life

This is my Yom Kippur Morning Sermon, 5769.

Yom Kippur 5769 Sermon - Upload a Document to Scribd

Quick and Easy Tips for Surviving the High Holy Days

Let’s face it. The high holy days are not always as exciting for our kids as we wish they were. It’s a lot of sitting in synagogue and the rest of the traditions can seem a bit nebulous for children.
Here are some quick tips for making the holidays exciting and interesting.

1. Buy something new to wear to synagogue. Do your kids need a new hairbow, socks, shoes, necklace, hat, kippah, etc? Probably not (mine don’t!). But the exciting air of “something new” can make it all feel more special. Plus it’s a chance to say shehecheyanu together.
2. Start now collecting food for the High Holy Day food drive. Make it an event. Let your kids pick out one or two special items to bring. Make an event out of delivering them to the Temple.
3. Try a new food. One idea: pick up one or two pomegranates and open them up with your kids. Pick or buy apples and make applesauce or baked apples.
4. Too old for babysitting, seems too young for the regular services? Give the grownup services a try but know that you will have to help your kids along. Give them tasks during the service: English readers: count the number of A’s or the time the word “king” appears. Hebrew readers: count the number of aleph’s or other words in the prayers. How many people are wearing blue? How many people have blonde hair? Your kids can bring a sticker book or reading book – it’s okay!
5. Make the Rosh Hashanah meal interesting – decorate the table with honey bears, flowers, apples, and have your kids make “Happy Birthday to the World” banners or placemats.
6. Check out some library books about the holidays and read them before they start. This will give your kids something to look forward to.
7. Come to Rabbi Steve’s Shofar Blowing Workshop. A great hands-on activity. Take a picture of your kid with their shofar.

Rabbi David Saperstein's Invocation

Read more at rac.org

Left Behind...

Today was a hard day.

Not for my oldest. He was pretty excited to start school. First grade, it's "all that." He's really psyched for tomorrow when he gets to eat lunch at school. He's social, he's happy, he's ready for it all to get going.

Not for my middle. He was also excited to go to school. Last year, he didn't love it so much, but I think he wasn't quite old enough. This year, he's a star. And the teachers noticed how much he's grown up, how happy he was.

Not for me. I know how happy my boys are at school! I know how much fun they're having, I know how much they're learning, I know how good it is.

It was hard for Yael. This morning, she woke up a little earlier than usual, because there was all the hustle and bustle. That was the beginning of it all. Then, suddenly (well in her 18-month-old mind), the boys, including Dad, got their shoes on in a hurry and left.

What!?

She sat right down in the middle of the front hall and screamed. She followed them out the door. She cried as they drove away.

And all day, it was like that. Just not quite right for her.

Poor baby.

I've read lots of articles about how to ease your child into preschool, how to transition to the first day of school, how to make it all okay for the ones who are doing the going.

But not too much about the ones left behind. I never even thought of it. A whole morning alone with her mom...but she didn't quite see it that way.

A little bit of extra love and kisses for my baby this week.

How did your kids do on their first days of school?

you SHALL....parashat Re'eh

Another Step Back

A few weeks back, I spoke in glowing terms about the step forward that the daughters of Zelophechad represented.

Now here we go backwards, just a little bit.

The rest of the clan
was a bit worried themselves
that land would be lost.

If girls can get land
that was their father's holding,
that is fine with us.

But what if they get
husbands from outside our tribe?
Then we would all lose.

Eventually
their land would end up in hands
outside of our tribe.

Mo made a ruling:
Daughters that inherit land
must marry tribesmen.

Just one restriction.
Does it really seem so fair?
Land over freedom.

What do you think?

Read more about this week's Torah portion here and here.

Shabbat Shalom!

Sadness in Israel today

I wanted to believe it wasn't true.

But it is.

I think this sums it up for me too.

A Man, A Plan, A Donkey?

In this week's Torah portion....

Balak was afraid
He thought the Jews were too strong
he wanted a curse.

He summoned Balaam
a well-known prophet, to curse...
Balaam wasn't sure.

God said "don't curse them"
But after a lot of cash
God told him "go on."

Balaam rode his steed
(it was really a donkey)
an angel stopped him.

Finally Balaam
realized what was going on
and apologized.

But the angel said
"Go on, but say what I tell."
So Balaam went on.

Balaam overlooked
the tents of the Israelites,
he had to bless them.

"How fair are your tents,
O Jacob, your dwelling-spots!"
(It was a great line!)

Moral of the story: Always listen when your donkey speaks to you.

Shabbat Shalom from OSRUI!

A Taste of Shabbat at Camp...

Why the Red Heifer?

This week's Torah portion is Chukat...

Why the red heifer?
We don't know what it's all for
But the Torah says!

It's a sacrifice
and its ashes make a paste
that helps purify.

Touching a dead guy
(or gal for that same matter)
makes you real impure.

Only a red cow
can fix that impurity,
bring back a pure state.

--

They got to Kadesh.
That's where Miriam fell dead.
They buried her there.

--

They had no water
and the people moaned and whined.
Mo and Aaron cried.

God told them to ask
the rock for water, nicely.
But Mo hit the rock.

The water came forth
but Mo was in big trouble
and so was Aaron.

"You did not have faith!"
God was angry with them both.
A punishment came.

"You will not enter
into the Land I promised
to all the People."

--

Aaron died at Hor
and they mourned him 30 days
Things, they were changing...

(Stay tuned for next week, the Talking Donkey!)
Shabbat Shalom from OSRUI!