Great Shabbat Opportunity!

Celebrate Shabbat by helping others...leave non-perishable food items by your mailbox tomorrow and your mail carrier will take them for the nation's largest one-day food drive ever!

Read more here: http://www.helpstampouthunger.com/

The Torah is Full of Rules...

In this week's parasha....

There are rules for priests
Don't touch any dead bodies
except your family.

Do not shave your head
or the sidelocks of your beards.
Do not gash your flesh.

Priests have lots of rules
Do not marry a harlot
or a divorcee.

Priests have to be pure
They can't share the sacrifice
with any lay-folks.

Holidays happen:
Shabbat, Pesach, Shavuot
Yom Kippur, Sukkot,

Rosh Hashanah too.
These holidays are holy,
each one on its date.

Light the lights a lot
every day in the Mishkan
an "eternal light."

There was once a man
and he was a blasphemer.
He was stoned by all.

Kill a man - you die.
If you kill a beast - you pay.
The laws are so clear.

Shabbat Shalom!

13 Things I Love About Israel

1. Felafel with cheeps and charif and pickles. Mmmmmm....

2. Walking on Ben Yehuda on Motzei Shabbat.

3. Watching kids play in parks that are full of ancient artifacts.

4. The whale sculpture in Old Jaffa.

5. Seeing Israeli kids riding the busses, hanging out, running around, just being kids and speaking Hebrew!

6. Spotting the blue paint in Tsfat.

7. Bumper stickers!!!!

8. The grottos of Rosh Hanikra, especially when the water levels are really high....

9. Watching the faces of first-timers when they really do float in the Dead Sea.

10. Reading Rachel's poems at her graveside.

11. Knowing that the young men and women carrying those big guns are Jewish kids ready to defend their homes and families.

12. Feeling Shabbat as it comes into Jerusalem...the frenzy of activity followed by the lovely calm. (And the shuk - rugelach and tomatoes and hummus and pita and spices and oranges and.....)

13. Feeling like I'm coming home.

Happy 60th Birthday, Israel!

How many is 6 million?

There are a lot of different ways to try and illustrate how many 6 million is.

Putting the whole thing into perspective is very difficult. Even I, as an adult, can't truly fathom how many people died in the Shoah, the Holocaust. How, then, do I teach young people to comprehend it?

One teacher tried with paperclips.

Others have used pop-top lids, math tools, pennies, written words, and others.

In Glencoe, we use yellow flags. A field full of them, about 5000 in all, to honor the memory of the victims of the Shoah. Yellow flags that draw the eye, set in the middle of town, in Kalk Park.

Tonight, our 7th and 8th graders planted the field of flags.

(my husband, planting flags with his students)

And they heard the story of a woman, Kate Lipner, who saved many Jews in France during the war. Her story...so incredible. And yet, she said "I am not a hero. I just did what I had to do." Our young people are rarely quiet. You could have heard a pin drop in the room as she spoke.

If you are in the area, drive through Glencoe before Friday afternoon. The flags are near the train station. Their beauty is stunning. So were all the lives lost.

Zecher tzadik livracha...may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing.
May we always remember. May we learn not to forget.

Haveil Havalim #163

Haveil Havalim #163, the Best of The Jewish/Israeli Blogosphere is now live at Tzipiyah.

Go check it out!

Looking up at the Moon....

It was living in Israel that I really became aware of the cycle of the moon. Was it the clearer skies? Was it the life lived by the Hebrew months? Or was it the metaphorical closeness of the heavens? I believe it was all of the above. Only in Israel did the moon seem to guide my life, give me a sense of the date, greet my nights.

1.

Keren haYesod Street, Jerusalem, midnight, Yom Kippur
Walking on a quiet, car-empty street
the moon is half-there, growing in potential as we grow ourselves…

2.

Mitzpe Ramon Crater, the Negev, 11:00pm
Laying on the rocks, looking up, the moon so close
we can reach out and touch it.

3.

Moses Montefiore’s windmill, Jerusalem, 3:00am, Shabbat morning.
Watching the moon rise and set over the Old City of Jerusalem…
talking, holding hands, waiting for him to kiss me for the first time.


Wherever I am, wherever I go, when I see the moon, I am in Eretz Yisrael.

The waxing and waning of the moon has been compared to the Jewish people, always returning, always present, always renewing ourselves. The moon may be hard to see but it always returns, even more vibrant, more beautiful each time we see it. Israel is like this to me – no matter how many weeks, months, years pass between my visits, it is more vibrant, more beautiful.

“You are a crown of glory for those who are borne in the womb, for they, like you, are destined to be renewed.” (from Kiddush Levanah)

Eretz Yisrael…our crown of glory…may its shimmering light shine for us always.

Last Minute Pesach Stuff

Ack! Passover is almost here. A whole bunch of last-minute Pesach tips, tricks, and interesting things...perhaps for Seder conversation....

1. Are you worried about feeding your goldfish this year? In case you are, here is some information on how to make sure that even your fish's diet is appropriately chametz-free.

2. Passover can be, um, binding. One good way to ensure that you stay, um, regular, is to eat dried fruit, or even better -- fruit compote. A yummy recipe: 4 lbs mixed dried fruits, 1 1/2 cups orange juice, 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup sugar, one piece of cinnamon stick or cinnamon powder to taste, peel of one lemon, left in one or more large pieces. Remove the sulfates in the dried fruit first: pour boiling water over the fruit and let stand for at least 1 hour. Drain thoroughly. Put the fruit in a large pot, with all of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 30-45 minutes until tender. Cool in the saucepan, remove the lemon peel, and store it in the fridge, covered tightly. It will keep for a long long time. Unless you eat it all.

3. Don't screw up and buy the wrong kind of matzah. FrumeSarah, I'm embarrassed to say that this is what I fell for. Here's how the story goes. This year, Manishewitz isn't making Tam Tams. For those of you who don't know, Tam Tams are wonderful, yummy, not-low-cal crackers made Kosher for Passover each year. They are my family's favorite Pesach food. What I didn't realize was that they were also not making any cracker-shaped matzah stuff this year. I had no idea. I'm a little slow. I thought to myself, maybe I'm just late to the party and it's all been bought at my local stores (did anyone get any???). So I went online to Amazon. I got really excited to find this. I bought it. Late at night, I suddenly realized that this was NOT the Kosher for Passover stuff. Why do they make chametz-dik matzah? Please explain this to me, Manishewitz! I knew this -- I always check my matzah in the store. But online...I got so excited by the matzah cracker shape that I bought ...get this... 12 boxes. Yep, that's how it's sold on Amazon. By the case. My husband got a good laugh that I had just spent hours cleaning my pantry of all the chametz and I went and bought 12 boxes of the stuff. Lovely. Food pantry?

4. If you aren't done yet with the cleaning thing, check out A Mother in Israel's great checklist. I always forget the cars.

5. Check out this beautiful handout from Storahtelling. Try their Leap for Freedom game. It's great!

6. Looking for a new Haggadah? Want some games or stories or ideas for the Seder? They're all over, people.

7. Passover isn't always the most "Green" of holidays - we throw out stuff, we clean frantically, we might use a lot of disposables or papergoods. So here is Hazon's take on sustainable Passover resources.

8. Why put an orange or other innovation on your seder plate? There are a couple of explanations for this - although it's typically thought of as a feminist statement - I like to think of it as inclusive and adding something new to the seder to keep it lively, interesting, and modern. Here are two different opinions and ideas about this, both of which are thought-provoking and interesting. What do you do to make your seder new each year?

9. A video for you:

Plus this very cool ASL version of the Four Questions.

10. Even though the Passover seder talks about our redemption from Egypt, the need for freedom in our world is still ongoing. Here is a wonderful Seder addition from American Jewish World Service, imploring us to remember those in Darfur who are not free from fear and terror.

11. My favorite Passover joke: As Moses was leading the Children of Israel through the parted walls of the Red Sea, some complained of thirst after walking so far, so fast. Unfortunately, they weren't able to drink from the walls of salt water on each side of them. Then a fish from the wall of water stuck his head out and spoke to Moses. He told him his family had heard the complaint, and that they could, thru their own gills, remove the salt from the water, and then force it out of their mouths like a fresh water fountain for the Israelites to drink from! But, said the fish, before his family began to help, they had one demand. They wanted to be a part of history, and wanted to always be a part of the Seder meal to commemorate the Exodus. Moses readily agreed to this, and gave them their name which remains to this very day. He said to them ... "Go, Filter Fish." (you have to say it out loud to get it. trust me. you'll laugh.)

12. My second favorite Passover joke: (these are great for the Seder, I promise!) The queen was going to knight a prominent Jew in England. He was welcomed to the palace along with all the other knights-to-be. They were instructed to go before the Queen, kneel down, and recite a phrase in Latin. All the other candidates nodded. The Jewish almost-knight said it over and over to himself, trying to remember it. When it was his turn to stand before the Queen, the phrase simply flew out of his head and he said the first non-English phrase that came to mind: "Mah nishtanah halaila hazeh mikol ha-laylot?" And the Queen turned to her advisors nearby and said, "Why is this knight different from all other knights?" (it gets 'em every year!)

13. Make sure you look up on Seder night. Hopefully the sky will be clear and you can see the beautiful full moon. The beautiful fullness represents, I believe, the beautiful fullness of Jewish life, especially on this night, the night that so many Jews and friends around the world are sharing in the Feast of Freedom. What an amazing moment for us all to know that we are all telling the same story, we are all re-living the dramatic moment in which we celebrated the understanding of the true meaning of freedom.

May this holiday bring joy and peace. Chag sameach!

Crossposted with Ima on and Off the Bima

Discover Something Great

(I know I promised to post this a while back...sorry for the delay!)

Time is definitely running out for you to discover something great at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute. They are playing host to what will, I'm quite sure, be an incredible Shabbat experience.

Why would you want to go to the Jewish Discovery Shabbat at OSRUI?
May 2-3, 2008

If you're thinking of converting to Judaism...
If you are part of an interfaith relationship and want to talk about making it work well...
If you're trying to make Shabbat a part of your life and don't quite know how...
If you're single and looking for someone...
If you're just curious about Judaism....

Those are all good reasons. Click here to learn more and to download the registration form.

Every Shabbat at OSRUI is wonderful but I'm sure that this one will be one of the best because of the topics at hand, the leadership of the weekend, Rabbi Leora Kaye and Rabbi John Linder (my wonderful classmate and friend), and because of the spirit behind the concept...

Go check it out!!!!! You won't be disappointed.

Kosher Cooking Carnival is up...

Mother-in-Israel has posted the Kosher Cooking Carnival #29 today -- it's fantastic! All about preparing for Pesach...go over and see!

Returning...

Coming back from Israel is always bittersweet.

I love returning to my family. I can't wait to see and hold each of them. I am glad to return, to be here where (most....) of my family is. 

But it is always jarring to me to hear English all around. To see signs in English and not Hebrew. To look around and feel reasonably sure that I'm back in the minority. To see children in baseball caps instead of kippot. To not feel a compulsion to give any young soldier a motherly kiss on the forehead (not that I saw so many soldiers in O'Hare, though). Coming back from Israel...even though this is definitely my home, I always have a hard time saying that I'm going home when I leave Israel. A piece of me is always there, my home away from home, my heart-land.

 "Wherever I go, I am going to the land of Israel." (Rebbe Nachman)

I love introducing people to this land I love so much. To see through their eyes the sights and sounds and smells, to taste anew each visit the felafel, halva, even bamba (which I'm not such a fan of, sorry Israeli friends)...as I pointed out to our group, even Coke tastes different here. The very air is different.

And I can't wait to go back.

(More Israel posts coming up with pictures and stories....stay tuned! Same blogtime, same blogchannel!)

Hot in Here!

It sure was a hot one today....

We started with an excellent discussion/lecture with Professor Reuven Hazan. He was interesting and engaging, he talked about Israel's pollitical situation today and the group was really riveted.

Then we headed for the bus...as I said beofre, we were a little delayed by Cheney's motorcade and then we were off...heading down south to the Dead Sea and Masada.

Remember, as I said yesterday, we're having a serious heatwave here. And so we went to the desert to REALLY feel the heat!:)

We got to the Dead Sea and stopped at the Hod Hotel to use their beach and changing space. We went down to the water and had a great time floating around and experiencing this marvel. Some of the kids also swam in the pool and enjoyed the sunbathing on the beach too. We had a nice lunch and then headed off to Masada, refreshed from the healing waters of the Dead Sea....

We didn't have the time to tour Masada (as I keep saying to the group - there's always more to see, always something that will keep for the next visit!) but we did what we came for - celebrated TEN Bnai Mitzvah! It was hot and sticky and crowded but it was pretty amazing to watch 9 kids and 1 adult read Torah together in Israel. It took 18 aliyot! That's a lot of Torah. It was really fantastic.

My brother was there too - he played guitar for the service and it was great to see him. (And yes mom, I gave him the stuff I was supposed to give him!)

We headed back down just before the last cable car and that was my goodbye to the group. They are heading to my favorite part of the country, the North (well, I like Jerusalem too. Perhaps, like the Torah portions, they're ALL my favorites!) and will be in Tiberias, the Golan (jeep riding and ziplining!), Tsfat and more...then Tel Aviv and then back to Chicago. I'm sure they'll have a great time (and I hear its going to cool off!!!).

I went back to Jerusalem, had dinner at my favorite restaurant - the Village Green - and then headed to the airport where I now sit, waiting for my flight. (No more motorcades, Dick left before I did.)

I could get used to this...being a regular visitor to Israel. It certainly does feel like home away from home. I'm looking forward to seeing my family, though, and catching up on life....oh wait, I'm off to quilting retreat next week....ack! Still, it's all good.

See you on the far side!

Forgot to add...

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Vice President Cheney is here in Jerusalem too! On our way back into Jerusalem, as we were driving by the Knesset building, we had to stop for his motorcade. He stayed at the King David Hotel which is down the street from ours. When we got back to King David Street we ran into the motorcade AGAIN!

And in the morning today (Monday) we had trouble once more as one of our busses got stuck behind the motorrcade and ended up 45 minutes late! Ah...the joys of trevelling in Israel when it's the center of the world....

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Last Day in Jerusalem

Our morning on Sunday was spent at Yad Vashem. First we went to the Childrens Memorial and the Janus Korszchak statue and memorial. The multitude of lights representing all the children murdered glow with such intensity...the names and ages and countries are read with such sadness....the photographs that welcome us into the memorial, of the children with such searching eyes....

Our children left with the youth counselors while the rest of us went into the museum. (Children under 10 not allowed in the museum.)

I was just here six weeks ago and I went to Yad Vashem. I think that no trip, even seasoned travellers, should skip this place. I learned and saw different things and different stories than I have before. One story, about a Bosnian Muslim family who saved Jews...and then later, when things were bad in Bosnia, came to Israel. One of their children converted to Judaism and now a grandchild serves in the Israeli army. Incredible. So many stories to tell, so many we don't know at all...

After a quick lunch, we conclided our visit to Yad Vashem with a walk through the Valley of the Communities. Each family took a spool of ribbon and went to find withinthe valley the name or area from which their family comes. Then they unspooled the ribbon from their town back out into the main section. All those ribbons came together and were held by the children. Such a beautiful site - all those colorful ribbons, all those sweet children...our past and our future coming together to remind us WHY we come to Yad Vashem - so that we remember the past and build our future.

Then we headed down to Moshav Shafir, about an hour south and west to visit our Federation Partnership 2000 region, a region with which we have a pretty direct connection - exchanges of people and volunteers, gifts and assistance...it's a really amazing and real partnership.

Israel is experiencing a heat wave! It was in the nineties and the heat is intense - way more than usual in March. This made our outdoor project a little uncomfortable but still pretty great - we helped to create a bike path using hoes and picks. We also heard a wonderful story from a woman who had been a teenager during the War of Independence - an experience in that very spot in Shafir. (More on this another day - it deserves a whole post!) And we met the Gerge Washington Carver of pomegranates - a man who has invented many uses for this famous fruit.

We did our work with some of the kids frpm Shafir and we also shared a pizza dinner with them. (Typical Israeli pizza toppings - corn, tuna, olive, anchovy!)

We headed back to Jerusalem where some of us headed out to enjoy the last hurrah of Shushan Purim....still great and crazy and fun!

And tomorrow....off to the south!

Shabbat in Jerusalem

Even though Shabbat is a day of rest, we had some optional activites for our group. In the morning about 40 of us went to Rehovot to the bullet factory in Har haKibbutzim. This was a secret underground factory that made bullets for the Haganah for three years before 1948. It was a really amazing story and a great museum. It always boggles my mind how young these people were who created the State. The workers in this bullet factory were as young as 16. We have in our group a 16-year-old young man and I couldn't help but look at him and imagine him there, making bullets and working in furtive secrecy to create bullets for the resistance.

We returned to Jerusalem and had a lovely lunch and then met in the afternoon for the Tourgame (also optional!)....an educational scavenger hunt through the Old City - it was awesome. I have been in the Old City many times but even I loved it! We were all over the Jewish Quarter and learned a lot about all the places and history. We had to search for sights, answer questions and follow a map through the route. It was really great - I would definitely do it again!

Then Shabbat was about to draw to a close.... I headed up to the Tayelet to join three Am Shalom families who were celebrating their Bnot Mitzvah with Rabbi Steve. The view was breathtaking and the closeness of the Temple Mount was amazing. I slipped in at the end and shared a really magical and spiritual experience with these families.

We went back into Jerusalem and our whole group (including the Bnai Mitzvah families) joined together on the patio of the David Citadel hotel, overlooking the almost full moon over the Old City. The view was amazing and the atmosphere incredible. To share Havdalah in such a space...words cannot describe.

We were on our own for dinner and the group split up. Ben Yehuda Street was a zoo! Purim is still in full-swing and we were overwhelmed by the number of people out and about, the noise, the music, the costumes... and it just keeps going and going....

Tomorrow, Yad Vashem.

Friday in Jerusalem

This day was spent in wonderful celebration of Jerusalem. We went through the amazing Southern Wall excavation site. This is the really incredible archaeological exporation of the southwest corner and southern wall of the Temple Mount.

I'm not sure I can even express in words how I feel (especially not while typing on my bberry - I think this may have to be a more thorough exposition when I get home, but...) about this site. It is truly breathtaking to me that we have dug up and learned so much about the Temple Mount. What boggles my mind though (here's where expression gets tricky) is how we treat this part of the Kotel (wall) as a historical site whereas the "Western Wall" usually called The Kotel is viewed as a religious site. It's the same wall! Yes I know there is historical significnce to the only piece of the temple mount that we have had access to for hundreds of years but why is that "the real Wall" and the other merely a museum piece? More on this later.

After the Southern Wall site we visited the Kotel Plaza and had a chance to say our own prayers and place written prayers in the cracks of the wall.

Then we explored the Jewish quarter, spent a little time shopping in the Cardo, and had a great felafel lunch in the Old City.

For the afternoon most of our group rested and relaxed by the pool....a few of us headed to Mahane Yehuda market for a little pre-Shabbat experience and shopping. It's still Purim so things were even more festive than usual. We bought fruit and nuts and hamantaschen and of course, my favorite, rugelach from Marzipan Bakery. On the way home we walked through the Ben Yehuda midrachov (pedestian mall) and had smushy yogurt. A little rest and then onto Shabbat....

(I'm tired so more tomorrow on Shabbat!)

We dig Israel!

We arrived in Israel in a beautiful sunny morning. After a brief stop at the tank museum in Latrun, we had a beautiful brunch at Pinat Shorashim, on the grounds of Kibbutz Gezer. Pinat Shorashim is an educational garden - simply beautiful - and the site of Israel's first baseball field.

Then we headed to Beit Guvrin for "dig for a day." Archaeological Seminars was founded by Bernie and Fran Alpert, of Highland Park, IL, as a chance for regular people to really experience archaeology in Israel. Everyone in our group really enjoyed digging in the caves and finding shards of pottery.

Then we went "spelunking" through some unexcavated caves. The hardy souls who squeezed themselves through these honeycomb caves had a great time exploring. (And getting very dirty in the process!)

Then we headed to Jerusalem and sopped at Montefiore's Windmill to overlook the Old City and say Shehecheyanu - the blessing for special moments.

Personally - this spot is very significant because it is the site where my husband proposed to me!!! Overlooking our favorite city....it is probably my favorite spot in the world. I can't wait to stand there someday with my children and God willing my grandchildren, as so many in our group did.

We checked into our hotel and cleaned up a bit before dinner and a little Purim celebrating, followed by a trip to the Western Wall Tunnels, the excavation of the Temple Mount along the Western Wall (Kotel). Everyone was exhausted and most headed to bed.

I went over (with Rabbi Steve) to the Ben Yehuda area to check out some of the Puriim festivities (more on Sunday, since we are in Jerusalem) and have frozen yogurt. We ran into my brother in his goofy costume. In true Israeli fashion, he is celebrating Purim all over - tonight here in Yerushalayim, tomorrow in Tel Aviv and then back to his kibbutz.

It is so awesome to see all the costumes and festivities on the street and know that it is for OUR holiday OUR celebration! It is Purim, a holiday celebrating Jewish preservation and resilience, that is being observed with such glee and gaiety! - direct you to an interesting comment on this topic from Frume Sarah on Tuesday
...and then finally to bed! Whew! What a day!

A long and wonderful introduction to our trip!!!!

Arrived!

After a very long and somewhat bumpy flight we have arrived in Eretz Yisrael! Stay tuned....

It's time for some sacrificing around here...

And thus we begin
another book of Torah,
now Leviticus.

God tells what to do.
Sacrifices 101
is Mo's courseload now.

First, burnt offerings:
animals completely burned
by the holy priests.

Next, meal offerings:
Cakes of flour and oil,
part to burn by priests.

Sh'lamim offerings,
to demonstrate gratitude
are detailed next.

Then, sin offerings
if you omitted info,
if you touched unclean,

or if you swore oath
and then forgot about it.
Also guilt offerings:

Unwitting sinning,
lying or robbing also
make you do this one.

God is forgiving
when expiation is made
and it's all okay!

***

It's Shabbat Zachor
Zachor means "to remember"
It precedes Purim.

The reading is hard,
we remember Amalek
how he attacked us.

It fits with Purim
we remember times of pain
Amalek, Haman...

We celebrate now
but we know the world isn't
perfect just quite yet.

Chag Purim Sameach!
and Shabbat Shalom!

Sadness...

Our thoughts are with the students and families of Mercaz haRav Yeshiva.

May the memory of these students be for a blessing...

Read more here (note graphic photos, though)

My heart bleeds...

The Cloud Descends...the Tabernacle Building Ends!

Time to keep the books.

Itamar, son of Aaron,

got himself the job.

Where did the gold go?

Mo gives a detailed account

of how much was used.

The garments for priests

were made next by the artists.

Pretty, yet useful!

Inscribed on the front

were the words "Holy to God"

Just as God had said.

So the work was done,

the Tabernacle complete.

They brought it to Mo.

Moses inspected

and saw they had done it all.

So he blessed their work.

God told Mo, "it's time

to set it all up and use!"

Mo did what God said.

When Mo was all done

the Presence of God filled it,

the cloud settled down.

When the cloud rose up

they continued to journey.

But if the cloud stayed

then they did not go.

The Presence of God was there

with them day and night.

Chazak Chazak v'nitchazeik!

Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen each other!

Shabbat Shalom!

See more Haiku Friday here.

File under: Probably NOT good for the Jews

Um...why do I think this is going to end badly?

What do you think?

eat this torah...

13 Highlights of the Trip to Israel

Here are 13 highlights of my trip to Israel...
scroll back through my posts to read more about the trip.

1. Seeing and hanging out with my brother.

2. Praying together at the Kotel, the Western Wall.

3. Shabbat in Jerusalem. We spent Friday night at Kehillat Har El, a Reform congregation in Jerusalem. They honored us with home hospitality, which was awesome, and then we went back for a seudah shlishit and study session, followed by Havdalah.

4. Visiting the new Yad Vashem Memorial and Museum. I hadn't been to the newly renovated version of the museum and it was awesome. For me, the highlight was seeing 8th and 9th grade students from Chicago in the same place as we were. I felt as though I was experiencing it through their eyes as well.

5. Watching people make phone calls on top of Masada!

6. The snow in Jerusalem

7. Going to the mall with a small group on a rainy night.

8. Visiting the grave of Naomi Shemer and singing Jerusalem of Gold.

9. Jeep-riding in the Golan Heights!

10. Meeting young Arab girls in Nazareth in a felafel restaurant.

11. Meeting Robin of Around the Island for lunch!

12. Being silly on the bus.

13. Traveling with this incredible group of women!

More people thought about 13 this week...

Looking for Pictures?

Interested in seeing pictures of our trip to Israel?

Come visit my other blog for pictures in today's post!

Also, see this great shot on the website of Ein Hod's Artist Colony.

Also...if you joined me for my Israel trip updates, please continue to visit me, I post regularly both here and there.

Every Friday I put up a Haiku version of the Torah portion and I write various missives on Jewish stuff!

Thanks for visiting!

Our Final Day...

We spent our last day of our trip in Tel Aviv...

In the morning we heard from Rabbi Galia Sadon, one of the rabbis at Beit Daniel, the largest Reform congregation in Israel. Her conversation with our group was interesting and fun...I think it's such a great chance for our group to hear from these amazing Israeli women.

Then we headed over to Independence Hall, which our group really found to be an incredible highlight. To sit in the same room that David Ben-Gurion stood in when he announced Israel's Declaration of Independence..."surrender is not an option..." and it never will be, our guide added.

Then we headed to Rabin Square, where, in 1995, Yitzchak Rabin was assasinated. I was particularly touched by the personal reflections of our guide, Renee, who was in attendance at the rally that terrible night.

We went to the Carmel Market for lunch and some last minute shopping (my mom picked up a cool Golda Meir sweatshirt for me!) while I was so excited to have lunch with Robin from Around the Island!!!! (More on this in a later post...with pictures!)

Then we headed over to Old Jaffa, and went through the Ilana Goor gallery, which was pretty darn cool. She is a famous artist who turned her personal house into an eclectic and interesting gallery that is open to the public. It was pretty breath-taking to see her collection and imagine actually living in this amazing house. Then we browsed through some of the galleries in Jaffa and headed back to our hotel...to rest (although four of us went up to the north part of Tel Aviv, to the boardwalk, and browsed around a bit) before our closing dinner...

We all joined together at Kimmel, a great Moroccan/Turkish restaurant for our closing dinner. We shared wine and good food and a *lot* of laughter as we recalled and celebrated our journey together. "Journey" does seem like a good word to describe the trip -- we travelled together, yes, but I think it was so much more, so much more than just a "trip."

Each time I come to Israel I learn something new. And this time was no exception.

May we all return safely home and may we all return again and again to this amazing land...

Stay tuned for more posts, with pictures....now that I'm home and reunited with my laptop!

Unbelievable!

We are safely home...a last post to come about our last day in Tel Aviv...

But until then, I'm in the cab and shaking my head in disbelief that British Airways had the audacity to leave some of our bags back in London! Only some, but let me tell you, I am quite sure we're all done with that airline...twice in 10 days....

Okay, more after Shabbat!!!!
It is nice to be home but I miss Israel already:)

Driving the Dream

Up early, of course, and with fresh-baked cinnamon rolls at breakfast!

Even though we could have spent all day at beautiful Kfar Blum, all of Israel awaited us! Okay, just part of it...but you know!

We started our day in Tzfat - one of my favorite cities in Israel. We visited the awesome candle factory and the two synagogues of Isaac Luria, the great kabbalist. We saw a clsss of three-year-old boys whose Hebrew far outstripped mine and who captured the heart of our group!

We walked briefly through some of the galleries (is there ever enough time?) and then hopped back on the bus to Nazareth.

Nazareth is a large Arab city and the traffic getting in was terrible, which I understand is typical and regular! We found a felafel stand where the proprietor was amenable to most of our group and the ladies were patient as we ordered our sandwiches and drinks.

The restaurant was filled with youngsters after school eating lunch. A group of 13-year-old girls was sitting near us and they captivated the imaginations of our women. We spoke to them and took their picutured and the they whipped out their cell phones and took OUR pictures! They were adorable and seemed excited to practice their English on us!

Most of the group then went to the Church of the Annunciation, a short walk away. The church was gorgeous, full of mosaics donated by many different countries.

Then of course it was back on the bus!

We went to Ein Hod, an artists' colony outside Haifa. Because we were very late, many of the artists were not open but the man who gives "tours" asked some to stay open as he guided us over to their studio/shops. While it felt like a hefty sales job, the art and surroundings were beautiful and many of us bought in one or two of the studios. A spot to return to with a long afternoon, for sure.

And now...we are on the way to Tel Aviv. It's hard to believe we've been gone just about one week! It does feel like much longer...

I think everyone's having a good time and we keep reminding them that there is good reason to come back - there's always more to see and do! I do love Israel.

Driving through the Dream

Up early, of course, and with fresh-baked cinnamon rolls at breakfast!

Tsfat
Nazareth
Ein Hod

Caesarea
Tel Aviv

So much to do so little time to blog!

As we drove north, the group marvelled at the complexity of Israel's politics and landscape. Even to know that just an hour or so behind us was snow in Jerusalem and here was sun?

We went to one of my favorite sites in Israel, Beit Shean. (Like the Torah portions, each one is my favorite...) Although the weather was cold and blustery, we had a great time looking at all the Roman ruins. We especially enjoyed the ancient "bathrooms" and we took lots of pictures :)

After this, we stopped at the Kinneret Cemetery on the shores of the Kinneret - the Sea of Galilee. In this beautiful cemetery are buried some of Israel's pioneers and famous folks. We went to the grave of Rachel, Israel's national poet...and we placed stones on her grave and read some of her poems. Then we visited nearby the grave of Naomi Shemer and sang a little bit of Jerusalem of Gold, her most famous song. We also read a bit of the last poem she wrote, in honor of Ilan Ramon, the Israeli astronaut who died in the Columbia disaster. Although it was set to music after her death, she wsnt able to do that herself. The Kinneret Cemetery is sucha peaceful and beautiful spot and the overlook is gorgeous.

We stopped in Capernaum, where St Peter was said to have lived. Today a modern church stands next to an ancient synagoge and Christian prayers mingled with Jewish davenners...how do we know where is St Peter's house? It was the house that had 11 layers of the floor - meaning that the home had been occupied through hundreds if not thousands of years.

Very interesting - and someplace I'd never been before! As Rabbi Ben Bag Bag says about the Torah, turn it and turn it for everything is within it. The same is with visiting Israel. There is always something new to find and see.

Continuing up north into the Golan, we watched the view as we climbed in our bus...we came to the city of Katzrin and had a yummy lunch and what Renee termed the best ice cream in the Golan. You know it's good when even your guide who recommends the ice cream goes and eats it! It really was fabulous! (My mom wants me to note that it was really gelato...I had tiramisu flavor - yum!)

After lunch we embarked on a Jeep tour (they were actually Land Rovers) to see the Golan Heights. As Warren Christopher once said "ah....Geography IS important!" - we saw the very important significance of the Heights...from them you can just see the whole of Israel arrayed before you. The beauty is breathtaking but the knowledge of the danger to the towns and kibbutzim and fields and PEOPLE below if these high parts are not in our hands....

We saw wild boar and jackals in the fields and talked about the ruins of the Syrian army bases. The recent rain and snow had left the off-roads very muddy and full of deep puddles. At least we didn't have to get out and push!!!

Our jeeps dropped us off at the Golan Winery where we toured and tasted...yum!

We arrived in the evening after the wine tour at our hotel in Kibbutz Kfar Blum. The hotel was lovely and the dinner delicious.

After dinner most of us met together in the somewhat noisy lobby and shared stories, some details about the trip, and it was just a nice chance to be all together.

Everyone thought the hotel was wonderful and I know we all slept so well after such a busy day:)!

Keshet!

As we left Jerusalem in the slushy snow this morning and came down from the hills of Jerusalem, the snow turned to rain and then tapered off...

...and off in the distance over the hills of the desert appeared a beautiful rainbow! We stopped to take a picture but it faded...as we drove we saw another one - a full bow! It was truly a blessing...

Blessed are You, our God, Creator of the World, who remembers the covenant with Noah with each appearance of a rainbow.

Snow in Jerusalem!!!!

It's here! Everyone said it would be but who really believes the weather guy?

It's awfully pretty but might not be so good for our schedule....

The wind is howling in Jerusalem!

The Israelis have been rather obsessed with sheleg this week. Sheleg, the Hebrew word for snow, seems to strike both fear and glee into the hearts of Jerusalemites! Everyone is sure it will snow (as though even the meteorologists here are close to God) and have been worrying over our plans...we plan, God laughs!

So...the wind is howling, the rain is pouring down, and perhaps it will snow. During my year-in-Israel it did not snow, although usually Jerusalem gets about one snow a year. So i would be excited to see it, so long as it does not hamper our plans too much!

Today was a glorious day. The sky was blue, the temperature warm, and we headed south to Masada. Some of our group climbed the formidable mountain but most took the cable car to the top. Even though it was almost midnite back in Chicago, a couple of us took great delight in making phone calls from up there!

Monday morning is a very busy time on Masada becuase of all the Bnai Mitzvah! But we still enjoyed our tour and hearing the tale of Masada...

As we made our way back down the wind definitely began to pick up. Lunch at Ein Gedi followed by an excellent hike through the Nature Preserve. We saw ibex (hebrew Yael! Like my girl) and hyrex, a cute furry animal. Some we close enough to almost touch. Ein Gedi is where young David hid from the wrath of Saul...so we read a poem/midrash about Abishag, his last and youngest wife.

We got a chance to stop at the Ahava factory store and then headed to the Dead Sea! The wind was really going now and as we walked down the path to the water the people coming up told us that they were closing the beach for the wind. Of course, we said, so laughably typical of our trip so far!? We went down anyway and took pictures wading in the water. The wind nearly knocked us over! A few minutes in the sulfur bath and we were on our way back to Jerusalem.

And none too soon as the wind began to howl and the rain started to come down....

So we might go to the mall, what else do you do on a rainy night? Our guide told me that was very Israeli of us....so we'll see. We're having a great time - the group has a wonderful sense of humor about all the interesting occurances and our guide, Renee, is fantastic...(Hey, Renee, are you reading?:)

Our journey continues...

So much to report on our journey...Shabbat was lovely - we shared wonderful services on Friday night at kehillat HarEl, Am Shalom's sister synagogue, where the music was fantastic and the sermon highly relevant - it was about clothing, the clothing of the high priest of course...but to our group, most of whom were wearing the same clothes in which we travelled, it was very funny!

It is great to travel to Israel and yet hear many of the same tunes at Shabbat services. Wherever we roam, Jews can feel at home!

The day of Shabbat was mostly spent in the Old City, followed by a study session back at HarEl and a seudah slishit, the 3rd meal of Shabbat before Havdalah. Then we had a night on the town, eating and browsing Ben Yehuda Street's many shops!

Sunday dawned beautifully - bright blue sky and mild temperatures. We began by meeting with Hannah Pick, Anne Frank's closest childhood friend. Our time with this lovely lady was altogether too short - her stories were fascinating. Then we immediately left for Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial and Museum.

I had not yet seen the newly redone museum. It was done so well, moving through the years and moments of the atrocities in a moving and beautiful way.

The museum was perhaps even more incredible because of the young soldiers also touring. To see their emotion, most of them tough sabras, was beautiful. Also we shared the tour time with the 8th and 9th grade Chicago teens on the Taam Yisrael program. So good to see these young people gaining this wonderful experience and so moving to see our next generation here in Israel.

The most powerful image to me was the hall of remembrance - a very tall room with shelves stretching above and beyond the floor, lined with books containing the testimony of survivors. Alongside these books were the empty shelves - all the testimony we do not have - all those who did not live to tell their story. The image was a stark reminder of what we've lost.

We came back out into that gorgeous blue sky, and breathed in the air of modern Israel in all her splendor.

We went to Mount Scopus and saw the Chagall Windows at the Hadassah Hospital. They are truly gorgeous.

We returned to our hotel and met briefly with Linda Epstein of the Chicago JUF - she shared he job with us and how she is so instrumental in guiding our money in Israel.

Then we met with Alice Shalvi, founder of the Israel Women's Network and the mother of Israeli feminism. She's quite a sharp and formidable woman and our group enjoyed her talk very much!

Ah....for me a trip to Jerusalem wouldnt be complete without eating at the Village Green, an amazing vegetarian restaurant. (My brother ate across the street at Burgers Bar...go figure) It did not disappoint!!!

Tomorrow we're off to Masada.
Hope for good weather for us - they are predicting snow!:)

Shabbat is coming to Jerusalem

Any early wakeup took us to the Kotel (Western Wall) tunnel tour - an incredible walk under the houses and along the excavation site of the Kotel. Our group was tired but agreed that the visit was thoroughly worth it!

The Kotel, ah....each time I come to Israel I stand in awe of those stones, cut and placed in almost miraculous fashion (because of their size and the available technology)....the beauty of those stones, worn by so many hands...

Like so many, i think of the moment in 1967 - Har haBayit b'yadeinu! The Temple Mount is in our hands! The moment when those young paratroopers came to this place and their tears fell...

The Old City is such a magical place - ancient blending with modern...phone cards and Roman glass, Internet cafes and stone ruins. A brief walk through the ancient Cardo (and a few moments to shop) and we're on our way to Mahane Yehuda.

Machane Yehuda is an outdoor market that positively buzzes on Friday afternoons. The crazy frenzy of last-minute shopping is intense and exhilarating! We found dates and pita and cookies and pomelos and strawberries and rugelach and flowers...plus, of course, felafel !!!

Even though we don't have our luggage,
even though we are so tired from no sleep and crazy travel,
Shabbat is coming. Shabbat in Jerusalem...such a blessing, such a joy.

May this Shabbat bring blessings.

We've arrived in Israel....

....But without our luggage.

Oh well - even the air here is better than the air anywhere else so how can we possibly complain?

(I would write lots of mean things here abour British Airways in the hopes that someone from their PR department would see it but I'm too tired )

We ended up with any interesting side journey to Brussels (sprouts, anyone?) and finally have arrived (it's 2:15am)....

Tomorrow we go to the Old City!
Stay tuned....

We're off!

Today was the most beautiful day Chicago has seen in a long time! The sun shone for extended periods of time and the copious snow glittered. I woke up thrilled that a snowstorm had not marred our plans....until I learned that our flight was cancelled because of weather in London!

After much worry and wrangling we were all safely rebooked on a slightly later flight (ideally we'll still make our connection!) And we are all happily chatting and snacking and about to board our plane!

See you on the other side:)

Was the House Episode anti-Semitic?

The episode "Don't Ever Change" of the TV show House (which I don't watch all that often, btw) has been brought to my attention so I made sure to watch it.

In brief, a woman who is ba'alat teshuvah (chosen to become Orthodox, or in this case Chasidic, a specific type of Orthodoxy), falls ill at her wedding and, as is customary on the show, her case is complicated and mysterious.

The doctor, Gregory House, is snarky and disrespectful of the woman's choice of religious rigor. He says that people don't change. He is relatively obnoxious. But his commentary doesn't really bother me -- because he is rude about *everyone* in my opinion,which I believe is how his character is always supposed to be. (He is remarkably knowledgeable about Judaism, though, even to knowing what Eyshet Chayil is...anyone out there know, is the good doctor supposed to be Jewish?)

The woman is adamant about her choice of frum-ness, and seems incredibly sincere. She is embarking upon an arranged marriage and the new husband is kind and attentive.

The thing that bugged me the most about this episode was the woman's desire to celebrate Shabbat with her husband before she embarks on the surgery. She frustrates the surgeons who trick her into bringing Shabbat in early. Her husband goes along with this charade. But I can't figure out exactly how early they do this -- does he go along with it as part of the pikuach nefesh, the commandment to save a life? In that case, even he is part of the fulfillment of the commandment. What bothers me here is that she is picking and choosing her commandments -- Shabbat over Pikuach Nefesh just doesn't work. There are far too many stories about different situations in which saving a life trumps the Sabbath for me to understand how she wants this! On the other hand, her own sentimentality about spending Shabbat with her new husband does seem sincere. (okay, the acting was just fair, imho, but this isn't a review of the acting!)

(for those of you who are interested, it's permissible to "bring in Shabbat early" -- approximately an hour and a quarter before sunset, which happens most often in families with young children in the summer who want to start Shabbat before 8pm. I'm guessing that in this episode it was far more than that before sunset.)

Okay, so was this episode anti-Semitic? I don't think so. Was it a good and wonderful portrayal of Chasidic Jews? Nah. Is TV ever good at that? Not so much.

What did you think?

time to build the mishkan....

Time to build the ark!
God gives Mo some instructions...
who and how to do.

If your heart moves you
bring your gifts for the Mishkan*
gold, silver, copper,

colored yarn, linen,
goats' hair, ram skins, acacia
oil, spices, gems...

Make two cherubim
and put them on the cover.
Make a table too.

Make a menorah
six branches -- of purest gold,
to light it all up.

Put the Ark, table,
and the menorah into
the Tabernacle.

Weave a curtain of
Purple, blue and crimson yarn
as a partition

Cover the Mishkan*
with fine twisted linen stuff.
Make it beautiful!

*AKA Tabernacle

Things are about to get a tad bloody...stay tuned for next week!

Did you know...

Did you vote?

It's a big day...

Decisions, decisions...

laws laws laws

In this week's Torah portion, Mishpatim....

God gives lotsa laws,
tells Moses to pass them on
for all to obey.

Laws for keeping slaves,
how to treat your maids and wives,
penalties and rules

don't hit mom or dad,
what to do when an ox gores,
don't throw stones or smite.

It's eye for an eye
life for life and tooth for tooth
burning for burning...

If you dig a pit
and someone falls into it
you have to make good.

The people answered:
"all that God has said we'll do!"
So Mo wrote it down.

Mo went up the Mount
left Aaron in charge of things
and all the judging.

A cloud covered up
mount sinai from all their view
Mo stayed forty days.

(What happened while he was up there? Stay tuned...)


Shabbat Shalom!

(I'm feeling a bit neglectful of this blog...I promise to work on that!)

Beshallach in Haiku

We're free! Let's go forth!
We'll take Joe's bones and get out
God will be with us.

Pharaoh changed his mind,
decided the Jews should stay.
He sent an army.

The Jews were frightened
Stay or go? Sink or paddle?
They were really stuck.

The army behind
and in front, the Sea of Reeds
Neither seemed too good.

The people cried out.
God said, "Mo! Lift up your staff!"
And the water split.

Amazed, they marched through
Walls of water on each side
on dry land they walked.

The army chased them
But Moses dropped his arm and
the water rushed in.

Freedom at a price:
the death of so many men.
We mourned and rejoiced.

There on the seashore
they sang and they danced - praise God!
Miriam led them.

They walked for three days,
no water was to be found.
They really complained.

They found water then,
but the water was bitter.
(That's what Marah means.)

God told Mo, "Toss wood
into the water to fix
it and make it sweet."

They were hungry then
and there was more complaining.
so God sent manna.

Take just what you need
No more, no less, no excess.
The food was delish!

On the sixth day they
collected double their need
for Shabbat, of course!

Again no water
God told Mo to strike a rock
and water came out.

Then came an attack
Amalek brought war on us.
Things looked kinda bad.

Mo sat on a hill
as he held his hand up high
Israel prevailed.

When his hand fell down
Amalek did much better.
Aaron helped out Mo.

Joshua led troops
and his army prevailed
against Amalek.

To this day we blot
out the name of Amalek -
he kicked us when down.

Stay tuned for more wandering in the wilderness!
Shabbat Shalom!

Sandwiches & a Giveaway!

Did you know how easy it is to save the world?
One Sandwich at a Time!

If you would like to slow global warming, if you would like to save water, if you would like to slow deforestation and overgrazing and cut back on the pesticides and fertilizers used to grow your food, all you have to do is change your lunch today (or tomorrow, if you’re reading this after lunch):
Pack a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead of buying a lunch based on animal products, like a hamburger, fried chicken, or ham sandwich. Want to do more? Have another PB&J tomorrow.

from the PB&J Campaign -- check it out!

In honor of Tu B'Shevat (the Birthday of the Trees) and the commitment to the earth that the holiday brings with it (read more here and here), Skeeda: Reusable Bags for the Hip, Eco-Chic Shopper is giving away one gorgeous, awesome re-usable shopping (shlepping) bag! The bag is very strong, washable, folds flat and is beautiful! Visit their lovely site to see all their affordable and beautiful styles. (Read more about re-usable bags here.)


How can you win?
Go visit my other blog and make a comment on Wednesday and/or Thursday's posts to win!

This giveaway ends on Thursday, January 18th at 9pm Central Time. Winner will be announced Friday morning, along with the next Tu B'Shevat Birthday Giveaway!

Come back all week for the Tu B'Shevat Birthday Party and more green green green....re-use a bag, hug a tree!

Other Tu B'Shevat Party Posts:
Go Vegetarian and be green?
For the Love of the Trees

after 6 days....

for 6 days....

rushing running moving
beeping dinging ringing
calling writing sending
buying selling shopping
asking wanting getting
buzzing cleaning washing
wiping driving dragging

but then comes Shabbat....

breathing thinking sleeping
resting hoping dreaming
praying believing celebrating
sharing talking reading
connecting learning inspiring
loving holding enjoying
escaping

Shabbat...
The Great Escape

Submitted as part of Scribbit's Write-Away Contest for January.

P.S. Don't forget to stop by Ima on and off the Bima for the Tu B'Shevat Party and Giveaways all week!

Tu B'Shevat is Coming!

Visit my other blog for a whole week of Tu B'Shevat fun.

Tu B'shevat is the Jewish holiday celebrating the "new year (or birthday) of the trees." The name comes from the calendar date on which it falls: Tu is the Hebrew equivalent of 15 and Shevat is the Hebrew month in which we are in right now. Tu B'shevat was originally a day when the fruits that grew from that day on were counted for the following year in regard to tithes.

In modern times, it is celebrated as a Jewish "Earth Day" -- celebrating trees, planting trees, and reflecting on environmental and ecological issues. This year, Tu B'Shevat falls on Tuesday, January 22nd, next week.

Over the next week leading up to Tu B'Shevat, I'm celebrating green at Ima on and off the Bima with a Birthday Party for the Trees!

No party is complete without party favors, so visit all week for giveaways and winners -- giveaways will be posted today, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday so come back each day this week!

Go there now for an awesome giveaway from Eco-Libris:

A new organization, Eco-Libris, is trying to balance out our books -- planting a tree for every book. They've generously offered to plant 10 trees for one lucky reader, with accompanying stickers to put into your own books to proudly show your "tree offset" and your commitment to the environment.

This week's Torah portion

...is great! Go check out my haikus at my other blog.

Shabbat Shalom!

And thus begins Exodus...

And so we begin
Exodus starts with the names
That's what Shemot* means!

A new king arose
in Egypt where the Jews lived
This guy forgot Joe.

"There are too many!"
Pharaoh thought they might rise up
or join enemies.

So they made them slaves,
they had to work really hard
constructing cities.

Life was bad for Jews,
being slaves was really hard.
But they still "increased."

A new decree came:
When babies are born to Jews
keep girls, kill the boys.

Shifra and Puah,**
the midwives who were so brave,
did not do as told.

One lady gave birth
to a boy she kept hidden
for all of 3 months.

Then she waterproofed
a basket and put him in...
Placed it in the Nile.

His sister watched o'er
as Pharaoh's daughter came out
and rescued the babe.

To keep the baby
the sister offered a nurse -
the baby's own mom!

When he was ready
Mom brought him back to Princess
who named him Moses.

Mo grew up a prince
One day he saw a bad thing
a Hebrew beaten.

Mo looked all around,
saw no one was watching him,
and killed the beater.

Pharaoh heard of it
and was ready to kill Mo
So he fled from town!

He went to Midyan
and met seven girls, daughters
of Jethro the priest.

He defended them
from bad shepherds at the well
They took him to Dad.

He liked this guy, Mo,
gave him Zipporah as wife
made him son-in-law.

One day Mo was out
he saw a bush burning bright
but not burning up!

God called: "Moses! Yo!"
Moses took heed: "Hineni!"***
"You'll free my people."

"Who am I?" said Mo.
God said, "I'll be with you there."
"What's your name?" said Mo.

"I'm the God of their fathers,
Abraham, Isaac and Jake -
I am what I am."

God gave him some signs
that what was said was all true -
a rod, scales and blood.

Mo protested more,
"I am slow of speech and tongue!"
Help comes from Aaron.

They went to Pharaoh
"let my people go, God says!"
But Pharaoh said no.

Things got worse just then
Pharaoh took the straw for bricks
It made the job rough.

The Hebrews got mad
they blamed Mo for their trouble.
But God said, "Don't fret..."

Stay tuned for more of the saga next week!

Shabbat Shalom!

*Shemot is both the name of this week's Torah portion as well as the Hebrew name for the book of Exodus. For more thoughts on what's in a name, check out the Torah commentary for this week from the URJ.
**My favorite biblical name
***Hineni means "here I am."

Friday Parsha Wrap-up in Haiku

Genesis ends now
This week's parsha is the last,
the story, wrapped up.

Jake is gonna die.
He calls Joseph to his bed,
makes him swear a vow:

"Don't bury me here
take me home to lay me down
to rest with my dad."

Joe brings his sons forth
to get blessed by their zeyde*
a whole list of good.

Then the sons are blessed
(Jake's other eleven bros)
Each one hears from Dad.

He reiterates
his yen to rest in Israel's
Cave of Machpelah

Then he dies. Joe cries.
Joe orders his embalming
It takes 40 days.

They took Jake up north
To bury him as he wished
the whole family went.

The brothers got scared
that Joe would retaliate
now that Dad was dead.

Joe told them "Don't fear!"
He committed to protect
all the family clan.

Time flew - Joe got old.
He made his fam swear a vow:
"Take my bones with you."

And thus ends the book
The family saga complete
What's next for the Jews?

(Stay tuned for Exodus...)

*Yiddish word for Grandfather (pronounced zay-dee)

Deep Breath...I'm home!

I write this in my cab home from OHare airport at 1am Chicago time. The weather sure is different here! But so is the feeling of being back in the real world. It's a little like leaving camp - going from being surrounded by Jews and wearing a nametag to being a little (okay a lot) more anonymous. I was sad to have to leave early but glad I was able to hear Eric Yoffie's sermon this morning. What a remarkable man he is. I feel so blessed and safe with him as our fearless leader. I look forward to rereading his sermon when it is posted online and sharing it with my congregation. The biennial was great - buzzing with energy and life and friends who are like family. May blessings follow each and every one of us as we travel in safety back to our homes. Signing off for now but please continue to visit me at my regular blogs here and at http://imabima.blogspot.com Shavua tov and see you in Toronto!

Michael J. Fox is in the room with me!

I admit it. When I was 9 years old, I had a serious crush on Michael J. Fox. The TV show Family Ties was "must-see-tv" for me and all my friends.

And today, I was in the same room with him!

And not only that, but he was articulate and delightful. He accepted the Eisendrath Bearer of Light award with a lovely speech.

As my crush has moved on (although I never miss a chance to watch him...), I clearly missed the detail that he is raising Jewish children. Wow.

He even used the term "b'not mitzvah" to refer to his daughters' upcoming celebration. Wow.

This is a guy who's been on Oprah and the Today show and Jay Leno. And he was on the stage at our Biennial. Wow.

He spoke about the power of Bar Mitzvah in the life of his son who is applying to college. Wow.

I am Joseph!

Judah comes to Joe
"Please, you can't take away Ben!
It would kill our dad."

"I'm responsible."
He takes Ben's life as his charge.
Clearly he has learned.

Joe is overcome.
He knows his brothers have changed.
he cries and cries - loud!

"I'm Joseph, your bro,
the one you tried to sell off.
And I forgive you."

They couldn't believe!
It was like back from the dead.
They were really shocked.

Joe invited them
to come move down to Egypt
and they said "okay."

Jake came to Egypt
to see his long-lost son, Joe.
Everybody cried.

The children of Jake
prospered in the land, Goshen,
and they multiplied.

See more Haiku Friday here!

What's your torah?

The conversation with Rick Warren, Laura Geller, and David Wolpe (moderated by Ron Wolfson) highlighted the importance of telling our stories. Rabbi Geller called this the "Torah of our lives." I once heard it called Torah with a small "t" -- tell me your torah. That is one of the parts of the Biennial that I really enjoy -- hearing all the stories of the presenters. The good presenters tell stories. The best presenters tell the best stories! This is a lesson that I take to heart. When I tell stories, people listen. When I stop telling the story, I think they tune out. (Okay, I know *I* tune out!)

What's your torah?

My Lost Book

The Biennial, like many conventions, has a great deal to offer. Lots of programs, lots of stuff to see and do. There is a program book, with 188 pages of information.

Like any good convention-goer, I marked mine up, tucked stuff inside, and made a general mess of the thing. But it's mine and I loved it. But like any bad convention-goer, I didn't put my name on it....

and it's MISSING! I lost it.

Have you seen my book? It has my pen tucked in (black) and it has many papers inside as well as notes about the sessions, etc.

If found, please contact me! My phone # is posted on the bulletin board outside the shuk.

I will be so happy to have it back.

Rockin' out at Biennial

Yesterday was quite an overwhelming one at the Biennial!

It seems as though I can't walk 2 feet without seeing a different old friend that I've not seen in years...each moment I turn around and see a familiar face. I haven't completed a single conversation because I keep finding someone new to whom I have to say hello!

I have gone to two different prayer experiences, both last night for Maariv, and this morning for Shacharit. Both were completely overflowing, with far more davenners than chairs. I am pleased and impressed with the desire for creative worship experiences. Last night, the Maariv service was musical and, similar to the way in which we do our Friday Night Live at Am Shalom, used a screen for the words, instead of a prayerbook. I find this to be a fascinating way to pray. Usually, I'm on the other end, the one running the presentation and not using the screen. I was able to "space out" on the music and the images on the screen unencumbered by a book, but I did find that I missed holding a siddur in my hands. The music was delightful and I felt a buzz of energy in the room. This morning's service was similar, musical but with a siddur in hand. Although I arrived late... the perils of running into people... this week's Torah portion never fails to delight. Ani Yosef!

Jay Geller told us that Biennial is a "bargain" -- and even at the prices we pay, I do believe that he's right. It's quite a joyful experience to see all these musical guests, hear all these wonderful scholars, listen to incredible speakers and celebrate Judaism. I love to walk into a tefillah and see more tallit and kippah than not. Rabbi Dan Freelander said that here we are "standing at the top of the mountain of Jewish life" and he is right. This is indeed the top of the mountain and we are blessed to be together, blessed to look out on the state of Jewish life.

More today!

San Diego Dispatch...#1

I giggled when I got to the airport this morning and found approximately half of the Jewish community of Chicago on my flight. Okay, just kidding...there were only about 10 people going to the Biennial. But it felt like a lot!

There is something wonderful and powerful about being in the airport (O'Hare) in a huge city (Chicago) and feeling like you know everyone.

In a sense, that is also what the Biennial is like for me. There are literally thousands of people here and yet I feel like I can't walk two feet without giving someone a hug! It's so wonderful to see so many Jews all in one place, to know that we all speak the same language (both literally and figuratively) and that we are all here together to celebrate our Jewish lives and our Jewish community.

As I write this, I'm sitting in a session on Web 2.0. I think this is one of the most interesting and powerful ideas out there right now, one of the most exciting ways to communicate and connect with people, with our congregants. Rabbi Paul Kipnes, of http://rabbipaul.blogspot.com(he has a congregation, too, but I know him by his blog!) is giving a hands-on lesson in being cheeky on the web. He's right. Even this blog that you're now reading -- no one is (I hope) checking what we say or monitoring it...we are definitely being cheeky by allowing many people to communicate what they're feeling and seeing at the Biennial.

Check out the Biennial blog to read other people's opinion of what's going on in San Diego and to see what the Biennial is all about!

More of the Joseph Saga...

We meet back with Joe
Remember he's in prison
stuck there in Egypt.

Pharoah had a dream:
seven fat cows by the Nile
seven thin ones too.

The thin ate the fat
but they didn't get fatter.
what could all this mean?

Then he dreamed again:
Seven good ears of corn grew,
seven bad ones too.

The bad ate the good
but they didn't get better.
What could this all mean?

Pharaoh was disturbed.
When the pharaoh ain't happy,
then no one's happy.

What did the dreams mean?
His wisest men couldn't say.
The butler spoke up.

"I was once in jail
and I had a dream while there;
a guy helped me out."

Aha! It was Joe!
They cleane dhim up, brought him in.
Pharaoh told the dreams.

Joe credited God.
"God helps me figure it out,
I know what they mean."

Seven rockin' years
full of food and great success
are coming our way.

Then come seven bad:
no food, a famine, it's rough!
Things will go downhill.

Joe gave his advice:
"Get someone to make a plan,
set up a system,

put away extra,
save it for the rainy days
so we can eat then!"

Pharoah said: "It's great!
You're the right guy for the job,
you have God's wisdom."

So Joe was the guy.
They saved all the leftovers
to pass out later.

(This is a super long Torah portion! I'll finish it next year... ha ha.. Or see the "other version" of the story!)

And for more Haiku Friday, click here.