The Loop

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

shidduch dating

hey guys
so i'm here in my office, sitting at my desk, doing very important work...oh wait no i'm not. there are about 30 guys dancing around the building right now, singing "V'shavu Banim" and no one is actually doing any work. i'm not sure why i wake up at 8 every morning. right now in my office, my boss is fighting with the mizrachi guy about why english accents sound stupid, the mizrachi guy is cutting up papers to prove some point, and i'm on facebook thinking about lunch.
i'm excited about lunch. maybe i'll have falafel. i'm kind of in the mood and i havent had any since i made aliyah. whats up with that, right?
anyways, i just wanted to say hi and remind you guys that i'm alive.
maybe today i'll go get health insurance. that could be fun.
have a shana tova


why is this called shidduch dating?
i dont know. sometimes you just cant understand everything.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Gmar Chatima Tova

Wishing everyone a Gmar Chatima Tova, a good fast and a year of health, happiness, wealth & other good things

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

From Rav Aviner's Weekly E-mail

Why Eretz Yisrael?
[From "Be-Ahavah U-Be-Emunah" –
Parashat Netzavim-Vayelech 5769 – translated by R. Blumberg]

Question: Why is Eretz Yisrael the only thing that interests you people? You’re fixated on it! Certainly it’s important, but there are other important things: Torah study and mitzvah observance, education and our country’s social problems.

Answer: Indeed, this claim has provided a ready excuse for complaining over the years, and there are two answers to it:

First, why be inaccurate? Why mislead and confuse people? It isn’t true. We’re involved in Eretz Yisrael, but also in Torah learning and mitzvah observance and education and social issues. “Everything G-d said, we will do and obey” (Shemot 24:27). And precisely because the battlefront is so long, we have to work on ourselves in every one of these spheres, and G-d will come to our aid.

Second of all, are we properly devoted to Eretz Yisrael? It should only be so! Surely you can’t suspect Moshe of not being devoted to Torah and mitzvot, education and society, yet he still begged to enter Eretz Yisrael: “I beseeched G-d at that time saying, ‘Let me pass through and see the good land…’” (Devarim 3:23-25). G-d finally said to him, “You’ve said enough!” (verse 26). Don’t ask anymore. “Let people not say, ‘How unfair the Master! How stubborn and incalcitrant the disciple!” (Rashi). That shows how vociferously Moshe begged. “Here is one of three places where Moshe told G-d, ‘I won’t relent until You tell me if You’re going to fulfill my request or not” (Rashi, verse 23). Yet surely Moses had a reason for doing so. Eretz Yisrael has profound importance, the very most profound importance of all. It was only for a matter of such profundity that Moshe begged G-d in this manner. And Eretz Yisrael involves not just one profound matter, but 252 profound matters. Ha-Rav Natan Shapiro, the Chief Rabbi of Cracow, born in 1591, was one of the greatest mekubalim [mystics] of Poland in his day. His entire book “Megaleh Amukot” is devoted to those same 252 arguments used by Moshe to explain why he craved to enter the Land. He did not invent them all. Rather, they are taken from the works of Rabbi Menachem Racanati, the “Rokeach,” the Arizal, Rabbi Menachem Azariah of Pano, Rabbi Moshe Cordovero and Rambam’s Guide to the Perplexed. (see the work, “Kol HaNevu’a” by Rabbi David HaKohen, “the Nazir”, page 269). For example, number four is: “If someone possesses the merit from Eretz Yisrael, he can rid the world of its craving for idolatry.” Also, Eretz Yisrael is a key to “attaining the secret of wisdom… because the air of Eretz Yisrael makes one wise.” Certainly Moshe was full of divine wisdom, yet he still craved to enter Eretz Yisrael to add on more.

Principle 170 is: Eretz Yisrael is the key to fulfilling “The humble shall inherit the Land” (Tehillim 37:11), for the culmination of all character traits is humility. Certainly Moshe was the most humble man on earth. Even so, he longed to enter the Land to become more so.
Principle 187: “Eretz Yisrael is the key to bringing all the nations under the wings of the Divine Presence. That’s why Moshe beseeched Hashem. He was acting for the sake of Heaven, with the intent of helping all mankind to serve G-d.”

Indeed, Eretz Yisrael is a very profound matter. And may we merit to become more closely attached to Eretz Yisrael and to delve more deeply in the topic of Eretz Yisrael.

Happy Birthday Dad

A dvar Torah for dad's birthday:

On Yom Kippur, we traditionally kill one goat and send it to hashem on the mizbayach and kill another goat and send it to azazel in the desert. The reason why we do this is one of the great mysteries of the Jewish people.
I would like to suggest a reason (a חידוש).
When we kill a goat and send it to Hashem, we are filled with a great sense of purpose, we have taken an animal and used it to serve God. We are thus actualizing some of the purpose of creation. However, when we take a goat and throw it down a rocky cliff, we might look at this as a big waste. We don't get to eat the meat, God doesn't get it as a korban (in the traditional sense of korban) and it reeks of paganism.
I think that there is a very clear message that we can learn from here. The path to hell is paved with good intentions. A sacrifice, if not done in the proper way is not a good sacrifice. I would call it a waste. For example, if you decided that you were going to give up eating watermelon to try and get closer to God, you have basically done a ridiculous sacrifice. You are sacrificing your ability to eat watermelon and it doesn't bring you closer to God.
On Yom Kippur, the day when we make resolutions on how to be a better person, God is telling us that if the sacrifices we make are not worthy sacrifices, then it may as well not be made. It is like throwing a goat to azazel. With the 2 goats we learn that there are different types of sacrifices. One is a proper sacrifice and it goes to Hashem. The other is an irrelevant sacrifice and it gets thrown down a rocky cliff, where nobody gets any benefit from it.
God wants us to think before we make resolutions. If it is in fact a resolution that will bring us closer to God, then we should make the sacrifice and change our lives in some minor way. If it will not bring us closer to God, it is better not making it.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

שנה טובה תכתב ותחתם
from the americanishe zacks'

Sunday, September 13, 2009

L"CHAIM

I have been curious as to why so guys say L"CHAIM when we say kiddush. I was looking into the sefer of the reasons for minhagim and found an answer. At a capital punishment trial ,they would ask the judges "sovrei marabannan L mi'sa or L chaim." If they said L'mi'sa they would give the gulity person a very strong cup of wine to numb him so that the stoning would not be so painful. Therefore when we make kiddush and say the same words "sovrei marabannan " you say L chaim. You can find this on reason 292 in Ta ama minhagim. Have a great week of shilchos
DAD

Boys will be boys

I was walking home from Shul with Sammy and Jonah. Sammy said something. which I didn't understand so I asked him what he said, he look at me and said..
You farted?
I hadn't and I told him so, but Jonah wasn't a believer: he told Sammy to smell my tush. So Sammy smelled my tush and announced that I smelled.

I have such sweet boys :)

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Whoohooo!


















We are so proud of you, Batch! Even though this past week it seemed like it wouldn't happen yet, you made it and with style!!

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Come One Come All!!!

You are all invited to celebrate our Aliyahversary (which in English dates is on Tuesday - check with Shlomo for the Jewish date)!!

We will be partying on Thursday evening at our place, way out in the West Bank. :)

Let us know if you plan to attend!!

Thanks,
Natalie (and the gang)

PS - Just to keep you in The Loop, so you don't feel left out, we are having a kiddush this Shabbat in honor of Kayla's birth (ummmmm.....just 7 1/2 months ago) and also to celebrate our Aliyahversary! It's not that you aren't invited per se.....it's just we don't have room for everyone to sleep and eat. :(
So all the more reason to come and party on Thursday!!!!

Friday, September 04, 2009

see you all at the airport on monday!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chagim

Soo.......what's everyone doing for the Chagim?

Thursday, September 03, 2009

ATTN Daddy and Jake

We thought we would rename Avigail to:
Pirate Avigail

aliyah

so...I'm not positive that I'll be on the flight on Monday. I sent in my passport to get a visa, and I haven't gotten it back yet. I'll let you guys know what the situation is as soon as I know, but if I can't make it, I'm so sorry if any of you took off work to come to the airport...

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

blifford or ....

due to an overwhelming amount of negative comments we have decided on Thomas the Toyota, for thomas the tank engine who is blue too, thank you for your input and concern about our cars' name

Regards

Regards to all Zacks' from Yaakov Montrose. He called today because he just published a new Sefer and wanted our address so he could send us one.

Go figure.

we would like to officially welcome BLIFFORD to our family. he is a toyota sienna and he is slate blue in color hence blue clifford blifford

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Happy Birthday Jonah

Happy 5th Birthday Jonah!!