The Loop

Show me the S P A M!

2020-12-31T14:11:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving

2009-11-07T15:56:00.002-05:00

Nat and I were wondering if there are Thanksgiving plans/thoughts/discussions yet

2009-11-06T04:45:00.000-05:00

This is daniel in America!!!!!

News of the day

2009-11-05T15:20:00.000-05:00

Yisrael can sit upright. He can't yet pull himself up but can support himself if put in that position.

FYI

2009-11-01T11:11:00.001-05:00

obama has decided that now would be a good time to turn back the clocks, so , we are now back to 7 hours different than you guys. so keep this in mind WHEN YOU CALL US ! have a good week everyone

Rummy Q rules

2009-11-01T09:54:00.002-05:00

We had a disagreement this past Shabbat with mom about Rummy Q rules (don't worry this was nowhere near the level of a Monopoly fight:)
I had two tiles left on my board a Joker and a 12. I used the joker as an 11, put down the 12 and won. Mom and I think Batch said that I can only use a joker with two of my own tiles. Nat and I claimed that - that rule only applies when you take a joker off the board.
how do you play?

2009-10-29T15:35:00.002-04:00

The wedding of Aliza and David was GREAT!!!! A lot of hoopla, and a very beautiful Kallah.
We had a great time, and was glad that it was the beginning of our travels to Israel.
As always, H and R were wonderful hosts, and it was great reconnecting with their many friends.

2009-10-29T04:08:00.003-04:00

Hey!! Here we are back on Tchernachofsky, hopefully for the last time!!!!
We got a good night's sleep, and have walked Gan Sacher....twice..
feels good to be back in our routine again, Dad is off to learn for the morning
The Jerusalem clan (and Shauli) are all great.
We may have brought rain with us, as its very cloudy here
thats a good thing!!!
Missing you all back home.

2009-10-26T20:02:00.002-04:00

BYE BYE MISS AMERICAN PIE...

she conceived and she bore

2009-10-19T22:29:00.002-04:00

A chumash question- ( this is not rhetorical - i'm looking for an answer) Every time some one gives birth in the chumash it always say "she conceived and than she bore " but with Moses and Zipporah when she gave birth to Gershon it only says she bore - it doesnt say she conceived. Chizkuni says the change in language is because when she was pregnant it wasn't recognizable because she carried small . I find it hard to understand why the Torah would alter it's normal language to teach me Zipporah carried small. When thinking about it , I began to question why the Torah would always say she "conceived " how else would she bear a child? . Thats my question . Why metion everytime that she "conceived " and why leave it out with Zipporah ? Do you feel my confusion?
DAD

happy birthday arye

2009-10-19T05:17:00.001-04:00

wow. you're getting old.

A slight change in plans

2009-10-18T15:03:00.002-04:00

Now that I have the computers and TV's that I ordered for my business, I decided it was time for a real job. I got a call from Josh on Friday and he asked if I knew of anyone that was interested in a full time job managing a project his company was outsourced to do. I thought about it and decided I was interested in the job, and today I got an official offer, which I accepted.

I am not giving up on my company, that would be really dumb now that I actually invested money in it, but I realized that my Hebrew isn't as awesome as I thought it was, and I needed to find an Israeli salesperson. My new job, while full time is flexible hours and working from home, which will allow me to run my company as well.

The next few months should be pretty interesting, going from bumming around most of the time to working all the time. Wish me luck

שבת קדש

2009-10-17T21:07:00.004-04:00

shabbos with family is a beautiful thing. those of you in israel probably get to experience more often than us. by family i mean siblings, not parents, because we usually get to spend shabbos with parents just not siblings, and y'all get to spend shabbos with siblings but not parents. anywhoo, the are zacks' davened in mogen avrham friday night and it was very special it was like the abraham brothers who always sit next to each other even though they are well in their grandparenthood, and i got to be in shul with my brother even though we didnt sit next to each other, but for a moment i felt like an abraham brother. we then got to eat together and drink together and laugh and cry together, and play together, and milaine and co. came over and we played with them too. and we had playdoh cookies, and popcorn and oatmeal cookies and jelly belly's or jelly bellies. and then it was time for mincha and we all went our seperate ways and then it was motzei shabbos and i went over to pick things up from the house and i got to see them again, and then tomorrow we will hopefully have brunch at `10:15 and then who knows what that will lead to...
anyone else want to come play?

The STONE that roared

2009-10-13T22:02:00.003-04:00

Greetings to everyone from Galus

B"H" I am feeling fantastic- almost euphoric. I dont think going thru a kidney stone attack is exactly worth the great feeling that I now have , but who knows. I am certainly saying "asher yatzer " with more kovanna. I want to thank everyone for their concern and tephillos. May the up comming year be a year of bracha and joy for our entire family and all of Klal Yisrael.
the DAD

2009-10-12T21:34:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to wish Arye a יום הולדת שמח as this is his Hebrew birthday. In America we call it Isru Chag, in Israel, it's not even associated with the Chag.
Love, Mom

Who Taught This Kid How to Read?

2009-10-08T15:27:00.002-04:00

So we're walking along, done with jumping in all the waterfalls in Ein Gedi, and Nava's running down the mountain, laughing and saying, "Can we go on a Tiyul every DAY???"

She stops short and suddenly bursts out hysterically crying. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"The rocks can fall down the mountain on us!!!!"

"How do you know?"

"It says so on the sign," she cries.

"Wow? She read that?" I wonder to myself.

"Wait a minute, Honey, did you read it in Hebrew or English?"

"Hebrew."

She is getting so big.

(p.s. Daddy, the hero, offered to walk on the upper-mountain side of the path to block his baby from possible avalanches)

chol hamoed

2009-10-07T14:23:00.002-04:00

why is it so difficult to get the kids ready to go on a fun trip? maybe going to the zoo isnt so fun for them

shidduch dating

2009-09-29T04:53:00.003-04:00

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!

2009-09-29T04:20:00.002-04:00

Gmar Chatima Tova

2009-09-27T06:29:00.001-04:00

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

From Rav Aviner's Weekly E-mail

2009-09-22T10:30:00.001-04:00

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

2009-09-22T03:18:00.002-04:00

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.

2009-09-17T21:26:00.002-04:00

שנה טובה תכתב ותחתם
from the americanishe zacks'

L"CHAIM

2009-09-13T13:03:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-13T06:56:00.002-04:00

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 :)