Sunday, March 21, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Friday, December 18, 2009
The lights of Haukkah
Blessed are You, HaShem, Our G-d, King of the Universe, Who sanctifical us with His Mitzvot and commaned us to kindle the Hanukkah Lights.
Blessed are You HaShem, Our G-d, King of the Universe, Who performed wonderous deed for our ancestors in days of old, at this season.
Monday, May 11, 2009
It's a Reel Thing: 15 Things I Learned From My Mummie#links#links
My thoughts on Mother's Day;
Mother's Day, like Christmas, has pagen roots.
It was actually a Roman thing, a day set aside to honour the mothers of Rome.
Later, it would be Anna Jarivs would come up with the idea of honouring mothers. It was to be a quiet, peaceful day. Later. Miss Jarvis decry how Mother's Day, like Thanksgiving and Chrsitmas has become commerial. "Cards are the letters you are too lazy to write!"
Ouch!
It would be Mr. W Wilson who would sign the proclamtion that the second day of May would be Mother's Day.
And while I can understand Miss Jarvis's feelings, most mums like the school made cards their kids make. I can tell you first hand there is nothing like recieving a Mother's Day from a son who is the Navy and out to sea. To recieve flowers from a grandson.
The bible tell us who are children: "Honour thy mother and thy father."
Yes, every day is Mother's Day.
But on the second day of May, we say "thank you!" to all of "mothers" in our lives.
It's a Reel Thing: 15 Things I Learned From My Mummie#links#links
Mother's Day, like Christmas, has pagen roots.
It was actually a Roman thing, a day set aside to honour the mothers of Rome.
Later, it would be Anna Jarivs would come up with the idea of honouring mothers. It was to be a quiet, peaceful day. Later. Miss Jarvis decry how Mother's Day, like Thanksgiving and Chrsitmas has become commerial. "Cards are the letters you are too lazy to write!"
Ouch!
It would be Mr. W Wilson who would sign the proclamtion that the second day of May would be Mother's Day.
And while I can understand Miss Jarvis's feelings, most mums like the school made cards their kids make. I can tell you first hand there is nothing like recieving a Mother's Day from a son who is the Navy and out to sea. To recieve flowers from a grandson.
The bible tell us who are children: "Honour thy mother and thy father."
Yes, every day is Mother's Day.
But on the second day of May, we say "thank you!" to all of "mothers" in our lives.
It's a Reel Thing: 15 Things I Learned From My Mummie#links#links
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Yom Hashoah
To survivors, the Holocaust remains real and ever-present, but for some others, sixty years makes the Holocaust seem part of ancient history. Year-round we try to teach and inform others about the horrors of the Holocaust. We confront the questions of what happened? How did it happen? How could it happen? Could it happen again? We attempt to fight against ignorance with education and against disbelief with proof.
But there is one day in the year when we make a special effort to remember (Zachor). Upon this one day, we remember those that suffered, those that fought, and those that died. Six million Jews were murdered. Many families were completely decimated.
Why this day?
Jewish history is long and filled with many stories of slavery and freedom, sorrow and joy, persecution and redemption. For Jews, their history, their family, and their relationship with God have shaped their religion and their identity. The Hebrew calendar is filled with varied holidays that incorporate and reiterate the history and tradition of the Jewish people.
After the horrors of the Holocaust, Jews wanted a day to memorialize this tragedy. But what day? The Holocaust spanned years with suffering and death spread throughout these years of terror. No one day stood out as representative of this destruction.
So various days were suggested.
The tenth of Tevet was proffered. This day is Asarah B'Tevet and marks the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem. But this day holds no direct relation or tie to the Holocaust.
The Zionists in Israel, many of whom had fought in the ghettos or as partisans, wanted to commemorate the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising - April 19, 1943. But this date on the Hebrew calendar is the 14th of Nissan - the day before Passover, a very important and happy holiday. Orthodox Jews objected to this date.
For two years, the date was debated. Finally, in 1950, compromises and bargaining began. The 27th of Nissan was chosen, which falls beyond Passover but within the time span of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Orthodox Jews still did not like this date because it was a day of mourning within the traditionally happy month of Nissan. As a final effort to compromise, it was decided that if the 27th of Nissan would affect Shabbat (fall on Friday or Saturday), then it would be moved. If the 27th of Nissan falls on a Friday, Holocaust Remembrance Day is moved to the preceding Thursday. If the 27th of Nissan falls on a Sunday, then Holocaust Remembrance Day is moved to the following Monday.
On April 12, 1951, the Knesset (Israel's parliament) proclaimed Yom Hashoah U'Mered HaGetaot (Holocaust and Ghetto Revolt Remembrance Day) to be the 27th of Nissan. The name later became known as Yom Hashoah Ve Hagevurah (Devastation and Heroism Day) and even later simplified to Yom Hashoah.
This year, Yom Hashoah will be on April 21, 2009.
How is it observed?
Since Yom Hashoah is a relatively new holiday, there are no set rules or rituals. What kind of ritual could represent the Holocaust?
There are various beliefs about what is and is not appropriate on this day - and many of them are conflicting. In general, Yom Hashoah has been observed with candlelighting, speakers, poems, prayers, and singing. Often, six candles are lighted to represent the six million. Holocaust survivors speak about their experiences or share in the readings. Some ceremonies have people read from the Book of Names for certain lengths of time in an effort to remember those that died and to give an understanding of the huge number of victims. Sometimes these ceremonies are held in a cemetery or near a Holocaust memorial.
In Israel, the Knesset made Yom Hashoah a national public holiday in 1959 and in 1961 a law was passed that closed all public entertainment on Yom Hashoah. At ten in the morning, a siren is sounded where everyone stops what they are doing, pull over in their cars, and stand in remembrance.
In whatever form you observe Yom Hashoah, the memory of the Jewish victims will live on.
But there is one day in the year when we make a special effort to remember (Zachor). Upon this one day, we remember those that suffered, those that fought, and those that died. Six million Jews were murdered. Many families were completely decimated.
Why this day?
Jewish history is long and filled with many stories of slavery and freedom, sorrow and joy, persecution and redemption. For Jews, their history, their family, and their relationship with God have shaped their religion and their identity. The Hebrew calendar is filled with varied holidays that incorporate and reiterate the history and tradition of the Jewish people.
After the horrors of the Holocaust, Jews wanted a day to memorialize this tragedy. But what day? The Holocaust spanned years with suffering and death spread throughout these years of terror. No one day stood out as representative of this destruction.
So various days were suggested.
The tenth of Tevet was proffered. This day is Asarah B'Tevet and marks the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem. But this day holds no direct relation or tie to the Holocaust.
The Zionists in Israel, many of whom had fought in the ghettos or as partisans, wanted to commemorate the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising - April 19, 1943. But this date on the Hebrew calendar is the 14th of Nissan - the day before Passover, a very important and happy holiday. Orthodox Jews objected to this date.
For two years, the date was debated. Finally, in 1950, compromises and bargaining began. The 27th of Nissan was chosen, which falls beyond Passover but within the time span of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Orthodox Jews still did not like this date because it was a day of mourning within the traditionally happy month of Nissan. As a final effort to compromise, it was decided that if the 27th of Nissan would affect Shabbat (fall on Friday or Saturday), then it would be moved. If the 27th of Nissan falls on a Friday, Holocaust Remembrance Day is moved to the preceding Thursday. If the 27th of Nissan falls on a Sunday, then Holocaust Remembrance Day is moved to the following Monday.
On April 12, 1951, the Knesset (Israel's parliament) proclaimed Yom Hashoah U'Mered HaGetaot (Holocaust and Ghetto Revolt Remembrance Day) to be the 27th of Nissan. The name later became known as Yom Hashoah Ve Hagevurah (Devastation and Heroism Day) and even later simplified to Yom Hashoah.
This year, Yom Hashoah will be on April 21, 2009.
How is it observed?
Since Yom Hashoah is a relatively new holiday, there are no set rules or rituals. What kind of ritual could represent the Holocaust?
There are various beliefs about what is and is not appropriate on this day - and many of them are conflicting. In general, Yom Hashoah has been observed with candlelighting, speakers, poems, prayers, and singing. Often, six candles are lighted to represent the six million. Holocaust survivors speak about their experiences or share in the readings. Some ceremonies have people read from the Book of Names for certain lengths of time in an effort to remember those that died and to give an understanding of the huge number of victims. Sometimes these ceremonies are held in a cemetery or near a Holocaust memorial.
In Israel, the Knesset made Yom Hashoah a national public holiday in 1959 and in 1961 a law was passed that closed all public entertainment on Yom Hashoah. At ten in the morning, a siren is sounded where everyone stops what they are doing, pull over in their cars, and stand in remembrance.
In whatever form you observe Yom Hashoah, the memory of the Jewish victims will live on.
This year, Yom Hashoah falls on the birthday of the very man who tried and fail to wipe us out as a people.
Rather irony.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Passover 2009
Shalom:
Well we survivied Passover and it was a blast.
The night before, Mark with white feather and woolen spoon in hand, went about the house to sweep up the bread crumbs I had left behind.
It has been often asked: "after all that work you did, cleaning the house from top to bottom, why did you leave breadcrumbs about the house?"
Well, the Papa of the house with the children go about to make sure that it is indeed swept clean. And frankly, it makes Papa feel useful and it is also a wonderful way to keep Papa and the babies out of Mama's way. Once swept up, it gathered and taken outside, where we shall burn it the next morning.
At 12p.m. the last of the leaven is burned and then the real fun begins....cooking :)
Mark with his trusty white feather and woolen spoon
Well we survivied Passover and it was a blast.
The night before, Mark with white feather and woolen spoon in hand, went about the house to sweep up the bread crumbs I had left behind.
It has been often asked: "after all that work you did, cleaning the house from top to bottom, why did you leave breadcrumbs about the house?"
Well, the Papa of the house with the children go about to make sure that it is indeed swept clean. And frankly, it makes Papa feel useful and it is also a wonderful way to keep Papa and the babies out of Mama's way. Once swept up, it gathered and taken outside, where we shall burn it the next morning.
At 12p.m. the last of the leaven is burned and then the real fun begins....cooking :)
Mark with his trusty white feather and woolen spoon
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The Sun Blessing
Every 28 years the sun returns to the same position, at the same time of the week, that it occupied at the time of its creation—at the beginning of the fourth day of creation.
A special blessing – called Birkat Hachamah, "the sun blessing" – is recited to mark this event. Due to the rarity of this event, this blessing is customarily recited amid large public gatherings of men, women and children.
This year, 5769, we will perform this special mitzvah on the morning of April 8 (the morning before Passover).The blessing is traditionally preceded and followed by a short selection of Psalms and prayers. The existence of nearly all life on Earth is fueled by light from the sun. Every morning without fail, the sun rises in the east and bathes us with its sustaining rays, causing flora to grow and, through the process of photosynthesis, providing oxygen for all fauna.
Some may call this phenomenon nature.
The Blessing and the Accompanying Service: How, When and Where? The blessing on the sun should be recited on Wednesday morning, April 8, 2009, after sunrise and before a quarter of the day has elapsed—the earlier the better. If one missed this time, the blessing can be recited until midday.
Click here to find out these exact times for any location.
Ideally, the blessing should be recited outdoors after the morning prayers, amidst a grand gathering of men, women and children—as befits the excitement accompanying the fulfillment of such a rare mitzvah.Make sure to bring along the kids and have them say the blessing. It's a memory for a lifetime!If possible, try to wear a new garment while reciting the blessing.1
The actual prayer service consists of:Psalm 148:1-6.The blessing: "Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who reenacts the works of creation."
The Shehecheyanu blessing.
Psalm 19.
Psalm 121.
Psalm 150.
A brief section from the Talmud (Brachot 59b), the source of the obligation to recite the blessing on the sun.
Psalm 67.
The Aleinu prayer.
Mourners Kaddish (if there is a minyan present).
Before reciting the actual blessing on the sun, stand at attention with feet together and look at the sun.2
Do not, however, look at the sun while reciting the blessing.At the conclusion of the service it is customary for everyone to donate money to charity.3
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