A view of the country near Bantam, Connecticut
Good Shabbos!
Technorati Tags: Connecticut, Merkos Shlichus, the Country, Picture of the Week, Photography
1 year ago
Friday, June 29, 2007
Picture of the Week -Twenty Two
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The Mitzvah Man and the Holy Sherusim
My dear friend the Mitzvah Man posted the following pictures with captions on his zany (but for some odd reason private) Blog . . . It gave me a good laugh, so I figured I would share it with you all.
The Mitzvah Man -you rock!
(For those who don't speak Hebrew -Shirutim (here written purposely with an Ashkenazi accent) means 'Bathroom'.)
The Mitzvah Man -you rock!
(For those who don't speak Hebrew -Shirutim (here written purposely with an Ashkenazi accent) means 'Bathroom'.)
At the Kever [grave site] of the Sherusim. We couldn't understand why all the passerby's kept snickering and giggling at us.
Praying at the Kever of the holy Sherusim. I never heard of the Sherusimbefore. But judging by the impressive structure around the grave, I figured it was some sort of holy figure in Jewish history.
Technorati Tags: Links, Humor, Israel, Friends, Photography
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
On Donuts, Ties, Psychiatric Wards, and Ira
Today was the fourth day here in Litchfield, Connecticut and I've compiled a list of interesting tidbits and stories -at least interesting to me- that have transpired during my travels with Mendel, hence forth known as 'The Chief.'
- The first morning as we were getting up, the Rabbi came running in.
"What happened?" he demanded, a frantic look in his eyes. We were at a loss as to his sudden panic. "The Police are here!" he said, and dashed out. Later he found out why the Police were hanging around the Chabad -not due to anything we had done (or at least not directly) but rather because the Dunkin' Donuts next-door had been held up the night before. - For the purpose of Merkos Shlichus, I've been told to wear a tie -something that besides for a brief and somewhat bloody stint in Warsaw- I have not done since my Bar-Mitzvah. The Shliach gave us the option of using a box of ties donate to Chabad . . . but after seeing them it soon became apparent as to why they had been donated -so we opted to buy our own. I ended up with this one. On the way out I also grabbed a bathing suit . . . the lady must have thought it rather odd to see a rabbi buying a tie and bathing suit.
- We were sitting in our room in the Chabad House, when the Rabbi buzzed us on the phone, "Rabbis, there's someone who wishes to speak to you on line one." The Chief picked up the phone, but upon my insistence he put it on speaker phone, "Hello," came a voice on the other side, "Am I speaking to the Rabbis?"
"Yes," intoned the Chief, "My name is Rabbi Mendel, how can I help you?"
"Well, my name is X, and I would like to set up a meeting with you guys with the residents of the Middleton Hospital."
"It would be our pleasure to visit, should we come tomorrow?"
There was a pause for a moment,
"It might be a little difficult, because this is a maximum security Hospital, for Forensic Psychiatry patients."
"I see . . . you mean people with Mental Illness."
"Yes," X said, "but more accurately -Psychiatric patients who have committed crimes.
The chief stated his understanding of the situation, then asked,
"So you're a warden there?"
"No," X said in a exuberant voice, "I'm an inmate here -I can't wait to see you!"
There was a pregnant pause while the Chief and I looked at each other before the conversation continued. - We bought a GPS in Costco for our car with assistance of a worker named Ira. On the way out we asked him if he was Jewish, 'since with a name like Ira -you can't get more Jewish then that.' He was. (Ira along with Irving Leonard, and Hyman are strictly Jewish names)
Technorati Tags: Merkos Shlichus, Connecticut, Robberies, Ties, Mental Institutions, Mivtzoyim, Chabad, Life
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Order
Taken in Prague last Adar
A thought from last Shabbos's Hayom Yom:
My father said: In Chassidus the "beginning is wedged into the end and the end is wedged into the beginning." This is the state of igulim, "circles," without beginning or end. Nonetheless, order and system are crucial.The Baal Shem Tov was systematic and orderly. The Maggid, his successor, insisted on order. And my great-grandfather - the Alter Rebbe - taught chassidim to be orderly. We see this in his maamarim, letters and melodies. Chassidim who had set times to come to the Rebbe in Lyozna - and later to Liadi - were not permitted to change this schedule without permission from the Rebbe.2 Any request for a change had to be justified with a reason.
The Rebbe had a special committee headed by his brother, R. Yehuda Leib, charged with overseeing order among chassidim. Another committee, under the Miteler Rebbe, directed the younger chassidim.
The Rebbe uses three different expressions for the different generations of the Ba'al Shem Tov, Maggid and Alter Rebbe: The Ba'al Shem Tov was a Mesuder, the Maggid was M'dakdik -insistent on order, and the Alter Rebbe hot gelernt di chassdidim tzu zayn m'sudarim -he taught others to be orderly.
Perhaps these three expression represent three levels of influence that the respective tzaddikim had on the world, the effect their Chassidus had on others:
For the Ba'al Shem Tov was in his essence orderly, the Mittler Rebbe brought it out in those around him -that it was visible in them, and the Alter Rebbe caused that the Chassidim themselves should not only be orderly due to him, but changed them in their essence that they themselves would be orderly -so much so that they would in turn effect others.
Technorati Tags: Order, Hayom Yom, Chassidus, Dvar Torah
Monday, June 25, 2007
Always Growing
Thirty Thousand hits and counting . . .
Thanks
Technorati Tags: Announcements, Blogging
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Welcome to Litchfield
It looks like no one took a guess as to where I am -I'm not sure if it's because the hint was to esoteric or because all of my friends out there have simply given up on me . . .
So I'll have to give up the goose:
After a few days spent in Crown Heights, Brooklyn I've made my way to . . . Litchfield, Connecticut.
Urim and Thumim is written on Yale's seal, Yale of course being found in New Haven, Connecticut. senator Joseph I. Lieberman being the senator of this state.
Anyhow.
Of the trip in new York hopefully I'll write some other time, but as for today I present you with assorted pictures of a nearby lake, complete with various animals or there tracks -that and a few nice sunset shots in the Letter's of Thought style.
Click on the link below to see them all
We came towards the evening -so the bugs were in full force . . . at least there were some fire flies though.
Classic
The Lake
Raccoon tracks -I think
Not the best picture of me . . . But who's looking?
Notice the beavers at work.
I like this one.
At first the turtle looked like a wet rock . . .
Thus ends the first day of the next twenty-one here in lovely Litchfield.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Technorati Tags: Litchfield, Connecticut, Merkos Shlichus, Chabad, Travel, Photography, Nature
Friday, June 22, 2007
Picture of the Week 21
Trakai, Lithuania . . . taken last summer.
A Good Shabbos to All!
A Good Shabbos to All!
Technorati Tags: Trakai, Lithuania, Picture of the Week, Photography
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Off Again
I'm posting this from my phone in the airport . . .
No water past the check in, afterwards a bottle that would go for thirty cents goes for two fifty . . .Sigh.
This summer looks like it will, G-d willing, have several interesting stops.
My first clue for the first major stop:
'Urim and Thummim' . . .
If I told you, don't say . . .
Post Script:
No takers . . . I'll add another clue then:
I know this must be looking rather odd-but frankly I'm not up to even making a new post now.
Monday, June 18, 2007
The Eyes of the Past
The Yesovitch Family, taken shortly before leaving Mogilev Podolsk, Ukraine.
Virtually every Jew has a picture of his ancestors in his home . . .
The bearded Zaidies and tichel'd Bubbies of yore.
Their solemn eyes staring blankly on their descendants -people's whose lives seem to be of the stuff of fiction and myth . . .
Perhaps the feeling is mutual, just as they could never envision our lives, can we see theirs?
What would they say if they could speak?
Technorati Tags: Lightstone, Yesovitch, Family Tree, History, Photography, Thoughts
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Smicha in Thought
After a brief hiatus, I present you with the Smicha Ordination.
Click on the link below to see all the wonderful pictures taken by my mother (she took all of the photos besides the one above) and the speech delivered during the evening by . . .
Good Evening honored guests –Respected rabbis, friends, family, and colleagues.
I would like to share a story with you that I heard during my stay in Venice, Italy:
There once lived a very wealthy man in America. Like all respectable Jews, he dabbled in Philanthropy and would send an annual check of a considerable sum to the Israeli government. Every time the check would arrive, this rich man would be sent an invitation to visit Israel and all of the wonderful programs his generous contribution went to. The man, however, would time and again decline saying that he was “Happy here in America.”
One day, out of the blue, the Israeli government gets a call from the man,
“I want to fly to Israel . . .”
“Great! They tell him, we’ll fly you out first class on El-Al . . .:
“I have one condition though,” he says. “I want to bring my dog.”
“Fine.” They tell him, let the crazy American bring his dog for all they care.
They fly him out, and upon arriving in Ben Gurion airport, he is taken on a tour of Tel Aviv while his bags are unpacked in his posh hotel suite.
The bell-boy in charge of unpacking discovers, much to his horror, that the dog is dead. Here the man said he was coming on the one condition that he could bring the dog, and now it’s dead. . . .
They call in the Mosad, the Shin Bet . . . everyone begins the search for an identical dog before the rich man returns to his hotel room. Finally they find a dog that looks exactly the same. Whisking it to the hotel, they leave this new dog inside the room as if nothing has happened.
Meanwhile the rich man has finished his day abroad, and returns with his entourage to the hotel. Upon opening the door, however, he almost faints in shock.
Those with him run to his side and ask him what happened.
He looks at them in utter disbelief and says,
“I came to Israel to bury my dog . . . and here you give it to me alive!”
Who would have thought? Who in his wildest dreams could have fathomed such a thing? So too, today upon this momentous occasion of the ordination of the future rabbis of the Jewish world, we must ask ourselves,
“Who foresaw even a few short years ago, that a group of boys –involved in their own childish ways and the challenges of adolescence, would grow to be who they have become today?”
At times I am asked if it is my desire to truly be a rabbi, a man of the cloth, a member of the clergy. After all what kind of job is that for a nice Jewish boy? While I respond that indeed, my aspirations truly are to take the pulpit, the truth of the matter is that learning for smicha is not merely an exercise in the learning of the minutiae of Jewish Law, but rather it is a comprehensive lesson on how to live a Jewish life –no matter what field we choose to pursue. To the future Shliach or entrepreneur, artist or artisan, doctor or mohel alike smicha is a necessary prerequisite for one’s future life; it is knowledge and experience in the way to live . . . The very Hebrew word for Jewish Law, Halacha, itself gives testimony to this fact –for Halacha means ‘the way’ -the chosen path towards a spiritually enriching life.
By learning Shulchan Aruch, the code of Jewish Law, one guaranties that the home he endeavors to build is a veritable Bayas Nema’an B’Yisroel –a faithful house of Israel that will be illuminated with the light and warmth of Torah and Chassidus- and that come what may –the vicissitudes of the world, the tumultuous ‘Mayim Rabim’ that seek to wash us away- we will be able to stay connected above and fulfill our mission of making a dirah b’tachtonim – fulfilling the primordial desire of making a dwelling place for the infinite essence for the Al-mighty G-d in every facet of the physicality and corporeality of this mundane world
In the Reshimos, the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s personal journal, one of the many laws of Yoreh Deah is dissected and explained in a manner making it applicable to one’s daily service of G-d. If a berya –a non-kosher creature- becomes mixed into a dish one wishes to eat, even if it is found in a ratio of 1 in 1000 parts, it will never become nullified and will render the food non-kosher for consumption.
What are the conditions for a creature to be considered a berya?
It must be a living organism, in an unaltered state from the beginning of its existence, and whole in its entirety.
On spiritual level, when a soul wishes to go out into the world, to refine its portion, these three conditions must be present in order to prevent it from becoming lost and nullified to the world at large. By merit of their presence, however, no matter how small a percentage he is, the Jew is not only unaffected, but is also able to refine the world around him.
- It must be alive: By virtue of the living soul inside of us, a veritable part of the Al-mighty Creator above, we do not become lost during our sojourn in this world.
- Everyday the soul is returned to the body anew; allowing us to rise refreshed . . . this is the second condition, from the very beginning of our day we are connected to our G-dly soul. From the moment we rise to when we close our eyes, the soul is revealed in its full force.
- The Mitzvos are compared to limbs, each commandment fortifying the physical limbs of the body by connecting with their spiritual source above. If this organism of which we speak is missing a limb, it is possible to become nullified to the other, far more numerous ingredients. So too when we wish to go out in the world we must be complete in our service of G-d, and thus never become lost.
My friends it is the learning of smicha that gives us the status of a Berya, of a living organism, that lets us tap into our inner soul, reveal it inside of us and actualize it in the physical world, ultimately bringing the world to the epitome of its existence when ‘the whole world will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem like water covers the face of the sea.’ –the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days!
I would like to conclude with a few brief words of thanks to those who helped me reach this day.
Above all to the Al-mighty G-d, who created me and saw it in his wisdom to lead me down this path, to my family, my beloved parents and grandparents who are here with me today, to Rabbi Schmukler, the head of this program and Harav Dovid Schochet, who came to test us.
To the Rebbe, whose path and deeds we strive to emulate and who continues to guide our way, and to the many Shluchim, teachers, friends and well-wishers – both those physically here today and those here in spirit- who are each of equal importance to me, but due to their great number I am unable to thank them all in the time allotted to me.
Thank you and G-d bless you all.
Good Night.
Technorati Tags: Smicha, Rabbi Dovid Schochet, Rabbi Cunin, Los Angeles, Photography, Speeches, Graduation
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
That's Rabbi Mottel For You . . .
Baruch Hashem, Thank G-d . . .
I passed the last test.
Technorati Tags: Smicha, Judaism, Life, Announcements
Monday, June 11, 2007
Friday, June 08, 2007
Picture of the Week 20
Taken during my trip to Çufut Qale last year in Crimea.
The name is Turkish for Jewish Fortress, and according to wikipedia: [The earliest] epitaph [dating to] 1203 can be seen at the cemetery of Chufut-Kale,
called "Vale of Jehoshaphat" . . .Chufut-Kale,
however, existed as early as the seventh century.
Technorati Tags: Çufut Qale, Krimchaki, Karaites, Ukraine, Photography, Picture of the Week
Thursday, June 07, 2007
More of Don't Read the Fine Print
The other day while seeing how Hasgacha is done in a plant, we got free samples of a kosher run of popcorn (Note: the Wholefoods Popcorn label is normally not kosher!)
When reading the back I stumbled upon the words
"Then we air pop the corn and season lightly with organic sea salt . . ."
Now according to Websters, Organic is:
- 'Of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides'
See also: Don't read the fine print, Return of Don't Read the fine print, and Don't Read The Fine Print -Partie Trois for other's in the series.
Technorati Tags: Rants, Humor, Popcorn, Organic
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
J-pix
After mulling through several themes and ways of presenting this edition of J-Pixs, it hit me . . .
What could be more true then the adage 'A picture is worth a thousand words' in a carnival about photography?
Let the pictures speak for themselves!
Eretz Yisroel
Our hearts, minds and prayers are always to Israel, so let us start with the many beautiful photos from the Holy Land:
Cosmic X shows us the signs that are plastered all over certain Israeli communities in A Sign Of The Times: Protest Against The Abomination In Our Streets and how they can be removed in Israeli Hi-Tech Window Cleaning.The Arabs and their effect on out land can be seen in There's more Arab building going on posted at Shiloh Musings and Evan's three articles Beyond the Wall, Kochav Ya'akov's Fence and Outside Kochav Ya'akov's Fence.
But life goes on, as we see in Never dull posted by Muse.
People show their solidarity (a word I picked up in Poland) in Adventures in Eretz
and Yom Yerushalayim Photo Essay
Yisrael, and enjoy the sights of Haifa and the Arched architecture of the many cities . . .
Out And About
Frumhouse presents Skokie Sculpture Park -a place where I've never been, while Tamara Eden went to, my favorite, the Huntington Gardens.
David shows pics of a good time at Acrobats, Uncle Moishe and Andy Petite.
While my good pal YOSSI has a whole Slideshow of place where none of us should every go: Jail!
Perez shows us how Judaism can be found on any small trip in the aptly named: JPix and ~ Sarah ~ shows us a Big Bass.
Life
Our J-Bloggers, surprisingly, have lives besides their Blogs and show us aspects of them and what they use as well.
Canadian Salmon shows us his beloved (Zaida) Grandfather,
~Sarah~ some Glorious Glass that brings back my Venetian days
and several delicious food pictures -such as Fresh bread and a recipe from Trader Joe's (a great store!)
Nature
Nature is all around us, and some of my favorite pictures are those of G-d's wonders.
Pre-Shavuos Photos by Pinchas are amazing.
And Muse's camera shows us that Even a grey summer's day can be great but presents Naturally we like the sunnier ones.
Some amazing sunsets can be seen at YOSSI's blog in Ostrich in the sunset, Happy Shavuos and some guy named Mottel at Letters of Thought (never heard of him) has several in Shevuos in the Land of The Navajo Part One and Part Two
and for those of you who get up early we even have a summer sunrise.
As well there are some nice water pics -to cool off from all of that sun- at Water Under The Bridge and Gathering Storm.
And thus ends this edition of J-Pix.
I hope you enjoyed it!
Technorati Tags: J-pix, Blogging, Carnivals, Photography, Eretz Yisrael, Nature, Life
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