Letters of Thought

What’s Bothering Boteach?

2012-01-24T06:32:00.000-08:00

The following thoughts were previously published on CrownHeights.info

In recent weeks, the pages of various Crown Heights community blogs, the Algemeiner Journal and the Huffington post have hosted a series of op-eds, responses and rejoinders about Rabbi Shmuley Boteach’s new book, “Kosher Jesus.”

Taking a step back from the criticism over an (as of yet) unpublished book, noted more for its “fun romp” than its pinpoint historical accuracy or groundbreaking scholarship, one must question the motivation for Boteach’s stream of op-eds.

The initial response, written by Rabbi Yitzchok Wolf, while strong in its condemnation of Boteach’s choice of subject, was hardly brilliant prose and rambling in nature. When Boteach’s response was pulled from the sites, he felt it necessary to bring the discussion to the Huffington post in a series of articles, making claims of ‘Religious Incitement,’ allegorical (one hopes) ‘Crucifixion,’ and a ‘Global Ban’ on his book.

He quotes, at length from anonymous comments left on these community blogs, and notes that “the more incendiary ones... hav[e] been scrubbed under my threat of legal action for incitement.”

At this point, the reader must take pause. Why is Shmuley so upset by anonymous comments on a community blog? I understand his personal response to the comments. They were rude, vicious and cruel - but that, for better or for worse - is the nature of the Internet. Anyone who is offended by anonymous, trollish, comments on ANY website - be it Youtube, Huffington Post, Reddit or a series of community blogs - has either never been on the Internet before or is so naive as to not know that these comments are as baseless as writing on a gas station’s bathroom stall.

I don’t think Rabbi Boteach can be accused of either of these traits.

Had Boteach let the matter go, the issue would have died out within a day. The nature of these blogs is to bring in a constant flow of new stories to drive in hits and with them, ad revenue. What is more, the Crown Heights, and even global Chabad, community is hardly Boteach’s target audience. We’re speaking about a few thousand readers, many of them hostile to Boteach’s legacy after his acrimonious split with Chabad’s leadership in the UK well over a decade ago. Given Boteach’s long-term association with the movement, there may very well be an issue of pride at hand. Nevertheless, these sites, and the communities they represent, are hardly a major demographic for his book. As such, the question remains, what was the motivating the force behind his response?

In truth, despite claims of a global ban against his book, Boteach would only be so lucky for such a response. Had a real ecclesiastical ban been acted against the book, it would have been quite the sensation. Boteach has already tried to draw parallels between the Internet trolls and the current religious tension in Israel. With heightened media attention to Beit Shemesh, news of a ban against Boteach would be written up in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and other periodicals of note. It would become an instant best-seller.

Though the rabbinic and communal response hasn’t succeeded to this degree, by keeping the issue alive, Boteach has been able to create controversy around the book and with it . . . the potential for sales.

Boteach has said as much himself. In a tweet Friday, he wrote “controversy over #kosherjesus seems 2 have made it a best-seller. climbing publishing charts everywhere. but prefer people read it” and his website currently announces the “West Coast Launch of Rabbi Shmuley’s Blockbuster and Controversial book...”

A Few Thoughts On Matisyahu's (Lack of a) Beard

2011-12-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

Matisyahu released his statement: http://matisyahuworld.com/news/detail/note_from_matisyahu/

A few thoughts:

I wish Matisyahu, all the best in his personal journey - no matter where it takes him, if I agree with him or not.
I make no judgments as to his motivations or other personal actions he takes in his life.
I think Matisyahu's action, whatever the motivation, failed to take into account the ramification on his own life, that of his family, and those who look up to him - like it or not, he came to represent something beyond whatever he assumes himself to be.

Being a Brand Ambassador - My Talk at #Brandsconf

2011-11-15T08:23:00.001-08:00

Last week I was honored to speak at #Brandsconf.

Skip the the 48 minute mark to hear my talk!

Weird Sign .... Monday

2011-11-07T05:31:00.001-08:00

While they may be referring to a family sending their twins in, I doubt it's what they meant by meeting "Your babies needs"

September 11, 2001: A moment in Elul, A moment in time. Social - but without Media

2011-09-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

In a conversation with a friend the other day, we began to speculate what September 11, 2001, would have been like had the Social Platforms we use today been available. Think of the tweets, the images, the chunks of data that would flow in . . .
I live with social media. Save for the 24-72 hours of shabbos and yom tov, I stop checking up and checking in only when I sleep.
Platforms like twitter shine during these international moments of trauma: Mumbai, Haiti, Japan, the Arab Spring . . . The world has shrunk, our horizons have broadened, the stream of media has compounded and multiplied beyond what anyone could ever hope to process. Experiences are shared across national boundaries with friends colleagues. And yet . . .

And yet I'm glad there was no Twitter or Facebook during the attacks on September 11.

It was Elul - not any Elul mind you, but an Elul in Yeshivah, an Elul in Lubavitch. The time of year when everything is fresh. The excitement over the approach of the High Holidays is tangible in the air. It's so thick that the air can be cut, and like natural honey to sweeten an apple, spread across bread with a knife. There are farbrengins at night, the zal, the study hall, is packed in the mornings for chassidus. Then Slichus comes. We get up early in the morning.

It was there, as I stood undressed - exposed to all as I prepared to immerse myself in penitent waters, that a friend came rushing in to tell us what he had heard in the radio. A plane had struck the twin towers. A freak accident? A Cessna gone out of control? Someone else came in - he had heard that the empire states-building had been struck . . . Something was amiss.

There was no TV in Yeshivah. The cooks kept the radio playing in the kitchen at full blast that day. Information spread through word of mouth - updates from families in Brooklyn, rumors spread by the guy with perennial mustard stain on his jacket (the president is in hiding, all planes have been grounded, the Mosad has been called in to assist, they caught a dozen more planes with terrorists on them . . . the stories grew ever wilder.)

After breakfast we had a better idea of what was going on . . . yet even still no one had seen any pictures.
That evening I went to visit my friend, Z.
"How are you?" I asked his father.
"Horrible!" He answered.

Then I saw the endless loop of the planes flying into the towers. Over and over again - cinematic in its scope. So utterly terrifying.

I printed out pictures of the devistation on Z's computer and brought them back to yeshiva.

Back on campus everyone was still up. One rabbi called us all in to tell us that this was a sure sign that Moshiach was coming. A Zohar had been found that spoke of falling towers...
Another called us in to tell us (if I recall correctly - the details escape me) that this destruction did not a necessary predication of Moshiach's coming . . .

I say all of this - because with social media these experiences, etched in my mind, would not have been possible. Not in my world, and not - I believe - in anyone else's. Had the Tweets come in, we would have lost the forest for the trees. We would have been unable to grasp the unadulterated enormity of the situation - unable to step back and experience the tragedy in its totality.

On September 11, there was a sense of community shared not based on constant updates, but rather one based on shared emotions and experiences.

.....

May those murdered on this day be remembered for the good that they lived for and serve as guiding lights for us all . . .
זכור לא תשכח

From the Archives: Brooklyn Jewish Center welcomes Rabbi Schneiersohn

2011-09-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

From a periodical released by the Brooklyn Jewish Center- Spring 1940:
(Text courtesy of the folks of the Brooklyn Jewish Center)

Weird Sign Wednesday: From the mouths of babes

2011-09-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

From the mouths of babes - what marriage really is...

Weird Sign Wednesday - it's also kind of cool edition

2011-08-17T07:26:00.001-07:00

Say what?

NEW RESTAURANT OPENING IN CROWN HEIGHTS

2011-08-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

NEW RESTAURANT OPENING IN CROWN HEIGHTS: Prime Sandwich

I can see the conversation behind its name right now:
"Nu, Mendel, what should we call this new restaurant?"
"Something classy - what's a fancy restaurant?"
"Prime Grill is real classy."
"Yah, I like the name - but steak is too expensive. What's cheap?"
"Sandwiches are cheap..."
"Perfect - so Prime Sandwich it is!"

More Details

A side not to those coming via Google Search - I went to Prime Sandwich and must say, the food is very good.

Picture of the Week - Back From Israel

2011-06-30T23:36:00.000-07:00

Weird Sign Wednesday

2011-05-04T14:32:00.001-07:00

Get the best kosher pitza at this heimish pizzarie!

Pictures of the Week 111 - A Walk in the Park

2011-04-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we spent the day in Central Park.
Click on the link to see the pics!

A Rainy Tuesday Morning Thought - On Gwenyth Paltrow and assimilation

2011-04-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

I saw this clip last night and found it to be unbelievably sad. Seeing the palpable effects of assimilation and intermarriage is tragic.

I'm sure Ms. Paltrow is a lovely person. But to think what became of her forbearer's hopes dreams and prayers . ..

(image source)

Mikvah Excavation Confirms Observance of Ritual Among Early Jews in America

2011-03-08T21:57:00.000-08:00

I wrote this article for Lubavitch.com

I like it so much, though, that I'm putting here as well:

Mikvah Excavation Confirms Observance of Ritual Among Early Jews in America

Photo © Laura Leibman, 2008

The cisterns for rain water that fed the Neve Shalom Mikveh in Suriname.

by Mordechai Lightstone

Excavations in Baltimore’s historic Lloyd Street Synagogue, the third oldest synagogue standing in America, have uncovered the oldest mikvah in the country to-date. The mikvah complex is located in the basement of a row-house adjacent to the Greek revival style synagogue. It was first detected in 2001 when archaeologists found part of a five-foot-deep wooden tub. Fears that the wooden structure would be damaged prevented further excavation. This winter, however, archaeologists were able to uncover about a fourth of the mikvah.

The mikvah complex, most likely built by the German Jewish immigrants who built the nearby synagogue, offers insight into early Jewish observance in America. The mikvah, a body of water connected to a natural source, is used for immersion at various periods in Jewish life. Mikvah observance and the laws of Family Sanctity are the cornerstone of Jewish family life and a key component of the Jewish community. It was not until this past decade, however, that archaeological findings have shed light on early mikvah observance in America.

According to Dr. Jonathan Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University, “the more we know, the clearer it becomes that the mikvah was important to early Jews [in America].” Though in the United States, mikvahs older than the Baltimore mikvah built in the 1840s have yet to be discovered, “there is not a scintilla of a doubt” that older mikvahs did exist. Sarna notes synagogue minutes in the communities of Philadelphia and New York that record the upkeep of local mikvahs, as part of a “astonishing reminder that religion [along with mikvah observance] was central [to Jewish life].”The paucity of information until now led many to assume that early Jewish settlers in the New World, largely composed of Iberian Jewish refugees, were not careful in mikvah observance. Max I. Dimont, a historian and author of several popular works on Jewish History, was of the opinion that the early settlers “had simply rejected the entire institution [of mikvah].” Recent discoveries of mikvahs in the early Jewish communities of Recife, Brazil and on the islands of St. Eustatius and Barbados in the Caribbean, have refuted this notion.

Detailed research into the mikvahs of the early colonists by Dr. Laura Leibman, Professor of English and Humanities at Reed College has shown that rather than rejecting the observance of mikvah, early Jewish settlers held it in great esteem.

Many of the early settlers in the New World were either Spanish Conversos or their descendants. To these Jews, resettled initially in Amsterdam, and from there in various New World colonies, the mikvah took on a new level of meaning.

The mikvah is used in transitional periods in Jewish life -- such as after the conclusion of the menstrual cycle, after the birth of a child and as part of the Jewish conversion process. To the early Sephardic colonists -- previously estranged from their heritage and living in what was then the edge of the known world -- the mikvah became a symbol of hope and return.

Thus, according to Leibman, “for women . . . the physical ceremony marking their personal reconnection to the divine [by going to mikvah each month] paralleled the larger movement of the scattered ‘remnant’ of Iberian Jews back to God and was inherently tied to the ritual bath.”

Moreover, the physical design of the mikvahs was important to the colonists. Unlike the dark and ‘cave-like’ appearance of medieval mikvahs in Central and Eastern Europe, the early colonists chose to build what could only considered luxurious mikvahs by the prevailing standards. During the 17th century, spa culture was popular among the European elite. Co-opting the imagery of the spa, Sephardic Jews began to build heated mikvahs, opting to tile them in the manner of a spa. These features created a more elegant effect than the far simpler plaster-lined mikvahs of previous generations.

Mikvahs discovered in Curaçao, Suriname and Barbados all included such features. Even the poorer colonial outpost of S. Eustatius featured a “spacious and well decorated” mikvah -- built adjacent to the synagogue in 1738.

Mikvah observance remained important to Jewish life into the nineteenth century. Changes in the Jewish community, however, brought a decline in mikvah use. By the 1840s, however, many communities only had a few mikvahs despite their growing populations. An influx of Central European Jews, hailing from Germany, Austria and Bohemia in the 1820s and Eastern European Jews in the 1880s, helped reinvigorate mikvah use. But a lack of education and changing standards of religious observance often meant that the practice did not continue past the first generation.

By the 1920s, mikvah observance had reached a dismal low in America. Even the mikvahs themselves were in poor condition. At the turn of the 20th century, the New York Board of Health shut down many of the city’s mikvahs, declaring them a health menace. Despite their reopening shortly thereafter, the image of mikvah as unclean -- and a relic of a previous era -- remained.

Jewish leaders realized that the situation was dire. Rabbi Leo Jung, a leader of Jewish Orthodoxy in America, began a campaign to reinvigorate mikvah observance. Writing to the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, he went as far as to claim that Jewish women ought to “refuse to get married before the community establishes decent mikvahs.” Jung ultimately built 15 mikvahs in communities across the country.

In 1975, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, launched a new campaign to reinvigorate mikvah observance in America. While a growing Orthodox community was careful to observe the laws of Family Purity, the subject was hardly discussed outside the community.

According to Leibman, the Rebbe has been “a huge influence” on increased mikvah observance. Crediting the Rebbe’s initiative as the “most influential in terms of dissemination of information” about mikvahs in America -- Leibman also notes his push for “spa-like mikvahs” as a factor in their rising popularity.

Mrs. Rivkah Slonim, who serves as a Chabad-Lubavitch Emissary to Binghamton, NY and a prominent author and lecturer on mikvah observance, has also seen changes since she began speaking about the subject.

“When I first became active in talking about the mikvah,” Slonim recalls, “even members of the Orthodox establishment were silent on the matter.”

At the time, the subject of the mikvah was kept cloistered behind doors. The laws of family sanctity were taught “only to the observant, and only to those who were engaged to be married.” Since that time, however, “the doors” of mikvah discussion “have been thrust open.”

“The mikvah is no longer viewed as being just a women’s issue,” says Slonim. “With increased education, people are increasingly recognizing it as a Jewish issue.”

What I'm Looking For At SXSW

2011-03-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

G-d willing we'll be heading back to Austin for SXSW this year. Last year was a blast - and I'm looking forward to this one! If you're in Austin - please join me for the Jewish @ SXSW Shabbat Meal!

Kan ma'amar hamusgar - a parenthetical note:

What gives with Social Media type titles? Can we have a little humility please?

As such, I'm not looking forward to meeting:

Thought Leaders
New Media Evangelists
Social Media Gurus
Tech Ninjas

What I'm looking forward to this year:

Meeting new and exciting people
Farbrenging at the Shabbos meal
Hearing innovative talks from people passionate about their fields
Taking the online community and making it real - by turning digital acquaintances into human connections.

Please let me know if you'll be by SXSW and let's catch up!

Picture of the Week 110

2011-03-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

I realized recently that perhaps one of the reasons I stopped posting the Picture of the Week, is that I've already posted so many of my photos online. It occurred to me, however, that many of my best shots were buried in photo essays 15 to 30 images long. I've decided to go through my archives and pull out my favorite.

A view of Salcantay from Moray ruins in Peru.

You can see the entire post here

What I Read Sometimes: The Boys Across the Street

2011-02-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

I imagine every yeshivah has its share of weirdos - misfits, lunatics, the homeless - or all three - who hang around. It seems like a very logical and rather symbiotic relationship when one thinks about it. After all, Yeshivah bochurim - who ostensibly dedicate their entire day to Torah study - are always on the prowl for some easy entertainment. Debating with, harassing and conversing with odd people makes for a great way to kill time - both during the event and at bull sessions for days after.

The misfit also gains from the relationship. Lonely and in need of attention, the bochurim provide a listening ear and youthful energy. The yeshivah also often comes with free food and a home away from home.

If the above isn't true in all yeshivos - it most definitely was in Los Angeles. During my high-school years we came to know a diverse cast of characters: There was Shua Ed, the every learning and davening man who lived behind the mikvah - and was rumored to have suffered a nervous break down, now living off of his wealthy sisters funds. We had Danny, the Baal teshuvah chasid who clinged to every kind of chasidus and mumbled constantly to himself. There was Chaim Shlomo, the high-school math teacher who, after blowing his brain out with drugs, returned to the school he had taught math in over two decades before. The list went on and on . . .

And then there were rumors of characters past - there was the Chacham Bashi (or something like that) a Persian man who showed up in the 80's . . . and there was Rick.

Rick was rumored to have been a homosexual adult-actor who, some years after retiring, spent his time watching the bochurim and dressing in chasidic garb. Apparently, before dying of AIDS he had written a book about his experience living across the street from a yeshivah - our yeshivah.

The Boys Across the Street is that book.

It is odd, repetitive work that - when understood fully - is truly quiet frightening. After all, Rick's yearning to bed the Yeshivah boys, to teach them 'what he knows' is nothing short of pedophilia.
Yet, despite it's truly disturbing implications, the book itself isn't vicious. It's actually quiet soft and caring in its narrations - the people observed by rick are all treated with a certain affection.

While the back of the book lists it as a work of fiction with only semi-autobiographical over-tones- I am quiet sure it is very real. Names and dates match up - my friends and neighbors, as very small children, make appearances throughout the book.

Rick Sandford writes what he experienced when observing the Yeshivah . . . and there in lies my fascination with the book.

At face value, The Boys Across the Street is a rather frustrating book.
In a series of vignettes or sketches, Rick recounts his meetings with the boys across the street. They, as heterosexual, religious and cloistered individuals fascinate him. Rick, as a homosexual, atheist outsider fascinates them. The bochurim are believers, Rick is hedonist. He wishes he was never born. They mince words, they disagree. They form fleeting friendships and end them. The process repeats itself perhaps a dozen times then - just as Rick begins to come to the faintest hint of something deeper in life - the book ends.

At best it serves an absurdest parable - bringing to opposing worlds together, only to repeat the process again.

Yet I was captivated...

Rick's observations so clearly captured my yeshivah years - the dorm, the park we played in, the neighborhood, and the craziness of West Hollywood. He picks up on the Messianic fervor of 91-92. He notes the Crown Heights Riots . . . it's a time capsule.

Can I recommend the book to others? Despite a certain degree of tenderness Rick may show - he's coarse and crude. He feels the boys won't let him into their lives because he is an Atheist (unlikely) non-Jew (more likely), and gay (possibly). The book meanders and repeats itself . . .

But for those who went to YOEC . . . nothing catches the place (at least in the good old days) better.

(Image: Good Reads)

Picture of the Week 109

2011-02-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

Amish meets chasidish when the Pennsylvania Dutch tour Crown Heights

Wishing everyone a good shabbos!

Weird Sign Wednesday XXXII

2011-02-23T17:05:00.000-08:00

Yikes!

Weird Sign Wednesday

2011-02-09T20:58:00.001-08:00

In memory of my cousin Jeremy

2011-02-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

My cousin Jeremy passed away last week at the age of 35 after a two and half year battle with cancer. He leaves behind his parents Ian and Margret (my aunt an Uncle), his wife Jen and a Lee (aged 1).

Words can not express the enormity of our loss. My mind reels over Jeremy’s absence. How can there be a world without Jeremy? Without his warm personality and smile? His love of art and of humanity?

The wording of the Torah when speaking about the death of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, provides some insight. The verse reads that Sarah lived for One Hundred and Twenty Seven Years - stressing her life and the time she spent here on earth - not her death - when recounting her passing.

This wording is specific. Our loved ones remain very much tied to this world and those that loved them - even after their passing. How? When we live their lives, when we continue in their legacy and do those things they were passionate about - then their lives remain manifest with us.

When we live as Jeremy would have wanted us to, involve ourselves in those things - and with those people - he held dear . . . then Jeremy lives on through each and every one of us.

Growing up, I always looked up to Jeremy. He was the big kid that knew it all, and while some times teasing - kept an eye out for me.

---

A memory:

I was in Toronto at the time it must have been a 'Bar Mitzvah' for either Jeremy or a friend of his.

Sitting in a car I remember he set out the differences between our ages (I being 4 while Jeremy was 13) -

"When you're older you'll see, " he told me. "That picking your nose isn't cool - and that girls aren't gross."

Over a decade later and a world apart, Jeremy came to LA. Visiting me in the Yeshivah, we spent some time speaking by the Shabbos Bereishes kiddush. Before leaving he encouraged me to continue in Yeshivah - to continue learning and exploring . . .

---

I regret that our contact was not as consistent as it ought to have been. But when we did touch base - most recently by my wedding - Jeremy’s gentle spirit and pleasant humor touched deeply in my soul.

Jeremy was my cousin, but he was also a friend.

My heart goes out to all of those feeling the loss of Jeremy - Ian and Margret, Jen and Lee, Jeremy’s friends and family . . .

Let us all resolve to take the time in our lives to become passionate about what Jeremy loved, to live on in those things Jeremy invested his life . . . and through that, to live with Jeremy.

My condolences and heartfelt prayers for comfort for all of those who have lost.
May we know no more sorrow.

(Photo: Jeremy at my wedding)

Mottel Cooks: Pan Cooked Salmon on Goat Cheese Salad

2011-01-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

The picture doesn't do justice - sorry!

Salad:

Mesclun
Romain Lettuce
Cherry Tomatoes
Red Onion
French Herb Chevre
Toasted Almonds
Grated Parmesan cheese
Dressing

Dijon Mustard
Honey
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Salt
Pepper
Oregano

Salmon

Coat salmon with with olive oil, then cover with crushed pepper, paprika and a kosher salt. Cook in pan until salmon is flaky. Add fresh rosemary at the end of cooking.

Almonds should be coated with a olive oil, salt and a small amount of organic sugar. Cook at 350 degrees until well toasted.

Served with Sourdough bread and Tomato-Basil soup. Paired amazingly with the delicious Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel.

Op-Ed: The Key to Peace in the Crown Heights

2011-01-26T22:23:00.000-08:00

A week has gone by since an “Installation Ceremony” crowned Rabbi Yosef Braun as the third member of the Crown Height’s Beis Din. The event, the culmination of months of backroom deals, private negotiations and heated public debate, should have brought an end to the discord and fighting that has plagued our community. Yet all was not as it seemed. Rabbi Osdoba, the senior member of the Beis Din, made a simple request - that Rabbi Braun show the two smichas mentioned in the psak. His request unfulfilled, Rabbi Osdoba was absent from the installation.

What happened, and what does all of this mean to us?

At the time I watched the proceedings, as they were streamed live over the Internet, from my home. I debated the proceedings online with my friends. Over a week has gone by since the installation, and my feelings and ill-ease with the situation have not subsided. If anything, the issues that trouble me have grown. Upon seeing the latest revelation, the misinformation fed to Rabbi Amram Klein - as revealed in a recent letter revealed to the public - I feel that we can remain silent no longer.

Before continuing, by means of full disclosure, I’ll be upfront and say that I did not vote for Rabbi Braun. I was bothered by his lack of experience, unimpressed by his campaign that focused more on his prowess as a mashpia, as a youthful figure with the ability to reconnect with the estranged younger generations, than on his knowledge of psak. What is more, I found the campaign around him to be dirty and dishonest. I was bothered that he was being propelled forward by mudslinging, yet when asked about his campaign, he pleaded ignorance of any organized effort on his behalf. Kolel Yungeleit were tricked into signing what was supposed to be a private letter to the two existing rabbonim, that was then falsely circulated as an endorsement for Rabbi Braun. I was not impressed.

That all being said, I’m a firm believer in the democratic process.The transition of power to the winning party, even if not of one’s chosen candidate, is one of the most powerful aspects of the democracy. As such, as we entered the new year, I was ready to accept Rabbi Braun as the third Rov.

Unfortunately, the lack of transparency - if not the utter turbidity - that plagued Rabbi Braun’s campaign came rearing to an ugly front. Rabbi Braun’s very qualifications as a rov were called into question. All that was needed was for Rabbi Braun to furnish the necessary documents, show the world that he did indeed posses the necessary smicha, and it would have ended there. Instead the issue lingered. When a psak was finally issued by the Zablo Beis Din, it did not posses the signatures of the five rabbis involved. Documents - including the very smicha that was claimed to be universally legitimate and acceptable to all - were not made public. Rabbi Yoel Kahn, the Rebbe’s chozer, and Reb Pinye Korf signed with others on an open letter to Rabbi Rosenberg asking that he provide the transparency that we, the residents of Crown Heights, deserve.

As such, though the possibility to nominally install Rabbi Braun as rov in Crown Heights existed, clearly something was rotten in the state of Kan Tziva.

Here is where everything breaks down for me:

Watching the ceremony that Sunday night, I was shocked by the cognitive dissonance of the events organizers. The speeches focused again and again on achdus, on the unity that was so long needed in Crown Heights finally coming. Yet looking at those seated at the head table and speaking from the dais, all I saw were the same tired faces that took part in the machlokes that initially tore our community apart. Were it not for the yeshivah bochurim schlepped in to inflate the crowd’s size and the Hungarian Rabbonim brought in as friends of the Braun family (some victims of the fore mentioned subterfuge), those gathered would have been incredibly monolithic. I mean no respect to those who gathered, but their cries of unity were cynical and hollow.

If the night of 12 Shevat were truly one of unity, then where were so many of the rabbonim of our community? Where was Rabbi Heller? What about Rabbi Garelik? Where were Rabbis Yisroel Friedman or Gerlitzky? What about the mashpiim? Where was Reb Yoel Kahn? Reb Sholom Charitonow or Pinye Korf? Was Rabbi Yossi Jacobson there? Where were Rabbis Gronner or Simpson? What about Rabbi Shmuel Butman and other members of Tzach?

Unity would be when two opposing forces are brought together, by a third higher power, negatinf the source, or at least the expression, of the conflict. What we witnessed that Sunday night was not unity, but rather a self-congratulatory and strictly partisan affair. It’s insulting to the intelligence of the inquisitive observer when the self-adulation and empty speeches that were preached to the choir were passed off as unity.

Again and again friends have told me that it’s time to give Rabbi Braun a chance. That this was our last great chance at peace, and that my questions were only serving to continue the fight.

Truth be told, this has nothing to do with Rabbi Braun the man - at least not to me. I’m sure he is a well-meaning and learned individual. My issue is with the lack of transparency and deceit that makes the very legitimacy and possibility of giving Rabbi Braun the chance he deserves! The simple act of full disclosure and honest conversation will bring an end to this debacle. Until that time, however, we remain hostage to the machinations of the rabble-rousers that wish to break the very foundations of the community they claim to aid.

Ponder this: although Zaki showed a spirit of compromise - agreeing to continue with the installation, while delaying the actual signing of Rabbi Braun’s contract leaving time for the smichas to be produced. The other members of the Va’ad, however, went behind the collective backs of Rabbi Osdoba, Zaki and the entire community, signing the contract with Rabbi Braun. Why Rabbi Braun was unable to wait a few weeks, so that the signing of his contract be accepted by all parties involved, is beyond me.

Information wants to be free. It is the basis of the modern era of free exchange and thoughts in which we live. It is the foundation of democracy and the bane of communism and fascism. What is more yemos hamoshiach are the very epitome of transparency and honesty - a time when knowledge will fill the entire world.

Therefore we must ask Rabbi Braun:

Please end partisan fighting and politics once and for all. Rabbi Braun - to help bring the peace and unity that I’m sure you also want - as a first step, please release the documents in connection with this case.

(reblogged from CrownHeights.info)

Weird Sign Wednesday XXX (As in 30)

2011-01-25T23:27:00.000-08:00

You mean I get WiFi and Internet? Amazing!

Child on a Möbius strip

2011-01-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

Changing my sons diaper one day I had an epiphany. There, during the deepest moments of fatherly duty, the deed that only a parent could do for his child, I experienced a fleeting moment of clarity.

My son, being stripped of his clothes, screamed to all around him. His tiny hands batted the towel under him. His legs took dangerous swipes in the air - missing my nose by mere inches. Tears, large and salty, welled up in his eyes.

And I laughed.

I laughed because at that moment I understood that I had been no different than him. I had been an infant, screaming inconsolably as I was changed on a table. My father had been changed by his . . . and so the train went back.

And what was more, when I am old and hoary, my son's son will do the same to his own, son.

Picking the baby up - the emobdiment of that eternal child that always was and always will be, kicking and screaming - fighting the demons that even he does not see . . . I kissed him and he smiled.

(Image Source: Life Archive)

Paul Cézanne: Still Life, Drapery, Pitcher, and Fruit Bowl

2011-01-19T10:51:00.001-08:00

(Image Source)

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi On How To Become A Modern Hasid

2011-01-18T07:18:00.001-08:00

A few weeks back on the now defunct Asimov Rants blog, the discussion of Zalman Schacter came up. At the time Zalman Alpert mentioned an article, penned by Schachter, about what it means to be a "Modern Hasid."
Zalman (Alpert that is) was kind enough to send me a copy of the article. I'm posting it here for the edification and enjoyment of the readership of this blog.
I must admit that due to my schedule I've been somewhat delinquent in putting the article up, but I'm sure the article was worth the wait. On a side note: I'm interested in posting further articles and documents of Chabad and Crown Heights historical interest or note. If you have anything of interest please email me: mordechai7215 [at] gmail [dot] com

Click on the link to read and enjoy!

A thought

2011-01-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

My father was in Crown Heights this past week.
He asked me if the creaking of the ceiling fan bothered me.
Now I'm stuck wondering if it has been creaking since I moved in, and I just learned to ignore it, or if it only started that morning

Investigating 'Ahavas Yisroel Shul'

2011-01-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

Dear Yael,

In your recent op-ed on the new Chevra Ahavas Yisroel synagogue, you ended with a request for "enlightenment." While I do not claim to be the sole proprietor of truth nor the arbiter of what is and isn't Chabad - I would like to discuss the matter, and hopefully, G-d willing, a clearer understanding of the situation may be reached by all.

Allow me to preface: This is not meant as a critique of your character - nor of anyone else mentioned in your op-ed. Rather it is an analysis of certain concepts and changes in the ethos of the Crown Heights community.

First of all, it is wonderful that you have found a shul in which you feel welcomed and comfortable. Yes, Lubavitch does indeed mean "city of love," and the Rebbe instilled a deep ahavas yisroel within Chabad Chassidim, many of whom have traveled great distances to establish Chabad Houses to warmly welcome all Jews.

Yet you continue to write that "This is a democratic country, and God is not owned by the zealots." You say that the "ultra Chassidic would not feel at home there, but that no one is forcing anyone to go." At this point, I would like to respectfully disagree with this premise - on which much of your article is based.

Judaism does not exist in a vacuum. Just as one cannot claim to understand the divine will of the Creator as written in the Five Books of Moses without the oral tradition that has been handed down from Moses on Sinai, so too our understanding of the application of Jewish law, the rhythm of Jewish life, custom and chasidic nuance are all part of a long tradition.

To view Judaism as sola scriptura - by merit of one's own interpretation - is to leave it devoid of its true meaning.

In the context of Chabad, this means that our understanding of what Chabad is - and isn't - is based on the words of the Rebbeim as understood and passed down from generation to generation of Chassidim. What is more, there is a certain aspect of Chassidic culture that cannot be given over in words. This - the Arum Fun Chassidus - the milieu of chassidic life - is key to understanding what is and isn't appropriate for a Lubavitcher Chossid.

As such, certain actions, like the choice of which songs we use in the shabbos liturgy, the ways in which we seek spiritual enlightenment, and the overall standards of our community, must all be viewed in the context of the over 200 years of Chabad. [As a parenthetical note - the assertion that "Chabad born composer[sic]" Shlomo Carlebach's music should be acceptable due to his supposed heritage is both historically inaccurate and specious.

Carlebach was never Chabad born - rather he was scion to a prominent German rabbinical dynasty. After coming to America and a stint in Lakewood he came to Lubavitch. Within a decade however, he moved on. In his words, later printed in Tikkun magazine Sept. 1997, he related that "the Rebbe said to me, "I cannot tell you to do it your way. But I can't tell you not to do it your way. So if you want to do it on your own, God be with you." So I split."

In any event, even if Carlebach had been a born Lubavitcher, his background would be meaningless - Solomon Schechter, a renowned scholar and theologian, whose theory of Catholic Israel has been the driving force of Conservative Judaism for over a century was indeed a "Chabad born" Jew - his Hebrew name was Schneur Zalman.]

If one truly wishes to understand Chabad, what it is and what it teaches, then it is not only important, but necessary to turn to Rabbonim, Mashpiem, and Roshei Yeshivah.

On Motzei-Shabbos Parshas Terumah, 2 Adar 5748, the Rebbe delivered a sicha that can called nothing short of his ethical will. Central the ideas discussed there was the need to listen to a Beis Din of Lubavitcher Rabbis [keep in mind here that the Rabbis discussed here are true rabbonim - not mere pulpit rabbis.]

Thus the individuals mentioned in your op-ed (please, however, see below) understand quite well when the love in Lubavitch is appropriate, and when it is not. They are aware of the Rebbe's dictum of bringing every Jew closer to his heritage with bonds of love.

They are also, however, aware that we are to bring others closer to the Torah - not the Torah closer to them. We love every Jew. We do not, however, love every Jew's shtick. If something is truly foreign and inappropriate to Chabad, then no matter how effective a tool it may be in spreading Yiddishkeit, it is a betrayal to everything the Rebbe, Chabad and Chassidus stand for.

Today, for better or for worse, we are pulled by the dialectical tensions of the dual culture in which we live. We must walk a fine line if we wish to stay true to Torah and chassidus whilst enjoying the benefits of a 'modern' life.

With that said, there are certain beliefs and ideas that are completely foreign to Judaism. In America, there has been a deterioration of the idea of the community and trust in authority since the middle of the previous century. The axiom that 'it's a free country,' besides very likely being at most a vast over simplification and ignorance of what first amendment rights truly represent, is most definitely an anathema to traditional Judaism.

If a shul were to enact certain things that are truly damaging to the standards of the community as a whole, then as part of the community there is an obligation to address their actions.

This is in regards to the general question of change and tradition within Chabad.

* * *

Pertaining to the so-called Ahavas Yisrael Affair, it would seem that your well intentioned effort to defend your new-found shul of choice may in fact have brought about the opposite result.

In order to better understand the situation, I was asked by COLlive.com to spend some time with R' Chezzi Denebeimdiscussing the various claims.

Of the rumours recounted in your op-ed, you claimed senior rabbis demanded that Chezzi extend the mechitzah. Chezzi explained to me that on their first Shabbos, they were expecting around 30 people. They set up 15 chairs for men and 15 for women with a sufficient mechitzah in between. However, when upwards of 80 people filed into CAY- the facility was simply not prepared - leaving the the mechitzah's length insufficient. When preparing for the following week, Chezzi extended the mechitzah on his own accord.

While I don't think you recounted these spurious claims against CAY with any ill intent, I do highlight them to point out the dangers on publicizing rumors and unsubstantiated information.

Among the other issues:

1. It would seem that a number of the rabbis mentioned did not in fact speak to R' Chezzi Denebeim.

2. After hearing that certain important individuals within the community did wish to speak to him, Chezzi Denebeim willingly approached said parties. Any questions as to purpose and conduct of the shul were addressed.

3. There has never been any issue with mixed seating. Shiurim are not mixed. Shabbos meals were initially separate, but without a mechitza. Based on suggestions from others, they are now done with a mechitza. [In regards to your question about mixed shiurim, I might add that while there were certain instances where the Rebbe allowed mixed Torah classes - they were based on the specific conditions and needs of the community - and not a general rule of conduct.]

4. The Mimulo flowershop does not have any connection to CAY other than renting them the space for Shabbos.

As Lubavitchers we ought to be aware of the priceless traditions we posses. The deep insight of Chassidus, the geshmak of a nigun, the power of hours of davening - these things are our legacy to the world and our source of pride.

While I am by no means endorsing the shul - I have neither the authority nor an intimate knowledge of the shul to do so - I do not see this shul as coming to replace any of those things we hold sacred.

Sadly there is a segment of the population that is alienated from these traditions. The fact that a niggun or vart from Shlomo Carlebach, Breslov or Karlin attracts people over niggun ha'aruch of Reb Hillel Partischer or a Ma'amor in Somech Vov is more a testament of our own failings as a community. If people, born within, and currently associated with, the Chabad tradition do not treasure what the rebbeim have given us - then we must find a way to make it meaningful and relevant to their lives.

I see this shul as a grounds-up attempt to enfranchise a segment of the population no longer enamoured and perhaps alienated from the community as whole. This is an attempt to end the apathy and indifference that is eating at the heart of our community.

If someone has a better way of addressing the issue, then by all means it should be done. In the mean time, however, it would be cynical to attack the shul without providing a viable substitution.

As long as those in charge of the shul continue to consult with rabbonim, listen to the honest feedback of concerned members of the community, and direct their members in the right direction - it ought to remain a viable entity in Crown Heights.

I welcome all feedback on the situation from both you as well as others. Yael, if you in any way wish to discuss things further, please contact the editors of the site for my info - my wife and I would gladly extend a shabbos invitation to talk further on the matter.

On Volozhyn, Novardok and Chasidus

2011-01-16T23:34:00.000-08:00

This Shabbos I stopped by the aufruf of a friend.

His grandfather - Reb Mendel Morosow - mentioned an interesting story.

While standing in the slaughterhouse for Swift's kosher meat line.

Standing next to him was a Novardoker and Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik - the Rav.

The Novardoker talmid asked the Rav why in the Volozhyn of old they didn't learn Musar. The Rav turned to him and asked,
"I have a greater question - why didn't they learn chasidus?"

Reb Mendel Morosow

For Your Enjoyment: Two on Yud Shevat

2011-01-15T23:05:00.000-08:00

Get this widget

Track details

eSnips Social DNA

Newly remastered by the good folks at JEM

Please check out my article - Transition in Lubavitch: January 28, 1950

Picture of the Week 108

2010-12-31T12:04:00.000-08:00

Reb Volf a"h

Blog post to come.

Moskve

2010-12-26T19:21:00.000-08:00

I love Psoy . . . and Psoy singing Dschinghis Khan's Moskau...

Mottel Pizza

2010-12-22T21:09:00.000-08:00

Home made Mottel Pizza:

Dough (based on Spice and Sprit recipe):

2 cups water
2 packages dry yeast
2 tsps. Sugar
5 cups flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
4 Tbsps. Oil
Rosemary kneaded in to taste.

Toppings:

Pesto, spread across dough.
fresh mozzarella
grated Parmesan
Sun-dried tomatoes
Oregano
Basil
Salt
Pepper

I served it with a bottle of Saison DuPont.

Food for thought:

Fresh mozzarella is generally white, but may vary seasonally to slightly yellow depending on the animal's diet. It is a semi-soft cheese. Due to its high moisture content, it is traditionally served the day it is made, but can be kept in brine for up to a week
Sun dried tomatoes were created in the tile roofs of Italy as a way to store fresh tomatoes for the winter. This technique is still used for tomatoes, only in much larger quantities of tomatoes and for commercial use (commercially available tomatoes).
The name pesto is the contracted past participle of the Genoese word pestâ (Italian: pestare) which means "to pound, to crush" in reference to the sauce's crushed herbs and garlic. This same Latin root through Old French also gave rise to the English word pestle.

Weird Sign Wednesday

2010-12-21T21:48:00.000-08:00

Some how saying 'take me' and 'I'm yours on your luggage just seems like a bad idea!

For E

2010-12-21T11:03:00.001-08:00

Math is everywhere

Haveil Havalim 296: The Cold of Tevet Edition

2010-12-18T23:31:00.000-08:00

By way of introduction:

The last time I hosted Haveil Havalim (it was Number 230) I had just gotten married. My wife and I were spending the weekend at the National Jewish Retreat and I figured a weekend away from the hustle of the city would give me time to work on that week's offerings. Somehow, while doing last minute editing on my cell phone - something in the Blogger WYSIWYG editor went haywire and deleted all the actual links! I was lambasted (by people I actually regularly chat with) on the twittersphere for presenting the worst HH ever . . .

Thankfully I managed to recover everything, and it all worked out in the end.

Since then I've continued to write for Lubavitch.com, expanded their Social Media initiative (please follow and like Lubavitch on Twitter and Facebook!) and - most importantly I'm now the father of a beautiful baby boy!

In the tragic days after the passing of RivkA bat Yishaya HaLevi of Coffee and Chemo, Jack made a public call for HH hosts. This offering, the best of the Jewish Blogosphere as submitted by others and gathered by me, is in her honor. By Hashgacha Protis, tonight is also the yahrtzeit of my Grandmother Malka bas Yitzchok.
May their neshamos have the ultimate aliyah with coming of moshiach - and tichiyas hameisim - right now!

So what is Haveil Havalim?

Founded by Soccer Dad, Haveil Havalim is a carnival of Jewish blogs — a weekly collection of Jewish and Israeli blog highlights, tidbits and points of interest collected from blogs all around the world. It’s hosted by different bloggers each week and coordinated by Jack. The term ‘Haveil Havalim,’ which means “Vanity of Vanities,” is from Qoheleth, (Ecclesiastes) which was written by King Solomon. King Solomon built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and later on got all bogged down in materialism and other ‘excesses’ and realized that it was nothing but ‘hevel,’ or in English, ‘vanity.

Judaism:

In the New York Jewish Week Melissa Chapman has a great piece entitled To Yeshiva or Not, That is the Question (hat tip to FFidler for this one)

Baila Olidort, Editor in Chief of Lubavitch.com - Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters - brings in a Jewish perspective of the tragic suicide of Mark Madoff in Play Now, Pay Later: Lessons From The Madoff Tragedy

Rachel Barenblat presents Prayer life changes posted at Velveteen Rabbi - her reflections on having a prayer life, and on how that prayer life always changes.

Elise presents Wrestling with God posted at Raising Asperger's Kids.

My friend Yossi has a great photo essay about his Chanukah in Houston over on his blog A Bochur in Lubavitch.

Chaviva has a vlog post asking Niddah: Cover Your Hair in Bed? over at Just call me Chaviva

Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver presents Why won't Chabad support some worthy causes?, Chassidus: The antidote to spiritual near-death, and Where does our heart lie? posted at A Chassidishe farbrengen.

Soccer Dad presents Sharing a short part of a long journey posted at treppenwitz.

Cosmic X presents Ezra the Scribe: Valiant Warrior Against Intermarriage,Rabbi Shlomo Aviner Explains Why Not To Sell Israeli Real Estate to Arabs, and A Book That Counters the Claims of "Torat HaMelech" posted at Cosmic X in Jerusalem.

Mordechai Torczyner presents Of Sarcastic Rabbis posted at The Rebbetzin's Husband

Batya gives us Even On The Eve of Shabbat, The Fast of the Tenth of Tevet

Joel Katz Religion and State in Israel - December 13, 2010 (Section 1) and Religion and State in Israel - December 13, 2010 (Section 2) posted at Religion and State in Israel.

Another offering from Batya, she lets us know about A New "G'mach" and Another Great Tremp Story and Jerusalem Street Scenes--The Lightrail Traffic Jam and More posted at me-ander

Harry presents Baligam and I want my money back posted at ISRAELITY.

Ya'aqov Ben-Yehudah sent three great posts Two More Opinions On Renting To Arabs, Etc., Jews are still not getting the message, and No, They can not stay

Culture:

Jacob Richman presents Uploaded New Learn Hebrew Video - Small Things posted at Good News from Israel.

Harper's Magazine has a fascinating write up (here reposted on Crownheights.info) on A Shtetl Divided - Messianic vigilantes, brawling Hasidim, and the battle for Jewish Brooklyn

Personal:

Over on In the Pink Hadassah discusses making a Social Media Resume.

Batya presents A Tsunami To Take Over The World, Isn't That What the Muslims are Aiming For? posted at Shiloh Musings.

YS presents Day 9- ?How Can I Decide?? posted at Consistently Under Construction.

westbankmama asks us Please Help A Good Cause posted at West Bank Mama.

Humor:

Mrs. S. - who was kind enough to wish me a good shabbos and easy fast (thanks!) presents Fashion Friday: Unintended consequences edition posted at Our Shiputzim: A Work In Progress.

Scholarship:

Bernice Frankel presents Top 50 Blogs by Theology Professors posted at Master of Theology.

Three on Babies

2010-12-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

Click on the link for photos

Weird Sign Wednesday XXVIII: Fresh off the press edition

2010-12-15T18:34:00.001-08:00

Could someone tell me the difference between the cappuccino and the iced mochaccino besides the dollar?

Picture of the Week: 107

2010-12-10T00:33:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a good Shabbos

Weird Sign Wednesday XXVII

2010-12-08T00:11:00.000-08:00

This sign, found in the MTA stop in Boroughpark, is brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department and approved by the Head of the Department of the Obvious.

The Three Rules of Babies

2010-12-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

Baby having fun after bath

A Baby will always grab the most expensive or dangerous thing in front of him.
A baby can sleep for hours, but will wake up as soon as an important phone call comes in.
Similarly, be it 10 in th evening or 3 in the morning, a baby will invariably wake up within 10 minutes of you going to bed.

Say hello to my new (17") friend!

2010-12-06T07:05:00.001-08:00

Let the blogging begin again!

Matisyahu - Missing the Point of Chanukah

2010-11-30T21:06:00.000-08:00

Matisyahu came out with his new Chanukah song/Music video.

To be frank - I found it somewhat disturbing. The song itself is somewhat uninspired. It feels over produced and lacks the raw energy of Matisyahu's original offerings.
More upsetting, however, are the visuals that accompany the song.
A skating Matis, accompanied by two kids, bumps into a man dressed in the red hat of the Holiday Season™

The two are taken back to Ancient Israel to relive the Chanukah story.
And there it all falls apart.
The imagery is entirely derivative of Modern day consumerist Xmas. The Jerusalem of my mind doesn't have the pine tries and snow of Rankin/Bass holiday specials.
Soon a captured Matisyahu, himself now dressed like old S. Nich is held imprisoned by a nutcracker. Before escaping he exchanges tinsel covered presents with his Maccabee friend.

Before the Kitschy video ends, Matisyahu dances around a menorah with the Greek, Maccabbee, a Lubavitcher (a certain friend of mine) and others.
Coming to, he wishes the viewers a "Happy Holidays."

I would venture to say that the one redeeming merit of the whole video is that Matisyahu and the other performers seem to be having a blast . . . The best to you my friends.

However, perhaps even more disturbing then this video sell-out to seasonal consumerism is an essay penned by Matisyahu and posted on NPR's website.

In short he wonders why there's such a disparity in numbers between Chanukah songs and their non-Jewish equivalent.

Matisyahu questions if the complexity(?) of the Xmas message perhaps gives more room for folk song.

I quote: "Plot lines may be a part. The Christmas story has a lot of material to work with. There's Jesus and his birth, the wise men, their gifts and tons of frankincense. Then there's Santa, his reindeer, his elves and his drunken escapades over Grandma."

Chanukah is somehow lacking in his books due to its "straight linear story. The underdog Jews miraculously defeat the huge Greek army, and the Menorah in the Holy Temple miraculously stays lit for eight days. There's less to draw from, and if it weren't for Adam Sandler, Chanukah music wouldn't get any radio play at all."

I fail to see his point - does the imagery of a virgin birth in a barn (do I even want to picture that in my head) and Northern European paganist relics brought to America by successive waves of Dutch, British and German immigrants really provide more imagery a ink for the quill of the heart then the epic battle of the oppressed over throwing their tyrannical dictators. I for one find the victory of spirit of the few against the many, the single cruse of oil left pure and untouched in the Greek rape of all that's holy - to be a far more powerful image.

In reality the lack of Chanukah songs has less to do with the lack of imagery - or even Matisyahu's next answer - the so called /White Xmas syndrome' - and more to do with the fact that before the modern age where chanukah was used to battle 'tree envy' it really was a 'smaller' holiday.
That's not to say that I don't think chanukah shouldn't be broadcast in the public thoroughfare - just the opposite, its message is timeless and universal - but only to give a reason why we there seems to be a dearth of Chanukah songs.

He concludes:
"Is it possible that one day the tide may turn, that Jews and Christians will come together in the studio and start making Chanukah music? Will we ever get to hear Drake and Rihanna's hit single, "Chanukah's Sexy Love Lights"? Maybe, but it would take a real Chanukah miracle."

Somehow all of this, the music video, the analysis, betrays a deep ignorance or misguided, though well meaning, distortion of what Chanukah really is about.

Chanukah is about our return to the pure cruse of oil left untouched in our souls, the victory of a uniquely Jewish way of life over that of assimilation.
Chanukah teaches us to hold dear what is unique to us, and that through respecting our own traditions, we can come to a universal understanding of the unique qualities everyone posses.
Instead we are left with the feel-good but shallow belief that by sharing our traditions, by dancing with S Nich and holding out the belief that Rihanna will make a Chanukah single . . .

Mottel's Guide to Purchasing a Cell Phone

2010-11-22T22:00:00.000-08:00

I recently put together a list of the latest cell phones with their relative Pros and Cons.

I decided to publish the write-up here for the benefit of the general public:

As there seems to be bit of confusion about the various smart phones on the market, I'm including few points on Blackberry verses Android phones, as well as some of the other options on the market.

Blackberry:

Pros:

Amazing email integration
BBM (blackberry messenger) - those who use it love it.
Solid build - the hardware is often solid
Security - especially for enterprises Blackberry's servers and encryption are considered very secure (it's reported that Mosad agents might have used BBM to communicate while in Dubai recently etc.)

Cons:

Outdated hardware - camera, processor speed, screen resolution etc. are all behind the curve.
Poor Web-browser - the experience of browsing the internet on most Blackberries is painful when compared to Andriod, Iphone etc. (The brand-new BB Torch is supposed to be better - though overall even that phone lacks in features).
Aging operating system: The BB OS (operating system) is very dated.
Limited App Market: Apps today rule the mobile world - BB doesn't have anywhere near the number of apps as other phones - though the basic chitas apps are all there.

Bottom Line:
The Blackberry is easy to use and does what it specializes in (BBM and Email) well. That being said, the devices are older and lack power to compete with modern handsets. If you already have BB and can't live without your BBM, then I suppose stick with it. I would have a hard time recommending it to someone as a first time phone.

Android:

Android is Google's open source operating system (Droid is a specific series of phones running the Android OS made mostly by Motorola and sold exclusively on Verizon). Open source means that anyone is free to develop for it (as opposed to Apple who rules iOS (the iphone operating system) with an iron first) this however has both a good and a bad side. The latest version of the OS -2.2 has Hebrew support.

As anyone can make an Android phone, many companies make various models that feature all kinds of designs. The HTC Evo 4g and Samsung Epic 4g are the top two on Sprint (4G means faster internet - though it's not yet rolled out in many markets and costs an extra $10 a month above the existing premium data plans - 4G also eats up battery juice very quickly), the HTC Droid Incredible and perhaps the Droid Pro (which has a blackberry like keyboard) on Verizon, the G2 (which has 4g like speeds) on T-mobile. Each phones has it's on ma'alos - so I'll focus on the general advantages shared by all Android phones.

There currently aren't any "chitas" apps (there's Rambam - but it's pretty hard to use, doesn't have a moreh shiur etc). I've been told that Jewishcontent.org will be coming out with all of their apps in the near future, but I haven't confirmed this myself.

Pros:

Open: Android is open to every developer and handset maker to design a phone. That means there's something for everyone out there in the world of Android. The Android marketplace, while lacking in the number of apps found in iPhone, today seems to offer everything found in the Apple app store. What is more, since Android is open, you're able to do things not possible on iPhone - such as run flash (for videos) on the latest version of Android OS 2.2 (called FroYo).
Features: Android phones are packed with features, they have all the basics - bluetooth, wifi, 3G internet, a great browser, man have good cameras with auto-focus (for scanning barcodes), fast processors, phones with physical keyboards for those that want the, - as well as such premiums as 4G (on the spring phones), Big Screens (on the Evo and Droid X), amOLED screens for vibrant color (on the Epic), HDMI for playing HD video on a big screen (if you ever want to stream living Torah on your Baal Habos's impressive home theater system), Swype for very fast typing (on the Droid X and Epic 4G), front facing cameras for video chat
Google: Google has come out with many amazing apps and features. You can take advantage of Google Voice (to record your voice mail as MP3s, forward your calls to various phones, screen calls and transcribe voicemail as an email or text message), Google Maps for amazing GPS; Google has various voice controls - so you can write your text messages with voice to text transcriptions, do google searches with voice, find directions etc; Google Goggles will take a picture of bar codes and scan them for you - letting you search for the same item online for cheaper, take pictures of logos and identify them for you, and translate certain texts (I believe French, German and Spanish); the phones have great Gmail integration as well.
Customization: You can customize the layout however you like - you can mix apps and widgets (such as weather, time, stock prices etc) on your home screen.

Cons:

Open: As Android is open to all developers, allowing for all kinds of devices, that means that what works for one Android phone won't work for another. Certain older sets aren't powerful enough for the latest version of the firmware (the latest version of the operating system) - in fact some phones are purposely made weaker and without the latest OS to be sold a "cheaper" phones. Since Android is so open, various phone manufacturers create various 'skins' for the OS. That means that the HTC "Sense UI" skin will look and feel different then the Samsung one or the Motorola one. Besides differences in look and features, these different skins mean that Google can't send out updates to the latest version of their OS (currently the FroYo 2.2 version - which has Hebrew support among other things) until the handset carriers have had a chance to update their user interface skins.
Learning Curve: Because Android phones sport so many features and are so customizable - they can be very overwhelming at first glance. As well, the design isn't a intuitive as, say, the iPhone OS - so you'll have to play around with it a bit to 'get' everything you can do. This problem is all compounded by the various styles and skins put on the Android phones.

The bottom line:

Android phones offer a wide range of handsets for every type of user, with many powerful features and all kinds of bells and whistles. This power is tempered by a slightly less intuitive user interface and the fractured environment where no two phones are the same.
If you want a powerful, state-of-the art phone, and you're willing to geek out a bit, then Android phones are the way to go.

iPhone:
We all know what it is, so I'll skip to the Pros and Cons

Pros:

Apple Experience: You'll find a beautiful phone, basically ready to use out of the box with Apple's hallmark clean design, seamless user experience and intuitive OS.
App Store: The iPhone App store has the most apps of any other phone, with the latest and greatest available to you.
iPod: Every iPhone has Apples music playing features

Cons:

Closed System: You're playing in Steve Jobs' world. Jobs' doesn't like buttons - so you'll never see a keyboard on your iPhone. Apple doesn't like Flash (because they're in a fight with Adobe - the folks who make flash) so you'll never be able to play Flash videos or the like on your phone. Apple controls their app store with an iron fist - so if they don't like it, it won't go (for example they wouldn't let Google Voice in for ages, because it allowed for cheaper international calls etc.)
Apple doesn't take risks. That means you'll never have untested technology in your phone. Cut and Paste, Multitasking and the like were all delayed until far after they should have been out (they're here now). It also means that many of the latest advancements (like 4G) won't come out until after other phones have them.
AT&T: The iPhone (currently) is only available on AT&t's network - known for its spotty coverage. If you're not on AT&T - you're out of luck. (Though there are always rumors that Verizon will have an iPhone soon.

Bottom Line:

If you're on AT&T, go for it. If you love and live for Apple - the same applies. If not . . .

WebOS (aka the Palm PRE)

The Palm PRE was supposed to be the next BIG phone. Unfortunately it was late to market, featured a lackluster ad campaign, and shoddy hardware. It still has some interesting features and is worth an honorable mention

Pros

WebOS: The operating system is amazing. It's easy to use, powerful, and pretty to look at. Next to iPhone I think it's the best thing out there.
Physical keyboard

Cons:

Poor hardware: The phones weren't made very well, so they've been known to break. By today's standards they're also under powered.
Lack of developer support: Since few people purchased the phones, they're bottom of the list for app development. That means that programs that Android and iPhone have had for ages may not be out yet for webOS.

Bottom Line:
While I had the PRE and loved it, it's hard to recommend today when so many other options are out there. That being said, if you can find one for cheap on the market, and don't need the latest bells and whistles, the great interface may be worth it. HP recently bought Palm, so there should be better phones on the market in the future.

Windows Phone 7 was just announced for AT&T and T-Mobile. They're brand new, so I don't know much about them, but I love the Zune HD mp3 player that they're based on, and they look to be a nice middle ground between iPhone's easy interface and Android variety of features. We'll have to see what the future has in store.

In my Inbox: Sheitel Spam?

2010-11-17T10:10:00.000-08:00

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2010-11-17

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2010-10-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

So the other day my computer up and dies . . . This will be fun!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Weird Sign Wedneasy XXVI

2010-10-13T11:54:00.001-07:00

Straight from Ottawa - US President Barack Obama . . . the voice of Canadian growth and inspiration.

Technorati Tags: Weird Signs, Canada, Ottawa, Obama, Green

Picture of the Week 106

2010-10-10T20:26:00.001-07:00

On a boat in lake Michigan

Weird Sign Wednesday: XXV

2010-10-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

This one I saw today on Tzig's blog . . .

Of note, IY"H I'll resume regular posting in the near future!

Technorati Tags: Weird Signs, Humor, Yiddish, Links

Weird Sign Wednesday XXIV

2010-09-15T15:45:00.001-07:00

You mean I can get them for free . . . and at no charge?

Technorati Tags: Weird Signs, Humor

Blogging, Rosh Hashana and Life

2010-09-07T20:45:00.001-07:00

I went to the Ohel today.

While standing in the new section that connects the "house" to the "tent," I bumped into someone I knew.
Five years ago, when this blog was born, he was one of the major players in the drama that was the Land of the Warrior Saws.
Today, when we met again, he needed to be reminded of my name and from where he knew me.

Five years.

What was an all-consuming drama, an epoch so great in my life, that I thought I would never find surpassed . . . was gone.
That year in Poland was barely remembered by this man . . . and in truth, only half recalled by myself.

Time ebbs and winds . . .

Now I stand on the eve of 5771.
Last year I married, this year I had a son. Next year . . .
Next year I'll turn 26 - closer to the age of 30 than the age of 20 - the age I started this blog.

Despite having a cache of 5 blog posts ready to post . . . I haven't posted anything here in two weeks.

and yet it turns.

G-d willing there will be many good things this year - to blog about, to share with friends, and to farbrengen.

Dear reader . . . with all of my heart and soul . . . I wish you a good sweet year.
כתביה וחתימה טובה לשנה טובה ומתוקה

Technorati Tags: Rosh Hashana, Blogging, Life

The Stunning Work of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii.

2010-08-23T08:28:00.001-07:00

I've been familiar with some of the work of Prokudin-Gorskii for some time now. Yesterday I saw photo essay of his work on the Boston Globe making its way around the tubes . . . So I figured I'd repost some of my favorites and give you guys a link to the rest of them . . .

Enjoy!

See the rest of those on the Boston Globe and enjoy the entire collection from the Library of Congress.

Technorati Tags: Russia, Photography, Prokudin-Gorskii, Art, Links

A New Bio

2010-08-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

I've added a new bio to my blogger and Facebook profiles . . . Tell me what you think!

Rabbi by education, Journalist by profession, Blogger by choice.

Torah, Chassidus & the Social Web.

Appreciator of the finer things in life: craft beer, fresh coffee, Scotch or Bourbon, brewed tea, photography, art and travel.

Ladies Lock Up Your Husbands

2010-08-11T22:06:00.000-07:00

Click on this link to see the video
(the video doesn't seem to embed properly)
HSaboMilner posted a link to this video on her blog.

There's something very wrong with this lady's argument. I'm not in denial of the problems people face today . . . Though be diligent in Hilchos Yichud, which makes no difference how the 'help' looks, would go a long way to helping the problem.
What's disturbing about the video is what seems to be an almost total lack of trust in her husband, and in her self! I think more than a fat housekeeper, she needs a boost to her own self-esteem!

The fact that all of this is on the Aish site - auf dem zog ich an ashreinu!Technorati Tags: video, Aish, Marriage, Thoughts, Links

Mottel and the Big Easy - part III

2010-08-08T14:55:00.001-07:00

Part 3 of 4 from my trip to New Orleans this past April (wow I've been schlepping this series out!)

Click on the link and enjoy the French Quarter by day and night . . .

The people of New Orleans were so expressive . . . they made for some great photos!

Notice the man looking out . . .

Looking for something interesting to check out - we decided to go to the Voodoo Museum.
I had been hoping we would find a museum delineating the history and culture of voodoo . . . instead we wound a self guided tour through three rooms of the small house. No museum, the place was really a private collection of voodoo artifacts and an active shrine in the back . . . with rather creepy music piped in over the speakers. Yikes!

the shrine!!

We decided to take a horse and buggy ride . . . most of the photos didn't come out - but we were able to get some of them . . .

The former home of Marie Laveau . . . creepy!

The Kennedys slept in this hotel when JFK was a child - Lee Harvey Oswald grew up down the block . . .

To end off the evening I got a series of tasters at the Crescent City Brewhouse . . . a bunch of German style beers - nothing was too amazing though.

Stay tuned for part IV!

Technorati Tags: New Orleans, Voodoo, Photography, Travel, Beer, people

Picture of the week: on the run

2010-08-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

Wishing y'all a goos shabbos!

Conversations on the Rebbe's Scholarship

2010-08-04T23:24:00.001-07:00

The first in a series of inquiries and blog posts on the Rebbe's legacy to the world - this post is an interview conducted with Rabbi Dovid Olidort from Kehot Publication Society.

Q. Please tell us a little about yourself. What was your involvement with the transcribing
and printing of the Rebbe's teachings and what do you do today in relation to that
position?

A. I arrived in 770 as a student in the central Lubavitch yeshivah from Israel in September 1973.
Already as a young student in the Yeshivah I used to participate in the famous "chazarah" when
Reb Yoel Kahan (the senior chozer), who had memorized the Rebbe’s lengthy discourses
on Shabbat and Yomtov, would review the farbrengens after Shabbat and Yomtov (with the
assistance of some of the Yeshivah boys- also known as chozrim). After the chazarah I used to
transcribe, for myself, the Rebbe's talks right away.
In 1976 I became a member of the newly restructured Va’ad Hanochos Hatmimim, responsible
for publishing the Rebbe's unedited talks (which included both sichot and maamarim
[Maamarim, "discourses", are different from "sichot", talks in both style and content: The style
of the Sichot were ‘free form’, and dealt with all sorts of issues, ranging from an elucidation
of a Rashi or Rambam to an address on a current communal issue that was ion the Rebbe’s
heart. The maamarim on the other hand focused exclusively on subjects of chasidut (chasdic
theology), and were delivered in a particularly structured style (and tone of voice). These took
their cue from and were "based" upon the maamarim of the Rebbes of previous generations]).
Later, in 1978, we divided the work between the members of the Va’ad. I would write most of
the Maamarim (some were written by Reb Yoel Kahan and others), with the help of Reb Sholom
Charitonov (who was also one of the chozrim).

I continued, in this capacity (to transcribe the maamarim) until 1988, when the Rebbe stopped
saying Maamarim.
From 1981-1983 I also was part of the editorial board of Vaad Lehafotzas Sichos, and
participated in the preliminary editing of the sichot that were being prepared for the Rebbe to
review and edit and would then be published in the weekly Likkutei Sichot. (Eventually all of
these were published in the volumes of Likkutei Sichot).
After a break of a few years, I once again joined the editorial board of Vaad Lehafotzas Sichos.
I was part of this editorial body between 1986 and 1992 when the Rebbe suffered a stroke and
stopped editing the sichot.
Currently I am an editor at Kehot Publication Society.

Q Much has been made, as of late, about the Rebbe's personality and history. However,
it seems that the Rebbe's role in Torah study and his scholarship have been largely
ignored. What can you tell us about the Rebbe's scholarship and contribution to Torah
thought?

A. The facts speak for themselves:
His profundity, his fields of interest and versatility in methodology were extra-ordinary. Although
he often addressed communal and even universal issues at his farbrengens, the majority of his
talks were dedicated to Divrei Torah which he delivered with great intensity and enthusiasm. It is
impossible for me to describe the breadth and depth of the Rebbe's scholarship and erudition.
As for me personally, I have had the privilege of listening to hundreds of hours of the Rebbe
speaking. From listening to the Rebbe’s oral presentations, transcribing and preparing his Torah
for publication I have learned a tremendous amount in Talmudic, Halachic and Chasidic topics;
a unique reservoir of knowledge.

Q. While your work is known within Chabad circles, you're name has recently shown up
in the discussion of Chabad and the Rebbe in wider circles. Avrum Ehrlich writes in his
book, ''The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present'' -
Chapter 8, p. 80, note 35., about the Rebbes' later years, how he was "told [by you] how
most of Schneerson’s aides and editors adored him and saw him as virtually infallible,
despite their numerous corrections of his failing scholarship." Is this statement true?

A. No. It is Not.
Not only is this statement about "failing scholarship" false - I never made it - but it is
contradicted by the facts. During the 1980’s, for example, the Rebbe delivered Divrei
Torah of the highest claiber. Many of these are available in tape recordings. To be sure,
there were changes in the style of the Rebbe's talks around 1987, when he also stopped
saying "maamarim" and, in general, did not elaborate and extrapolate in the same way that
he would have previously done; the sichot were usually shorter and his presentation of ideas
less verbose (even terse). I may have mentioned this to Ehrlich. He may have misunderstood
me and therefore misconstrued what I said. However his suggestion that I spoke of "failing
scholarship" has no basis in reality.
To set the record completely straight: Ehrlich came to eat at my Yomtov table on Shavuot 1995
with some of his ex-chabad friends. We spoke about all sorts of things. In particular I remember
how he spoke about his dream of creating a kingdom of Judea in the West Bank in Israel... We
spoke about other issues as well, but I never said that which he attributes to me. [Needless to
say there was no note taking or tape recording, as it was Yom Tov].
Furthermore, his book is replete with the symptoms of careless research, note taking and
documenting. His citations and “attributions”, even in this very regard, are confusing and
sometimes contradictory. For example, after saying in the above page that he learned of the
alleged “failing scholarship” from me via “personal communication”, later (on page 165 footnote
25) he attributes the same statement to “interviews with Levine [who is Levine?!] and [me]". Was
it an interview or a personal communication?
Another example of his carelessness: on page 155 he refers to Rabbi Binyamin Klein, one of
the Rebbe's secretaries, as Yaakov Kline.

Q: While researching my article on Sefer Ha'Arachim Chabad, you suggested that
I consult various academics on their use of this Chabad encyclopedia and there
study of the Rebbe's scholarship in general. With this new interest in the academic
study of the Rebbe's thought, is there a particular aspect of the Rebbe's scholarship
that you think ought to be further discussed in the academic forums or in print?

A. I believe there are a few aspects of the Rebbe's contribution to Jewish scholarship that need
to be studied in depth.
First and foremost is his original view of Chasidic teaching as expressing the most sublime
aspect of the divine in every detail of our life experience. My friend Rabbi Faitel Levin of
Melbourne, Australia, wrote one book on this topic titled Heaven On Earth. There is more to be
said about this subject.
Second is the Rebbe's method of analysis of Biblical and Talmudic texts which is extraordinarily
unique. In his approach to Chasidut, the Rebbe summarized and crystallized many of the core
concepts of chasidut, such as the unity of G-d, the centrality of the Torah, the love of a fellow
Jew, and others, in a clear and, in many cases, in an original manner.
In Halachic issues and in his studies of the classic sources, his attention to the ‘micro’, the
minute variations in textual nuance, whilst always returning to the ‘macro’, the solid messages
and the existentially meaningful ideas that affect our appreciation of the ethical and judicial
aspect of Torah, is astounding.
One can say that the Rebbe's works (at least a genuine study of his works) allows the
student to benefit from horizontal view of all the disciplines of Torah in their relationship to
each other, while engaging as well in a deep, vertical approach to each individual topic.

(Image Source Chabad Revisited)

Technorati Tags: Rebbe, Chabad, Torah, Interview, Kehot, Ehrlich, Olidort

Weird Sign Wednesday

2010-08-04T16:47:00.001-07:00

Se U Then . . .

Weird Sign Wednesday XXIII

2010-07-28T07:54:00.001-07:00

I snapped this one two summers ago in S. Petersburg . . . I've always had a soft spot for poor translations.

Technorati Tags: Weird Signs, Humor, Russian, Poor Translations

To those visiting from COLlive

2010-07-25T18:26:00.001-07:00

It seems from the comments going up on my latest op-ed on COLlive that many of you have either failed to read my post or bothered to understand it.

As such, I'm writing this hasty blog post on my cell to summarize what my op-ed is really about and what it isn't about:

My points:

1. Be aware that facebook voting gives the company you're 'liking' access to your private info . . . If you're cool with that - by all means vote - but be in the know.

2. Be a mentsch when soliciting votes: don't be obnoxious or lazy. Make it personal and I'll gladly vote.

3. Respect the privacy of others by avoiding sloppy emails and the like.

4. Strategize! Make sure you work together with other shluchim so that your combined voices can best be heard - and be aware that by over-saturating your target audience with too many requests for a plethora of contests - you risk diluting your message and losing your audience when you need them most!

This post is NOT:

-A complaint that you are annoying me . . . Some of the requests I get may be annoying - but I don't need to write an op-ed to let you know that . . . If you annoy me, I'll tell you personally.

-A complaint against the shluchim who participate in these contests.

-An attempt to discourage others that would otherwise willingly vote.

Please re-read my op-ed and if you have any further questions please feel free to leave a comment below!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Picture of the Week: 104

2010-07-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

Laura Plantation, a Creole plantation near New Orleans.

Wishing everyone an amazing Shabbos! I have several interesting blog posts in the works that will be published soon!

Roei Sadan Does Central Asia!

2010-07-21T20:18:00.001-07:00

For those who have been following this blog for the past few years, know about my friend Roei Sadan and his bike trip around the world.

When we met Rosh Hashanah almost two years ago he had made it from Alaska to Peru. Shortly before Shavuos this year he finished Europe . . . and now he's gone through Turkey and Central Asia!

Note: Between 2:17-2:20 timestamps it's slightly nsfw

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Roei Sadan, Central Asia, Israelis, Travel, Video

Weird Sign Wednesday XXII

2010-07-21T09:53:00.001-07:00

This one is a little hard to read the text on the bottom, so I'll rewrite it here:

"For those who are not prone to using the Internet, this offer is still available for you!"

Technorati Tags: Weird Signs, Humor, Internet, Frum Companies

Lubavitcher Fashion

2010-07-19T08:51:00.001-07:00

While speaking with Jacob Berkman from the Fundermentalist Blog several weeks ago, he mentioned Lubavitcher dress styles -
'What's with pointy shoes you guys all wear?' He said . . .

Inspired by his comment, I give you Lubavitcher styles (be they chassidish or frie) that gotta go (in no particular order) . . .

Pointy Shoes: I don't mind a little point in my shoes . . . but buddy, when your shoes can put out an eye with their tips - they're called women's shoes . . . and they gotta go.
White iPod Earphones: It's bad enough most Lubavitchers buy an iPod without researching better options . . . but do yourself a favor and ditch those ugly white 'buds. What's wrong with white? They stand out like a sore thumb against dark clothes and beards.
Backpacks: To my brothers from Hadar Hatorah, Tiferes and Mayanot - your bright orange college backpack does not fit with your black suit and hat. When's the last time you saw a business exec. wear one?
White socks: one word: DIB
Sandals: To my Israeli brothers - this isn't kfar Chabad . . . and to my flip-flopped Kingston chillers - why must you walk down the main thoroughfare like you rolled out of bed.
Really really long hair on guys: Listen, Mendy, your Jew-fro looks dorky - cut it.

Weird Sign Wednesday XXI

2010-07-14T22:19:00.001-07:00

I saw this one the other day and did a double take - a restaurant named Bubby's and it's got Bacon as one of its main dishes . . . and a logo.

Even Treif makes more sense . . .

Technorati Tags: Bubby's, New York City, Weird Signs, Kosher, Humor

In Response to the Open Letter to me on Crown Heights.info

2010-07-12T19:23:00.001-07:00

For all of those asking about the Op-Ed on CrownHeights Info supposedly written in response to mine: I have no plans to respond to it at this time.

This new Op-Ed deals on tangentially with the matters discussed in my article. It needlessly attacks me in what results in little other then bombastic screed with a proclivity towards verbosity during the opening lines. The author seems to have failed to understand both my central thesis and conclusions as to how to best address the situation at hand. While my friendship with him, as of now, remains unshaken, I would recommend that he rethink the meaning of friendship - in my books it stands for something more then using the work of your fellow as a springboard for expressing your own personal agendas.

Weekly Riddle 23

2010-07-06T23:54:00.000-07:00

I know it's early Wednesday morning - and fret not - there's a weird sign a coming . . . until then - enjoy this riddle.

Looking at me with eyes so wide,
From me, with me, by my 'side.
While I'm here, please take from me,
all that I do give to thee.
What you have is more then I,
My blessing take, and do not sigh.

Who am I and who are you?

5 points for each of the correct answers, 20 points something really original that works well.

A Fire Burns in Crown Heights: An Essay on Religion, Modernity and Pizza

2010-06-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtesy Basil

Please check out my Op-Ed now on Crownheights.info - please join the discussion there! As well, if you have any questions or thing you wish me to elaborate on - then ask away in the comments here!

We live in a dual culture - pulled by the Jewish, Chassidic, and uniquely Lubavitcher traditions that bind us, we also seek on some level to integrate into the society around us. Our use of innovations in technology, our homes, and even our clothes, are all the result of the modern world's influence on our lives. [Note to those that take issue with the belief that any modernity has seeped into our Lubavitcher meta-culture: Our mode of dress - be it the short jacket, the choice of a more modern fedora over the more traditional Russian kasket, or even the relatively modern design of the Kapote (based on the Victorian Prince Albert frock) are all signs of our organic adaptation to the modern world]. The calls of modern life offer a lot of potential. They also give room to incredible danger. It is the tension of spanning this spiritual chasm that we must address if we are to remain viable as a group.

It is my contention that in no other season is this dichotomy embodied then the Summer months. In chassidic thought, the increased revelation of sunlight and warmth in the summer is the physical manifestation of the greater divine revelation being showered upon the earth. As the Torah teaches, however, the greater room for spiritual potential and growth, the greater the manifestation of the impure. To be frank: The revelation of the shemesh havaya, the G-dly power of the summer, brings to a very disturbing trend of a rather different revelation on the streets of Kingston.

Continued here

Mottel on the Big Easy Part II - On a Boat

2010-06-29T00:30:00.001-07:00

It's ironic. Letter's of Thought began as a travelogue - every trip I went on was blogged within in days, if not hours, from my return . . . yet with all the blessings in my life, thank G-d, I just don't have the time to do things like I used to put up my travels right away.

While in New Orleans before Purim, we decided to take a ride down the Mississippi.
Click on the link to see it all!

I'm going to keep the commentary brief - so that you can enjoy our trip on the USS Natchez much the way we did . . . Silently taking in the sites (with an Abita Beer in hand!)

It was interesting to note that while discussing the history of New Orleans, the Southern belle narating on the loud speaker, actually referred to the War Between the States!

I loved framing this shot!

New Orleans and the French Quarter

Some of the many Japanese tourists. (This one is for you Nemo-San)

One of the tourists from Japan had Leica D-Lux like me. It took me a moment to explain to him that we were 'Camera Brothers.'

Another shot I enjoyed taking - You are Beautiful

Folks, out sugar is processed here!

All in all the trip was rather dull - I wouldn't recommend it on a tight schedule - but if you have a few hours to kill . . .

Technorati Tags: New Orleans, Natchez, Mississippi, Tourists, Photography, Travel, The South

Weird Sign Wednesday XX

2010-06-23T22:24:00.001-07:00

:רוני
עהההה איך כותבים שליח באנגלית?
סגי:
S-H-L-I-C-H

Technorati Tags: Weird Signs, Humor, Israelis, 770

Gourmet Mottel: A Dinner

2010-06-22T22:49:00.001-07:00

Salmon:

Salmon Fillet (Get 'em frozen at Costco)
Chinese Hot Mustard - spread lightly across top of fillet (I happened to use a packet of Kari-Out "Lady" mustard)
Garlic powder (for those in the know about 712 - it's from the same MASSIVE bottle I bought when I moved in)
Salt (sprinkled to taste)
Paprika
Rosemary (Whenever I eat rosemary, I'm reminded of the Simon and Garfunkel rendition of Scarborough fair)
Freshly ground black pepper (from my father's pepper mill - the gift that keeps on giving!)
Lemon Juice (always fresh squeezed - applied liberally over fish)
Fresh Basil leaves (put around the fillet)

Bake the salmon at 350° for 20 minutes

Pasta:

Pasta (Cavatappi pasta cooked to al dente)
Portabella mushroom caps (two of them - sliced then halved)
Infused Olive Oil (Colavita novella olive oil - I infused it with rosemary, oregano and crushed red pepper)

Begin to saute Portabella caps, While they are cooking add:

Diced Fresh Garlic (I don't think I have a single recipe on this blog without garlic in it!)
Balsamic vinegar (only a dash)
Ground Pepper (same as in the fish)
Salt
Crushed Red Pepper

After the mushrooms are cooked, add

Fresh Basil (diced)
Cherry Tomatoes

Saute for a minute longer, then mix into pasta. Then add

Ground Parmesan Cheese

I had planed on serving dinner with a bottle of Boulevard Saison, but due to the 750 ml bottle, I opted to pair dinner with a Samuel Smith's Organically Produced Lager Beer

Food for Thought while eating (care of Wikipedia)

A simple rule of thumb is that the vast majority of Atlantic salmon available on the world market are farmed (greater than 99%), whereas the majority of Pacific salmon are wild-caught (greater than 80%). Farmed Atlantic salmon outnumber wild Atlantic salmon 85-to-1. The natural colour of salmon results from carotenoid pigments, largely astaxanthin but also canthaxanthin, in the flesh.[42] Wild salmon get these carotenoids from eating krill and other tiny shellfish.
Garlic powder has a different taste than fresh garlic. If used as a substitute for fresh garlic, 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder is equivalent to one clove of garlic.
The name rosemary derives from the Latin name rosmarinus, which is from "dew" (ros) and "sea" (marinus), or "dew of the sea" — apparently because it is frequently found growing near the sea. . . Somehow, the use of rosemary in the garden to repel witches turned into signification that the woman ruled the household in homes and gardens where rosemary grew abundantly. By the 16th century, this practise became a bone of contention; and men were known to rip up rosemary bushes to show that they, not their wives, ruled the roost.
Basil is commonly used fresh in cooked recipes. It is generally added at the last moment, as cooking quickly destroys the flavour. The fresh herb can be kept for a short time in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or for a longer period in the freezer, after being blanched quickly in boiling water. The dried herb also loses most of its flavour
Saison (French, "season") is the name originally given to refreshing, low-alcohol pale ales brewed seasonally in farmhouses in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, to refresh farm workers during harvest season.

Technorati Tags: Food, Cooking, Facts, Wikipedia, Beer, Photography, Pasta, Salmon

Weird Sign Wednesday XIX

2010-06-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

I was at loss to for this week's weird sign Wednesday - when I saw this instant classic in the subway.
Problems with the subway? Simple - just email the MTA. What was that email address again? Why it's www.mta . . . Wait a second . . .

Flying Letters on the Third of Tammuz

2010-06-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

On gimmel tammuz the mind begins to run. Emotions fly too high to be grasped. What the day means is too muddled down in politics . . . From the dark days of Chof Beis Shevat and on, the real Lubavitch is presented in distorted snap shots - everything is seen through the lens of the agendas of those that lived then. And as to us? The Lubavitch that grew to adulthood after the stroke, after the histalkus . . .

In shlichus the Rebbe attained eternal life. He split himself into a thousand pieces, and scattered them throughout the world. And now, the seeds blown to the win have tenaciously found fertile soil and taken root.

Picture of the Week 103

2010-06-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

This week's Picture of the Week is the Brooklun Bridge - as seen from the window of the hospital room Baby Boy was born in . . .

While I don't normally involve myself in Crown Heights politics, the elections are in Crown Heights are this Sunday. There's a lot of apathy among people my age . . . There's little respect for the previous generation - they've more then shown us the mudslinging and politics etc.

It is, however, important to voice our opinions and make a stand for something. So I urge you to vote.

Weird Sign Wednesday XVIII

2010-06-09T20:53:00.001-07:00

This one is from e again . . .
From what I can tell - if you look closely you'll see that 10 tickets cost $1, while 20 tickets will cost you a whopping $3 . . . Looks like these kids could use our dear E's talents as a math tutor!

Technorati Tags: Weird Signs, Math, Humor, Flatbush, Children

A Bris By Any Other Name - Photo Essay

2010-06-08T09:35:00.001-07:00

Technorati Tags: Life, Bris Milah, Photography, Crown Heights, Chabad, Baby, Circumcision, Judaism

Bris Info

2010-06-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Bris Milah of our son will be, G-d willing, this Friday, June 4 - 22 Sivan, 9:30 am

at F.R.E.E. - 1383 President st. Brooklyn NY 11213

The synagogue can be reached via the Kingston stop on the 3 train.

By tradition we don't "invite" people to a bris . . . but that just could be because we expect you're already be coming!

Bris facebook event

Picture of the Week: Mottel is a Daddy Edition

2010-05-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

Wishing everyone all the blessings they need in all things!

Weird Sign Wednesday VXII

2010-05-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

Besides the poor photoshoping - someone please tell me: What's for the first time ever? Gombo's in Crown Heights?

Picture of the Week 102

2010-05-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

A picture taken at the Laura Plantation - a Creole Plantation near New Orleans.

A good Shabbos to all!

Inner Happily Receiving the Torah

2010-05-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Or at least that's how Google translates קבלת התורה בשמחה ובפנימית - any how . . . working on some BIG posts וד"ל
As it's Erev Yom Tov though, enjoy this video of my friend met in Peru - Roei Sadan

crossing Europe video from roei sadan on Vimeo.

On Freud's Jewish Identity, Psychoanalysis and the Chassidic Conquest

2010-05-12T20:16:00.001-07:00

Spending an evening out on the town with my dear wife, I decided to crowd-source our evening's activities . . . of those that responded, one D.C. suggested that I check out a lecture on Freud’s Jewish Identity presented by Dr. Arnold D. Richards with Prof. Susannah Heschel at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute.

After dinner, we did indeed go.

What follows is a collection of my thoughts and notes from the evening. I make no attempt to represent the complete opinions of those that spoke. I've made no attempt to check if my words hold water among academics, nor do I care to impress them . . . Rather what follows is a synthesis of ideas as they have occurred to me.

Richards (see his paper for a full discussion of the subject) seems to explore the essential dichotomy and/or duality of Freud's Jewish identity - as exemplified through Bildung, Antisemitism and (something that was mostly skipped due to lack of time) his atheism.

Freud, the child of Galician immigrants ("Psychoanalysis is a Galicianer science.") expressed an almost contradictory sense of pride in his Jewish roots and a shame of his Jewish, and especially Eastern European (Ostjuden), brethren. In an attempt to synthesize these two conflicting opinions, Freud re-imagined his lineage to that of Jews from Cologne (who, brought to the city by the Romans, preceded the Germanic tribes in the area), via Lithuania to Vienna.

He denied his ability to speak or read Hebrew and Yiddish, yet visited his mother, who primarily spoke Yiddish, every Sunday. He had a volume of the Talmud [I'm not sure which mesechta] with a German translation, as a gift from his father. Never truly at home as an Austrian or a Jew . . .

His work, Moses and Monotheism is in effect, a summation of Freud's own Jewish dilemma - he sets Moses, the father of all prophets - the quintessential Jew - as an Egyptian . . . Yet Moses in-turn gives rise to the forced veneer of Jewish morality via christianity - forced upon the essentially pagan Teutonic tribes.

Martin S. Bergmann spoke of the change that had occurred in the field of psychoanalysis in terms of its Jewish roots - in the past had anyone called Psychoanalysis a Jewish science, it would have been rooted in antisemitism. Freud's decision to anoint Carl Jung, the handsome non-Jew, as the heir to the throne of psychoanalysis was an attempt to remove the field from its Jewish roots - to make it more palpable to the German public. Perhaps, Bergmann theorized, psychoanalysis's Jewish roots stemmed from the attempt of its founders, who sought to understand the world through logic and science, to relate to the irrational and illogical hate of Antisemitism.

Another speaker thought to apply Bergmann's view of psychoanalysis as a logical attempt to comprehend the illogical hate - as perhaps a desire to remove themselves from the illogical nature of religion and instead view the human story by means of science . . . and there I see the ultimate failure of the cyclical nature of the discussion.

Susannah Heschel indeed noted the failure of the argument that psychoanalysis is an attempt to provide a logical framework that can replace the illogical nature of religion - for if so, then psychoanalysis has become the new dogma that we subjectively view man with - at which point it can no longer effectively replace the illogical G-d, for it itself has become illogical.

Heschel stems from Chassidic roots - and her stance seems to make it eminently clear. Psychoanalysis isn't the result of the chesbon hanefesh, as one suggested, or at least not the accounting of the soul as seen in light of the Mussar movement, but rather akin to the Chassidic Rebbes - who invested themselves into those who approached them. She seems to understand the third power that transcends both the logical and illogical.

Freud saw circumcision as an Egyptian act. Religion is fear, and circumcision is a symbolic substitute for castration. But Heschel sees the circumcision through its Jewish context - as a covenant - a physical reminder of our receiving the Torah from G-d. By the circumcision the Mohel performs metzitzah b'peh - akin to the kisses of the divine (Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine - Shir Hashirim), or the suckling of the child on the breast. It is not castration by G-d's anger, but rather his kiss of love.

As mentioned by D.C. during the question period (mirroring my own thoughts), the Bris in Chassidic terms, takes place on the eighth day, because it transcends the realm of time and nature - the seven days of the week. The child, who can not think and reason, who can make no decision about the meaning of the circumcision, is able to connect to the transcendent quality of the creator.

The early psychoanalysts failed to understand religion because they were trapped within the realm of logic. In an attempt to understand the world through the lens of logic, G-d may not fit into the frame. As mentioned by one of the questioners, Judaism has a long history of analyzing the Torah with the mind - yet in the eye of 'scientist' it remains inherently illogical since the ultimate source of the discussion, G-d, is sacrosanct.

However in the tradition of Chassidus Chabad, there is no contradiction between the rational study of an 'irrational' Creator - for the rational and irrational are part of the mortal coil. Just as there is a failure to understand Freud as a product of his background, if we are limited to describe him only with the vocabulary of his own subjective thought, if we try to find the relative merits of critical logic and religion, we remain trapped in cyclical discussion.

The Creator is not irrational, but rather suprarational. By trying to understand the Torah, a transcendent knowledge, then we allow our physical minds to bridge the gap of logic and what is beyond logic.

Though not overtly expressed by anyone - I found it ironic that some seemed to analyze Freud himself and his Jewish identity - in the light and context of psychoanalysis. It seems to expose the essentially cyclical and self-referential nature of psychoanalysis. We wish to analyze Freud's theories through the lens of Freud the man - yet we use the vocabulary of his thoughts to understand the background and society that created the man . . . A prisoner can not set himself free.

In an institution that worships on the alter of German and Austrian fields of thought, Richard's clearly Ostjude personality and vocabulary provide an almost ironic sense of the ultimate victory of the Eastern European, Chassidic, Jew.

In the past the NYPI would meet on Yom Kippur - in their attempt to flee to constraints of Jewish ritual and the shtetle, its members had in effect remained very much bound by their Jewish roots. Yet today, looking and listening to the crowd, I found only the faintest trace of German, even Judeo-German, culture . . .

Unlike Freud, who tried to hide, unsuccessfully, his Yiddish vocabulary and roots - these Jews were very much party of the cloth of the "Galician" story and scene.
I wonder what Freud would have said.

(Escher Image Credit - Archival Images from Life Photo Archive)

Edited May 13, 4:10 pm for clarification and proper image attribution

Technorati Tags: Psychoanalysis, Judaism, Freud, Thoughts, Essays, Life, Social Media, Crowd Sourcing

Weird Sign Wednesday XVI

2010-05-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's just me - but [spiritual] warmth, hiskashrus and pride can not be 'physically added' - unless you can taste thoughts and smell numbers . . .

ברבאבא

2010-05-11T06:58:00.001-07:00

Mottel and the Big Easy - Part I

2010-05-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Of Social Media and Bourbon Street

It's been awhile since I posted a true scale Travel Post on this blog . . . which is odd - because Letters of Thought was conceived as in Vilna and started in Venice as a travelogue.

But the wait is over my friends . . . instead of a Picture of the Week, I give you 20 of them -

Part One of Mottel in the Big Easy: Of Social Media and Bourbon Street.

Click on the link to enjoy!

A week after Purim in LA, Chana and I were flown out, so that I could speak at a Jewish youth program in New Orleans on Social Media and Judaism.

Landing Thursday night, we went to the National World War II museum. Why of all places the countries WWII museum is New Orleans - I'm not entirely sure . . . but it's an amazing museum!
Unfortunately my pictures of the museum were somehow lost while transferring from my netbook to my trusty laptop . . . sigh. If they show up, I'll put them in their own post.

A Street Car

Architecture along S. Charles st.

Rocking chairs in front of the ShotGun house we stayed in (good friends of Chana - thank you so much!)

On Sunday we went down to Metairie to speak at the Bagrut program.

I spoke of Judaism and technology - and how we could use it for world good.

And then we hit the old city . . .

Music was everywhere . . . and the photos seemed to take themselves!

Two very interestingly dressed dudes . . . no idea where they're from.

I love this shot

Kiddushin 33a: Kamah harpatki adu alayhu d'hani

There were bikes everywhere . . .

The Big Easy and Bourbon street

Classic New Orleans architecture

Two men with their books

This band just looked so cool

I managed to shoot this one from the hip - he was looking right at me, and I wanted the image to be candid

The old blends with the new

This Guy wanted money for the picture - only had a few cents on me . . . So I suppose it was worth it.

Technorati Tags: Travel, New Orleans, Bourbon Street, Photography, Social Media, Judaism, Music

Weird Sign Wednesday XV - Pashkville Edition

2010-05-05T20:16:00.001-07:00

I'm putting the finishing touches on the first New Orleans post . . . until then - enjoy another Weird Sign Wednesday

Kolel has a policy - they let any pashkville float around the place - only letters about shlichus opportunities get ripped up . . . but I digress
Erev Shabbos I saw this lovely letter written by "One of Anash [i.e. a Lubavitcher]" decrying Hatzalah of Crown Height's policy of driving back from the hospital themselves on Shabbos - as opposed to being driven back by a non-Jew - a policy, claimed by the letter, to be practiced in the holy communities of Williamsburg, London, Boro Park, Antwerp and Monsey.
This pashkville goes on to complain that in Crown Heights we act like the "Moderne" - something clearly against the will of the Rabbis of Crown Heights.

No I'm not familiar with the particulars of the Halachos here . . . I'm sure hatzalah here has rabbonim they consult.
Which is what bothers me here . . . picking on people who go out on a limb to help others is wrong. Coming into a community that isn't yours? Epic Fail.

How do we know this pashkville wasn't written by a Lubavitcher?

Who in Lubavitch writes a pashkville in Yiddish?
If someone did . . . they wouldn't write it in a Poilisher Yiddish

Technorati Tags: Weirs Signs, Humor, Rants, Crown Heights, Judaism, Yiddish, Chabad, Chagas

Picture of the Week 101 - Catching up on New Orleans edition

2010-04-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

I'm preparing the New Orleans travel posts now . . . two months after the trip! G-d willing next week they'll be up for your enjoyment . . . until then, feel free to discuss this picture here - taken in the French Quarter next to Jackson Square.

Andrew comments on my response to his attack on my P.E.T.A. post. Check it out here

A Good Shabbos to all!

Technorati Tags Picture of the Week, New Orleans, Travel, Photography, Comments, Blogging

Weird Sign Wednesday XIV

2010-04-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

Not to make light of a serious situation - the girl should have a complete recovery - but it took me a few second to figure out how in Hebrew one could have a capital vov - and why in any event it should be capital . . . And not lower case!

Technorati Tags: Weird Sign Wednesday, Humor, Spell Check

More "Lover" Mail - P.E.T.A. Edition

2010-04-25T21:31:00.001-07:00

No sooner than receiving and responding to East Coast Girl in my post Traif, Williamsburg and Trolls then I received more 'lover' mail from a new friend - Andrew . . . but on a post written a few years ago.
If you haven't read my classic post, People for the Ethical Treatment of Humans, please do - Andrew's blessings won't make sense. I've cleaned up his language for the children.

Now if only our pro-bacon commenter would have it out with out animal rights friend . . . now that would be fun!

Andrew said...: You f*cking ignorant insensitive pig-headed overreligious b|st|rd. Biologically speaking we are animals. Last time I checked we don't have our own kingdom called humana and amoebas are not animals they're protists. Animals have rights. In fact it is our duty to protect our eternally younger siblings. Besides there likely isn't a "cure" for cancer or aids. They might not have the full human soul but they can think and rationalise. Besides the fact is we can't prove that any divine being exists let alone ours. Use tangible evidence to support yourself don't just go in there spouting bible verses.
Mottel said...: Andrew: Thank you very much for your comment! You may not realize, but your zealous hate, ad hominem attacks, and intellectual sophistry have done more to prove my point then any blog post I could ever write. Thanks again, and feel better soon!


Technorati Tags: Vegetarians, Wackos, Animal Rights, PETA, Morality, Blogging, Comments, Judaism

Traif, Williamsburg, and Trolls - a Redux

2010-04-22T18:34:00.001-07:00

Yay! I've got mail!

It seems my little post on the new non-kosher joint down in Williamsburg, Traif, has brought out the tragically hip . . . and boy do they want blood!

My new friend East Coast Girl (who has a brand new profile created this month - with only one page view when I clicked through to it) has shared her two cents . . .

EastCoastJewishGirl

said...

Clearly you haven't a clue as to what the restaurant world is about, and you are equally as clueless as to Marcus's concept. Rather than whining like the disgrace you have made yourself out to be, just walk the other way. This is a very talented guy that is making his dreams come true by setting up shop in a cultural and artistic neighborhood filled with interesting patrons who aren't afraid to experience delicious food. THAT IS WHAT THIS IS GENIUS, FOOD AND PEOPLE, PEOPLE AND FOOD. I am Jewish, born and raised and have the utmost respect for my, OUR religion, so much that I wish uneducated idiots such as yourself could somehow just have a religion of your own. You make us all look like fools when you speak in your naive and bitter tongue. Please crawl back into your dark hole and do what you probably do best, keep to yourself. FYI, this restaurant will continue to thrive and if the controversy exists, as it does, it will only help. You are so yesterday my friend, and for lack of a better word, so pathetic at best!

My response:

Dear EastCoastJewishGirl,

Thank you very much! Do you come to this blog often, or were you merely trolling around google for blogs to complain about? If you come here often, you may know that I haven't had a good debate in the comments field in ages - so thanks!

That being said, I have two pieces of advice for you - you may not understand them as of yet, but when you're older, you'll know what I mean . . .

1. Attack the idea, not the person. You may disagree with me. You may be right. However, comments such as: "clearly you haven't a clue as to what the restaurant world is about, and you are equally as clueless as to Marcus's concept."
or "so much that I wish uneducated idiots such as yourself "
or "You make us all look like fools when you speak in your naive and bitter tongue. Please crawl back into your dark hole and do what you probably do best, keep to yourself."
and finally "You are so yesterday my friend, and for lack of a better word, so pathetic at best!"

are entirely uncalled for! (Oh my! In searching for examples of ad hominem attacks, it seems I've just about quoted your entire comment! Golly that!)
Instead of insulting me and attacking me with baseless and ignorant statements, why not show me why I am wrong - so that even a boor like me could understand your far more enlightened beliefs.

2. Make sure you've actually read the post before launching your attack. It is very clear from your comment that you never bothered reading my blog post. Perhaps you saw comments on other blogs that bothered you, perhaps you were just having a bad day, but you seem to have, at best, only skimmed my post.

So let me reiterate:
I get the humor of the name Treif. I'm very familiar with the often biting and ironic nature that Jewish humor can take on at times. I may not always like Roth or Heeb Magazine or what . . . but I respect the legitimacy of their styles. So i get the idea behind calling the place Treif.

I also don't have anything against Marcus - I would never call him a bad Jew - that's something he said about himself . . . and I disagree. Do I like the idea of reveling in non-kosher food? No. It is my hope that all Jews make steps towards observance. But it is not in my place to criticize those that are in a different place then me.

My one, and only, complaint is against Jason's remark that his non-kosher restaurant could help unite the Jewish community. It is a ridiculous concept.

You see - my qualms have nothing to do with religion - only false statements as to the nature of the place.

So thanks again, and I hope to hear from you soon!

Technorati Tags: Traif, Jason Marcus, Williamsburg, Blogging, Comments, Judaism

Weird Sgn Wednesday VIII - PsD edition

2010-04-21T22:23:00.001-07:00

This week has been very hectic . . .So Weird Sign Wednesday isn't going up until now.
Perhaps this one belongs in Photoshop Disasters.
Does anyone want to tell me what's wrong with this guy's face?

Technorati Tags: Weird Sign Wednesday, Humor, Photoshop Disasters

Why Jason Marcus's Traif is a Fail

2010-04-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ok . . . Now this irks me. In the so called "war" between the Hipsters and Hassids I think both sides have serious issues with how to address what they want - they're both to some degree stubborn, intollerant of others, and just plain annoying.

But the hubris of Jason Marcus and his new restaurant, "Traif", is just plain wrong.
I'm not talking about Halacha - though I feel everyone should eat kosher, his pork is no less kosher the McDonald's.

Nor do I think he's actually doing it to get in on the 'war' - he's merely capitalizing on the easy press -

What bother's me is his attempt to sound so guileless:
That he tells the media that he hopes in some small way Traif will serve as
"A meeting ground, a place for dialog. A place to bring the Jewish community together."

Come now - how can yo believe a line of that chrep!?

Picture of the Week 100

2010-04-16T00:18:00.001-07:00

Rabbi Gerlitzky - photo credit: Mushka Photography
Working on an article on R' Moshe Elye Gerlitzky a"h, I stumbled upon this video . . . It brought me back instantly to my years in Montreal Yeshivah. To see the exuberance of Rabbi Gerlitzky, the sweetness and joy in the day the Yeshivah was started in Montreal . . . Oy! It brings tears to my eyes to think that he is now gone.
We should taka merit to have Moshaich!

A good Shabbos!Technorati Tags: Rabbi Gerlitzky, Picture of the Week, Chabad, Moshiach, Montreal

Weird Sign Wednesday XII

2010-04-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

This week's Weird Sign Wednesday gets back to basics . . . A garden view basement that's also an apartment? And it's conveniently located on New York Ave? It has luxurious A/C! Wow let me in on this deal!

[I put up an old picture earlier - to see the post it was in originally click here]

A New Age of Mottel Cooking: Sweet Mustard Chicken and Mottel's Quinua

2010-04-11T23:13:00.001-07:00

I still make dinner every now and then - and I figured that my recipe the other day was bloggable:
So I give you:

Chicken:

Moscato d'asti: I used what was left from Shabbos the other week after it was too flat to drink.
Deli Mustard: Golden's Spicy Brown Mustard
Spicy Mustard: I used Hoboken Eddie's Hot Spicy Mustard (with Horseradish and Jalapeno) purchased at Benz's.
Honey: Mix the honey with the mustards in the Moscato.
Salt: rubbed on the chicken
Ground pepper: Only fresh ground pepper (thanks dad!) - also on the chicken.

Marinate 24 hrs, then grill (in my case on a George Foreman)

Quinua:

Quinoa: Though I'd eaten before, I fell in love with it in Peru. I'm looking for a way to use it, as a Lubavitcher, on Pesach.
Salt: Added to taste on the cooked quinoa
Pepper: Only a dash of it.
Cilantro: Minced. One of my new favorite herbs - add it to Olive dip for a great new taste too!
Mint: Minced together with the cilantro
Lemon: Freshly juiced - never the fake stuff.
Crushed Garlic: Not too much to over power, but enough to give some bite.
Tomatoes: Diced.
Olive oil: added over the quinoa and ingredients.

Enjoy!

Some food for thought while eating:

The breadth and number of varieties of muscat suggest that it is perhaps the oldest domesticated grape variety, and there are theories that most families within the Vitis vinifera grape family are descended from the Muscat family.
The Incas, who held the crop to be sacred, referred to quinoa as chisaya mama or mother of all grains, and it was the Inca emperor who would traditionally sow the first seeds of the season using 'golden implements'.In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthy choice for vegetarians, vegans and athletes. Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.
Because of its antibacterial properties, mustard does not require refrigeration; it will not grow mold, mildew or harmful bacteria. Unrefrigerated mustard will lose pungency more quickly, and should be stored in a tightly sealed, sterilized container in a cool, dark place. Mustard can last indefinitely, though it may dry out, lose flavor, or brown from oxidation. Mixing in a small amount of wine or vinegar will often revitalize dried out mustard. Some types of prepared mustard stored for a long time may separate, causing mustard water, which can be corrected by stirring or shaking. If stored for a long time, unrefrigerated mustard can acquire a bitter taste.
Coriander is . . . is also known as Chinese parsley or, particularly in the Americas, cilantro. Coriander grows wild over a wide area of the Near East and southern Europe . . . Fifteen desiccated mericarps were found in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B level of the Nahal Hemel Cave in Israel, which may be the oldest archeological find of coriander. About half a litre of coriander mericarps were recovered from the tomb of Tutankhamun, and because this plant does not grow wild in Egypt, Zohary and Hopf interpret this find as proof that coriander was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians. The Bible mentions coriander in Exodus 16:31: "And the house of Israel began to call its name Manna: and it was round like coriander seed, and its taste was like that of flat cakes made with honey."
Garlic is grown globally, but China is by far the largest producer of garlic, with approximately 10.5 million tonnes (23 billion pounds) annually, accounting for over 77% of world output. . . There have been several reports of serious burns resulting from garlic being applied topically for various purposes, including naturopathic uses and acne treatment, so care must be taken to test a small area of skin using a very low concentration of garlic.
George Foreman (of the grill fame used in the recipe) has 11 children, and each of his five sons are named George: George Jr., George III, George IV, George V and George VI. His four older sons are distinguished from one another by the nicknames "Monk", "Big Wheel", "Red" "Little George.

Previo us Recipes

Technorati Tags: Food, Recipes, Life, Thoughts, Chicken, Quinua

Picture of the Week 99

2010-04-09T08:05:00.001-07:00

"Women are Peoples" - monument in Ottawa, Canada

Good Shabbos everyone! Regular posting to resume after the weekend.

Technorati Tags: Ottawa, Canada, Travel, Photography, Picture of the Week, Women's Suffrage

Picture of the Week - Chol Hamoed Edition

2010-04-03T22:36:00.000-07:00

From my Chol Hamoed trip to Canadian capital Ottawa!
Have a great Yom Tov!

Why ChaCha = Fail

2010-04-01T21:11:00.001-07:00

When ChaCha's SMS search engine first came out - it was all the rage among 770 bochurim. With limited internet access, the ability to text in questions and get back answers revolutionized bull-shoves and debates . . .
When I was still in SXSW mode I wanted to look up what year the interactive festival started . . . So I figured I'd ChaCha it . . .
The bold is the exact wording of my texts, italics are those of ChaCha.

How many years has sxsw interactive been running?

Checkin out ur answer!
*Check out hot singles and Flirt privately. Create ur new identity and start flirting now! Text CHACHA to 44123!

SXSW has been running for 22 years. It is a popular music and video event. ChaCha!
*A hottie wants to chat with U! Txt CHACHA5 to 44123! -
When was the interactive festival of SXSW started (sxswi)? NOT the music festival
Checkin out ur answer!
*Check out hot singles and Flirt privately. Create ur new identity and start flirting now! Text CHACHA to 44123!
SXSW Music Festival for 2010 is scheduled for March 17-21. The interactive festival is March 12-16 and film is March 12-20.
*Doubt? Txt CHACHA4 to 73000 -
Why do you keep giving me the wrong answers to the question I ask?!?
Matching ur Q 2 an A!*We have a match for you! Want to hook up? Flirt now and find the perfect match! Text CHACHA2 to 44123

1/2 Sorry, we must have had a little glitch! There are no exact statistics, but Tennessee probably has the most churches per 2/2 capita.
*U need a personal psychic! Txt CHACHA5 to 73000 -

In which year was SXSW INTERACTIVE started?
Matching ur Q 2 an A!
*We have a match for you! Want to hook up? Flirt now and find the perfect match! Text CHACHA2 to 44123
The SXSW interactive portion will take place on March 12 - 21 and include a keynote interview with Twitter's CEO Evan Williams.
*Doubt? Txt CHACHA4 to 73000 -
Why do you keep giving me the wrong answers to the question I ask?!? I want to know in which YEAR was SXSW INTERACTIVE started?
Checkin out ur answer!
*Check out hot singles and Flirt privately. Create ur new identity and start flirting now! Text CHACHA to 44123!
SXSW first began in 1987 and is centered on the downtown Austin Convention Center. ChaCha!
*Doubt? Txt CHACHA4 to 73000
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FAIL

Technorati Tags: SXSW, ChaCha, Search, SMS, Technology, Rants

Happy Pesach

2010-03-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

Wishing everyone a chag kasher vesameach.