Ron at 06:08, 19 May 2017

2017-05-19T06:08:32Z

Ron: Created page with " {{blog}} '''May 12th''' Today is the 31^st day of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_of_the_Omer..."

2017-05-12T06:32:33Z

Created page with " {{blog}} '''May 12th''' Today is the 31st day of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_of_the_Omer..."

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'''May 12th'''

Today is the 31st day of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_of_the_Omer “counting of the ʿomer”], meaning that ''shabbat'' will the be 32nd day, and therefore Sunday (commencing just as ''shabbat'' ends) will be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lag_BaOmer “Lag BaʿOmer”]. As is the case ''every year'' on which “Lag BaʿOmer” falls right after ''shabbat'', the city rabbis issue statements directing people to do their bonfire celebrations on Sunday night, so as not to be involved in desecrating ''shabbat''. Sometimes people listen, but there’s always some eager pyromaniacs.

I dislike this “celebration” most intensely. It has no basis in our Sages’ early writings, e.g. the ones most contemporaneous with R’ Bar-Yoḥai. Since their writings include a great many stories and statements by him, it’s curious (to say the least) that one finds amongst them neither any support for his supposed authorship of the “Zohar”, nor any statements by them in support of bonfires for his passing. One might be tempted to believe that this celebration was entirely made-up; or worse, taken from pagan or other external sources. One might.

Which brings up another issue, which my nephew and I learned about this week. According to Rambam (whose legal teachings I follow), if one missed counting a day during the ''ʿomer'' period, one nevertheless resumes counting with a blessing. The common practice is that one no longer says a blessing, having missed a day. But that practice makes no sense, since the Biblical commandment is to count each day, so there is a new obligation every day, to count that day. If it were otherwise, a single blessing at the beginning of the counting period would suffice. Likewise, Rambam nowhere says anything about any kind of “mourning” during the period. Ah, well…

Enough of that: what about current events? [http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Encountering-Peace-The-Zionist-Left-Israels-only-hope-490362 According to this author], the “Zionist Left” is Israel’s “only hope”. Amusingly, he doesn’t consider the “Zionist Union”, formerly the “Labor Party”, to be Leftist. One assumes his definition of Leftist might include the Communist “Meretz”, but they too might not be far enough “Left”. Well, it takes all kinds.

This week I [http://www.nationalreview.com/article/447389/health-care-rights-scarcity-controlling-factor posted an article] to Facebook about the US health-system, which generated ''so much'' vitriol that I deleted the post. Here’s a [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/health-insurance-right-or-privilege_us_5910fc9ee4b046ea176aee5e point of view contrary] to the one I posted. My point about the entire debate is that emotional arguments do not contradict the fiscal ones. That is to say, there are limited resources available. How those resources are apportioned depends on your favored economic, social, and moral principles. If you claim that “health-care is a right”, then you are declaring that the government has the ability to force one person to pay for another’s health-care. That aside, the scarcity of providers and supplies militates against the idea that any such “right” could be provided without limit. And in the real-world, even in places where health-care is “free”, it is rationed. Because in the real-world, there are limitations.

“But,” I hear you say, “doesn’t Israel have free universal health-care?”. The answer is: no, it does not. The [http://www.moia.gov.il/Publications/health_en.pdf Israeli system] is that all residents pay a “health-care tax” as some relatively low proportion of their income. In turn, everyone is ''required by law'' to join one of the four “health funds”, which must accept all applicants. As the government states: “In other words, health insurance is mandatory, and all residents of Israel must be insured”. In return for the coverage paid for by the tax, all funds are required to provide a “basket of health services”, which is fairly broad and covers the most important things. However, the funds are permitted to provide additional services for a fee (they all do), which may involve better service, better access, or some services not covered by the “basket”. In addition, one may purchase private insurance on top of the mandatory, outside the framework of the “funds”.

The advantage of this system for Israelis is that everyone is covered for a reasonable price. The advantage for the gov’t is that it can control public-health issues more readily; and because every resident is in the same insurance pool, the costs are lower than they would be with multiple, smaller, insurers. The disadvantages are that you often need to wait for a specialist or special procedure (outside of emergency situations), and that things you might need may not be covered (because, of necessity, the system limits the services it provides in the “basket”).

Alrighty then.

My nephew Chaim and his wife Ariele are [https://keep-it-kosh.myshopify.com/ launching a new business]. Check it out.

We worked our hot-cross-buns off all week. Nothing exciting to report on that front; we’re all tired and ready for ''shabbat''!

The weather was very hot during the week, but it’s cooled down to normal and should stay that way over the weekend, anyway.

Hurray! This ''shabbat'' we are back to what passes for “normal” with us. The three of us will have:
 
home-made ''ḥalla'',
chicken-breast in wine sauce,
baked potatoes,
tofu and yam salad,
rice,
okra in tomato sauce,
garlicky green-beans,
vegetable chili,
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgur bulgur]-stuffed eggplant,
various [http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/collection/recipe-terms-salatim/ ''salatim''],
black-currant muffins,
and lots of love.

Until next time, 
''shabbat shalom''!

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Blog/May 2017/May 12th - Revision history

Ron at 06:08, 19 May 2017

Ron: Created page with " {{blog}} '''May 12th''' Today is the 31st day of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_of_the_Omer..."

Ron: Created page with " {{blog}} '''May 12th''' Today is the 31^st day of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_of_the_Omer..."