Difference between revisions of "Blog/May 2009/May 22nd"

Revision as of 18:06, 21 May 2009

May 15th (See this week's devar torah)
Send Ron feedback on this blog

Hi again!

This week the country was in the throes of Lag BaOmer -- an essentially made-up holiday. Preparations actually started before Pesach -- with marauding bands of kids taking any wood that wasn't nailed down (and some that was) for the traditional bonfires. We went out for a walk on Lag BaOmer night to see what was going on. There were bonfires all around our area, including right behind our house -- so we didn't have to go far. The sheer quantity of combustibles brought by people is alarming. So is the quantity of food prepared by the celebrants. I guess inside every Israeli is a pyromaniac awaiting release. The aftermath was disgusting -- all sorts of food debris and smoldering fires left over the following morning.

Unfortunately, the "pope" graced us (Israel, not us personally) with a visit this past week. So traffic in Jerusalem was terrible, the bus lines were rearranged, and parts of the city were sealed off from public access -- all to accommodate a priest of idol-worship and former Hitler Youth member, who has not seemed to set aside his anti-Semitic early training and attitudes. I have not yet encountered one Israeli who was happy about this visit (based on my informal surveys conducted during my daily bus-rides to and from work).

Sarah has recovered from her bout with strep-throat, B"H! She also seems to have very good luck... before pesach she had taken out books from the local library, to be returned just after pesach. But up until today (a or so month later), she hadn't gone to return them. So today we prevailed on her to make the arduous journey and return the books -- and pay whatever the fines were. When she got there, they told her she doesn't have to pay a fine, because it was her first time. Mighty nice of them!

Next week is Daniela's last week of the school-year, and we wish her lots of success in her finals. She plays in a chamber ensemble on Tuesdays, so anyone in the New York area -- drop her a line (until end of this coming week, that is...) and she'll tell you when and where they play.

I was able to make excellent progress on my work project, so hopefully this will translate soon into lots of income for the company, and if they want to give me a bonus, I won't object. At all.

We enjoyed our shabbat guests last week -- unfortunately, we have none this week. But that's ok, 'cause the weather has turned really sharav-y and it will probably be hot and uncomfortable this shabbat. As I'm writing this, I can't even see Jerusalem due to the dust in the air.

You can help feed the hungry in Israel!

Until next week,
Shabbat shalom!

Top: Blog

Prev: May 8th

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-<!--
+<!-- vim: spell ft=Wikipedia tw=0:
-	vim: tw=0 ft=Wikipedia
 -->
-{{bismilla}}
+{{blog}}
-{{header|Behar-Bechukotai 5769|בהר-בחוקותי תשס"ט}}
+{{bheader|May 15th|Devar/5769/Behar-Bechukotai}}
-{{hebrew}}
+Hi again!
-{{pasuqh|אִם-בְּחֻקֹּתַי, תֵּלֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִצְוֹתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם |p/pt/pt0326.htm#3|ויקרא כו:ו}}
+This week the country was in the throes of {{wiki|Lag BaOmer}} -- an essentially made-up holiday.  Preparations actually started before Pesach -- with marauding bands of kids taking any wood that wasn't nailed down (and some that was) for the traditional bonfires.  We went out for a walk on Lag BaOmer night to see what was going on.  There were bonfires all around our area, including right behind our house -- so we didn't have to go far.  The sheer quantity of combustibles brought by people is alarming.  So is the [http://ourshiputzim.blogspot.com/2009/05/smoked-tuna-and-other-er-delicacies.html quantity of food] prepared by the celebrants.  I guess inside every Israeli is a pyromaniac awaiting release.  The aftermath was disgusting -- all sorts of food debris and smoldering fires left over the following morning.
-{{heb|אם נשמור את דבר ה' ונשמע לנביאיו וחכמיו, נקבל שפע ברכות.  "אם-בחקותי תלכו" זאת תחילת תנאי, שההבטחה תתקיים אם נקיים את התנאי.}}
+Unfortunately, the "{{wiki2|Pope_Benedict_XVI|pope}}" graced us (Israel, not us personally) with a visit this past week.  So traffic in Jerusalem was terrible, the bus lines were rearranged, and parts of the city were sealed off from public access -- all to accommodate a priest of idol-worship and former {{wiki|Hitler Youth}} member, who has not seemed to set aside his anti-Semitic early training and attitudes.  I [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/131376 have not yet encountered one Israeli] who was happy about this visit (based on my informal surveys conducted during my daily bus-rides to and from work).
-{{heb|בהלכה: '''סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה תְּפִלִּין וּמְזוּזוֹת… עַל גַּבֵּי עוֹרוֹת שְׁאֵינָן מְעֻבָּדִין, אוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה אוֹ תְּפִלִּין עַל עוֹר שֶׁלֹּא עִבְּדוֹ לִשְׁמָן -- הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ פְּסוּלִין''' {{hcite|i/2301n.htm#14|הל' תפילין מזוזה וספר תורה א:יד}}.  ועיבוד העור מפורש שם, הלכה ו -- ומועתק מבבלי שבת עט., ראה שם.  היום אין כמעט מי שמעבד עורות כהלכה אלא יחידים בלבד -- ומשמעות הדבר שרוב בני ישראל בכל העולם מברכים על ספרי תורה פסולים לכתחילה, ותולים מזוזות פסולות בבתיהם.  ולמה משתמשים ב"שיטה החדשה" לעיבוד העורות? כי היא זולה ומהירה יותר.}}
+Sarah has recovered from her bout with strep-throat, B"H!  She also seems to have very good luck... before ''pesach'' she had taken out books from the local library, to be returned just after ''pesach''.  But up until today (a or so month later), she hadn't gone to return them.  So today we prevailed on her to make the arduous journey and return the books -- and pay whatever the fines were.  When she got there, they told her she doesn't have to pay a fine, because ''it was her first time''.  Mighty nice of them!
-{{heb|בהלכה: '''הַשּׁוֹחֵט צָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּבְדֹּק הַסַּכִּין בְּחֻדָּהּ, וּמִצַּד זֶה, וּמִצַּד זֶה.  וְכֵיצַד בּוֹדְקָהּ: מוֹלִיכָהּ וּמְבִיאָהּ עַל בְּשַׂר אֶצְבָּעוֹ, וּמוֹלִיכָהּ וּמְבִיאָהּ עַל צִפָּרְנוֹ, מִשָּׁלוֹשׁ רוּחוֹתֶיהָ, שְׁהֶן פִּיהָ וּשְׁנֵי צְדָדִין -- כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה בָּהּ פְּגָם כְּלָל; וְאַחַר כָּךְ יִשְׁחֹט בָּהּ''' {{hcite|i/5301n.htm#19|שם יט}} וגם בבלי חולין יז:, ראה שם.  ולמה אין כמעט מי שבודק כהלכה, אלה מעטים מאד?  שהבדיקה הקפדנית הזאת יקרה ואטית, ופוגעת הרווחים מתעשיית השחיטה.}}
+Next week is Daniela's last week of the school-year, and we wish her lots of success in her finals.  She plays in a chamber ensemble on Tuesdays, so anyone in the New York area -- drop her a line (until end of this coming week, that is...) and she'll tell you when and where they play.
-{{heb|בהלכה: '''הַהוֹצָאָה מֵרְשׁוּת לִרְשׁוּת, מְלָאכָה מֵאֲבוֹת מְלָאכוֹת הִיא''' {{hcite|i/3112n.htm#8|הל' שבת יב:ח}}.  ורשות הרבים: '''אֵיזוֹ הִיא רְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים -- מִדְבָּרוֹת וִיעָרִים וְשָׂדוֹת, וּדְרָכִים הַמְּפֻלָּשִׁין לָהֶן:  וּבִלְבָד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה רֹחַב הַדֶּרֶךְ שֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה, וְלֹא תִהְיֶה עָלָיו תַּקְרָה''' {{hcite|i/3114n.htm#1|שם יד:א}} וראה בבלי שבת צט.  ואי-אפשר לערב בין רשות הרבים לרשות היחיד.   ולמה מטלטלים ב"עירובים" שאינם עירובים?  כי יותר נעים להאמין למי שמקל בדבר שרוצים לעשות, מאשר לשמוע למה שחז"ל ציוו.}}
+I was able to make excellent progress on my work project, so hopefully this will translate soon into lots of income for the company, and if they want to give me a bonus, I won't object.  At all.
-{{heb|התורה מזהירה אותנו גם על מה שעתיד להיות '''אִם-בְּחֻקֹּתַי תִּמְאָסוּ, וְאִם אֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי תִּגְעַל נַפְשְׁכֶם, לְבִלְתִּי עֲשׂוֹת אֶת-כָּל-מִצְוֹתַי, לְהַפְרְכֶם אֶת-בְּרִיתִי''' {{hcite|p/pt/pt0326.htm#15|ויקרא כו:טו}}.  יהי רצון מלפניו שנחזור אליו ואל דברי נביאיו וחכמיו.}}
+We enjoyed our ''shabbat'' guests last week -- unfortunately, we have none this week.  But that's ok, 'cause the weather has turned really ''sharav''-y and it will probably be hot and uncomfortable this ''shabbat''.  As I'm writing this, I can't even see Jerusalem due to the dust in the air.
+You can help [[tsedaka|feed the hungry]] in Israel!
+Until next week,<br>
+Shabbat shalom!
-{{english}}
+{{nav|Blog|Blog|Blog/May 2009/May 8th|May 8th||}}
-{{pasuq|If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them|p/pt/pt0326.htm#3|Lev 26:6}}
-If we keep God's commandments, and obey His prophets and His sages, we will receive a bounty of blessings.  "If ye walk in My statutes" is the beginning of a conditional promise, which if we keep the condition, the promise will be fulfilled.
-In ''halacha'': '''A Torah scroll, ''tefillin'' or ''mezuzot''… upon skins which were not properly processed, or if he wrote a Torah scroll or ''tefillin'' on skins which were not processed for the sake of the ''mitsva'' -- they are invalid''' {{hcite|i/2301n.htm#14|Laws of Tefillin, Mezuzah and Torah scrolls 1:14}}. The proper processing is detailed there, ''halacha'' 6 -- and copied from the Talmud Bavli shabbat 79a, see there.  But today almost no-one processes the skins according to ''halacha'', except a very few individuals -- and the consequences of this are that the majority of Jews in the entire world make blessings over Torah scrolls which are invalid from the very beginning, and have invalid ''mezuzot'' on their houses.  And why do we use the "new method" for processing skins?  Because it is cheaper and quicker.
-In ''halacha'': '''One who slaughters [an animal for food] must check the knife on the edge of the blade, and on both sides of the blade.  And how does he check?  He must draw it to and fro on the skin of his finger, and draw it to and fro on his fingernail, on all three sides, which are the edge and the two sides of the blade -- in order that there not be any defect whatsoever in it; and afterwards he may slaughter with it''' {{hcite|i/5301n.htm#19|ibid 19}}.  Likewise in the Bavli Hullin 17b, see there.  And why does almost no-one but a few individuals check in this manner?  Because this exacting examination is expensive and slow, and diminishes profits from the slaughtering operations.
-In ''halacha'': '''Carrying an object from one "domain" to another is a forbidden labor [on shabbat]''' {{hcite|i/3112n.htm#8|Laws of Shabbat 12:8}}.  The "public domain" is defined: '''What is a "public domain"?  The wilderness and forests, and roads leading to them: but only if the width of the road is sixteen ''amot'' (approx 24 feet) or wider, and they are not covered with a roof'''{{hcite|i/3114n.htm#1|ibid 14:1}}, and see Bavli Shabbat 99a.  It is impossible to make an ''eruv'' between a private and a public domain.  And why do we "carry" in "''eruvim''" which are not ''eruvim''?  Because it is more pleasant to believe one who is lenient regarding that which we wish to do, than to obey our Sages commandments.
-The Torah also cautions us regarding what will happen '''if ye shall reject My statutes, and if your soul abhor Mine ordinances, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but break My covenant''' {{hcite|p/pt/pt0326.htm#15|Lev 26:15}}.  May it be His will that we return to Him, and to the words of His prophets and Sages.
-{{nav|Devar|Devar|Devar/5769/Emor|Emor||}}
-{{devar}}

Difference between revisions of "Blog/May 2009/May 22nd"

From RonWareWiki

< Blog‎ | May 2009

Revision as of 18:06, 21 May 2009