Blog/August 2014/Aug 22nd

August 22nd (See this week's devar torah)

Comments or questions? Click here!

---

Hi, again!

O, happy day! This week Esther and Sarah ceased their peregrinations and returned to the Land. There was (and still is!) much rejoicing. They had an enjoyable trip; but as the saying goes, “there’s no place like home”!

The week had been relatively quiet, as the cease-fire held up pretty well. It did, that is, until the Gazans decided they just couldn’t wait to resume firing missiles at our population centers. So the war resumed this week, with hundreds of missiles thus far being sent our way, and a number of high-ranking Ḥamas members being sent straight to Hell. May there be many more following their footsteps, amen.

Remember all the protestations of innocence from Ḥamas regarding their role in the kidnapping and murder of three Jewish teens? Well! Now they’re admitting it was their action. Brave warriors they, one and all.

Shakespeare may have been the first to say “Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war”, but he probably could not have envisioned the wave of anti-Semitism sweeping the world (including the US, though it’s got a way to go to reach international standards…) in presumed response to the current Gazan war. Of course, one reason he couldn’t have envisioned it is that there were no Jews in England when he was writing. They had been expelled from Albion by King Edward I in 1290, and not permitted to return until 1657 — a mere 367 years. So it’s not too surprising, really, that formerly “great” Britain is a center of anti-Semitism right now. They have a long, proud history of it. I pray that Sarah and Dinah take care on their upcoming trip to the perfidious isles.

Of course, for sheer pig-headed anti-Semitism, nobody can beat the Spaniards. Their expulsion of the judíos lasted from 1492 until 1968 — 476 years! Now they’re begging the descendants of the Jews they tortured, killed and dispossessed to resume Spanish citizenship. To sweeten the deal, they’re finally getting around to changing some anti-Semitic town names. I guess they finally realized that their removal of Jewish brains and money from their pitiful realm may have had something to do with their almost 500 year descent into oblivion. What is astonishing to me is that there are indeed Jews today who are willing to take the Spaniards up on their offer. I guess hope springs eternal, and all that.

Anyway. Prior to the Return of the Girls, I went on a shopping spree and restocked our refrigerator with every kind of vegetable and dairy product I could find. It seems that the Argentines are not big on vegetables, so both of my Girls (but particularly Sarah) were experiencing severe vegetable withdrawal. Hopefully they’re on the mend, now.

As per my usual practice, I was extremely busy this week with work (when I wasn’t preparing for tRotG). This coming week I plan on sending out invitations to the beta program for our product, and the countdown to revenue-generation begins!

Sunday morning we’re back at the airport to send off Sarah and Dinah. They’ll be touring the isles of Great Britain for a month. They’ve spent a lot of skull-sweat figuring out how to optimize their time and money, so we trust they’ll have a wonderful time, B”H.

We’re all here this week, including Dinah! We all look forward to a pleasant shabbat with Esther’s cooking! On the menu this week:
homemade ḥalla, squash soup, (Ron’s) saffron chicken, kebabs, green-beans, rice, stir-fried vegetables and tofu, veggie cholent, and Argentine cookies

Until next week,
shabbat shalom!

---

Top: Blog

Prev: Aug 15th

Next: Aug 29th

---