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Hi again!
 
Hi again!
  
'''{{hebs|כִּי-רָצוּ עֲבָדֶיךָ, אֶת-אֲבָנֶיהָ; וְאֶת-עֲפָרָהּ, יְחֹנֵנוּ}} -- For Thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and love her dust''' {{hcite|p/pt/pt26a2.htm|Ps 102:15}}  
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'''{{hebs|יְרוּשָׁלִַם -- הָרִים, סָבִיב לָהּ}} - As the mountains are round about Jerusalem…''' {{hcite|p/pt/pt26c5.htm#2|Psa 125:2}}  
  
At the fishmonger this morning, buying fish for shabbat, there was a guy in front of me buying a ''lot'' of fishI asked him if he was throwing a party, to which he replied "it's shabbat!  what's shabbat without fish?"I should point out, there was nothing about the guy to indicate he was concerned about shabbat.   Anyway, we started talking about this and that, and he mentioned he had been overseas recently, and was glad to be back.  In his words, "there's no place like our Land!".  He's right. For all the complaining you've read here in these pages, he's rightAbout the fish, too. Only here in Israel can you learn Torah while buying fish!
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We went on a trip to [http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/ Ir David], where the recent archaeological finds from the First Temple period were made.  The place is located on the site of the original Jebusite city which King David conquered.  When you look around from there, you can see all the mountains around Jerusalem, just as King David described in the above psalmWe had to descend a series of steps to get to Hizkiah's tunnel -- which was dug during King Hizkiah's time to ensure Jerusalem's water supplyThe tunnel is full of water -- at times up to our knees -- and narrow. The amazing thing is this kilometer-long tunnel was dug from both ends simultaneously, and met in the middleWithout {{wiki|GPS}} or modern tunneling equipment.
  
I generally don't like shopping, but this week I got to do my share of it. Earlier in the week we went to buy a dining-room table. Until now, we've been eating off of a Costco folding plastic tableIt just ain't right to eat shabbat meals off such a cheap table. But it works, and we couldn't find anything we liked. About two months ago, we had gone to this one furniture place and ''almost'' liked the furniture there.  After looking around at other places, we decided we liked this place's stuff the best.  So we go back there, and -- once again, a salesman who to all external appearances was not religious -- started talking about how he liked a particular table because it extends out a long way, and on shabbat and chagim you can get your family around it!  When we told him we were sitting on folding-metal chairs, he grimaced and said "that's not very good for shabbat".  He's right.  Then when we told him we were eating off a folding plastic table, he said "well, I guess the chairs go with the table".  He's right about that, too...  Anyway, B"H we should have a real table and chair set by Rosh Hashanah.
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What King David and his offspring had accomplished stands in stark contrast with our current batch of "leaders", who continue to pursue [http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/08/09/robert-fulford-the-cruel-pursuit-of-a-fictitious-peace-for-israel.aspx a fictitious peace] with a fictitious peopleThough I hate to admit even a grudging respect for the [http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDcwY2I4MjhjMTc0Y2Y4ZmJmMWNmNzJlOTA0Y2MxYjg= Russian autocrats], at least there is no doubt in anyone's mind what the consequences of messing with them are.
  
Those of you who have been waiting to purchase a {{wiki|kilt}}, but were holding back because of ''shaatnez'' or because you couldn't find a clan MacCohen, can now purchase [http://www.jewishtartan.com/ the "Official Jewish Tartan"]!  Truth is stranger than Fiction!
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On the home-improvement front: I finally borrowed a tall ladder from our neighbors, and repaired the laundry line.  It was unusable because (1) the cable was rusted and (2) vines were wrapped around the pulleys, so the cable could not be pulled.  Now I need to get more laundry line, since there wasn't enough for the job in the package I gotWasn't that exciting news?
  
Biblical revisionists are going to have a hard time with the [http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=40140 latest archaeological find] in JerusalemThe combination of this find with a previous one, essentially corroborates the historicity of the book of JeremiahTrue, this is centuries after King David -- but it's pretty exciting when science confirms Tanach.
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More home related issues: each of us has a particular area of responsibility when it comes to getting ready for Shabbat.  Esther makes the majority of the food. Daniela often makes dessert. Sarah provides the entertainment. I do the pre-shabbat cleaning at home, which involves mostly sweeping the floor, then passing a "smartut" (wet cloth) over the floor to pick up dust. As I was going up the stairs the other day, I remembered I haven't swept the stairs in a whileDid you realize that dust collects in the corners of the stairs?  I didn't really think about it beforeSo this week Sarah swept the stairs and we got our first pet: a dust-doggy.
  
Electrifying! We got our first electric bill since we movedThere's an air-conditioner in almost every room, and the girls have them on more often than not.  Nevertheless, our bill was ''half'' what is has been in the pastThat's right, half. I think we were getting really ripped-off at the rental, I surely do..
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The defense forces have started spraying various villains with [http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Security/13050.htm eau de garbage]. Perhaps they should start in the {{wiki|Knesset}}?
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This week we "celebrated" the major fast of {{wiki|Tisha B'Av}}, a day on which throughout Jewish history has been a day of tragedyNow a professor has declared that [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1218104249084&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull the Holocaust cannot be understood] using the "old theology".  I beg to differ; and I think the "professor" does not understand Jewish thought or the Torah very well, to reach the conclusions he didThe point of our marking the ninth of Av by fasting is to help bring us to a state of repentance, so we can ''avoid'' making the same mistakes in the futureBurying one's head in the sand -- which is exactly what declaring, "We can't understand the Holocaust" is -- brings upon us more and worse destruction. Sorry for the depressing topic...
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Sarah would have written a blog contribution this week, but she reports, "My inspiring writing bug, it seems, has left the building. And by the building, I mean my head". Ah, never mind -- she decided she [[Blog/August 2008/Aug 15th/Sarah|was inspired after all]].
  
Odd, but true:  For many months, on Fridays we would hear some guy going around yelling, "avatiach!" (watermelon).  We never were sure exactly what he was yelling.  First, because he's an Arab and his accent was pretty thick.  Second, because he was not carrying watermelons.  We thought, maybe he was saying, "shatiach!" (carpet), and he's a carpet cleaner.  It was a weekly puzzle, trying to figure out what the guy was saying.  Only now, just a few minutes ago in fact, did we figure it out.  He's yelling "alte zachen" (old stuff)!  He's collecting cast-offs to resell or whatever.  An Arab yelling out in Yiddish in a Hebrew-speaking neighborhood!  Only in Israel...
 
  
 
Shabbat shalom!
 
Shabbat shalom!
  
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Latest revision as of 16:51, 22 August 2008

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


Hi again!

יְרוּשָׁלִַם -- הָרִים, סָבִיב לָהּ - As the mountains are round about Jerusalem…  (Psa 125:2)

We went on a trip to Ir David, where the recent archaeological finds from the First Temple period were made. The place is located on the site of the original Jebusite city which King David conquered. When you look around from there, you can see all the mountains around Jerusalem, just as King David described in the above psalm. We had to descend a series of steps to get to Hizkiah's tunnel -- which was dug during King Hizkiah's time to ensure Jerusalem's water supply. The tunnel is full of water -- at times up to our knees -- and narrow. The amazing thing is this kilometer-long tunnel was dug from both ends simultaneously, and met in the middle. Without GPS or modern tunneling equipment.

What King David and his offspring had accomplished stands in stark contrast with our current batch of "leaders", who continue to pursue a fictitious peace with a fictitious people. Though I hate to admit even a grudging respect for the Russian autocrats, at least there is no doubt in anyone's mind what the consequences of messing with them are.

On the home-improvement front: I finally borrowed a tall ladder from our neighbors, and repaired the laundry line. It was unusable because (1) the cable was rusted and (2) vines were wrapped around the pulleys, so the cable could not be pulled. Now I need to get more laundry line, since there wasn't enough for the job in the package I got. Wasn't that exciting news?

More home related issues: each of us has a particular area of responsibility when it comes to getting ready for Shabbat. Esther makes the majority of the food. Daniela often makes dessert. Sarah provides the entertainment. I do the pre-shabbat cleaning at home, which involves mostly sweeping the floor, then passing a "smartut" (wet cloth) over the floor to pick up dust. As I was going up the stairs the other day, I remembered I haven't swept the stairs in a while. Did you realize that dust collects in the corners of the stairs? I didn't really think about it before. So this week Sarah swept the stairs and we got our first pet: a dust-doggy.

The defense forces have started spraying various villains with eau de garbage. Perhaps they should start in the Knesset?

This week we "celebrated" the major fast of Tisha B'Av, a day on which throughout Jewish history has been a day of tragedy. Now a professor has declared that the Holocaust cannot be understood using the "old theology". I beg to differ; and I think the "professor" does not understand Jewish thought or the Torah very well, to reach the conclusions he did. The point of our marking the ninth of Av by fasting is to help bring us to a state of repentance, so we can avoid making the same mistakes in the future. Burying one's head in the sand -- which is exactly what declaring, "We can't understand the Holocaust" is -- brings upon us more and worse destruction. Sorry for the depressing topic...

Sarah would have written a blog contribution this week, but she reports, "My inspiring writing bug, it seems, has left the building. And by the building, I mean my head". Ah, never mind -- she decided she was inspired after all.


Shabbat shalom!



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