Blog/July 2015/Jul 31st

July 31st (See this week's devar torah)

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Today we recall the day, exactly eight years ago, when we made aliyah. It was quite a bit hotter then than now, and we were exhausted after the long flight. The first apartment we rented proved to be an ongoing bad experience. Untangling our issues with the governmental agencies took time and patience. Dealing with unhappy teenagers took its toll. But we persevered, and soon enough the “birth pangs” of integration into a new country and culture were (mostly) behind us.

We don’t regret a single minute of it.

Our Sages ob”m said, “According to the effort is the reward” Mishna Avot,5:22. Well, leaving the land of your birth and reestablishing in another place certainly requires great effort. But the rewards are also great. B”H, we were able to “make it” fairly quickly despite the best efforts of the government and our first landlords. And here we are, in a home facing Jerusalem and the Temple Mount — just waiting for mashiaḥ to come.

The week started with the fast of the Ninth of ‘av. I had the misfortune of getting a headache right after shabbat, which grew more intense over the fast and ended with me in constant pain at the end. It was only some hours after the fast ended (and the Tylenol had been given a chance to take hold) that the headache abated. So my fast was slow and painful. So it goes.

But things improved thereafter. I finished my contract with the company for which I’ve been working. I just pray that they eventually do pay my bill. Maybe “after the ḥagim…”. I hope sooner than that, but based on my history with them I’m not too optimistic.

We made a new release, version 1.1 of 8th just yesterday, marking the beginning of a new development cycle. We are currently porting 8th to the Raspberry Pi, as a first step towards conquering the “embedded” market. I’ve ordered a “Pi” and some things to go with it, hopefully we’ll get them next week. It’s pretty exciting! Lots of debugging to do, I’m sure.

Sarah decided to be our “guinea pig” and upgrade her computer to Windows 10. Fortunately, she’s tech-savvy. So far, she’s happy with it… time will tell, of course.

Stuff:

• Jonathan Pollard is to be released. Except, probably the Administration will find a way to prevent it. Stay tuned…
• Really? Is this the best you can do?
• Zoabi’s replacement shows up in the Knesset

Our friends the Casdens (whose patriarch is my ḥevruta) made aliyah on the very same plane we did, and moved to the same general neighborhood we did. They are joining us this shabbat for a festive aliyaversary celebration. We look forward to much imbibing of the fruit of the vine.

Aliyah is an intensely personal issue, and people have various reason for doing it. Whoever embarks upon the path of return to the Land should make sure to know precisely why he or she is doing it, and to hold fast to the idea that in the end, it is certain to be worth it. Come home now!

As mentioned, we’ll be commemorating our eighth aliyaversary with our friends. In addition, Sarah’s friend RivQua will be joining us. On the menu:
roast beef, roast chicken, vegetable couscous, glazed carrots, salatim, stir-fried vegetables, rice, brownies, and plum tart.

Until next time,
shabbat shalom!

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