Blog/September 2010/Sep 24th
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Sep 24th (See this week's devar torah)
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Hi again!
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His mercy endures for ever! (Psalms 118:29) This week started the holiday of sukkot -- during which we sit in flimsy booths, wave four kinds of plants in the air and recite the opening verse during our morning prayers. It's also a time when we relax with friends, and (naturally) enjoy wonderful food. This year it also happens to be a time of sharav, that unbearably hot weather which our enemies blow upon us from the surrounding nations. OK, that may not be the scientific explanation for the weather pattern, but it sure seems right!
It was so hot, in fact, on the first day of sukkot, that we almost melted into our chairs. There being no wind, there was no relief; but that reminded me of the aggadic statement in Bavli Avodah Zarah 3a which states that God will give the nations of the world the mitsvah of sukkah as an "easy commandment". When they build the sukkah, He will make the sun shine intensely and they will run out of the sukkah and kick it. I tell you, it's hard to sit in a hot sukkah when there isn't any wind!
Anyway, sukkot is generally a very pleasant holiday. We enjoy the time off from work, and being with friends and family. This coming week we'll be taking a "trip" with a bunch of other people, to the north of the country. Lest you think it will be cool there, NO!, we're going to the Beit She'an area ... possibly the most uncomfortable part of Israel! Why? Because Esther told me so, and if God allows His name to be erased for household tranquility, how can I refuse to let my body be transported to the roaster that is the north of the Jordan Valley? Sarah is a bit smarter than I am, however -- she'll be enjoying air-conditioning in her room while we're sweating.
We've got a new couple coming over for tonight's shabbat-in-the-sukkah dinner. They're from Uruguay, so I will have to dust-off my Spanish (though I'll try to use Hebrew since my Spanish is barely there any more). They've got some small children, but fortunately the sukkah is child-proof. At least, I think it is. I just hope the fan moves the hot air around enough that we can pretend it's cooling us down.
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His mercy endures for ever!
On the menu this week: ratatouille, potato burekas with mushroom sauce, pasta primavera, zucchini kugel, lentil salad, vegetable salad, the usual salatim, cholent*, chocolate-chip cookies.
*This is Sarah's idea...
Until next week,
mo`adim lesimHa and
shabbat shalom!
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