Sunday, November 09, 2008

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"The financial situation is so bad...
That Jewish women are marrying for love!"

Hahaha...the Devil made me do it. Sorry, made me laugh out loud and just had to share.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

Friday, November 07, 2008

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

I have been getting so much email over the past few weeks telling me why Obama is the best thing since sliced bread and whenever I voiced my concern I was told not to believe the 'hate mongers'...not to be 'paranoic'...not to be 'racist'.

I have a whole list of what I shouldn't be whenever I said how I felt about the man and his wife and most of their friends who have been mentioned and ignored along the way. You know who I mean. The man is TEFLON and nothing sticks to him.

I do not trust him...not with your country and certainly not with mine. I will not mention his wife...oh why the hell not. Anyone who denies their children birthday and Christmas presents is a woman I sure as hell don't want for a Mama!

But...guess what??? The little girls get to have a puppy when they move into the NEW White House. What was wrong with the old one? And it was such a huge thing in the Obama household that Daddy had to mention it on live TV. Yahooo the kids get a dog!!!
Well, if it is good enough for the President Elect, then maybe other families should get their kids a dog. Oh wait...they do!

Have I mentioned along the way how very disappointed I am in our girl Oprah? I mean where would she be without the women of America? And as soon as she had the chance to pay some of them back she picked the guy who happened to share her skin colour. You blew it Oprah. But then, I stopped watching you when I read in your magazine "O" all about the poor suicide bomber girls who just had to blow themselves up because bad, mean Israel made their lives a terror. Wait...wrong word. Not all the Muslims are terrorists, but lately all the terrorists are... You know the rest. I don't want to be labled paraniod or racist again. Walk a mile in my shoes and then let's talk.

I have absolutely no idea why anyone voted for the man. Well, the college kids didn't want Iraq and Afghanistan. The Jews...vey very vey stayed true to their party.

Now we will see what Mr. President Elect Obama does.

Oh yes! His first piece of business was to ask Rohm Emanuel to be his Chief of Staff. How lovely.

My poor email was clogged and choked up with family and friends rushing to tell me about Rohm. See. You over there in Israel don't have anything to worry about. Now since when does the Chief of Staff decide foreign policy? Would have been a lot lovlier if he'd have asked him to be Secretary of State. Now that would have been a real important job.

Sorry all of you. I'm going to sit back and hope and pray that I was wrong and that you are right. In the meantime you lost your credibility when the media became so very one-sided. You lost your freedom when one guy got over 600million dollars to spend on the media. Oh, once again the media. I forgot. Good ol' CNN.

Ok. I think you get it. I didn't want McCain. But I sure would have slept better knowing he was at the helm when the you-know-what hits the fan.

Is Obama the guy they talk about who comes before the Rapture? Now there is a scary thought.

Shabbat shalom.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

Monday, November 03, 2008

MEET MY PEOPLE

This article was published in 2007, but I just saw it today. At first I thought I'd send it off to my email list. But, then, I thought it would be better here...where anyone and everyone could see it.

Made me cry.

Then I googled it and it is the real McCoy. Meet meineh mentchen. Bless them.

This took place during the "Israeli Defense Forces and the Second Lebanon War"

When the news came that we were receiving a day off, our hearts soared. We suffered so much stress and hardship. Where would we go? How should we take full advantage of this gift?

Rumors begin to circulate that we were going to some school in Migdal Ha'Emek. "This must be a joke! Who ordered ten buses to bring us to some yeshiva with some Rabbi who is just going to try and brainwash us?"

Then, a few of the guys remembered. "Rabbi Grossman, that's the Disco Rabbi right? The guys all give him great respect." But what do they know? He is still some rabbi.

Tired and emotionally drained, we got off the buses and stood face to face with an old-world looking Jew, complete with a white beard, side locks and long jacket. "So here it comes," I thought, "the push to put on tefillin or to say prayers together. Some day off."

"Boys," the rabbi's words thundered, "I suggest that first thing you do is take a dip in the pool and freshen up. In the meantime, we will make you something to eat."

In amazing simplicity, Rabbi Grossman heard in passing that the brigade was looking for a home for a day, and he immediately volunteered his campus. "What's the problem? 600 soldiers? They should all come, of course we have room!"

With the echoes of war from the battlefield still in our ears, it seemed like a mirage or hallucination. Soft music came from everywhere and flowing water and greenery surrounded us. Within minutes, the tables were set with cold refreshing watermelon, cakes, and beverages, followed by cheeses, fresh vegetables, and soft rolls.

Then we heard, "Out of the pool, get dressed and eat something." We saw piles of new undergarments. 600 new undershirts and underwear appeared as if out of nowhere, laid out on tables for our choosing.

Rabbi Grossman sat with us and laughed, "Have a good time boys! Have a great time! This evening, I will put on the most spectacular performance you have ever seen."

I am not a religious person by any means, but I can't help but envision the first Jew, Avraham, standing and personally serving his guests perfectly naturally and without the slightest hint of condescension. He respected each individual and cared for all their needs. Like Avraham, Rabbi Grossman saw in this an obvious act of kindness, a mission of a Mitzvah that had fallen into his hands. As the evening continued, we learned quickly that this was the essence of who Rabbi Grossman is and what he is all about. He loves everyone and accepts everyone as they are with all his heart and soul.

"Tell me friends," Rabbi Grossman said, "I heard you are lacking different pieces of equipment. Do me a favor. Here is a pencil and paper, just write down everything you are missing and leave the paper on the table." That night, we enjoyed the entertainment and afterwards, slept in soft beds and air-conditioned rooms.

Like in a fairytale, we awoke in the morning and could not believe our eyes. Mounds of gear which we so desperately needed had arrived at Migdal Ohr. Attached was a small note from Rabbi Grossman, "To my dear solders, from all my heart!"

Rabbi Grossman personally and immediately raised over $60,000 worth of equipment from friends literally overnight! The essential equipment included ceramic bulletproof vests, helmets, canteens, knee pads, backpack water canteens, night vision goggles, toothbrushes, socks and more.

Interestingly, a few months before the war broke out, a special friend of Rabbi Grossman from France was interested in donating a new Torah scroll to the main Migdal Ohr Beit Midrash (study hall). For some reason, Rabbi Grossman requested to postpone the event until an unspecified later date.

"Now is the right time!" Rabbi Grossman realized. He immediately made arrangements and in an early evening ceremony, we participated in the completion of writing the Torah. While the scroll was carefully laid on the table next to a special pen and ink, Rabbi Grossman addressed the soldiers.

"My holy ones! I am going to bestow upon you the merit of a holy mitzvah, which can be considered a once in a life time opportunity. Each one of you will complete a letter in the Torah scroll. While you are executing this holy task, each one of you should pray the prayer of his heart and request from G-d that the merit of the letter he has completed will protect him in battle. Holy sparks will emanate from these sacred letters and disperse around you, creating a protective shield which will keep you safe and bring you home safely."

Those moments were the most exciting and emotional ones in my life. Shaking from the intensity of the immeasurable experience, still not believing, we held the edges of the Torah scroll while are hearts beat rapidly. There was complete silence all around. One after the other, we dipped the quill in the ink and completed a letter in the Torah scroll.

A bystander would have seen a breathtaking scene of incredible elation and spiritual exuberance. The world seemed as if shrouded in silence. The strings of our heart felt strummed and the tears flowed freely down our cheeks.

"Mother!" cried one of the soldiers into his cell phone, "you won't believe what I have done! I have written a letter in a Torah scroll! Mother, are you there? Can you hear?! Me, a Shmutznik (a member of a non-religious Kibbutz), who can't differentiate between Shabbat and the rest of the week, who has not seen tzizit (ritual garment) in my life. Me, I wrote a letter in a Torah scroll! I can't believe it. I can't believe it."

After the completion of the Torah, the ceremony continued. Leading the procession was a decorated car with multi-colored lights strung all over it and with a crown of lights spinning around on its roof. Following the car, bearers of a decorated canopy marched while people danced around it. Under the canopy, others held the Torah scroll, which was clothed in white and crimson with a silver crown at its top.

600 soldiers and thousands of the town residents marched and danced in the procession, a loud speaker accompanying them, playing traditional Jewish music.

As the ceremony came to a close, Rabbi Grossman approached every soldier and kissed him while placing a half-shekel coin in his hand and said "shliach mitzvah aino nezok," messengers of a mitzvah are not harmed. Rabbi Grossman concluded, "When you return, G-d willing, healthy and unharmed, you will fulfill this mission I am placing upon you, and you will donate this money to charity."

The night came. Twelve buses made their way atop the Galilee Mountains. Heavy darkness engulfed us, yet behind, in the growing distance, a bright flame pierced the night sky. In the midst of war and violence, we found love and unending human compassion at Migdal Ohr, the educational center established in Migdal Ha'Emek by Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman.

Rabbi Grossman speaks

"This was an immense "Kiddush Hashem." For a long period of time, I cried and was very emotional." Thus Rabbi Grossman recalled the moment when he first read the words above written by First Lieutenant M.

Rabbi Grossman has what to add to the end of this exciting memoir. "A moment before they returned to Lebanon, I told the soldiers, 'in the merit that you said "shema" and put on tefillin, wrote a letter in the Torah, and are messengers of a mitzvah, I promise you, that you will all return safe and sound. None of you will be wounded or killed.'"

"Wasn't the Rabbi scared to commit to 600 soldiers that they would return home safe and sound?" asked Shula Weissfer, a journalist. "That is what came out of my mouth word for word," he replied. "This was a moment of exuberance."

"I continued and told them," Rabbi Grossman relates, "if this does actually happen that you come back safely, the first place you must come back to - before you go home - is Migdal Ohr. We will thank G-d together and from there we will say goodbye." I told them, "think of this as an emergency call-up. Do you accept?" The commanding officer replied in the affirmative.

Two weeks later, around midnight, Rabbi Grossman received a phone call. "Rabbi, your blessing has come true!" exclaimed the commander over the phone. "Everyone is safe and we are on our way to you. We will be there by two o'clock in the morning"

Rabbi Grossman immediately contacted the kitchen staff and asked them to prepare a meal while he worked to organize a band. People asked him 'You need a band at 2 a.m.? Is Moshiach here?'"

At 2:30 a.m. the soldiers disembarked from the buses, each one carrying 60 kilo of equipment on his back. The band started playing music and the soldiers approached Rabbi Grossman, each one lovingly received with a hug and a kiss. This continued for two hours. "I felt as I had never felt before," recalls Rabbi Grossman. "Each one told me his personal miracle."

One soldier, a kibbutznik and a lawyer in civilian life, relayed an incredible miracle. A group of soldiers were gathered in an empty house in a Lebanese village when one of them forgetfully lit a cigarette.

Hezbollah terrorists immediately noticed the light and fired an anti-tank missile at the house. Coincidentally, two horses from the village ran in front of the house and were hit and killed. The missile, deflected by the horses, veered away from the house, landing elsewhere. Incredibly, the horses miraculously saved the soldiers inside the house.

After the warm reception, the soldiers recited "birkat hagomel," and together with Rabbi Grossman, sang and danced until daybreak. "To this day," says Rabbi Grossman, "we maintain contact with each soldier and have thus become one family."

Rabbi Grossman is a recipient of the "Award of Recognition for his Actions on Behalf of Soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces and the Second Lebanon War"

Original article written by Shula Weissfer

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

Saturday, November 01, 2008

JUST WONDERING

Have you ever fallen asleep in the afternoon and woken up a few hours later thinking it's tomorrow morning? And, what a feeling of relief, when you find out it isn't?

You have? Me too! As a matter of fact that just happened a half hour ago. See, I love shabbat. I love everything about shabbat. But the thing I love the MOST about shabbat is the little afternoon nap we all indulge in.

You don't have to be old...you don't have to be a little kid...everyone loves a little shloffie shabbat afternoon. Actually, I think it is a law.

It is finally cold enough now in Jerusalem that I had to pull down my feather comfortor...the big one. I love that blanket. Weighs nothing. Is a mountain tall. And warm...ahhhhhhhh. Sometimes, I even put a hot water bottle down under the blanket to get the sheets warm before I climb in.

Does it make me sound like some old biddy saying I have a hot water bottle? My friend Rena has an electric sheet. I tried that once, and as soon as my bones hit that heat I fell into a blissful sleep until I woke up sweating and thinking I'd been sent to Hell!

With a hot water bottle, if you get too hot and are sleeping because 'as soon as your bones...' you get it...well, you just push it away with a hand or foot and continue sleeping like a baby. Happy, warm, contented. Lovely.

Where was I? Oh. Lost between today and tomorrow.

There are moments when I wish it was tomorrow already. And even some moments when I wish it was yesterday. Those don't last long as I know if I go back in time I'll have to go through the bad as well as the good and I don't want to do that a second time. Nope...I'm betting on tomorrow.

Sixty-four has it's blessings. But you have to have a great sense of humour. It all happened because I love turkey necks. I love them in soup. I love them cooked. And I decided to try baking them in the oven. Came out gorgeous, but a little tough.

There I was biting and chewing and having one hell of a grand time when I felt something hard in my mouth. Thinking it was a piece of bone, I gingerly picked it out and upon examination I realized I'd popped out one of the teeth from my bottom partial. (There are no secrets between us, right?) Appalled, I ran to the mirror and sure enough...horrors of horrors...oy vey oy vey there was a hole in my mouth where the little tooth used to be.

I immediately called my cousin Sheldon the dentist who said I could come in the next day. I thought when you pulled teeth you were done...don't you believe it. Sigh. Well, I had made plans to go sleep over at my babies that night and tooth or no tooth I was going to the pajama party.

Sweetsie Tootsie, who is now six and in first grade...Did I tell you that the second day of school, he turned to the kid next to him and said, "I get it. It's boring here. I'm going home." And together those two pagromchiks picked themselves up, walked out of class, out of the school, out the school yard and crossed two big streets and walked home! The short version is, he won't do that again. :)

Back to my story. My daughter-in-law and the two babies came to pick me up and Sweetsie Tootsie, who has lost two bottom teeth already, took one look at me and said, "Bubbie! Did the Tooth Fairy give you twenty shekels too?"

Wouldn't it be nice if it was that simple?

OK. Godda run. Big Brother, Israeli version is on soon. I know, I know, but I'm hooked. Pitiful isn't it? Hope I don't fall asleep as soon as my tush hits the blanket.

Shavuah tov!!!

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.