Celebrating Spiritual and Natural Beauty - Haveil Havalim #407

B'SD

15 Sivan, 5773

My country is smaller than Delaware or New Jersey, but it tends to dominate headlines. Living in the Holy Land sometimes feels astonishing. Some days I eat breakfast wondering what's next on life's actual history channel.

I made some minor history by becoming today's hostess of another Haveil Havalim blogpost roundup. I hostessed the most recent one, too.

Today's HH fun honors the middle of the Jewish month. Judaism's holidays are predicated on determining times and season with signals from the sky, particularly the moon. Though women worldwide have felt - and been - rather downtrodden, the insight-rich book The Moon's Lost Light explains that this situation will reverse with the advent of Mashiakh (hurry up, fella!). You can buy a copy from Targum Publishing.

Did you know my first break as a writer was with Targum? My content appeared in the first several Horizons magazines.

OK, back to facts on the ground. Anthony Reich looks at the Importance of Israel's Preemptive Strikes.

History books reveal that, as Tom Lehrer once sang, "Everybody hates the Jews" in his National Brother hood Week song.

Wasupp with that app? We were the first people to ban infanticide, suicide, murder, kidnapping, theft, adultery, a lack of social justice systems, and idol worship (Jews are into MORALS, folks). Read the World Perfect series (click on the bottom icons to see all 12 parts of the series)

Esser Agoroth (nom de plume) focuses his thoughts on a daily act of sincere decency for many Jewish males aka a glorification of Jewish principles/GOD's Name at Avner Netanyahu's Qiddush HaShem. 

What's a Jewish gathering (cyber events included) for if not deep consideration of spiritual concepts and goals? Daniel at the Heart of Adam shares Two Types of Reasoning Regarding the Menorah and Mizbeach. (Psst! to answer your readerly question, YES, Jews who study relevant texts with competent guidance actually do understand and care about that kind of stuff. And more!)

Batya Medad is a real life friend and gosh she thinks a lot.  Check out There's NOTHING Like Machaneh Yehuda Market (I so agree).

Whee, it's the New Shilo Bike Path!

Batya memorializes a man I also miss with In Loving Memory of Manny Winston. Here she is noting the Problems with legally built Jewish homes versus illegal arab contruction in Judea. 

Added treats per 17 Sivan:

Return to Mamilla (with artistic class!) 

Home Made Mazal Tov Bat Mitzva Fun!

Gluten-free Israel (MUST reading!)

Sondra celebrates Her Spot at the Kotel (I - Yocheved - used to lead groups of women there)

Clarifying a mystery  for fans of the Shirat Devorah blog  (Now if Mashiakh would just show up we'd end another mystery - as in WHEN are you getting here already???)

In other news...

I so enjoy horseback riding that I recently shared an evening ride in the Judean Hills with some friends. We looked at historic areas, smelled the rich aromas of ripening grapevines and blooming flowers, and spent quality spiritual time together.

I protect my legs from harsh horsehair by wearing cotton scrubs when I ride in summer heat. Why is the horse's head down for the photo-shoot? That's a sign of its relaxed mood. She didn't even freak when my hip sack rang from the cellphone inside it.

Those hills in the background have historical meaning. Manoah, father of Samson (yes, the man who destroyed Philistines gloating at his mauled body and betrayed existence), is buried nearby. In Israel you just about trip over history wherever you go. I actually live near the spot where David killed Goliath.

Here I am with a fellow rider. 

The horse I rode is enjoying another snack.

Other friends pondered life at that pond, 

while sunset progressed.

One of the men on our ride prepared mint tea for me and coffee for the others.

We savored the flavors and quality time spent together. Being in the moment is so valuable.

I kept up with the group though I have a vision disability. My heart and soul don't sit back to watch life pass us by.

We're in it!

By the way, your seat won't hurt if you sit exactly in the middle of the saddle.

Buy the E-book or print edition today to EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Have fun not despite, but with and because of your disability.



 

3 Treats in 1: HH #406 Blogpost = Holy Happiness!!!

B'SD

18 Iyar, 5773

It's a special day as I celebrate

1) a lovely trip to Shilo last week, 

2) Pesakh Sheni/The Second Passover, 

3) the start-date anniversary of the Mon/מן aka 
 Manna from heaven 

that began to fall for the newly freed 
hungry Israelites 

trekking to the Promised Land from Egypt 

and 

4) the fun festivities of Lag B'Omer.

I'm sharing the fun with the Haveil Havalim blogpost group (I've done this before) and you.

About that Shilo trip: I belong to a Facebook group of women from all over Israel's map. Our skin colors, accents and life experiences are diverse but our friendships are united and strong. Every few months we share a get-together called a face-to-face (f2f in facebook language). This past Tuesday we shared lunch and spiritual insights in Shilo, site of the long-ago Tabernacle.

Here's a photo of me praying on the archaeological site, protected from wind and sun with a wide-brimmed hat and scarf to protect my skin and eyes.

Bracha Barbara Goldman provided the ladies with the text for a prayer: Baruch Ata Hashem Elokeinu melech Ha'Olam Meitziv G'vul Almana. In the Artscroll siddur it appears under "Blessings over phenomena and events", and says, "upon seeing a destroyed synagogue that has been restored to its previous grandeur", and literally translates "Who sets a limit for a widow". It is based on the gemarra Brachot 58/2, which uses as its source a verse in Mishlei 15:25. There is a shiur in Hebrew prepared by Rav Yair Hiller on the subject.

What would an HH blogpost be without
 Batya Medad's take on that 
Facebook Friends in Shilo visit, eh? 

You can contact the tourist authority for 
scheduling Shilo visits with tour guides 
(awesome experience for families & large groups) 
at http://telshilo.org.il/en/

I ate some matza and said a few pertinent prayers 
the next day on Pesakh Sheni. 
Ruti Mizrachi explains what it's about, 
that life can be a do-over in some respects, 
at Once Again, with Feeling!

I can't show you a picture of the Mon/מן aka Manna from heaven but I can let you know that I felt some excitement on Friday last week. It was the 16th of Iyar, the anniversary of when the all-nourishment no-waste food that tasted as one wished, began to fall. I recite the Biblical passage about it daily. It's a way of asking GOD for the blessing of having one's needs met with ease.

As for Lag B'Omer (today!), that's a fun, spiritual day filled with not 1 but 2 day's worth of...

• Bonfires supervised by safety-minded adults, 

 

Toy bows and arrows to remind us of the rainbow-filled sky that illustrated GOD's promise never to destroy the world with a flood again plus the human need to pray, 

A celebration of the END of a plague that decimated the numbers of Rabbi Akiva's students long ago, and...

FIRST haircuts for little boys whose parents preserve the chalaka custom. Check out this no-cost item for the occasion from http://theboldedge.com/free-upsheren-printables-gifts/

SERIOUS SAFETY ALERT for Lag B'Omer: Child Predators!

Need to know more? Jacob Richman shares Educational websites about Lag Ba'Omer. 

Ladies, make this MORE of a yom tov for yourselves with Rabanit Yemima's comments on Lag B'Omer!

It's been a time of holy happiness. Hat tip: GOD ;^ D

While we're thinking about arrows, here's my zinger of an OP-ED to kneseteers who promise to protect Israel, then endanger it. "Emor m'at v'asay harbay, MKs. Find your spines. Stick to the program GOD gave us. Got it?"

Batya Medad hits a bullseye with Those - Moving -- Red --- Lines.

YAY! Sharon Altshul reminds us to Keep Jerusalem Green and Accessible.

Moving on to other HH stuff, Brian Wallace shares his joy over the OU's 4th Annual Job and Relocation Fair. Batya Medad wants Jews to relocate to the only Jewish home HaShem (GOD) told us to live in, and asks How About Relocating to Israel?

Coming up on the Jewish Calendar: Yummy Shavuot. 

But uh-oh, Haveil Havalim founder Esser Agarot compares and contrasts admirable historical figure and convert to Judaism Rut (Ruth, for non-Hebrew-speakers) to MK Ruth Calderon, who clearly does not rate high on his gracious behavior of worldview scale (nor on the scale of several other critics).

And what would the world of Judaism be without more controversy? Esser Agorot opines about the Battle of All Time aka Torah and it's Doubtful "Democratic" Adherents.

Headline-making individuals and the rest of us can do some apropos introspection (please do) with Reformism is NOT Judaism.

While we're thinking of Torah and its decency/GOD-centric values (ahem, me-centric reformists), let's see what Batya Medad and Paula Stern have to say about...

 Sorry, Not all Mothers are the Same 

and 

 What Did YOU Do the Night Before, respectively. 

sigh-h-h...

Let's get back to the feel-good stuff, by visiting Meira Josephy's Mitzvot Unplugged!

I have to sign off, now. 

I'm heading to southern Israel with friends delivering United with Israel's above-ground bomb shelters for kindergartens in Netivot (did the Boston Marathon Massacre clue you in to the capricious, unpredictable and evil nature of islamic violence, yet? NONE of it is Israel's fault. Islam is about dominance). We'll enjoy

• A farm tour/presentation at Moshav Tifrach by Torah scholar/Talmid Chocham/Farmer Reb Shmuel Rappaport (Rav Moshe Feinstein's great-grandson)
• A Lag B'Omer picnic 
• Planting Fruit Trees (hands on) at Moshav Tifrach's orchard

I'm doing it all despite an enduring (and decreasing) disability most people never detect. I use necessary coping skills and a nurtured sense of optimism.

Want to know how that's possible?

EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge with the E-book or print edition today. Put a brighter light on your disability or medical life.

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

You can fill your life with fun despite setbacks.