Tunnel Vision

The goal of this blog is to expand the vision of your Friday night dinner. Please print and share.
In honor of Shelly's birthday... Happy Birthday, Shelly!
In memory of Anita Ghitzes, who passed away this week.
To dedicate a future Table Talk, send an email
 

Last week's email, What's in a Doorpost, drew a large response.

Maybe that's because of a deep je-ne-sais-quoi that resonated. Or maybe it was just the contest.

In any event, this week is the sequel.

Let's go back two weeks, to Friday August 1st. What can you remember from that day?

That was the day of the first cease-fire, that Hamas broke by sending a suicide bomber through an attack tunnel.

(Cease Fire: We cease, you fire.)

Hamas first claimed that they had kidnapped an Israeli soldier - Hadar Goldin (pictured here). It later turned out that he had been killed by the explosion.

In fact, his body was ripped apart.

Reportedly, after the bombing, a second Hamas team emerged from the tunnel, grabbed parts of his body and dashed back into their attack tunnel which led  into a mosque. From the mosque, they escaped in a clearly marked UNRWA ambulance. The terrorists then made contact with high-ranking Hamas officials hiding in the Islamic University.

As a result Abu Marzook, a senior member of Hamas, announced in Cairo that Hamas had kidnapped an Israeli soldier. Israeli intelligence intercepted a conversation between the kidnappers and the Hamas officials at the Islamic University and thus got all the particulars regarding the hiding place of the kidnappers. Within minutes, the IAF attacked both the kidnappers' location and the Islamic University.

In the midst of this attack, a second force of IDF soldiers--which had gone into the mosque looking for weapons, explosives, and rockets-- encountered a young female wearing a suicide belt. She made a motion to detonate it and the soldiers realized that they were all about to die. One of them instinctively shouted the opening words of the holiest Jewish prayer “Shema Yisrael”!

She hesitated and began trembling, giving the soldiers a chance to grab her and disable the device.

The soldiers then took her to a counter-intelligence unit for interrogation. Their investigation uncovered that the would-be bomber’s mother was an Israeli Jew who had married a Palestinian in Israel and, after the wedding, was smuggled against her will into Gaza. There she lived a life filled with abuse and humiliation, and was basically a captive. In addition to the female suicide bomber, there were two smaller children as well. An armored force went in and rescued the two siblings.

Questions for your table....

Is this suicide bomber (and her two siblings) Jewish or Palestinian?
How does their rescue change the way you look at the death of Hadar Goldin?
How does Hadar Goldin's death change the way you look at life?

Shabbat Shalom

PS - There is still time to get a subscription to our new Amazing Nature for Teachers program - for your child's teacher or school - does your child's or grandchild's school even know about it?

Like this email? How about putting your mouse where your mouth is: Like it, tweet it, or just forward it to someone who might enjoy it.

As always, this message can be read online at http://rabbiseinfeld.blogspot.com

What's in a Doorpost?

The goal of this blog is to turn Friday night into Shabbat. Please print and share.

Today: two questions, followed by a story, followed a question, for your table.

First question: What's a mezuza?

I'm guessing that many people reading this don't know, so here's a cliffnotes answer:

A hand-written scroll of sacred parchment with verses from the Torah that talk about mindfulness of God, love, unity and karma - affixed (usually in a decorative box) on the right side of a doorway into a room.

Second question: How many mezuzas should go on a house?

Many Jewish homes have only one mezuza, on the front door. Some have one on the back door as well.

But the ancient custom, following the Torah, is on just about every doorway of the house, exterior and interior. The reason is simple: the message (mindfulness of God, love, unity, karma) is something one may want to keep in mind througout the house, not just when arriving and leaving.

Think about it: you arrive home and see the mezuza. You're reminded of those wonderful things.

Then you're inside and get busy with your chores, your family, your whatever... so easy to forget.

But if there are mezuzas throughout the home (and you get in the habit of touching them as you pass), there's a chance you may develop that mindfulness.

So here's the story:

Yesterday, I had the privilege of participating in a mezuza-affixing (affixation?) on a new home.

The home, by any measure, is beautiful. A dream house by the pristine waters of the picturesque Puget Sound.

By my original count, made a year ago, the home required 23 mezuzot. But walking through the finished home, I discovered three additional spots that were arguably "doorways".

The home owner, realizing that we were going to be short several scrolls, tried to persuade me that those were not true doorways. I explained that according to Maimonides she would be right, but that the majority of rabbinic opinions require one.

She tried valiantly: "Well, in our family, I think we go like Maimonides."

"Umm.... besides the fact that you are not impartial in this discussion, the general rule is to go by the majority," I said with a smile.

Gosh, so many rules! Why should there be so many rules?

There obviously have to be some rules, in order to have a common tradition. When there are no rules, there is no tradition.

But an interesting thing about the mezuza is that it has a subjective element to it. The mezuza goes on the right side when entering a room. What if a room has two doorways? Which way is entering? That depends on you, on how you use that room.

In other words, while the mezuza is truly the completion of the home, unlike the rest of the home which is a purely physical shell, the mezuza is the interface between the physical house and the spiritual being (you) who occupies it.

Therefore, to end the story, you maybe can imagine that putting up 23 — or in the end, 26 — mezuzas was not merely a handyman's job. It required the input of the homeowner — not only for which decorative box to put on what doorway, but in some cases, which way is entering and which way is leaving?

All this took a long time, a lot of concentrated discussion.

Hours, actually.

And the guests for the chanuka (dedication) celebration were arriving and the hostess and I were .... unavailable.

But in a way, all that visible effort became part of the party — everyone saw that by affixing mezuzas throughout, we were completing the house into a Jewish home.

So here's your third question: There are 15 verses in a mezuza. Which one is the most famous?

Shabbat Shalom

PS - Here's a hint to the answer: Roy Klein's story.

PPS - This amazing story is a table talk unto itself.

PPPS - Teachers around the country are joining the Amazing Nature for Teachers program - does your child's or grandchild's school know about it?

Like this blog? How about putting your mouse where your mouth is: Like it, tweet it, or just forward it to someone who might enjoy it.

Do You Hear Me?

Dedicated to Yaakov ben Ora Belka, may he have a speedy recovery.

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Adults - How many times have you said to a child, “You’re not listening to me”?

Kids – How many times have you heard an adult say this?

Tip for parents – When a child complies with a request (especially cleaning up), give copious praise: “What a great listener you are!” This works until about age 8 or 9. After that, say “Thank you for doing ____.” At any age, it helps to add, “You did a great job.”

2 Questions for your table:

1. Does “listen” mean the same thing as “hear”?
2. How many meanings can you think of for the word “hear”?

In Hebrew, “sh’ma” can mean:

- receive the information with your ears
- understand (as in, “are you hearing me?”)
- accept or internalize (like parents sometimes use the word “listen”)

The Sh’ma Yisrael that is customarily said first thing in the morning and last thing at night, has all three meaning. The problem is that most of us adults never got past the first meaning because we never learned.

It was to address this problem that I wrote Chapter 6 of the Art of Amazement, which also has a bit of Jewish wisdom about relationships.

The book is sold out but you can find it used, and we are preparing a new edition for this fall.

In the meantime, here are two resources:

http://jsli.org/getthebook.html (note the other recommended books too)
http://jsli.org/podcasts.html (click on the second title there)

Shabbat Shalom

PS – daily routine can sometimes dull our listening skills. Here’s a short (2:30) video to wake you up:



And if you're looking for a summer book for a young child, may I recommend Aliza in Mitzvahland. Here is a video of someone reading it aloud:

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The goal of Table Talk is to give you a conversation-starter for the Friday night dinner table. Please print and share.

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Here, Israel

In honor of Marc S's birthday - Happy Birthday Marc!

4 ways to help, and one piece of table-talk quality trivia...

(as always, you are encouraged to print this blogand share it at the table)

1. Educate:

10 min film on history of conflict: http://tinyurl.com/whatreallyhappened
Short film on recent history: http://tinyurl.com/missilesfromgaza
Hamas charter: http://www.mideastweb.org/hamas.htm
- Hamas using UN ambulance to carry troops in battle: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=116_1231063776
- The Iran connection: http://tinyurl.com/iranconnection
- Tom Friedman's take: http://tinyurl.com/TomFriedmansTake

2. Empathize

- Li'el Hoshea ben Miriam - serious head injury;
- Neriya ben Rivka - serious head injury;
- Yitzchak ben Navah - moderate shoulder injury;
- Netanel ben Navah - moderate shrapnel wounds to a lower extremity;
- Maxim ben Olga - light lower extremity injury;
- Yisrael ben Ilana - light shrapnel injury to an ear;
- Yo'ad Ido ben Frieda Rivka - light shrapnel injuries;
- Idan ben Liora - light shrapnel injuries;
- Nadav ben Miriam - light shrapnel injuries;
- Raphael ben Nina
- Noam ben Elza (NOT Aliza as previously noted) - one leg amputated; doctors fighting to save the other;
- Dvir ben Leah and Tzviki Bar-Chai, seriously wounded on Sunday;
- Moshe ben Pnina Rose- soldier who is the only surviving child of a family who lost a son in the army a few years ago. He insisted on serving with his unit, even though he was exempted.
- Gilad ben Aviva has been in captivity in Gaza for over 900 days.

To "adopt" a soldier - ie, receive an individual soldier's name to pray and/or do other good-karma acts on his or her behalf, send an email to "Office of Rabbi Kook, Rehovot" .

3. Chesed

If you know someone living in Israel, pick up the phone and call them. Assure them that you share their pain and understand what they're going through. Send e-mails of support to any Israelis you know. Let them know they are not alone!

* Yashar La’Chayal delivers basic needs, like warm socks, to soldiers, and to poor soldiers’ families. http://yasharlachayal.org/
* Yad Eliezer is sending thousands of gift packs to our soldiers in Gaza. http://www.yadeliezer.org/
* Yad Ezra v'Shulamit is sending 20 tons of food to Israeli families being attacked by Hamas rockets. http://www.yadezra.net/
* Lema'an Achai is helping over 1,000 children from cities under attack attend classes in safety and get a much-needed respite. http://www.israelwar.org/
* Thank Israeli Soldiers delivers your personal letter of thanks and a care package of items soldiers need. http://www.thankisraelisoldiers.org/
* Even more ideas from Jack Kalla: http://tinyurl.com/7waysyoucanhelp

And don’t forget about that lonely person in your neighborhood who would enjoy a Friday night dinner invitation, or even a phone call.

4. Defend
The best way to respond to media bias is to contact the news agency and complain. Keep your remarks respectful and stick to the facts. There is a media-watch email list at HonestReporting.com which has over 155,000 subscribers protesting biased news against Israel.


The Table-Talk Trivia

Riddle - try it on family and friends:
1. Close your eyes and see if you can say the “Shema” by heart.
2. You just said a poem – what type of poem?
(answer below)


Shabbat Shalom.

PS – Yours, truly has a series of new short vids on Jinsider.com.








ANSWER TO RIDDLE: Haiku
Think about it.

Mamalashen

In honor of Chai bas Yehudis, who taught me my mamalashen.

Last year I wrote about the Shema as a meditation.

This year, a story for your table:

During World War Two, countless Jewish parents gave their precious children to Christian neighbors and orphanages in the hope that the latter would provide safe havens for them. The parents expected that they, or their relatives, would take these children back if they survived the war. The few parents who did not perish in the Holocaust, and were able to reclaim their children, often faced another horror. While the parents had summoned the strength to survive the slave labor and death camps, or had hidden out for years, those who took their children were busy teaching them the ways of other religions.

[Additionally,] many Jewish children who were taken in by orphanages, convents and the like, had no parents or close relatives left after the Holocaust. When rabbis or distant relatives finally tracked down many of these children, the priests and nuns who had been their caretakers insisted that no children from Jewish homes were in their institutions. Thus, countless Jewish children were not only stripped of their entire families, they were also stripped of their souls.

In May, 1945, Rabbi Eliezer Silver from the United States and Dayan Grunfeld from England were sent as chaplains to liberate some of the death camps. While there, they were told that many Jewish children had been placed in a monastery in Alsace-Lorraine. The rabbis went there to reclaim them.

When they approached the priest in charge, they asked that the Jewish children be released into the rabbis' care. "I'm sorry," the priest responded, "but there is no way of knowing which children here came from Jewish families. You must have documentation if you wish me to do what you ask."

Of course, the kind of documentation that the priest wanted was unobtainable at the end of the war. The rabbis asked to see the list of names of children who were in the monastery. As the rabbis read the list, they pointed to those that belonged to Jewish children.

"I'm sorry," the priest insisted, "but the names that you pointed to could be either Jewish or Gentile. Miller is a German name, and Markovich is a Russian name, and Swersky is a Polis name. You can't prove that these are Jewish children. If you can't prove which children are Jewish, and do it very quickly, you will have to leave."

One of the rabbis had a brilliant idea. "We'd like to come back again this evening when you are putting the children to sleep."

The priest reluctantly agreed.

That evening the rabbis came to the dormitory, where row upon row of little beds were arranged. The children, many of whom had been in the monastery since the war started in 1939, were going to sleep. The rabbis walked through the aisles of beds, calling out, "Shema Yisrael - Hear, Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One!" One by one, children burst into tears and shrieked, "Mommy!" "Maman!" "Momma!" "Mamushka!" in each of their mamalashens.

The priest had succeeded in teaching these precious Jewish souls about the Trinity, the New Testament, and the Christian savior. Each child knew how to say Mass. But the priest did not succeed in erasing these children's memories of their Jewish mothers now murdered - putting them to bed every night with the Shema on their lips.

(thanks to Miriam Swerdlov for the story)

(From TorahTots)

Boy:

Baby:

Hispanic:

Ethiopian:

Rebbeh:

Matisyahu:

Polish Grunge:

Land of Israel (weird ending):

Father-son (sign):



Shabbat Shalom.


Speaking schedule:

August 7-8 – St. Louis (CAJE):
"You Can Teach the Talmud!"
"Combating Missionaries: The 'Why be Jewish?' Defense"
"Two Plus Five: How to Teach Spirituality"
August 15-16 – Los Angeles (Helkeinu)

(For details, send an email)


Yiddish of the week:
mamalashen — mother tongue

Yiddish review - how many do you know?
anee — poor person
koptsen — panhandler
ballaboss — homeowner; layman
nu — various meanings (see archives)
mishpocha — family
mameh — mother
tateh — father
mazal – (MAH-z’l) luck or fortune, as in, “It was good mazal that....”
beshert – (b’shairt) - meant to be, as in “It was beshert that...”
mine eltern – my parents
mine lair-er – my teacher
hamantashen – Haman-pockets
zeigezunt – all the best (said upon parting)
kesher - connection
Ikh volt veln a kave, zayt azoy gut. - I'd like a coffee, please.
...kave mit shmant. – ...a coffee with cream.
...kave mit milkh. – ...a coffee with milk.
...kave mit tsuker. - ...a coffee with sugar.
Di Fir Kashes - The Four Questions
Oy vey! - Good grief!
mensch — a decent person
rachmanos — mercy
neshoma (neh-SHOH-ma) — soul
minig — custom, as in, "Why do you do that?" "It's my minig!"
Gavaltig — wonderful
Oy gavalt — how wonderful (sarcastic)
Azoy gait es! — That’s how it goes!
Shabbos — Cessation; stopping; day of stopping; weekly sabbatical experience
"Gut Shabbos" — "Enjoy your weekly sabbatical experience"
Neshoma — Soul
meshugass — insanity
meshuganeh — insane
kyna hara — no evil eye
shvitz — sweat
shanda — shame
Lechayim! — Cheers!
Pinteleh Yid — the Jewish feeling in the heart of every Jew
Zreezus — zeal
Mkohm — place (pl. mkohmas)