Your Dough is Rising (But don't panic...yet.)

The goal of this blog is to promote alacrity at the Shabbat table ...  Please share ASAP.
Continuing to wish a speedy recovery to Tamar Adina bas Kayna Shulamis.

To start you off tonight, here's a question someone asked this week about Passover:

If we're supposed to be reliving the story, how come we open our door at the end? After all, in the story, they had to shut themselves inside in order to avoid the Angel of Death.

(Of course, we don't ordinarily put blood on our doorposts either, but maybe...?)

Are we so different from them?

(If you're really stumped, you might try re-reading the Haggada.)

Second question for your table:

Why is the rabbi talking about Passover in February?

Could it be because of the nifty new count-down timer on the homepage? (http://jsli.org)

(Try mousing over it for the animation.)

So now that we're in the Pesach mode, are you ready?

Of course not. There are a thousand and one things to do.

And you haven't done a single one.

Good place to start: new books, activities and gifts for the Seder.

To get you started, we've been updating bestjewishkidsbooks.com - our searchable database of recommended books, activities etc. for kids and adults. Try searching by age and subject matter. Or search for "afikomen".

(Yes, we even put in there five amazing Passover cookbooks.)

(The site is a public service, not a store. But if you use the links, amazon contributes about 5 percent towards the JSL mission.)

On this theme of preparation, a final question for your table:

What's more important - preparing for Passover or celebrating it?


Shabbat Shalom

PS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eOJaprDCDA

 

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Come Sail Away

Check out our new Bar and Bat Mitzvah gift suggestions at bestjewishkidsbooks.com.

31-year-old Matt Rutherford just returned to Baltimore.

He sailed away 314 days earlier, towards New York. He returned with his bow still pointing north. How is that possible?

A: He circumnavigated the Americas, first person ever to do it solo.

23,000 miles. That's nearly the circumference of the Earth.

WYPR interviewed him the day before his dramatic arrival. He told of some pretty harrowing moments, like when an ocean liner missed him by a couple feet in the middle of the night.

But that kind of danger and treacherousness wasn't the worst part, Matt says. At some point during the trip, he told the Washington Post that he was experiencing a profound lonliness.

“Lonely to the point where anything living is comforting. A bird, a fish, even a barnacle. I think I’m beyond lonely.”

But that's not the Table-Talk reason for telling the story.

When he began, other world-class sailors described his attempt as practically suicidal.

“What Matt is trying to do, I’m absolutely blown away by it,” Herb McCormick said. “He’s doing this in a boat that, frankly, I’d be scared to sail from Newport to Bermuda. I’m in awe of the guy. This is such a mammoth undertaking, and to do it without stopping — alone — is mind-boggling.

Here's what he looked like at the homecoming.

Question for your table: What would motivate a person to do this?

Hint: He wasn't looking for a thrill, nor to make the record books, nor to prove himself.

Another hint: What would possibly motivate YOU to spend 314 days alone (never mind the danger)?

Shabbat Shalom.

Get Moving

The purpose of this blog is to provide a conversation-starter for your Friday night dinner table - please print and share....

Remember the Little Engine That Could?

Does any kid ever believe that story?

We all believe in the power of positive thinking, but is it enough?

Three months ago or so I wrote about my year-long attempt to get into shape and  my quest for a 6:30 mile.

It appeared that much of what was holding me back was my belief that I could do it.

Since then, I've been pushing myself hard to stay at that plateau.

Then, last week, it occurred to me that I wasn't pushing myself as hard as I could. So it was time to try for hte 6 minute mile.

For the record, I don't have a particularly intense exercise routine. Just 3x/week, walk a mile, stretch, run a mile, stretch, calesthenics and maybe a few weights. That's about it. Unstudied, unschooled, I do what feels right to me.

But following the strategy as then, I got the same results, i.e. I'm now a 6 minute miler.

Who cares? The length of 1 mile and the time are so arbitrary. What difference does it make?

I think the answer is that although they are arbitrary, they give me a goal to work for. Without concrete goals, it's hard to feel like you're getting anywhere.

Have you ever tried to learn a language outside the classroom? You get a book, maybe some CDs or videos. You dabble. But if you decided, "I'm going to try to learn the Hebrew alphabet by February 27, 2012" you are highly likely to succeed. Or how about this: "I want to learn 1 new Hebrew phrase a day for 30 days." You'll do it, if you give yourself a deadline and numerical goal.

(I'm not saying you have to be Daniel Tammet, the kid who learned fluent Icelandic in one week, but watch this video and maybe you'll be inspired.)

Some readers may recall that when I first started exercising a year ago, I was so afraid of failure I actually bet a friend $500 that I could lose 8 pounds in 8 weeks. I knew that I could do it but wanted to make sure I did it. Put my money where my mouth was, quite literally.

But now something new has happened. For the first time, I'm thinking the previously unthinkable. I'm wondering if I could run a five minute mile. Is it conceivable or ridiculous? Understand, I'm not even close to what you would call an athletic person. I'm the kind of guy that real athletes smirk at if they see me in the gym. I did some googling around to see what's considered a good mile for the over-40 crowd. It seems that five may be a bit optimistic. Very very few achieve this, even with the intense motivation of competition. Five minutes looks too ambitious.

What do you think?

Here's today's question for your table: Which of your goals do you know you could achieve in the next 60 days if you were sufficiently motivated?

(If you say it's a top goal, and you know you could achieve it, but you're not willing to put your money with your mouth is, then it's not a real goal. Think about it.)

Shabbat Shalom

PS -  Version 2.1 of my iphone app was released last week. Thanks for all the great feedback that went into making these revisions. Hope you enjoy it (links below).


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Begin Again Now

They were talking on the radio the other day about a new trend to delay retirement, or come out of retirement.

The claim is that not everyone is doing so because they need the money. Evidently, some have chosen to keep working in order to avoid boredom.

Hmm...

Try asking these 3 questions at your table:

Q1. Do you remember Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, or are they already a fading memory?

Q2. On a scale of 1-10, how much would you like this year to be a year of real personal growth (or reduction, for those trying to lose weight)?

Try getting this marvelous book: Begin Again Now, by Rabbi Pliskin.

The book is an encyclopedia of strategies for dealing with adversity, setbacks, frustrations, etc.

Question 3. (For those not yet retired:) If you stopped working today, either because you had enough money to retire or because you were laid off, what would you do with the rest of your life? (For those already retired: On a scale of 1-10, how meaningful is the rest of your life going to be?)

Retiring for leisure is not a Jewish value. A year of life that is not guided by a mission or sense of purpose is a wasted year.

Ran a marathon? Finished your degree? Built a house? Raised a family? Made a fortune? Saved a life? Way to go!

Now get back to work.

Shabbat Shalom


PS – Here is R. Pliskin’s Happiness Club video

PPS -
One mission we all should have is to “do no harm” or “don’t be evil” as our friends at Google like to say.

This week, Maryland joined the ranks of states requiring hands-free cellphones while driving.

BYAM (that means between you and me), I've been on the bandwagon for a long time now. I know, I know, research has shown that a bluetooth headset only marginally approves safety, that the best practice is not to talk on the phone while driving.

But if you are looking for a bluetooth set, even for comfortable use around the house, I might as well save you the trouble. I did a lot of research. My main criteria were:

1. Sound clarity
2. Comfort
3. Price

I was not looking for any extra features (like the one that lets you listen to mp3s when not on the phone).

Frankly, knowing how easy it is to lose or break these things, I didn't even look at anything over $100. I read a lot of on-line reviews, asked friends for recommendations, tried out a few models. Here's what I found. For the best combination of the above 3 criteria, the Cardo wins hands-down. It's only $20! Just ordered one for my wife. Here's your link.