The Air Travels of 2011

Anyone who knows me knows how much of a plane nerd I am. How big of a nerd am I? Well, for one, I wrote an 11 page paper for one of my classes about how El Al is a symbol of civil religion in Israel. Yup. 11 pages on an airline. But I also like to keep track of the planes I fly.


In 2010, I started keeping a flight log. Every flight I take, I take note of the specific plane we're on (its registration number, not just Boeing 737 or Airbus A321...By the way, bonus if you can spot one of the dead giveaways for how to decide which is which! Leave it in the comments.), what time we push back from the gate and what time we arrive at the gate. It's been a really fun way to indulge my hobby. Plus, it has given me incredible insights for my flying history. And, I am able to get incredible statistics about my travels.


In 2010:

• I was flying for a total of 81 hours, 31 minutes - or nearly 3.5 days
• I traveled nearly 35,000 miles, meaning I circumnavigated the globe 1.4 times
• 10 of the 29 flight segments (around 35%) I flew were delayed by more than 15 minutes
• We were lucky enough to fly 6 segments in First class (to and from Costa Rica, and our way home from Philly)
• I flew in or out of 14 different airports (San Diego was most often)
• I flew using 5 different airlines (Southwest for 48% of my flights)
• I flew on 6 different models of aircraft (15 on Boeing 737s)
• I flew 22 different routes (the most common being my two round trips to Phoenix and three round trips to Oakland)
• And I visited a total of 2 other countries (Costa Rica and Israel).

Pretty cool stuff. And that was just 2010!

But 2011 was a year of truly extensive travel. I visited Israel in January, and we have done some incredible traveling since we arrived in April. So, here is the end of the year summary!

In 2011:

• I was flying for a total of 83 hours, 24 minute - or 3.5 days
• I traveled 38,071 miles, meaning I circumnavigated the globe more than 1.5 times
• Unlike last year, only 3 flight segments of the 21 I flew were delayed by more than 15 minutes (less than 14%! Not a bad improvement on things!)
• We flew coach for every flight (although it would have been nice for all of those long-hauls!)
• I flew in or out of 11 different airports (Tel Aviv was most often)
• I flew using 8 different airlines (El Al for 29% of my flights)
• I flew on 10 different models of aircraft (including Boeing 737s, a 747, 767s, 777s, and nearly all Airbus models, the 319, 320, 321, 330, and 340).
• I flew 21 different routes, and never the same one twice.
• And I flew through 7 different countries (US, Israel, UK, Czech Republic, Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece).

2011 In Review - What Kind of Year Has It Been

2011 has been an incredible year. It's had its ups and downs, but what I have found most astonishing is to reflect on what the world was like just one year ago. It may not feel as if much has changed, but here are some things to consider, both in the global and personal contexts:


On January 1, 2011:
I was working at CBI as the Youth Director.
I knew Sarah and I would begin an adventure in Israel, but I had not even interviewed with HUC.
Sarah and I had a dog, Sully.
Sudan was still one country.
Outside of quick trips to Mexico, Canada, and Costa Rica, Israel was the only other country I had ever visited.
Becky and Eric lived in Oakland and my parents had grass in their front and back yards.
The term "Arab Spring" meant nothing.
Japan had not suffered through a 9.1 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
Cottage Cheese in Israel was just a delicious snack, not also a political statement.
Hosni Mubarak was still in power in Egypt.
Anthony Weiner just had a funny last name, not an ironic one.
All members of the youngest generation of the Royal Family were unmarried.
Osama bin Laden was still alive and at large.
The Space Shuttle program was still in existence.
Gilad Shalit was still in the hands of Hamas, and we did not know for sure if he was alive.
Muammar Gaddafi was still alive.
Amy Winehouse was still trying to go through rehab.
Harry Potter still had another movie up his sleeve.
Almost no one had heard of Rebecca Black. And Friday was just another day.
Steve Jobs was still alive.
No sitting president had ever addressed a URJ Biennial.
Kim Jong Il was still alive.
I had never spent more than 2 months outside of California.


Now:
I am a Rabbinic student at HUC-JIR.
Sudan is now two countries.
Sully is with a new, very loving family.
I have visited 7 countries, and next year I will visit 3 more. (Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Israel, Czech Republic, Turkey, Greece - although I also have stamps from London Heathrow and Cyprus from extended lay-overs)
Becky and Eric live in Amsterdam, and my parents have completely redone the front and back yards.
Hosni Mubarak was ousted as leader of Egypt, bin Laden and Gaddafi and Kim Jong Il are dead, and Gilad is home.
The Space Shuttle flies no more.
Amy Winehouse lost her battle with alcohol.
Harry Potter finally defeated Voldemort.
Steve Jobs has left behind an incredible legacy.
President Barack Obama spoke at the URJ Biennial in DC.
I have been living in Israel for 9 months.


What kind of year, indeed.

Video: Chanukah Night 1 - Latkes!

Who's Reading This Anyway?!

Well, it's been one incredible journey so far, and I'm proud to say that this is post #100. It's pretty surprising (even for me and Sarah!) that we have been able to keep this blog going. But by now, you've heard 100 posts worth of words, photos, and videos from us.

But who are you? Who is reading this anyway?!

Here are some stats about our readership (as of time of writing on Dec. 19 - after that, I'll be studying for finals):

There have been 10,524 total page views.

The most read post was "We're Leaving on a Jet Plane: Introduction" with 135 page views.

The most popular referring sites are Facebook (1,148 click-throughs) and Twitter (155 click-throughs).

Not too surprisingly, 80% of our readers are from the US, 9% are from Israel, and making up the remaining 11% are the following countries (from most readership to fewest): Netherlands (Thanks Becky!), Canada (Thanks Elle when you lived in Toronto!), the UK, Germany, Russia, Spain, Singapore, and the Ukraine. 

In terms of operating systems, 51% of our readers use Macs, 32% Windows, 6% iPhone, 3% iPad, and the remaining use (in descending order) Linux, iPod, Android, BlackBerry, Other Unix, and our blog has been viewed on Palm devices 4 times! (Andy, maybe?!)

For browsers, 40% use Chrome, 23% Firefox, 13% Safari, 9% Internet Explorer, 6% Mobile Web, and the remaining use (in descending order) RockMelt, Flipboard (whoever you are, AWESOME), Mobile Safari, and Opera.

23 comments have been left by 13 different people. Not surprisingly, the commenter "Yo Mama" has left the most. :) Thanks Mom!

Thank you for continuing to read and follow along with our journey. While the blog's purpose was originally mostly for posterity, it's really nice to know that so many of our friends are interested in our journey as well.

Off to study for finals!

My Second HUC Service - A Musical Shacharit

This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to work with one of our incredible cantorial students, Laura Breznick, and a wonderful advisor, Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback in developing and leading our Thursday morning service (the term for a morning service is Shacharit). Below are some videos and the texts of my mini-sermons. The service was especially special because we were able to sing some of our favorite melodies, some of which were brand new to the community, such as Dan Nichols' "Shirei Zimrah" and "Beyond," Cantorial student Ben Ellerin's "Ahavah Rabbah," and a few of my own pieces. It was such an honor working with such talented individuals!


Iyun at beginning of service

The Psalmists wrote, "asher hir'itani tzarot rabot v'raot tashuv t'hayeini umit'homot haaretz tashuv ta'aleini. Terev g'dulati v'tisov t'nachameini." "You, who have shown me a great many and grievous troubles, revive me again, and from the depths of the earth, raise me up again. Increase my abilities, and turn back to comfort me." (Ps. 71:20-21)


Sounds like something we could all be saying right about now.


As we approach finals, we may need to take the time to decompress, to breathe, to listen, and to meditate. We know that we have the proper tools to succeed. Without prompting, we can engage with our lessons, sometimes together, and sometimes individually. We can take a moment to find a kavanah that speaks to us. Or we can just listen and soak in the music and sounds around us. The siddur gives us the order, and together, we take the time for Shacharit. 

Iyun before Kaddish Yatom (Mourner's Kaddish)

Have you ever thought about why a sh'liach tzibur would ask for names from the community before Kaddish? In my synagogue, as I'm sure in yours, a list of names is read, giving the community awareness that there are those in specific times of mourning. Then, often times, the leader will ask for additional names. But why? To what end do we encourage this sharing of names?

I think it is a beautiful sign of reaching out. I see it as an opportunity for the community to say to those in mourning, "this is a safe space." We traditionally welcome those in mourning by saying, "hamakom y'nachem etchem b'toch sh'ar avelei tziyon vi'y'rushalayim - may God comfort you among the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem." You are not alone.

Instead of asking for just the name, I invite those who would like to share the name and also a brief sentence about your connection to your departed. This is a safe space. And we want to engage in God's work of giving you comfort. 

How Do You Spell "Shabbat"?

שבת. It's the holiest day of the year in the Jewish calendar, and it comes around every week! I've already written about how I've started to empty my pockets of unnecessary things on Shabbat, but now, let's discuss how to spell it! In this post, I'll go over the proper transliteration for "Shabbat," "Shabbat Shalom," and "Shavua Tov," the traditional greetings at the beginning and end of Shabbat.


שבת - Proper spelling: Shabbat

• shin, bet, tav gives us Sha-Ba-T. However, there are two "b"s because, just like in Yom Kippur and Chanukkah, we have what is called, a dagesh chazak, or a hard dagesh. Since the bet is preceded by a letter with a vowel, it receives the hard "b" sound instead of the normal, easy "b" sound. Of course, in modern Hebrew, we can't hear the difference between these two sounds. 
• Note: Sometimes, you may see Shabat, Yom Kipur, or Chanukah. Because transliteration is subjective, these are also considered colloquially correct. It's all about which system you're using for transliteration.

שבת שלום - Proper spelling: Shabbat Shalom

• Meaning: (a blessing for) A Sabbath of Peace (or Wholeness).
• Shabbat we already know. 
• shin, lamed, vav, mem sofit give us Sha-L-O-M, hence, Shalom. Easy peasy! If you see it transliterated any other way, please send it my way. This is one of the few words I have never seen transliterated incorrectly.

שבוע טוב - Proper spelling: Shavua Tov

• Meaning: A good week. Used as a greeting after Shabbat.
• shin, bet, vav, ayin give us Sha-V-U-A, hence, Shavua. Even though we have an "ah" sound at the end of the word, because there is no "ה," we just end the word with an "a."
• tet, vav, vet give us T-O-V. Any guesses for how to spell it? Again, if you see it differently somewhere, please send it to me. I'd be fascinated to see!

Well, there you have it! May you have a Shabbat Shalom and a Shavua Tov!

We Went to a Soccer/Futbol Game!

One of the things I really wanted to do during our time in Israel was to go to a Jerusalem soccer game. Now, you have to understand that the infamous Jerusalem team, Beitar Yerushalayim, is really known for one thing: their fans and their ridiculous chants (because everything in Israel, from how you wear a kippah to which soccer team you support, has political implications). We have a new coordinator of Israeli cultural events at HUC and a group of us mentioned that we wanted to go to a game and have someone help translate the chants. 


When we got to the stadium, we realized some differences about professional stadiums in the US and Israel. For one, signage. In the US, even the oldest stadiums still have pretty good signage. Need to know where you're going? Follow the signs. Unsure where the restrooms are? Follow the signs. Another thing, American teams will never miss an opportunity to sell you something. Everywhere you go, concession stands, hawkers, program get your program! At this game, there were people selling scarfs and other Beitar merchandise, but none of it was officially organized. Just getting in was an experience to say the least. Oh, and people scalp tickets like it's going out of style.


Once we finally found the rest of our group, went inside and found our seats, the action really started. And by action, I mean the chants. The chants of Beitar Yerushalayim are the most insane, passionate, and yet racist, inconsiderate chants you'll ever hear. One chant translates to "I love you, Beitar." Awesome! Same chant with different words pointed at the fans of the opposing team: "Your mothers are whores." It's like a college football game, except there's no one saying, "Don't do that."


The other thing we noticed is the amount of Spanish involved in the fan sections. The Beitar fan section is called "La Familia," "the family." The Maccabi Haifa fan section was called "Infierno Verde," or "Green Inferno."


After a brief announcement from the mayor of Jerusalem (who had recently spoken at HUC during the governor's visit), they sang the national anthem. First of all, as you'll hear in the video below, no famous, or even half-way decent, singer led it. Also, there was no military honor guard. Nor was there even a flagpole somewhere that everyone faced. Instead, everyone held up their scarfs, which have the flag on them. In the La Familia section, a Beitar banner hung throughout the section and underneath, you could see each row arm in arm swaying back and forth. It was the most passionate yet uplifting rendition of "Hatikvah" I had ever heard. 







But on to the game!



Beitar started really well. They came out of the gate incredibly strong, scoring in the 10th minute in three touches - from mid-field to the corner, cross into the box, right past the keeper. Brilliant, and what we thought was the beginning of a Beitar routing. Unfortunately, the rest of the game was a routing. But Beitar was on the receiving end. After that first goal, Beitar's play just got sloppy, missing many great opportunities. Haifa responded 15 minutes later with a break-away, tying goal. 15 minutes after a short half-time, Haifa scored the go-ahead goal, followed 5 minutes later by another. By the 89th minute, it was clear Beitar was not going to win, so the goal keeper tackled a Haifa forward inside the box, giving them a free-kick. 4-1, Maccabi Haifa over Beitar. Highlights below. Although the commentary is in Hebrew, I'm sure you can figure out what the announcer is saying.

And there it was - our first Jerusalem soccer game. It was an incredible experience, not just for sports; it was really an anthropological experience. Much like the rest of this country, going to a soccer game means much more than just watching a game of sport.

How Do You Spell Chanukah / Chanukkah / Hanukah...?

Of all of the Jewish holidays of the year, this holiday has the most heated debate about how to transliterate its name. In fact, it is so debated that the Jewish comedy music group, The LeeVees, even have a song dedicated to said debate:

So, HOW DO YOU SPELL חנוכה?!


According to "proper" transliteration (see this post for disclaimer about "proper" transliteration), the correct way to spell חנוכה is:


Chanukkah.


You may ask, why is it transliterated so? And I'll tell you.
There are 3 syllables at work here (well, really 4, but we'll get there), so I'll go one by one.

• ח - Cha - This is pretty basic, but causes a lot of problems. There really is no English equivalent for this sound. There is an, ironically, Romanized letter, "Ḥ," that implies the more guttural sound. Thus, some people transliterate this syllable as "Ha" (including Jewish websites like My Jewish Learning). In colloquial usage, they are right. For the purpose of proper transliteration, they are not so right.
• נו - nu - Again, seems like it should be basic. But many a times, I have seen people write two n's, and I'm sure you have too. It's just wrong. There's no grammatical reason to have two n's. 
• כה - kkah - Here's where we get to the real fun Hebrew grammar. There are two k's because the dagesh (dot in the middle of the kaf) is called "dagesh chazak," or a "strong dagesh." Without going into all of the nitty-gritty details (tachlis, if you will), this dagesh actually represents two Hebrew syllables even though it makes only one sound (a concept that has taken me a long time to grasp in Hebrew grammar class). This is because at one point in time, there actually were two kaf's. So, it is proper to write two k's. Also, because there is a hei at the end of the word, and it is not a common usage word or name like Moshe that is spelled with an untransliterated hei, the transliteration also ends with an "h."

There you have it: Chanukkah. Of course, as I mentioned before, pretty much any spelling is colloquially accepted. So, 

Happy Chanukkah/Chanuka/Channuka/Channukkahh/Hanukkah/Hannukka/Hanuka!

Monday Monday (La Da, La Da Da Da) - A Normal Monday for Fall Semester

In this second installment of my "normal" days, I'll provide some insight into my normal Monday. In the States, the work week begins on Monday. In Israel, it starts on Sunday. So while I am at school on Sunday, I have to reconcile the changing dynamic of starting the week after Shabbat, as well as pay attention to the idea that the rest of the world is still having a weekend. Mondays are the day that it feels like it begins to feel like we are not so far removed from the rest of the world, except that we're already on the second day of the week already. It's confusing. But it works.

More Hebrew

Monday is a BIG Hebrew day. We have a double portion of Hebrew class (with a very different emotional feeling than the double portion of manna for Shabbat). I wrote about this class in the post about Sunday, but suffice it to say that Mondays feel more like the summer session because of the quantity of Hebrew lessons. 

More Grammar

Yup. More biblical grammar. Fun times. More fun moments with Sima.

Bible

This is, by far, my favorite class. The class is taught by the same person who taught my Intro to Biblical History class, Joel Duman. We take a section of Torah, create our own translation from the Hebrew text, and in doing so, learn about what the text is really saying. For example, in Genesis 28:12, the JPS (Jewish Publication Society) translation reads, "He had a dream; a stairway was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and angels of God were going up and down on it." However, a translation that is more loyal to the text would read, "So he dreamt and, lo and behold, there was a stairway was placed towards the ground and its head arrived at the heavens and, behold, Angels of God went up and down on it/or through Jacob." I could go into the specific differences in our translations, but the thing that Prof. Duman brought in is that historically, the "staircase" that Jacob could have been imagining was not necessarily a staircase as we understand it. Instead, it was more likely a reference to a Ziggurat, which was a Babylonian sanctuary with, wait for it, a STAIRCASE in its front that the priests would walk up to enter the center altar of the temple. This is just one example of how this class has opened my eyes to look at the Bible as a piece of literature and in a whole new way. Further, It has inspired me to really look at a more linear translation so that the power of the Hebrew words can become clearer. This class always ends too early for my liking, but it's a lovely "dessert" after a full hebrew "meal."

On Any Sunday Morning - A Normal Sunday for Fall Semester

Yeah, it's November. We're more than half way through the semester. But unlike my recent summer session review, how about a review of a normal week for Fall Semester written DURING Fall Semester?! Of course, no week is normal. There are always special programs, speakers, etc. Hopefully, though, this will provide a taste of a relatively normal week in my life.

Grammar

We begin with biblical grammar. This is a class where we learn the nuts and bolts of the Hebrew language as it is used in the Bible. The class is taught by an incredible woman named Sima. She's the kind of person who will say things like (and these are all real quotations), "Oh I'm so sorry I just made that mistake. I will go to the Kotel after class." or in reference to the letter ayin (which is usually silent in modern pronunciation), a student said, "You don't tend to hear it." To which she replied emphatically, "You don't tend to PRONOUNCE it!" Or "Sarah Imanu (our matriarch), Rachel Imanu, Tovah…she wasn't imanu." Or while discussing whether the city Beer Sheva is masculine or feminine in Hebrew, "Have you ever been there? There's no way Beer Sheva is feminine." Or "If the text is not vocalized, only the context will help you. Or God." Or "There are flying chickens, okay. There are flying students when they're not with me." Suffice it to say, she keeps the class interesting! I'm learning a great deal, though, even though it is one of the more challenging classes I'm taking.

Hebrew

This class is the same as the summer Hebrew ulpan. Same teacher, same class, mostly a continuation of the same material. The hours have gone down, though, to make room for other classes. Instead of about 16 hours a week of Hebrew, we now only have about 7. It's still intensive Hebrew, though, don't you worry!

2nd Temple History

This is a class I just cannot sink my teeth into. Yes, this is a really important time in Jewish history (but really, isn't EVERY period of Jewish history important?), but history is just something I have difficulty getting motivated to accomplish. If I have learned anything in the process to get to this point in my life, however, it's that it doesn't matter whether or not I'm passionate about the material; sometimes the task just needs to get done. That's how I'm approaching this class. Don't get me wrong, the teacher is incredible and extremely well learned. But do I really care about Menelaus? Not really. (Just in case you're wondering, I did properly ID him on my recent mid-term… He replaced Jason as High Priest in 171, changed position of High Priest to be representative of the crown in Judea instead of the Jewish nation, and helped Antiochus plunder the Temple’s treasury. He was also seen as a puppet by the Jewish community. Boo yah.)

Minchah/Text of the Week

This is always a treat. Every week, two students (sometimes just one, but usually a student will lead and another student will serve as "Cantor") lead our community in an afternoon service called Minchah. I led the service once (blog post here), I served as "Cantor" for another classmate, and other students have started calling on me to play guitar for their services (which I am thrilled to do!). I love these moments because I get to learn from and am inspired by my fellow classmates. Even today, my classmate Rebecca led the service and encouraged us to stay focused and find the intention in our seemingly rote practices. When I felt my phone vibrate during the Amidah, I told myself, "Don't pay attention to it. Stay focused." And sure enough, it worked! Thanks Rebecca!

After the service, we get to learn a text from one of the incredible faculty on campus. Sometimes the text is from Torah, sometimes from Talmud, and sometimes it's a collection of texts towards a certain end (such as when one of the Hebrew teachers brought in a collection of texts about freeing the captive shortly after Gilad Shalit was released). However it's presented, it is always fascinating.

Rabbinical Elective

This is another really cool class. After a day of lots of Hebrew, some history, and some praying, this is the chance to help tie it all together. This is, in fact, the only class that we have where we are broken up into programs. For the Rabbis, we get two 6 session mini-courses from four different Rabbis on our campus. The first mini-course was taught by Rabbi Michael Marmur, the VP of Academia for HUC-JIR. He is an INCREDIBLE teacher and I loved every minute I spent with him in the class. The course was about what it means to be a Reform Jew. We had to read at least 150 pages of texts about Reform Judaism and then write a paper. The paper title had to include some variation of the theme of "Why I am a Reform Jew." Some people changed the title to "Why, I AM a Reform Jew," while others wrote, "Why am I a Reform Jew?" My friend Michael titled his paper, "Aw Crap, I AM a Reform Jew." It was fascinating to see my development from my admissions essay to this paper, since I covered a similar topic in the former. It was a fantastic class. This half of the semester, we are learning about text study with one of the other Rabbis here. He has a very different approach, but I am still learning a lot. More importantly, I'm also learning about what it means to be an editor when putting together text studies in order to teach a certain lesson.

And that's a "normal" Sunday! It's long, but no longer than any other day. It's engaging and spiritually fulfilling. It is the most rounded day of the week based on what we do in the various times. It's a wonderful way to start the week.

Reflection on Summer Session

What did we do after our first day of class? Saw Harry Potter..

Since it's November, and the rain has been falling for almost a week now, I'd say it's time for me to actually write a reflection on the summer session. 

On the whole, the summer was filled with 75% Hebrew ulpan (literally, "studio" but used normally as a class to learn modern Hebrew) with 25% other fun classes. It was a great introduction to the year ahead, and a fantastic way to start getting to know my other classmates and the city we're sharing. 

There were four basic elements to the summer session: T'filah (prayer) on Sunday morning, Torah Cantilation (how to chant from the Torah), an Introduction to Biblical History, and of course, Hebrew Ulpan.

Sunday starts with T'filah

I previously wrote about our first morning t'filah experience together as a class, but it's different to write about it now, after the fact. The summer services were their own ulpan t'filah where we learned how to engage with prayers. We learned the difference between weekday and shabbat melodies, and now, all of my classmates and I can chant the weekday nusach (chanting melodies). Sometimes, I wish we still had that and learned more during t'filah, but that's a post for another day :).

Cantilation

In this class, we learned how to chant from the Torah. We learned all about the different signs and now, I can chant from a chumash (book of Torah) with about 75% confidence (there are still some sign combinations that trip me up). It may seem like a basic thing, but learning things like this is why I wanted to come to Rabbinical school. I didn't learn it as a kid, it's a skill I'm going to need to use a lot in the future, and now I'm learning it. Full circle, and success!

Biblical History

This was one of these classes where if you were previously firm in your belief that the whole Tanach (Torah, Prophets, and Writings) was written by the hand of God, after this class, you probably no longer held that opinion. I was lucky enough to be in a section with an incredible scholar named Joel Duman. I wrote about this class earlier in the year as well, and the message is still something I ask myself long after the class ended: How important is history for us? The take-away from this class was that when I read the Tanach, nearly every line needs to be followed with, "well, maybe." The Jews were actual slaves? Well, maybe. Josiah was the best king the Israelite nation ever had? Well, maybe. God didn't want David to build the Temple? Well, maybe. It was an incredibly fascinating class that has opened my eyes to the question of the purpose of Tanach. At the same time, though, my faith in its lessons, and my disdain for those that dismiss those lessons just because the Tanach is not 100% literal truth, has grown exponentially.

Ulpan

Here was the most oft-asked question I received from friends and family back home: So, has your Hebrew improved? My response: Well, imagine working on a skill fro 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. If my Hebrew isn't better, I'd better get a refund! The class was great and I did learn a great deal. I think my Hebrew has improved, but there is still a great deal of work to go. While we still do take Hebrew, the summer was great because of how much time we got to spend just working on Hebrew. 

As for my normal Fall schedule? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned! :)

Shavua tov!

What Do You Keep in Your Pockets...on Shabbat?

Not me. But he's happy that has empty pockets on Shabbat. Like me.

What is in your pockets right now? My normal pocket contents include keys, a cell phone (or since we've been in Israel, an Israeli cell phone and an iPod Touch), and a wallet. They are necessary things for every day tasks.


But what about on Shabbat? Shabbat is a time to refrain from the mundane, separate yourself from the every day tasks, and engage with holiness. 


Every Friday, I take stock of what is in my pockets. For the last few months, I've given thought to every thing that I carry with myself. Do I really need a wallet to walk to shul? Nope. Do I really need the iPod? Nope. Do I really even need the cell phone? Usually, no.


Since I have started this practice, I find myself better able to enjoy the peace and serenity of Shabbat. I take the time to disconnect a bit from the everyday, the mundane. 


Will I continue doing this when we're back in the States? Probably. Of course, I'll likely need to have a drivers license to get to shul, so I will bring a wallet, but only with the things I really need inside. 


Can you do this too? Absolutely! Just take stock of the things you carry with you every Shabbat. Hopefully, it will allow you to also open yourself up to the joys and rest of Shabbat.

The True Meaning of "Regel Achat - On One Foot"

Today, I gave my first d'var torah (literally, "word of Torah" although usually translated as "teaching" or "sermon") as a Rabbinic student. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! Special thanks to Rabbi Yoshi for mentoring me during the writing process, Cantor David Berger for his guidance in its delivery, and Todd & Vlad, who led the service today and encouraged me to give this teaching in front of the pulpit. I hope you enjoy, but more importantly, I hope you learn something. 

We’re all familiar with the story. Most of us have probably even done text study with the story. In fact, if I asked, you could probably even tell me the story - while standing on one foot.

But what is the REAL lesson from the story?

The Talmud in tractate Shabbat 31a teaches that a heathen once came before Rabbi Hillel, saying, “Teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot.” Hillel responded in Aramaic:

 דעלך סני לחברך לא תעביד. זו היא כל התורה כולה. ואידך פירושה הוא. זיל גמור! 

Da’a’lach s’nei l’chav’rach la ta’aveid. Zo hi kol haTorah kulah. V’idach peirushah hu. Zil g’mor! “What is hateful to you, do not to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah, while the rest is the commentary thereof; go and learn it.” 

A simple approach to this text would, indeed, imply that this heathen intended to learn the entire Torah while standing before Hillel on one foot. But Rabbi Marcus Jastrow suggests that the phrase, “רגל אחת” could also mean “one reason” or “one basis” or (PAUSE) “a foot to stand on.” In other words, perhaps the heathen was saying, “Teach me the one most important tenet of the Torah while I stand before you.” Hillel then responded appropriately: the most important principle in Jewish tradition is to treat others the way you wish to be treated. 

So what does that REALLY mean? How can we see this lesson in action? 

In this week’s parashah, it’s a hot day and Abraham sees three men who appear near his tent. When he sees them, he runs up to them, bows to them, offers them water and invites them to sit in the shade. He then offers to bring them “a morsel of bread.” They accept, but instead of just bringing out some bread and water, Abraham has Sarah bake cakes with the best flour, he goes and chooses a really good looking calf from the flock and instructs a servant, possibly Ishmael, to prepare a calf roasted in curds and milk, a local delicacy, and then he waits on his guests while they enjoy this feast. The Torah goes into exceptional detail of Abraham’s hospitality, possibly to set the stage for a similar story in the same parashah.

Later, Lot is visited by two angels. He greets them and bows; invites them to spend the night and rest, but they say they are more interested in spending the night in the square. Lot refuses this idea and urges them strongly to come to his house. So they do and they have a feast.

One of these characters gets a message from his guests of an impending birth. The other has his city destroyed. 

What can we learn from these stories? The Talmud teaches that Lot acted inappropriately, as Rabbi Eliezar said, “From here we may derive that one may refuse a lesser man, but one may not refuse a great man.” In other words, Lot should have accepted the angels’ wishes, even if welcoming them gave Lot great personal satisfaction. Rabbi Eliezar goes on to say that when Abraham says that he will fetch a morsel of bread and brings back a feast, we learn that “the righteous will promise little and do much. The wicked, on the other hand, say much and perform not even a little.”

Abraham, in this act of extreme hospitality is actuating the ideal of treating others the way we want to be treated. Whereas Lot only cared about his actions as host, Abraham maintained a guest’s mentality. He understood what these strangers would need on a hot day after a potentially long day of travel. He didn’t care that he had just had a pretty major operation, nor that the day was hot for him and his family as well. Instead, he only cared about making his guests feel welcome.

As Jewish professionals, we must have this mentality. We must constantly ask, “What are the needs of our community?” In dealing with sensitive situations or life-cycle events, we must ask ourselves, “What are the needs of this person right in front of me? Does this person really need to hear my life’s story? Or do they just need someone to talk to?”

It might be the most difficult part of our jobs. Yet it may also be the most rewarding, as sometimes, the person or community we help may respond with a nod, a hug, or a thank you. 

May we welcome our guests and each other like Abraham and Sarah. And may we remember the true meaning of רגל אחת.

Boker tov.

Gilad's Back. Nu?

It was a huge day.


It was a huge day for many reasons. We gave up prisoners. Lots of them. And in return, we got one guy. But he wasn't just any ordinary guy. He was "everyone's son." Whether he knew it or not, he was the symbol of the Israeli prisoners of war. He was the embodiment of much more than just a tank driver behind enemy lines. He was this guy:

He left a soldier. He came back a soldier.


Much has been said about the virtue in this deal. Without getting too deep into the discussion, I wish to add some thoughts on the reaction to his re-appearance, his return, and the inevitable question: what now? I do not do this to be provocative (although comments are always appreciated). Instead, my main goal is posterity. The main purpose of this blog is share our adventures in Jerusalem and to write them down for our own posterity. If we can generate some discussion, it is a lovely yet unintended consequence.


Gilad's Reappearance
Israel is really well known for their intelligence network. I mean, it's the stuff of legends. Even on a show like Royal Pains, the multi-bajillionare character has a Israeli security force. They're good. So how is it possible that they had no clue where Gilad was for 5 years? This is a HUGE question. So far, the only answer I have heard is that those who had him captured just did a really good job at making sure he never saw the light of day (clearly, by his appearance) and they also did a good job of keeping their mouths shut. Something that might instill fear in some. We may never know the real answer, but it is a question people are asking.


Gilad's Return
The above picture is the one that will likely stick in the minds of Israel forever. The first thing he does when he returns to Israeli soil is salute the PM?! Seriously?! Kid's smart. Beyond the images of his return, a lively debate occurred in Israel surrounding the other big question: was one person worth all of those other people, including murderers? I read an interesting piece in Ha'aretz (I couldn't find it again) where a Rabbi looked at the Halachah on this issue. The interesting thing is that there is strong Halachah on both sides; the inference being that some sources said he should be brought back for a more equal value, other sources saying that you never leave a soldier behind, no matter what the cost. The piece concluded that at the end of the day, this deal was the right one to make at this time. Yes, it's a heavy price to pay, but it was the right decision to bring him home. In another paper, a poll was done of Israelis about how they felt about the decision. An overwhelming super-majority (upwards of 75%) said that bringing him home was the right call.


What Now?
Many people are now skeptical about what will happen next. The pessimists will say that these prisoners will go right back to engaging in terror. I, however, remain optimistic. Here's why: THE UN VOTE. Yup. The UN vote. Right now, the world is watching Palestine with a high-powered microscope. And the question the world community is asking is "can this population create for itself some sense of security?" If the Palestinians are smart, and I hope they are, they will reign in these shmucks. The minute suicide bombers attack Israel in highly populated, more significant regions (such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, etc. and not just rockets coming in from Gaza and hitting S'derot and Ashkelon), the UN will crush their hopes for their own state. In short, if they want to sit at the big kid's table, they need to act like big kids. For this reason, I am optimistic about the security of Israel's citizens.


Now that the dust has settled, the tent has come down, and life is returning to normal, I look back on that incredible day just over two weeks ago. And I only have one thought:


It was a huge day.

Greece Is The Word - Day 5

Day 5 - Monday, October 17

Athens

Monday morning we woke up early and had breakfast at the buffet before disembarking. We got off the ship around 7am, and were met by someone from Atlantis Tours who drove us from the port to the Key Tours office where we started our tour. We got on the bus and our first stop was the Athens Trilogy, which consists of the National Library of Greece, the Athens University, and the Academy of Athens. From there we went to the Olympic stadium, where the olympic games were held in 1896, 1906, and most recently in 2004. It was really cool to see the place that has been the center of the Olympic games and from where the flame comes for each set of games. Our next stop was the Temple of Olympian Zeus, which was dedicated to Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods, during the 6th century BCE. The construction wasn't finished until over 600 years later, under the rule of Emperor Hadrian. Of the original 104 columns, only 15 remain. It was really neat to see the columns that are still standing, and you could really imagine what the temple must have looked like in its glory. At the same site there is also Hadrian's arch, which was originally the entrance to the temple. It was interesting to see the arch against the backdrop of the modern city with its bustling traffic. From there, we went up to the Acropolis hill, which can be seen from almost all points in Athens. We started our tour at the Herodian Theater, which is still used today for performances. It used to be inclosed with a wood roof, but now is an open air theater. After a walk up the hill, we came to the Temple of Athena Nike, where Athena was worshiped as a goddess of victory in war and wisdom. From there we walked up to the top of the hill to visit the Erechtheum and the Parthenon. The Erechtheum was built between 421 and 406 BCE, and is a temple dedicated to the Greek hero Erichthonius. The Parthenon was constructed between 447 and 432 BCE and was dedicated to the goddess Athena. It originally housed a giant ivory and gold sculpture of Athena, which was later stolen. The Parthenon was constructed to be absolutely perfect. Its dimensions follow the golden rule, with 8 columns along the front and back and 17 columns along the sides. The columns taper in at the top and the center in higher than the sides in order to form an optical illusion that the temple is absolutely perfect. Each of the structures atop the Acropolis hill are being restored. The Temple of Athena Nike was finished a few months ago, and the Erechtheum and Parthenon are currently under renovation. They are using marble from the quarry originally used for construction of the temples, so its interesting to see what the marble would have looked like before it had been discolored over time. After spending some time on the Acrolopis hill, we left the tour group and walked down the backside of the hill to visit the ancient Agora. The agora was the center of life in ancient Athens, and includes the Temple of Hephaestus. We walked along the streets of Athens and came to Hadrian's library, where the statue of Nike still stands. From the library we walked along the streets until we found a nice little place to have lunch, then made our way back to the Key Tours office for our transfer to the airport (after only having to ask for directions twice). It took about an hour to get to the airport, and we were off to Larnaca for our connection back to Tel Aviv.

Overall Thoughts

Our trip was absolutely great. It was a perfect combination of sight seeing, relaxation, historic sites, and beautiful scenery. We had time to explore, time to relax, and didn't have to worry about how we were going to get from place to place. Here are a few last thoughts about Greece:

• Athens is a pretty dirty and rundown city. The archaeological sites are beautiful, but the city itself is sort of a dump. 
• The Greek Islands are beautiful. Santorini in particular.
• In Greece, lane markers and stop lights are merely suggestions. Be careful when crossing streets, as cars and motorcycles don't always stop, even when pedestrians have a green light.
• Don't step in donkey poop. It smells.

Greece Is The Word - Day 4

Day 4 - Sunday, October 16

Crete and Santorini

On Sunday we woke up really early and had a 6:30 breakfast at the buffet so we could get off the ship right at 7 when we docked in Heraklion, Crete. Our original plan for Crete had been to go to the Palace of Knossos, one of the great archaeological sites of the world. However, because of the strikes, all archaeological sites in all or Greece were closed on Sunday. So, we thought maybe the Archaeological museum would still be open, but, no dice. So, we spent our morning walking around the streets of Heraklion and enjoying the local flavor. We visited the Church of Ayios Titos where they were having Sunday morning mass, then continued exploring Heraklion. As some very ominous-looking clouds started to descend upon the city, we walked toward the water and plopped ourselves in a little cafe to wait out the rain storm. It actually ended up being really nice to just sit and watch the rain over the Mediterranean and the Venetian Fortress of Rocca al Mare and drink white hot chocolate. With a break in the weather we headed back to the ship and had a nice lunch while we sailed to Santorini.

During lunch we had gotten tender tickets for Santorini, and were on the first tender to leave the ship. Even from the decks of the ship, we could tell that Santorini is an amazingly beautiful island. Santorini is the remnants of a much larger island that was destroyed during one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history, the Thera eruption, which occurred 3600 years ago. When we docked in Thera we had to decide whether we were going to ascend the large cliffside via the cable car, via donkey, or via foot. We chose the cable car, which I think was a very good choice. When we reached the top we were rewarded with absolutely incredible views of the city sitting on the cliffside. We meandered through the streets of Thera and decided to get in a cab and head over to the city of Oia. Oia is only about 6 miles north of Thera, and is the home of the traditional whitewashed buildings and blue domes that are so iconic in Santorini. The cab dropped us off in Oia, and we meandered through the rain to the main church. From there we walked down some narrow alleyways, and were rewarded with the view that we had all be picturing in our minds. Looking out over the east side of the island we were able to see the city, with all its blue domes, the cliffs, and the water. The scene was absolutely breathtaking. After taking some pictures and trying not to get too wet from the rain we headed back to the center of the town where we met our cab to go back to Thera. We had enough time to explore the streets of Thera before the sun went down, and we explored some of the shopping areas where Arielle bought some beautiful jewelry and Jeremy and I bought a painting of the scenes of Santorini. We picked a little restaurant with an extremely interesting owner (who basically forced us to come and eat in his restaurant), and tasted the traditional sweet and dry white wines from Santorini with some delicious baklava and banana caramel crepes. We were a little disappointed that we didn't have a sunset because of the weather, but the view was still fantastic, the food and wine were delicious, and the company was great. From there we walked up to the cable car, and in the dark I ended up with some donkey poop on my shoes. Oh well. We finally reached the top and got on the cable car to head back down to the port. We tendered back to the ship and had a great last dinner with our waiter Geny. After dinner we had high hopes of going to the ship's magic show, but we were so tired that we went to our rooms and played some games before going to sleep.

Greece Is The Word - Day 3

Day 3 - Saturday, October 15

Kusadasi and Patmos

Jeremy and I slept in a little on Saturday morning while Arielle and Daniel got up early to go to Ephasus. Since we had been there just a few weeks before on our Turkey trip, we took the morning to just walk around the port area. We got off the ship and were bombarded with people trying to sell us all sorts of things that we didn't want or need. Welcome back to Turkey! We walked by the ancient Caravanserai, where travelers used to stop to rest on their journeys. From there, we walked out of the tourist part of town and around into the more local area. After walking for about an hour we reached the top of a hill overlooking the water and Guvercin Adasi, the peninsula of Kusadasi. We walked down the hill with the view of the ship and the harbor in front of us, then planted ourselves along the water for a little while to watch the fish. On our way back to the ship we decided to stop at the ice cream cart that we had seen throughout Turkey, but never got to try. Its too bad too, because the ice cream was delicious! The guy was really funny, and put on a great show. When we got back to the ship we met up with Arielle and Daniel, and had lunch in the sit down restaurant. After lunch we rested for a bit, and Jeremy and I sat on the back deck on the ship watching the scenery on our way to Patmos. 

When we docked in Patmos we tendered into Skala and immediately got into a cab to take us to the Cave of the Apocalypse and the Monastery. Patmos is a very small island - they have a population of about 3,000 on an island of about 13 square miles. Our cab dropped us off at the Cave of the Apocalypse, which is where John of Patmos (St John the Divine) is said to have received his visions that he recorded in the book of Revelations. The cave is now surrounded by a sanctuary, which is surrounded by a convent. The cave and sanctuary themselves were beautiful, but the best part of the stop was the views of the city of Skala. From the hill we were able to look out over the lagoon where we had docked and see practically the whole island. Little did we know that the views would get even better as we went up to the monastery. The medieval monastery of St John really looks more like a castle or a fortress than a monastery. The inside of the monastery was absolutely beautiful, with painted frescos and ornate decorations dating back to the 12th century. We had some time before our cab picked us up, so after we explored the monastery we walked around the little streets of the town, then just sat and enjoyed the view of Patmos. The monastery is the highest point of the island, which meant that we had incredible views of the harbor, of Skala, and of practically the whole island. Our cab picked us up and took us back into Skala, where we walked around for a while and then found a cafe on the water to sit and have some appetizers. On our way to the restaurant there was a motorcade for a wedding with everyone honking as they drove down the street. It was really fun (and loud) to see! After our snack we tendered back to the boat and had dinner at the Greek buffet. After dinner we had thought about doing something on the boat, but we were all so tired that we just hung out and discussed what we were going to do the next morning in Crete.

Greece Is The Word - Day 2

Day 2 - Friday, October 14 

Athens and Mykonos

On Friday we woke up early and had breakfast at the hotel. They had a really nice buffet - it was a great way to start the morning! From there we boarded our transfer bus to the boat terminal where we checked in, got our ship cards, and had our passports taken away from us (they gave them back, don't worry). The four of us boarded the Louis Majesty and walked up two flights of stairs to our rooms. We were on the fourth floor, with two inside rooms. They were nothing special, but totally adequate. After we unpacked and put our things away we went up to the deck to see the view of the Athens harbor. The ship left the port, and we were on our way! Soon after we left the port we had our muster drill, assembled in our station, and watched the crew demonstrate the proper way to put on a life jacket. The best part was when the crew was giving the instructions and misspoke, saying "Ladies and gentlemen, you are now in your muster stations. You will report here in the likely event of an emergency." Like all announcements on the ship, they were done first in English, then in Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese, and Greek.

After the muster drill we had lunch at the buffet. Overall the food on the ship was pretty good. They had one sit down restaurant and one buffet restaurant in addition to the buffet at the pool and the restaurant that you could pay extra for. After lunch the four of us went to trivia, which was much harder than we all expected. We did redeem ourselves, however, during music trivia, which Jeremy won with flying colors. We are now the proud owners of a Louis Majesty keychain and a Louis Majesty shot glass. After trivia we went to one of the lounge areas and read about our port of call for the afternoon - Mykonos. Once we figured out what we wanted to do in Mykonos, we went back to the Fireworks Lounge for more trivia games. This one had electronic buzzers, and each team had a representative who buzzed in for the team. Jeremy, Daniel, and Arielle were really good at the trivia, and kept running up to our representative to give him the answers. After buzzer trivia we went back up to the pool for tea time. Tea, scones, cookies, and cake - yummers. After tea we spent some time on the deck watching the scenery, then we docked at Mykonos. 

We were the first group to disembark at Mykonos, and were able to get on the first shuttle bus from the dock into the center of Chora. We arrived just as the sun was setting, and were rewarded with a beautiful sunset over the Mediterranean sea. We walked around the main part of the island, enjoying the white-washing buildings and the small alleyways of the city. We visited the church of Paraportiani and walked to the water to see Mikri Venetia (little Venice) by night. The apartments and storefronts sitting on top of the water were beautiful. From there, we walked up to see the windmills, which are a common landmark of the island. On our way back to the boat we stopped at a waterfront cafe and had some traditional Greek appetizers before heading back to the ship. On our walk back we saw Petros the Pelican, who has been the official mascot of Mykonos for over 50 years. When we got back to the ship we had dinner in the sit down restaurant, where we met Geny who was going to be our waiter for the rest of the trip. After dinner we went to the ship's show, where we were introduced to the different crew. Some of the entertainers started to sing, and they were so awful that we left after the first song. It was probably for the best anyway considering we wanted to get up early for our next ports.