Titchadesh! - Our Hadaya Rings

Over the course of this year, Sarah and I have made a number of Judaica purchases. Being the people we are, every purchase has been made with intentionality. Both for the sake of posterity and for the joy that comes with sharing something special in our lives, we are starting a new series on our blog where we will discuss some of our Israeli purchases.


This series is called, "Titchadesh!" which is the traditional saying to someone who has just purchased something new ("Titchad'shi" is what you would say to a female). The root comes from "chadash," or "new." In usage, it means, "use it well and in the best of health!" I also wrote about this phrase in the post about my new tallit.


The first installment of this new series is about our new rings from Hadaya. Baruch Hadaya, the incredible master craftsman who makes every single piece that leaves his shop, is known of his jewelry with various, customizable texts engraved on the pieces. When we came to Israel, we knew we each wanted to get Hadaya rings, so we decided that they would be our birthday gifts to each other. 


Sarah's ring:
After many months of deliberation, I finally chose two phrases - one for the inside and one for the outside. The original idea for the outside of my ring was a piece from Talmud that is part of the bedtime shema: B’y'mini Michael u'smoli Gavriel, U'mi'l'fanai Uriel, m'achorai Raphael, V’al roshi, v’al roshi, Sh'chinat El (On my right is Michael, on my left is Gabriel, In front of me is Uriel, behind me Raphael, And all around, surrounding me, the Divine Presence of God). But, all those words were too long to fit on a ring, so I chose just to include the last line: Al roshi sh'chinat El. This short phrase serves as a reminder that in good times and in bad, a divine presence is there. The inside of my ring matches Jeremy's, and has the blessings that we say to each other on Shabbat. Mine says: "May God make you like Ruth, a woman of valor, with honor, wisdom, and loving-kindness."

Jeremy's ring has the similar, paired inscription on the inside, except his says "May God make you like Boaz, a man of valor..." On the outside, Jeremy chose two phrases: Regel achat and Al tifrosh min hatzibur. The first phrase means "on one foot," or alternatively as he taught in his d'var Torah, one regulation. For him, it is a constant reminder to treat others the way we wish to be treated. 

The second phrase means, "Do not separate yourself from the community." He learned this phrase at camp from a song by Cantor Wally. The phrase is taken from a larger passage from Pirkei Avot, the teachings of great Rabbis of old. In full context (with my translation): 

Hillel would say, "Don't separate yourself from the community, and don't think too highly of yourself during the days of your life, and don't judge your friend until you've walked a mile in their shoes, and don't say something that is so difficult to hear that the listener cannot understand it, and don't say, 'I will study when I have free time,' because that free time may never appear.

A more positive translation of this text might read:

Hillel would say, "Make yourself part of the community, remain humble, seriously consider your friend's perspective, have an awareness of your community and make your teachings clear, and study when you can, because if you don't make time for study now, you may never make the time.

The main idea from the text, though, is made most poignantly in the command not to remove yourself from the community. This was an idea that has come up throughout his time working at CBI and especially during his studies at HUC-JIR.  

We are thrilled to have these pieces on our hands and look forward to wearing this wonderful memory of Israel every day.