A Day's Travels.

What a day today was. Where do I begin? After the bounty of posts on topics of interest to the masses, I'll tone things down and give you one of those fun "here's what I did today, and here's the loot I gathered" kind of posts. So, if you enjoy those kind of things, read on!

Tuvia and I headed out today to "Celebrate West Hartford," a type of fair, craft-show kind of thing. On the way we stopped in at Burlington Hat Coat Factory, where I picked up FOUR, yes, FOUR beautifully spacious heads for my oversized noggin'. You'll see them via photo throughout the coming years, I'm sure. We parked near the Starbucks in West Hartford Center, which runs up next to Blue Back Square, where the big fair was. Not one booth into the fair and we were ooing and awing at the awesome goods up for sale.

Among five million jewelry vendors and booths with cheesy paintings of still-life objects were a few booths worth mentioning. The first belonged to Stefanie Marco and was this cool booth of lacquered works with kitschy sayings on them, including a line of coffee-bean inspired objects and this really cool mojito drink mix piece (see up top), and if it weren't for the price (ouch), we would have picked up some of the coffee goods. If you're interested in checking out some of these cool pieces, visit www.kindspindesign.com.

The next booth that rocked our socks belonged to Jim Leach, a wood-working genius. We've seen plenty of our friends with those nifty baskets that lay flat for storage and serve as a trivet, but that with a quick motion swing up and turn all baskety, but we'd never seen anyone selling them. So we were super stoked to pick one of these up! He does take custom orders, and if you're interested, I can pass along his email address to you.


Our most favorite booth belonged to Toby Rosenberg and rara avis designs, distinctive pottery & judaica. We were really taken by the goods offered by this Portland, Maine, artist, including her tzedakah boxes, menorot, and her washing cups.

The tzedakah boxes and menorot have this beautiful village-esque kind of whimsy about them, which I love. The menorot have 360-degree artwork, so no matter what angle you're approaching from, you're getting a village scene. Toby can even place your family name on one of the village houses on the tzedakah box! I was just really taken by Toby's attention to detail and her love of Judaica. Of the village tzedakah box she says, "imagine the community we build when we give tzedakah." That, folks, is a beautiful sentiment.

So if you're looking for something new to add to your collection, I suggest going to her website and looking at what she has to offer. If you're interested, she can probably make you something personal. One-of-a-kind Judaica is rare these days, so take advantage. We're looking into a pomegranate-inspired washing cup!

My thoughts are that if you have the opportunity to buy things from local, independent artists, just do it, folks. Just do it.

After walking around a bit more, Tuvia buying some kosher nosh from Yosi's Catering, and experiencing a bit of rainy drizzle, we headed into Barnes and Noble to take a gander at this new fangled Nook thing people have been talking about. I've been contemplating an e-reader for a while now, mostly because of the upcoming move and its subsequent result of a lengthy commute several days of the week. The backbreaking work of schlepping around books and a laptop, not to mention a few meals, will break me, so the fewer things I can carry, the better. Thus, enter the Nook. I did some online comparisons between the Kindle and the Nook, and in my mind, the Nook was a better deal. So we went in, let the salesman swing his pitch, I spent about a half-hour coveting all the Judaica books, and then, well, we bought one. Here's the little fella getting charged up (yes, that's a caricature of Kurt Vonnegut you see).

And now? Well, we're at home. Chilling. Chillaxing. Watching Toy Story, of all things. There are half-packed boxes, empty boxes, and two exhausted people who aren't really up to packing any of them at this point. We've really got about a week to get them done (less than, really, because Tuvia starts his gig in Newark on the 21st of June!). So, baruch haShem, things will get done.

Happy e-traversing, friends!

I Have Seen Upon the Earth

From a 1934 translation of Moses Ibn Ezra's אשר בנה עלי ארץ. It reminds me much of Qohelet (Ecclesiastes), but almost darker in a way. Then again, I'm of the school of thought that Qohelet was a rather uplifting book, if anything. This, on the other hand, is dark, I think. This poem was found in a text by the JPS from 1934, and the poem was translated by Solomon Solis-Cohen. The book itself is part of a collection of Jewish Classics published in the 1930s.

"I Have Seen Upon the Earth"

I have seen upon the earth spacious mansions,
Palaces of ivory, with lofty chambers
And pillars upon carved pedestals --
Houses richly adorned and filled with things of
beauty --
And, as in a twinkling, I Have seen them heaps of ruins,
Wherein none might dwell.

Tell me: Where are they that builded?
And where are they that inhabited?
Where are their souls and where are their bodies?
And what hope is there for man,
Save to await death,
With the grave ever before his eyes --
For time is a herdsman,
And death like a knife,
And all that live, as sheep.

For the curious, I'm currently inventorying a book collection bestowed upon my department by a rabbi who passed away many years ago. The collection includes many siddurim, machzorim, and a bounty of personal, handwritten notes by the rabbi who donated the works. There are a bajillion haggadot, too. The rabbi, of the Conservative flavor, had many beautiful and old books, and I've found one dated to 1861. For a bibliophile such as myself, this project is absolutely amazing and thrilling. I'm a huge geek, so everytime I find something older than the 1960s I get stoked. Here are a collection of haggodot, some from the 1940s, others from the 1950s, and a few from what I believe is the 1960s. Missing from this photo is an original Maxwell House Haggadah from 1935, which was the third year of printing for Maxwell House and their haggadot. The great thing about the 1935 Haggadah? It's written in the most simple, plain English -- a stark contrast from the haggadot of the more recent (by this I mean 1980s-ish) Maxwell House versions that are chock full of "thou" and "thee" and "thine."

Over the coming weeks you'll get some beautiful glimpses into this project, because, although some might view these books as extremely modern and not worth a second glance, they are definitive pieces of literature for modern, American Judaism. And in our day of e-this and e-that, to hold a book from 1861 and smell the history and feel the cover sandpapering your hands is something priceless and beautiful.

Goin' to the Chuppah and We're, Gonna Get Married ...

I can't believe I did it. I just purchased a wedding gown off the internet, before viewing, before trying on, before anything. Now, I know what you're thinking, Are you crazy!? And yes, I am a little off my rocker, but it's hard to be a tzniut-style girl searching for a proper wedding gown. So I went to Nordstrom's at the advice of a few Twitter friends for my measurements, sent them off to the gown's e-store, heard back from a nice lady, and ordered the gown. It should get to me in approximately two to three business days. Talk about FAST service. I'm praying like you wouldn't believe that it's the ultimate, perfect wedding gown. I just have to get over the self-esteem shocker of ordering a wedding gown two/three sizes too big. What's the deal with that anyway? I mean, if someone wears a size 10 (not me, that's for sure), why should they have to buy a size 14 wedding gown? Don't you think brides have enough issues about size and shape on their mind that forcing them into a super-sized wedding gown will only make matters worse? Egads.

Anywho, at the advice of a friend from shul (and subsequently a few other friends from shul), I nabbed a copy of a classic Judaica book that, I was told, will enlighten not only me, but any family members with lingering questions or queries, about what to expect with an Orthodox wedding. The book? "Made in Heaven" by the illustrious Aryeh Kaplan. If you start out with the "dedications" page, you'll rest assured that this guy's advice is second to none -- the book is dedicated to the author's nine children! Obviously, Rabbi Kaplan knows his stuff, right?

I'm not one for touchy-feely books, and aside from tidbits here and there about the eternal bond of marriage and the future generations, the book is very readable, and I highly recommend it to those who are prepping for marriage. Each chapter homes in on a specific topic: the ring, the chuppah, the wedding day, the ketubah, the processional, and more. It even gets as specific as talking about the tallit and the various specific blessings. The chapters are short, and the author was very, very good about being concise and quick in his lessons on the halakot.

I can't even begin to tell you how many questions I've developed for my rabbi. Feel free to chime in here, but I've heard some "that sounds crazy!" comments from friends. I'll let you know what my rav thinks. I'll admit, many of these are CUSTOMS, but still, I like to know/make sure I'm doing things "right."

• Some sources say that, for the wedding band, gold is preferable to silver, others silver to gold. Add to this the fact that you are supposed to use a ring that is pure -- not masked, such as plated gold -- because this could invalidate the ceremony entirely! Does this mean I can't have a white gold ring? The point of the ring being simple (no designs, no stones) is that the bride (and others) should be able to ascertain the value of the ring at a simple glance. If it's plated or masked in some way, it's harder to discern. As such, white gold has a specific value, right? So white gold *should* be okay? 
• The tradition is that the kallah (bride) gives her chatan (groom) his tallit (prayer shawl) for the wedding. Often it's used for the chuppah, too. Now, Tuvia has a tallit his paternal grandfather bought shortly before his death, so he wants to use that since it's unused and in great condition. What do I do for the chatan then!?
• What's doing with this whole no seeing each other for a week before the wedding? According to the book, many hold the tradition of just the day before hand, but even then, it used to be a tradition to hold a prenuptial meal the night before the wedding! What did you do at your wedding? What's the tradition/community custom/standard these days?
• There is a definite decision that men fast the day of their wedding, but some rabbis hold that the kallah does not fast! What gives!? Do I fast, or do I not fast?

And those are my questions and I'm not even halfway through the book! Luckily, Rabbi Kaplan's given me plenty of insight and things to think about. 

I've also discovered -- via the advice of the same friend that suggested I pick up this book -- a way to involve people in the entire service without violating halakot! The great thing about a Jewish wedding is that there are about a million different positions people can serve. There are six witnesses -- all must be shomer mitzvot, Jewish males -- as well as those who read the sheva brachot (seven blessings), and thanks to this friend's great thinking, the translations of these brachot also will be read, that is, by women and non-Jewish friends of mine. It's a beautiful way not only to involve everyone, but also to help those who aren't familiar with Hebrew or the Jewish traditions to really get the full impact of the blessings in order to understand the service. 

You'd be amazed at all of the obstacles and pits of fire and dragons that await one with planning a wedding like this. I'm sure they exist in all faiths, but with there being specific binding laws regarding various parts of the service, you really have to think hard about who to involve and how to involve them. It's a delicate, delicate process.

All I can say is, I'm getting married in less than four months, and I'm jazzed!

An Entertainment Interlude!

I've spent the past few weeks burning and burning Hebrew and Judaica music borrowed from some incredibly awesome friends. I got a few more CDs last night from our host family, including a couple that are child-oriented but useful none-the-less. We use lots of these types of CDs and videos in my Hebrew class during the year -- sometimes "Geshem, Geshm MiShamayim" is where one should start to really grasp the beauty and ease of Hebrew. I've got Ugandan Hebrew music, Idan Raichel, The Chevra, Erez Lev Ari, you name it, I've got it.

What's it for? For Middlebury, of course! If I'm going to be speaking, writing, and living Hebrew, I need to be listening to it, as well. Did I mention that our only TV access is Israeli television? Score!

So before I leave for Middlebury, I wanted to share a couple of things that came through my email of the entertainment variety since I'm scooting off and want a spic-and-span clean email box.

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I was contacted about a Jewish film called "Tickling Leo" that will be (hopefully) opening on the East Coast in August/September and G-d willing, subsequently spreading above and beyond with success. A ditty on the film:

A family drama set in the Catskills on Yom Kippur, the story explores how a family is affected by the choice one man made to survive the Holocaust in Hungary. It stars the wonderful Eli Wallach, Lawrence Pressman, Annie Parisse, Ronald Guttman, Daniel Sauli and Tony Award Winner Victoria Clark. It was produced by Mary Stuart Masterson and Barn Door Pictures.

and some more details ...

On March 4, 1957, Rudolph Kasztner, former head of the Jewish Rescue Committee in Hungary, was assassinated on the streets of Tel Aviv for the choices he made while negotiating the rescue of 1600 Jews aboard his controversial "Kasztner Train."  Fifty years later in the Catskills, one of the survivors of that train struggles to face his own family's choices in relation to this historical event.

I was intrigued when I was contacted about the film, and I have a lot of reading I've been meaning to do about Rudolph Kasztner and the true incident of his life and death. The trailer will pique your interest, without a doubt, so be sure to give it a look here.

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Since I've been all up and down with the Israeli and Hebrew music as of late, how perfect that I was contacted about an Indie Israeli record label, Oleh! Records. In particular, Onili was mentioned, and although I don't know if her music is right up my alley, it most definitely makes me want to crawl onto a lounge chair by the pool and drink something tropical. It appears she's big in Tel Aviv and has connected with Israel's biggest underground stars, so maybe you've heard of her? If not, give her website a gander.

Books of 5768, at last!

Here's the rundown of books I consumed in 5768. I'm really, really late to doing up this list, but what can you do? I've been quite busy. This is, unfortunately, an incomplete list as the year went on I lost track of many books I'd read. I've put asterisks next to the ones that I highly, highly recommend picking up. Now? I can start up my list for 5769 since we're many months in!

• A Heart of Many Rooms by David Hartman
  
• Boychiks in the Hood by Robert Eisenberg**
  
• Choosing to Be Jewish: The Orthodox Road to Conversion by Marc D. Angel**
  
• Conservative Movement in Judaism by Daniel Elazer and Rela Mintz Geffen
  
• Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok**
  
• Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi
  
• Epileptic (Graphic Novel) by David B.
  
• Exploring Exodus by Nahum Sarna**
• Faith for Beginners by Aaron Hamburger
  
• Heat by Bill Buford**
  
• I Married a Communist by Philip Roth**
  
• I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors by Bernice Eisenstein
  
• I'm Not the New Me by Wendy McClure**
  
• In the Shadow of No Towers by Art Spiegelman
  
• Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon**
  
• My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
  
• Persopolis I and II by Marjane Sartrapi**
  
• Rashi's Daughters, Book I: Joheved
  
• (1/2 of) Rashi's Daughters, Book II: Miriam
  
• The JPS Commentary on Ecclesiastes by Michael V. Fox
  
• The Promise by Chaim Potok**
  
• The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar
  
• The Search Committee by Marc D. Angel**
  
• The Song of Songs by Ariel Bloch and Chana Bloch
  
• Understanding Genesis by Nahum Sarna
  

Rolling on Shabbos.

*Tap, Tap* Anyone out there? I've been mute for many days now, for a variety of reasons but mostly that I have been quite busy and engrossed in readings for class and worksheets for Hebrew. I've also had some time to reflect on this past Shabbos, which, to be honest, was the most disappointing in recent memory.

Now, I know what you're thinking: Really? Disappointing? Get over it! It's just Shabbos! But the thing of it is, without a proper or near-proper Shabbos, my week doesn't begin or end, it just is, and this causes great stress for me. I had hoped to stay on campus for a Mexican-themed Shabbat dinner, but because of Tuvia's schedule and a desire to spend Shabbos with him, it didn't work out. He rushed out after work, picked me up, and we rushed home to beat the Sabbath clock. Already upset that we weren't able to make it to shul, we entered his house, which, I immediately  noticed, was freezing. The thermostat was set to hit 68, but it was at a mere 52 degrees. Thus, I davened Kabbalat Shabbat. Tuvia set off to check the heater, and, as it turned out, the motor was broken. He had to call a repairman, and had to run off to help his theater group set up a screen because he's the youngest and most agile of the group. I stayed home, lamenting the loss of the day already. I sat and read, which turned out to be fruitful after I came upon an article by Isaac Gottlieb in the AJS Journal on "The Politics of Pronunciation," a text workup about the halakhic arguments regarding Ashkenazim and Sephardim and how they approach prayers and pronunciation. But still, the day was lost already. The man came and fixed the heater, but it took nearly three hours. We played a game, and went to sleep, knowing that in the morning there were other reasons that would create cause to leave home, breaking Shabbos further. The morning arrived, the day went along, and havdalah approached. I'll admit to feeling relieved with havdalah, feeling a brisk touch of the end of Shabbos, but the reality of the week approaching. How disappointing, how lacking, how disappointed I was in myself.

Perhaps sensing my frustration, by some stroke of luck, Tuvia and I have been invited to a bulk of Shabbos and Jewishly oriented activities over the next few weeks. Tu B'Shevat will be spent at the Orthodox shul, as we were invited to a dinner there, and the next Friday we'll be at the home of a friend in West Hartford for services at the other Orthodox shul, followed by a dinner with friends, and a lunch the next day in honor of the birth of one of the Chabad rabbi's new baby girls. It is without possibility that the next few weeks will be lacking.

But it's such a basic commandment -- Zakhor et yom ha-Shabbat l'kad'sho (Exodus 20:8). That is, remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. I was telling Tuvia that I wish, absolutely wish that it were attainable for him or me or us to live in West Hartford, in a religious community, so that it is easier, more feasible, more doable to keep the Sabbath. You don't have to drive to shul, you walk, you make it there. You have Sabbath dinner with each other, or with friends. You go to services in the morning, you take your Sabbath walk in the eruv, you take a nap, you have havdalah, you go about your way. I understand entirely why communities cling to one another, why Jewish communities thrive within themselves. It just makes sense. It's logical! This is why, when planning our trip to Chicago for early March, I insisted on finding a hotel within walking distance to the shul I used to go to there. I want to have a Shabbos, darn't. I want to make a traveling Shabbos happen!

I can't help it, but I seek perfection. I know there is no such thing, but I crave it. I want it the Lebowski way -- I don't roll on Shabbos!

On a lighter (more unfortunate) note, in an effort to live entirely out of my dorm room, I managed to set off the fire alarm for the complex this morning while toasting some bread in my toaster oven. I burned my knuckle quite horribly while pulling the burned pieces out of the oven, throwing them into the trash and thrusting open the windows to air the room out. My fear? I'll be reprimanded and told that I can't have the toaster oven. Of course, there is another Jew in the complex who supposedly has an entire kitchen in his room, so why not me?

Is it Friday yet?

Book Loving!

I love books, you love books, we all love books! Yes, I still haven't gotten around to my 5768 book roundup, but I will in due time. But in the meantime, I give you the Jewish Literature Challenge!

Essentially, you have to read four books by Jewish authors or books that are related in some way, shape or form to Judaism by April 27, 2009 (the challenge started around Chanukah). Full details can be found by CLICKING HERE . Sounds like a good time, no? Get signed up and get started!

A hat tip to Rachel over at Shavua Tov and the Jew Wishes blog for putting me in-the-know about this.

It's like Chanukah 'round here.

Four days worth of mail finally showed up in my mailbox here, and boy oh boy it was like Chanukah Harry decided to bless me big time! Here we have a textbook (originally $52, purchased for $35 thanks to a coupon, with FREE shipping!) for a Bible class, "Cool Jews" by Lisa Alcalay Klug, which I'll be reading up on for a bit on the PopJudaica.com blog, and finally a Jewish Tweets (a la Twitter) mug from the wonderful folks over at the Jewish Treats blog.

Yes, it is a good day to be a poor graduate student.

But seriously, stay tuned. I went to the big Jewish barbecue (which was really just a good ole' fashioned cookout) last night and was perplexed by the "it's kosher" followed by "here are packets of mayo for your hamburger" bit. I also had a Hebrew class this morning that was downright outstanding, and I'll be heading to a seminar in just a few, which has me frightened because there are only five or six people registered. The fewer people? The more attention to the individual. In the long run I dig this, in the short run it scares me.

Oh, and Hebrew class? Chaviva went off with FLYING colors (prof had us sign in, no roll call, but did do this big intro thing where she taught us how to say "My name is ..."). Score one for the Hebrew name.

Chavi Goes Shopping, online, Again!

I am presently on the hunt for a t-shirt. I'm not exactly sure what kind of t-shirt, really. I mean, I'm looking for a t-shirt that says "Hey, I'm Jewish" or "Look at me, I have Hebrew on my shirt" or something of that variety. I used to have this amazing Threadless.com shirt with the face of a Hasid and all sorts of Hebrew words or characters or something around it. I loved that shirt, but it was this cream color and it just didn't mesh with my skin, and it was too big, so I got rid of it long ago. I happen to own one T-Shirt with a beautiful dove filled with a medley of pictures/words related to Israel, but I'm looking for something more ... well ... not trendy, per se, but something that's a little more hip to me.

So I found Israel Vintage Icons on T, which has an array of really awesome tees, and the way that the designs are presented are very classy. The Army Girl tee is very neat; it's described as "Based on the 'Army Girl' photo from the Nico and Trudy Schwartz-Hiller collection: 'Recruiting the daughters of Israel to the British Army'." Then there's the Israeli Pictograms shirt, which could come in handy if I ever make it to Israel. I think my favorite, perhaps for its simplicity, is the Star of David tee, which you see on that guy right there. The t-shirts are running $19 a pop, with $6 shipping to the U.S. of A. If you're in Israel, it's a mere $4. Why? Well, this company is based in Israel. D'oh for me!

I also stumbled upon perhaps my favorite t-shirt find. Yes, it's Jews for Cheeses! I'm really seconds away from procuring this tee, simply because, well, I haven't had a run-in with the Jews for Jesus yet, but I have to think that G-d would will it to be on the day that I would be wearing this marvelous t-shirt. Don't you think? Plus, this screen cap shows that one of my favorite TV shows (Pushing Daisies) even saw the hilarious necessity in owning such a shirt!

At this point I'll say that I'm avoiding the typical "Nice Jewish Girl" and "Challah Back" and "Nu Jew" and all of those tees. Why? They're obnoxious and silly, that's why. I want something classy. And maybe "Jews for Cheeses" isn't classy, but come on ... it's hilarious. And those "Let's get Chai" shirts? Gag me with a spoon!

Then, of course, while browsing around I found ModernTribe.com, which has ... well ... not so much with the shirts, but an ark-load of other beautiful things. Including (another) necklace I want. It's the "Letters of Creation" necklace. Oy! So beautiful ... and a Gelt Money Clip? I wish I knew someone who actually used a money clip, becuase I'd drop a dime for this in a second! There are oodles of other things on the Modern Tribe site that, well, if I were rich and not heading to graduate school, I'd most definitely procure.

But back to T-shirts. Chavi needs a t-shirt. There's the typical Hebrew Coca-Cola shirt, but it seems like that's the obligatory tee to have if you're a Jew looking for a shirt, right? Rotem Gear has some nice tees, but none that are really calling to me. And although I would *never* buy it, I thought the "I Choose You, PikaJew" shirt was hilarious. In fact, I'm sending the link to my little brother (a former Pokemon obsessee). Of course, I could get a shirt personalized with my name so everyone who sees it knows who I am -- if they read Hebrew, that is!

And by some stroke of luck, I've found Store of David. I have fallen in love with the Milk and Meat tee, and if I can get over the price, I might just pick it up. And who can resist the I Control the Media tee? I'm often told that, having been a copy editor and being Jewish, well, that I play nicely into that, and I can't deny it! It was then that I stumbled upon the Jewish Food Pyramid tee, and I'm really dismayed because I can't seem to find a larger image of it ... but it simply looks hilariously wonderful. If only it came in something other than powder blue! Then again, there is this let there be light tee, which is on sale. 

But the holy grail of T-shirts has to be this: Chicago. Yes, it's a shirt that SAYS Chicago in Hebrew and has the el map. Yes, yes I think I will have to buy this shirt. After contacting customer service, they assure me that it comes in an array of colors with either black or white text. Here's hoping?

Okay, so I'm no closer to finding a T-shirt than I was when I started this adventure hours ago (I am at work, after all, while composing this). I do have some good options, though. And I know some of you might be asking yourselves, "Chavi! Nu? You're nearly 25. Can't you get serious and lose the t-shirt shtick? Act like an adult already!" But in truth, I've spent the past two years wearing "business" clothes to work and being all dressy bessy. A girl needs a T-shirt, darn't, and not just on the weekends. Soon, I will return to school and with school comes laziness, waking up late, throwing on a tee and going to class. So if you have a favorite tee out of all of these, let me know and perhaps I'll pick it up before I go broke!

Shalom, and happy shopping :)

A thought ...

Does anyone have any tips/advice on how to get free advance (or even released) copies of books for review?

I got an email today from the Jewish Learning Group about that book I blogged about here, Going Kosher in 30 Days. Now, I'm all about buying books, but I like to check them out from the library first, or at least buy them off Amazon.com where books tend to be on the more inexpensive end of things. So unless I buy a really expensive Kindle device, I can't get the book for $9.99, nor can I check it out from the library (since it's not there). And with the state of our economy and me going back to graduate school (blah blah blah).

As an avid blogger/reader/Jewish enthusiast, I think I could really get out the word on books of the Judaica variety, don't you think? So let's see those free copies, folks!

(Okay, this was shameless, I know, but really, I tend to hoard books and I can't even count the amount of $$ I've spent on books in the past six years, but I'm sure it's well into the thousands!)

EDIT: I stand corrected. I just checked Amazon and they finally listed the book (it was not listed just a few days ago!) and there are two "used" copies for $16.00. Looks like I might be procuring ... 

Mezuzot and Me

This post was meant for JewsbyChoice.org, but unfortunately at the moment I am unable to post there. Enjoy!

In early 2005, I was visiting Chicago when I popped in to the Spertus Jewish Museum. While perusing the gift shop, I happ'd upon shelves of these tiny little rectangular boxes in all colors with embellishments like jewels, embossed letters -- you name it. Some had letters that spelled out Shalom, others images from Torah, and still others were very simple and plain. At the time, I had no clue what they were. I'd been studying Judaism for quite a while by then, and I was pretty confident in my general knowledge of all things Judaica, but these little boxes eluded me and there wasn't a gigantic sign that screamed "MEZUZOT! THEY GO ON YOUR DOOR POST!"

I left that day without asking the nice lady behind the counter what they were, and I didn't really think about it the r est of the trip. When I got back to Nebraska, for some reason, I started noticing mezuzot everywhere. The truth of it is, I knew about the mezuzah, I just didn't know the commandment behind it, nor did I know where they went or why. I knew the word, but that was about it. But now, after my encounter with dozens of mezuzot at a gift shop in Chicago, I was spotting them everywhere. It became like a game, trying to figure out what doorways in my shul had them and which didn't, and exploring why certain spaces had them and others didn't.

I didn't own a mezuzah until I converted in April 2006. The synagogue I converted through gave me the most magnificent, beautiful, pewter mezuzah (which you see in the photo here). I was elated, but kept the mezuzah packed away as I hopped from apartment room to room in Washington D.C. in the summer of 2006. Finally, when I landed my own studio apartment, I placed the mezuzah, for the first time, on my own Jewish home. I said the prayer, struggled with the hammer, and smiled at no one, knowing that this little box on my door with parchment inside screamed to the world "A JEW LIVES HERE!" (Of course, I lived in a garden apartment with a side entrance behind a gate, but still -- it was something.)

So the mezuzah -- In truth, mezuzah means "doorpost" in Hebrew. Commonly, though, people think of the mezuzah as the actual little case with the parchment that you hang on the doorpost. On the parchment is Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21, which consist of the "Shema Yisrael" prayer. And why do we post these verses on our doorposts? Because it's a mitzvah! Deut. 6:6 ... 6:9 say "And these words, which I command you this day, shall be upon your heart ... and you shall write them on the doorposts of your homes and upon your gates." The parchment is composed by a special scribe -- a sofer stam -- and the verses are written in special ink on special paper. The mezuzah is placed on the doorpost, on the upper third of the doorway, and typically it's angled inward (this is to accommodate the varying opinions of the sages as to whether it was meant to be vertical or horizontal, not to mention that it symbolizes G-d and Torah entering the abode). As you enter and exit the abode, as you pass through the doorway, you should place your fingers upon the mezuzah case and touch your fingers to your lips. There are a bounty of other bits and pieces about the mezuzah, but I won't delve into them all here. For example, very religious/observant families will likely have a mezuzah on every doorway -- be it a closet or bedroom -- while secular or not-as-observant individuals might just post one at the back and front door of the residence. There are a bounty of rulings about what constitutes a room, how far from the door the mezuzah should go, etc. I also recall reading something once about a mezuzah necklace being not kosher halakichly, but I can't seem to find anything on it right now.

The mezuzah can be found on the doorposts of the most religious and the most secular Jews, perhaps because the mezuzah can be the most outward sign on a home that the family within is Jewish, be it culturally, religiously, spiritually, or something in between. Chabad.org has a great "handbook" online with answers to all the questions that could possibly arise, from what rooms need a mezuzah to where to post it to what it's all about. There's also a great article over on Being Jewish about the mezuzah, not to mention this blog entry written by Leah (a guest poster here on JBC) about her mezuzah, and I think what she has to say is quite beautiful.

In my living room, I have shelves of Jewish books. A decorative dreidel. Extra mezuzot on display in a shadow box. In my desk drawer, next to my birth certificate, is an extra kosher scroll. Above my bed is a painting of the Shema.
More important than all the Judaica is, I hope, an ability to welcome family, friends and strangers into my home. That when I pass the mezuzah on the way out of my house, I carry it with me in my actions. The Judaica helps me see that I’m Jewish and tells the world that this is a Jewish home, but without Jewish actions and Jewish living–all the menorahs in the world won’t make it a Jewish home.

There are a million different Judaica sites where you can purchase mezuzot, and I'm pretty sure that just about every synagogue with even the smallest gift shop sells them. I think that the mezuzah is a beautiful symbol for Jews of all stripes, for essentially it breaks the bounds of being merely a religious Jewish artifact. As you enter and exit your home, you are reminded -- no matter how busy and flustered your mind might be -- that you are a Jew, that you have a Jewish home, no matter how you choose to make it Jewish.

So what's your mezuzah flavor?

(Edited)

A non-shopping shopping spree!

So I'm at work, without a thing to do (though I should be doing some Hebrew work) and thus am doing some online shopping for things of the Judaica variety. Chances are good that I won't actually be buying any of this stuff, but I think it's fun to look. It's sort of like retail therapy, nu?

The first thing that caught my eye was the Spiritual Guide to Counting the Omer, which evidently is a sort of workbook with exercises to walk you through the whole process. I'm thinking this will be a buy for next year since this year (despite my Chabad.org daily reminder) I neglected to count the omer successfully. Then after clicking related links I ended up at this GI Hamsa necklace, made by the government supplier of Jewish jewelry for the Armed Forces, and I think they're talking U.S. armed forces here, though I'm not completely positive. I'm in search of a new necklace to add to my collection of one -- a simple, silver star of David. I've searched for a Chai and a Hamsa and a mezuzah, though I think that there is something halachicly wrong with wearing a mezuzah necklace, even if you have the proper scroll inside it. But the truth of it is that I really, really, really (^1,000) want this beautiful pomegranate necklace by KinorDavid, but I just can't bring myself to pay that much for it. Not to mention I don't have the cash money to spend on such a thing. But isn't it beautiful?

I recently bought this shirt over on Etsy in honor of Israel's 60th birthday, and I love it to pieces. I also just spotted this shirt, which is supposedly the "Official" t-shirt for the Israel at 60 festivities. And for the practical shopper, I've found these Hebrew Keyboard Stickers, and seriously, at $3.80, I might actually go procuring some.

I've really been wanting to get into the spirit of Shabbos (or the end thereof) with a havdalah set, but it seems like they're all really expensive. Yowza. There's this really nice Armenian set that's pretty beautiful, not to mention this beautiful silver set.

I wrote a long time ago about an awesome website that had sets of things, but unfortunately that site has gone defunct. So with some clever searching, I was able to find some of the items on other websites, including the Seder in a Sac, a Shabbat-to-go kit can be found here, not to mention the Havdalah-to-go set. Better yet, though, check this out: It's a Shabbat Observance Forever kit, including all the goods for Shabbos and Havdalah!

Okay, anyway, that was a random and completely useless post, but if any of you have favorite items you've bought on the online, let me know. There are a lot of Judaica websites, and most of them are pretty miserable to navigate. Finding quality merchandise can be a pain, but sometimes you find a gem (like with my menorah last year, which you guys helped me pick out, thanks!).

Books, books galore!

The little brother and I went to Myopic Books yesterday, as I attempted to show him one of the more "well known" neighborhoods in Chicago -- Wicker Park. He tracked down a copy of "Wicked," the story that's now the play, which he saw when he was in Chicago last May. I, on the other hand, hit the Judaica section (this is the place where I tried to sell some of my Judaica and they said "Sorry, they're just not selling well").

I left with a copy of Maimonides' "Mishneh Torah," the abridged edition, annotated with an introduction by Philip Birnbaum, published 1974 (from what I can tell). The true selling point (other than its usefulness) was a tidbit in the introduction that read,

"Anyone reading this book carefully will greatly help reduce our generation's painful ignorance of the contents of Judaism's traditional literature."

That, folks, is plenty a reason to pick up this book.

I also picked up a copy of "Living Judaism" by Rabbi Wayne Dosick, which means I can pull it off my Amazon Wish List. I kept seeing this book everywhere I went, but I couldn't bring myself to pick it up fresh. So here was a used copy, in perfect condition for $6.50. Hot dog! What a steal.

Of course, neither of these purchases helps with my overflowing book problem. Luckily, I returned many books to the library (mostly those that I'd checked out for reading-up for the class I attended while checking out schools last year). Right now I'm reading "Heat" by Bill Buford -- a non-Judaic book, but an amazing book that I can't seem to put down (it's for a bookclub, actually). I'm still into "Constantine's Sword," but I'm about ready to just give up on that and pick it up in another lifetime when I have the time to sit down with a 700-page giant. There are about five other books that are sort of sitting in the wings that, well, aren't super high on my list of priorities to indulge in. I am, however, going to start putting some books on hold at the library (the pocketbook thanks me), since I finally paid off my $1.50 fine (a late fee for CS, of course). Did I mention that the library is literally around the corner? Yah, I'm just slow.

Here's to books, read, unread, and piling up all over my studio apartment.

The musk of the library.

I went to the University of Chicago library for the first time today as a trip to pick up books for ME and not someone else. I was looking for some books about Conservative Judaism, as well as the U of C's copy of "Constantine's Sword" since I haven't finished the public library's version yet, and it's two weeks late and I've hit my renewal limit ... so hopefully I can get it done within my bounds at the library here. (Of note: They made a movie from the book, due out next month, I guess. You can find info here.)

The lights were dimmed, or rather, some of the lights were blown out, so it was dark and still in the stacks where all the Judaica is kept up on the third floor. Gold Hebrew script bounced off the shelves from books noted with patron check-outs from the 1920s and 40s and beyond. Names of people, perhaps long dead, or long gone away. Copies of the great Jewish books and texts written by the great Jewish thinkers past and present. Books losing their binding, held together by shoe strings tied carefully, close to the cover.

It made me smile. It also made me miss the hours I spent in the library researching Grant and the Jews in my junior year. Not to mention my time working at the library my senior year. Libraries are these beautiful, ancient places that I think will never disappear, but will fade into memory, as all civilized forms of bookkeeping do. But the precious, the few will maintain their shelves, keep binding clean and relish in the smell of a musty, old, overly loved book. It sometimes makes me jealous of Beth -- a life of library science. It's a beautiful, unique thing.

I went over my "lunch hour" if you could call it that. I really just wanted to sit there, on the floor, with the Hebrew and German books open, staring, hoping for osmosis to finally kick in. It makes me understand that learning German would be a good thing. I suppose some day, when both of my now-bosses are out of town or otherwise occupied, I will place myself on the floor of the third floor of the U of C Regenstein library, and open book after book reading the wisdom of our ancestors and forefathers.

There is so very much of it. I can only hope to gather some of it in my time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On an unrelated note, my first review over at HeatEatReview.com was posted! Give it a look :)

Academics!

Two exhibits I happen to be stoked about and hope I can manage to step away from my desk for five seconds to look at are those below. These are both over at the library here on campus, which, it turns out, has this amazing collection of Judaica and Hebraica. I also just discovered RAMBI, the index for articles on Judaic studies.

Major SCORE!

THE SPIRIT OF THE ORIENT AND JUDAISM: FROM THE LUDWIG ROSENBERGER LIBRARY OF JUDAICA
An Exhibition in the Special Collections Research Center
Rosenberger Library of Judaica Gallery
October 10, 2007 - June 20, 2008
Western Jews have strong historical, cultural, and ethnic ties with the Orient; and at the same time form part of the broader European fascination with the East. This exhibition examines the ways that 19th- and 20th-century Jews shaped their own identities through real and imaginary encounters with the Orient. Works from the Ludwig Rosenberger Library of Judaica illustrate the various ways Western Jews embraced the Orient, including dressing up as "Orientals," valorizing "authentic" Eastern Jewish communities, romanticizing Jewish history under Islam during the Golden Age in Spain, building synagogues in the Moorish style, imagining Biblical patriarchs as Bedouins, becoming Zionists, and positioning themselves as cultural mediators between West and East.

IMAGES OF JEWISH PRAYER, POLITICS, AND EVERYDAY LIFE FROM THE BRANKA AND HARRY SONDHEIM JEWISH HERITAGE COLLECTION
An Exhibition in the Special Collections Research Center
Main Gallery
March 10, 2008 - July 6, 2008
Books, prints, and works of art in the Branka and Harry Sondheim Jewish Heritage Collection focus on visual representations of Jewish life and customs. Works on view by Johannes Buxtorf, Paul Kirchner, and Bernard Picart include images depicting scenes of daily life, cycles of birth and marriage, and holiday rituals. The exhibition also includes prints and illustrated books by the artists Alphonse Levy, Moritz Oppenheim, and Arthur Szyk; as well as illustrated Haggadah.

Shabbat Shalom! Pick a menorah for me :)

So I've had a nice little, basic, simple Menorah that I've used for the past three years, but I'm itchin' for another (new) one! But I can't decide which to get ... what do you think?



The first is the "signature" menorah and the latter is the "music note" menorah. I'm leaning toward the bronze because I already have a silver/aluminum one (it was a Walgreens buy right before shul three years ago!! It was my first Chanukah :D)

On a semi-unrelated note: Services tonight were the most mundane, uninspiring they've been in eons. The people were dead. No one was participating. People were huffing and puffing. Kids were screaming (why are there not sitters at the shul for services?). It was frustrating. Why do people go if they don't want to be there? If they do nothing but moan and groan and nod off? I try to stay in my own zone, knowing that what I get out of services is what I get out of services. But sometimes I wonder: Are people waiting for enlightenment? Hoping that by forcing themselves through services for that WHOLE hour to an hour-and-a-half that a spark of something will rekindle their lust for life? Am I just cynical? I want people to love services and Judaism as much as I do. I want people to really WANT to be there; not for people to feel obligated or anything to be there. I felt like crap all day today. I didn't sleep last night and my stomach was upset and I just wanted to go home, but I made myself go to services because I know that -- for me -- I would regret it tomorrow if I didn't go. My week does not end unless I go to Shabbat; it just keeps going and going. But I didn't force myself to go out of guilt or just because that's what Jews do. I went for me, for my mind and spirit and soul. ARGH! So frustrated.

On a more pleasant note, I appreciated the sermon, which was actually not a sermon but a "learning Shabbat" service, where the rabbi explained the V'shamru prayer that we sing. He examined the source of the prayer and the difference in the commandment from Exodus and Deuteronomy, which I actually never noticed before. The original reason for Shabbat observance is because G-d rested on the seventh day, but in Deuteronomy it says we should keep the Sabbath because G-d took us out of Egypt! Oh the tricky intricacies of Torah :)

The Weekly Potpourri.

Tonight I'm heading to shul for a special event about living as an Israeli, which I hope provides me some insight and something to blog about, perhaps. Not that I'm short of things to blog about, of course. After all, I recently blogged over at the JewsbyChoice.org blog with a little parshah commentary.

I'm finding that I waste a lot of time doing a whole lot of nothing, and after picking up my copy of "The Book of Jewish Values: A Day-by-Day Guide to Ethical Living," which I pick up just about every year and never get past the first few weeks, I realized that I need to pay more attention to the time I'm wasting. Telushkin, in the first-day comments for Week 3, notes the importance of keeping track of the time wasted, when you could be devoting that time to Torah study. He tells of a time when he was in yeshiveh when he kept a notebook with him at all times, keeping tallies on what he was doing and when. He shone with pride the day he spent more than 10 hours studying (among shul, etc.). On the train ride in this morning, I sat, doing nothing. Just riding. I realized my wasted time and got out my book, "Rashi's Daughters: Joheved." Although it isn't Talmud or Torah, it surely is a book in the realm of study. The amount of Midrash and Talmud talk could probably be considered a day's work (for the ladies anyhow).

I also picked back up my Intro to Hebrew Bible text last night, and began re-reading the text I haven't looked at since I took the course several years ago.

It's obvious that my thirst for knowledge and academics is overflowing. Frasier couldn't satisfy me last night, but these books could. I'm trying to make an effort to fill my day with learning. Fulfilling learning. I can't remember the exact quote that Telushkin uses, but he talks about a man who on his deathbed realizes all the time he wasted in his life. He says something along the lines of, it's easy to realize that you are wasting your life in the beginning, it just hurts more in the end. Something along those lines. In sum: Don't wait till the end to say "oops, wasted that there life I had doing a whole lotta nothing."

So that's what I'm doing. Fill it up with books, fill it up with literature. Fill it up with the things that spark your mind to thirst for more, so that you might never be empty.

The Year ends, The Year begins.

So I've changed my little book tally on the right sidebar there to now list Books Read in 5768, as it's a brand spanking new year and I just finished my first book of the year. I've been a little slow on the reading, despite having oodles of time on the commute. I haven't been quite as awake as I'd like lately, and the buses have grown crowded with teenagers heading to school. It just isn't as cozy as I'd like. On that note, I present to you the books (that I could remember) read in 5767:

• The Chosen by Chaim Potok
• The World to Come by Dara Horn
• The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon
• My Holocaust by Tova Reich
• Mara by Tova Reich
• Women and Jewish Law by Rachel Biale
• Turbulent Souls by Stephen Dubner
• Rashi by Maurice Liber and Adele Szold
• Neighbors by Jan Gross
• Among the Righteous by Robert Satloff
• Fabulous Small Jews by Joseph Epstein
• Lipshitz 6 or Two Angry Blondes by T. Cooper
• Mona in the Promised Land by Gish Jen
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• The Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis
• The Messiah of Stockholm by Cynthia Ozick
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Of those, I'd have to say "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," "The Ladies Auxiliary," "The World to Come" and "The Chosen" were my top picks. "The Kite Runner" would be on that list had it not turned into a Schwarzenegger action film in the last portion of the story.

So feel free to pick up any of these books. They all rock, really. I wouldn't have read them if they didn't! Now on to more books for this year ...

Whose Lament?

If you've read "My Name is Asher Lev" by the profound Chaim Potok, then likely if you picked up "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer you'd recognize the main character -- a little boy who has lost his father in the 9/11 attacks in New York.

I was reading this in Argo Tea & Coffee last night while waiting to grab dinner with the boyfriend when I stopped, shocked at the absolute identical nature of Asher Lev and Oskar Schell. The former is a budding artist, the latter a budding inventor. Their imaginations are vivid and complex, almost adult-like in nature. Their thought process and often the way they speak are fast, with question after question coming at the speed of light and spanning many different topics. The two boys are twins, separated at the spine.

It's as if -- like Asher Lev with the rebbe's face in the chumash -- Safran Foer created an entire character and when he finally came to, it was the face of Asher Lev.

Moments like this are sort of like reading errors in texts (and boy oh boy were there many, many more in the fall holidays book I was reading; talk about nauseatingly disappointing). With errors it shows a lack of concern for quality, for perfection. When it comes to character development ... yes, it's easy to say it's all been done before, but you can create a variation on a theme without rebuilding the theme brick for brick. That's what Oskar Schell is in my mind now. I'll admit that Safran Foer's second effort was not nearly as masterful as his first, but that's the plight of being a new author -- finding that higher plane.

But as I near the end of "My Name is Asher Lev," I find myself more in love with Potok. I'd like to read his follow-up to "The Chosen," but at the same time know that it is probably a crowd-pleasing work (success begets success, no?). It seems that sequels often are.

Then again, I crave Shalom Auslander's "Foreskin's Lament," if for its tagline alone: "I believe in God. It's been a real problem for me." Watch this video, it's an absolutely brilliant introduction to what surely will be an insightful work.

Thunder and lightning.

So I have a problem. It could be worse, of course. I could be addicted to meth or speed or Doritos, but it's something less costly and more, well, intellectual.

I am addicted to buying books.

Now, I'm not up into the hundreds and hundreds like my friend Kat (cheers to packing 800 books, doll), but it's a lot. Or maybe it feels like a lot because when I go to the Borders in the Loop to the Judaic studies section I can find only a few books that I don't own (and they're mostly the ones on Kaballah/Jewish mysticism). But this overwhelming feeling has ended, as Kat introduced me to the Seminary Co-Op here at the University of Chicago. It is ... beautiful. There is a Jewish studies section, plenty of books and dictionaries on Hebrew, and more texts and Chumash in the religious studies section.

Simply put, it is a paradise where NPR is always on and the chairs are ready to be filled. I imagine days during the summer where the office grows old and I can wander on over and sit down with something new, just to tease myself.

So Kat and I went yesterday and I saw 20, 30, maybe 100 books I want. This is dangerous, of course, as there are more important things for my hard-earned (ha ha) money, such as credit card bills and student loan payments, not to mention the day to day needs. But books. My G-d, books. My own slice of heaven.

For the 20 percent off sale (thanks, Kat), I purchased a Hebrew-English dictionary (more than 18,000 words!) that is a little more handy for toting around than the one I got a few months ago (that is falling apart, btw). I also picked up a book in the Teach Yourself series. I'm a child of Seow's biblical Hebrew text, but I thought I'd branch out and see what the TY series has to offer (and it turns out they have just about every language on the planet, including Urdu and Zulu).

And finally, I picked up "Neighbors" by Jan Gross. I read a portion of it while in an Ethnic Conflict (aka the Genocide) class in college. That was the same class that my obsession and dissection of Ulysses S. Grant and his Orders No. 11 grew out of. "Neighbors" is a pretty must horrific story that, after reading, is hard to reconcile. It's merely a morsel of the never-to-be reconciled history of the Polish/Jewish people.

So here I am with some delicious gems. And in the future? There will be more and more and more. Feeding the addiction is what I can do. Amen.