Ever so Busy

I spent today juggling dozens of tasks, among them phone calls with Sara from PopJudaica and Avi from Jews By Choice in addition to my regular at-work work. Of course I was also checking up on Facebook, Twittering, and sending emails to various lucky parties. Oh, did I mention I was also holding down a conversation on Pidgin with my far-away friend Cesar?

But all the while, I managed to make use my office's scanner, since tomorrow is my last day, copying pages I'd taken notes on and flagged in A Heart of Many Rooms: Celebrating the Many Voices within Judaism by David Hartman (a book that Avi had suggested to me, actually). Although I can't say that I read every last page of the book, I did read about seven-eighths of it, and I have to say it was an outstanding read. Of course, I have 26 pages with various notes and comments that -- at some point -- I will collect into one (hopefully) coherent thought. Until, then, though, I wanted to offer a few snippets from the text.

This first one is where the title of the book comes from, and I think the ideas within this block of quoted text essentially define for me what is necessary to be a Jew today:

There is a beautiful metaphor in the Tosefta that describes the kind of religious sensibility the Talmud tried to nurture: "Make yourself a heart of many rooms and bring into it the words of the House of Shammai and the words of the House of Hillel, the words of those who declare unclean and the words of those who declare clean" (Sotah 7:12). In other words, become a person whom different opinions can reside together in the very depths of your soul. Become a religious person who can live with ambiguity, who can feel religious conviction and passion without the need for simplicity and absolute certainty.
         In this type of interpretive tradition, awareness of the validity of contrary positions enhances, rather than diminishes, the vitality and enthusiasm of religious commitment.

All too often we think it's our way or the highway; but these differing positions -- be it on Torah or who is a Jew or on what is Kosher enough -- should enhance the Jewish experience. After all, probably the most quoted line about the Jewish people is the old "two Jews, three opinions" line.

The second little snippet I wanted to share was one of those things I read and smiled and nodded my head in approval:

Let the Torah never be for you an antiquated decree, but rather like a decree freshly issued, no more than two or three days old. ... But Ben Azzai said: Not even as old as a decree issued two or three days ago, but as a decree issued this very day. (Pesikta de-Rab Kahana, piska 12:12)

The thing I love about studying Torah is that every time I read a portion, even though I've read it before (and yes, it is a full year later), it is like reading it for the first time. I notice a strange translation, a peculiar word choice, an interesting repitition, a contradiction, a unique instance of an idea or thought. Though I have only been studying Torah for a few years, and many begin studying from a very early age and continue throughout life, this concept seems so natural to me. You can read a text every day your entire life, and there will be instances of complete realization -- it is inevitable that you will discover something you missed before. The verbage, the choice of punctuation, the tone of the text, the scenery.

I sometimes read back through my own work and will often think "I wrote that? I wonder why I chose that word. I really punctuated my thought that way?" And this, of course, is the beauty of the written word. It is what I live and breathe, and really drinking it all in allows me to thrive.

So it is with that, that I leave you. I find myself anxious about the approaching Tisha B'av. I feel horribly unprepared and not in the proper state of mind because of the changing winds of my present situation (on Wednesday I leave for Nebraska, and on August 18 I start on my drive to Connecticut). But somehow, everything always seems to fall into place.

Shalom!

The World Wide Web and Chavi.

I have plenty of responding/writing to do about my Faith post, especially since I received several e-mails on the topic in addition to those in the comments field. Believe me, that will probably come Sunday night after some weekend reflection.

But for now, I wanted to post about my last night.

This whole Web 2.0 thing boggles my mind. Twitter, for example. I signed up for it eons ago, and only a couple months ago did I finally log back in and take the time to realize that it wasn't nearly as difficult as I was making it out to be. In fact, there wasn't much to it, and now I'm pleasantly addicted to it. It's sort of like when I got my BlackBerry and it took me a full two days to really feel like I was in sync with it, and not that I was too old and outside the generational gap for that kind of technology.
So last night I went to my first tech-style meetup: A Tweetup. It was at a bar in downtown Chicago on Clark Street and was instigated by some folks at the Chicago Tribune via Twitter and the Chicago Tribune site. The meetup was actually meant for folks of all e-stripes: Flickr users, bloggers, Twitter users, etc. And boy was the showing impressive. I showed up in time to get myself a fancy paper Chicago Tribune hat (which I proudly display here, of course), not to mention a prized "Spoiler Alert" sign held by a one Stephanie Izard -- Top Chef Chicago winner! It's probably as close as I'll ever get to Stephanie, so I'll take what I can get.

But Stephanie, if you're reading this (which you probably aren't), mazel tov on the win and THANK YOU for holding the "Spoiler Alert" sign. Yes, folks, I'm a huge geek.

After my time with the Twitterers and other folks, I headed up north to Belmont and Sheffield for a meetup hosted by OyChicago.com, a website for Jews "in the Loop." I ended up settling in nicely with a crowd of cool folks, including a super cool Sarah Follmer, who has written a few articles for OyChicago already. It was a pretty stellar time, organized by the awesome folks at OyChicago. I just wish I had eaten dinner so I could have stayed longer. But alas, I wasn't feeling so hot so heading out was only very natural. Did I mention that I was a featured Jew You Should Know on the OyChicago site? Yah. So I'm sort of almost but not really at all famous.

I have to say the Web world has swept me up and has me in its grips. I'm a contributor at HeatEatReview.com and JewsbyChoice.org, not to mention that I have this blog and my weight loss blog as well. Really, the e-world is my oyster and slowly but surely I'm taking it by storm. People recognize me on the street (and someone last night at the Tweetup knew me from an event I'd posted) from my "work" on Yelp.com, as well. I'm busy on Facebook and BrightKite, and my Flickr account is growing since I bought a Pro Account, and some of my photos were even used on a music blog!

It's such a big place, the web is. And I'm glad to be so interwoven into it all. Let's just hope that when I head back to school in a couple months I have the same amount of time to devote to these passions I have for social media and networking.

Web site Discovery

A friend, in an attempt to send me an MP3 link for a lecture on the "Conversion Crisis," thus helped me discover a new (to me) website out of Canada: Torah in Motion.

In the "Who We Are" section of the site, it says,

Torah in Motion is dedicated to exploring the intellectual richness and spiritual depths of Judaism and to applying that wisdom to our everyday challenges. We at Torah in Motion create a framework for dialogue among Jews of all ages and backgrounds. Together with some of our Jewish world’s best leadership, program participants examine today’s challenging issues.

We initiate a "conversation" – through either personal attendance or electronically – where we can enrich our lives with knowledge and understanding of Judaism’s role in contemporary society.

From what I can tell, it's an Orthodox-inspired site, but they offer MP3s, conferences, e-classes and other e-inspired tools. It's sort of a fancy adult education-style site.

Now, while trying to get some more info on the site, I came across a pretty accusatory site with some interesting things to say about the organization. I then also came across an article by the Rabbinical Council of America on the founder of Torah in Motion, Rabbi Jay Kelman. Then there's this blog that refers to it sort of as a Modern Orthodox organization.

Anyhow, it seems like there's probably some interesting content on the site, which I hope to perhaps explore and discover. Though, of course, like many of the sites I find, it could simply get lost in my browser history. :)

Two websites and one article.

This is a completely random blog post. Enjoy!

Everyone should join SwapTree.com and pick up some of my books! There's some quality Judaica on there, folks, among other things. You can see what I have and what I want by clicking here. It's such a snazzy idea -- trading movies, music, books and games. Awesome!

On an unrelated note: If you love cupcakes, let me guide you to the Cupcake Project. There are recipes and delicious photos.

And finally, I think this article is incredibly fascinating. It's about a woman from an Ethiopian Jewish tribe who organized Ethiopian seders at a restaurant in Edgewater here in Chicago over the weekend. I wish I had known about the seders! Argh!

The Jews of Ethiopia, known as Beta Israel or “House of Israel,” are a community with ancient traditions. The earliest reference dates back to the Ninth Century.

Most of Beta Israel no longer lives in Ethiopia though. In the 1970s, the rise of a Marxist government led to civil war and famine spread through the Horn of Africa, leading to a series of historic Israeli airlifts – called operations Moses (1984), Joshua (1985) and Solomon (1991) – to save about 42,000 Ethiopian Jews and take them to safety in Israel.

This exodus from Ethiopia mirrors the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and both stories were highlighted in the Seders [Zenash] Beyene hosted. ...

I miss everything,” she said. “I miss my people. I miss my religion.”

In Ethiopia, the Jewish culture was very strong Orthodox, she said. Their customs followed the rules and rituals laid out in the Torah, and are in line with Judaism practiced during the time of Moses.

This is because many Ethiopian Jews believe they are descendants of Moses, since his wife was Ethiopian and his relatives separated from the rest of the Israeli tribes after leaving Egypt. Others believe that they are descendants of Menelik I, the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

Just two things.

Happy Wednesday everyone! It's hump day. So here's a few quick Web links for those out there with nothing to do but click around the internet ...

A Simple Jew has posted an interesting Q&A with Mottel of Letters of Thought about Overcoming Lethargic Davening. It's an interesting read, go check it out.

And for the politician in all of us -- check out GOOGLE MAPS, with primary results. Freaking awesome! Not only that, but you can park the code on your website/blog. I have to say last night's results are disappointing. This means another two months of dragged out political junk. I can't wait to see what kind of mud-slinging begins today :(

Oh, and just for kicks and giggles -- if you have an AIM account, MSN account, GChat, and more, you can talk across platforms with Pidgin. I like having it all in one place, no lie. Plus, my little brother doesn't use AIM or GChat, so if I ever want to talk to him, well, I have to thrust myself into MSN messenger. I hate that thing.

Crazy Busy -- Shutting Down and Zoning Out.

I'm finding it easier to listen to Jewish music right now than any other, except maybe French music. I find that listening to music where the words are more or less sounds (in that, I can only understand bits and pieces) is easier on the heart and the mind. Plus, it's easier to get things done when you aren't listening to the words very carefully like I do. I think I put far too much weight on the words, anyhow. But I'm a sap, I can't help it.

I just saw this bit over on LifeHacker about how Modern Life Inhibits Creativity. I think this is sort of a given, but the tidbit features the book CrazyBusy by ADD expert Dr. Edward Hallowell. LifeHacker says:

"... Hallowell argues that Crackberry culture leads to ADD-like symptoms in people that don't officially have the disorder — a problem he calls Attention Deficit Trait (ADT). While Hallowell's fondness for making up words like "gigaguilt" and "screensucking" can be annoying, the overall message of CrazyBusy is that we all need to slow down and think in order to innovate instead of being constantly on the go in a frenzied (dumb) state of mind."

I'll admit that getting a BlackBerry probably hasn't helped my over-active state of mind, which plays into my inability to sleep, keep a single thought, or be calm for more than a few seconds. Is it ADT? Or ADD? Maybe I should read that book.

The more I think about it, the more I think that I'd be better off to REALLY turn my world off on Shabbat -- not just to not work (though this isn't a problem since I've been reassigned, I don't even check my work e-mail at night or on weekends), but to not check e-mail or use the computer at all. Of course the problem with this is that I have e-mail on my BlackBerry and while I could easily log out, would I also want to detach myself from my phone? Or rather, would I physically be able to?

I think everyone -- Jew or not -- needs a break. A chance to turn off and spend 24 hours un-clutched from the world of technology. One hundred years ago, even 50 years ago, people filled their time well enough, so why do we have so much STUFF and why do we feel like we need to be occupied 24/7? What happened to a good book, sitting, thinking, pondering?

In Shabbat in the Age of Technology, Menachem Wecker writes,

"Aish HaTorah’s Web site calls Shabbat the 'one final parcel of absolute and unconditional silence' in an 'era of Blackberries and Bluetooths,' where peace and quiet are 'basically extinct.' Chabad’s Web site compares Shabbat to 'an island of tranquility in the maelstrom of work, anxiety, struggle and tribulation that characterizes our daily lives for the other six days of the week.' "

In Wecker's article are comments from Carla Rolfe, a Christian blogger, who makes a poignant observation:

"When someone is afraid of silence, it’s often because it forces them to think about things they are normally able to avoid through external stimulation or distraction."

I'll admit that there is a 100 percent truth in this. But it's a chicken or the egg situation. My mind is a rumble, perhaps from the constant e-universe that I reside in, and the only way to quell such a neurotic existence is to take the time to turn it all off, but in turning it all off, I'm left with my thoughts. Is it a practice-makes-perfect situation? If I abstain from technology and the things that keep me tied up for well over 80 hours a week over an extended period, will I find calm, peace, and will my thoughts finally rest and settle? Or it is just a vicious cycle that all the Shabbating in the world cannot cure?

Of course with the idea of "shutting off" comes the need to contact everyone I know who calls me on Shabbat -- okay, maybe just my parents -- to say "listen, don't call." I could well enough leave the calls to my voicemail, and calls would go immediately there, but then my parents will get worried. They'll also forget. Luckily, my phone isn't heavily trafficked by callers. It seems a lot more difficult than it is. And then there's the Internet. To turn my computer completely off is, well, it hurts to think about it.

But so much of observance is taking things one step at a time. You can't just dive right in (or maybe you can, but I'm not willing to do this, it's too difficult and would probably shock my system and send me into some type of withdrawal). So maybe this week I'll turn off my phone, and we'll start there. Then maybe next week, I'll turn off the computer. And then the next week? Who knows. I think the hardest thing to cease and desist from would be writing -- I'm a constant note-taker. I'm sure there's a ruling against using sticky flags in books on Shabbat, as well, but I suppose that would aid a little bit in that problem (and I'm also a compulsive sticky-noter, too).

So now that I'm done rambling about rest, Shabbat, turning off and shutting down -- how do YOU break away? Is it just a few hours? A whole day? Have you achieved zen through ignoring the world? Tell me how you do it, folks. I'm in need of some help shutting off and zen-ing out.

Links 'R Us

So I thought I'd do a quick list here of some links that either have been pointed in my general election or just links that I think are useful, entertaining and/or worth checking out. Of course, the people I'm reading over there to the right are most definitely all worth checking out, so click around and get your read on!

Kosher Academic mentioned a few sites to me, including the Drisha Institute and JOFA, that I thought were worth a mention. The former is in New York and is dedicated to empowering Jewish women to become scholars and educators, running full-time, part-time and summer programs, among other activities. The latter is the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, and their tag states that the group "works to expand the spiritual, ritual, intellectual and political opportunities for women within the framework of halakha." JOFA is a great site for resources whether you're exploring becoming ba'alai teshuvah or those just seeking to become more observant or those just curious about what it means to be an observant Jewish woman in the context of halakha.

Have you or do you intend on applying for graduate school? A useful site for you in the future will be The Grad Cafe. It's a site dedicated to the rejections and acceptances of future graduate students. Click on the "results" page to check out the snarky remarks of those rejected or accepted by their favorite institutions. Likewise, if you're looking for a program/school that supports Judaic studies as a degree, you can visit the Association for Judaic Studies for public school listings in the "resources" section of the page.

Of course I have to mention and recommend everyone hit up Jewsbychoice.org, where I actually posted today. My post talks about all things Jewish -- including the people -- becoming popular in the U.S., and what the implications for this are. In a 2006 Gallup poll, a random sample of Americans were asked how they felt about a variety of spiritual groups/religions in the U.S. Compared to 60 years ago, the results were astonishing. Jews were ranked THE HIGHEST, and Scientoligists were ranked the lowest (below athiests, even). Interesting how that works out.

If you're in a major metropolitan area, I cannot stress enough the importance of a site like Yelp.com. Now, I know plenty of my readers are observant and so the site might seem devoid of significance, seeing as it is seemingly a restaurant review site, but it is so much more. You can review all sorts of businesses, not to mention network and use the Talk forums to meet people. Likewise, I think it would be beneficial to have some kosher voices on the site! Anyhow, it's just an awesome site that I have become horribly addicted to :)

This might be silly, but when I'm looking for certain Torah stuff, I hit up Navigating the Bible II: Online Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutor. It's a really easy-to-use interface and it includes the Hebrew, English, Transliteration, chanting sound bites, blessings, and so much more.

For Jews in Chicago, I must recommend heading over to JewishMeetup.com. It's a slowly growing site that a super nice fella has setup, and it needs bodies! There are a couple of upcoming events, and there are often Hebrew nights, food nights, and a variety of other outings. So head over, sign up, and say hello! On that note, if you're Jewish and in Chicago, be sure to go over to Leah's blog to read about the upcoming Jewish Discovery Shabbat camp for Jews who have converted, are interested in converting, etc. It sounds like a good time ... I might just sign up :)

Is there a question you have about something Jewish that you just can't find an answer to? Head over to AskMoses.com and pose your question to one of the waiting and willing scholars and/or rabbis.

For people with kids, or those who prefer a kid-friendly style site where they can learn bits and pieces about Judaism, pay a visit to this site. It's Social Studies for Kids!

For an online keyboard of Hebrew, you can visit Mikledet, the Hebrew Virtual Keyboard. The great thing is you can type, then copy and paste elsewhere with no difficulty!

All right, I think those are all the links that are fit to print for now. Like I said, check out the blogs to the right and get some good reads on. Michael is a good read for a good read; he's keen on reviewing books, so if you're in the neighborhood for a new read, hit up Michael's blog. If you're an educator or are interested in the topic of education and/or Judaism, I recommend visiting Tamara's or Lift Up Your Head, Child blogs; it's a big bad world out there and I admire both of them for dedicating themselves to the field of education.

A quick, potpourri post.

I have a mighty heavy post in the works, but it's geared more toward the JewsbyChoice.org blog, so you likely won't see it unless I decide to cross-post.

[[[[An aside: As you well know, it's Christmas Eve, here there and everywhere, except for perhaps countries that have already woke up to the tree. I found myself on the bus today trying to figure out why there's so much focus on the "Lonely Jew on Christmas" and little attention is paid to the lonely Muslims or Hindus or Buddhists on Christmas. I mean, what do they do on Christmas? Are there Muslim traditions? Do they eat Greek food or something? I'm curious, but blind to the answer.]]]]

While hopping around throughout the web, I happened upon (as I'm forever in search of JewTech stuff) the Wikipedia entry for "J-Blogosphere," which I found particularly amusing. It says that the first mention of the term appeared in February 2004. That really isn't that long ago, but I guess perhaps that was the birth of the movement of which I am proud to be a member. While perusing the entry, I noticed a mention of a collection of blogs "A Rabbi Must Follow." A list of the blogs can be found here. Note, though, that the list is from 2006, so I imagine some of the blogs have decreased in traffic or perhaps have even gone defunct. Successful blogs are few and far between, despite the efforts of their authors, and that's the reality of the interwebs.

Of course, the more I click around, the more websites I find and the more bloggers I come across. Every time I find a dedicated Jewish gentleman blogging, I cross my fingers and pray for a miracle that maybe one will happen to be my bashert, right? Slap me silly and call me Chavi, but that's just the reality of the situation of being a 24-year-old who spends at least 1/2 her day online between work and blogging and living a web-oriented life. I don't think there's anything sad or pathetic or unfortunate about it. It's more the reality of the life that many of us lead. I've had successes in making some amazing friends online, not to mention a semi-successful relationship that turned out to not really be that successful after all.

Anyhow, the Jewish web is a big, wide world and is sometimes unpredictable, as to what you get and who you meet. I'm just proud to be a part of it as it grows, changes, and helps other Jewish bloggers find their place amid the crowd.

JewTech.

Every (well, almost) Friday when I go to synagogue, I make a point to grab the local Jewish newspaper, as well as World Jewish Digest. One reason I like to pick these up is because there are oodles of interesting ads in them. Most are for Jewish retirement facilities and Kosher catering services, but I also am quite the fan of the interesting Tech Ads that pop up in the newspapers.

One of the interesting ones is KosherNet. What, you ask, is KosherNet? Under their description for what they mean by their use of "kosher," it says:

"Kosher" can also be used to describe other realms of human/Jewish experience. Reading material, entertainment, and parties can all be kosher or non-kosher - appropriate or inappropriate - for a Jew to experience.

So there can be a Kosher or non-Kosher Internet experience too. But, just as with food there are different standards for what is considered kosher or non-kosher, so too with the internet.

So it's basically kosher "parent" controls for the web experience. I guess what I'm wondering, then, is how many people use the service?

Then there's this service called MyFaith, though I can't seem to find a website for it. I read about it in one of the newspapers, and it's basically this service that allows you to upload all sorts of religious technological paraphernalia like wallpapers, ring tones, daily Torah gleanings, etc.

Now we all know there are hundreds if not thousands of sites that allow you to study the Torah or take relevant classes online. You can find websites with the Torah in Hebrew (with and without vowel markings), with the translations, with Rashi's commentary, etc. Likewise, there are plenty of books and websites devoted to living Jewishly amid a growing field of technology (an oft-cited issue is spelling out the name of G-d, and how this is legitimized on the Internet).

There is an interesting story of Rabbi Akiva and his debates with the Roman general, Turnus Rufus. The general asked Rabbi Akiva why Jews circumcise their sons, also asking whether Jews believe they can improve on G-d's creation of man. Rabbi Akiva placed grain and bread before the general and asked him which he'd rather eat. The general made the obvious choice and took the bread, which clearly represented man's improvement on nature. As such, just as baking bread is an act of improving wheat, so is circumcision an act of improving man. The moral of the story is that we are meant to improve on the world; we are partners in creation of all aspects of the world, including technology.

I think it's fascinating to see how special things are made up in order to maintain a "kosher" lifestyle, be this automatic timers, KosherNet, or other technologies that make living Jewishly a little more feasible in an ever-expanding world.

Cheers to you all, and may the week begin with health and happiness!

Random, Episode 5,653.2

So my friend Nic (it feels weird not having a blog to link to, actually) just sent me the link to this hilarious e-card site, so I had to share. One in particular that I am fond of is below, from the "Confessions" card collection.

So send a card. It's almost as good as REAL mail ... right?

Blogs and books.

Talk about the big leagues! At least it feels like it. The JewsbyChoice group blog got a mention on Jewlicious.com the other day, and that, to me, feels like a big deal. I've been getting e-mails from readers with questions and comments, and the conversations on blog posts have been incredibly active. The website has come alive, and I couldn't be more happy to be a part of such an undertaking.

On another note, I just finished reading the first of the Rashi's Daughters series by Maggie Anton. The book (about the eldest daughter, Joheved) seems torn between being a historical text and a love story. I, myself, am particularly drawn to the Talmud commentary and discussions about Torah and ritual. The love story aspect of it is interesting enough, but seems almost forced. There are portions of the book that read as fluid as warm honey and others that dry up as quick as rain in July (fun comparisons, no?!). I often gush over Anita Diamant's "The Red Tent," which is based more on fiction than on fact, considering the historical nature of it. Rashi and his daughters are a little bit more present, of course, but the facts and historical documents aren't as prevalent as documents from even 300 or 400 years ago were (think Gluckel of Hameln!). Likewise, the insertions of "oui" and "mon cherie" into the otherwise English and Hebrew tests grates on my nerves of consistency and plausibility. It reminds me of Dora the Explorer or Passions (the former NBC soap opera), where every now and again one of the Latino family members will toss in a "gracias" or "dios mio" or some other recognizable Spanish phrase, just so we can remember that they're Latino. At the same time, I recognize that the book could be in French, it could be in Hebrew. It could be in English, and it is. I wish I knew French as well as I once did, so I could read the book in French -- perhaps the language it should be entirely written in! But I will pick up the second book (based on the next youngest daughter, Miriam) with wide eyes and a hopeful disposition. The historicity of the books, including the details about the way things are made or performed, is enough to keep even the greatest romance-loathing bookworm like me interested!

Note: I finally got internet at home, so expect some more in-depth Jew-related blogging in the near future!

The most ridiculous anti-Semitic site on the planet.

I really, REALLY hate giving anti-Semitic sites traffic, but WOW have I found a doozy. Such a doozy that it's almost laughable. I'm talking, the most ridiculous site I've seen in a really long time. It says the Oklahoma City bombing was orchestrated by Zionists in Elohim City, Oklahoma. It cites a 1950s case of several missing children who obviously were stolen by Jews and bloodlet to bake the matzo. Not to mention that it chocks the whole Aruba missing teenager thing up to Jews. Black Dahlia? Yup, Jews. Lindberg baby? Jews. Jews Jews Jews ... yes, we've done it all, folks. Mostly in the name of bloodletting.

This web administrator should probably read some history. A book, perhaps. Yes, a book. Several of them maybe.

Vayedaber Adonay el-Moshe lemor...

I'm not going to lie. My love affair with this website is deep, passionate and full of all sorts of educational enlightenment. It not only offers Torah, the transliteration and the translation, but also sound clips of the portion! Did I mention that the Hebrew appears both WITH and WITHOUT vowels? Talk about brilliant. There's a wealth of knowledge here beyond this, though. Within the translation of the text, there are words that are linked to mini-commentary/details at the bottom of the page. Just click and bam, you get some nice tidbit. I suppose I should also mention that the site *is* a bar/bat mitzvah tutor, which is probably why it's full of all sorts of genealogical, reference and help material! The genealogical portion of the site is pretty snazzy ... you can find out the immediate "relatives" of any of the names in Torah! How cool!?!?!?!?!? Now the commentary isn't as detailed or extensive as my Etz Chayim, but it's a pretty stellar way to get the parshah done.

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This week is a combo of Mattot and Ma'sai, which finish up Numbers. The first portion is dedicated to the "holy war" of sorts on the Midianites in order to "avenge" G-d after the events at Baal-peor. The second portion is mostly a recap of the years wandering; that is, where we camped out and what happened.

Though there wasn't a lot in the portions that struck me as intellectually divisive, there was one bit that struck me as relevant. In Ma'sai, there's a portion (Num. 33:53) that reads Vehorashtem et-ha'arets vishavtem-bah ki lachem natati et-ha'arets lareshet otah. In translation this basically is saying that we must clear out the land that G-d has given to us, because, well, G-d gave it to us. I think this is interesting, and the comment points out that this is often cited as evidence that the whole of the land is ours, and probably is where radical Jews get their view for much of the tussle over who Israel truly belongs to, and why some will stop at *nothing* to return the land fully and completely to the tribe.

The other thing I found interesting actually has me backtracking to Mattot. While in the heat of battle, the heads return to Moses and he's all up in arms because the fighters neglected to kill all of the women of sexual maturity when it was they who had seduced the Israelites (Num. 31:14-17). As such, Moses has them return to kill all of them women who were sexually mature (i.e. not virgins). What I'm wondering is how the troops knew who was sexually mature and who wasn't ... what type of test do you formulate to acquire such knowledge of a woman's sexual experiences? I imagine this is something in the Midrash, and perhaps I'll get to looking someday. It seems curious, though, that such large numbers of people would have to be examined in some way to deduce sexual maturity ...

And finally, as I pondered perhaps the difficulty Moses might have had in the demolition of the Midianites because his wife, Tziporah was a Midianite, and after doing some looking and examining, I'm drawn curiously to the long-standing discussion about Tziporah and whether she was a Midianite or a Cushite. I guess that makes me wonder whether Moses would have been upset about it at all, seeing as how it's undecided whether there were two different women, who was a concubine, what Tzippy was, etc. The reason this struck me is because the commentary in Etz Chayim Numbers 31 cites that Moses might not have participated in the physical killing because of his sympathy and concern due to Tzippy's being a Midianite and all. Puzzling!

Here are a few photos from Fourth of July/Baby Reilly festivities in Oak Park at one of the bandmate's house. It was a stellar time. So here's some of the baby photos! Hoo-rah!

This is baby Reilly.

Me with baby!

Ian with baby! But it's going to be six to eight for us :)

And finally, a hilarious commercial that I'm going to send to one of my rabbis because his sermon two weeks ago was all related on the iPhone. SCORE!

Anti-Semitic? I sure as hell think so.

Okay, so I knew Kirk Cameron had gone all Jesusy and had his own ministry going on. But while watching an old, old episode of Full House, I decided to look at his website to see what he's up to (he was guesting on the show, that is). On his ministry's website, there is a detailed description of answers to 100 common questions. Among them is "How Should I Witness to a Jew?" The answer? Well, by golly, be prepared for those stubborn, unsavory, non-religious heathens!

Sadly, many of today’s Jews profess godliness but don’t embrace the Scriptures as we presume they do. Therefore, it is often difficult to reason with them about Jesus being the Messiah. This is why it is imperative to ask a Jew if he has kept the Law of Moses—to "shut" him up under the Law (Galatians 3:23) and strip him of his self- righteousness. The Law will show him his need of a Savior and become a "schoolmaster" to bring him to Christ (Galatians 3:24), as happened to Paul, Nicodemus, and Nathaniel. It was the Law that brought 3,000 Jews to the foot of the cross on the Day of Pentecost. Without it they would not have known that they had sinned (Romans 7:7), and therefore would not have seen their need of the Savior. See Luke 18:20 footnote for how to use the Law in evangelism.

Seriously. This incenses me. It often is "difficult to reason with them" ... well geepers! Sorry we made it so *hard* for you to convert us all into the truth and light of Christianity. Then they say you should ask the Jew whether he's devout, "to 'shut' him up under the Law and strip him of his self-righteousness." UGH. Seriously. WTF? I can't even create coherent thoughts, because this is downright offensive. For more fun go here: Way of the Master.

Interesting. Very very intersting.

Now this is interactive art: http://wafaabilal.com/

Web site redesigns!

Okay, so I got giddy when I heard Lexis-Nexis was doing a Web site redesign, but I sort of hate it. I'm a firm believer that when you redesign your Web site, it should look similar in layout as before, but alter in form. At first, even. You have to EASE the viewer into your new design, not completely flip the page upside down and expect people to be all hot and bothered over it.

On that note, Chabad.org did a marvelous redesign. The site is clean, crisp -- and does not stray so far from the old design that it makes your eyes bleed while searching for the parshah of the week.

Anyhow, check it out. It has me all giddy and excited. And if anything, you can brush up on your Passover rules and regulations. In an online group of which I am a member, there was a query of who was already cleaning out the chametz. I, of course, can't do so yet, as I'm moving in a few days. I do, however, have to read up on how to handle chametz in a roommate situation. Last year I just got rid of all of mine, but was actually traveling for a few days and didn't have to worry about it.

Sheyih'yeh yom tov!

The Internet is GROWING!

Okay, so I ran across a YouTube knockoff yesterday called GodTube, and was sort of like "WTF, mate?" But then today I ran across Yideoz, and am thoroughly amused.

And here's is a spiel on the site:
Yideoz is the online Jewish community for uploading and sharing videos.

Our vision is to bring together the online world-wide Jewish community and provide Jews everywhere with the opportunity to watch, share and schmooze about all kinds of Jewish content videos. Share some scenes from your wild Purim party! Wanna show off your latest stand-up? Has bubbe seen how big the kids have gotten? Do you want to relive that simcha with all of your friends? Would you like to promote your school's/organization's latest video? Send someone a Vcard to wish them Mazal Tov! Tap into this great network to advertise your event, broadcast your shiurim, even create you own video resume.

With Yideoz you can do all that - plus create groups, start discussions, make friends, and more - all in a moderated, safe environment.

Tee hee.

Hamantaschen reviews!

"I'm no expert, but these are *the* best hamentashen I've ever had. Thanks!"

"DELICIOUS hamentashen! Thanks, Amanda."

"They're so soft! How DID you do that?"

Unfortunately, I'm not revealing the recipe. Why? Because I like the idea of making something DELICIOUS and keeping it mysterious.

In other news, thanks to Wandering Jew (formerly of the blog by the same name), I had to share this Web site: The Comic Torah

I'm in love!

I think I'm going to buy one of everything off this site: Shabbat to Go

But really, the Shabbat to go kit and the Seder in a Sac are two purchases I'll be making. Man. And the Havdalah kit. Eeee. Wonderful.

This Seder in a Sac comes with two copies of the megillah, too!

The plagues bag is pretty sweet, too ...

Here's the Shabbat travel kit:
And of course, the Havdalah kit. I intend to fully participate in Havdalah, because it has yet to ever be a part of my personal regiment, darn't!I'd like to think I could wait till I get hitched to ask for such glorious items, but I can't. On the upside, I can wait to get the "Wedding Bag" until the big day ends up coming. I'm getting ahead of myself, though. Don't worry, I'm not running off to Vegas. That is, unless they have a hefty supply of Elvis rabbis and Star Trek-themed chuppahs!