There's always more to read on my other blogs, Shiloh Musings and me-ander.  Me-ander is hosting a contest promoting Suzy Fishbein's new book  Kosher by Design Teens 20-Somethings: cooking for the next generation , which includes a free book for the contest winner.  And the latest Kosher Cooking Carnival was posted on Sunday.

I wasn't in Shiloh during yesterday's fire at Tel Shiloh, but I may have stumbled on another news item.

Under the Cover of Darkness

They make me very suspicious.

PS The pictures were taken north of Jerusalem on the way to Shiloh. I'm pretty sure I took these between the "Maavar Michmas-Psagot" turn-off and the "T Junction" to Beit El.

In order for this to happen, we must stand up strong, fearless and daring, like a mother lion protecting her cubs, to defend our Land and our People and our rights.
Chodesh Tov!  I want to get this posted before going to pray at Tel Shiloh with my women's group.  As usual, you can find more of my articles on Shiloh Musings and me-ander.  Have a wonderful month, Shabbat and week to come.

Proper Use of Strength, Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers

One Wednesday evening, after an inspiring morning in Matan, I traveled with neighbors to nearby Eli for a shiur by Miram Wolf, which was in memory of a friend's mother.  When Miriam had lived in Eli, she gave us classes in TaNaCh, Bible, and we were very excited to have the opportunity to hear her again.

This time she took a mishne from Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, V, 20.

 כ. יהודה בן תימא אומר: הוי עז כנמר; וקל כנשר; ורץ כצבי; וגבור כארילעשות רצון אביך שבשמים. הוא היה אומר: עז פנים לגיהנם; ובושת פנים לגן עדן. יהי רצון מלפניך ה' אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו שיבנה בית המקדש במהרה בימינו, ותן חלקנו בתורתך. 20. Judah the son of Teima would say: Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, fleeting as a deer and mighty as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven. He would also say: The brazen--to purgatory; the bashful*--to paradise. May it be Your will, L-rd our G-d and G-d of our fathers, that the Holy Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days; and grant us our portion in Your Torah.

We spent the evening trying to define the terms.  The question concerned the word עז, oz, strength/daring which is used in contrasting positive and negative instructions.

We are told to be as עז, oz, strength/daring  as a leopard, but the phrase עז פנים oz-pannim, brazen is negative, leading to hell.  The opposite is ובושת פנים boshet-pannim which they translate as "bashful," which we translated/explained as "humble before G-d."

And that is supposed to be the way to Heaven. What is this עז oz?  What is the message here? I'm a political commentator, observer of people and events.  I also believe very strongly in G-d and the Jewish religion.

 I think that this mishne, law, summarizes very well what I've been trying to say on Shiloh Musings for a long time. In order for us to be redeemed:

יהי רצון מלפניך ה' אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו שיבנה בית המקדש במהרה בימינו, ותן חלקנו בתורתך. May it be Your will, L-rd our G-d and G-d of our fathers, that the Holy Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days; and grant us our portion in Your Torah.

In order for this to happen, we must stand up strong, fearless and daring, like a mother lion protecting her cubs, to defend our Land and our People and our rights.  But at the same time we must be humble before G-d and not rewrite His Laws, nor may we adopt foreign and perverse moralities and ideologies.

Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov!

Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan at Tel Shiloh

Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan

Women's Prayers at Tel Shiloh

Friday, October 8, 2010

at 9:30am

 ראש חודש חשון תפילת נשים בתל שילה

 יום ו', 8/10 9:30

I blog much more frequently and on a wider variety of topis on my other blogs, Shiloh Musings and me-ander.  Please visit them and enjoy.  Pass around the links.

Will Jonathan Pollard be released from American prison this year and allowed to make aliyah to Israel?  Here's my take on the very difficult subject:

Jonathan Pollard? No Gift For Netanyahu

I can't see Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu giving the United States anything for the release of Jewish prisoner Jonathan Jay Pollard.  It's not that any truly moral human being thinks that he should still be in prison, it's just that Bibi does not want  to embolden the Pollard protest movement which is extremely Right wing Israeli and uncompromising.   And they're angry, not only angry with the United States for its totally out of proportion and unprecedented punishment of Pollard for giving information to an ally, but they're furious with the Israeli governments and Intelligence establishment for abandoning Pollard for decades.

Jonathan and Esther Pollard are a couple of loose cannons, and there's no doubt in my mind that at this point in time the Israeli government is terrified of what they would say unmuzzled.

So, to whoever had that idea of bribing Bibi to continue the Jewish YESHA building freeze in exchange for Pollard, you're barking up the wrong tree!

Our three week marathon of Jewish Holidays has almost ended.  Soon it will quiet down.  When I was an English Teacher, this was the most serious part of the school year, until Chanukah.  G-d willing, we'll be blessed with rain, whether we deserve it or not.  I write much more frequently on Shiloh Musings and me-ander; please visit. You may find those blogs more enjoyable and entertaining than this one. And check out the comments which are very different from the ones here.

Really Surreal, Facts and Fiction in The Holyland

I just came back from a lovely few hours at Tel Shiloh.  There were totally peaceful and enjoyable activities for the entire family.  You wouldn't have believed that international politicians, diplomats and the media are raising a storm about our living in our historic and holy Land. It sure seemed quiet and relaxing here.

It's the Succot holiday, and there has been lots of building here in Judea, Samaria and the entire Jewish World.

First Succot Glances

"I've seen your kitchen before." My head was spinning.  How could she have seen my kitchen?  She had never been in the house. "You posted pictures on your blog showing it all covered for Pesach."

It's amazing how quickly some people seem to be ready to live in their new rooms.  Will the Appease Now activists come and volunteer to help us take apart our succot after the holiday and put the peaces pieces away?

Spying Succot in Jerusalem