בנשמה

Husband here. Doesn't take much to say that this Tisha B'Av is VERY DIFFERENT than the one I had last year. Could it still be meaningful? Could I/we still feel the pain of the destruction when there is so much other pain around us? Is "virtually mourning" an adequate substitute for the real thing in front of real people and seeing with my own eyes what is missing? I will attempt to answer these questions, but above all, and I find it interesting that no one I listened to today or last night mentioned this, in one way it is easier to connect this year because just about all of us are experiencing Churban - destruction. Our shuls, while the buildings may still physically exist, they are merely shells. We can't gather in them, and our reading of Eichah/Lametnations in the streets, allowed me to vividly imagine the singing of the same Lamentation the first time it was sung in the streets immediately following the destruction of the Temple. I'm not one to read in...

Our first EVER pet. Hope we don't kill you.

About halfway through the year, our street name was changed to Binyamin. Now Waze identifies the new street and all is well. We can get Burgers Bar.  We are fortunate to be moving in 5 days (wow!) right around the corner to another rental house in the project. And the next big focus is, we hope, a permanent home that we can call our own.  Words I shared with our current neighbors before exiting the group chat: Dear neighbors: Before things get busy... we want to express our sincere gratitude for the warmth, kindness and support that you showed us throughout the year. We feel fortunate not to move too far (Sun, Aug 2 to 30א on ראובן).  Befitting words to our street and thoughts as we approach 9 be'av (may it be our last 🙏)  -  Devarim perek 33 pasuk 12 states "לבנימין אמר ידיד ה' ישכן לבטח עליו חפף עליו כל היום ובן כתפיו שכן."  Rambam goes on to explain the meaning of 'Yedid Hashem.' Why is Hashem described as a friend? And how does this fit int...

Alright, yes, Legos are expensive, but this was well worth it. For this week's Summer Friday we went to the Dinosaur Lego Exhibit in Holon, by Park Peres. The Purple Standard, as it is called here, was kept as strictly as they said it would be. Honestly, the area was empty (the exhibit itself from 10-12 apprx 50 people) and everyone social distanced. Workers disinfected surfaces and made sure masks continued to be on.  In price comparison, we spent less than it would to go to the famous wax museum in NYC. The Lego store featured 20% off and Josh missed buying the new White House model by 5 minutes.  After completing the exhibit and safe play (set up into pods, every station with hand sanitizer and children were not allowed to mix into boxes not given to them) we enjoyed paddle boating on the man made water pool and ice cream in the shade.  We hope Summer Fridays continue and that we can do our part experiencing safe entertainment while supporting the economy. ...

I remember as a little girl having lice in Israel, twice. We would often come for the summers and go to school, so my mom would have to deal with these pesky little insects. One case was so bad that upon getting back to the USA, the pediatrician ordered a special shampoo. The amount of dead lice that came out in the tub was a sight. The second time I had lice in Israel, my mom picked out nits while we were waiting for a bus at the station. Suddenly there were siren sounds for a chafetz chashud. She was so calm during it all and just kept checking and picking them out. Even as the bag was popped and ended up being just clothing scattered around the road, she seemed indifferent.  Our daughter hasn't had lice since she was 2 years old, so we have been lucky not to use combs and do weekly checks. Imagine the surprise to find that after two weeks, her head was infested. We learned about the importance of not just going to school in a ponytail (which she did every day) bu...

Officially one year in the Holy Land (remembering the fireworks in Sharon and 3 days later, we boarded a flight on this new adventure). Social distancing but no masks at the beach...but, we'll take what we can get. And ah yes, notice the name of the beach in Ashkelon: Hey there, Delilah Don't you worry about the distance I'm right there if you get lonely Give this song another listen Close your eyes [...]  I'm by your side.  Hey there Delilah A thousand miles seems pretty far But they've got planes and trains and cars I'd walk to you if I had no other way [...]  And we'd just laugh along because we'd know That none of them have felt this way Delilah, I can promise you That by the time that we get through The world will never ever be the same ---- Feeling grateful to our past.  Blessed for our present and hopeful for the future.  A happy 4th of July and prayers of peace, safety to all around the world.  This weekends menu: Chicken soup Lemon turkey  Sea...

Been asked frequently about the shul we go to in Beit Shemesh -- wanted to share information about the SAVYON area which is attracting Anglo families looking for a house with a yard (either private or du-mishpachti). Anglo Shul: https://www.facebook.com/etzchaimbeitshemesh/ | https://etzchaimshul.wordpress.com/author/etzchaimshul/ **Features Tefilat Yeladim and shiurim for women / men. Kiddush on Shabbat rosh chodesh. There's also two Sephardic shuls. New park down Shvil Hacharuvim & Apple Park, close to Beit Shemesh library and Matnas, buses to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Closest Grocery Store: Achim Yaa'kobi on Ha-Brosh St, Beit Shemesh. Next closest, Super Hatzlacha. MMM Grill https://www.facebook.com/MMMrestaurnat/ . The other day we went to Bakefshelanu that is on Hanurit. Nothing like a 5 p.m. run before Shabbat for grape juice. Was pleasantly surprised by how clean and organized that store was and had to resist buying Milano milk chocolate cookies (Super Hatz...