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[agricola]

It is Rosh Hashana - the 'head of the year' - see Lev. 23 for basics (on the seventh month, on the first day of the month...)

Last night we gathered near town, by the river (which is not QUITE dried up - we are experiencing drought) and had a short RH service with the blowing of the shofar (ram's horn) as the Torah directs (it is 'the trumpet blowing holiday'), and then we all adjourned to the house (one of our local members) for a celebratory dinner.

It was very nice. We had about 16 or 18 (I didn't count) and someone from the local paper took photos for a story, which may or may not appear (depends on the editor's needs).

The main discussion at dinner at our table (of six) was about the subject of remembrance (it is also the 'remembrance' holiday - as in, 'remember us unto life, O Lord') and ranged over quite a variety of ideas, eventually.

I spent most of the afternoon cooking - two vegetable kugels, lemon chicken with rosemary, potatoes and mushrooms, and a big pot of broccolini, which is a snap to prepare in a crock pot.

Traditional foods for the holiday - apples and honey, for a sweet year - were on each table. Desserts of fruit salad and apple cakes. It was a really nice evening.

This kicks off the Ten Days of Penitence which culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which is Wednesday next week.

[agricola]

Well, I'm back.

Tuesday I drove to Carson City, and Wednesday (Yom Kippur) I davened (worshiped, prayed) with North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation in Tahoe Vista, CA. The fast was easy for me this year, but I was very tired going into it. I had the honor of reading a portion from the morning service Torah reading (Leviticus 16) and did reasonably well though not as well as I had hoped - the scribe who wrote that congregation's Torah scroll really scrunched his words in closely! Not as nice and clear as in my tikkun (a book for studying Torah readings, which has regular book print (with vowels, punctuation AND the chant notations) in one column, next to a handwritten script just like in a Torah scroll (WITHOUT all those handy marks) plus an English translation plus commentary - it is a very large book!).

Obviously a book can't duplicate every possible permissible 'style' of handwriting. Sigh.

Between morning services and afternoon study session plus evening services, we had about three free hours, and I went down to the beach. Although it is late September, the temps are still hitting near 90 at the lake, and the water was great (I waded out a distance and sat on a (mostly dry) rock).

The afternoon study was on Jonah, which is read during the afternoon services on Yom Kippur. Did you know that 'Jonah' and 'Ninevah' in Hebrew, are acrostics? (except 'Ninevah' uses the 'n' twice).

Some people think the whole Jonah story is a parable (not a real event), and on reading it again, that is a pretty reasonable idea. Since when do hundreds of thousands of people hear one prophet say one thing, and all immediately say 'you're right!' and they put sackcloth on and sit in ashes - along with their cows and sheep?

Ever see a cow in sackcloth? Me neither.

After the sailors tossed Jonah overboard (which they really tried hard not to do) they 'made sacrifices to Adonai and made vows'. Maimonides says that means they all converted to Judaism (the 'made vows' part).

So I slept very well last night, and drove all the way home today, feeling all calm and restful, sins forgiven for another year, destiny written down someplace or other. I hope it is good.

[agricola]

And now it is Sukkot!

I love Sukkot. And I love fall weather (warm days, cool crisp nights). And this year, since I'm not working, I can enjoy the whole holiday, every day of it!

Yesterday we had a potluck event with the local Jewish community, building a sukkah (small hut) in our backyard. About 10 or 12 came (I forgot to count). We grilled kosher hot dogs, bratworst and chorizos (all kosher), and I had beer, soft drinks and water - Barbara brought a green salad and Alex brought a spaghetti squash casserole, and other people brought some other things. It was really good.

We put up our sukkah, decorated it, and sat down and ate. Lots of lively conversations. The holiday actually started at sundown - it lasts eight days but is followed by another holiday the next day, so we won't be really 'done' until early next week.

Main observance:
Sit, eat, 'dwell' in the sukkah! Invite friends. Enjoy. Remember the wandering in the desert (when a hut like this was all there was to be had). Remember the harvest time (when farmers build a hut like this to stay in during the late fall harvest). Be thankful.

Sukkot (aka 'the Festival of Booths') was used by the pilgrims as a model for Thanksgiving.

I'll post a few photos once I get them uploaded.

[agricola]

This is from a couple or three years ago - but you can see the essential elements - a temporary shelter, with a roof of organic material (wood and plants) such that there is more shade than sun, but you can still see the sky.

It is traditional to decorate - but exactly how is up to you! Usual decorations are fruit, flowers, autumn leaves, garlands, posters of Israel or harvest themed things. Add lights to extend your time into the evening, and sometimes people set their sukkot (plural) up to sleep in overnight, too.

They should be comfortable, but not TOO comfortable. We should be reminded that life is made up of fleeting moments, and our tendency to think that our lives are stable is something of an illusion.

Usually at Sukkot, we make our charitable contributions to food charities, refugee relief - things of that type.

[agricola]

This year:

[agricola]

h**p://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/us/for-jewis ... pe=article

short - what happens to your body between death and burial?

I've actually considered joining a chevra kadisha (the name means 'a holy community' or 'friends of holiness' - something like that) once we settle closer to a synagogue. It is both scary and kind of special. I'm not sure I can handle it though.

[agricola]

On 'why are there atheists'?

apocryphal story really - having a hard time finding a reliable reference -

Someone said they heard this in the name of the Apter Rebbe as,

"If everything that exists can teach us to serve G-d, what can we learn from the concept of atheism?" "When someone comes to you for help, don't tell him, 'G-d will help you.' For that moment, imagine there is no G-d, and help him yourself."

Others attribute the story to Rav Kook, and others to the Baal Shem Tov. I'll see if I can find the original eventually.

[agricola]

Rabbi Moshe Leib said:
“There is no quality and there is no power of man that was created to no purpose.
And even base and corrupt qualities can be uplifted to serve GD. When, for example,
haughty self-assurance is uplifted it changes into high assurance in the ways of GD.

But to what end can the denial of GD have been created? This too can be uplifted
through deeds of charity. For if someone comes to you and asks your help, you shall
not turn him off with pious words, saying: ‘Have faith and take your troubles to GD!’
You shall act as if there were no GD, as if there were only one person in all the world
who could help this man - only yourself.

Buber's Tales of the Hasidim, vol 2.

(found it!)

[agricola]

For your entertainment:


There is this thing called 'yeshivish'. It is the English spoken by the more insular orthodox communities among themselves, and it has a healthy dose of yiddish, technical language from Talmud, etc to the point that - quite frankly - I mostly have NO idea what is being said.

I'm in a facebook group which is populated largely by such folks (not all by a long shot, but certainly a very high percentage) and here is a recent post (a question) which illustrates 'yeshivish' (which kind of means 'school talk') quite nicely. Anybody who wants to make a stab at an English translation, be my guest.

If a yungerman moves to Eretz Yisrael with the kavana of moving back to chutz la'aretz after yuntif (which means he's mechuyav to keep two days yuntif even in Eretz Yisrael,) and then on yom sheni shel chag he's machlit to stay in Eretz Yisrael, is he mechuyav to be mesayem the yoim sheni or can he start being noiheg one day yuntif like a ben chutz la'aretz teikef umiyad?

I get about 80% of this, but some of it I'll have to ask someone about later.

[Moogy]

I assume the person who posted that had to turn off spell-check...