Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Rosh
Quick. Tell me all the Hebrew words you know. I bet you know over a hundred. Today, I'll show you that each word you know is actually the root of many many words. Ancient Hebrew from Torah days is used in modern Hebrew, in exciting ways. Since we're at the beginning of the Torah this Shabbat, let's start with the word ROSH. Of course you know that word. "Rosh" means "head", Rosh Hashana is the head or beginning of the year, and the very first word of the whole Torah is B'reishit, "In the beginning". See the word "reish" in there? That's from the same root. Hmmm. Head first. In the beginning, the thought, the idea. Then action. A good suggestion for us - first, use our head. Then our hands and feet. In fact on ROSH Hashana, we say a blessing over the head of a fish, May we enter this year as a head, and not a tail: thinking, planning, intentional, and not just flapping along with everybody else. That makes for problems here in Israel. Do you know how many political parties there are? Neither do I. Ten Jews, Eleven Opinions, they say. Nobody just agrees here. "Rosh" is also in "Rishon", which means first. Sunday is called "Yom Rishon", the first day, so everybody here remembers every Yom Rishon that it is the first day of creation. There are religious people here, and there are many many nonreligious people too, who consider Israel a Jewish homeland, and care about their Jewish identity, but have no interest in religious observance. But everybody calls Yom Rishon Yom Rishon. So: Rosh, B'Reishit, Rishon, and the picture here is of Rosh HaNikra in the north of Israel, right on the border with Lebanon (everything in Israel is pretty close to the border with somebody, or to the sea. It's a narrow country). Rosh - head, Rishon-first, Yom Rishon-Sunday, B'reishit-In the beginning, Rosh Hanikra-an exciting spot where the sea swooshes into white stone caves.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
And In the Beginning
Shalom Chaverim, Hello Fine Friends. What a happy day this is, the Thursday before the Shabbat when we start the Torah from the beginning. And I'm sitting here right where our people received the Torah, many years ago. I'll tell you why I'm starting up this new blog: I want to share some ideas about Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, and about Am Yisrael, the People of Israel, for Tala, whose Bat Mitzvah is coming up this Tu B'Shevat, the New Year of the Flowers and the Trees, for Joshy, whose Bar Mitzvah will be next year, and for Adam and Noah, who are planning a trip to Israel with their grandfather, this coming March. And Shlomo is big already, and for his sister Sunny. Scroll through some of these next posts, which I've borrowed from my grownups blog, where I first started this kids idea. I would love to hear from you at nomikaston@yahoo.com with any ideas you have. We'll do a new Hebrew word each week, and find places in Israel that are fun for kids to visit.
Check out http://www.akhlah.com/ if you want facts about Israel. From me, you'll get tastes and ideas from my own experience.
Joshy is a prayer, dancing here on earth
I have two friends who will become Bnei Mitzvah soon.Joshy is a prayer, dancing here on earth.Since Joshy dreams of celebrating his Bar Mitzvah in the land of Israel, let's dedicate this exploration of Israel both to Tala in Calgary and to Joshy in Kingston.If you were asked to give the history of Am Yisrael in just a very few sentences, what would you say?
I have two friends who will become Bnei Mitzvah soon.Joshy is a prayer, dancing here on earth.Since Joshy dreams of celebrating his Bar Mitzvah in the land of Israel, let's dedicate this exploration of Israel both to Tala in Calgary and to Joshy in Kingston.If you were asked to give the history of Am Yisrael in just a very few sentences, what would you say?
Shana Tova
We don't say, "Happy New Year" at Rosh Hashana. We bless people with a "Good" year: L'SHANA TOVA ! And that makes me wonder, what do we mean by "Good"? A good year will contain far more than happy times. It will overflow with happy, sad, meaningful, sweet, challenging, exciting, wierd, amazing times. Maybe, when we bless people for a good year, we are wishing for a year in which they, and we, will BE good: caring, careful, carefree, shareful, kind, thoughtful, open-minded, flexible. TOV is a interesting word. On each day of creation, as told in the Torah, God looked at his world and said "Ki Tov", that it was GOOD. Not "finished", not "perfect", in fact, only just beginning! But right from day one, TOV, GOOD. And so, let us, this fresh new beginning year, be good to one another, and enjoy this unfinished work in progress, this good good earth. L'Shana Tova!
We don't say, "Happy New Year" at Rosh Hashana. We bless people with a "Good" year: L'SHANA TOVA ! And that makes me wonder, what do we mean by "Good"? A good year will contain far more than happy times. It will overflow with happy, sad, meaningful, sweet, challenging, exciting, wierd, amazing times. Maybe, when we bless people for a good year, we are wishing for a year in which they, and we, will BE good: caring, careful, carefree, shareful, kind, thoughtful, open-minded, flexible. TOV is a interesting word. On each day of creation, as told in the Torah, God looked at his world and said "Ki Tov", that it was GOOD. Not "finished", not "perfect", in fact, only just beginning! But right from day one, TOV, GOOD. And so, let us, this fresh new beginning year, be good to one another, and enjoy this unfinished work in progress, this good good earth. L'Shana Tova!
For Tala at the Beginning of a Wondrous Year
Sweet Tala, What a year we are entering! This year is unique in the history of the whole wide world, because never before or again will it be TALA'S BAT MITZVAH YEAR !!!!! And you are unique in the whole wide world, because the molecules and cells and ideas and songs that are inside you are only inside you and the kisses and kind words you will give can only come from you and from nobody else but you. In the months between Rosh Hashana and Tu B'Shevat I hope to give you some little glimpses of Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel, and Am Yisrael, our people (did you know that "Am", the people, is a singular noun? There is one people of Israel. We don't all think alike, and that is a big part of being Am Yisrael, the Jewish people. In fact they say.......more soon love! It's time for a swim!
Sweet Tala, What a year we are entering! This year is unique in the history of the whole wide world, because never before or again will it be TALA'S BAT MITZVAH YEAR !!!!! And you are unique in the whole wide world, because the molecules and cells and ideas and songs that are inside you are only inside you and the kisses and kind words you will give can only come from you and from nobody else but you. In the months between Rosh Hashana and Tu B'Shevat I hope to give you some little glimpses of Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel, and Am Yisrael, our people (did you know that "Am", the people, is a singular noun? There is one people of Israel. We don't all think alike, and that is a big part of being Am Yisrael, the Jewish people. In fact they say.......more soon love! It's time for a swim!
When Tala Sings, the Angels Weep
Tala is earnestly learning and practicing for her Bat Mitzvah. Her teacher, the wonderful Morah Sandy Corenblum, wrote, "When Tala sings the words of Torah the angels are weeping I am sure." I've known and loved Tala's sweetness since the day she was born, and her mother Jayda has been an inspiration to me forever. Tala's Bat Mitzvah will be on Tu B'Shevat, the New Year of the Trees, a fitting time for a mother and daughter who so love flowers and trees and the beautiful things of this world. When Jayda told me her plan to bring Tala to Israel next summer, I knew immediately how we could have a happy and beautiful time, swimming at the Sachneh, splashing in the waterfalls at Ein Gedi, floating in the crazy bouyancy of the Dead Sea and jumping the waves at the beach beside our house. And Netanya has the best ice cream this side of Victoria. But I want to share with Tala the miracle significance of the land of Israel too. I have an idea. I will try, from now until Tu B'Shevat, to write a little note each day to her, about Israel and about Am Yisrael. It may be right here on To Life!, or it may become a separate blog called, "When Tala Sings". To Tala! To the words spoken to Abraham when this land was first promised to him, "And you will be a blessing". Tala, you are a blessing.
Tala is earnestly learning and practicing for her Bat Mitzvah. Her teacher, the wonderful Morah Sandy Corenblum, wrote, "When Tala sings the words of Torah the angels are weeping I am sure." I've known and loved Tala's sweetness since the day she was born, and her mother Jayda has been an inspiration to me forever. Tala's Bat Mitzvah will be on Tu B'Shevat, the New Year of the Trees, a fitting time for a mother and daughter who so love flowers and trees and the beautiful things of this world. When Jayda told me her plan to bring Tala to Israel next summer, I knew immediately how we could have a happy and beautiful time, swimming at the Sachneh, splashing in the waterfalls at Ein Gedi, floating in the crazy bouyancy of the Dead Sea and jumping the waves at the beach beside our house. And Netanya has the best ice cream this side of Victoria. But I want to share with Tala the miracle significance of the land of Israel too. I have an idea. I will try, from now until Tu B'Shevat, to write a little note each day to her, about Israel and about Am Yisrael. It may be right here on To Life!, or it may become a separate blog called, "When Tala Sings". To Tala! To the words spoken to Abraham when this land was first promised to him, "And you will be a blessing". Tala, you are a blessing.
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