Progress and Shabbat

Ayelet's Room

Eliana's Room

Eliana's Room

Ayelet's Room

Well, we have some BIG progress in the upstairs of the house! Two of the three bedrooms of the girls are essentially finished with the third to be done in a day or so. Above are some pictures of the two rooms.

While I have still been installing lots of new items (new construction...we need to install everything that would be in an existing home!), and we have the people coming tomorrow to install the shower doors (finally), we still have plenty of unpacking to do still...but at least we have no deadline in which to do it!

We spent our first Shabbat away from home with our friends Noni and Eddie Weiss in Ramot Gimel. It was an extraordinary Shabbat. The location, food, atmosphere, Kedusha, etc etc all were so wonderful. After Shabbat, on the way back home, I kept thinking how grateful I am that we can spend Shabbat in Yerushalyim and then can also go back home only 20 minutes away. What a Zechut!!

So, more work tomorrow and more to do...but I am looking forward to it...moving ahead...moving ahead...

Shavua Tov from Maale Adumim

Installation Week

This week has been punctuated by various installation activity, both by me and various tradesmen coming in and out of our home. As far as my work...I mounted dozens of small Ikea (Lo Alenu) containers called Trones on various walls which will serve as additional storage for small items (including shoes). I also began installing various medicine cabinets and other storage type units around the place. The "problem" is that since the walls are cement, every single time I drill for these items it comes with a big clean-up time as well.

Then, we got our security bars and our screens on Wednesday. A group of four people very professionally installed the bars, screens and miscellaneous hardware during a 5 hour process. My neighbor, Avigdor Chen, working alongside his son, Moshe and two other fellows. They were prompt, courteous, and professional! I am very grateful, as I have mentioned in other posts, how special it is to have Dati workmen come to the home and do what they do. (BTW...VERY high recommendation to use Avigdor!)

While the bars were being installed, we also had a locksmith stop by to change our front door lock, the phone rang many times and the noise from the elevator shaft (where they are diligently working) was growing louder and louder. It was actually comical to sit back and take in all the activity and hubub going on!

Back to more installing...once the place is looking more organized (and we are getting there slowly but surely) I will take some pics and send them along.

There is a drill around here somewhere calling my name....

Time

I have noticed something recently...I have always been aware of what day it is, what day of the week, what point in "the year" we were at, etc. But ever since we have arrived, it seems that time has become almost a non-entity. What I mean is that I seem to have no idea of what the date is and what day of the week it is. I find this happens to me VERY often! In past years, at this point in the summer, I would have been deep into writing Drashot for the Yamim Noraim (as I have mentioned) and at the same time, preparing for the upcoming school year for the Gemara to be taught, etc. THOSE served as markers of sorts as to the "time of year" and the dates that were passing. I often find myself looking at the computer calendar or my watch just to see what date it is indeed! (As far as the TIME OF DAY...that I am aware of. It is mostly the bigger picture that eludes me at times.)

And speaking of time...This time of year invariably I have had a group in Israel for a brief visit. On every single trip (whether with a group or not), I always had the same feeling once I landed: "HURRY UP! You have only a limited amount of time here before you have to return to Chicago." Honestly, I felt that way for the first two weeks I was here. The sense (see Macbeth Act 1 Scene VII) that "When 'tis done, when 'twere done, then 'twere well it were done quickly," was the feeling I constantly had...Hurry up and do what you need to do, because soon, you need to go back. It is only in the past couple of weeks that this feeling seems to have dissipated. I do not feel that I need to do things quickly because I am going to leave. When I see posters in Yerushalyim announcing the time of the start of Shabbat of the coming week, I do NOT feel, "Oh, I won't be here anyways," as I felt in the beginning.

Time is indeed all relative. Now that I have a job BARUCH HASHEM and we are quite far into the unpacking process (a ways to go but getting there), I am sure that time will once again begin to have a certain relevance. Indeed, part of my job wil be "selling" time...time in the Land of Israel...I am so excited to be able to do this.

As long as I am writing about "time," I am adding here one of my favorite pieces about "time." In addition, it is very meaningful as we approach Elul. (WHAT!?!?? Elul?? That means that Rosh Hashana is around the corner!)




The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it
-- Omar Khayyam

The Job...

First of all, I thank all of you who made comments or emailed me to congratulate me on the new job. I appreciate all of the good wishes!

As far as some details...the name of the company for whom I will be working is Tlalim. (The name has no bearing on the business. It is named after two girls named Tal, the daughters of the founders). They have been around for many years, and their business is bringing people to Israel on many different types of trips. One of their divisions is geared towards educational tours of Israel of various lengths of time. They are the largest "supplier" of attendees of the popular Birthright program and have brought thousands of people to Israel over the years.

Their website may be seen here: http://www.tlalimgroup.com/default.asp?lang=en


MY position will be a marketing position. I will be responsible for identifying groups (large and not-so-large) in the English-speaking Orthodox communities in North America, who will come to Israel for a variety of trips. Among the different ideas: bringing parents and their kids who will be going to Yeshiva and Seminary the next year in order to check out different schools, learn along the way and do some touring. Other types of trips will be family-oriented; schools; Shuls; and the list goes on and on.

And here is where YOU can help as well! This has been a passion of mine for MANY years, and now I get to do it for my job as well. In order to be succesful, I must identify where there are potential groups looking to put together a trip. If you (or anyone else whom you know) are thinking about a trip to Israel, please be in touch with me about it. I will in the not-too-distant future put out an "official" list of the types of trips. But, in the interim, if there is any interest even now, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I love organizing trips, and I love bringing people to Israel...I am thrilled that I have such an opportunity. If you have any questions about potential trips or if you have someone you think I should contact, please contact me.

In the meantime, I wish everyone a Shabbat Shalom. This will be our 5th Shabbat in Israel and each one is better than the last one!

I Have Some Catching Up To Do!

It has been a number of days since I last wrote, and some significant things have happened in the interim, so I am going to use this entry to catch up a bit.

1. Aronot...Closets: YAY!!! We finally have aronot. This will allow us to take a lot of items that until now had been in boxes and suitcases and finally put them "where they all belong." It will go a long way to making the clutter less. It took them almost 2 hours to shlep all the parts down the (85) steps to our place and about 3 1/2 hours to assemble. They were quick, efficient and gone.

2. A Job...I HAVE A JOB...Baruch Hashem! I am going to use my next entry to give more details but "b'kitzur" I will be working with a long-established company that runs trips to Israel (educational and other types). My job will be to market various programs to the English-speaking, Dati (Orthodox) communities in North America. I do indeed plan to share much more on that tomorrow when I am more awake..I look forward to sharing these details with you soon. But in the meantime, I must publicly thank HKB"H for enabling the first four weeks of our Aliya to be completely atypical..lift came on time; no horror stories to tell; I got a job etc etc...as is noted in this week's Parasha, we can never think that MY power and MY strength gave me all of this...it is ALL from Hashem!

3. Communications...I finally returned my temporary cell phone today and picked up the SIM-card for the new (permanent) one. Only problem is that the phone was dead, and I was in Jerusalem for many hours with no phone communication and no access to email (no more Blackberry.) I felt SO lost! I just plugged in to charge the phones and will share the number soon...once I remember it!

4. Har Herzl...I was at Har Herzl this afternoon. I was supposed to be there for a memorial service for Avi Grogan (hy"d) but somehow, the signals got messed up, and we never met up. In any event, I took the opportunity to walk into the cemetery to walk around for a few minutes. I walked over to the grave of Herzl and stood there in that huge open area...ALL ALONE. I have been there MANY times before, but this was the first time I stood there completely alone. It was so peaceful and quiet...putting all politics, etc aside...it was a moving moment.

Ok...there is still lots more to write but I am afraid I will be typing gibberish soon; so before that happens I am going off to f78fp-0erg90u7sdvk 0rtjzsgdcv-9urgv;dovfh984,d;vkbnf 0^^*rwegklvhos9...

:)

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Religious Reflections

One thing that I have not completely addressed on this blog is the RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL aspects of Aliya that I have encountered. While some may be too personal to publicly address, others are fine for public consumption.

1. Tefilla...While I have ALWAYS placed a high priority on davening/tefilla/prayer, and I have taught classes over the years in it as well, I must tell you that my kavana (concentration, thought process, etc) is completely different here! First of all, I can daven at the pace I want to and can concentrate more on what I am saying. Since the minhag (custom) in most places is that the one leading the davening waits for the Rabbi to finish his Shemona Esray before the repetition begins, I was always mindful of this and did not want to go too long so as to cause a situation of "tircha d'tzibura" (loosely translated as a burden on those present). I considered it a hazard of being a Shul Rabbi. But at this stage, I feel free to daven as long as I wish, and it has made a HUGE difference in my davening.

2. Mitzvot...I can honestly say that I remember back to the day I put on my Tefillin for the first time. The newness and excitement were palpable. Every time I saw a young man put on his Tefillin for the first time, I tried to encourage him to keep that fervor and excitement as long as possible. Sadly, like most people, the action of day-to-day Mitzvot, such as Tefillin was not always met with the same excitement and fervor as it was when I first put on the Tefillin 37 years ago. HOWEVER, that zeal, excitement and joy at doing "even" the daily Mitzvot has come back VERY strongly, and I am acutely aware every time I am making a Bracha, putting on Tefillin, putting up a Mezuzah, etc, etc, etc. It is SO hard to put into words this feeling of "newness" (that I realistically fear will not last for 70 more years) at doing all of the Mitzvot. It is a wonderful feeling!

3. Closeness to Hashem...One other thing I have always strived to do is fulfill "dvekut Ba'shem" (cleaving to Hashem). At this time of year, for the past 10 years, I would be sitting writing my High Holiday sermons, and summer therefore became intense periods of reflection and introspection. This year, with no sermons to write (although I may STILL write and email out a pre-Yom Kippur "Three Images" speech!), I have had even more opportunity for introspection. The closeness to Hashem, the feelings of "I am HOME"...His home...and that I am (hopefully!) giving Him "nachas" that I/we are here, makes me feel even closer. Put it this way...if you recall the look on your parents' face when you did something that made them proud, you felt a closer bond than before...THAT is what I am feeling now.

4. I have never felt prouder to be a Jew! No further explanation needed on this one...

Once again, Shabbat was magnificent. We actually ate at home, by ourselves, for the first time in months. Back in Chicago, we ate out for a number of weeks before our departure and the first three weeks here, we had invitations every week. It was nice to be alone in our home in Maale Adumim for a Shabbat meal.

Looking forward to a post-Tisha B'Av week coming up. Nice to hear music again!

I Finally Posted Videos on YouTube

When we moved to Israel, the shul, KJBS, was kind enough to give me a Flip Video camera as a gift. While I have been shooting some video along the way, I only got around now to posting them on YouTube. They are all short (about 30 sec each) and invite you to watch them at your leisure.

1.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y-0WujyKuk (At JFK with all our luggage)

2.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr1pe6I4VJQ (How they got all our "stuff" into our home

3.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_tlCGuup8c (A view from our backyard)

4.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaBaenJ_Z04 (The view inside as we begin to get set up.