Truly Awesome!

foreground: Hubbard Glacier

I don't know when the word "awesome" became the new way to say "sounds good" but I've made it my personal crusade to use the word only when something truly is. The dictionary translates awesome as "extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring wonder and veneration somewhat mixed with fear...". Not the word I would use when someone says "I'll be over at 6:00" or "The supermarket's having a sale on cereal". But in just one week at the end of this past August, I must have used the word more times than in the entire past year. 

Mom wanted to go on a trip and asked me to accompany her. Mom wanted something "different". Switzerland? (She'd been there.) Grand Canyon? (Too hot.) And so, next thing we knew, we were on a (kosher) cruise - to Alaska! Never in my wildest dreams... 

A long way from my beloved holy Land but truly "inspiring wonder and veneration mixed with fear". No, I wasn't frightened by the mild seasickness I experienced in the first 24 hours but awed by He who created the magnificent mountains, waters and wildlife we saw on our trip and of what He expects from us in return for His awesome gifts. With ports of call in Juneau, Sitka and Ketchican and an afternoon spent observing the Hubbard Glacier calve its icebergs into the ocean, my feelings of awe were overwhelming. 

The last full day of our cruise was Shabbos - and the first day of the month of Elul. The view of the sunset

from the windows of the make-shift shul (synagogue) on the ship was the perfect backdrop for the services that ushered in the month most auspicious for closeness to our Creator. What a spectacular way to begin my preparations for the Days of (true) Awe ahead! 

And now they are upon us. So allow me to wish you and yours a happy, healthy, truly awesome Rosh Hashanah and new year. May all your prayers be answered with G-d's abundant and apparent blessings, miracles and wonders. And perhaps a truly awesome trip thrown in for good measure. 

What does all this have to do with Remembering Jerusalem? Well, I could stretch the topic to make the connection but I'll leave that to your imagination. Meanwhile, below, my Rosh Hashanah poem with, as always, a new stanza for the new year. Warmest regards from Bill, the rest of the gang...and Mom.

Rosh Hashanah 5780

We ponder again the year in review;

what was accomplished, what's still left to do. 

Looking back, we can count all the ways we've been blessed

and assess how we've scored on G-d's many tests.

So many should’ves and could’ves but didn’t. 

Surely I would’ve if my heart had been in it. 

No more excuses! Or at least not as many. 

Gotta work hard to make hardly any…

What have I learned in the year that has passed? 

That no two people will take the same path.

Be it highway or foot bridge, a road lies ahead. 

Walk yours with G-d, King Solomon said.
(I just noticed that the "paths" in the pic are shaped like a shofar!)

Our heartfelt prayers and beloved traditions
see us through challenges and transitions. 

From day to day, from year to year 
our faith and our trust calm every fear.

The years come and go in the circle game. 

Events ever-changing; the cycle, the same. 

Like wood being shaped by the artisan's lathe, 

we marvel at eych ha'galgal mistoveyv.

How do I even begin to say

thank You for all that You’ve sent our way?

For the obvious blessings; the hidden ones, too,

gently prodding me to reach out to You.

We'll begin a new calendar, start a clean slate,

fill it with good deeds and character traits;

with memorable moments and meaningful days, 

months full of emulating G-d’s holy ways.

We'll look for the signs that come from Above, 
signs of Hashem's unconditional love.
Signs of the times, signs of the seasons,
Time to make changes for all sorts of reasons.

Yomuledet Sameyach! Congratulations, dear Earth,
on the 5,780th year since your birth. 

What shall we wish you on your special day? 

Global peace. Gentle weather. Prosperity.

Each truly awesome piece of our planet

is the work of His hands so that we can man it. 
Inspiring wonder and veneration,

gifts to humanity, to every nation.

Soon the air will turn brisk; the foliage, bright.
First, the table we'll set and the candles we'll light.

The challahs are baked; the honey dish glistens.
The shofar will blow; to its call we will listen. 

Ripe pomegranates bursting with seeds

remind G-d of our merits, not our misdeeds.
The angels are ready to plead every case 

to the Almighty King Whose judgment we'll face.

May He grant us good health and joy that is true, 

contentment and nachas and simchas "by you". 

Let this be the year that He takes our hands 

and leads us back Home to our holy Land.

May we all exercise our right to return

to our Source, to our Land, to the lessons we learn

from our Torah, the treasure that keeps us alive

as we wait for Mashiach, soon to arrive.

Now we are ready, the holiday's here.
May it be the start of a wonderful year.
As we don our finest, it is so nice to know
that for Rosh HaShanah we're all Good to Go!

The Vision and The View - A Short Story

Once upon a time, there lived a young couple, blessed with several young children, in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. They were there on a mission: to welcome Jewish young adult tourists to the holy City; to provide them an inexpensive place to stay while they learned about their Judaism and experienced it "hands on".

They were successful to the point where they needed more room to accommodate more students so they decided to move out of the "dorm mother's apartment" in the hostel where they had been living. Now they just needed to find another home for themselves...

The couple was not asking for much. A roof over their heads with enough room for their kids and their basic necessities. Funds were limited. But if the real estate motto "location location location" rings true, it rings loudest in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. Available apartments are few and far between. Rental prices are high - and for good reason. The "Rova" (as it is called in Hebrew) is, after all, the center of the universe!

The Jewish Quarter is not very large and word of mouth travels quickly. Friends and neighbors were on the lookout. Rental agents were doing their best but nothing suitable could be found. The search continued until one agent finally said: "There is only one other apartment that I know of..."

They went to see the apartment and it was everything they needed - and then some. There was even a small room with a separate entrance that they could use as an office for their outreach efforts. And the price was right. They said "We'll take it!" to which the real estate agent replied "Wait! You haven't seen the view from the porch". The young couple weren't particularly interested in the view. The apartment would be perfect for their work and provide enough room for their family and that was all that mattered. But the agent wouldn't take no for an answer. "You must come see the view." He walked them across the living room/dining room area and directed them toward the glass doors leading to the porch. And this is what they saw:

They could hardly believe their eyes. This was one of the Rova's most incredible views of the Temple Mount, the Western Wall and a panorama extending many miles in several directions. To rent an apartment with such an amazing view should cost a small fortune but the owners were asking a fraction of what they could get. There had to be a catch. And indeed there was.

When they asked their rental agent, he explained that the elderly owners had moved away two years earlier and many potential renters had since been brought to see the apartment. "But the owners insist on meeting anyone who expresses interest...and in the end they say they're not renting it out. Perhaps they're a bit senile. Or just difficult. This has been a great source of frustration for rental agents which is why I was reluctant to show you the apartment. I knew you would like it and I didn't want you to be disappointed. That said, if you're still interested - and you can handle rejection, I will contact the owners."

The young couple had nothing to lose. A meeting with the owners was arranged. The elderly woman spoke on behalf of herself and her husband who sat at her side. She asked the young couple to tell their story. They shared their vision and told the elderly couple why they needed a new place to live. They spoke with sincerity and excitement about the many young Jews they had met and taught and brought closer to their Judaism - and of their dream to do more. When they were done, the old woman glanced at her husband. Without a word uttered between them, the woman turned back to the young couple, smiled and said "Chikinu lachem" - We have waited for you.

She went on to explain that for many decades, her husband had been the Rosh Yeshiva (dean and spiritual leader) of a yeshiva in the Rova for young men of sephardic descent. He taught Torah to hundreds of students and guided them to live meaningful Jewish lives. Although age and infirmity had taken their toll and the couple could no longer continue their holy work or climb the narrow stairway to their apartment, they were only willing to rent it to someone who shared their passion for teaching Torah and bringing Jews closer to their heritage.

All the potential renters they had met until now had wanted the apartment for their own pleasure, including the view from the porch. The owners were prepared to wait for someone who would use the apartment to continue their life work in their own unique way. They had finally met who they were waiting for.

Papers were signed and the deal was sealed. The young couple left the meeting overwhelmed with gratitude to the Almighty for this extraordinary gift. They wondered how they could possibly thank Hashem for His kindness and generosity. And then they knew... The only way to say Thank You would be to share this gift with others.

Their home, their porch and their view are now open to all. Schools bring their students on class trips, young men bring their dates there to propose and I merited visiting them one glorious Shabbat afternoon last January when I heard their story from the lovely lady of the house. (I went back later in the week to take these photos.)

The young couple in the story are Matan and Chaya Weisberg

directors of the Heritage House which was originally founded by Rabbi Meir Schuster, obm. To read more about who they are, what they do, and to support their work click here. And tell them I sent you to arrange a visit to their porch.

This Sunday, August 11, we will observe "Tisha b'Av" commemorating the saddest day on the Jewish calendar when both our holy Temples were destroyed. When I Remember Jerusalem, I imagine, with hope and a prayer, that the view from the Weisbergs' porch will soon be that of our third and eternal Beit HaMikdash, even more open and inviting than the Weisberg home. Amen.

Shalvati? Shalva Tea!

With Purim behind us, Pesach Preparations (and Procrastinations - like this blog post) are in full swing. For many, if not most, there's always at least a bit of stress until the holiday is finally in place and we all sit down to the Seder and breath that sigh of "Thank G-d, We Made It". In years past, I would find some serenity in the knowledge that "stressed" spelled backwards is "desserts" and I'd treat myself to a little something to get me through the next round of cleaning, shopping and cooking. But this year, I'm trying something new...

...Shalva Tea. Herbal Tea from the Land of Israel.

Today's Hebrew lesson:
"Shalva"= serenity
"Shalvati" = my serenity
Shalva Tea. Cute, right?
(This play on words is not mine. It is printed on the package - as you'll see below - but only works in a Hebrew/English combo because "tea" is pronounced "tay" in Hebrew!)

When we were in Israel in January, my dear friend, Shoshana, invited me out for coffee. Her daughter recommended that we visit the cafe in the beautiful, new, state-of-the-art Shalva building. Shalva is a non-profit organization that supports and empowers individuals with disabilities and their families in Israel. They provide therapies, activities and loads of love. When we lived in Har Nof, Shalva was a small neighborhood operation, started by local parents of a child with disabilities who wanted to help their son and others like him live a better life. (Read more here.) What a wonderful surprise to see what they have since accomplished!

It was a rainy day so I couldn't take pictures of the lovely sculpture garden outside. But when we entered the building, we were greeted by a huge, colorful butterfly mobile that fills the open, airy atrium.

The staircase up to the cafe offers one of the many meaningful messages that Shalva is all about...

One wall is dedicated to the smiling faces of their clientele

while another brought me to tears with this plaque:

Names of all the couples who met while working at Shalva.

But the piece de resistance was the workshop

...VOILA!

where disabled young adults (photos of whom were not permitted) were filling little bags with I-wasn't-sure-what, sticking stickers on the bags, folding cardboard sheets into the shape of a box and...

I was so impressed by this assembly line and finished product that I went straight to the gift shop and stocked up for the folks back home - and one for myself, to save for this very occasion.

In the coming days and weeks, when I need a break from the Pre-Pesach Panic, I'll sip my Shalva Tea and Remember Jerusalem, the holy city about whom King David famously said: "...those who love you will be serene." (Psalms 122:6). May we soon enjoy a cuppa together in a peaceful, rebuilt Jerusalem.

Wishing you and yours Pre-Pesach SereniTea and a happy, healthy holiday when it arrives.

The Joys of Jet Lag

Yes, we flew Turkish Airlines and it was great. An extra suitcase per person and almost every woman on the flight wearing a headscarf like me! Tied a bit differently - wrapped under the chin instead of knotted on the side - but all of us equals in giving the TSA people a headache (pun intended). And when I caught the eye of one of the young, thoroughly modern, head-covered Muslim women sitting near me on the plane, we smiled some sort of knowing smile; of ancestry shared and peace still elusive...

We went, we returned. Thank you, Hashem, for another wonderful trip. To Israel, of course. (Apologies to those I didn't contact because I knew I wouldn't have time to see.) Took enough photos to give me material for a couple of blog posts - after the jet lag clears.

Ahhh, yes, the jet lag. Been back for ten days now and still not on my "normal" sleeping schedule (a relative term, for sure). But I'm happily resigned to feeling my eyelids go oh-so-heavy way-too-early in the evening; to the mid-night tossing and turning as I try to tell my internal timer that we're not in Israel anymore. (She doesn't believe me.) I wake up bug-eyed at 5:00 a.m. and watch the sky turn from inky-black to baby blue.

I say "Modah Ani" (thank You, G-d, for returning my soul to me...) slowly and with feeling. There's even time to sing to myself the Modeh Ani song that I learned several months ago. The lyrics, voices and stunning scenery of the Shomron in central Israel make this rendition my personal Song of the Year - although it is somewhat more than a year old. (WARNING: Singing women ahead. Men are advised to consult their local Orthodox rabbi before proceeding.) By clicking on the link, you are also helping me follow through on my recent pledge to introduce you to more blogs about Israel. I just happened upon this one while searching for a link to the song. It's got lots of interesting info - and a blog roll of other Israel blogs that I will review in future posts, please G-d. But I digress. Blame it on the jet lag.

I take advantage of this extra hour of quiet time to reflect on our recent trip...to close my eyes and see the dawn of a new day in my beloved Har Nof (even though it's already noon in Israel). Whether I imagine the fog still low in the valley

or the snowy sleet on the sill, obscuring my view, I'm totally there. In my mind, I might replay one of the excellent Torah classes I attended or smell the sweet scent of the almond blossoms that bloomed like clockwork in honor of Tu b'Shevat.

And if I listen really hard, I can even hear the rushing waters of Tel Dan in Israel's North, where we saw the rivers swollen from the abundant rains of this very wet winter.

My jet lag gets me more help with the supper dishes and is my excuse for still not getting back to the gym. As I take on another jet lagged day, I say the morning blessing with extra enthusiasm: "Blessed are you, Hashem...Who gives the tired person strength." Not sleep. Strength. Clearly, the sleep thing must be overrated.

I assume there are various theories about why jet lag always seems worse when you get home from wherever you've been than when you got to where you were going. I'd like to think it's because you generally don't need to be reminded of where you live but rather of where you've traveled.

In a few weeks, when our clocks "spring forward", my sleep schedule will be forced back to "normal" and I will have to work harder to Remember my most recent trip to Jerusalem and pray harder for the day when we won't need any reminders at all...because we will be Home to stay.