A few of my favourite things

Overthe past week or so, I have noticed a few "only in Israel" experiences that I want to share: .  This is by no means a comprehensive list of all that is Jewish in Israel, but it is all "only in Israel": 

- Natural springs are named for people, such as בריכת דובק, fixed up by high school students from Efrat, and named in loving memory of a tour guide (Dov Weinstock) who was also a mentor to mmany teenagers who had "lost their way".

- Every college campus has its own Beit Knesset.

- The Ministry of Housing builds at least one shul and mikva in every neighbourhood.

- Frum (of all flavours) special education classes and schools are provided, free of charge, by the government.

- Every calendar and diary has the Hebrew calendar and Jewish holidays on it.

- The course of study for a teaching diploma / degree requires several courses in Judaics, such as "The History of the Siddur".

- A chain of shoe stores is giving away canvas shoes.   While Lands' End tells you that cloth shoes are good for summer, in Holon the sales girl tells customers that they are good for Yom Kippur.

- No one blinks an eye at the "kupat holim moked" (telephone centre for making medical appointments) when you ask them for the Hebrew date of the appointment they  are offereing.

- Tu b'Av is a national "holiday" , with stores advertising special "love baskets" of chocolates; music festivals; and articles about improving relationships.   

- The farmer who takes children (and parents) ona tractor ride quotes Tanach, Hazal and Yedcid Nefesh about  plant and mountain that they see.  Of course, the mountains are all of Torah significance - this is Eretz Yisrael, after all!!!

- Everyone, in and out of Israel, expects Israel to be PERFECT and NOW-  forgetting that we are after 2000 years of Galut; only 70 years after the crematoria; that even now, 50% of the world's Jews have never seen a Humash; that all through the world and throughout our history, there have been famous and powerful self-hating Jews; that on average, 80% of the world's Jews are marrying non-Jews; that we have more deadly enemy nations and local terrorists than any country in the world; that we are still developing the desert...  

We forget that Geula is a process, because we know that we CAN do more.....

And, BEH, we will do more.   But it takes time....   

BEH we should learn to be better "parents" to ourselves and to other Jews, keeping our sights high, but with patience, CELEBRATING EVERY SMALL STEP.   

Yet Another Parsha Sheet

Today DH went to a Yom Iyun at the Knesset.  11 speakers presented different aspects of the issue "Tefilla on Har HaBayit".   That the parliament hosts these discussions is, in itself, very "cool".   Jewish country,  Jewish topics....  But , let's say that this was a one-time event, even though in reality there are many such Yemei Iyun all the time.  But each stands alone....

What is NOT a one-time event, but is now a regular weekly feature of life in the Israeli Parliament, is the weekly Parsha sheet חכימא.  The sheet is a compilation of divrei Torah related to the parsha and/or time of year, written by MKs, aides, advisors, and Rabbanim.  The editor is a man named Yaron Ungar, a lawyer and legal aide in the legislature and legal research at he Knesset.  His article in this week's חכימא is titled במצוות החוק- in The Command of Justice, bringing quotes from this weeks Haftara (Yeshayahu, perek aleph) and Arba Turim about the necessity of improving our judicial system as a key to Geula.  

On the other side of the page is Rav Drukman's explanation of what exactly we are mourning, and of the expression כי עין בעין יראו, emphasizing that we must use TWO eyes- the eye that sees how much we already have and the eye that sees towards what we are still striving.  

If the nation is reflected by what is happening in the Knesset, then we are also reflected by the beautiful words in this sheet.   These words are very encouraging, because each of us personally can improve our two eyes, our appreciation for what we have and our striving towards what is still missing.  And that second eye can take into account the message Yaron Ungar is teaching - that our individual honesty will affect the honesty of the leadership.  And when honesty is the norm, Hashem promises towards the end of hazon Yeshayahu: ואשיבה שופטייך כבראשונה, ויועצייך כבתחילה.  I will return your judges as at the beginning, and your advisors as at the start.  After that, you (Yerushalaim) will be called City of Justice, a Faithful Quarter.

We have a tradition that leaders have limited Free Will, as their moves are dictated according to what we, the nation, deserve.  (לב מלך ביד ה' - משלי)

Personally, I see this parsha sheet, written, published, distributed and read in the Israeli Knesset, as a sign that we as a nation are moving towards the fulfillment of this ending of the Haftara: ציון במשפט תיפדה ושביה בצדקה

Zion will be redeemed through lawfulness, and her returnees through fairness.

slowly but surely.... קמעא קמעא

keep those two eyes open, and together we will make it happen

Jewish Math

Shavua Tov.
I love living in Israel because everything here is JEWISH. 

This year, I am teaching my son in grade 8 his maths. For elementary school, there are "frummie" series of math books, which in itself is cool.  But even in the regular, "not religious" math books, every child learns gematria, which, again, is also "neat".

But what I found so super cool this week, is that in this regular, mainstream, not religious math book , bearing the very exciting name of מתמטיקה לכיתה ח by גבי יקואל ורחל בלומנקרנץ, in the chapter on deductive geometric proofs, before defining the math concept called תיכון (the line which goes from one angle of a triangle to the exact middle of the opposing line, bisector?), it says, and I quote:

המילה "תיכון" מופיע במקרא לראשונה בספר שמות, פרק כ"ו פסוק כ"ח בתיאור של בנית המשכן "והבריח התיכון בתוך הקרשים".  

פירוש המילה תיכון הוא "עובר באמצע".

The word "tichon" appears for the first time in the Torah in Sefer Shemot, 26:28, in the description of the construction of the Mishkan, "v'ha'bariah hatichon b'toch ha'kerashim".

In Israel, we don't just teach math when we teach math.  We don't even just teach a bit of language to help kids understand a new math term.  No.  In Israel, if a word or expression has a Torah source, then, no matter who we are and no matter who the audience is, that Torah reference is important.

Did I mention that I love living in Israel?   Maybe it's cuz I have always loved math?

"Why should you spend the money?"

I find that people in Israel ask this question often - you go to a store, and the store owner shows you a cheaper solution that what you had thought of buying.  We call the plumber and he explains how we can do the job ourselves, and thereby save his fee.

Today, a lecturer came late to the course I attend.  Her car battery died just as she was leaving her home in the Tel Aviv area to come to speak inYerushalaim.  She said that she called a cab to take her to Yerushalaim, so that she could still give her lecture.  

Once they were on their way, she told the driver what had happened.  He turned around, and for  50 sheqel (for the ride, too), he recharged her car's battery.  "Why should you spend the money?"

Another Gas Station, Another Story

There are many things that we take for granted in Israel.  The following story illustrates three of them: 

One evening last week, we went to a gas station off a small intercity road.  As we were filling up, a young man stops his car, gets out - leaving the engine still running - and runs into the shop.  He was back out again very quickly, obviously he was in a hurry.  However, he did take the time to stop and kiss the mezuza on his way in and out of the shop.

The young man wasn't dressed by any "religious standards" - no kipa, no tzitzit.  But the mezuza is part of his consciousness, part of his daily life.  In fact, the gas station shop wasn't specifically advertising itself as Kosher, either.  But it has a Mezuza.  This is Israel, after all.  The Jewish country even (or especially) when there is no  law mandating this Halacha.

As for leaving the car running, well, why not?  This is Israel, after all.

Israeli Gas Stations

Today I went to the gas station just outside Beit Shemesh to fill up the gas-guzzler.   As always, i enjoyed reading the station's hours: all day and all night, but closing an hour before Shabbat and only opening an hour after Shabbat.  And, while it was frustrating at the time, we really are happy that their definition of "an hour" is closer to two hours, so DO NOT try to fill up your car when you are late going away for Shabbat....

Besides that sign, there is a large sign on the building near the gas station - "Tefillat Minha every day at 1:30pm".  There is a similar sign at the store next to the supermarket in Beit Shemesh, another one in the industrial zone in Beit Shemesh, and many such signs all around the country.  We also got a "chain letter" by email, telling people that people stopping to daven minha should all meet, 10 minutes before shekiya, every weekday, at specific spots at each  gas station along  Route 6.   

  

Hametz foods' shelf life

Pessah is over, the weather is warming up, so we bought ice cream and ice cream cones.   

On the box of the cones is a sticker to let us know that it was made after Pessah 5772, as well as the manufacturing date: April 15, and the Best Before date: March 25th next year.   "March 25?" we wondered.  Unusual to see shelf life not measured in even weeks or months.   But not in Israel.  The best before date of post-Pessah hametz is, of course, Erev Pessah next year.