I'm a Shabbat Guest!

My new friend Miriam Steinberg-Egeth has got one of the coolest Jewish blogs you are going to see anywhere. Last year she blogged each of her Shabbat experiences for the entire year. This year, she's getting her friends to do it for her, clever girl.

Getting 52 friends to blog for you can be a bit of a stretch, so Miriam put out an invitation to a group of Jewish women bloggers. I'm very fortunate to be a member of this group - there are some pretty darned big names here, and I'm humbly learning from them and everyone else.

I'm especially fortunate that Miriam agreed to have me be one of her guest bloggers! Woo hoo!

So, here it is - me posting on Miriam's blog about a summer Shabbat in Winnipeg - this past one, to be exact. I love her reference to alternate spelling - she clearly needs more Canucks on this blog! If you have something to say about Shabbat, consider contacting Miriam. Even if you don't, her blog is a pleasure for anyone to read.

You can put your comments here or on Miriam's blog - we both love them!

New York, New York, continued

Well, a few days have snuck up and gone by while I had lots of good intentions. I was actually planning to blog each day, but here it's Sunday already. Oh well.

Thursday morning I had a lovely breakfast with my friend Dale and her partner Rabbi Amy. It was wonderful to see them and it was a very nice walk from our VRBO to the area near Central Park where we met.

Later that day we went on the Circle Line, taking the three-hour tour around Manhattan. It was a bit long for Ari but quite informative and interesting. After all, how else can you find out how much various celebrities whose names I have already forgotten paid for their condos along the waterfront?

On the way back from the Circle Line we walked through Times Square, where Ari met Mario. We then went to the TCKTS booth and got 40% off tickets to one of Ari's favourite musicals!

Don't judge me - he's seen at least that bad language on the Internet (of which Trekkie Monster could tell you the purpose), and the puppet sex, while energetic, was sufficiently non-specific that I don't think he's going to emulate it for a while ... at least, I hope not.

In any case, it was very funny and enjoyable. Several of the actors were from the original Broadway cast, so that was fun to see. The others were very talented, especially the young woman playing Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut.

On Friday morning I gave Ari some down time with his computer while I walked up to Columbus Circle to spend some money at the Whole Paycheck, I mean Whole Foods in the basement of the Times Warner building. Very nice, but holy smoke.

 When I came back we walked back to the Circle Line pier and took The Beast - a speedboat painted a fierce green with teeth, that took us from 42nd Street to the Statue of Liberty in 15 minutes, complete with blasting music and periodic drenching. Given how hot it was, the latter was actually very pleasant. After a brief stop to take pictures of Lady Liberty, the pilot indulged in some figure eights and other wild boat behaviour. I normally get dreadfully sick on roller coasters, but the blast of sea air (and water) in my face kept me in pretty good condition. It was a lot of fun.


Walking back from the Circle Line, we went over a lovely pedestrian bridge over 12th Avenue. I also absolutely had to photograph the efficient way in which New Yorkers park cars.






We concluded Friday with a delightful visit from my friend Margo, who generously supplied us with candles, matches, wine and grape juice. Thanks, Margo!

On Saturday, the weather forecast was for 38C, or 100F. We had planned to walk to Central Park, but decided to stay inside and rest instead. Much reading was accomplished. Later in the afternoon Margo came back to visit again, as well as my childhood friend Eliyahu. We were definitely not bored.

I'm going to stop now, and tell you about the rest of our trip in another post. I hope everyone had a restful weekend and that all is well! We miss the rest of our family quite desperately, although it is lovely to spend time with Saba and Yosefa (who have somehow managed to elude my camera thus far).

A Wochedikke Shabbos

Most residents of North American and Europe are currently taking deep metaphorical breaths as they prepare to plunge headlong into "the holidays". It's a time of food, decorations, gifts, family, travel, maybe church.Expectations and stress levels are headed sky-high, and levels of depression increase as well.

For those of us who take Judaism seriously, that period has just ended. Coming up tonight and continuing through Saturday night we will finally have what my grandfather used to call a "wochedikke Shabbos" - an everyday Shabbat. That is of course a contradiction in terms, as Shabbat is by definition different from the days of the week, but everyone who has rejoiced and slogged in equal measure through the past month can immediately relate. The challah is braided again, and will be sprinkled with salt, not dipped in honey. The Torah scrolls are back in their regular mantles, as opposed to the white ones they have sported since late September. In Israel, even those who are completely uninterested in the religious aspects acknowledge the mythical period of "acharei hachagim" - after the holidays - since during the period of the holidays it is pretty much impossible to have your car repaired or any kind of government document issued. Come back, they will tell you, acharei hachagim and we will see what we can do. Universities don't even start their semesters until acharei hachagim, although regular schools do start in September (and achieve very little until acharei hachagim - which is also true of the Jewish school my children go to). Now that the holidays are over and the sukkah is put away, we can take a deep breath, square our shoulders and start life again - going back to the gym, starting on serious projects.

Strictly speaking, this Shabbat is not entirely "wochedik". It is Rosh Hodesh Heshvan, the beginning of the month of Heshvan - a month also known as Mar Heshvan, or Bitter Heshvan, maybe because it doesn't have any holidays in it (to make up for the overdose in Tishrei, maybe?). There will be special Torah readings and additions to certain prayers. Rosh Hodesh has been traditionally considered a women's holiday, because of their refusal to take part in the sin of the Golden Calf. But it's only a semi-holiday, not of the calibre of the ones we have just come through. We can handle this.

For those who think that Hanukkah is the Jewish Christmas, trust me, it's nowhere in its league in terms of importance and therefore stress. The real Jewish holiday season has just ended.

Wishing all who celebrate a peaceful Shabbat and a blessed month of Heshvan, and to all who are heading into holiday madness, I wish you strength.

After Havdalah

I didn't make it into Blogger yesterday - it was a busy day, spent, among other things, holding ten-week-old twins and preparing for Shabbat (fortunately, not at the same time).

Shabbat is a subject I am passionate about. I came to Jewish observance in my early- to mid-thirties, mostly under the influence of our then-rabbi and his wife. They demonstrated to me that it is possible to be modern, egalitarian, ambitious, connected, and also to set one day a week aside with no driving, no writing, no cooking, no phone calls and no Internet. What at first seemed awkward is now a haven, although I will admit that as soon as the Havdalah candle is extinguished and we are separated from the sacred, I run to satisfy two of my addictions - Internet and freshly brewed coffee. In the intervening years since we began to keep Shabbat I have learned to lead services, to spend time studying, and to increase the quality of that strand in my life I call my Jewish neshama, or soul. While we pray every day, in the presence of the Shabbat Queen we have a neshama yeteira, an extra helping of holiness.

My children have grown up with Shabbat observance and have never known us to do otherwise. It has been fascinating to watch as they mature from hating the day-with-no-electronics to appreciation of the time to read, play board games, talk and go to the park. My fifteen-year-old puts away the ubiquitous texting and seems truly relieved to be out of touch for twenty five hours. My twelve-year-old is in transition, and my eight-year-old still completely hates it, although she does enjoy the social aspects of dressing up and going to shul. The availability of adults who would otherwise be staring at a screen is also not to be underestimated.

 Do you set time aside to attend to your soul and your family? If not, why not?