New Bracha - Cute Netanelism

Netanel is at the age where Shabbat get annoying since there are things we cannot do, like watch movies or ride bikes. He's learned the tirck of Baruch HaMavdil and will say it even on Friday night. He says"ברוך המבדיל בין קדש לאכול" which is pretty close.

Aliya Support from the Torah

Hi all,

This was really meant to go out the week of Parshat Lech Lecha. In the beginning of the Parsha Hashem speaks to Avraham and tells him to get up and go. Hashem tells Avraham to leave his birthplace, his family, his comfort zone. What's more, the order to leave is open-ended; Hashem doesn't give Avraham a destination, just to go to the land Hashem will show him...

And Avraham went. He packed up his household and left. He didn't look back.

I think all Olim and all potential olim can take strength from this. Everyone with a dream of living in Israel can take chizuk from Avraham Avinu that we CAN leave it all behind. We CAN follow Hashem through the unknown and make it to the Promised Land.

And if anyone needs more chizuk they can get in touch with me.

Some Kiddie Vinaigrettes and a Realization

Shana tova to all. With the chagim behind us we can resume normal life. Almost. The בציר is still going on. We had a break over Rosh HaShana - Yom Kippur. During Chol HaMoed the grapes started coming in again full swing. We will probably wrap up the harvest in another 2-3 weeks. I am working nights this week, but I missed the past two nights to help Ayelet. She got sick on Friday and has spent much time in bed. Baruch Hashem she is on the mend now and i should be able to return to work tonight.

Netanel is getting back into his routine of getting up for school. Odeliya is doing better at gan. She won't let us leave until they go out to the yard. But now we can barely say good-bye because she's off playing. Yitzchak is still adjusting to playing without us. At shul he runs around after the other kids and runs away from me. But at playgroup he cries.

We were at a brit yesterday in our shul. At one point the kids were climbing on the super-structure of the miklat (shelter) stairs. It is basically a big ramp with a platform on top. Inside are the stairs down to the shelter. My little 14 month old managed to climb up to the top and then slide down safely.

There is another new family here in Katzrin. Netanel loves playing with their kids and has learned about Star Wars. He is obsessed. I put on the soundtrack of A New Hope. Odeliya got down from her chair and started dancing.

We got the Aliya Revolution album from Yishai Fleisher and Kuma (http://kumah.org/album/) and are now listening to it all the time. It's great chizuk.

Now for the Realization:

Israel goes to great lengths to avoid killing "innocent" palestinians. We do this at great risk to our soldiers and civilians (see this example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuCzHQB1sks). We often wonder why we do this. The rules of war we learn in the Torah are not as "humane." Once an enemy in our land refuses our peace offers we are insructed to wipe them out. I recently heard stories of German brutality during the Holocaust. The senseless killing and the pleasure the Nazis took in doing it. Maybe we are so careful now because of what happened then. We are so determined to be different than our enemies that we will not come close to pointless killing. It is a tough decision, but so is killing children being used as human shields. I hope that in the merit of our morality we will receive peace and tranquility from Hashem. An end to the fighting, an end to the tough decisions of whom to kill or not kill. May this be the year of our redemption.

Shavua Tov,

Yoram