devarim

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My friend's wife has just published her third book: MD: A Four-Year Journey Through Medical School. I haven't read it yet, so I can't promise it's as funny as her first or second books (on the world of shidduch dating), but her writing overall is excellent. So I'll do a "didn't read the book yet but I like the person" haskama (see uberimma for details) and say that this would make an...

The other day, Julian spotted this commercial on TV: I missed the very beginning, but a couple of seconds after I started watching, I shouted out: "TRON!" Gotta maintain the Child Of The Eighties street cred, right? And then I stared at the screen, waiting to see what product was being advertised. (Remember: missed the beginning, and was watching this on an actual television so no helpful filenames.) When the logo for...

Obviously I wasn't able to stick with that whole NaBloPoMo thing. Oh well. In the meantime (and with thanks to maric for showing me the way), I am dellighted to announce that I am, apparently, in tune with my (somewhat disturbed) feminine side: You are The Moon Hope, expectation, bright promises. The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly...

This has got to be the most pathetic attempt at NaBloPoMo ever. I already missed the second day! Is there any way to redeem myself? Probably not......

I must be nuts, but if nothing else this is a good way to make up for lost blogging time. I'm not sure I can keep it up, but with Shabbat ending so early this time of year I have no excuse for Saturday nights, and without gainful employment outside the home I have no excuse for any other day, either. So, here it is: my first post of NaBloPoMo. Erm,...

From this week's PostSecret: Yom Kippur is an interesting time to contemplate this image and its associated (non)believer. We like to think we will pass through the Ten Days of Repentance with a sense of awe and reverence and emerge after Yom Kippur with a profound understanding of ourselves and the world. Or, at least, some level of preparation for and acceptance of Divine judgment (whatever that may mean in your eyes)....

If you've ever wanted to take your pooch to J.P. Licks for a treat, you're in luck: The ice cream chain is now making ice cream for dogs. Two-and-a-half bucks gets your four-legged best friend a five-ounce bowl of the peanut butter flavored creamy cool, with two doggie biscuits on the side. The best part? And there was one final detail: the ice cream had to be kosher, so it could fit...

For some words of wisdom from Yoda....

Spotted by Julian on his way home from work yesterday....

Much as I suspected, there are two good reasons to celebrate today. 1 - It's Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's (who, I must point out, grew up in Merrick, NY)! 2 - It's my second blogiversary!...

Barbie and Ken are back together: In February 2004, as every 5-year-old knows, Ken and Barbie called it quits. According to Mattel, which says it relies on customer feedback on its Web site to shape the Barbie-Ken narrative, Barbie was wooed away by an Australian surfer named Blaine. Ken, heartbroken, traveled the world in search of himself, making stops in Europe and the Middle East, dabbling in Buddhism and Catholicism, teaching himself...

As promised, the project has grown! I present: Mikolot Mayim Rabim...

Oh, yay! My project just got a plug from Nishmat's Yoatzot site: www.mayimrabim.com. Mayim Rabim is an online resource and discussion forum on issues of taharat hamishpacha. While we cannot vouch for all of the contents of and contributions to the site, we support Mayim Rabim's efforts to build a community for women to discuss these topics with each other. Wheeeeeee! On a related note, the project has a sub-project brewing, so...

So, I'm a little behind the times, sorry 'bout that, but...Anonymommy gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on Monday!...

Perhaps inspired by my Wigging Out series (and I'm still waiting for you to elaborate on your comment, OOSJ!), peninah has posted her Ramblings On Buying Hair. part of a series: I, II, II 1/2, III, IV . . ....

The Nintendo Catalog Read the blurbs. Trust me. Link credit to G.P. Title credit to R.S....

I'm stating to think that Shifra has a hidden camera in my apartment. How else could she have written this?...

It looks like New Englanders will have a little extra time to file their taxes this year (and next?): The Internal Revenue Service has pushed back the deadline for federal tax returns to April 18 for people in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Maryland and the District of Columbia. The deadline was pushed back because April 15 falls on a Saturday and April 17 is Patriots Day, a state holiday...

From a New York Times article on Libyan food: The better restaurants in Tripoli often carry an array of meze-style salads, the highlight of which was usually eggplant dishes. Arab salad, a mixture of chopped cucumber, tomato, bell peppers and parsley, followed the soup. I'm sure this is just an artifact of my cultural upbringing, but I grew up calling that stuff Israeli salad. Granted, I don't think it was invented in...

There's a new blogger on the scene: Ruth. I assume she takes her name from the most famous Jew-by-choice of all. Not much content yet, but it looks promising...and I like the tagline....

I first heard about this on the news yesterday morning, but I didn't get a chance to find out all the details until just now, reading the New York Times article: It is not clear what prompted Selina Akther to move toward a window of her fifth-floor apartment in Queens, the police said. Her two children were sleeping and her husband was on a phone call to Bangladesh in another room, so...

Update: LZ tweaked the test a bit, and now M.O. is less of a catch-all. I have updated results. Even though my good friend, the husband of the former Ms. Tamar Katz, was drafting a Modern-or-Yeshivish categorization test some time ago, it looks like Lamed Zayin has beaten him to the punch. My results: A more careful breakdown of my responses reveals that I am:Left Wing Modern Orthodox: 73% Right Wing Modern...

Karen Karbo has a hilarious Op-Ed piece in today's New York Times, inspired by HarperCollins's recent decision to digitally remove the cigarette from Clement Hurd's illustrator's photo in new editions of the children's classic, Goodnight Moon. Among Ms. Karbo's other suggested changes: The blue stripes are adorable, but the reader has no way of knowing whether Bunny's pj's meet current flammability standards. Suggested change: digitally alter to include visible "flame resistant" label,...

For those of you who have been following persephone's saga, but not so obsessively as to have read her announcement this morning...she had an ultrasound this morning, and they found two heartbeats! B'sha'ah tova, my dear, and may you welcome these new lives in the fullness of (early) summer with much joy....

I was, one day, planning to write a post about why women may make Kiddush for men, but LabRab, in a comment at Drew Kaplan's Blog, seems to have beaten me to it (seventh comment down):Both men and women are obligated in Kiddush on Shabbat. Women might have been exempt, since it's a mitzvat aseh shehazeman grama, except the analogy of shamor to zachor renders them obligated. So in theory women could...

Tapped by Shifra. I restored the missing categories (based on Mirty's entry) so there are now seven groups of seven, as intended. This is still in progress, but I wanted to get it up here today and my lunch break is over, so... 7 Things I Can Do: make vegetarian food good enough to convert even the most die-hard meat-eater (at least, I haven't failed yet) pair wines with foods and cheeses...

I thought I'd take a moment to note two interesting conversations I've participated in on other blogs. First, Yaakov of AliyahBlog asks: Why do they even bother coming to shul, if all they're going to do is stand out in the lobby and shmooze? And in a bit of an etymology digression Modern Orthodox Woman talks about the movement to replace ba'al (husband/master) and isha (wife/woman) with ben-zug and bat-zug (partner/spouse) in...

Though I have links in my sidebar to most of the blogs that I follow, there are a few others I read that are not included there (for a variety of reasons). One of these is B'sha'ah Tova (lit. "in a good hour" or more poetically "in the proper time" - the traditional Jewish greeting extended to a pregnant woman or her family members upon hearing the news of her pregnancy). It...

Tomorrow's New York Times Science section has a column wherein a heart surgeon meditates on his Orthodox Jewish patient's acceptance of a pig heart valve over an artificial valve. This is kind of beating the pikuach nefesh issue (put simply: you can violate any commandment - except murder, idolatry, and adultery - to save a life) over the head, isn't it? And it doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy, since...

Hey, remember how I told you about persephone's IVF a couple of weeks ago? Good news - it looks like she's pregnant!...

Persephone is undergoing her first IVF embryo transfer this Shabbat. So if everyone could think good thoughts in her general direction, that would be spiffy....

I got this meme from Twink, who got it from Amanda, and so on...Rules: 1. Go into your archive. 2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to it). 3. Find the 5th sentence (or closest to it). 4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions. My result: I look forward to bumping into you in shul one day. (For the record, I did.)...

Anyone want to join me in my attempt to get into the Serenity screening this evening? I would go with Julian, but he's presenting at SNUG today and probably can't make it downtown in time. I can take one person, and I reserve the right to pick someone I know personally and/or use other criteria in my choice. If you are interested, please email my gmail address. If you don't have that...

According to the article in today's Metro, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher were married over the weekend in "a Kabbalah ceremony." Obviously, this is some wonderful facet of Judaism I missed out on, having had the terribly poor judgment of getting married before the age of forty....

Rajiv tipped me off to this opportunity for bloggers to get onto the press list for an advance screening of Serenity next week. Those bloggers who received confirmation emails (not actually guaranteeing us seats, but at least putting our names on The List) have been asked to post the following official movie blurb:Joss Whedon, the Oscar® - and Emmy - nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE...

Yeah, yeah, I need to update this blog with our moving tales. Short story: most of our stuff is in the new apartment, hopefully before we go to sleep tonight all if it will be there, and there will be an open house at the old place on Sunday. Also, many thanks to the friends who will be having us over for Shabbat meals this week and to the other friends who...

Does anyone know whether this is legitimate? If so, it is shaping up to be a good resources for at least once segment of the displaced New Orleans community and their loved ones. Update: I thought it was clear from the fact that there were already comments here stating that the site is legit, but just to make it perfectly obvious - Yes. This is a credible diary/blog/information page....

From this article in the New York Times:The Superdome refugees will make the 350-mile trip from New Orleans to Houston on 475 buses to be provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Governor Perry said. The Astrodome, which can provide living space for about 25,000 people, will be available to house them - and presumably other refugees - at least until December, and longer, if necessary. Twenty-five thousand people. Four months, maybe...

Today the New York Times published letters in response to the article I blogged about last week. Some selections (not necessarily quoted in their entirety) and my comments:...

Go read Alisha's post on Halacha, Hashkafa, and Life. She even provides footnotes! Here, I'll give you a teaser:I'll buy the necessity of imposing personally meaningless limitations in order to create a collectively meaningful mood. But how about when the defining line is not me vs. us but rather then vs. now? If women had been accustomed to painting their nails in Chazal's time (or were they?) would it have been forbidden...

From an article in today's New York times on the geographical history of New Orleans:Although early travelers realized the irrationality of building a port on shifting mud in an area regularly ravaged by storms and disease, the opportunities to make money overrode all objections....

I've been reading about the monster of a hurricane headed for New Orleans, and two things from this article are sticking out in my mind: Estimates have been made of tens of thousands of deaths from flooding that could overrun the levees and turn New Orleans into a 30-foot-deep toxic lake filled with chemicals and petroleum from refineries, and waste from ruined septic systems. [New Orleans Mayor Ray] Nagin also dispatched police...

For Better or For Worse goes meta...

On Sunday we had Aviel and Joel over for brunch. Both are delightful, and Aviel is much bubblier and more outgoing than I expected. As a peace offering, they brought a copy of Joel's new CD, Songs For People. The music is all folksy, just voice and guitar (I think...), stuff I like when I'm in the right mood but don't really own enough of. I absolutely love the bonus tracks (not...

Thanks to DovBear and Mis-Nagid, I've found yet another area in which the United States lags behind most of the rest of the world: flag design. (Libya's rating is my favorite.)...

I'm most of the way through The Two-Income Trap, which I picked up (used) for a mere dollar at the Booksmith earlier this month. The book's authors make compelling (though not irrefutable) economic arguments in favor of sending only one parent into the income-producing workforce while the other stays home tend to children, run the household, and serve as a source of "fallback income" should the need arise. Aside from the stereotypical...

Today's New York Times Science section has a "Cases" article/essay on the possible detrimental effects of a father's presence in the delivery room on the parents' future romantic and sexual relationship:In the age of the "new man," very little consideration is given to the potentially negative side effects of togetherness in the delivery room. Every man I have spoken with over the past few years knows he is expected to be with...

Apparently, today is National Punctuation Day....

Soferet Aviel Barclay will be speaking tonight at 7:30 P.M. at Nehar Shalom in Jamaica Plain. I'm going to try to make it (unfortunately, I have an appointment at 6:30 that I must keep), but even if I can't we get to hang out with Aviel and Joel on Sunday. Yay!...

It's a big ad! Be sure to watch with your sound on. (Thanks, Ari B.)...

Two more IDF soldiers caught looting homes in Gush Katif: Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were caught Tuesday trying to loot the evacuated homes of settlers in the Gush Katif settlement of Pe'at Sadeh. This is the third time soldiers have been caught attempting to loot homes in that settlement this week. * * * According to IDF officials, the soldiers have already admitted their guilt.... Two soldiers from the Givati Brigade...

From Ha'aretz One police officer was wounded when settlers threw acid in his eyes. The officer began shouting, "I can't see!" Rioters sprayed another policeman with gas and he suffered from burns on his back. Youths also assaulted senior officers and journalists present at the scene, destroying a camera of a Reuters photographer, throwing paint and cleaning fluids at an army colonel, and breaking the glasses of another journalist. Two settlers were...

Ah, it had to happen sooner or later. Heshy has paid me a visit. (Link crippled to prevent raising his Google PageRank.) If you don't know who Heshy is, consider yourself lucky. He posted two identical comments, one on a vaguely appropriate post and another on my snowflake essay. Strike one: don't post irrelevant comments. They will be removed (as the snowflake one has been). Both comments included a link back to...

Jewish terrorist Eden Natan Zadah kills 4 on Shfaram bus In what police are calling an incident of Jewish terrorism, a Jewish man dressed in IDF uniform opened fire on a bus in the northern town of Shfaram Thursday evening, killing at least 4 people and wounding nearly a dozen more. The shooter, Eden Tzuberi, 19, was also killed when he was assaulted by a mob of furied bystanders and witnesses. *...

Wow. It's almost enough to counterbalance this....

Everything I Really Need to Know I Learned From GuestBlogging On DovBear Now that our week of guestblogging for DovBear is over, and we each go off to our respective places in the obscurity of the jblogosphere, we wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you and let everyone know what we learned over the past week: Spell Check is your friend. MO vs UO is always a good comment generator....

For those of you looking for some mind-bending this week, might I recommend these posts by elf and her Mr.?...

It's less than halfway over, but if business school grads felt the same way about The Apprentice as I feel about The Law Firm, there must be a lot of TV out there with rotten tomatoes on them. Seriously, I took one semester of trial advocacy in law school and I did a better job during our "final exam" (a mock trial) than these people are doing.... OK...so the closing arguments weren't...

My fear has become a reality: CINCINNATI --Federated Department Stores Inc. said Thursday that some 330 stores being acquired in its pending takeover of May Department Stores Co. will be converted to Macy's stores, including stores that now carry the Filene's name, a Boston institution. *sob* More details: However, the fate of the landmark store in Boston's Downtown Crossing has not yet been decided, according to Jim Sluzewski, spokesman for Federated which...

Earlier MomOf4 wrote about Gaza settlers writing their national identification numbers on their arms as a way of comparing themselves to Holocaust victims. Today, she revisited the topic to point out that some settlers intend to wear concentration camp uniforms as they are being evacuated. I don't care how beautiful your home is, how sad you are to be leaving your community, how distasteful you find it to be escorted out by...

I'll be guest-blogging at DovBear for the week. Most stuff (like the rest of this post, actually), will be cross-posted. Things I have Learned Today: DovBear does not hate me; DovBear does not think I'm a bad writer; DovBear thinks my blog has fallen into the dumps; DovBear doesn't know that we've just had our bathroom retiled and therefore could not shower at home all last week; I bug DovBear enough to...

Google is hiring for their newest research facility. Be sure you read all six pages of the job description. Then check your calendar. Although, this makes me wonder: Obviously, a new set of tools for computing in the unforgiving conditions of deep space is needed. This month, Google will release version 10.0 of an operating system that has been optimized for the demands of extra-terrestrial computation. Known as "Luna/X," the new command...

Go read this excellent review by ADDeRabbi on the new Artscroll "women's siddur."...

Oh dear. I think fruit is going to be on its way out entirely. According to the New York Times, the next big thing is going to be tattooed fruit: A new technology being used by produce distributors employs lasers to tattoo fruits and vegetables with their names, identifying numbers, countries of origin and other information that helps speed distribution. The marks are burned onto the outer layer of the skin and...

Yesterday's Boston Globe contained an op-ed column entitled, "Poland's New Fascination With Jews." The article began with quotes from Cynthia Ozick's 1973 essay imagining the world's reverence of the Jews, if we had all vanished long ago: ''How -- if there were no Jews -- the world would be enraptured!" she wrote. ''The people that stood at Sinai to receive a desert vision of purity, the people of scholarly shepherds, humane prophetic...

As a follow-up to my reaction to Rabbi Basil Herring's comments about Orthodox mothers, nursing, and shul, please see some private communication from R' Herring posted at OrthoMom....

So, according to Bloghead, who go it from The Jewish Week, the Conservative movement has ruled that women are now permitted to breastfeed in the sanctuary portion of their synagogues. Now, I am a huge fan of breastfeeding, on demand, without shame, but this is a step too far even for me (and Miriam, it seems, read the Bloghead post). I try not to talk during services, I dress appropriately, and I...

I can't believe I just did this, but I put an ICE number into my cell phone. The listing says "ICE - Julian (husband)" and it defaults to his cell phone, though I will be adding his work number and our home number. Of course, my next thought was "what if, when the emergency workers are trying to call him, emergency workers somewhere else are using his phone to try to call...

Score another one for drug-free childbirth:* Man faints, dies after seeing epidural Actually, it's quite tragic. I can't imagine going through labor after that (though I hope that she continued thinking only that he'd passed out, not knowing how baadly injured he was). And what in the world do you tell your child about how his father died? * I can't believe I even have to put in this footnote, but I'm...

As you may or may not have noticed, I've added some new links to the "Other People" section of my sidebar. Check them out!...

It seems that, for his next project, Steven Spielberg is tackling the murder of eleven Israeli atheletes by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Olympics and the subsequent retaliation by Mossad, the Israeli Intelligence agency. There are plenty of complicating political issues surrounding this film, and (as reported by the New York Times article), according to associates: Mr. Spielberg has sought counsel from advisers ranging from his own rabbi to the former American...

Hey, does anyone know what happened to Aviel's Netivat Sofrut?...

Ah, bliss! The Muppet Show theme...in Hebrew. (Ari B., Julian may just have to kill you for showing me this.)...

Karen over at Modern Orthodox Woman put up a post about welcoming and naming ceremonies for baby girls, and it looks like an interesting discussion is shaping up. In my comment over there, I wrote about a Shabbat morning baby naming at Ramath Orah that I was privileged to attend a few years ago: The father brought his new daughter up to the bima with him for his aliyah (or maybe someone...

So I heard through the grapevine that a friend from my high school and college days recently (or maybe not so recently) came out...and he is also the co-founder of qjew, a dating website for gay and lesbian Jews. Now, say what you want about queer Jews trying to reconcile and embrace these two fundamental aspects of their lives (and I'm sure someone out there will say something), but I think this...

Actually, quite the opposite. Have a script. Have them all! (Found by way of DovBear.)...

Miriam Bloghead discusses an article about the high cost of "living Jewish". Nothing new under the sun, but it sparked an interesting discussion (read both Miriam's commentary and the discussion in the comments). My contribution to the discussion: We are close be being priced out of our neighborhood (Brookline, MA), if we want to raise even two children here and maintain some kind of home life. It seems like the only families...

I woke up this morning to a report on the news saying that Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Weymouth had suffered a devestating fire overnight. It's terribly sad when any place of worship and community gathering is damaged or destroyed, and this is even more poignant because there were to be weddings today and tomorrow in the historic building. My sympathy goes out to the entire community, who until now had probably...

In the Science/Health section of today's New York Times, there is an article about eating disorder web sites, commonly known as pro-ana (for anorexia) and pro-mia (for bulimia) sites. My first thought: where has the Times been all these years? I found a bunch of these sites three years ago.* Not for any relevant reason, mind you; I can't remember how I stumbled across the first one, but then my usual morbid...

Everyone please welcome UberImma to the public blogosphere. Her new blog is Door Number Three. Yes, she had another blog prior to this. No, she will not provide the link. If you think you know who UberImma is, feel free to email me and ask (though I don't promise to answer)....

Today I came across the following part of the Massachusetts Code: General Laws of Massachusetts . .PART I Administration of the Gorvernment . . .TITLE I. Jurisdiction and Emblems of the Commonwealth, The General Court, Statutes, and Public Documents . . . .CHAPTER 2. Arms, Great Seal, and Other Emblems of the Commonwealth Some of the sections are hilarious, taken individually or together with others......

Lots of stuff to blog about from the weekend, and maybe this time I'll actually get around to writing some of it, but int he meantime please head over to Kadima and congratulate Alisha on her college graduation! (I'm very, very proud of my Spinach Knisha.)...

Update 11:45 A.M.: Yay! I stumped 20Q.net with "a case file." I find this fascinating. It's an A.I. attempt at Twenty Questions, and I have yet to stump it. Though, to be fair, I haven't played much yet. (Brought to my attention by pauline.) And, on a sadder but more human note: Postcard Secrets. (Thanks, Madeline.)...

Verrry interesting... (especially given some of the comments to this DovBear post)...

I was going to post about Episode III (which I saw last night), but then I woke up this morning and saw that Sars wrote all about Lucas and his villians (and his general lack of literary awareness) and, well, she rocks, so go read it....

OK, it will probably take more than a minute to read it. A few minutes, maybe. And I haven't read it yet myself, because I haven't seen Episode III yet (ten and a half hours and counting), and Ari B. said it has spoilers...but, really, what could I be spoiled for? Is Anakin going to join the Dark Side or something? Anyway: Revenge of the Sith in 167 Lines...

First strawberries, and now onions. I've never been so glad to not live in London. I have to say, I'm not sure where to draw the line between use of modern technology and basic knowledge of biology on the one hand, and common sense and following the spirit of the law on the other. Sure, there probably are teeny-tiny insects in our onions and on our fruit, but there are certainly even...

...to Episode III, of course. What, you thought I was talking Rambam? (Ahem. DovBear found it before I did.)...

I recently started reading through Amanda's Quaker-path blog, and found this passage describing one's search for God: Sometimes I think of it like this - God's playing hide and seek with us. After we finish counting and open our eyes, if we just say. "Hmm. Can't find thee. I give up." it's no fun, and there's no game, no relationship. But if we keep looking everywhere, getting more and more puzzled, I...

OK, we're actually just under halfway to Shavu'ot (from Pesach), but Nigella Lawson's column in today's New York Times Dining section is all about cheesecake. I'll still be making my tried-and-true, dense-as-a-brick-but-much-tastier, plain cheesecake this year, but I'm earger to try one (or more) of these other recipes, too....

No, nothing of substance yet, and I know I have comments to respond to (and, yes, Stella, a meme interview to post), but I really, really, really want to share with you an analysis of Sith font (and its relationship to Hebrew), and Vader's blog, The Darth Side. (Thank you, DovBear. Twice.)...

(Happy now, Richard?) After a short Pesach break (we think the Carnival went away to Miami this year), Hevel Haveilim is back! What is Hevel Haveilim, you ask? It is Hebrew for "Vanity of Vanities," and it is the title for the Jewish blogosphere's own Carnival of the Vanities. You can thank Soccer Dad for starting it up. Basically, if you wrote something about Judaism or Israel on your blog, and you...

The Knish. Like The Onion, but more Jewish and with mustard. (Thanks, Ari B.)...

Update: As persephone correctly pointed out in the comments, the Biblical Women Omer Calendar was, in fact, correct in placing Yom HaShoah on the twelfth day. And it should be obvious to everyone why I didn't pursue a career as a math professor. -=- Today's figures in the Biblical Women Omer Calendar (which I talk about here) are Job's daughters (round two). After a moving description of why these women (and the...

By way of the Homer Counter, I found this Omer calendar listing forty-nine Biblical women upon whose qualities we can meditate on each day of the Omer. There is a kabalistic tradition to assign one of seven sefirot (loosely interpretted as facets or qualities of God) to each of the seven weeks of the Omer, and to then assign one to each day of the week, creating a matrix of sorts where...

I've been chewing over the sheitel (wig for the purposes of kisui rosh) thing for a while now. Follow-up on that another time. Maybe. But in the meantime, read the comments on this post, which I found thanks to new blogger kisui rosh....

...in the Filene's Basement communal fitting room: I had no idea I was going to Filene's Basement today! I didn't even shave my legs! And the response from another shopper standing nearby, though unfortunately not loud enough for the original whiner to hear: Oh, please. I don't even shave my legs for dates anymore. For the record, I don't care one whit whether you all tromp around the fitting room with goatskin...

Ari B. has clued me in: someone is trying to organize a Time Traveler Convention at M.I.T. next week. Without delving into the intricacies of alternate realities (or altered consciousness, which may be what we really need to get this to happen), let me just say that I think the idea is crazy enough that it just might work. In an Asimov story. I'll give the guy his desired publicity anyway; because...

Don't ask me why, but I decided to Google myself this afternoon, using both my current name and my former surname (Bar-Giora). I found this, which lead me to this, which I think is my earliest-ever publication. If memory serves, the magazine now known as Teen Ink was a newspaper called The 21st Century back when my opinion piece was printed a decade ago. The byline for my piece, as it appears...

This weather alert, warning of an elevated risk of brush fires due to lack of rainfall and low humidity in the (NY-NJ-CT) Tri-State area, couldn't come at a worse time, what with the massive burning of bread later this week and all....

Go ShaBot, it's your Pesach! Thanks, Ari B. Also, In Da Shul. Sound necessary for both....

Yes, I know that Eliot was an anti-Semite. It's still a good poem, and apropos for the day....

By way of Bloghead, I found this account of soldiers' Pesach Sedarim during the American Civil War. There's much to be said about the poignancy of celebrating our freedom from slavery while fighting a war for - or against - the similar liberation of other slaves...but I'm still stuck on the hilarious cider incident, so someone else will have to say it....

This is from my sister-in-law, by way of my husband. (You need to have your sound on.)...

When given the chance to make up for past wrongs, take it....

Ari B. alerted me to this recent sell out on the part of an important childhood idol: Cookie Monster is betraying his roots and *gasp* supplementing his diet with healthier foods. -=- On a related note, I just noticed that Shmuel got to meet Susan, Maria, and Gordon (not their real names) very recently, and he has the pictures to prove it....

I never wrote the promised follow up to this, but I did come across a post by wessel containing the following: I look around at my life, at the people in my community who truly strive every day to be good and do good, and it is a good life. Even if I no longer believe in a personal god, I can't see the value in overthrowing the religion. I look at...

NOTE to parents and those with delicate sensibilities: Straightforward language used below. You were warned. -=- Thanks to DovBear, I learned that a San Diego human rights group has submitted a proposed bill to ban male infant circumcision. I have many, many thoughts on the matter. Of course, I recognize that brit milah (ritual Jewish male infant circumcision, performed on the eighth day of life for a healthy baby) is an important...

Everyone was talking about Terri Schiavo, and then everyone was talking about the Pope (and they are still). Somewhere in there, people may have been talking about Johnnie Cochran and Frank Perdue as well. Isaac Asimov died on this day in 1992, and I still remember where I was when I found out (though, admittedly, it was a few days later). And in case you missed it on the news, author and...

No, I don't knit. But pauline does, and knitchicks, the British SnB group she coordinates, was mentioned in this article in yesterday's New York Times. Wheeeeeeee!...

I didn't want to leave up any more of Amshi's darling commentary, particularly what he had to write on this post, but I also cannot deny you all the entertainment of reading it. Plus, he "dear[ed]" me, and who can say no to that? So, for your reading pleasure: How about here, is it more appropriate here,no maybe here, wow there is so much ROOOOOOM here ,Oh thats because noone but shannnnna...

RenReb put up an excellent dissertation (she calls it a rant, don't believe her) about the universalization of Christian holidays (such as celebrating Valentine's Day in school, or her husband being wished a Happy Easter when it's known that he is a rabbi). I highly recommend that you read it. On a related note, now is probably a good time to voice my two cents on the topic. (Stop me if you've...

This is very important: There is an error in the standard Daf Yomi calendar. In order to make sure you are in the right place for 14 Adar, please be sure to learn this....

On Ta'anit Esther, we are being encouraged to daven for agunot (literally "chained women"), for their release from the chains of broken marriages and for their spiritual and emotiona healing. You can read about JOFA's recent awareness ad here and find R' Tendler's prayer for agunot here. Have an easy and meaningful fast....

Update (Tuesday evening March 22): Please see this addition to the footnotes. -=- Yesterday I went to the Mayyim Hayyim Spring Benefit, where we saw the premiere of The Mikvah Monologues. The play is a work-in-progress by Anita Diamant, similar in concept to Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues. A group of actors (in this staging, five women and two men) take turns approaching a central microphone to relate stories to the audience, with...

This looks like it could grow into something interesting....

This is an interesting post by Zman Biur about women's roles in communal davening, including aliyot. I suggest that you read his earlier posts on the topic as well, to which he links from that post. To say nothing of these two discussions on Bloghead, OOSJ's announcement about the new WTG in Kfar Saba, or this discussion (comments still open!) here on devarim....

There are four mitzvot (commandments) associated with Purim, which occurs next Thursday night/Friday. We are supposed to: hear or read Megillat Esther; eat a celebratory meal; send gifts of food to friends; and give charity to the poor. Alisha has a wonderful way to help you fulfill the spirit of the third and fourth items on that list:* [The Terror Victims Association/Almagor] helps victims and their families...was founded by and continues to...

Shira Salamone has posted her reaction to Fluffy's tzitzit post (which I reference here). Interesting discussions in the comments (on both of those)....

Apparently Mayim Rabim (a/k/a "The Project") got a plug in the Forward (free registration required), and I didn't even know about it. From an article on Anita Diamant's Mikveh Monologues: In recent years there have been a range of published texts on the subject, the more popular being "Total Immersion: A Mikvah Anthology," edited by Rivkah Slonim, and "Women and Water: Menstruation in Jewish Life and Law," edited by Rahel Wasserfall. There's...

(via email): Mayyim Hayyim invites you to: The Mikveh Monologues an original play by Anita Diamant starring Annette Miller from Golda’s Balcony Sunday, March 20, 2005 3:00 p.m. Chocolate & Champagne Reception and Silent Auction 4:00 p.m. Performance Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton Honoring Mayyim Hayyim’s founders: Paula Brody, Anita Diamant, Roz Garber, Judy Greene, Rabbi Barbara Penzner, and Diane Troderman General Admission: $72 or $36. Subsidized tickets for seniors and...

I only just noticed that Blogspot comments have a third option now. In addition to posting under your registered Blogger identity and posting anonymously, you can post as "Other" and fill in your name and real URL. The only downside, as far as I can tell, is that you can't delete your comments after posting them. I'm pretty sure the feature's been around for a few weeks already (if not months), but...

Please allow me to point your attention to this bit from OOSJ (on Judaism of the mind vs. Judaism of the personality), and my comments thereto. Also (sort of related to these two posts of mine, and their comments) I came across this relevant discussion (read the comments there as well) on Bloghead....

Another new (internet-only) trailer for H2G2 is out. It's classic in the tradition of this year's Kinko's Superbowl commercial (though I'm inclined to give more credit to the H2G2 geniuses, since the whole concept fits right in with the trilogy to being with). I'm drooling with anticipation, and somewhat relieved to discover that I was wrong about the release date (it's coming out during the last days of Passover, not the first)....

How to win friends and influence people by destroying the Earth. Nifty. (Clued in by Ari B.)...

Who are you? Speak up! No comment too small. Introduce yourself here. Post something witty in an older entry that is currently comment-less. Go find a discussion that died down and bring it back to life. Email me, if you must. Do whatever you want, but say something.

It's here. (The Project, that is.)...

I'm going to see The Gates, by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, only because I'm going to happen to be in New York at the right time, so I figure it's worth taking a quick look. Who knew, though, that a work of art of superior quality and insight exists practically in my backyard? I give you The Somerville Gates....

I don't know the full story, but I trust OOSJ enough to take his word for it (and that of the J Post) on this disgusting development in the battle to lower (or eliminate) the number of agunot in Israel....

There's an interview in today's Metro (Boston edition) with Muslim comedian Shazia Mirza. She is asked, "What is the biggest thing you think non-Muslim women don't understand about being a Muslim woman?" From her response: That actually Islam gives women lots of freedom....you know, we have a lot of rights. But I think that our religion gives us that, and I think that our culture takes it away. Not just you, Shazia....

There's an interesting discussion starting up in the comments to this post on RenReb's blog. And, no, I'm not just pointing you there because I've had a lot to say so far. I promise....

Two interesting articles from today's New York Times Science section. First, we apparently are studying a language in its infancy: a sign language developed by an isolated Beduoin clan. The members of the clan are all descendants of one couple (about sesventy years back, if I'm reading this correctly) who had five children, two of whom were deaf. Intermarriage and cultural cross-pollination will probably spell destruction for this language, but its fascinating...

From an article in today's New York Times titled, "Suspect in Train Crash Is Charged With Multiple Murder Counts": GLENDALE, Calif., Jan. 27 - The Los Angeles County district attorney said today that he would probably seek the death penalty for the suicidal man who abandoned his S.U.V. on a heavily traveled commuter rail track here early Wednesday, causing a violent wreck involving three trains that left at least 11 people dead...

This is important: another Palestinian hoax. (In only orthoginally related news...yes, I realize that today marks the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. No, I'm not going to write about it. Ask me in forty years.)...

The Out of Step Jew's take on Artscroll is spot on: Let's face it - Art Scroll publishers have created an Art Scroll Judaism that can be compared to the Jordan River from the Kinneret to the Dead Sea- it is narrow, shallow, snake like and it leads to a stale lifeless pond of an intellectual life. Now why didn't I think of that?...

I was very happy to see this news story in today's New York Times (free registration required; story expires in seven days): CAIRO, Jan. 25 - The standard three-step program for any unmarried upper-class Egyptian girl who becomes pregnant is an abortion, an operation to refurbish her virginity with a new hymen and then marriage to the first unwitting suitor the family can snare. But Hind el-Hinnawy, a vivacious 27-year-old costume designer,...

Update, February 7: At this point, I'm not looking for regular contributors any longer. This announcement will drop off the top of the page soon. Update, February 4: The site is scheduled to go live in less than two weeks. If you're still interested in coming on board from the start, that's great, but email me soon! -=- Yes, this is the project. If you currently observe taharat hamishpacha (or did in...

It's snowing...but it's not just snowing; it's snowing beautifully. Perfectly. Magically. There is no wind, and the soft, translucent snowflakes drift out of the sky just so, catching and dancing with the beams of the streetlamps on their way down. They nestle into the crooks of the trees and along windowsills. They settle over the ground, making a glistening, glitteringblanket, the kind you only see in the movies and ceramic Christmas villages....

I know I'm being cryptic about this, but I have to say that the project I've alluded to is in its serious planning stages, and I'm getting very excited. For those of you who know what I'm talking about...thank you!...

So, I've been reading Getupgrrl's blog for months now, but I never linked to it from here. I guess I don't want to out myself as an infertility-blog lurker (with no good reason besides interest and compassion), but with both in the barren season and Tales of a Wessel on my side bar, there's really no denying it. (Of course, those women have something else in common as well, but that's another...

What she said. (I also have a comment in there...scroll down to read it.) I also recommend this post from Wesel, although it is on a different topic. More on that topic soon......

The concert was wonderful. I strongly recommend that you go if he's going to be in your area, even if you're not Jewish. It's worth it just for the head trip, and the music is pretty damn good too....

Wessel is looking for some help in her quest to come up with the perfect nickname for her ex-husband. You have to read this post first. Hopefully you can come up with something better than my suggestion....

Matisyahu is playing at Gann Academy (aka "New Jew") this Saturday night. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door. This time we're actually going. And I am definitely wearing this mitpachat (I have the one on the left)...is there any more appropriate setting for it?...

If you haven't seen this yet, you must. (My favorite part was the excessive political correctness of the final subtitle. Ahhh, gendered language, thy name is clumsiness.)...

I don't have the time to devote a proper post to this at the moment, but I want to put a thought out there and let it molder for a little while until I can compose a property writing on it. You see, there are a plethora of bloggers out there who can be loosely described as closeted atheists living as observant Jews. I have been reading their writings with interest, and...

Saw this New York Times article about Seder Olam, which provides all sorts of information for the kosher/observant Jewish traveler. Let's hope it's more up to date than Shamash's restaurant database....

Weekend update later (for real this time, I promise), but for now please enjoy Anonymous Lawyer, which I found through this New York Times article....

Matisyahu is playing at Harper's Ferry tonight. I can't go, but you should....

Mazal tov to the entire Out of Step Family on Out of Step Daughter's bat mitzvah, which they celebrated this past Shabbat with a women's tefillah in their home. I anxiously await OOSJ's "thoughts on women, girls and religion" (as promised)....

From an older entry in Netivat Sofrut (Aviel's blog): Living in Israel is like a daily encounter with a stunningly beautiful woman who is intensely passionate & at the same time intensely angry. So, Julian, I guess you're ready to make aliyah now, huh?...

As a follow-up to yesterday's post, here's some more information on Aviel Barclay and the Women's Torah Project. From the WTP website: Maimonides (RaMBaM), the great 12th-century authority on Jewish Law, argues that the purpose of writing a Torah is to study from it; and he pardons women from the obligation of regular Torah study. This has generally been construed by later authorities to constitute a prohibition against women writing Sifrey Torah...

I've been blog-diving recently, and found a few additions for my sidebar (as some of you may have noticed). Two new additions (to my world, not the blogosphere in general) are AidelMaidel and Persephone's in the barren season. AidelMaidel is a Chasidic ba'alat teshuva living somewhere in New York, and just has a wonderful, down-to-earth attitude about nearly everything. I'd love to sit and chat with her sometime, but I wonder if...

Aviel Barclay is becoming the first soferet (feminine form of sofer, or ritual scribe) to write a sefer Torah. Kol hakavod to you. And, in the meantime, could somebody explain to me what, if any halachic issue prevented this in the past. Besides inertia, I mean....

Today I found this site, about a guy who tried to get the lowest possible score on the SAT by answering every question wrong. He did, in fact, get a 400 combined score (lowest possible), but he inadvertently answered two math questions correctly. (Check your work before handing int he test, y'all!) Anyway, the part that amused me the most was this (I highlighted portions for your amusement): The SAT requires sitting...

Recently purchased: Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham and Slaughterhouse Five by fellow Cornellian Kurt Vonnegut....

Yankees fans need to grow up. You're giving the rest of us a bad name....

Josh (who has been our houseguest since Wednesday evening) bought us a present today: Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are...in Hebrew! Yay!...

Wow. Now you can be certain that the fifth season of The West Wing was pretty bad. Bravo is airing a marathon of fifth-season episodes all afternoon and evening today, and instead I am choosing between The Drew Carey Show and Law and Order for my laundry-folding accompaniment. The sixth season premieres in nine days. I hope it's better than this drivel....

I wandered through a Barnes & Noble yesterday and passed by a display of "moderately priced" paperback editions of "classic literature." I decided to pick up a copy of Gulliver's Travels and a Kate Chopin collection including "The Awakening." No, I have never read Gulliver's Travels. I know, I should be shot....

Through a sort of convoluted path, I came across this blog today. The blogger, who is relatively local, used to be frum and now...isn't. I did a little poking around and haven't found the "why" yet. I'm curious, but I'm also for some strange reason too mentally exhausted to continue the search. Anyway, it has me wondering why I'm even thinking about it in the first place. After all, it (generally) doesn't...

This Shabbat we read parshat Devarim....

Trust me....

Last night at midnight, right after The West Wing ended on Bravo, we were prevented (prevented, I tell you) from shutting off the television by the appearance of a "coming next" segment for...The Princess Bride. We figured it couldn't hurt to leave the TV on for a few minutes, just for a scene or two (or three). It would give me a chance to show off my ability to recite every line...

Just a few phrases in progress. If you live around here and you've looked outside today, you know why. Comments (positive and negative) welcome....

Sars does it again. I think I love that woman....

I just felt the need to highlight Sars's excellent essay, for anyone out there who has never read it. I mean, many of her essays are excellent, but this one is particularly so....

Shir-Yaakov posted a collection of recordings of (some of) the melodies used by Kol Zimrah in NYC during Kabbalat Shabbat. Beautiful stuff (in my opinion). Reminds me of my time at Brandeis Collegiate Institute. Why didn't I know about this place when I lived in New York? I've updated the links on the side so you can go to either of his music pages now. NOTE: I am not affiliated with Kol...

...and while I'm linking to Jewish sites, I need to put in a plug for Shir-Yaacov's Musical Midrashim. I will be the first to say that you have to be in the right mindset to listen to these, and they're not for everyone, but I like them. Consider this my first music review. He has a blog too, in case you're interested....

It seems a fellow Brookline resident is running this site. Restaurant reviews, wine discussions, travel tips, but most importantly: "exotic" product finds! The sort of foods that the non-kosher world takes for granted--good cheese, decent balsamic vinegar, stuff like that--is fairly hard for us to find, and even harder to find at a decent price. Mr. Abbett, thank you. I look forward to bumping into you in shul one day....

Inspired by my 24-day stay at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute in the summer of 1999....