Tefillat Chana, 5775, Shiloh Hakeduma

Cross-posted on Shiloh Musings 

Thousands of females, ok, the percentage of those past their teens was lower than usual, braved the raging sandstorm on Wednesday to attend the annual Tefillat Chana at Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh. For many it was their first visit to the popular holy site. I found myself answering a lot of questions, as if I was wearing a sign on my backing saying:

I live here; I'm your unofficial expert re: Tel Shiloh. Just Ask!

Honestly, I wasn't. But of course I answered as well as I could. I used to give tours of the Tel on rare occasions. And as you probably know, I go to doven at the Tel on Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of the Jewish Month with some friends. I started that as a reaction to the mobs fighting to get space in Kever Rachel, Rachel's Tomb. Shiloh was the location of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle which was the forerunner of the Holy Temple. The Jewish People carried it throughout the wandering in the desert/wilderness after the exodus from Egypt, and then when they entered the Land of Israel, it was brought to Shiloh and set up here for worship. That period, when Shiloh was the religious and administrative Capital of the Jewish Nation lasted for 369 years.

The holiness never left Shiloh, even when the Tabernacle was no longer.

It was wonderful seeing all those women, young and old, walking, praying, learning, exploring and experiencing the event. Here are some of my pictures:

Yes, there were men around who had jobs to do. Here some are dovening mincha, praying the afternoon prayer.

Shani Taragin at Shiloh Hakeduma,
Tel Shiloh, at the Tefilat Chana 

And this year there was a talk in English by the well-known, popular Tanach/Bible Teacher, Shani Taragin, which was greatly appreciated. She gave a riveting talk. There were problems with the lighting so the photo didn't come out well. And as in previous years, the Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi also spoke.

Afterwards there was a musical performance, but I didn't stay.

As you can see from the pictures, everyone had a wonderful time.

Greetings for the New Jewish Year, 5776!

Gd willing this new upcoming year will be a wonderful one for all of you and the Jewish People and the State of Israel and thereby the entire world.

May the people in power be gifted with true wisdom, both the politicians and the media...

May we all learn how to put things in the right proportions and not get all hassled by irrelevant stuff.

May procrastination and overeating be a thing of the past...

I hope you like my "Fruit Heads," I put one together every year instead of serving a fish head or sheep head or whatever most other people do for Rosh Shanna. These fruit heads are from previous years; it's too early to do one for this year. I wait until the last minute, so it will stay fresh and perky throughout the two day Holiday. 

There's the growing tradition to make up lots of punned blessings to expand on the classics:

• יהי רצון Be a head not a tail. (Said over the "head" on the table.)
• יהי רצון Have a sweet year, (Said over the apple dipped in honey.) 

What are your favorites or new ones? I invented a new one for this year:

• יהי רצון that we learn to grin and "beer" it. 

Yes, I bought some beer for that one!

Serving Beer at the Amber Beer Tasting at Doug's. Photo by Mike Horton

Shanna Tovah uMetukah!

Have a Good and Sweet Year!!

Energy Sapping Weather- Challah Kneading to the Rescue!

This sand/dust storm has been awful.

This is not sepia colored. This is what really was outside on Tuesday morning during the dust/sandstorm.

My schedule has been busy enough, but oxygen isn't reaching the brain. It's not enough just to drink water. People with lung and breathing problems should be closed up inside airconditioned buildings.

On Tuesday my mind went blank, and I called a neighbor by the name of her daughter. Within a minute I found hers, but it was spooky. And then on the train (Jerusalem lightrail) the woman sitting next to me went into a panic and began asking why we were riding on the tracks. She called the security guy who had just gotten on. And then suddenly she realized that we were on the train. The driver was right there in front of us. I told her that it was because the sand/dust is fogging our brains.

The next day, Wednesday, I could barely get myself to function. Ok I must reveal that we do not have airconditioning and things might have been better if we did. I have so much to do before Shabbat and Rosh Hashannah. By early afternoon I finally got moving on challah baking. Of course, first I had to look up my recipe on the internet, since I couldn't remember where it was or if it was written on paper.

At first I worked rather mechanically, and then I remembered that challah-baking is supposed to be full of blessings, so I thought of my children and grandchildren and blessed them while kneading the dough. I actually began to feel better. And the challot ended up looking gorgeous, if I do say so myself.

After putting them and the unused dough in the freezer, I went, yes walked, down to Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh, for Tefillat Chana, which was wonderful.

But more on that at a later time. I'm busy today, very busy.

The Blind Angel, Book Review, Enjoyed!

I'm finally catching up on my book review and "fun" reading. There's still quite a pile between books sent to me, books given to me and a book for the book club I'm in. I must admit that I'll miss The Blind Angel by Tovia Halberstam & Joshua Halberstam, which has been a very enjoyable read, actually much better than I could have predicted.

For twenty-five years Rabbi Tovia Halberstam, a scion of the leading Chassidic dynasties, told these riveting tales to an audience of thousands on Yiddish radio in New York. His son, Joshua Halberstam, has translated these tales into a contemporary English that addresses a modern sensibility while maintaining the full charm and authenticity of the original tales.

In all honesty, I'm not the Chassidic Tales type, though I do love a well-crafted story with moral. Some of the stories here were new to me, while others are old favorites. It's hard to give a "favorite story." Each one had something special about it. Nobody was too goody-goody, and nobody seemed all that evil. Just like real life, many people found themselves in unexpected situations. The Chassidic Tale genre generally has a moral and happy ending with some plot twists.

The Blind Angel by Tovia Halberstam & Joshua Halberstam is the perfect book for those who like the genre and need to retell such stories for lessons or as part of speeches. I like books that can be put down and then picked up without having to remember the previous plot and narrative. It's great for those who have little time or short attention spans. And it would make a great gift for others and yourself, too.

Ladies, Live The Dream!

Har Habayit, The Temple Mount

As far as I'm concerned we're all living in a very special time of Biblical significance. Hadn't the Jewish People been dreaming of a return to the Land of Israel and Jewish Sovereignty for thousands of years?

Shiloh Hakeduma
Tefillat Chana

The Jewish State has come back to life, and mass influxes of Jews to the Holy Land have been happening for close to a century. I personally have memories of miracles of Biblical proportions, the 1967 Six Days War, the 1973 Yom Kippur War and other amazing Israeli victories and impossible, though true stories of Jewish survival.

Shiloh HakedumaTefillat Chana

Since 1967 some of Judaism's holiest places are now in our hands and still easily accessible. One of them is Shiloh, yes where I live. Shiloh was Judaism's first religious and administrative capital, yes before Jerusalem. The Holy Mishkan, Tabernacle stood here for 369 years.  It was the center of Jewish Prayer, personal and national. Today's Jewish Laws of Prayer were formulated on how Chana prayed in Shiloh for a son. That son was born, Shmuel Hanavi, Samuel the Prophet. Today women can come to the very location where Chana prayed so successfully and pray for whatever is important, whatever they need. There's no reason to travel to Uman or to fight over the limited space in Kever Rachel (Tomb) when Shiloh is so large and the air so inviting.

Shiloh HakedumaTefillat Chana

In Shiloh we feel the holiness all around and don't have to touch stones or tombs.

One can come to  the holy site of Shiloh Hakeduma, Ancient Shiloh almost anytime. Guided tours can be arranged through the Shiloh HaKeduma, Ancient Shiloh office. Email visit@telshilo.org.il or phone 02-994-4019.

I organize Women's Rosh Chodesh (first of the Jewish Month) Prayers, and the there is also a very impressive and enjoyable, Tefillat Chana, Hanna's Prayer, an afternoon/evening of special activities for women and teenage girls.

It will be this Wednesday. Information is on the poster.

Shiloh Hakeduma, Tefillat Chana

Dreams and Fantasies for 52Frames

You probably know that I'm not a fiction writer, and I live my dream here in Israel, so this week's 52Frames theme,  Dreams and Fantasies, was almost impossible for me. Yes, I wrote almost. Admittedly, I came up with a quick, last minute, not very aesthetically pleasing photo, but it does fit the bill. It's definitely a "dream and fantasy" to instantly and painlessly lose weight.

So I turned this photo:

into this one:

Yes, it's  self-portrait. I was in such a rush I didn't even check to see how I looked, nor put on lipstick.

45 Years as Israelis!!!

Last night, September 5, after Shabbat was the non-Jewish date marking forty-five 45 years since my husband and I docked at Haifa Port on the Greek Lines Anna-Maria and became Israelis. There were over four hundred 400 other olim chadashim, new immigrants on the ship. We got full citizenship close to three years later, but that's a minor detail.

By using the date converter on the internet, I've discovered that we missed out on the Jewish anniversary of our aliyah by a couple of weeks.

Saturday night, the 5th of September 1970 = 5th of Elul, 5730 ה׳ בֶּאֱלוּל תש״ל

But considering that the move is something I have never regretted and celebrate daily, the exact Jewish date is not that important.

soon after arriving in Israel

My husband and I were young and admittedly immature when we got married announcing to all that we were not staying in the USA for long, but it was the wisest decision we could have made.

We first lived in the Maon Betar in the Old City of Jerusalem, before the area was called the "Jewish Quarter." There were very few Jews there besides those in Yeshivat Hakotel and NaChaL Moriah.

When our first child was born we moved to the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Jerusalem to an apartment we had bought. In the mid-1970's we went on shlichut to do Zionist youth work in London with our then two daughters and returned home with a third.

On September 1, 1981, with four children including a newborn son, we moved to Shiloh. Just over two years later, our second son was born, and we still live in Shiloh. We've seen Shiloh, its school and the entire area around it grow and thrive over the decades. It feels very natural that I've spent more than half my life living in Shiloh, and so has my husband. What does feel strange is that we are now considered the "elderly" of the community. I really don't feel that old.

I have found a couple of other people who were on that ship with us and would love to find more. It would be amazing to have a reunion.

Dilemma, What to do About the Jewish Blog Carnivals?

I have trouble letting go...

For the past few years, I've pretty much been the defacto "coordinator" of the veteran Jewish blog carnival, Havel Havelim. It was started by Soccer Dad possibly in 2004 or earlier. I'm not sure exactly. In its heyday it came out weekly and was hosted by a wide variety of Jewish bloggers all over the world. After a few years, Soccer Dad passed the baton on to someone named Jack, and when Jack had enough, it was rescued by Esser Agaroth who set up the facebook page, and I somehow found myself holding it together and doing most of the hosting of late. I just wonder if anyone would mind or even notice if I'd stop cold turkey. Almost nobody sends me links to posts. I just include whatever blogs I like and rarely get thanks. I don't do it for the thanks, but there was a time when bloggers were happy to be included, which is rare now. The other day I posted a question, my thoughts about this on the facebook page, and it was totally ignored. This is it:

There seems to be less and less interest in Havel Havalim. Sometimes I wonder if I should just let it die out. But I'm not willing to do that yet. Since I've been the only host of late, I'll post when convenient for myself. With the Jewish Holidays getting sooner and sooner, that means that every week isn't realistic. So unless there are volunteers to host, HH will appear at my convenience. Like many bloggers I like the idea a a periodic post featuring links from other blogs. I'll keep the name Havel Havelim.
You'll be included if you send me links, besides the blogs I choose. So please send in your links from the past week to shilohmuse@gmail.com HH as subject and a blurb would be appreciated, thanks.
If you're willing to host, just let me know, thanks.You'll be included if you send me links, besides the blogs I choose. So please send in your links from the past week to shilohmuse@gmail.com HH as subject and a blurb would be appreciated, thanks.If you're willing to host, just let me know, thanks.

I did tag members of the group. One person sent me a link for the next Havel Havelim. Click here to see the one I posted last week.

And besides Havel Havelim, a number of years ago I began another blog carnival, the Kosher Cooking Carnival when a post I had submitted to a general blog carnival had been rejected, because that week/month they were only accepting those for ham. KCC is a monthly carnival which is supposed to appear around Rosh Chodesh. It, too, has lost its following, or food bloggers aren't interested in the community of a blog carnival. I've been combining it with Havel Havelim.

I'm not calling it quits. I think I'll just do periodic posts which are links from other Jewish blogs about everything, including the kitchen sink. And if you'd like to be included or see a post that should be included about any Jewish or Israeli issues, including kosher recipes and reviews of kosher restaurants and cookbooks, please send them to me, thanks.

Too Short Pool Season, Sigh...

For me, here in Shiloh, the pool season has come to an end. At 9:30am those of us who had come for "Women's Swimming," females 18 and over, sadly dragged ourselves from the pool.

The pool had been full, mostly with grandmothers, and most of the others who made it for the last of our special sessions, will probably be grandmothers within a decade. As full as it was, we made space for all, and the lifeguard, thank Gd, had nothing to do, not even "direct traffic."

For reasons of modesty, I didn't take any photos of the pool, but following are a series of my walk down, which only takes me about three minutes at most. Of course it takes a few more when I stop to shoot pictures.

G-d willing, next June I'll be back swimming, ok exercising, in the Shiloh Swimming Pool.

B"H, A Miracle!

In this post is a haiku of thankfulness to Gd.  I had actually written this in a couple of versions on facebook when I got home last night.

Today I didn't really shop much in Rami Levy but had bulky stuff, because we got the holiday gifts (which I'll give to one of my kids.) I was wondering how I'd tremp home, since with all my stuff it wouldn't fit on my lap. And then the friend who usually takes me to Ofra had to shop, so I said:

"I'm going to the bus stop and if I get a ride, I won't be there."

I really didn't know what to do, since the bus gets to Shaar Binyamin about 9:36pm, and it was over ten minutes later. But I trudged and prayed. Just as I was almost there, I saw a bus approaching, and it looked like a bulletproof one. Then I saw it was the 461, my bus (the one to my neighborhood) so I flew and it waited for me and took me home.

A real miracle
bus was late, so I caught it
Gd is truly great!

I think the driver thought I was nuts when I asked:

"You're late especially because of me, so I can get a ride home? Right?"

The driver may not have understood, but I have no doubt that this was a great gift from Gd to me, and he was the tool.

the 461 going up to my neighborhood

Wonderful Fish Meal at Ahavat HaYam

Last night I again found myself at Ahavat HaYam, which is an excellent, full meal fish restaurant. I had been there a few weeks ago for lunch with friends, and although I did take some photos, I hadn't gotten to write up a review. So this time I'm not procrastinating.

Ahavat HaYam has its good points and bad ones, too. I'll start with the negative, since it may mean that you can't get in.  The restaurant is on the upper floor of the gas station across from Gan Sacher, a large park in Jerusalem, near Binyanei Ha'uma and the center of town. I only saw stairs, so handicapped accessible it isn't.

If access isn't a problem for you, Ahavat HaYam is a wonderful fish restaurant. Don't let the gas station turn you off.

Once you walk in and see the large space, including a glassed in room for special events, you'll know that this isn't your ordinary restaurant.

As soon as I sat down, even before ordering, they brought out an amazing selection of scrumptious salads, like in the best of the Jerusalem grills.

There's a wide choice of fish meals, fried or grilled, and I stress the word "meals," since I didn't notice an ala carte option. You get the Israeli salads, fish of your choice with either potatoes or a fresh salad, plus dessert.

After taking away the potatoes, I covered my fish with salad. 

I definitely recommend Ahavat HaYam . Enjoy!

name:	Ahavat Hayam
address:	Shderot Ben Zvi 11 , Jerusalem
opening hours:	Sunday - Thursday 12:00 - 24:00 Saturday after the Sabbath - 24:00
phone:	02-6236767
food type:	Events, Fish, Homey, Lactic
service language:	אנגלית [English], עברית [Hebrew]
site:	Ahavat Hayam
kosher:	Mehadrin, Rabanut [Milk]

Fire, A Flame, Simplicity for 52Frames

This week the theme/challenge on 52Frames was "Fire." I had neither the time nor the facilities to do something complicated and ambitious. The deadline was approaching and I had nothing to send in. So I thought of the lighter that I keep by the stove to light the burners for cooking. When I bought it, the guy at the check-out lit it and told me to get another, with a stronger flame.

The flame still shoots out pretty well, bli eyin haraa.

52Frames "FIRE!"

I thought it was pretty good, but hasn't proven very popular in the 52 Frames crowd. I still like it.