tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81354252011-04-21T16:41:43.454-04:00about 15 minutes late. A few thoughts from a Jewish Orthodox college student trying to live to the rhythm of the Jewish YearMasmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.comBlogger1921100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1158531438840424572006-09-17T18:17:00.000-04:002006-09-17T18:17:18.866-04:00

Under standard conditions, all natural events evolve according to natural law. All human events evolve according to a more complex but no less natural set of spiritual laws. All Jewish events evolve according to G-d's deeply interested interventions. Since G-d's intervention trumps both spiritual and physical law, then the presence of a Jewish event or individual will cause slight anamolies in

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1155762393053950442006-08-16T16:59:00.000-04:002006-08-16T17:06:33.076-04:00

We're crazy. All of us.Absolutely out of our collective gourd.G-d, I love my people.For all English-only speakers:The shirt on the left says 'A Jew doesn't expel a Jew' and theshirt on the right says 'I love you, Land of Israel'I apologize for the quality. I have to get a better scanner

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1155661382177037772006-08-15T12:58:00.000-04:002006-08-15T13:04:22.000-04:00

"We are convinced that the true path to peace is via negotiations, but if this path is not possible - resistance is the only way. Not necessarily an armed resistance but a cultural and political resistance as well. The goal of the resistance is not war but rather peace....."President Assad of SyriaCould this get anymore Orwellian?On the other hand, King David got it 2500 years ago.

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1155606071158417742006-08-14T21:35:00.000-04:002006-08-14T21:42:39.820-04:00

I want to be one of those one old ladies with the sensible shoes and the odd colored scarves that are everywhere in Yerushalyim.The ones that look very closely at you and ask your entire family history to determine if they're related to you and then ask what you're doing for Shabbos even if you're not.Like the one sitting at the busstop who scooted over to make room for me and told me as I

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1154517371757377322006-08-02T07:16:00.000-04:002006-08-02T07:16:11.850-04:00

כל מי שמתאבל אל ירושלים זוכה ורואה אותה בבנינה   Everyone who mourns over Yerushalyim merits and sees it rebuilt   Rambam didn't see it built, or the Baal Shem Tov, or even the one who wrote the book, Yermiyah didn't see it rebuilt. So nu? Is it true or not?   Read the sentence a little closer, it doesn't say 'will see' but 'sees.'   For a person who truely mourns Yerushalyim sitting and weeping

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1154515519702304942006-08-02T06:45:00.000-04:002006-08-02T06:45:19.783-04:00

There are two things in this world that are without price.   Something that no one will part with and something that no one will buy.   The Jews have always been without price.    

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1153380078532811012006-07-20T03:21:00.000-04:002006-07-20T03:21:18.620-04:00

[Note: As has probably been observed, the intervals between posts will probably remain rather lengthy due my current residence in Jerusalem. Jameel is doing such an excellent job keeping the news posted that I feel my time is better spent at places like the Kotel.]   There were fireworks over the Arab Quarter two nights ago. Flashes of red and trails of smoke drifting past the domes and over the

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1152207292408885942006-07-06T13:32:00.000-04:002006-07-06T13:34:52.463-04:00

I came, I studied, I graduated..... Now it's time to go home.

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1149113097993436792006-05-31T17:56:00.000-04:002006-05-31T22:26:51.120-04:00

Alright.It's been long enough, apparently no one has seen it.I have secret to tell you, neither have I.Which is why I dare not give an opinion of the screenplay, the acting, the directing or in any way evaluate its merit as a piece of cinematic art.But.... there is something unique about the idea of a essentially charedi worldview painted in the light and shadow of a modern media.For as long as

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1148564672606695972006-05-25T09:35:00.000-04:002006-05-28T19:50:38.200-04:00

[Current Score: 8 comments 2 opinionssorry, folks, 6 more opinions to go......]Thank all of you for your paitence and who still check this blog, despite a hiatus due to the trip through white water and waterfalls known a finals.There is something that has been floating at the back of my mind for several monthes, that'd I'd like to post. About the nature of being

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1147652852937445342006-05-14T19:12:00.000-04:002006-05-14T21:32:15.476-04:00

A sudden realization struck me, a few days, mid-bracha, Starbucks coffee hovering halfway to my mouth. Between the suit and the shoes and the jewelry, I was wearing a month's worth of rent.That's a lot of money for me.Another thought slinked out of it's shadow, but for how long?As time passes, money is becoming, well, cheaper.Big purchases shifted from a dollar, to a five, to a ten, to twenty

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1147205554231360702006-05-09T16:06:00.000-04:002006-05-10T23:45:55.656-04:00

[update: 10 March for because brevity does not always make for clarity.]Once I thought that the news might truely be about, well, news. What, when, where, who etc. with the odd quote thrown in. But then it seems that news is about shaping public opinion more about whys than the traditional who, where, what and when.So when I see a headline like this:1972: Isreali Commandos storm hijacked

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1146626830626974422006-05-02T22:50:00.000-04:002006-05-04T08:57:32.306-04:00

There are times when it is deeply appealing to throw up my hands, announce that I am entirely overwhelmed and therefore will do nothing.There is only one problem:Yesterday I was overwhelmed.Today I feel overwhelmed.So.... going to sleep tonight will magically make it better?All times are hard.There are great struggles, petty persistent problems and awkward moments that waddle across the stage of

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1146416693112690162006-04-30T12:43:00.000-04:002006-04-30T13:20:38.090-04:00

[because that's what MEME's are anyway. Thanks Lvnsm, for a very welcome break from school work]Accent: Which continent are we on?Booze: Dry Red Wine, preferably MerlotChore: Toss up between Vaacuming and Laundry and doing the booksDogs: The kind that come packs of 10Essential Electronics: If I can survive 72 hours without it, it's not essential. - Electronics used daily: Laptop, CD/MP3 player,

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1145976036902751642006-04-25T08:47:00.000-04:002006-04-25T22:55:42.536-04:00

My family was lucky, half of the them survived.I don't understand the Holocaust. I dare not presume to ascribe meaning to a depth of human suffering I have no comprehension of. So I am silent.But my great grandmother is dead, so are her sisters and brother. They can no longer speak.So should I be silent? Dare I be silent?Of what should I speak?- That man may be reduced to an animal.- Lest we

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1145289023809572202006-04-17T11:38:00.000-04:002006-04-17T11:50:24.736-04:00

Despite the wonderful opportunity this poses to discuss the fine points of the differences between the study of Torah and academia,I think there is a much simpler level of understanding: Suicide Bomber in Tel Aviv Kills 8It's just a headline, but it shouldn't be and it's going to keep happening until we actually get it.

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1144813693223302372006-04-11T23:31:00.000-04:002006-04-11T23:48:13.386-04:00

G-d does me a strange kindness.Every time, I think I've got it right, I finally understand life, the universe and everything and just as begin the envision of the fluffy clouds of my lofty comprehension beneath my feet, it turns out to be so much mist and shadows.G-d kindly reminds me, that while He might be infalliable, I and my understanding are most certainly not.and sometimes I wonder, but

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1144385384191750112006-04-07T00:45:00.000-04:002006-04-07T00:57:27.206-04:00

Greeting the new day from the wrong side of sleep. Again.There's a three day chag coming up and the kvetching has already started. The ridiculous amounts of food, the oily hair, the copious amounts of laundry, all the results of three day dedicated to complete rest.These three days are like a shaft of sunlight breaking through the gathering stormclouds of the ending semester. Three days, homework

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1144252137366762722006-04-05T11:38:00.000-04:002006-04-05T11:49:23.060-04:00

The Sfas Emet saith:This is not an ignoramous.This is not a little child.This the guy who has a question and doesn't ask.So we teach him how to.

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1144154281496478622006-04-04T08:35:00.000-04:002006-04-04T08:38:01.510-04:00

Every tiyul, two friends and I would stand posed at the summit of the mountain, take a deepbreathe and plunge down.Running, jumping off into the airthe only things that exist are you, the mountain, and the next steplanding and then off again.Faster and faster.Sliding to a halt at the base, laughing, as our friend sprinted past us, unable to stop.There's no time to think, no time to analyze. Just

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1143604558924592572006-03-28T22:49:00.000-05:002006-03-28T22:55:58.926-05:00

One of my favorite Pesach Questions:Does a convert have to bring a Korban Pesach, his anscentors didn't leave Egypt?Of course, he does. He's part and parcle of all of Israel and therefore has an obligation like any other to remember when he, himself was taken from Egypt.Better question yet:Does a convert, who completes his conversion between Pesach and Pesach Sheni, have to bring a Korban Pesach

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1143603933339777532006-03-28T22:40:00.000-05:002006-03-28T22:45:33.353-05:00

It happened, as was almost inetivable.I meet a friendly, relaxed Jewish Studies major and was midstream of a interesting discussion when a ice berg loomed out of the mist of midrashic interpretation, and shattered the conversation.How does one respond to an individual who wants to convert? Moreover when her boyfriend is Jewish and she is more interested in Judaism than he is.With full

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1143223856488482972006-03-24T13:08:00.000-05:002006-03-26T17:41:21.953-05:00

A true friend is the one that tells you when you're being a complete idiot, again and again even if they know that you won't listen.[Edited 25 March]Remember, kids, don't gripe and blog.

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1143171729921793332006-03-23T22:25:00.000-05:002006-03-23T22:42:09.936-05:00

Why is that people in the greatest need of compassion are those whom we least want bestow it upon?The people who arouse it most easily are the cute yet plucky heroes who are so busy they don't even have time to register that our compassion before they bustle off to help those who...need compassion the most, the unloved children turned into unlovable adults, with vocal chords grown into organ

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1143066526669933662006-03-22T17:09:00.000-05:002006-03-22T17:31:11.060-05:00

Tze U'lmad.... Go out and learn...Questions produced by fifteen seventh graders and one hagadaSo did Lavan and Pharoah, like, conspire to kill all the Jews?Why did Lavan go down to Egypt?Why is Lavan such a bitter nasty goy who wants to kill his own family?What does Ya'akov have to do with leaving Egypt, He's dead!If G-d is the King of the Universe why are the other kings, like Pharoah and stuff?

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1142776255603438922006-03-19T08:37:00.000-05:002006-03-19T08:50:55.613-05:00

Spring Break is here and green open spaces are calling, but a thought for anybody who drops by:The good are innocent so they ask for justice.The bad are guilty and that's why they ask for mercy.

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1142614360715145992006-03-17T11:43:00.000-05:002006-03-17T11:52:40.783-05:00

Everyone knows the sort of conversations that you get into at the library with foreign students, about the differences in American culture and the 60's and the whole 'what does it mean to be American?' thing. Jews, paradoxically citizens and strangers in a land not their own, usually have a lot to say about it.Then I cracked a joke, "America is a nation of rejects." The student laughed and

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1142362826763475192006-03-14T13:58:00.000-05:002006-03-16T11:04:53.576-05:00

Just Watch.[warning: deeply ironic and twisted humor might be necessary for enjoyment]Added 16 March 2006:The first time I saw the video, I was shocked. The faces are clear, calm and unknowing as death glides by on black wheels. The target, some small cafe, some nameless - nearly faceless people.I learnt long ago that more heroes ride away on buses than galloping into sunsets, but finding evil

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1142306241483938362006-03-13T22:15:00.000-05:002006-03-13T22:17:21.496-05:00

[A small little idea that I stumbled over listening to Megillah tonight.]Where is G-d in the Megillah?Everywhere it says "HaMelech"- The King.So listen to what The King did....(translation is my own)"And The King's servants said to him, The King should seek young virgins, who are good to look at. Let The King appoint ministers in all the provincies of His Kingdom to gather together every young

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1141747036767914742006-03-07T10:54:00.000-05:002006-03-07T10:57:16.780-05:00

I had a chat with my professor(who also happens to be the chair of graduate admissions) about some topics in the class, then he started complaining about admissions, criteria, letters, GRE scores etc.He looks over at me said, "You know, the graduate orientation in on Saturday." He laughs and continues, "I suppose someone could come in Thursday and then if you don't have to write then you'd be

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1141533519287727422006-03-04T23:19:00.000-05:002006-03-04T23:38:39.346-05:00

"There is no tzaddik in the world who does good and does not sin"So why do we still read these books?Okay, maybe you don't, but I do. (Okay, just Rav Yaakov and Rav Hirsch.)Because being righteous is hard.Because there are no good deeds without any sin mixed in.Because the battlefield of the soul shifts from the words tripping off the lips in Shomnei Esrei to controlling thoughts wandering

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1141271598366899542006-03-01T22:36:00.000-05:002006-03-01T22:53:18.383-05:00

[Note: a bit of nostalgia incurred by my little sister's high school production]How many of our high school selves have eyed some poor seminary girl of a teacher with the intention of creating another recess in our 10 hour school day? The kind of teacher that gets parsha or biur tefilla or perkei avot, one of those fake short Friday classes. They are so idealistic, enthusiastic and blithely

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1141177330717280852006-02-28T12:39:00.000-05:002006-02-28T20:42:26.060-05:00

....had better be far drunker or more tired than I am to do justice to it.but in attempt to do otherwise,anyone have a good perush for megillat esther?

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1141005144443171882006-02-26T20:38:00.000-05:002006-02-26T20:52:24.523-05:00

"Give to Your maidservant the children and I will give him to Hashem all the days of his life.[Shm. I 1:11]" He is the"Lord of Hosts of Heaven and Earth... [ibid]"Does He need another servant? "....Is it hard for You to give me one son?[Brachot 31b]""...Roeh, Tireh... You will surely see the pain of Your maid servant...."Is there anything He does not see? "See my pain, or You will see when I

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1140668664744830862006-02-22T23:21:00.000-05:002006-02-22T23:24:24.760-05:00

[Note: Had enough analysis of the quantitative form today.... This is a decided indulgence]Catching a reflection in a mirror, we peruse our face casually, barely noticing the imperceptible differences. The sharp lines, the taunt skin over bones no longer smoothed by baby fat, the eyes clouded by too many thoughts and feelings.Do you ever notice the other face in the mirror?You don't need a mirror

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1140496732337823422006-02-20T22:03:00.000-05:002006-02-20T23:38:52.426-05:00

[Note: More of the continuing contemplations of graduating]Every once in a while, one of my scholarships requires that I go off and be PR for the college. Smile and talk about the great classes, challenging majors, and opportunities of this great university.So I do it.But I don't want to be here.I came to college for one simple reason. I promised my parents. Standard deal.I got four more months

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1140318744426290032006-02-18T20:40:00.000-05:002006-02-18T22:12:24.520-05:00

[Note: In the midst of reading One People, Two Worlds by Hirsch and Reinman, a interchange between a Reform and Orthodox Rabbi, respectively. Any book in cherem by definition is worth reading ]Hirsch alternately is deeply appealing and downright infuriating. His moving paens to Jewish unity and brotherly love are well written and relavent. But his theological arguments and discriptions of his

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1140053613583701882006-02-15T20:25:00.000-05:002006-02-15T20:34:27.873-05:00

There is a wall through the center of my brain. One side there is the mind that quotes Shakespeare and casually discusses the probabilistic nature of the universe. The other side finds messages in the random shuffling of my mp3 player and talks to G-d quietly in the middle of the night.These two sides have very little to say to one another. G-d is G-d and gravity, gravity and arguments against

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1139860766967447502006-02-13T14:41:00.000-05:002006-02-13T15:00:38.806-05:00

Winter's come just in time for spring, crushing hopes that perhaps this year he might have forgotten us on his yearly round. With infinite paitence and dignity, he has made himself a blanket on the lawn, doodles in the windows and left his trail of black ice everywhere he walked.Beneath the heavy cold, there is something stirring, waiting....."Adam Etz HaSedeh... and today, he wakes up."

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1139460690017673812006-02-08T23:31:00.000-05:002006-02-08T23:51:30.096-05:00

[Just too tempting]It seems that the standard for a shtark girl has become her skirt length, more than any other criteria.Part of me wonders what has happened since our parent's generation where being frum and shtark meant kashrut and shabbos, minyan and hair-covering.Are these expectations some artificial standard created by too much 'frummer than thou and thy parents'? Of labels so prolific and

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1139159670136604362006-02-05T12:14:00.000-05:002006-02-05T12:14:30.146-05:00

Anyone know a good one?

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1139118100864809232006-02-04T22:45:00.000-05:002006-05-17T11:50:37.263-04:00

[Note: Number 5 of the Jew and the University, earlier installments consist of various vignettes describing elements of college life. A bit more self-searching.]It is a widely known fact to all seminary girls and yeshiva bachurim that anyone in college is a immediately spiritually asleep or at least under heavy sedation. It is also known that while the nations may have the deep and subtle

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1138801467187745102006-02-01T08:34:00.000-05:002006-02-01T08:44:27.233-05:00

Israeli Forces, settlers clash at W. Bank outpostI wish this was a shock, something unthinkable.I don't want to look at pictures. I don't want to let it hurt. But how can I sit here in America, calmly, callously working when my people are tearing themselves apart.This isn't shalom. This can't lead to shalom.Shalom is peace,is harmony,is 'shevet achim gam yachad.'I have no intelligent comments, no

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1138591204661536992006-01-29T21:59:00.000-05:002006-01-29T22:28:06.330-05:00

I've learnt much of my own ignorance in the past year.Ignorance of the world around me, of the laws of the physical, the psychological, the spiritual.How man himself is so ponderous and important that whole world rotates about him.How gravity makes the Earth fall and fall and fall again, falling just past the Sun.How G-d suspends the Earth in the void.or whether perhaps it's all one and the

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1138289596103384232006-01-26T10:23:00.000-05:002006-01-26T10:33:16.156-05:00

For the Love of...He stopped a stranger from killing one of his brothers.For the Love of...He stepped into an arguement among his own people.For the Love of ...He stuck himself in between total strangers to protect the weak.For the Love of ...He searched hills and wadis, back and forth until he found the little lambFor his love that he was chosen.For who would you trust with the most stubborn,

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1138129986249397452006-01-24T13:54:00.000-05:002006-01-24T14:14:09.633-05:00

Sign here!Scrawling my name, across the postman's clipboard. The room a tornado of colors, as people rushed in and out. Answering phones, questions, giving directions and making spot decisions as the hissing sound of the spinning rat race in my ears.The flashing colors fade white around the edges, the hissing grows louder. NO! I have to finish this. By sheer force of will bringing the room back

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1137722571943966012006-01-23T11:18:00.000-05:002006-01-23T11:07:47.006-05:00

[I think I've been due one of these for quite a while now]Idlly playing with my fork, as I listened to the rabbi's daughter describe her little red-haired son. "Such a sharp boy." Smiling and wondering why everyone else at the table is wearing a black suit.Had I accidentally wandered over to the men's side?Did someone die and no one told me?Or is this whole wedding entirely too black for me?"I

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134151633138140162006-01-19T21:55:00.000-05:002006-01-19T21:53:45.070-05:00

[a piece of mussar for myself]Rivka has two sons. Lavan has two daughters.The elder for the elder. The younger for the younger.Rachel was beautiful and Leah had eyes tired and weak from crying.You'd be upset too if your bashert committed murder, idol worship and adultery on his thirteenth birthday.This is the will of G-d. This is bashert. This is what is meant to be.and Leah's answer to this

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1137624845590957762006-01-18T16:59:00.000-05:002006-01-18T22:38:41.883-05:00

Everyone in this world has a purpose.Oh Thank G-d! Despair has been thwarted, meaningless rendered empty, and all is good and productive and with purpose.Purpose of grand palace of mammoth proportions adorned with an excess of statuary and urns may be to shade a single tzadik for an hour or two. So.... I'm not a tzadik so does that mean I built the palace?What if... What if we're simply a link, a

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1137603903210479682006-01-18T11:19:00.000-05:002006-01-18T12:05:54.070-05:00

"That there was no Man....[shm. 2:12]"Rashi:There was not Man who would in the future emerge from him, that would convert.So..... Moshe was a Prince of Egypt. Very few people are going to object to what the favorite son of an absolute ruler decides to do. Given that Pharoah did in fact object, why didn't Moshe simply send the Egyptian away. What need to kill him?Since we don't go around summarily

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1137517209480153552006-01-17T11:24:00.000-05:002006-01-17T12:00:09.616-05:00

"Scrub the counter, please.""But Immmmmaaa, it's not dirty.""Yes it is and it'll get dirtier if you don't scrub it.""If I can't see it, why do I have to clean it?!""Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there."Then I got my own apartment.[sigh]Lesson: Clean invisible dirt of all sorts, because otherwise it becomes visible all by its little self.besides it gives paitence a good

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1137456406257039362006-01-16T18:58:00.000-05:002006-01-17T11:22:03.513-05:00

Given we're all stuck somewhere for some reason.There must be some level of spiritual growth that is accessible to me here in college.Not learning to sayThank you G-d, I am a Jew!because college has taught to be supremely grateful that I am exempt from all the expectations and callous cruelties and narrow definitions. That I inhabit a world with very different laws.Not Kiddush Hashem of various

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1137384858618075622006-01-15T22:44:00.000-05:002006-01-15T23:14:20.706-05:00

[Note: For questions on the timing of this post, please consult the title of the blog. - Management]The tenth of Tevet, Nevuchadnezzer's troops closed around the city of Jerusalem and sealed it off from the rest of the world1,2There is no fast marking the day the Romans besieged Jerusalem. The fast of Tevet is uniquely about the first Beit Ha'Mikdash and all the mistakes of the period that still

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1137013175397469902006-01-11T14:38:00.000-05:002006-01-11T16:20:14.940-05:00

There is a green-eyed monster camped out in the sub -basement of my soul.It lives off of the dark misma of emotions that boils off the edges of control. It survives on the scraps of darkness and the dusty forgotten corners.There are dozens of the little creeps. Waiting for moments of weakness, exhaustion, rage. Whispering, mummering....Well, they were asking for it?What's the harm, its just once?

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1136909425350635992006-01-10T11:01:00.000-05:002006-01-10T11:10:25.390-05:00

[Its the 10th of Tevet and I just finished The Sunflower by Simon Wisenthal. This needs to be said]Murder is a complicated sin. On the surface level it is morally equivelent to maiming, the two follow each other in Mishpatim. In each the damage is irrevocable, the language of the Torah the same:Eyin tahat Eyin, Shein tahat Shein..... Nefesh tahat Nefesh. [shmot 21:23-24 ]but we learn the that eye

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1136819604755694352006-01-09T09:56:00.000-05:002006-01-09T10:15:50.946-05:00

Efrayim and Minasheh, the first children of exile, the only generation not to fall lower than the last one; they are also Shevatim.We bless all our sons, that they should survive and flourish as well as Efrayim and Minasheh did, that our own children should at least equal us, if not surprass us*.So why does Yisreal bless themAnd the Messenger who has always been with me** should bless the boys,

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1136768030979218602006-01-08T19:08:00.000-05:002006-01-08T19:56:30.133-05:00

[Number 4 of the Jew and the University: A series of vingettes from my college life, don't worry there will be a point to these in the end.]I used to be Jewish.But then one day my parents asked me if I wanted to go to temple. I said no and then went out and had a ham and cheese sandwhich.That day was Yom Kippur.Straddling a chair, he leans forward to make sure he's heard. Emphaszing each

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1136489898667932052006-01-05T14:31:00.000-05:002006-01-05T15:15:06.313-05:00

[Installment the Third of the Jew and the University: cross-faith dialouge is inherently fraught with far too many awkard questions]A hypothetical....A set of curious bright eyes look at me with inquiring innoncence. The question still hanging in the slightly musty air of the classroom.Its quiet, too quiet, too many ears, too many people.I could hardly give her a quick and bloody history lesson

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1136414473225837052006-01-04T16:40:00.000-05:002006-01-07T19:16:47.146-05:00

[to blatantly rip off one of my favorite authors]All stories start....And Now Read On.You could say this is the story of a fairly wealthy country.Okay. a fabulously wealthy country.So freaking wealthy they practically own all the food on the planet.You could say this is the story of massive crop failure across the entire regionorthe story of the Immigration of 2238.orthe story of the government

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1136306426826541272006-01-03T11:37:00.000-05:002006-01-03T19:28:40.223-05:00

Sometimes I wish I was stupid enough to fall for my own lies.but the price of knowing the right thing to do, is having to do it.back to work.....................

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1136245387342497662006-01-02T18:37:00.000-05:002006-01-03T11:40:58.906-05:00

This book makes me cry and want to scream at the same time.The selfless tree, the selfish man. (this better not be a parable for something else)The tree just gives her fruit, her leaves, her branches, her trunk, giving and giving, all because she loves the boy/man. Until the day comes where all that is left of her is a mutilated trunk and then he plunks down his behind and sits on her.The only

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1136158487998815072006-01-01T18:34:00.000-05:002006-01-01T19:27:01.016-05:00

Every where I look, I see light.

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1136141367073309122006-01-01T12:19:00.000-05:002006-01-01T13:49:38.950-05:00

I realized that I could sum the entire last post into one line:Women who are still learning and live that which they learn.And we need a lot more of them .The way you test a system and evaluate it worth is by its results.The system is obvious, it is Torah in its entirity. To see the results of this system, you have to locate someone who is so deep into it that he is in actually a 'living torah',

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1135963972556180942005-12-30T12:04:00.000-05:002005-12-30T13:56:44.933-05:00

Too many people have told me lately about those who write the word 'Rabbi' in front of their name who don't deserve the title...So this is praise of my rabbis, none of whom do or will ever bear that title, but are truly my teachers.In praise of my teacher...She can take a single pasuk, and turn it, the light of comprehension winking through each facet at you, and delight in it, while frying

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1135881700412851202005-12-29T13:23:00.000-05:002005-12-29T13:41:43.250-05:00

It seems everybody is feeling sick and dull and altogether not their perky happy self.I, on the other hand, have fuzzy slippers.Yes I have a cold, a runny drippy nasty cold, but I have fuzzy slippers also and hot coaco and a very cute two year old who is happily destroying my catalogs as I drop them on the floor.I could mediate on how miserable having a cold is, and how horrible the cold rain is

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1135821326175148282005-12-28T20:44:00.000-05:002005-12-28T20:55:26.190-05:00

If there was some evil arch-nemisis out there, who is soley responsible for the untold misery, affliction and death in this world and said villian has a neck, I would already be swinging the sword through it, kli gever or not.If there was some great of act of self sacrefice that would bring peace and knowledge of G-d to the entire world, I'm so there.Behalotcha et ha'nerot....G-d, I want to give

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1135746240539803822005-12-28T00:02:00.000-05:002005-12-28T00:04:00.540-05:00

I would like to take an opportunity to thank all the spambots out there who made this moment possible.and sincerely thank all those who read and comment.Freilechen Chanuakah

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1135735552455916832005-12-27T20:31:00.000-05:002005-12-27T21:08:05.816-05:00

[Note: an appropriate line of inquiry for a Jew studying in a instition which in its very name and architecture is all to reminiscent of the oppressor of the current holiday]I spend most of my time studying a discipline that is a direct inheritor of the physicality and philosophy of the Helenized world, that discards everything that cannot be measured or quanitified. Reduces the vast expanse of

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1135549987933977502005-12-25T15:47:00.000-05:002005-12-25T18:48:14.653-05:00

The story starts with despair.The kings are gone. Their crown taken by invaders. Their heirs refuse to reclaim it.The prophets are silent. The devine inspiritation lost. Their children do not learn their words.The learned men teach to empty rooms. The words echo. Their students have left for universities.The holy place defiled, the convenant banned, the new moon forgotten.... and in the dark arid

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1135536799705500192005-12-25T13:51:00.000-05:002005-12-25T13:53:19.716-05:00

A demonstration of the futillity of labeling

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1135531456712630512005-12-25T11:48:00.000-05:002005-12-25T12:24:16.780-05:00

[Note: Installment the Second of Masmida's adventures in the land of higher education]At the beginning of my college career, there was................ the orientation, welcome to your major class. Naturally the most convenient time was, Friday afternoon from 4:00 - 6:00 PM. Required.and so I went to the secretary,who sent me to the department head,who sent me to the provost,who sent me to the

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1135296069900797992005-12-22T19:00:00.000-05:002005-12-22T20:21:31.290-05:00

How old was Yehuda when he became a grandfather?Before you click next indulge me with a bit of mental arithmatic:EventYearYehuda's ageYosef's ageYakkov marries Rachel and Leah0N/AN/A Yehuda is born(approximately)40N/AYosef is born*730Yosef is sold2420/211722 years elaspe**Yehuda and his son Peretz and grandsons come down to Egypt with everyone else4642/4339What makes the last statement really

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1135122088878857352005-12-20T18:30:00.000-05:002005-12-20T18:41:28.886-05:00

Why are there so many fake smiles? Why everwhere I looked today, I saw stale smiles below staler eyes?As I try to smile back, geniune to at least illicit some warmth, some life from those dead silent faces, I find my own smile fading.Has the world gone so grey?

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1135045238359624492005-12-19T19:39:00.000-05:002005-12-19T21:20:38.420-05:00

I have reached the 'I really can't care anymore' stage of finals.Will return after the inferno known as Quatum with Cohen.until then another point to contemplate:Where are all the good men dead,in the heart or in the head?

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134882411828677522005-12-17T23:30:00.000-05:002005-12-18T00:06:51.840-05:00

It's so hard to take.To take is to admit a lack, a need, a measure of interdependence that our western sense of rugged individuality rebels against.To be the bountiful benefactor can carry with it a secret huberis,Yesh li Rav......I have more than I can possibly need. (Breshit 39)here let me give you some. Let me show how much extra I really have. But if we can be honest enough to admit thatYesh

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134763503496153622005-12-16T14:31:00.000-05:002005-12-16T15:12:50.120-05:00

[Note: I will be graduating from the university in a few monthes and I'm taking mental stock of all the changes that have taken place in the past few years and the many things I learnt the hard way. So here it is: The first installment of whatever I decide to call this venture in strange and familar study]It always starts with the name.Oh that's such an pretty name. What ethnicity is it? What

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134691089149604672005-12-15T18:52:00.000-05:002005-12-16T15:15:11.590-05:00

Freedom is making a mental decision and able to stick with it.Freedom is looking at all the paths you're life can take and choosing.Freedom is smiling at the past and leaving it behind you like a shed skin.Freedom is the ladder to climb as higher and higher until your head spins in the thin air of the atomosphere and the air is crisp and clean and clear and you can see the world strecthed out

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134672770755381712005-12-15T13:04:00.000-05:002005-12-15T13:52:50.840-05:00

I hate losing it.I hate the self-righteous indignation that swells up and declares its importance above all other considerations and persons. I hate the words that fly out of my mouth and hit before I can haul them back. The transformation of the other into a target for the purposes of making some silly point.Anger is all ego. Anger is insanity. Anger is all about...........me.I'm boring, can we

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134668014240978502005-12-15T11:55:00.000-05:002005-12-18T09:59:20.076-05:00

The email available on my profile is really just a mirror to bounce the comments to my regular email.So to my surprise, I found there were a number of emails that had not been forwarded to my actual address. I apologize for ignoring them.Since the filter is only set for comments. If you would like to actually get in touch with me, comment :).and for any further question please see following

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134150372627558402005-12-14T18:55:00.000-05:002005-12-14T18:57:20.836-05:00

[Note: Apologies folks, but finals are here so I will revive an draft for your amusement and anyone who feels so inspired to appeal to G-d on my behalf at 8 o'clock in the morning tommorow and friday, please do, I need all the help I can get]To be young is to be discontented.To be young is to be bursting at the seams, wanting to change something, wanting to do something, wanting grow up already!

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134509222725280922005-12-13T15:48:00.000-05:002005-12-14T11:10:02.926-05:00

[Note: I meant Man in the universal sense. This seems to apply equally to women as well and feel free to respond, the number of guys commenting is starting to make me a like the only girl in the room]Maybe this got to me. Maybe it's finals. Maybe it's the fact that I'm running on less and less sleep and still seem to get nowhere. Maybe it's that I haven't felt motivated to do anything in

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134431580984113552005-12-12T18:49:00.000-05:002005-12-12T18:53:01.003-05:00

Is it really insecurity to tell secrets to only a few people?Just because it's not public doesn't mean it's dirty. Just private.

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134348863964185952005-12-12T18:02:00.000-05:002005-12-16T16:19:44.510-05:00

Little Red Riding Hoodie tagged me with one of these things sofive of the simple pleasures of my life: A spoonful of chocolate ice cream melted across the tounge, and then a small sip hot coffee.Psychotically perky squirrels: boing boing boing, they bounce along the ground like a rubber balls, endlessly resiliant, it always makes me smile. Smiling at someone, seeing the flash of surprise in

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134314464960703152005-12-11T10:16:00.000-05:002005-12-11T10:21:04.976-05:00

so why is it that the next line isTishchot zehav l'vusha. ......and her dress is golden jewelry sounds very internal and personal, no?Does anyone have an answer? Because G-d knows how many times that pasuk has been thrown at us.

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134262010957357972005-12-10T19:27:00.000-05:002005-12-10T19:48:24.410-05:00

Its so easy. Isn't it?All it takes is one moment of distance, one breathe of callousness. The living breathing human transforms into a vaguely alien being who quickly becomes threatening with the first demand they place on your time.That's all hate is. Seperation. Alienation.Leah was hated not because Ya'akov ever did anything, but because there was that certain distance.Before we can ever hope

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134137816277261972005-12-09T09:09:00.000-05:002005-12-09T09:16:56.290-05:00

Waking up before to a dark sky and waiting as the radio mentions every single school system is closed, the transit is closed, the government is closed, [sorry, anarchy for today people]but university opens at noon. [silly administration]but still... there's snow. :)[more profound posts possibly published post-procrastination and prevication]

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1134064418019945922005-12-08T12:38:00.000-05:002005-12-08T12:53:38.046-05:00

Man is organic.He grows and changes and adapts. Always bending, never breaking.The wind comes through and blows away all the loose debris, baring new growth underneath.The fire comes and sears , and amid the cooling ashes, the first pale green shoot emerges.The earthquake comes shattering the wellknow horizon into stange abrupt, jagged forms, overnight softened with a green haze of new

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1133999958010881812005-12-07T18:32:00.000-05:002005-12-07T18:59:18.013-05:00

Absolutely. I am an idealist after all.So here's the truth as far as I live:Man lives seventy or eighty years and then he dies.so saith David, the Sweer Singer of Israel.That's it folks, 70, 80, maybe ninety years and then they plant you like a flower pot and put on rock on top of you to make sure you stay.and you know what, you could live your life that way.But I don't have time for that. I have

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1133833985911969412005-12-05T20:48:00.000-05:002005-12-06T08:39:20.590-05:00

is this thing still working?Apologies, Blogger seems to have gone AWOL on my home computer.Man plans, G-d created buggy computer code.

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1133754072944729172005-12-04T22:10:00.000-05:002005-12-04T22:41:12.990-05:00

Jews get Chanuka gelt.Every year as my mother leans over and kisses me on top of my head and gives me a white envelope. A dollar for every year I've been her daughter.But as the world screams "Gifts, Gifts, Gifts!" I find the gift giving bewildering. Gift wrapping and oversized boxes, holiday sales and come get the watchamacallit now. Is it required for admission? Is every waiting in a frenzy to

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1133653864689754932005-12-03T18:39:00.000-05:002005-12-04T20:20:13.190-05:00

[Current score: Boys are evil (7) or they might be redeemable (1)]This past week as I sat with a friend working on problem sets, I turned around to another guy in the class and asked him"Can I look at your #67?"He passes it over. I look at it, copy a few lines and hand it back with a polite"Thank you.""You know you owe me now, right?" He said, as he took back the papers."Sure. Which problem do

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1133553405533336812005-12-02T14:51:00.000-05:002005-12-02T14:56:45.543-05:00

Perhaps modesty is not a matter of what but the when and where...the same secrets whispered to a loved one in the dark of the night become exhibitionist when shouted out for all the world to hear.So, is a blog a whisper or a scream?

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1133498181428889982005-12-01T22:52:00.000-05:002005-12-01T23:36:21.493-05:00

There is a particularly delicious sense of satisfaction to davening on Rosh Chodesh Kislev.To be the quiet dissenting voice of changing times against the relentless ticking of the Newtonian clock from negative to positive infinity.To sing of a day created anew every moment in a world that grows darker with each dayTo be a child among the people like the stars who cannot be numbered and are

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1133373535875723192005-11-30T12:57:00.000-05:002005-11-30T12:58:55.876-05:00

First time- it's an accidentSecond time - its bedievedThird time - its a mitzvaMasmida, lately has been anything but.....so, I'll be back when I actually have something worth posting.

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1133373232649069322005-11-30T12:52:00.000-05:002005-11-30T12:53:52.666-05:00

I stuck one on my blog last week and just got the first report from it.Lots of hits, very few comments.I feel sort of like the bubbe who says, "Nu! you were just across the street and you couldn't stop by to say hi!"

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1133321267494010752005-11-29T22:22:00.000-05:002005-11-29T22:27:47.496-05:00

We all can define this in terms of hemlines and sleeve lengths. I'm intrested in a different definition.Is this modesty?My current working definition is that concealing that which does not need to be revealed. But there is much to be either articulated or defined in such a defintion. Prehaps I need a new definition entirely.Maybe my question is what is actually modest behavior?

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1133320949435323572005-11-29T21:34:00.000-05:002005-11-29T22:22:29.533-05:00

[for the one whom I may not call Leah]The name Leah means exhausted.Why was Leah exhausted? from crying about the possiblity of marrying Eisav and she didn't.The morning after, Ya'akov says to Leah, "... Liar, the daughter of a liar, all night I called you Rachel, and you answered me?!" Answers Leah, "There are students without a teacher? Your father called you Eisav and you answered!"[breshit

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1133284986627688552005-11-29T12:10:00.000-05:002005-11-29T12:23:06.670-05:00

I'm tired. It's raining and I'm falling headfirst into finals week..... and with G-d's comsumate sense of humor, I get a phone call.I should be grateful for the oppurtunity. I should be thinking about what I want to do and what I'm really looking for. I should be feeling a new sense of possiblity.instead....Oh, I'm going to have to rearrange everything. great.One of my teachers told me "Today is

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1133128768301881302005-11-27T16:15:00.000-05:002005-11-27T20:06:44.510-05:00

If Shacharit is for the bright new dawns in our lives.and Ma'ariv for the pitch black nights,then Mincha is for the moments of stablity, crumbling at the edges.Most of our life is spent in mincha-time, done much, so much more to do.Do you really think you manage all on your own?

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8135425.post-1133107682088169252005-11-27T11:03:00.000-05:002005-11-27T11:08:02.116-05:00

Why is it so many of my friends who are still single end up teaching?...because they all capable of doing.

Masmidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11212763479205914516noreply@blogger.com3