It's Not Just About Matzo

As I get down to the very last preparations (YEAH!!!) in my home for Passover, many things come to mind about this time of year. This year in particular has a special event added to the calendar.

The sun rose for the very first time on Wednesday, the fourth day of creation. This Wednesday we will be witnessing the sunrise just as it appeared on that very first Wednesday of creation. In the Jewish calendar this occurs only once every twenty-eight years. The last time that the vernal equinox occurred on a Wednesday was in 1981; the next occurrence will not take place until 2037. This even is called Birkat haChammah.

Birkat haChammah is indeed a rare event—an event that recurs only every twenty-eight years. Even rarer is the occurrence of Birkat haChammah on the fourteenth day of Nisan, erev Pesach, as will be the case this Wednesday. On the morning of the Vernal equinox Jews around the world will make a special blessing, thanking Hashem for creating the sun.

This convergence of the renewal of the sun’s creation (the vernal equinox) and the maturing of the Jewish people (Pesach) is particularly rare. It last occurred in 1925 and the time before that was way back in 1309 (in medieval times). We have over 500 years to wait until 2541 – the next time that a Wednesday Vernal Equinox occurs on the day before Pesach.

We learn that when the sun and moon were first created they were equal in size and importance. The moon complained: "How can two kings rule at the same time." The sun listened to the moon’s complaint but did not say a word. Hashem rewarded the Sun for being satisfied with the job it had been given and made it superior to the moon. As we know now the light of the moon is now nothing but a reflection of the sun.

So many things to learn and contemplate this time of year. Everything is renewing itself, and reminding us of the blessings given to us. Just for a moment think about how incredible it all is, and your heart will almost burst.

Happy Pesach to everyone!

Purim!

Yesterday was Purim, and it was lots of fun!

Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination. Again, someone tried to kill off the Jews.

On Purim we have 3 major obligations we must fulfill.
1. Hear the Book of Esther 2 times. Once in the evening, and once in the morning.
2. Giving monetary donations (tzedukah) to the poor and needy.
3. Giving Mishloch Manos (gifts of food) to friends, family and community.

We also celebrate Purim by having a Purim Seuda, Purim feast is during the day of Purim. There's that theme again of 'They Tried to Kill Us,We Won,Let's Eat!'

And Purim is the one holiday or time of the year where Jews are commanded to drink. According to the Talmud, a person is required to drink until he cannot tell the difference between "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordecai". Now this does not mean the person is supposed to become intoxicated to the point of not following commandments, but to relax and enjoy.

Some of the students from two of our schools came by to collect money donations. This is always one of my favorite parts!

They sing, or have a skit, rhyme, poem, etc. They have on costumes, and it is fun! Here are the groups we had this year.
Yeshivas Aish Kodesh


Bina Girls High School


Hope you had a freilichen Purim!

History is Repeating

When I first started this blog it was not my intent to post anything political. It was a place for me to share my artistic pursuits. However, I've come to the conclusion that if it is on my mind and in my heart, it is worth posting about. If for no other reason but to get it off my chest.

Does anyone remember Neville Chamberlain from your history lessons?

Neville Chamberlain was British Prime Minister from 1937 - 1940. He was best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and of course the Munich Agreement he sign with German Chancellor, Adolf Hitler, in 1938.

In this "agreement" that Chamberlain was so pleased for having gotten Herr Hitler's signature on, was supposed to make peace with a dictator who already had begun to put his plan into action. This whole process just bought Hitler time, and made him look legitimate. We all know how that turned out.

This morning I find that President Obama is, and has been since November, penning a letter to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. News of this literally made me cry. With Israel in the precarious position it is in, this is the last thing we need.

History is repeating itself, and no one seems to be in power who wants to stop it. Why? Can anyone please tell me why no one wants to stop this train wreck from happening?

Former Presidents Carter and Clinton tried to do the same thing with Iran. Each attempt was a failure. The developing foreign policies of the new President are not looking to supportive of Israel or Jews in general.

This also concerns me on another front. The U.S. military. My son needs a President who will give him the support he needs while he is defending our country. Currently in Afghanistan for the rest of his 15 month deployment, he should be assured his country is there for him. Not the man who is supporting terrorist worldwide, and building nuclear weapons. Even after being told by the U.N to stop!

Everything going on in the world now is headed in one direction, and personally I'm afraid for all of us.

Pass Along

Read this letter to the editor on YWN, and had to re-post it here. It is short, to the point and so true.

Dear U.N., E.U. and all other Anti-Semitic organizations out there.

Speaking for Israel and Jews all over, I would like to express my sincerest apologies. It appears to me that we have upset you, for we had the audacity to defend ourselves against the Arab murderers who are only trying to do what you want them to do, namely kill us all.

Now I know this must be hard to accept, I mean for years now your organizations have been working tirelessly around the clock to attain world peace. By world peace I of course mean a world without an Israel in it. I’m sure it kills you every year when you receive a new globe for your desk with all the new countries, and you still see a tiny Israel there. How dare we continue to exist? When the world clearly does not want us around!

I can bring you proof of that fact by listing thousands of incidents throughout history in which the Jews were killed mercilessly for no reason other then being Jewish. But I won’t since that is too much to type - instead I’ll bring you the past few months.

For the past few months, day after day, rockets continuously land in Jewish towns; on schools, nurseries, prayer halls and many other such military locations. Yet for some reason the U.N., E.U. or any other international committee haven’t even had a thought about mentioning the rockets, forget about condemning them.

But lo and behold when after the Jewish Sabbath I look online for the news and what do I see? Israel had the Chutzpa to defend itself. How dare we? Who are we, as a country to even think about it? To try and stop a peaceful people living in Gaza, (which by the way in an election, practically unanimously voted in a terrorist organization in as government) from their lifelong dream of driving my people into the sea? How dare we?

Thankfully, you in the U.N., E.U., BBC. CNN, and all other Anti-Semitic organizations out there, didn’t let us down. Why in a matter of minutes you were out and condemning Israels aggression and unprovoked attack against innocent Palestinians. Your responses were amazing and expected, considering your well-known rabid hatred for Jews. Immediately condemning us, and demanding that we stop immediately, and yet you somehow forgot that just last week in one day over a hundred rockets landed in Israel.

The fact that your average Jew living in Israel has friends who have no parents, buried siblings, are missing limbs, or traumatized for life due to the peaceful Arabs, you couldn’t care less about that. But the second we fight back, a nation which is well known for letting others kill us while we give them the money and weapons which with to do so, you world out there go crazy and condemn us to the hottest fires hell has to offer.

Well in that case, what I have to say to all you Jew hatters out there is “TOUGH LUCK”. Because for the first time in many years I am actually proud of Israel and what they are doing, and to them I say, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BECAUSE ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

Submitted to YWN via email by Levi K.

YWN Original Post

I gotta say...

Here I am breaking one of my own rules, but I feel compelled to say something.

One of my big rules is discussing politics. It is something that people should never discuss with each other unless they are in complete agreement.

Like during football season my husband and I cannot watch it together. He is from Texas, and therefore a devout Dallas Cowboy fan. Me on the other hand am a Washington Redskin fan because of being in Virginia. See the problem? Luckily, my husband and I see eye to eye on politics.

This years presidential election is one that is a real bone of contention with most people. Tonight though I read and saw something on WorldNetDaily.com that completely, and totally terrifies me.

ELECTION 2008
Farrakhan on Obama: 'The Messiah is absolutely speaking'
'Barack has captured the youth,' will bring about 'universal change'

There is a complete article, but the video posted with it is the cherry on top of my nightmare. Whether you are an Obama supporter or not, you have to see how frightening this is.

Louis Farrakhan is a hate monger who incites racial, and religious discourse. In particular he has a dislike for the Jews. Barack Obama has affiliations with 2 people who dislike Jews and whites. Louis Farrakhan and Reverend Wright. We won't even go into William Ayres right now.

With some of the things being revealed about the friends of Barak Obama it seems to me there are too many unknowns about this man to have him elected. Especially being Jewish and white.

Are you scared? I seriously am, and had to say.