Weather It Is (The Best I Can Remember)

Good Evening:

The weather of the past week, including the New Year has been the best I can remember. Skies were sunny with temperatures in the mid to upper 20s (middle 70s to middle 80s F).

The nice weather will continue as the week progresses.  Low pressure over the eastern Mediterranean should combine with high pressure over Africa to maintain a consistent westerly/northwesterly breeze, which will insure that our temperatures remain on the more mild side.

At the end of the week, a storm will approach from the west.  Right now, there are indications that enough moisture at lower and middle levels will arrive on Shabbat (Yom Kippur) to bring the possibility of widespread showers from the north to the central areas.  Some moisture at 500 mb suggests some indications of thundershowers as well.

This Friday, we went from the New Year Holiday to Shabbat.  For those who are Ashkenazi, this means that we skipped the "Avinu Malkeinu" prayer (asking for forgiveness, health, employment, etc), as well as the preliminary Shabbat prayers.

This meant that we left out the prayer "Ashet Chayil," which among other things thanks and lauds the wife for all that she does.  My wife, you can imagine, protested - especially after all she did to prepare for the holiday. I could only point out that when a man of Ashkenazi marries a women of Sephardic (often associated with Jews from eastern Mediterranean countries) that she takes the traditions of the man.  So, my hands are tied, so to speak.

What they don't tell you is that regardless of what the "law" says about the passing of tradition, the wife is really in charge.  The advantage of this, of course, is that the Sephardim have less strict rules about what to eat on Passover, and they have other leniencies (they are less hung up, so to speak). They also do fewer "Ay-yah-yah's at the Synagogue).  However, for this small period of time and at that place (the head (or tail) of the table), my word prevailed.

Now that I am feeling better, Thank God, we can go back to normal in most things (I am in charge when my wife agrees; otherwise, I agree with her).

Have a good week, and Gmar Chatima Tova!

Barry Lynn