Weather It Is (On Ari Fuld)

Today the People of Israel – let alone our town – lost someone very special. Ari Fuld “a hero,” “larger than life,” and “a champion for Israel” (1).  Our defense minister promised an iron fist (2), but no iron fist can beat back the tide of EU NGO’s pushing for a boycott of Israel, as well the end of the Jewish renaissance.  No, that Iron Fist will have to come from those who are simply like Ari – making a tireless case for the State of Israel, its beauty and its people.

Yet, in the end words fail us – they can never capture what really was, and what were our hopes for the future.

Yet, perhaps we can take solace in our children – who may someday grow up to be like Ari.  My wife, Rachel, asked me to write down what she felt and what she experienced today at school when the bad news fell like a heavy tree upon us all.

It was the time for me that I had to return to my class of 7^th graders. I had to tell the kids what happened outside Rami Levy (of Gush Etzion) that morning.  I felt like I was choking – that I could not speak the words I needed to speak.  When I told them what happened, they each had their own reaction: some lowering their heads, while others grasping their ears and rocking back and forth – all  in anguish. 

I found myself in a class where most of the kids were crying.  The tears dripped onto their clothes, while others flowed onto the table.  Some tried to hide the tears, but they could not hide their anguish.

The only empty chair was the chair of Natan – a child whose smile (in better or even difficult times) fills the room.  The chair was not wet, and the chair didn’t rock, but the chair looked lonely and anguished.

I looked at their eyes – blue eyes tearing, brown eyes tearing, black eyes tearing, all shining, failing to reflect the sun streaming into the room.  Soon, I found myself looking at them through a veil of my own tears – tears of mine own anguish.

We read Tehillim (the Jewish book of Psalms) together. In Tehillim, we asked: “How long will the wicked exult (3)?”  I had no answer. I looked at their tears and had no answers.  But, then I began to think that if only we could collect all the tears and send them up to heaven, then perhaps, some day, “those who tearfully sow will reap in glad song (4)”.

(1) https://www.timesofisrael.com/terror-victim-ari-fuld-mourned-as-larger-than-life-hero-champion-for-israel/

(2) https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/after-deadly-stabbing-liberman-vows-to-fight-terror-with-iron-hand/

(3) https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/hamas-praises-deadly-west-bank-stabbing-attack/

(4)  Tehillim Ztzadec-Daled; 94.

(5) Tehillim Kuf-Bet-Vav, 126.

Weather It Is (Cool Weather, Then Hotter For Yom Kippur)

Good Evening:

While not everyone gave voice to their thoughts about the weather today, I can imagine that most enjoyed the perfect weather, regardless.  Temperatures were in the 20s (Celsius) in many areas, and there was a light wind to cool off those who spent too much time in the sun.

The cool weather will continue until Tuesday, when low pressure should develop to our southwest over the Sinai desert.  This low pressure area will bring warmer, if not hot, temperatures for the "holiday" of Yom Kippur. Unfortunately, humidities will be above 50%, making it feel hotter than usual. There will also be a small chance for some tropical showers.

Cooler, but not cool weather should winds its way our way for Shabbat and the start of the Sukkot holiday.

Speaking of the holiday, I believe that my past studies qualify me to offer a modified Challah recipe that's gone over well with the family. I am speaking about my courses in both inorganic and organic chemistry.  In my classes, I was very good at adding "NaCL" (salt) to various other chemicals like "NaHCO3" (baking soda), as well as mixing up C6H12O6  (one of the simple sugars in wheat) and C18H36O2 (Stearic Acid; one of the ingredients in Canola Oil).  The point is I have a "license" to modify recipes so I decided to do just that (as the kids were not so happy with recipe I used on-line here: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/24419/bread-machine-challah-ii).  So, here is the modified recipe.

1) 1 Cup room temperature water
2) 1/2 Cup Sugar
3) 1 Tb Honey
4) 1/4 cup vegetable oil (like Canola)
5) 2 1/4 tsp salt
6) 2 eggs (room temperature is best)
7) 2 cups white flour; 1 cup whole wheat flour, and 1 cup Spelt flour
8) 1 Tb instant yeast
9) 1/4 cup gluten

If you're making this in a bread machine, then just add in the order listed (set on the dough setting!). If you want to do it yourself, add the yeast to the water/sugar mixture and let it sit for a few minutes before adding 1 cup of the flour and mixing well -- then continue from there).  It's also best to knead this twice, with a small break in between to let the dough rise a bit (1/2 of its size, perhaps). If you want to add 3/4 cup of raisins, add them before the second kneading.

Before cooking, mix 1 egg, 1 Tb water, and 1 Tb Honey, and brush over the Challah (or Challot).

One good thing to know: it's much easier to braid Challah if you lengthen the previously rounded dough and then cut it into 3 strips lengthwise as well.  In otherwords, don't cut across the dough, cut parallel to it (or yourself). For two Challahs, cut this in half (across) before cutting lengthwise (or 2/3 and 1/3 sizes depending on what you want).

For the holiday, you can roll each strip into a circle.  

Bake at 180 C for 32 minutes, turning the oven on when you set the timer.  Here's a picture of our Challah loaves.  You can see I made an extra roll in order to have two Challahs left over for Shabbat morning.  Enjoy and Happy Holidays.  Barry Lynn

Weather It Is (Hot)

Good Evening:

The weather is hot enough to turn on the air conditioning and to stay out of the sun.

After a relatively cool August,  the heat arrived as a heat low to our southeast built northwestward into our area.  The heat should last into late week before temperatures trend downwards into Shabbat (Saturday).

By that time a trough (or low pressure) in the middle atmosphere should move in from the northwest., and the low to our east should be replaced by a weak ridge of higher pressure. The winds between that low and the higher pressure will bring moisture into northern central and northern Israel, where there will be the possibility of tropical showers (and even some lightning). Fall may be off to an early start (and the rumor has it that the seasonal forecast models are predicting above normal rainfall amounts, a big difference from the years of predicting drought).

As the trough continues eastward and passes through our area the temperatures should cool from the low 30s into the upper 20s -- considerably cooler than today (Sunday).

That's good because I don't want to hear any complaints about the weather.

It wasn't a complaint, but an odd thing happened to my wife.  She was worried that her nighttime slumbers were being interrupted by a bit of snoring. I said I didn't think so, but she insisted on heading off to the doctor.  She told the doctor her worries, so he asked her if this were indeed true.  She told him that she was sleeping so that she couldn't verify the situation either way.  He thought this strange, and didn't really know how to proceed.  This made for a bit of a laugh but then she added that she was sure that the doctor found it even stranger that she hadn't come to "complain" that her husband was snoring and being -- generally -- a bother.

Afterwards, what struck me about her comment was an implied expectation that husbands or simply a bother to have around.

But, I must digress.

You may not believe this, but it's been verified through an unscientific poll.  What's the first place a wife takes her husband after the marriage and the excitement of the first weeks of marriage have passed?  She takes him to have his hearing checked.  Some men will say amongst themselves that they've lost their hearing because of their wives, but at the time of the appointment they're invariably told that their husband hears just fine.  The wife goes home muttering, and the husband goes home happy that his hearing is indeed fine.

Except it isn't.

The problem isn't hearing, the problem is listening. She goes home wondering how her husband is ever going to be useful if he doesn't hear her (instructions -- on how to be so).

You see, men marry because in their eyes they've found a beautiful "girl," or a smart girl, or a smart and beautiful girl, or a funny, smart, beautiful girl; regardless of the reason they've found the one.

Women marry, instead, because they have high hopes that their husband might be useful to have around.  True, there's a bit of starry eyed bliss, but deep down it comes down to what is called "Tachluss" (or purpose).

But what does she get: someone whose hearing is going and they've only been married a few months. Then she's faced with a dilemma: she has to weigh just how much her husband is useful versus how much he's a bother, and if he doesn't come out on the plus side there's going to be trouble.

Trouble usually comes, but if a husband is truly committed to honoring his wife (and marriage) he can follow some simple advice.   If you miss it the first time, try to get it right the second time, and don't justify why you got it wrong the first time. It won't help because wives live in the here and now, and don't want to hear (rational) excuses why husbands don't live up to expectations.  If you do this, you can move back to the plus side and your wife might actually tell her mother that she made the right choice.

Religious men sing to their wives every Friday evening: "An accomplished woman who can find? Far beyond pearls is her value."  A little listening on the part of a husband can go along way to deserving such a wife.

Shana Tova!

Barry Lynn