tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25216291270395954302024-02-18T19:06:23.510-08:00ShmlagBenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-25218667643019670142015-04-14T22:41:00.000-07:002015-04-14T22:41:09.254-07:00A Postcard to Nina<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On Spotify today I was reminded of this mellow tune by the incomparable <a href="http://www.jenslekman.com/index2.html">Jens Lekman</a>. In it, the Swedish singer-songwriter tells the funny story of unwittingly playing 'beard' for a lesbian friend, at her parents' house. There's a message here, somewhere.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_1DaGZ9k5m4" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
PS This version was lovingly animated by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAmmIFXmQR9SH3w_pglc69A">Nathan Heigert</a>. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-82482122887560633332013-06-04T21:53:00.001-07:002013-07-06T01:30:07.336-07:00Sailing to Philadelphia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_knopfler">Mark Knopfler</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Taylor">James Taylor</a> are two of my favorite voices. Who but they could create such a sublimely beautiful and calming duet about the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason%E2%80%93Dixon_line">Mason-Dixon line</a>, of all things.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OrLdKYRBOEE" width="480"></iframe>
</div>
</div>
Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-86561079287825099412013-03-17T05:17:00.000-07:002013-03-17T05:17:26.126-07:00Seder Song With Hand Motions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, it's been over five years since I uploaded my first and still most successful Youtube video. This song was not something I experienced as a child, but it's for children, so here goes.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PeT5PAY3QwE" width="480"></iframe>/></div>
</div>
Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-36433170001495705882013-03-13T06:45:00.004-07:002013-03-13T06:45:59.373-07:00What's Happening?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">My friend this morning asks, What's happening?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">To which I reply:</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zpBhrjfetkk" width="640"></iframe>
</div>
</div>
Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-38532504507732235902013-03-06T22:34:00.001-08:002013-03-06T22:34:39.752-08:00Haftara on the Violin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I've always liked the <i>trope</i> melody to which the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haftarah">haftara</a> is chanted on Saturday mornings. It's so sad and grandiose. Melodramatic. Fits the prophets perfectly.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QqQdXszitZw" width="640"></iframe><br /></div>
</div>
Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-65753902349976186062013-02-24T00:37:00.003-08:002013-02-24T00:49:25.352-08:00Cinnamon Life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This "then and now" picture received a bunch of likes on FB and some <a href="http://imgur.com/gallery/SggvAFa">funny comments</a> on Imgur. When we were kids, our favorite breakfast cereal was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_(cereal)">Quaker Life</a>, and especially Cinnamon Life. Back in the eighties there was a contest to find the next "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYEXzx-TINc">Mikey</a>", and my mom snapped this picture. Thirty years later, I still eat this stuff almost every day.</span><br />
<div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD052-pqr0u9scAaLV1qKTSomy42hWOAO17SeDldYi3cfzbBue8YzuNLOcij7h6b_s3tvelIEZDeIHnkoPkZ2_C-icMAEcNeEGFCyn3UjOFZo0UXeLAMmW7bNZyv-YAaBJIvMhKpVeBUU6/s1600/lifecereal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD052-pqr0u9scAaLV1qKTSomy42hWOAO17SeDldYi3cfzbBue8YzuNLOcij7h6b_s3tvelIEZDeIHnkoPkZ2_C-icMAEcNeEGFCyn3UjOFZo0UXeLAMmW7bNZyv-YAaBJIvMhKpVeBUU6/s640/lifecereal.jpg" width="396" /></a></div>
</div>
Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-84581070677875166352013-02-21T18:04:00.007-08:002013-07-06T01:30:23.977-07:00Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The first time I ever heard of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Knopfler">Mark Knopfler</a> was in the study hall of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebron_Yeshiva">Hebron Yeshiva</a>. I had just started playing violin again, and a friend of mine had just started playing guitar. He asked in Hebrew, <i>Shamata al Knopfler?</i> (Have you heard of Knopfler?) Back in the dorms, he popped a cassette in the tape deck and I listened for the first time to <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>. I still think it's one of the best ever written.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mxfjSnMN88U" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
<br /></div>
Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-34177838774390102642013-01-27T12:19:00.000-08:002013-01-27T12:19:05.070-08:00Farewell to Shady Glade<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I always had a thing for animals. My favorite book in the whole world was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Farewell-Shady-Glade-Bill-Peet/dp/0395311284"><i>Farewell to Shady Glade</i></a> (1966). It chronicled a small group of critters, led by a world-weary raccoon, searching for a new home after their old one gets bulldozed. <i>Farewell</i> is one of <a href="http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=2579">over 30</a> children's books beautifully written and illustrated by <a href="http://www.billpeet.net/index.htm">Bill Peet</a>, who died in 2002. I never got to thank him.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFQtI2KyBEwwXwTUEqXbUoCJtSapLeHEMO-SpA6P_mRXZ88b6amGWMvUraV6J4krcn9STnFDyeEeHfMMaTv6bAuuIwIqdfCDXDCG-QGXW6lJN95vf4g4WA3nB53fwj_PpI5btJGcmURwI/s1600/smPEETFarewell+to+Shady+Glade+-+1966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFQtI2KyBEwwXwTUEqXbUoCJtSapLeHEMO-SpA6P_mRXZ88b6amGWMvUraV6J4krcn9STnFDyeEeHfMMaTv6bAuuIwIqdfCDXDCG-QGXW6lJN95vf4g4WA3nB53fwj_PpI5btJGcmURwI/s640/smPEETFarewell+to+Shady+Glade+-+1966.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-64502713289160852672013-01-14T09:38:00.000-08:002013-01-27T12:21:17.469-08:00Busby Berkeley Dreams<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Theme song of my life? I might have to go with Busby Berkeley Dreams. There's just something so ephemeral and beautiful about this little song, you'd swear you heard it before in a dream or another life. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ntRnoQ7W7DI" width="480"></iframe>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
I first heard it at Intermezzo Cafe, a salad bar in Berkeley, California (which by the way has nothing to do with the title or content of the song). I was so taken with it that I asked the girl at the counter who sang it, which was the first time I'd heard of <a href="http://houseoftomorrow.com/">Magnetic Fields</a>. This video mixes in some black-and-white footage from real <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busby_Berkeley">Busby Berkeley</a>-choreographed production numbers. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-73616608986113502612012-09-05T19:03:00.001-07:002012-09-05T19:07:06.278-07:00Bob Ross Believes in You<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When I was a little kid, my first dream was to be an artist. My mom liked to watch <i>The Joy of Painting </i>featuring <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Ross">Bob Ross</a> while she did yoga, and I was always amazed at how he could make something so beautiful with just a few brushstrokes. Lately, I've really been enjoying this motivational <a href="http://www.youtube.com/melodysheep">melodysheep</a> song/video, starring Bob. It's got a fresh, fun, and very positive vibe.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='427' height='355' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/YLO7tCdBVrA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In college, I finally took a painting class. Remembering Bob's beautifully realistic trees and landscapes, I downloaded a video and tried to follow along. Well, let's just say Bob makes it look easy. Believing is a good start, but there's ten thousand brushstrokes in the sentence "all you need to do is practice."</div>
</div>
Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-6235570907795932202012-06-21T03:27:00.000-07:002012-06-21T03:27:12.222-07:00Mr. Rogers Goes Viral<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've been pretty busy blogging <i><a href="http://www.dkreturns.blogspot.com/">Deconstructing Dark Knight Returns</a></i>, but I wanted to take a minute or two to single out a video by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/melodysheep?feature=watch">melodysheep</a>/PBS featuring Fred Rogers. I used to watch Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, which usually came after Sesame Street. I think his messages of kindness and curiosity might speak to me more as an adult than they did as a child.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OFzXaFbxDcM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-11850997671629728902011-12-29T09:11:00.000-08:002011-12-29T09:11:28.358-08:00The Dark Knight Returns<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1heCmBZBf00X-tQf5T5tyowQrZfzijBJu6OOompwYHKdNf0sA496uq9HPwGZKIo1-pfvibyGG-yZtv0hx347xjiTLl7df1aGayXM-v_dsoFXCaPm2_4KOouk7_hXIaAFW5105H5X8znY/s1600/250px-Dark_knight_returns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1heCmBZBf00X-tQf5T5tyowQrZfzijBJu6OOompwYHKdNf0sA496uq9HPwGZKIo1-pfvibyGG-yZtv0hx347xjiTLl7df1aGayXM-v_dsoFXCaPm2_4KOouk7_hXIaAFW5105H5X8znY/s400/250px-Dark_knight_returns.jpg" width="265" /></a>As a kid, my brother Yacov and I used to stop by the mall on the way home from school (what teen doesn't do this?). We'd make a beeline for the Waldenbooks, to see whether any of our favorite comic books had come out. While we were there, we'd peruse the graphic novels, which at about $15 a pop were slightly out of our price range. One of my favorites was Frank Miller's <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_Returns">The Dark Knight Returns</a>, </i>which chronicles an aging Bruce Wayne who decides to come out of retirement ten years after giving up the Batman mantle.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When I was fourteen, my Aunt Winnie and Uncle Scott finally bought me a copy, and I was hooked. I must have read that book twenty or thirty times, and every time I read it I would pick up on something new. At first I didn't like the scratchy, inky art style, but over time I grew to appreciate it and love every panel. It's a fantastic read, featuring complex, repeated themes, fresh takes on old characters, memorable, gritty dialogue, and a plot that gets better and more epic with each of the four chapters.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As a tribute to this wonderful graphic novel, I've started a little side blog called <a href="http://www.dkreturns.blogspot.com/">Deconstructing <i>Dark Knight</i></a>. Each post will feature a different theme or memorable scene from the book, in no particular order - something that stuck in my mind, or I figured out over time. I've gotten two posts done already and I hope to have the commentary finished by the time <i>The Dark Knight Rises</i> movie comes out. If you're already a fan of the book, I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, and suggestions. And if you've never read <i>The Dark Knight Returns, </i>avoid spoilers and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Knight-Returns-Frank-Miller/dp/1563893428">buy yourself a copy</a> - it's a real treat for kids at any age.</div>
</div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-72338667531109664042011-02-22T21:13:00.000-08:002011-02-22T21:35:34.572-08:00Mayor of Chicago<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmXRM3awTMYn5l_ZmkXntt0eo9vKDLd-5CGuGl0oFDyWTgHCjEvnBXAui51DXf8qvdPUG3Te1-neTWyJMU9owtz3Js9VfBYis4ZP-8LdeDC_0dC_FJs4wehW425d2-s_nVII3S0R3JdsO/s1600/washington2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 251px; height: 324px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmXRM3awTMYn5l_ZmkXntt0eo9vKDLd-5CGuGl0oFDyWTgHCjEvnBXAui51DXf8qvdPUG3Te1-neTWyJMU9owtz3Js9VfBYis4ZP-8LdeDC_0dC_FJs4wehW425d2-s_nVII3S0R3JdsO/s400/washington2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576749662304303122" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Washington"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Harold Washington</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> was our mayor when I was growing up. He was black, and grandfatherly. I didn't know a lot about him, other than that everybody seemed to like him a lot. We loved our mayor.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">When he died of a heart attack in 1987, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; "> I was in fourth grade. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">They called a school assembly to announce the news. We were all shocked, and saddened. For most of us, death was still a foreign concept. It was kind of like our Kennedy moment.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">After so many years, today was the first time I ever read Harold's Wikipedia page. Turns out he was a serious civil rights activist who overcame some ugly political challenges from the status quo. In other words, a hero.</span></div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-36570668130307920182011-02-16T20:46:00.000-08:002011-02-16T21:17:40.060-08:00The Chessmaster 2000<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExyasLipzeqRJZNX3v___NwKHMGpciySYTYI9FyI47g7fruZXbRSiFp7ovoLJ2uTOAzeR4Xwzk30DT352fowBNc1-4ZQZWjEpP9jU8LlHeNmDyC5QNVIiKymOpaD5WfXUPUBhAdq9k4WN/s1600/706919-chessmaster_2000_large.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExyasLipzeqRJZNX3v___NwKHMGpciySYTYI9FyI47g7fruZXbRSiFp7ovoLJ2uTOAzeR4Xwzk30DT352fowBNc1-4ZQZWjEpP9jU8LlHeNmDyC5QNVIiKymOpaD5WfXUPUBhAdq9k4WN/s400/706919-chessmaster_2000_large.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574517885841810226" /></a><!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family:Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Before Jennings vs. Watson, there was </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Blue_versus_Garry_Kasparov"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Kasparov vs. Deep Blue</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> (1996). I was enthralled by the match and read everything in the Trib leading up to it. I was shocked and a little inspired when, after an early loss to the machine, Kasparov managed to rope-a-dope it into submission and win – a tremendous accomplishment. (Kasparov lost the rematch and retreated into a funk from which he has only recently emerged as a champion of democracy in Russia.)</span></span><!--EndFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Before Deep Blue, there was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chessmaster">the Chessmaster 2000</a> (1986), which I played for hours on our old green Compaq. The Chessmaster on the package was spooky, wizened, confident - I loved him immediately. I could never beat the machine, which played "the party is over" as its Black queen glided inevitably into checkmate position. Back then, grandmasters could still trounce the Chessmaster, but these days I wonder whether PCs are almost as powerful as Deep Blue.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;"><br /></span></div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-17115734996704165092011-02-06T16:30:00.000-08:002011-02-06T13:44:45.248-08:00ATT Kesser Torah/Chicago Pirchei Boys Choir<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=64255317181">ATT Kesser Torah Boys Choir</a> was the main group musical experience of my childhood. Every Sunday night, our fearless leader Peretz would plop down his little brown keyboard in the ICJA lunchroom and turn a fidgety group of boys from different schools into a pretty decent-sounding choir. Here's a video of us singing </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Kol B'Ramah</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> at Chicago City Hall in 1990 - I was lucky to have the solo for this haunting and beautiful song.</span> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><iframe title="YouTube video player" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iW6x9H4hZ0s" frameborder="0" width="480" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /></div><div><i>lyrics (from Jer. 31)</i><i>:</i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:David;font-size:medium;"><table cellspacing="4" cellpadding="4" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; unicode-bidi: embed; FONT-FAMILY: David; DIRECTION: rtl; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" class="h"><b>יד</b> ...קוֹל בְּרָמָה נִשְׁמָע נְהִי בְּכִי תַמְרוּרִים--רָחֵל, מְבַכָּה עַל-בָּנֶיהָ; מֵאֲנָה לְהִנָּחֵם עַל-בָּנֶיהָ, כִּי אֵינֶנּוּ. </td><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: left; unicode-bidi: embed; DIRECTION: ltr; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><b>14</b> ...A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuseth to be comforted for her children, because they are not.</td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; unicode-bidi: embed; FONT-FAMILY: David; DIRECTION: rtl; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" class="h"><a name="15"></a><b>טו</b> כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה, מִנְעִי קוֹלֵךְ מִבֶּכִי, וְעֵינַיִךְ, מִדִּמְעָה: כִּי יֵשׁ שָׂכָר לִפְעֻלָּתֵךְ נְאֻם-יְהוָה, וְשָׁבוּ מֵאֶרֶץ אוֹיֵב.</td><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: left; unicode-bidi: embed; DIRECTION: ltr; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><b>15</b> Thus saith the LORD: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.</td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; unicode-bidi: embed; FONT-FAMILY: David; DIRECTION: rtl; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" class="h"><a name="16"></a><b>טז</b> וְיֵשׁ-תִּקְוָה לְאַחֲרִיתֵךְ, נְאֻם-יְהוָה; וְשָׁבוּ בָנִים, לִגְבוּלָם.</td><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: left; unicode-bidi: embed; DIRECTION: ltr; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><b>16</b> And there is hope for thy future, saith the LORD; and thy children shall return to their own border.</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-54253453209321058512011-01-13T19:36:00.000-08:002011-01-13T20:09:54.856-08:00Mighty Mouse<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One of my greatest pleasures is being reminded of something I used to love, but have long forgotten. After a recent mouse-bite at work, my brother asked me whether the mouse was radioactive, and if so, was I beginning to look anything like this guy:</span><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GYpBoYa4pno?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GYpBoYa4pno?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ah Mighty Mouse, you had it all! Cute, superpowered, and an animal to boot. No wonder you were my first hero! (And come to think of it, I do look a little like that.)</span><br /></div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-28271812763801106062010-12-22T19:23:00.000-08:002011-12-29T15:51:04.285-08:00Rudolph the Red-Nosed Messiah<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Everyone knows how Rudolph, mocked by all his reindeer buddies, got picked by Santa to lead his Christmas sleigh. But did you know the story has a hidden meaning?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Rudolph appears to be a parable for the life of Jesus, as told in the Gospels. Like Rudolph, Jesus was rejected by his peers, the other Jewish rabbis. Yet when the time came for God to reveal his chosen one, Jesus was the one he picked, just as Santa chose Rudolph to lead his sleigh.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Bible uses a similar metaphor: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The stone the builders mocked has become the cornerstone (Psalms 118:22).</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2521629127039595430#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">[1]</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This pithy saying gave hope to a battered Jewish nation, centuries before it was applied to Jesus. Perhaps Robert May, who </span><a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/The_Origin_of_Rudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Reindeer"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">invented Rudolph</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, understood the parable of the cornerstone, and decided to recast it in terms that would capture a child’s imagination.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2521629127039595430#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference">[1]</span></a> The verse is found in Mark (12:1-12), Matthew (21:33-46), Luke (20:9-16), Acts (4:11), I Peter (2:7), Barnabus (6:4), and other early Christian sources. Its meaning in these contexts is a bit ambiguous, but in Acts at least it is clear that the stone is a metaphor for Jesus himself.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-82176654057322096862010-11-17T22:23:00.000-08:002010-11-19T05:51:36.238-08:00Jacob vs Esau: the Anticlimax<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOm0hkgcSocVhMTG_IB0LoSMUcqu54g5KlAqFrXd8bj8JPmHjvI4JS9tvHgboa8htpBhFtLFeNvfOKE9HR5JoAM9kZFgGklVUjf44zSqQRorMylJSQ5fbbjlV_xSgRTHkD40Zt9_v4zDk/s1600/batman+mutant.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOm0hkgcSocVhMTG_IB0LoSMUcqu54g5KlAqFrXd8bj8JPmHjvI4JS9tvHgboa8htpBhFtLFeNvfOKE9HR5JoAM9kZFgGklVUjf44zSqQRorMylJSQ5fbbjlV_xSgRTHkD40Zt9_v4zDk/s400/batman+mutant.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540791327730837442" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As a bar mitzva boy, I wasn't thrilled with my Torah portion, in which Jacob finally comes face to face with Esau, whose blessings he stole many years ago. Instead of a mano-a-mano fight-to-the-finish showdown, the two brothers simply cry and kiss (Gen. 33:4). Not much of a climax.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But then, Jacob isn't much of a hero. At best he's a crafty conflict-avoider, and at worst a cheating coward. His life is a catch-me-if-you-can of deceiving and being deceived, culminating in his sons' heartbreaking lie that Joseph was dead. Here, in a rare case where Jacob actually faces his fears, he finds that they were mostly in his head. Esau is happy with his lot, and has long ago moved past birthrights and blessings. One senses that Jacob has been punishing himself with worry all these years.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">At the end of his life, Jacob complains that his life has been short and difficult (47:9). One is left wondering what would have happened if Jacob had chosen a different route, perhaps not tricked his father into giving him the blessing. Was it worth it? What if he'd cooperated with Esau instead of competing with him? The lesson I like to take away from all this is that life is short and love is precious. Give people the benefit of the doubt, and when in doubt, communicate. After all, a lot of our headaches are only in our head.</span></div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-23829813359765482672010-11-15T22:00:00.000-08:002010-11-15T21:47:03.904-08:00Dr. Jazz in Chicago<div style="text-align: center;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Hk19_xnI6mQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Hk19_xnI6mQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">One of my earliest memories is going to Dr. Jazz for ice cream. Dr. Jazz was no ordinary ice cream parlor. It was a classy joint. They served up your scoop in a fancy wine glass, and in the back of the room there was a gigantic player piano (or was it a jukebox?) which if memory serves also had a robot monkey which ate your quarter.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">One day we piled in the car and drove out to Dr. Jazz, only we couldn't find it. Finally we found the right building, but the great black doors were locked. When we looked in through the keyhole, the place was dark and completely empty, paint peeling from the walls where the big player piano had stood. My parents said it must have burned down. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Even now, over 20 years later, it's amazing to see how many people still remember Dr. Jazz's locations </span><a href="http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=10048"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">in Evanston</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and </span><a href="http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/110093"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">on Montrose</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. Apparently there was also another restaurant by the same owners called </span><a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-09-11/news/0909090493_1_joe-bortz-theater-pipe-organ-ice-cream-parlor/1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sally's Stage</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> which was even wilder. I'm not sure which one we went to, but RIP, Dr. Jazz, RIP.</span></div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-22584209252860681162010-10-26T02:15:00.000-07:002010-11-05T21:36:50.258-07:00Rebecca's Camels, Ruth's Sheaves: Exploring Biblical Parallel<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">yeshiva</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, I discovered that separate Biblical narratives often seem reminiscent of one another. A 'gleaningly' obvious example is the stories of Rebecca and Ruth. Two key phrases appear in both stories: </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(1) </span></b><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">until entirely finished</span></b></i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(Gen. 24:19, Ruth 2:21)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, and </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(2) </span></b><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Blessed is... God, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead</span></b></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(Gen. 24:26, Ruth 2:20)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. Both are tales of a young woman (</span><span style="font-style:italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">na’ara</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> in Hebrew) who leaves her family for marriage and becomes a matriarch of the Jewish nation. But is there a deeper connection?</span></div><div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Interestingly, there is a very specific parallel at a major turning point in both stories. In each case, <b>a seemingly chance encounter guides the heroine to her eventual marriage to a relative.</b> Abraham’s servant stands by a well and devises a test to decide upon a suitor for Isaac (that the girl should offer to give drink to his camels as well as himself). Not only does the first girl to come along do exactly as he describes, but she also<i> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i>just happens</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i> </i>to be a relative of the family! Similarly, Ruth goes off to glean among the fields, hoping to find food for herself and her mother-in-law, and it </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i>just so happens</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> that the field she chooses belongs to a relative of her father-in-law - a man that can fulfill her obligation as a widow by redeeming her! It comes as no surprise, then, that it is precisely these two “coincidental” events that provide the context for the two parallel phrases mentioned earlier.</span></div><div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Aside from having similar plotlines, do the stories share a common moral theme? Consider again the blessings uttered by Abraham’s servant and Naomi: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Blessed is... God, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead.</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Why is God’s kindness so appropriate in these stories? The answer is obvious. <b>Both heroines are portrayed as being exceptionally kind.</b> Rebecca merits to marry Isaac because her heart is sensitive even to the plight of animals; Ruth becomes mother of kings through her tireless refusal to leave Naomi (and give up on continuing her husband’s line). For both women, it is their own extraordinary dedication to kindness, or </span><span style="font-style:italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">chesed</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, that earns them special attention and guidance.*</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Or in other words...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZAMYIKfIVSQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZAMYIKfIVSQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">*My full analysis of these passages was published in 2001 as part of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">UPenn's Torah Journal</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. You can download it </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B5aW9ffDyY8vYTcwZTk0MmUtMWExMC00ZTFmLTllOGItNGIxNDQzYjQ3NWZj&hl=en"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. </span><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div></div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-79922259373871672832010-10-23T21:06:00.000-07:002010-10-23T21:45:23.749-07:00"This was no composition by a performing monkey"<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I first saw </span><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086879/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Amadeus</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> as a high schooler with my twin brother, Hollywood Jack. I remember loving this scene, and the music that followed.</span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pxgZcMGmkkI?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pxgZcMGmkkI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In college, I tracked down the full version of this soothing, relaxing piece. Listen to it when you feel tense, it's like a bubble bath for your brain.</span><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7Up4X1JHwqI?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7Up4X1JHwqI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div></div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-25479052396097116022010-10-05T20:25:00.000-07:002010-10-10T12:29:01.978-07:00Adam, Noah, and the Yosemitebear Mountain Double Rainbow<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>(Part of an occasional series on the weekly Torah portion.)</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OQSNhk5ICTI?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OQSNhk5ICTI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">P</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">r</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">o</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">b</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">a</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">b</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">l</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">y</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">w</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">h</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">a</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">t</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">N</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">o</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">a</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">h</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">s</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">o</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">u</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">n</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">d</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">e</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">d</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">l</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">i</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">k</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">e</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">,</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">t</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">o</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">o</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br />Ask most people what Adam's curse was, and they'll tell you, to work for a living. But did you know that Adam's curse is over? Let's first take a look at the curse itself:</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:David;"><table cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="h" style="vertical-align: top; direction: rtl; unicode-bidi: embed; text-align: right; font-family:David;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">יז</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> וּלְאָדָם אָמַר...<b>אֲרוּרָה הָאֲדָמָה, בַּעֲבוּרֶךָ</b>, בְּעִצָּבוֹן תֹּאכְלֶנָּה, כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ.</span></td><td style="vertical-align: top; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; text-align: left; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">17</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> And unto Adam He said... '<b>cursed is the ground for thy sake</b>; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.</span></td></tr><tr><td class="h" style="vertical-align: top; direction: rtl; unicode-bidi: embed; text-align: right; font-family:David;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a name="18"></a></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">יח</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <b>וְקוֹץ וְדַרְדַּר, תַּצְמִיחַ לָךְ</b>; וְאָכַלְתָּ, אֶת-עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה.</span></td><td style="vertical-align: top; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; text-align: left; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">18</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <b>Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee</b>; and thou shalt eat the grass of the field.</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Note that the </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">l</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">a</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">n</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">d</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> is cursed. Even </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">after</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> tilling, the land will not bring forth sustenance. This lasts ten generations, until baby Noah is named after the curse:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:David;"><table cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="h" style="vertical-align: top; direction: rtl; unicode-bidi: embed; text-align: right; font-family:David;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">כט</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמוֹ נֹחַ, לֵאמֹר: <b>זֶה יְנַחֲמֵנוּ</b> מִמַּעֲשֵׂנוּ, וּמֵעִצְּבוֹן יָדֵינוּ, <b>מִן-הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר אֵרְרָהּ יְהוָה</b>.</span></td><td style="vertical-align: top; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; text-align: left; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">29</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> And he called his name Noah, saying: '<b>This same shall comfort us</b> in our work and in the suffering of our hands, <b>from the ground which the LORD hath cursed</b>.'</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Noah, of course, has bigger things to worry about. But as the flood waters recede, his father's prophecy comes true and <i>God forgives Adam's curse:</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:David;"><table cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="h" style="vertical-align: top; direction: rtl; unicode-bidi: embed; text-align: right; font-family:David;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">כא</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> ...וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-לִבּוֹ לֹ<b>א-אֹסִף לְקַלֵּל עוֹד אֶת-הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּר הָאָדָם</b>, כִּי יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע מִנְּעֻרָיו*...</span></td><td style="vertical-align: top; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; text-align: left; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">21</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> ...and the LORD said in His heart: '<b>I will not continue to curse the ground any more for man's sake</b>; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth*...</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There you have it. We no longer have to work (as hard) for a living.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">*</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">man's youth</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> is probably a reference to Eden and original sin. Milton would have a field day.</span></div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-40997067651845217942010-08-30T02:00:00.000-07:002010-09-06T15:25:59.248-07:00Blackbird Sh'ma Lullaby<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Blackbird singing in the dead of night</span></i><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Take these broken wings and learn to fly</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">All your life</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">You were only waiting for this moment to arise.</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My mom must have been a bit of a hippie chick back in the day, because she used to sing me this lullaby every night before I went to sleep. Then she would sing me the traditional Sh'ma prayer:</span></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sh'ma, Yisrael, Adonai Elo-hainu, Adonai Echad.</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(and in a whisper:)</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Baruch Shem K'vod Malchuto L'Olam Va'ed.<br /></span></i><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Even as a child, or maybe especially as a child, I loved the fusion of the two songs. The McCartney was quiet, spare, mysterious. The Sh'ma was simple, bold, and authoritative - it came in big block letters. I was fascinated by the shapes these two songs made as they crossed paths in my mind.</span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/P5CUHHGlQg0?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/P5CUHHGlQg0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div></div></div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521629127039595430.post-15579477671838748322010-08-19T00:00:00.000-07:002010-09-06T15:25:25.059-07:00The Wonder Years<div style="text-align: center;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-Ob59hsRaFU?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-Ob59hsRaFU?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Wasn't that show great? There's something about it that just says "childhood."<br /><br />Life is a strange and wonderful thing. We're born with certain thoughts already intact, and our experiences shape what we become. In a sense, our entire existence can be viewed as an uninterrupted and self-propelling melody, a series of notes that begins before we are born and unfolds naturally into the story of our lives.<br /><br />It's easy to forget those little things we used to love. But when they come into our heart unexpectedly, we can hear that melody once again, and it's one of life's greatest pleasures. In this </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Shmlag</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, my goal is to revisit the patterns that have resonated with me over the years, and to play them before you, however imperfectly.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />I will try not to sing out of key.</span></div>Benohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037225789923156287noreply@blogger.com0