My heartfelt thanks to the Holy Hyrax, Ezzie, Jack, and Joe for keeping us all amused at the Muqata while I was traveling. Ending Adar with a bang, I think the Holy Hyrax has proved himself not only as a master podcaster, but a graphic artist and blogger par excellence. Though the eyebrows on the yellow smiley of me being "rescued" were a bit much (I think!).
The main issues on my head these days are as follows, and I'll be writing about each of them this week.
1. The month of Nissan is approaching -- the month of redemption. Do we really feel that redemption is something that can actually happen at any given moment? Do believing Jews, specifically Modern Orthodox Jews, actually view the arrival of Mashiach as a reality?
2. Yeshiva students at "The Mir" (Mirrer Yeshiva) in Jerusalem. Relatives of mine who learn there refuse to visit "The Muqata" because "its too dangerous." When I answered point for point that Jerusalem was "more dangerous" statistically, my facts were thrown to the wind. This annoyed me big-time.
3. What's happening here in Israel? Olmert's popularity is at an all-time low (which is bad news, because that means it can only go up). The good news is that the Kinneret's water level is increasing daily! There's still snow on the Chermon!
4. Toys toys toys. My wife always says, that when boys get older, their toys get more expensive. This does NOT have to be the case!
Check out these cool toys (CHEAP) that I'm playing with or ordering these days (and my kids are mega impressed).
Amazing Radio Controlled Helicopter ($20 including shipping) I'm having a blast with this...and everyone at work today was totally jealous.
The Green Laser. As opposed to regular "red" lasers, you can see the entire beam on a green laser (think: Star Wars). This will have Jack drooling with envy...and I'm sure he'll want to order one as well. (Warning: anything above the 5 milliwatt version may be dangerous!) Only $16.75...these things are too cool!
Edmund Scientific has loads of fun stuff, like the drinking bird Only ($7.95 for TWO)
OK guys (and cool women) this is your chance to get yourselves some cool afikoman presents, without breaking the bank.
Will be posting more soon. Good to be back.
Regards,
Jameel
The main issues on my head these days are as follows, and I'll be writing about each of them this week.
1. The month of Nissan is approaching -- the month of redemption. Do we really feel that redemption is something that can actually happen at any given moment? Do believing Jews, specifically Modern Orthodox Jews, actually view the arrival of Mashiach as a reality?
2. Yeshiva students at "The Mir" (Mirrer Yeshiva) in Jerusalem. Relatives of mine who learn there refuse to visit "The Muqata" because "its too dangerous." When I answered point for point that Jerusalem was "more dangerous" statistically, my facts were thrown to the wind. This annoyed me big-time.
3. What's happening here in Israel? Olmert's popularity is at an all-time low (which is bad news, because that means it can only go up). The good news is that the Kinneret's water level is increasing daily! There's still snow on the Chermon!
4. Toys toys toys. My wife always says, that when boys get older, their toys get more expensive. This does NOT have to be the case!
Check out these cool toys (CHEAP) that I'm playing with or ordering these days (and my kids are mega impressed).
Amazing Radio Controlled Helicopter ($20 including shipping) I'm having a blast with this...and everyone at work today was totally jealous.
The Green Laser. As opposed to regular "red" lasers, you can see the entire beam on a green laser (think: Star Wars). This will have Jack drooling with envy...and I'm sure he'll want to order one as well. (Warning: anything above the 5 milliwatt version may be dangerous!) Only $16.75...these things are too cool!
Edmund Scientific has loads of fun stuff, like the drinking bird Only ($7.95 for TWO)
OK guys (and cool women) this is your chance to get yourselves some cool afikoman presents, without breaking the bank.
Will be posting more soon. Good to be back.
Regards,
Jameel
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
now that the us switched to daylight savings 2 weeks early, isn't only a 6 hr difference with Israel? That would make ur clock wrong on the side of the blog.
ReplyDeleteMissed you, glad your back
Hi Ed! Thanks, its great to be back.
ReplyDeleteRe: the clock; the problem is in your computer's clock settings. Not all computers were able to deal with it correctly (I heard a report about it on WINS radio)...here in the Holy Land, the clock is working correctly :-)
Your relatives from the Mir are afraid to visit The Muqata blog or the actual Muqata? :)
ReplyDeleteDavid: The Muqata home in the Shomron...(but to be totally fair, my relative sin the Mir have no problem visiting...its that their parents won't let them)
ReplyDeleteWho says that I don't have a couple of them already. ;)
ReplyDeleteon your points 2 and 3 -
ReplyDelete2. maybe they just use that as an excuse but really do not trust your level of kashrus and feel uncomfortable spending a shabbos in a national zionist home...
3. Olmert is at 3% popularity. He could still go down a few more points before it heads upwards...
welcome back
ReplyDeleteHey Jameel, add that bird drinking to the rest of the presents you are going to send to me through my MIL in Israel.
ReplyDeleteAre you actually suggesting that I get my kids a laser????!?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteOh, I can just see it now... the yells at the dinner table to turn it off... the calls from the Morah about the "incident" in class... the other parents in the neighborhood calling and asking us "our son told us that you bought your son a laser?!??!"... and of course, the calls from the FAA and FBI (we live 10 mins from JFK)...
i really am trying not to think about pesach yet. it was enough leaving LA and now arriving home.
ReplyDeleteglad to have you back.
(and i would totally visit the muqata if/when i'm in israel because i'd hope to be in the area anyway to visit the rellies. dangerous shmangerous.)
Welcome back! I'd love to come down to see that helicopter. Can you fly it as well as the kids in the vid?
ReplyDeleteOur afikoman gifts don't top 10 shekels. :) Except the gift for the kid who holds the broken matza for ransom. Last year our daughter held out for Crocs. I told her she's too old to steal or find the afikoman this year. ;)
Welcome back, Jameel!
ReplyDeleteRafi G: 2. maybe they just use that as an excuse but really do not trust your level of kashrus and feel uncomfortable spending a shabbos in a national zionist home...
ReplyDeleteNot the issue...and they used to be national/zionist too :)
Thanks all for the warm welcome!
Too dangerous? What about all that second hand smoke one can easily breathe in at a given location? Bah! I feel safer in the Muqata than I do in Bet Shemesh!
ReplyDeleteCool toys! Mr. Bogner has one of those lasers, I think. He demonstrated some sort of laser pointer while we were travelling along Nes Harim.