Confucius says: Some days you can blog, other days you need to deal with a clog…
Welcome to another busy week in the travels of Barbara and Bruce. We left our heroes starting Shabbat in Efrat. That was as usual a lot of fun, with great food, lots of family time and playing with all the kids. Of course, with 4 boys in the house there is a lot of energy so it’s important to include playground time, Lego time, and rollerblade and bike time. Of course, there is always Shoshana who just turned 15, and really sets the tone. She is a tremendous young lady and will be starting a new high school in Jerusalem this fall, commuting by bus daily. Shlomo is 12 and is having his Bar Mitzvah in January 2024. I am having the great pleasure to be helping him prepare, along of course with Elan. We are getting him ready to read the weekly Torah portion and prepare a Dvar Torah, a Torah lesson on a topic that he has chosen. The gang also includes Nadav, who at 9 is a voracious reader in both Hebrew and English, Aryeh, almost 6 who is a ball of energy and is starting grade one this fall, and Eitan, now two, who is, like all two-year-olds, cute and fun.
Following Shabbat, we took off for Petach Tikvah to see the other grandchildren in Israel, Elisha, also age 9, Ora, age 6 and Adi age 3. Ariel and Gila had days off, so we wanted to do some fun stuff with kids, and that mission was accomplished, with a day full of trampolining, lunch in the mall, a movie for the big kids (Elemental, two thumbs up!) and Gymboree for Adi. We stole away with the kids to sleep over in Netanya for the night and to be able to hang out the next day, with a fun time at the Arcade in the local mall. After taking the kids home we had dinner overlooking the water at a local café, which is one of the nicest parts about living in Netanya. Around the corner from our home are a group of restaurants, and that evening most were full on the outdoor patios, enjoying the sea breezes.
The following afternoon we met up with Elan and Nomi and family for dinner in Bet Shemesh and more arcades (that explains the bumper car theme for the pictures). The rest of Tuesday and Wednesday was taken up by more renovation stuff, with a focus on tiles, bathroom fixtures and appliances. So far, things are moving smoothly!
Thursday was Tisha B’Av, a national day of fasting and mourning for Jews. It is said the Biblical sin of the Spies occurred on Tisha B’Av and part of the punishment was that all major tragedies that would befall Israel would happen on the same day in the future; as an example, both First and Second Temples were destroyed on this day. The day is a very intense day of introspection and most observant Jews fast for 25 hours. This is no mean feat in the warm Israeli sun, so we stayed indoors (Synagogue or home) most of the day.
The intensity of Tisha B’Av was juxtaposed to the current political divide in Israel. It’s taught that destruction of the second temple was caused by “Sinat Hinam” or baseless hatred; what should be disagreements or civil debate leads to extreme behaviors and hatred. This obvious historical parallel has many people calling for cooler heads to prevail, and to try to change the rhetoric over changes to the supreme court and constitution here to a more positive tone. I think in the end, whether there is political strife or just normal everyday activity, there is a lot to be said for not allowing disagreements to spiral out of control. This Shabbat is called Nachamu, be comforted, for even if things look bleak there can be light ahead, and it’s clear from our history that this is indeed true. Furthermore discussion, debate and difference of opinion is healthy, but in the end all people need to be respected whatever their opinions.
We wish you all a positive and uplifting Shabbat Shalom!
Speak to you next week from Poland
]Barbara and Bruce
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