34
The big joke today, as PD pointed out, is that yesterday was Karaite Lag ba'omer.

It's everyone's lucky day. I'm going to type out more of my thoughts about politics.

I've always had an interest in politics, but for the last few years I haven't been able to stomach giving whole-hearted support to any political party or movement.
I grew up in the early days of the Reform Party of Canada, and I remember delivering flyers for the Party with my parents and posting the local Reform candidate's sign on our lawn. Once Preston Manning was in town, and I remember the thrill of standing near him as he spoke. Then, when the Canadian Alliance party was formed and Stockwell Day came to town on the campaign trail, I felt even more excitement. It seemed like victory was within grasp. The Alliance party would surely win the Federal election. But it didn't happen.

I utterly despise politics. I do respect the service that those in government are performing for all their fellow citizens, even if they do steal our money and spit on our moral values from time to time.
This much I know: if there was one party in Canada that would do their utmost to outlaw abortion, I would support them.

Links shel hayom:
"No Birds" is a fine Saskatoon band.
."שמע את המוסיקה של "עינ צפרים

Free Palestinian Political Prisoners?

Dan ‘Mobius’ Sieradski Interview.

You say eXpresso...

Leviticus Lessons.


Shabbat Shalom!

Putin. Picture by Oded Balilty/Associated Press
 

Big events in Eretz Yisrael today. Not only did some 50,000 people show up at an anti-disengagement rally in Gush Katif, but a Russian head of state, President Vladimer Putin, is visiting the State of Israel for the first time since it's establishment.

It's happening in Neve Dekalim. Picture from www.ynetnews.com 

30

It's the thirtieth day of the omer, only nineteen days left to go, la la la la!

Thoughts about politics:
I heard that Prime Minister Martin has cancelled a trip to Europe because he's scared that a no-confidence vote might be held in Parliment while he's gone. I wonder if it would be easier to oust the Liberals this spring, or wait until the fall when the Gomery inquiry has been concluded. That's probably what everyone's wondering.

Elections cost a lot of cash.

A massive centralized government in such a giant country as Canada is dumb. The Federal government should be downsized, and the Provincial governments should gain power. Each province has a unique environment and unique needs. If Canadian provinces were loosely allied independant states, perhaps some problems would be solved.


OK, political speculations ended. On to the quote of the day:

"Every wise man is ransom for the fool, who would not last an hour did not the wise prserve him by compassion and forethought. The wise are like physicians, fighting the infirmities of the sick....So when I hear that a wise man has died, my heart is sorrowful. Not for him, of course, for he has lived in joy and died in honour. No - it is for the survivors that I mourn. Without the strong protecting arm which brought them safety, they are abandoned to the miseries which are their desert, and which they will soon feel, unless Providence should raise up some new protector to replace the old one." -Philo

27

מפני שיבה תקום והדרת פני זקן ויראת מאלהיך אני יהוה
Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am Yahweh.

Vayikra 19:32

26!
The half-way mark has been passed. Shavuot, here we come!

I baked sourdough bread today.

I 've been working out more than usual recently. You know, push-ups, sit-ups, weight-lifting, and all that good stuff. Today I did jumping-jacks and danced to the song 'Transmission', by Joy Division.

Last night I went to the Red Cloud/DJ Wise/Nifty/Manafest show at the Circle Drive church. Good fun!

I've been listening to the Podcasts from 'The View From Here'. They feature Israeli husband and wife duo Harry and Ziva commenting on current events, pop culture, and whatever they feel like talking about. I find the Podcasts generally entertaining, although they may not be everyone's cup of tea. Go to!

Maybe tomorrow I'll post something serious about God and the Torah. Maybe...

25

Signs of spring:
robins,
kids doing circus tricks in the park,
policemen wearing shorts and riding bicycles,
sun,
plants budding.

Quotes of the day from a book I bought at the Saskatoon Symphony's annual book & music sale:

'Think of the use of labels to categorize political activity. Some labels are used to neutralize the actions of certain groups; others denote being "one of us," acceptable.
The words "right wing," "fundamentalist," "pro-life," "absolutist," and "deeply religious" are put-downs more than categories. Conversely, think of the the unspoken pat on the back and blessing that the following words convey: "moderate," "pluralistic," "liberal," "civil libertarian," "pragmatic," and "enlightened."
Life, people, politics and social action cannot be reduced to one-word categories; when they are, falsehood and political manipulation become the norm. Mass media, by their very nature, must to a certain extent indulge in the shorthand of labels. But the deliberate abuse of labeling has conditioned the population to respond negatively to any mention of religious concern in the public sphere...

Deceit always deals in stereotypes; and stereotypes perpetuate bigotry. The Indian as a "savage red man," the black person as a shuffling Uncle Tom, these images have been used in our nation's history to oppress and exploit minority groups. Hitler, in Mein Kampf, never dealt with any individual Jew, his family, his aspirations, his fears, his thoughts, or what he personally could contribute to society. He wrote only of the "Jewish race," in broad, general, and paranoid terms. Today, as Christians have declined in influence, they have become subject to misrepresentation in similar ways. The secular humanist, although he would never dream of committing the social faux pas of calling a black man a Negro, feels perfectly free to castigate Christians and their leaders in any way he likes.'

A Time for Anger; the Myth of Neutrality, by Franky Schaeffer

My Dad just called me with the news: a new pope has been selected. Benedict the 16th, the first German pope since the 11th century.

23

My family's computer crashed, so I was cut off from the internet for a couple days.

I went through (and have not yet completed) an identity crisis this past week. It is confirmed to me that my identity is in the Messiah, and being a part of His body, the family of Israel. The right place to be is in His family. Service to the community of Israel comes in unusual forms. Build an ark? Send away all but three hundred soldiers? Leave my father and go to the land you have promised to me? Lie on my side for 390 days and eat food cooked over dung? I worry that I waste my time, but most of the things I do are really productive and useful.

I possess very little in skills or material things. I feel like a seed that dies and is buried. I have nothing. When you die you leave everything behind. Having died in Messiah, I hold to the hope that I shall also be raised to new life in Him. I want to be a helper to God in whatever work He is doing right now.

יום שבת אתם יודעים
Good Sabbath everyone!

The 19th day of the Omer count, 2 weeks and 5 days.

In the news today:
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday nullified nearly 3,000 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples by Multnomah County a year ago, saying a single county couldn't take such action on its own.
The court said that, while the county can question the constitutionality of laws governing marriage, they are a matter of statewide concern so the county had no authority to issue licenses to gay couples.
The court noted that last November, Oregonians approved a constitutional amendment that limits marriages to a man and a woman. The court also said state law had already set the same limitation on marriages — a law dating back to the 19th century.
"Today, marriage in Oregon — an institution once limited to opposite-sex couples only by statute — now is so limited by the state Constitution as well," the court ruling said.
The court left the door open for state legislators to craft an alternative to gay marriages, such as civil unions — even though it did not specifically mention civil unions.
"We conclude that Oregon law currently places the regulation of marriage exclusively within the province of the state's legislative power," the court said.

The amendment reads as follows:
"Section 5a. Policy regarding marriage. It is the policy of Oregon, and its political subdivisions, that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or legally recognized as a marriage. [Created through initiative petition filed March 2, 2004, and adopted by the people Nov. 2, 2004]"
A copy of Oregon's constitution can be found here, and a copy of the state's marriage law here.

Yes! The pitas turned out beautifully. Baruch Hashem!

One of my most favourite places in the world is the tiny village of Ezuz, Israel. The thing I like best about it is that it's the home of some good friends of mine. I found this story about Ezuz by Sam Orbaum. Maybe you all like to read it, eh. It looks like Sam has plenty of interesting stories on his site.

Today is the 16th day of the Omer, 2 weeks and two days. Tempus fugit and all that.

I'm experimenting with bread again. Today I'm attempting to make pita bread for the first time ever. My little fluffy lumps of dough are rising, and soon I shall place them in the oven, and...excuse me while I go to turn on the oven...

Ok, I'm back. I feel so angry right now; no, more frustrated than angry. I'm trying to make decisions about what I'll be doing in the next few weeks and in the summer. I'm something of a frustrated perfectionist, and I tend to agonize over decisions. Usually the proper decision is evident, but I'm always hesitant to commit to anything. Out of fear, I suppose.

It's time for me to bake the pitot. Oh God in heaven, bestow on me a blessing, I pray: plump-puffy pita-pockets from the earth.

Let us not forget:

we shall not all sleep
but we shall all be changed
in a moment
in the twinkling of an eye
at the last trump
for the trumpet shall sound
the dead shall be raised incorruptible
and we shall be changed

for this corruptible must put on incorruption
and this mortal put on immortality

death is swallowed up in victory
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ

אמן

I saw the new moon last night.

Did you?

Happy new month everybody!

היום שלשה עשר יום, שהם שבוע אחד וששה ימים, לעומר
Day thirteen, one week and six days of the Omer.

The Hebrew word גלם, golem, is a hapax legomenon of the Tanakh (Old Testament). It appears once only, in Psalm 139:16. It is translated as "a mass not yet formed", "an embryo", or "a fetus". In later years the word became the name of a magical creature in Jewish folklore.

"Your eyes saw my unshaped form, and in your book all were recorded; though they will be fashioned through many days, to Him they are one." Psalm 139:16

**************************************************************************

I'm going to type out some of my thoughts now. I don't expect them to be very eloquent, but here they are nonetheless.

I know something is true. I know life isn't worth living unless there exists a loving, infinite God.
The facts of nature, of earth, are myriad. Two different people can look at the environment that they both live in and come to drastically different conclusions about it's origins, each thinking the other misguided, deceived, and naive. I don't understand that.
Of course I want to think critically and be open minded. But I don't want to become chronically doubtful. I must believe in something. All the facts of the earth don't seem to exclude the creation of everything by some incomprehensible eternal Creator. I think the facts are in favour of a Creator. There's got to be something keeping us alive. A breath of life in the nostrils. Something we can't see and which constantly evades us, but oftimes we catch a glimpse of from the corner of our eye.

The Bible is amazingly consistent and historically accurate, despite the doubts of it's dependability expressed by textual critics. It's easy enough to look at the wild details in it's pages that seem to point in all directions and to mock it's apparent inconsistencies, but despite all that it is a unified whole, each verse having much more in common with all the others than not. The Bible portrays a God that is jealous and loving, wrathful and gentle, just and merciful. Infinite, yet corporeal. His identity is too big for us. One thing that doesn't change throughout the Bible is His love for Abraham and his descendants, the people of Israel. To this day Israel is a sign to the world that God is faithful.


"'Facts,' murmured Basil, like one mentioning some strange, far-off animals, 'how facts obscure the truth. I may be silly - in fact, I'm off my head - but I never could believe in that man - what's his name, in those capital stories? - Sherlock Holmes. Every detail points to something, certainly; but generally to the wrong thing. Facts point in all directions, it seems to me, like the thousands of twigs on a tree. It's only the life of the tree that has unity and goes up - only the green blood that springs, like a fountain, at the stars.'"
-GK Chesterton, The Tremendous Adventures of Major Brown

Ten and one,
Omer counting's fun!

Rhyme of the day:
יהוה נתן ויהוה לקח
יהי שם יהוה מברך

Omer day ten.

Here is spring. Where are the robins? What am I going to do this summer? So many options. I want to earn some money, but it's not my highest priority right now. I want to go camping and canoing. A road trip to the West Coast sounds pretty good. Maybe I'll go to Oklahoma. I want to learn some new skills. I want stop being selfish. I want to grow up.

Riddle: What wears tzitziyot with techelet but doesn't wear a kippah?

Basic tips for anyone wanting to incorporate Hebrew more in their blog.

To convert the date at the head of each entry into Hebrew, simply go to "Settings", then "Formatting". Change your "Date Language" setting to Hebrew. Then choose the "Date Header Format" that works best for you.

For those desiring to type in Hebrew, both in Blogger and other programs, these links should be helpful: אחת, שתים, שלש.

הַיּוֹם שְׁמוֹנָה יָמיִם, שֶׁהֵם שָׁבוּעַ אֶחָד וְיוֹם אֶחָד, לָעוֹמֶר

Yom Shmonah of the Omer.

This Erev Shabbat my brother returned home from Mexico, and we picked him up at the airport. I spent Shabbat afternoon in Arlee, Saskatchewan, at the Jantzen home; drinking tea, eating fluffy (leavened!) white buns, throwing snow, and playing Boggle and cards.

היום יום ששה ימים לעוםר
Hey ya'll, it's the sixth day of the Omer count. In other news, the pope is dying.

I read Parashat Shemini this week. It's the chronicle of the events of the eighth day of the inaguration of Aharon and his sons as priests of the אהל מועד, Tent of Meeting.
Aharon slaughtered the offerings and caused them to go up in smoke on the Altar. Moshe and Aharon blessed the people with hands raised, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to the entire nation of Israel! A supernatural fire descended from the King of Israel and consumed the offerings. The people saw it, rejoiced, and fell on their faces. But in the midst of the glory and joy, they are reminded of the unsavory fact that God kills people. Aharon's two eldest sons put fire and incense in their fire pans and bring a strange fire before Yahweh which He had not commanded them. Another fire comes from Yahweh, consuming the sons, Nadav and Avihu, and they die. Their bodies are removed by their cousins from the face of the Holy, and Aharon and his two remaining sons are warned by Moshe not to mourn their brothers and cease their service at the Tent of Meeting, lest they also die. Yahweh speaks to Aharon with a prohibition against drinking booze while they're serving in the Tent of Meeting. Were Nadav and Avihu drinking on the job? Later that day, Moshe becomes angry with Elazar and Itamar, the two remaining sons, because they burned the sin-offering for the nation, instead of eating their alloted portion as he commanded. Aharon steps in to remind Moshe that he was the one that offered the sin-offering, not his sons, and that he was too scared by the death of his sons to eat his portion. Moshe cools it. The parasha ends with mitzvot of clean and unclean foods. The reason we are not to eat foods prohibited by Yahweh? So that we may be holy, as He is holy.

The haftarah for this parasha is II Samuel 6, the account of Uzzah, another man killed by Yahweh, this time for touching the Ark of the Covenant. It's also the joyful tale of the Ark's entry into the Holy City, ירושלים.