Esser Agaroth The approximate monetary equivalent of two cents. Commentary on life in Israel and on being Jewish. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 31 0 64 3999

Articles from Esser Agaroth

Get Ready For Festivus, 2007! 2007-12-16 20:19:00 Festivus is less than a week away!Are you ready?Last year, of course, there were some serious halachic issues surrounding Festivus observance.This year, you should all have begun getting ready for Festivus right after Hanukkah. For a detailed description of Festivus observances, click here.Now, there have been some she'aloth (questions) brought to my attention. Please find my rulings below.1. May one use a metallic-colored, non-metal pole as ones Festivus Pole?No. Al pi ma'aseh HaRav, it is clear that one may not use a non-metallic pole, not even bli'avad.2. Are there any restrictions on foods for the Festivus se'udah (meal)?Yes. The rule of thumb is not to serve any foods which will result in additional grievances. Thus, one does not serve non-kosher food to a Jew, pork to a Muslim, meat to a vegetarian, eggs or cheese to a vegan, dairy to the dairy intolerant, gluten to the gluten-abstinent, nor alcohol to an alcoholic or recovering addict, etc.Elaine's "Big Salad" with dair ...

Haveil Havalim #145 Is Up! 2007-12-16 17:08:00 8 of the Tenth Month 5768Haveil Havalim Edition #145 is up on the blog of this carnival's creator, Soccer Dad.Please check out this week's edition of the world's leading Jewish and Israeli Blog Carnival on the occasion of its Third Anniversary!??? ????? ???, ??? ??????,!Please wish him a Happy Anniversary! ...

Rav Binyamin & Talia Kahane HY"D - Azkarah 5768 2007-12-16 13:48:00 8 of the Tenth Month 5768There will be an Azarah (memorial) to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the murders of Rav Binyamin & Talia Kahane HY"D in tents of Yeshivath Meginei Eretz on the new hilltop, Elnaqam 4, near K'far Tapu'ah.It will begin at 4:00 pm, Thursday, 11 Teveth (December 20), with Tefillath Minhah and include the following speakers:Rabbi Yehudah RichterElon MoreRabbi Shmu'el HaKohenRabbi of K'far Tapu'ahAvraham HertzlichK'far Tapu'ah, father of TaliaA se'udah will be served, and will include the yeshiva's Yemenite, chicken soup.(separate seating for men & women)Seven years ago, the car carrying Rav Binyamin & Talia Kahane HY"D five of their children and a trempist was shot at by Arab terrorists just south of the town of Ofra. They had just dropped off their son at school. ... Amp

At David's Request 2007-12-13 17:10:00 It feels as though I have been doing a lot of memes lately. They are a great to procrastinate and to avoid doing all of those important things in life, like finding a job, finding a wife, growing spiritually. You know, important things....When my friend David, one of my few friends left in the "old country" (San Diego), asking me to do this one, I could not refuse. You see, David has really never asked anything of me in the 12 years that I have known him, a good enough excuse to procrastinate. After all, I did my job-hunting for the day and fulfilled some additional obligations to other people.Now, here's what you're supposed to do, and please do not spoil the fun.Hit forward, delete my answers and type in your answers. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know INCLUDING the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you. Remember to send it back to the person who sent it to you.4 jobs I have had in my l ...

Hanukkah 5768 2007-12-12 13:38:00 Ramba"m - Laws of Hanukkah, Chap. 4 ????? ????? ??? ?? ??????? ?????? ???? ??????? ???????????--?????????? ??????????? ???? ?????? ??????? ???????? ??? ?????, ????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ?????????, ????? ??????? ????? ???? ????? ????? ?????. ????????????? ??? ??????????, ???????? ?????? ?????????? ???????? ????????, ??? ????? ????? ???????, ????? ????????? ????? ???????. ????????????? ?????? ??? ??? ????????? ??????? ??? ??????????, ???????? ??? ????? ????? ??????? ??????????? ??????????, ????????? ????????? ?????? ...

Borei Minei V'samim 2007-12-12 09:35:00 4 of the Tenth Month 5768Too late for Hanukkah, this spice mixture, gift idea is good for any occasion, year round.This is not a new idea, of course, but that does not make it any less creative, personable, and useful in the performance of a misswah, the misswah of Havdalah.It also makes a great project for kids in the classroom or at home. They do not only create something, but can also learn about the spices' involved, according to their grade levels. Cloves used to be used as a meat preservative. Cinnamon is a natural stimulant, as well as an ant repellent (I've tried this, and it works, but not 100%). Cardamom is added to coffee in Israel. You can also find out which spices were used in the Qetoreth (Temple Incense).Other interesting Jewish facts about spices include the Stropkover Rebbe's, SHLIT"A, custom of making a blessing over the smelling of spices after the night time Shabbath Qiddush, and before eating bread.Here I reused an old plastic spice bottle for myself. You c ...

A Jew Continues To Fight For His Home 2007-12-11 15:12:00 Zoth Hanukkah 5768Yitzhaq Hershkovitz who has been fighting to regain control of his house from Arab squatters in "East" Jerusalem, continues his fight on the last day of Hanukkah in front of the High Court in Jerusalem.Please show your support by attending the hearing, which will take place in Court Room Dalet at 2:00 PM.Thanks to Ariel Bereny at "Jewish Yisrael" for the update.Read the full story here... ...

Haveil Havalim #144 Is Up! 2007-12-09 07:44:00 Hanukkah Day 5/Erev Rosh Hodesh 5768Haveil Havalim #144 is up at Random Thoughts (Jack's Shack).It's the "Too Many Latkes" Edition. ...

Shmagged! 2007-12-09 06:32:00 Hanukkah Day 5/Erev Rosh Hodesh 5768There is an expression of sorts:"Be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it."Well, I happened to have mentioned to Jacob Da Jew, and a few other bloggers that I would not actually mind being "tagged" to do a meme.Jacob took me up on that, and "shmagged" me, which I suppose is something like being "tagged." Well, that's how I intend to interpret it.Of course, knowing MY luck, I get tagged for a very loooooooong meme, you know the "Number 8" one that's been going around.Why 8, and not 5 or 10? I don't know.But, here are some interesting notes on the number 8:I was born on the 8th day of the Sixth Month (Ellul).The gematriah qetanah of my full name is 8.As 7 in the number of Shabbath, 8 is the number of Mossa'ei Shabbath (Saturday night), as well as HaOlam HaBa (The World To Come).And, of course, this post is written during Hanukkah, which has 8 days.8 passions in my life:Authentic JudaismCorrespondenceCommunicationWritingThe Beach ...

In One Ear And Out The Other 2 2007-12-03 19:18:00 Erev Hanukkah 5768This is the e-mail I received from the U. S. Department of State, in response to my pains-taken-ly written letter to Secretary Rice, about how encouraging Israel to continue on its path of self-destruction would not be good for the health of her immortal soul. As I suspected, it was just another form letter, if not a electronically generated form letter:Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line supportcenter. Below is a summary of your request and our response.Thank you for contacting the State Department.Subject---------------------------------------------------------------Sec. of State Rice is mistaken regarding Israeli public opinionDiscussion Thread---------------------------------------------------------------Response (Support Agent) - 11/30/2007 12:17 PMThe Bureau of Public Affairs is in receipt of your message. Please know that all views are welcome and we appreciate the time you took to express your concerns.We encourage you to visit our web ...

Nahshon's Flag 2007-12-03 18:44:00 Erev Hanukkah 5768Two years ago, just as the first night's blessings over the Hanukkah candles were completed, Nahshon Walls z"l died of cancer. Last year, I wrote of my personal connection to Nahshon in Remembering Nahshon Walls z"l.His memory lives on in his many contributions to his community in K'far Tapu'ah, in the synagogue he helped build which was torn down by the Israeli Army, in the scaled-down replacement for a synagogue he built, and in the flag he designed and made for the State of Judea. The State of Judea was to be a breakaway, Torah-observant country. It was conceived many years ago, yet as the days, months, and years of Israeli governmental idiocy, co-dependence, and general path of self-destruction, does not seem so farfecthed.What does seem a little farfetched is that Nahshon's original flag would bring in $250,000 at auction on the Internet's premier auction site E-Bay.Item Description"State of Judea - Medinat Yehudah" flag made by Nahshon Walls, measuring a ...

Harry Potter 7 Released In Hebrew 2007-12-03 11:30:00 24 of the Ninth Month 5768Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Hebrew Edition will be released at 6:00 pm, tomorrow, the first night of Hanukkah.At least they got the timing right on this one, no Shabbath-violation partied and no release date on the "Holiday-That-Must-Not-Be-Named."There's just one thing that irks me. I paid NIS 137 for my copy in English. Tomorrow people wil have to pay only NIS 89!For those of you outside of Israel, that's 12 bucks, or 6 pounds!I guess it's one of those supply and demand, import costs things....Still, I am not sure how Hebrew speakers were able to avoid all of the spoilers on the Web for the last five months.They weren't.Maybe that's the real reason the price so low. ...

I Am So Sick Of This Guy! 2007-12-03 11:04:00 24 of the Ninth Month 5768I am SO sick of this guy, "this guy" being Maj. Gen. Elazar Stern, chief of IDF personnel.This is the guy who reprimanded Hananel Dayan for not shaking IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz’s hand at a ceremony where Dayan received an award. Dayan explained to then President Moshe Katzav that he was unable to shake the Chief of Staff's hand, as his family was expelled from Gush Katif.This is the "kippah-wearing" guy who did not think twice about implementing the Israel government's expulsion plan, the words of the greatest religious Zionist rabbis of our time, such as the late Rabbi Avraham Shapira ZTZ"L, former Chief Rabbi of Israel, and Head of Rav Kook's Yeshiva, apparently meaningless to "religious Zionists" like Stern.Religious?! Last time I checked, "religious" Jews are supposed to be concerned with Torah and halachah (Jewish Law).And now, this guy is in the news again, mamlakhti (state-oriented) idiocy spewing from his mouth, as per usual.It has ...

G. I. Jones 2007-11-29 07:38:00 19 of the Ninth Month 5768Here's my Esser Agaroth on today's headlines, announcing U. S. Secretary of State Rice's appointment of Gen. James Jones (ret.) "to supervise PA progress on terrorism."New U.S. Military Envoy to Supervise PA Progress on TerrorismHana Levi Julian, IsraelNN.com)U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has appointed a NATO veteran to serve as America's military point man in the Middle East.It will be the task of General James Jones, a Marine Corps general who retired last February and served until 2006 as the NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, to monitor activities between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.A 40-year-veteran, Jones headed a panel tasked by the Congress last summer that studied the readiness of Iraq's police and military forces. He will be retaining his present position as president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Energy. (read more...) Translation: slave to oilCommentary: Likely to turn the other way,... or cheek, w ...

In One Ear And Out The Other 2007-11-25 12:17:00 16 of the Ninth Month 5768About a week ago I sent the Department of State an article from Israel National News, through its contact page. Here is a snippet of the article by Hana Levi Jullian: Rice and Ramon Read it Wrong: Israelis Oppose Land Concessions(IsraelNN.com) U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice incorrectly estimated this week that most Israeli citizens are willing to hand over Judea and Samaria to the Palestinian Authority. Rice shared her assessment in a speech to 3,000 delegates at the United Jewish Communities General Assembly in Tennessee. (Read more....)This is the e-mail response I received:Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line supportcenter. Below is a summary of your request and our response.Thank you for contacting the State Department.Subject---------------------------------------------------------------Rice and Ramon Read it Wrong: Israelis Oppose Land ConcessionsDiscussion Thread-------------------------------------------------------- ...