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: 25 0 1 3764

Articles from Esser Agaroth

Haveil Havalim #142 Is Up! 2007-11-25 10:19:00 15 of the Ninth Month 5768Haveil Havalim Edition #142 is up on Soccer Dad's Blog.Please check out this week's edition of the world's leading Jewish and Israeli Blog Carnival!?? ?????, ??? ??????, ????? ????! ...

The Latest On SHA"S 2007-11-24 10:20:00 Mossa'ei Shabbath Qodesh Parshath Wayishlah 5768Most of you have seen articles about the stubbornness of SHA"S.Graffiti Declares SHA"S Dividing JerusalemProtest Outside Yishai's HomeThe SHA"S Party refuses to leave the government, which would help bring it down. I am not sure what the big deal is. Wouldn't Prime Minister "Smolmert" ("Smole" being the Hebrew word for "left") just get Yossi Beilin's YSh"W leftist Mere"tz Party to join, at lest temporarily? Maybe even an Arab Party of two?I dunno.What I do know is this. I saw this plain, black no white poster around the neighbor of Meqor Barukh (east of Ge'ulah) the other day. An English translation is below.?????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??????.??????02-6662252?? ???? 1967For Sale: A capital city, in the middle of the Land ?f Israel, including all of its sanctity at the reduced price of a seat in the government.For details02-66622 ...

A Tree Grows In Amsterdam 2007-11-22 18:48:00 14 of the Ninth Month 5768There has been a lot of buzz going around lately about the tree Anne Frank HY"D (May HaShem avenge her blood) used to see through her window, while in hiding from the Nazis YSh"W. Here's a report, which is as good as any I suppose, from the AP.So, now, here's my Esser Agaroth:Maybe saving her tree is important, if it is possible. However, if this tree cannot be cured of its fungal blight, and is going to infect the other trees in the area, then chop it down. Take lots of photos, invite painters in for one last "portrait sitting," and then chop it down.Trees are important; remembering IS important. But, this tree cannot be aloud to remain standing at the expense of the surrounding, healthy trees.If protecting the lives of trees is important, even the life of the singular "Anne Frank's Tree," then what about human life?Remembering the Holocaust and its victims is important. But, should remembering the fallen be placed ahead of protecting the living?Should ...

Tefillath Havineinu 2007-11-21 11:07:00 12 of the Ninth Month 5768According to the Talmud Yershalmi, one may say Tefillath Havineinu during the rainy season.????? ????????? ??,? ??? ? ???? ? ?????????? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ??? ?' ??? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ??????? ??? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? ????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ?' ???? ????? ????? ?' ????? ??????? ??' ????? ??????? ????? ???? ?' ?? ??? ??? ??????Thus the nusah for the middle brakhah would be:????? ...

Crescent News Network 2007-11-19 19:05:00 10 of the Ninth Month 5768I was reading Debbie Schlussel tonight, one of the few writers I read on a daily basis, when something caught my eye. Debbie wrote a piece on one of the, shall we say, extremely unhelpful people in the universe she's been tracking, Julie Meyers, nominee to head the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE]. In the process she referenced CNN, referring to it as the "Crescent News Network."For a minute there, I thought it was hysterically funny, and clever. Then I realized how frighteningly true it was. It's no hidush (nothing new) to us in Israel, who when flipping the channels catch CNN at their deceit. No, it's not laziness, but deceit, thus the popularity of the bumper sticker (left). I, myself, have literally watched CNN report on events in Israel inaccurately, events I experienced personally, painting an Islamic-friendly, Israeli-bashing picture of things. Well, "inaccurate" would be a profound understatement.During the Second Lebanon War, ...

The Christian Missionary Who Didn't Ruin My Day 2007-11-18 12:36:00 9 of the Ninth Month 5768Last summer I reported an experience describing how One Christian Missionary Can Ruin My Day.The other day, I encountered more Christian missionaries, but I handled it much differently than the last time.Last time, I encountered a large group. This time I encountered only two.Last time, it was in the middle of Shuq, Mahaneh Yehudah, the huge open market in Jerusalem. This time it was on the beach in Yaffo.How I ended up on the beach in Yaffo in the first place is another blog post for another time.But, the reason I handled this recent encounter differently was not because the situation was different. I just did not feel that I was very effective last time. So, rather than repeat the same strategy, I decided to try a different approach.Since my college days, I have been very concerned about the threat posed by Christian missionaries. Back in the 1980's at UCLA, I was glad to have the opportunity to meet Rabbi Ben-Tsion Kravitz, founder of Jews For Judaism, ...

Star Trek XI 2007-11-18 03:06:00 Mossa'ei Shabbath Qodesh Parshath Wayesse 5768And, now for something completely different...The casting of the major roles for the the new Star Trek film has been completed, with the casting of Chris Pine as the young Star Fleet Cadet, James T. Kirk.The 11th installment of the Star Trek films will take us back to Captain Kirk's Star Fleet Academy days, and recount the story of how he meets his future Enterprise crew: Spock, Dr. McCoy, Scottie, Sulu, Uhura, and Chekov.In addition to Chris Pine, th cast will include actors such as Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy. Urban should look familiar to you. He played Eomer in the second and third installments of the Lord Of The Rings films.Another actor who should look familiar is Zachary Quinto as Mr. Spock. Quinto plays the role of Sylar on the hit TV series "Heroes," and before that had a role on "24." And, this just in, Wynona Rider has been slated to play Amanda, Spock's human mother.Only one major casting question remains, who will play Capt. C ...

A Minor Mishap 2007-11-07 03:25:00 26 of the Eighth Month 5768Many of us in the Shomron (Samaria) have an emergency communications systems involving beepers with a display screen, at least those of us in the smaller towns. Our "divuhit"* (pictured left 12% of actual size), which hangs on the wall in the salon (living room), went off this afternoon. No big deal. It's just annoying, mostly because I have to get up and turn it off. Since infiltrations by Arab marauders into our town are not so common these days, thanks to our guard dogs, and security patrols, the beeper is often used to inform us of parents day in the Kindergarten, youth group activities commencing any moment now, and if you were planning on going to so-and-so's wedding in B'nei Braq, then you had better get on the bus already, which is leaving with or without you.So, as I was saying, the divuhit went off this afternoon. The message displayed was:"Return to your normal routine. You may now leave your houses."Um,...What?! Did I miss something? I w ...

Five Things I Should Be Doing Instead Of Blogging 2007-11-03 23:14:00 Mossa'ei Shabbath Qodesh Parshath Hayyei Sarah 5768Once again I was left out, and had to "steal" a meme.I stole it from TNSPR569 who tagged by Batya.Five Things I Should Be Doing Instead Of Blogging*Of course, since I stole this, I don't have to follow the rules. For better or worse, I have more than five things I should be doing instead of blogging.8. Cleaning my bedroom7. Washing dishes 6. Doing laundry (without I washing machine, I might add!)5. Looking for a free, TV show streaming site now that TV-Links seems to be out of commission.4. Looking for a wife3. Learning2. Getting a lifeand the number one thing I should be doing instead of blogging is:1. Getting a Friggin' Job!*That's fracking for you BSG fans.Well, I don't thin I'll tag anyone. But, If you decide to answer this one, then please leave me a shameless plug about in a comment below! ... Blogging

Haveil Havalim #138 Is Up! 2007-10-29 02:15:00 17 of the Eighth Month 5768Haveil Havalim Edition #138 is up on Soccer Dad's Blog.Please check out the easily navigable edition of this Jewish and Israeli Blog Carnival!?? ?????, ??? ??????! ...

Aliyah: Drinking Tea 2007-10-28 02:37:00 Mossa'ei Shabbath Qodesh Parshath Wa'era 5768The ideal vessel from which to drink tea is porcelain.Ask anyone from Great Britain.Not in the Middle East, though, where one is obligated to burn ones hand on a scorchingly hot glass.Here's a tip. Make sure the glass is not filled all the way. Then encircle the glass with your thumb and forefinger, just under the rim. Drink and enjoy without getting burned. ...

The Cult Of Rabin 2007-10-26 06:55:00 14 of the Eighth Month 5768Pre-Test:See if you qualify for membership in the Rabin Cult:1. a. Who ordered the shooting of the Jewish freedom fighters coming toward the Israeli shore on the Altalena? b. Who bragged about the attack on the Altalena while at a reception in Washington, DC?2. Whose foreign minister secretly engineered the Oslo Death Accords, and when he found out allowed them to continue anyway? (Hint: The Oslo Death Accords included the commitment on the part of Israel to arm Arab terrorists?)3. Which evil person was transformed into a martyr, in order to further the anti-Israel, Leftist, post-Zionist agenda of self-destruction?4. Which former Israeli prime minister was opposed to the formation of another Arab state side by side with Israel?Well, if you answered Yitzhaq Rabin, then you will NOT be allowed initiation into the cult, because your brainwashing has not completed. Before proceeding, you will need to go back for "re-education" in an approved setting, say for ...

Arab Drive By 2007-10-25 03:38:00 13 of the Eighth Month 5768Usually when you hear the word "drive by" shooting, you think of Los Angeles gangs.Well, today there was a "drive by" in my 'hood, near Shkhem (often identified as Nablus by the international news media).The shooting took place at the northern entrance to Ariel, a city in Samaria which site midway between Tel-Aviv and the the Jordanian border. In order to catch the shooter, the road was blocked between Ariel and Tapu'ah Junction.I arrived to catch the bus to Jerusalem about an hour after the shooting. Tapu'ah Junction, the main crossroads in the area, which joins the Jerusalem road with northern Samaria, and the coast with the Jordanian border, was packed with cars and trucks coming in from all directions, and trying to move on in all directions. Needless to say it was a mess! (Click map to enlarge)I knew that there was no way that the bus was going to get through, and most likely had already decided to skip my bus stop. So I did something which many ...

Television Interview With Evicted Jew 2007-10-23 08:03:00 11 of the Eighth Month 5768Here is the link to the Aharon Deutch's Israel National Television interview with Yekutiel Ben-Ya'akov. Ben-Ya'akov is a resident of K'far Tapu'ah, and one of many Jews served with "stay away" orders from their homes in Judea and Samaria.He is the founder and head of Yeshivat Magen Ha'Aretz on a hilltop near K'far Tapu'ah, where men study Torah, as well as self-defense and dog-handing. The dogs are employed in guarding towns, search and rescue, and bomb detection, and are responsible for the saving of many lives.The "authorities" claim that this is a preventative measure to protect the Arabs from possible harm while they are harvesting olives, often within close proximity to Jewish towns.Jews are served with restraining orders, preventing them from going to work, and if their families come with them, it makes it almost impossible for their children to attend their schools of residents, their wives to travel to their workplaces, and for them to prot ...

Kenesset Bans Sandals! 2007-10-21 20:32:00 10 of the Eighth Month 5768Knesset Bans Sandals in Addition to Jeans(4 Cheshvan 5768, October 16, '07)(IsraelNN.com) In addition to a new regulation banning denim jeans in the Knesset building, sandals - the classic Israeli footwear - have now been banned as well.Journalists and citizens invited to testify before Knesset committees bitterly complained Monday that they had only been informed of the jeans ban and not that on sandals.Exemptions were granted after committee heads called the head of Knesset security to ask that entry be granted to the sandal-footed visitors.Then this news flash was posted about 11 hours later...Knesset Relaxes Dress Code for DisabledWell, I'm glad, someone showed some sense.Apparently, the durability of denim is ideal for those wearing leg braces. Other fabrics would not last very long, with the constant rubbing of the braces.Back to the issue at hand, those of you who know me, know that I do not own standard shoes, and haven't owned shoes in years. I ...