It's the year 5771, well, it's going to be...

I never can believe it when another year comes around. I never can be grateful enough for G-D's mercy, love, grace, and forgiveness. I never can stop thinking about all I've been through, overcome, and maybe not overcome this past year. I never can look at the sun setting on the first of Tishrei each year with complacency and non-chalantness. I never can find another way to say non-chalantness. I never can stop making up my own words. I never can stop rambling. :p
Yes, today at sunset is the first day of a new year (according to the Jewish/Biblical/Hebrew calendar) and it is a HUGE, I mean HUGE marking of time, a incredibly powerful and important season.
But what I am here to say is that I'm so thankful to HaShem, to the amazing people that have touched my life this year, to the amazing experiences I've had, and to have another year to do it all over again, but differently. Hopefully better, more G-D filled, but no doubt-no doubt- He will be beside me, guiding me, leading me, and showing me, as He does year after year. :) And of course I want it filled with happiness, with joy, with fuffilment, with learning, with growing, with embracing, but most of all, with TONS AND TONS of LOVE. Amen. :) I wish the same to all of you, my dear readers, whether you observe Judaism or not, I hope you have a lovely September to September :)

L'shana Tovah!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that's Epic

*Click here for a synopsis of what Shavuot is*

Shavuot can be described simply in 7 words. Three important ones, and three not so important ones. :)

Celebration of the Giving of the Torah

What: Biblically, Shavuot is a celebration of the first fruits of the harvest. But today, it is also the big letters above. Oh, Check out Leviticus 23 for the command of Shavuot. We read the book of Ruth, we read the ten commandments and about the event itself, we do no work, and we eat dairy. Check out the site in the link above for more on that.
Where: Mount Sinai, in the second and third temples, in the synagogues, in our homes.
When: According to the scholars, 50 days after the Exodus from Egypt, on Passover. Also, after the counting of the Omer. Also when The Ruach haKodesh (holy Spirit) descended on the talmidim of Yeshua (disciples of Jesus) in the Brit Chadasha (new testament).This year, May 18-20, Sivan 5 and 6, 5770
Who: The Torah was given to Moshe and all the people of Israel. It is said that at that time, all the souls of those who would accept the Torah were there, from their unborn children to me (as an example).
How: With thunder lightning and voices on the mountain :)

CELEBRATE!!!! Its part of the commandment!!! : D
All the holidays commanded in the Torah are amazing and incredibly meaningful and beautiful. But, Shavuot is the day we formally received all those commandments and incredible holidays. The other holidays are BIG DEALS, but Shavuot? The giving of the holy Torah itself? A time when all souls were before G-D? When G-D was visibly present to all the people of Israel? When we received the guidelines for life, living, and human relations, plus so much more? Now that's epic.

I hope all you Torah observers have a lovely Shavuot, and to the rest of you amazing people, have a great week and I will catch up with you on Thursday night!

Weekly Aliyah

Are you ready?! This Sunday, I will begin "Weekly Aliyah". To shorten this up, let me state the basics, in a basic way...

• What: A weekly post about the last weeks parshah ( Judaism's cycle of readings for the first five books of the Bible, the Torah) and other weekly Bible readings (Haftorah, Brit Chadasha), and what I learned, liked, or realized about them.
  
• When: Every Sunday...or....Every Week, starting this Sunday, December 6,2009
  
• Where: Here, at my blog, and at any others who decide to do it too!
• Why: To share the Torah, what HaShem shows me, and my studies with others.
• How: To do this also, leave a comment and/or your link, and grab the button on the sidebar!

I look forward to this very much! I hope some others join out there ( *ahem* Mom....), and I hope it blesses and encourages others!

Shalom,

9th of Av- Focus on the Temple

Dare to Dream/Dare to Build

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This is my post for the 9Th of Av.This video pretty much sums up all I would write-I have nothing else to say unless it is to expound upon the words of these people. As for the second video, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend going here and watching all of it with your family. Of course, this is for those interested in Israel, the Beit haMikdash?(Temple) and Judaism. I greatly enjoy Rabbi Chaim Richman's videos, which you can find on Youtube and WeJew. :) Have an easy fast.
Shalom!
The Author

Akeret haBayit in Training

What is an akeret habayit?

" Akeret is the feminine version of ikar, which is the central aspect, or the essence of something.The definite article "ha" means "the".Bayit usually means "house" or "home."

Isn't that just beautiful? Akeret haBayit is the Jewish term for "homemaker" , which is also beautiful. ~Home-maker~Akeret habayit. The Hebrew word "akeret" is itself feminine .

There is a difference between a house and a home. A house is the material aspect , but a home is the immaterial and most important part. A house doesn't automatically become a home, it requires work and effort,sometimes daily, from someone to make a house a home. This employment is most fitting for the woman.A woman takes this on as soon as she is married,(whether she knows it or not) and on a deeper and more influential way, I think, when she has children.The role the woman plays is part of the very foundation of habayit . That is why she is called an "akeret ".
But why is the home so important? Why is it so important to create an environment and culture in the home?

Let us go back to the definition of akeret habayit. The feminine word "akeret" is derived from the masculine ikar, which means the central or essence of something. That is exactly what the home is, it is the central aspect of the family, and the mother is the essence of habayit. The mother is not completely alone in this employment, because the father also plays a part in it, but overall the woman maintains and "keeps alive" the culture. The home is where the family(should) gather together, learn Torah, study, read, listen to music, play together, discuss topics, clean, cook.... This is what I mean by the culture of the home. Every family and their home is different. Some families like to listen to music, and even dance together, while some families connect more while reading together. Families are the same as countries- they have different government, customs, etc etc etc.
There is a prayer in the siddur (prayer book) called Ma Tovu- how goodly. The first sentence is taken from the Torah(first five books of the Bible), where Baalam goes to curse Isra'el, but it ends up that only blessings come forth from his mouth. (Numbers 24:5)
" How lovely are your tents , Ya'akov(Jacob);
your dwelling places , Isra'el."
One view the sages have on this verse is that the dwelling places, are the tents, are the Torah observant home. The home should be a place of prayer and Torah study, a place where G-d is the center and His name is sanctified. HaShem should be a BIG part in the culture of the home.

What is an Akeret haBayit in Training?

An akeret habayit in training's role is to learn from her mother, to help her, to contribute to the shalom(home) and atmosphere of habayit. Our roles as young ladies in training is to become all we can , to learn all we can, and to equip ourselves to the fullest, so that when we move on to our own homes we know how to create a culture and how to make a house a home. Being a young lady is a time of training for every role we may play at a future time- that of wife, mother, and home-maker. And these are all intertwined.
But we must not forget that while we are training for those things, we must also be the daughter, sister, and helper that G-d has called us to be. We must be "like pillars carved to adorn a palace" (Psalm 144:12).
I hope that this has answered questions about my blog title. Also , my signature stands for Akeret haBayit in Training.

(I used information and inspiration from an excellent post my Mom's wrote :)

".....Hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz"

Before we eat bread, we say the blessing-
"Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha'olam hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz.Amen."
Blessed are you, O L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

This is one of the most beautiful blessings, I think. I love the part-"who brings forth bread from the earth", which is the title of this post. Saying the blessings before eating is important, and meaningful. Acknowledging HaShem ,even in the act of eating, which is usually a mindless thing, especially in America.But we must also beware of allowing the blessings to become a mindless thing. Hopefully this hits the heart of home...
My wonderful lover of lavender Mother made this bread. It has cinnamon and honey rolled gently into it to create a good breakfast bread.
Heavenly. Beautiful. Bliss.

Something

We have several chances everyday to do something.

Something good
Something great,
Something wrong
Some mistake

When do we realize these opportunities? When we are looking for them. It is a part of Jewish thought that doing something wrong is a sin, but not doing something wrong can also be a mitzvah. Doing something good is a mitzvah, but not doing a mitzvah can be a sin.

We have two choices in life- doing something or not doing something. Both have consequences, but only one choice has good ones.

Parashah -Acharei Mot-K'doshim(Lev.16-21)

For me, every Parashah portion has a message for me each week. In K'doshim, it begins with
"You people are to be holy because I, the L-rd your G-D, am holy."
And this is to be taken seriously. He goes on to say in the next verse, verse two-
"Everyone of you is to revere his father and mother,and you are to keep my Shabbats; I am the L-rd your G-D."
Wow. How you treat your parents is right up there with being holy, for He is holy. In verse 32 of chapter 19 He says-
"Stand up in the presence of a person with gray hair; show respect for the old; you are to fear you G-d; I am the L-rd."
Here we are, wondering why we should respect our parents , and it's mentioned in this weeks Parashah. I'm telling you, a message each week:)
Also in this Parashah, which is about holiness, our Father mentions refraining from these things-
Tattoos
Fortune Telling
A verse concerning peyot(verse 27)
and a verse concerning the mixing of breeds, such as they do with horses with donkeys to make a mule

Well, that's all folks. I hope you read it and see what message HaShem has for you!

Erev Pesach- Special moments

Busy Afternoon

It is going to be a busy afternoon! Cooking, last minute cleaning, decorative table setting.....I am praying for a blessed and wonderful Pesach and Pesach Seder for all my Torah readers, and an easy Unleavened Bread! Thank G-d for the sun! It's so beautiful. I'll see all of yous next week, because this year we are so blessed to have two Shabbats in a row. Is there any danger of becoming lazy? No, I don't think so.....

Food,Food,Cooking!

We have come up with a system in our house where each member(what a wonderful thing to belong somewhere) cooks on certain days. Mondays, Thursdays, and often Fridays are my days. Last week was our first week with this new system. On Monday I made Sue Gregg's "Good Shepherds Pie", which was alot of fun to make. More of a group thing. Then I made an unwise decision and made dinner rolls too, which weren't ready on time because I didn't calculate the time.And then today we found that that about 2/3 of them had mold because they weren't stored well. On Thursday I made Noodles and tiny meatballs with a garlic butter sauce. That was pretty good and filling. Friday I made Puerto Rican style fried chicken , rice and beans, and of course the Challot.




I am so happy with this new arrangment because I think it's a great way to learn how to cook and try different things, with some of Mom's help too.Well, I wish all young ladies out there good cooking and Shalom!

A Late Purim Post

Here is a late Purim post of this year's Hamentaschen, which I pronounce a success. Not the most wholesome , but definitely tasty. We had a wonderful Purim, though perhaps not so busy as most. The thing that stood out most to me this Purim was how joyous we should be because of HaShems wonderful mercies. Grateful, joyful, and appreciative! For my Torah readers, I am sure you have begun on your Pesach cleaning lists, mentally or literally.I am so happy spring is already on it's way, at least it seems very convincingly so.

Shabbat Kodesh

"There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time."
Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath

It's a long story , life (and this post)

Today I said to my Imma, "Mom, you've written three posts on your blog, and I've only written one!"
Now, you must understand that usually I am the one who posts more and more often, and she posts now and then. But I have been so busy with studies, chores, and all the little loose ends and extras that come with every day. Well, since my last post the Beit Ha Shalom evacuation in Hevron took place, and my prayers for Yisrael have increased. HaShem has also been teaching me many lessons every day in humility,love, patience, kindness, and love, and of course may other things.How great is His love for us to teach us and show us.
" Me chamocha ba'elim Adonai,mechamocha,nedar bakodesh (Who is like You, O L-rd among the gods, who is like You, majestic in holiness)
So, to sum up what I've been doing all these weeks , I will give you one word- Busy

p.s- This post isn't so ling as I thought it would be, but hey, life(and posting) is not always what you expect.
p.s.s- (I do not know what life and posting have to do with each other, but there might be some connection.......)