HOLY LETTERS

BS"D


This is a very short, very cool bit about the Hebrew letters from the Chazon Ish, as given over by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, one of my fave ravs.
Enjoy the mp3.




Technorati tags: religion, religion and philosophy, Judaism, Jew, Jews, Jewish, Torah, Canada, Canadian, journal, weblog, blog, diary, soferet, sofrut, safrut, scribe, art, thoughts, stam, feminism, ritual, women, woman, life, sofer, Technorati.

MO'ADIM LE-SIMCHAH!

BS"D


My sukah last night:

Just thrown in a couple of blankets & some steamy cocoa & you're good to go!

The wall on the right needs to be re-hung for this to be kosher. There are a lot of opinions & rules, typical of Judaism, about what makes a kosher sukah. My favourite is this: the word "sukah" - סכה - illustrates the wall combinations considered kosher for a valid sukah.

The first letter, Samekh, represents a fully enclosed 4-walled structure (assuming there is a door!). The second, Khaf, teaches us that a 3-walled sukah is acceptable. Finally, the last letter, Hey, shows that 2 walls plus a partial third also makes for a mitzvah-filled sukah. That's why I have to re-attach that far right part of the hanging under the bamboo...

Shabbat shalom, Chag same'ach, gut-shabbes gut-yontif!




Technorati tags: religion, religion and philosophy, Judaism, Jew, Jews, Jewish, Torah, Canada, Canadian, journal, weblog, blog, diary, soferet, sofrut, safrut, scribe, art, thoughts, stam, feminism, ritual, women, woman, life, sofer, Technorati.

SEASON OF OUR JOY

BS"D


My friend Kim, her daughter Shula & I went on a field trip today to Home Despot (not a typo!). I'd been checking around my local Canadian Tire (because they're more than just tires!!!) off & on the past couple of weeks as the patio & garden stuff went on sale, hoping to find a bargain on sukah (that would be "tabernacle" to you Christians) building materials. But no luck. So I caved & went to the Big Box American Chain Store Which Is Destroying The Earth.

A mitzvah, after all, is a mitzvah...

& thanks to my good friends & neighbours - & their car - I built my sukah today!

I know, it needs a little more schach for the roof, but that can be remedied before the Chag starts tomorrow night. "Chag", by the way, is often used to mean "Jewish Holiday", but actually means "pilgrimage" & comes from the same etymological root as the Arabic word "Hajj".

Its frame & part of the roof is of bamboo tied together with jute & ivy. There are Jerusalem artichoke stalks on the roof. I harvested my organic garden for the autumn & tossed the inedible greens up there. The hangings for the ushpizin & ushpizot, the prophets we invite as guests into the sukah each night for dinner, are old ones that I collaborated on with a local Bukharan Jewish judaica dealer years ago.

Cozy, isn't it?




Technorati tags: religion, religion and philosophy, Judaism, Jew, Jews, Jewish, Torah, Canada, Canadian, journal, weblog, blog, diary, soferet, sofrut, safrut, scribe, art, thoughts, stam, feminism, ritual, women, woman, life, sofer, Technorati.

BLESSINGS, STEP BY STEP

BS"D


I've made many allusions in my previous writings to the "invisible" things a properly trained sofer/et, Jewish ritual scribe, will perform during the process of writing a Sefer Torah (or mezuzah or...)
To learn what they all are, you really do have to apprentice with a licensed scribe.
To learn what some of them are (because I'm not going to give the whole game away), you can read this blog :)

There are many blessings said & declarations of intention made at crucial points in the creating of these religious writings. One of them is:

This prayer is pronounced by the sofer before he sews the yeri'ot, sheets of parchment, together:
הריני מחבר ותפירה לספר תורה זאת לשם קדושת ספר תורה
Blessing said before the sofer sews the first & last yeri'ot to the rollers:
הריני חרש עצים לספר תורה זאת לשם קדושת ספר תורה

The idea is to have the intention in your sewing to complete the holiness of the Sefer Torah. This is one of the reasons why I don't write or correct before I go to a miqveh.

Interested in learning more? Check out Sofrut Nation.




Technorati tags: religion, religion and philosophy, Judaism, Jew, Jews, Jewish, Torah, Canada, Canadian, journal, weblog, blog, diary, soferet, sofrut, safrut, scribe, art, thoughts, stam, feminism, ritual, women, woman, life, sofer, Technorati.

THIS WEEK WILL GO BY FAST

BS"D


I find this really upsetting.

For 2 years in a row, the Jewish month of Tishrei has coincided with the Muslim month of Ramadan & their respective extra-special holy activities. & we spent the 3 weeks (& then some) fighting each other. I really believe that G@d is giving us - handing to us on a silver platter - an obvious opportunity to turn the world around, make things right toghether.

I have a tremendous reverence for Ha-Rav Ha-Ga'on Avraham Yitzchaq Ha-Kohen Kook. His protest-response mentioned in the above article is to be admired, I think, & imitated.

So although today was the fast of Gedalyah, I've decided, in light of the tensions in the Middle East, to continue fasting during the daylight hours until Yom Kipur (with the exception of Shabbes & Yom Kipur Eve, as my rabbi maintains that we're not allowed to fast on those days). I want to draw attention to the fact that Jews don't have to just square up with each other during these Days of Awe, we have to connect in truth & peace with the non-Jews in our lives as well.

Let's pool our money, time, kindness, ideas, talents & skills to do more of this & this for people in need this year & every year until the Messiah comes.

G'mar chatimah tovah




Technorati tags: religion, religion and philosophy, Judaism, Jew, Jews, Jewish, Torah, Canada, Canadian, journal, weblog, blog, diary, soferet, sofrut, safrut, scribe, art, thoughts, stam, feminism, ritual, women, woman, life, sofer, Technorati.

LIVING TORAH

TBS"D


Today I was lucky enough to have all the Hebrew pre-schoolers visit me while I worked at healing this Sefer Torah. They were so yummy, those little kids!

Also, some of the older elementary students spent time asking questions & were very patient while I turned this:


Into this:

(again, please excuse my poor photography - in person, the ink is a uniform matte black colour)

You know, it occurred to me today after I spent time with all these bright Jewish children, that each Sefer Torah is dead skin written on with a shed feather & boiled tree bits mixed with ash. But TORAH is alive! Living, breathing, in each of us. That's why the Living Torah from Ha-Shem commands us to teach it to our children so that they never depart from it. She is a Tree of Life...

The remainder of the programming I'll be sharing with Congregation B'nai Amoona:

Saturday, Sept 9 following kiddush lunch - "Sacred Art of Torah Calligraphy"
Following Kiddush, Soferet Avielah Barclay will introduce us to the art, craft & Laws of Torah writing.

Saturday, Sept 9 6pm - "Kabbalah of the Hebrew Alef-Bet"
Soferet Avielah Barclay will guide us in our exploration of the deep mysteries associated with the Alef-Bet.

Sunday, Sept 10 10am - "In the Scribe's Workshop"
Learn about Hebrew calligraphy from Soferet Avielah Barclay, & personally participate in the repair of some of our Sacred Torah Scrolls under her tutelage at our Membership Fair.

324 South Mason Rd
St Louis, MO
63141-8029
MapQuest link

Have a beautiful Shabbes!



Technorati tags: religion, religion and philosophy, Judaism, Jew, Jews, Jewish, Torah, Canada, Canadian, journal, weblog, blog, diary, soferet, sofrut, safrut, scribe, art, thoughts, stam, feminism, ritual, women, woman, life, sofer, Israel, Middle East, Life, writing and poetry, MySpace, flickr, rants, blogging, Technorati.