Wednesday, February 28, 2007

A Dr. Seuss-shan Purim Shpiel


Sh’ma yeladim and hear us well
For now is the story of Purim to tell.
It took place in Shushan so long, long ago.
Now off to Persia we all will go.

In this beautiful kingdom ruled a king
A king with no brain, who’d think such a thing?
He spent all his days and his nights having fun
Parading his wealth in the warm Persian sun.

A queen named Vashti was his loyal wife
She promised to love him all of her life.
She promised, that is, until he did ask
For her to perform an unthinkable task.

At his grandest of parties the king did command
Queen Vashti dance for royal men of the land.
"I am Not your servant, and dance I will Not!"
Vashti refused the king’s sexist plot.

For Vashti, you see, was not known as a fibber
She was, in fact, history’s first women’s libber.
Vashti was banished - away she did go.
Where did she go? That we do not know.

In this fair kingdom lived also the Jews
Who could not practice the religion they choosed
No Torah, no Challah, no Matzah Ball soup
For a villain named Haman had started a coup.

"Bow down to me now", cruel Haman did say
"For I am an important man of the day."
"I’m the King’s right-hand man - I rule all that I see
If you don’t bow down now, you will cease to be!!!"

Meanwhile back at the palace grand
An announcement went out throughout the land
A new queen to be chosen in an unusual way
In a beauty contest held the very next day.


All the maidens of the land were forced to appear
From near and from far, from far and from near
Be them skinny or zaftig, quite brilliant or dumb
From near and far they were ordered to come.

One such maiden had brains and had grace
Esther was her name…Such a pretty face!
A Jewess of humble origins and needs
With the kind of bod that would make a heart bleed!


Encouraged by her Uncle (or was it cousin?) Mordechai
"I beg you dear Esther, this you MUST try"
"With your brains and your beauty YOU he would choose
"Go, go, go, go! "Comb your hair. Wear nice shoes!"

"Besides that my dear,
With your grace and your charm
You will blow them away.
You’ll be on King Achashverosh’s arm!"

Unsure of herself but willing to go
Because she loved her Morty so
She entered the contest
But said, "Uncle dear
Promise me that you’ll always stay near."

Mordy did promise and promise he did:
“You betcha – I’ll always be here, Kid.”

The contest was held - They came one and all
And Esther of course was the Queen of the ball.
Chosen for her beauty in a contest quite shallow
Esther learned to love this not-quite-clever fellow

Though Achashverosh chose her
And she was now queen
There was one rotten rule
She had not foreseen.

Under penalty of death she had to obey
The following rule in an unbending way:
Her new husband commanded she could only see him
When HE chose to see her - and on HIS whim

by Dana Baruch and Robbi Sherwin
© 1998 all rights reserved

For more of this ballad, you have to go
To a special site, that you can know
Follow the link and open your eyes
You will be in for a lovely surprise


The story of Esther above I have shared
A story of heroes and people who cared.
Mordecai, Vashti and Haman that gorilla
All can be found inside the Megillah

The megillah is scribed by the talented sofer
Perfectly written if that we are sure
Each so precious and unique from its maker
Its not a grogger so don't shake her.

A box, container, receptacle or case
The megillah must have a special place
Yosef Davidoff the silversmith who made these
To look at such beauty makes me weak in the knees.

Happy Birthday to me!

So its my birthday. I know you all have been so busy, you forgot. To make your shopping easier I have picked out a few things that I would not mind receiving. Let's see... there is this sterling silver with amethyst star of David from Aliza Herman
Or this gold star from Tova Botwinick

Then there is the personalized dichroic glass pendant from Eudice (and Chana is my Hebrew name)

Or you can simply throw a few pennies into the nearest tzedakah box and wish me a good year.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The most beautiful noise


During one of my virtual wanderings I found a wonderful silversmith Sharon Geller-Metal . This talented woman is an Orthodox Jew whose knowlege and faith resonate through her work. Her hamanstash grogger is just beautiful to look at... and that it actually is a ceremonial object just amplifies its beauty.

Esther and Haman, Its Purim OH MY!

At the end of the week the Jewish holiday which is better than Halloween or Mardi Gras arrives- fun costumes and GOOD food. What is better?
Purim is a joyous holiday which commemorates the Jews being saved by the bravery of the Queen Ester and her Uncle Mordecai in ancient Persia.

I can't help but celebrate because this holiday has lots of beautiful goodies involved with it!

A big part of Purim is that it is a holiday of Brave women... Vashti who refused to be paraded in front of the drunken friends of her royal husband and Esther who risked her her own life to save her people. Definitely a feminine grogger, Betsy Platkin Teutsch's tambourine honors the strenth of our foremothers.

Lilian Broca also appears to admire the Purim heroines. Look at her strong and sensuous mosaics of Esther.

















More wonderful goodies await this week!
And don't forget to VOTE!!!

Monday, February 26, 2007

Tezaveh

We read on in Exodus, after fleeing Egypt to wander in the desert for 40 years. During that time G'd gives forth his commandments and instructions on how to live but also how to worship him. With in Tetzaveh are the modus operandi for the construction of the ark as well as the details for the priestly robes are delineated.
Since the destruction of the second temple there are no temple priests but a part of their uniform is used to adorn the Torah, that is the breastplate.
I love the twelve tribes breastplate from Ron Starr, but I cannot find anything about the artist. We'll just have to love it as a lone object for now.

Melanie Kline is the owner of Tagin Designs. Her work has been seen and recognized throughout the United States. This is what she says about her breastplate the Tree of Life, as the Torah is known; this breastplate is rich with symbolism. At the top of the breastplate, appearing as golden fruit, are the Sephirot. These spinning symbols breathe life
into the word "Israel". What appears to be a tree is also a menorah, the symbol of Judaism. Seventy leaves adorn this menorah representing the 70 members of the Sanhedrin responsible for the interpretation
of God's laws.Spirals of consciousness infuse the air, land, and river, welcoming us to the Source of this Consciousness. The letters of the Hebrew ALEPH-BET individually form the chain by which the breastplate hangs, symbolizing the fact that all of our Torah study hangs on the understanding of these letters. The beautiful forms of the letters are also hidden in the grasses along the riverbank. The bells at the bottom of the breastplate call us to the Five Books of Moses.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Star of David


Looking for Stars of David... check here.

Do you love me?

So do you just love this blog? If you do make sure that you run over to JBlog Central and vote your love! And to show you how much I love you all and your traffic... a bit of Fiddler

Friday, February 23, 2007

Stitching together


Take a look at this chuppah which is being knit by Theresa. Now that is love!

Yummmy Challah


Barbara Cohen is a fiber and quilt artist whose work appears on the cover of the book The Mitzvah of Healing.
Barbara's challah covers are fluid and full of color. While a few weeks ago I posted shabbat tablecloths, I prefer a beautiful challah cover to be the centerpiece of my table. I think if it was one of Barbara's you all would too!



Need a challah recipe? Check here.
Have a challah recipe? Why not post it in the comments for all to see!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Forever Huppah

Jewish weddings. Nothing better. If you want to have a good time, find a NJB or NJG, fall in love and get married.



What do you need? A chuppah of course. The chuppah, or canopy, which is made of cloth stretched between poles, symbolizes the new home of the couple and is often carried by the attendants to the position where the marriage ceremony will take place. In many weddings the chuppah is already in place. The groom's parents walk him to the chuppah, where they stand together awaiting the bride. While a cantor sings from the Song of Songs, the bride is accompanied to the chuppah by her parents.

Sure you can use the temple's chuppah, but wouldn't it be better to have your chuppah forever? If you choose to have Rachel Eisen Bressler of Forever Huppah make you chuppah you will have something that you will treasure for years to come.
As Rachel says regarding designing her huppa for her marriage to David (who happens to be one of my oldest friends from Hebrew School), "I made our huppah with the thought that although one day a daughter of ours might think my wedding dress was ugly too; she (or her brother) still might like to marry beneath the same canopy which covered her mother and father on their wedding day. I'll tell you the truth though—I had my dress preserved along with the huppah... just in case!"


Rachel's hand paints the chuppah's on china silk adding details specific for each couple. David did pretty well for himself, marrying a beautiful woman who can also create such beauty. Enjoy looking...


Wednesday, February 21, 2007

The Synagogue's Role

The dominant theme of the Torah portion is the description of the Sanctuary and all its components. The Torah is explicit and exacting, unusually so, in all the specifications. The Sanctuary played a vital role in Jewish history, whether as the mobile Tabernacle in the Wilderness, the Temples in Jerusalem, or the contemporary Synagogue. In view of its importance, the attention it receives is fully warranted.

Many influences helped insure the perpetuation and thriving of Judaism. The school --and Jewish schooling was never meant for children only -- produced scholars and highly literate laymen. The home transmitted skills and developed emotional attachment to Judaism. The very streets exemplified living Judaism, with Shabbat and other evidences of Judaism on every hand. The Synagogue, as house of worship, took its legitimate place in molding Israel's future.

Today however, of all these positive forces, only the Synagogue affords many communities any enlightenment or inspiration. Jewish schooling, with promising exceptions like the Day School, is generally negligible; the typical home has little, even superficially, to identify it as Jewish. In a real sense the Synagogue is a sanctuary, a last stronghold of Judaism, the only place where a Jew can be actively and comfortably Jewish. The Synagogue must fill the void left by de-Judaized homes and ineffectual schools.

If the Synagogue, the source of Judaism today, passively permits non-Jewish influences to blur its uniqueness, if the Synagogue is molded in a non-Jewish form, architecturally and ritually, then American Jewry will imperceptibly blend with its neighbors until it ceases to exist. The specifications of the Sanctuary, the standards of a Jewish house of worship, cannot be too explicit, and in fact are clear enough. The Synagogue above all, must determinedly retain its specifically Jewish characteristics, for nothing less than the very future of American Jewry hangs in the balance. (from Zalman Posner)


While the Synagogue in my opinion can be Jewish and American and it can reflect the time in which we live. We can do that through art and Judaica.


These Torah Mantles come from Shizre Kodesh. Shizre Kodesh was established in 1985 by master weaver Carine Kleiman in the Arts and Crafts Lane, Khutzot Hayozer, Jerusalem, as part of her father, Georges Goldstein's tapestry studio. Carine made Aliyah from Paris, France in 1961 when her father was invited by the Israeli government to set up the first weaving Atelier in the north of the country. From an early age, Carine was surrounded by an atmosphere of Art, Design and weaving and completed her apprenticeship as a Tapestry weaver. Learn about Carine's inspiration by clicking the small photo above.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Parochet

There is nothing wrong with showing a bit of style. This week's Torah portion gives strict instructions for the development of the ark of the covenant, a little leway is given for creativity.
The parochet is the curtain behind which sit the Torahs in the ark. They may be quite plain or quite ornate... here are a few of my favorites.



From Merrie Handfinger is this lovely Burning Bush parochet which currently is used in Brooklyn at the Park Slope Jewish Center.






Ina Golub's work graces the bima at Congregation Beth Am in California (right) and Congregation Moriah in Deerfield, MI. Lovely, hmmm? I will be sure to show you some of Ina's Torah Mantles on a later date.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Terumah


This week brings one of the Torah portions which is made for Judaica Journal. In Terumah, G'd commands Moses to tell the Hebrews to bring gifts- and we are not talking about some soap with a pretty bow. We are talking about gold, silver, and copper; blue, purple, and crimson yarns, fine linen, goats' hair; tanned ram skins, dolphin skins, and acacia wood; oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the aromatic incense; lapis lazuli and other stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. G'd proceeds to give instructions for the building the Ark of the Tabernacle and all of its furnishings.




There are several references to textile material in this parsha and so this week I will explore artists who work with cloth.

Moshe Monzon, comes from a family which has lived in Israel for genrations. Artistic talent runs through his bloodline. Moshe creates tapestries. Each tapestry is entirely hand-made of synthetic materials. The felt and color fast dyes in 300 colors,are all locally produced in Israel. Employing an exclusive collage/tissage technique, the artist places individual strips of felt atop one another, by hand, processing the tapestry with a special loom.

I think the piece below, would be at home in a living room or a synagogue.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Mezuzah Joke- to round out the week

A wealthy Jewish man buys a fabulous home in Beverly Hills, California .
He brings in a local workman to decorate the place.

When the job is finished, the homeowner is delighted but realizes
that he's forgotten to put mezuzahs on the doors.

He goes out and buys 50 mezuzahs and asks the decorator to place them on
the right hand side of each door except bathrooms.

He's really worried that the decorator will chip the paint work or
won't put them up correctly. However, when he comes back a few hours later, he sees
that the job has been carried out to his entire satisfaction. He's so pleased
that he gives the decorator a bonus.

As the decorator is walking out of the door he says, "Glad you're
happy with the job." "By the way, I took out all the warranties from the little boxes and left them on your table.

And one last mezuzah from our glass artist Ronna in Israel.

Home For Shabbat


As I settled into my seat on Flight 1272 bound for Chicago, I glanced at the passengers filing down the aisle. My Jew-radar immediately went off; in addition to the business travelers toting their laptops and briefcases and the pleasure travelers wearing shorts and Walkmans, I spied several suede kippot, a striemel and ankle-length skirts.

Despite our shared heritage, I didn't bother acknowledging them. They were strangers. And I live in New York, where strangers seldom exchange greetings, even if they recite the same prayers.

The plane rolled toward the runway and I waited for takeoff. No such luck. The pilot announced the flight was being delayed three hours due to stormy weather conditions in Chicago. I glanced at my watch nervously. Usually, I avoid flying Friday afternoons for fear I won't arrive in time, but on summer weekends when Shabbat doesn't begin until 8 p.m., I figured I'd be safe. I figured wrong.

But I calculated that I could just make it if I didn't claim my luggage and jumped into a taxi. I turned around to check on my co-religionists. Two kippot were examining their watches. The chasid was on the airphone.

A half-hour before arrival, the pilot announced O'Hare Airport was shut down and we were landing in Milwaukee until we could continue on. My stomach sunk. Candelighting was an hour away. I'd never make it on time. Like most religious Jews who work in the secular world, I'd experienced my share of close calls. But I never knowingly violated the Sabbath. Now, I was stuck.

By now, the kippot and long skirts were huddled in the back of the plane. They had been joined by others. Shabbat was bringing strangers together.

It was time to introduce myself. We're going to get off in Milwaukee, a young man told me. The chasid had called Milwaukee's Chabad rabbi, who offered to host any stranded passengers for Shabbat. Come with us, he urged. I nodded with relief but returned to my seat crestfallen since I had planned this weekend with my family for months.

My non-Jewish seatmate, noticing my despair, inquired what was wrong. When I told him the story, his jaw dropped.

"Let me get this straight," he said, "You're getting off the plane in a town where you've never been with people you don't know to stay overnight with complete strangers?"

For the first time that day, it occurred to me just how lucky I was.

When the plane landed, the pilot announced we were disembarking for religious reasons. Passengers stared at us, dumbfounded. My seatmate bid me farewell as if he didn't think I'd survive.

But I quickly realized I was among friends. As I attempted to carry my bags off the plane, a woman insisted on helping me. When we crowded into cabs to take us to the rabbi's house, the chasid insisted on paying for me. And when the cabs pulled up at the home of the rabbi and rebbetzin, they ran outside to greet us as if we were long lost relatives.

The sun set on Milwaukee as they ushered us into their home, where a long table was set for Shabbat with a white tablecloth, china and gleaming kiddush cups. When I lit the Shabbat candles, a wave of peace washed over me. With all that had transpired, I was warmed by the notion that the world stops with the first flicker of Sabbath light.

Over a traditional Shabbat feast, the rabbi enchanted us with tales of the Baal Shem Tov and informed us that our re-route to Milwaukee was due not to the world of weather but of Divine providence.

We lingered over our meal, enjoying our spiritual sanctuary in time after the stressful day. Zemirot (Shabbat songs) filled the room. We shared disappointments about our unexpected stopover. Most of the group was traveling to Chicago for their friend's aufruf ("calling up" the groom to the Torah on the Shabbat before a wedding) and wedding and were missing the aufruf. The chasid and his wife were missing a bar mitzvah.

We pondered the meaning of the departure from our journey and marveled at the coincidences. I had attended camp with my roommate, a couple had conducted business with my father, a man had studied in yeshiva with my cousin, the chasid used to work in my hometown of Aurora, Ill., and I had once spent Purim in Crown Heights with my hosts' son.

Exhausted as we were, everyone was hesitant to leave the table to go to sleep.

The next morning, a lively tefillah was followed by a leisurely meal where we exchanged stories about our lives, careers and dreams. We nicknamed ourselves the Milwaukee 15 and wondered if future generations would retell the story of the flight that didn't make it in time for candlelighting.

Saturday night, we made a regretful journey to the everyday world. But before we began the final leg of our journey, I called my husband to tell him all that had transpired.


"Who did you spend Shabbat with?" he asked worriedly.

I pondered how to explain who these former strangers were who had given me object lessons in Shabbat hospitality and in the power of Shabbat in bringing Jews together.

And, then as swiftly as a 747 can leave the tarmac on a clear day, I realized the truth: miles away from my parents, husband and home, I had accomplished what I set out to do when I booked my ticket: I had spent Shabbat with family.
Deena Yellin, from Chabad.org

The circle of magnets and the paintings above are from Laura Bolter, a Kansas City artist who paints and does graphic design. Her colors are bright... like the lights of Shabbat. These magnets would be a great treat for a Hebrew teacher, wouldn't they?

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Mezuzah Magic From Ronna













Thanks to Susan for the photography magic

Color me Mezuzah

Whose life does not need a little extra color? We are painting our house, planning to place it on the market so we can move closer to the city. The real estate mantra is "neutral." I hate neutral. I like flavor, flair, energy...

Apparently Yossi Steinberg is of the same ilk as I am. Yossi is a Tel Aviv artist who works in metal and polymer resin to crate Judaica and Jewelry.

Here are some of his pieces

Woudn't the violin mezuzah be great for the music lover in your life?

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

You are so beautiful... to me!

A cyber friend, Judy Dunn who is a phenomnal polymer clay artist was kind enough to send me this link.

The mezuzot on this Flickr site are among the most wonderful I have ever seen. Rather than waste your time with words... take a look at the work from RONNA RAHAMIM

Unfortunately, I have been unable to show these mezuzot because I can't save the pics... take a look yourself and enjoy!

Marriage Mezuzah


It may be gloomy February, but there are many a betrothed couple who are planning their nuptials. That invitation can't be too far away. Perhaps it is time to start gift shopping???
How about a mezuzah for the broken glass? According to the Guide to the Jewish Wedding from Aish.com
A glass is now placed on the floor, and the chatan shatters it with his foot. This act serves as an expression of sadness at the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and identifies the couple with the spiritual and national destiny of the Jewish people. A Jew, even at the moment of greatest rejoicing, is always mindful of the Psalmist's injunction to set Jerusalem above my highest joy.

Others explain that this is the last time the groom gets to put his foot down.

(In Israel, the glass is broken earlier, prior to the reading of the Ketubah.)

This marks the conclusion of the ceremony. With shouts of Mazel Tov, the chatan (groom) and kallah (bride) are then given an enthusiastic reception from the guests as they leave the chupah together and head toward the Yichud room, their temporary private chamber


I have to confess that my broken glass is sitting at home in a box with other wedding parephinalia. One of these days I will do something like this:





From left to right are mezuzot from Sara Beames, Faye Miller Shardz and Arthur and Wendy Silver.

What a beautiful way to remember such a special day!

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Moooo-re Mezuzahs

I love when art can be humorous... I love it when we can laugh at ourselves. Obviously the Israeli artist Sagit Bramly Levi a 30-ish year-old architect and artist from Karmiel knows how to giggle. From her little cow and sheep mezuzot to her cheerful flowers and retro designs.Sagit's work in polymer clay is characterized by strong colors and a combination of a variety of techniques and textures that create a unique, fresh and daring look. The main technique used by Sagit is called 'Millefiori' (a thousand flowers), an old technique taken from the glass art world. All products are handmade and carefully planned from the very beginning of designing the Millefiori cane up to the finishing touches.

Look at these two additional mezuzot from Sagit... One is perfect for the individual who is a Florida Gator Fan... and who would not be after their tremendous win last month against Ohio State... but I digress.

And this brown striped mezuzah is masculine yet retro... great for your friend who is just so Metro.








And if you are still looking to put a smile on your face... and on your mezuzah-free kitchen door... take a look here. And remember- we answer to a Higher Authority!