On the Third Night of chanukah

My bubbe gave to me

THREE PLATES FOR SEDER



From a Simple Touch... an ebay store with lots of Glass Fusion Dichroic Glass and Metal products for your holidays and home.







Iris Tutnauer is a silversmith living, creating and working in Jerusalem... Her work can be found in museums in Israel and the USA.





Marilyn Davidson created this seder plate for Nambe. This modern plate was designed especially for serving the six ceremonial foods of the seder feast. Elegantly crafted of our brightly polished metal alloy, the 14-inch square plate with rounded corners features the first letter of each food item's name in Hebrew. A shallow well formed by the raised letter holds a portion of the appropriate food. Impressive in size and dignity, this special piece commands a strong presence on the seder table.

Thank YOU for making me a woman...

Lucy Rose Fischer participated in a wonderful conference called Practicing Jews: Art, Identity and Culture sponsored by the University of Wisconsin. Of her piece which is the inspiration for today's post she says, Orthodox men say a blessing that praises G-d “for not making me a woman.” I have transposed this traditional blessing—by thanking G-d for making me a woman. My three vessels are a celebration of life. I have interwoven contemporary images of women dancing with the Torah and scenes of my mother at different stages of her life.


By the way, I am glad I am a woman... but equally glad I don't have to deal with this problem:
One of the little controversies getting a lot of press in Israel lately is segregated bus lines. No, they don’t make the Ethiopians sit separately. Increasingly, Egged bus lines which serve a number of predominately Haredi neighborhoods are allowing the passengers to separate the sexes by having men sit in the front and women sit in the back. These buses are designated “kosher”, but religious authorities declined to answer how exactly they are cooked.

While there is no Halacha to the best of my knowledge that says women can’t sit next to, opposite, or in front of men on a bus, Egged, Israel’s public bus line has nonetheless acquiesced to the vocal (and male) members of the communities.

You may have heard about the now infamous case of Miriam Shear, a 50 year old religious American immigrant to Israel, who was brutally beaten on November 24 for refusing to move to the back of the bus, on a line that was not even officially designated as “mehadrin.” Read the account in her own words here.

Other women have reported being threatened, harassed and intimidated for exercising their right to sit where they want. They are public buses, after all.

Well, say the women, enough is enough. According to YNet, a group of women, “among them haredi author Naomi Ragen, will file a petition with Israel’s High Court, claiming that such segregation is illegal and humiliating. “We’re sick of sitting in the back of haredi buses. We prefer to sit up front,” they wrote.”

While I respect the Haredi population’s right to live by the motto of the Offspring song “you’ve gotta keep em separated” the execution of these bus lines was poorly, poorly done. Public buses should not be used. You want “kosher” bus lines, start your own private company which caters to your population. Additionally, the buses were poorly identified, (women report not always knowing if they were getting on to a segregated bus or not) and enforcement of this so called rule was at the hands fellow bus passengers.

I’m really hoping the petition effects real change, and hoping, perhaps in vain, that all the negative publicity Haredim have been under will wake a few rabbis and leaders up to the need for emphasizing proper behavior towards women (from Jewlicious).

How do I enjoy Shabbat with all its prohibitions?

The truth is that Shabbat can be enjoyed because of its prohibitions. We live in the 21st century, where stress is a way of life. We run around at a thousand miles an hour all week (except when we’re stuck, cursing, in traffic). Answering phones, checking emails, reading text messages, paying bills, giving/taking instructions- life is hectic. We eat on the run; barely have time for our families and battle to nurture our souls.

Shabbat is time-out. You are not allowed to answer the phone. You may not deal with your business affairs. Driving is verboten. Your business associates, clients, and friends learn to accept it. You may be tempted to “check in on the office” when you’re on vacation. On Shabbat you have no choice. That’s the advantage of the “prohibitions”- they’re non-negotiable.


We run around at a thousand miles an hour all week (except when we’re stuck, cursing, in traffic). Answering phones, checking emails, reading text messages, paying bills, giving/taking instructions- life is hectic. On Shabbat you do sit and eat a meal as a family. You might even catch up on some sleep. You dedicate time to prayer, meditation and a bit of study. It’s actually refreshing.

Besides, much of our stress centers on our thinking we’re in control. Since we believe we’re in charge, we feel we have to carry the full weight of life on our shoulders.

Shabbat refocuses our perspective. The Shabbat prohibitions are designed to make us realize that we cannot always do things as and when we please.

Shabbat coaches us to defer to Higher Authority - at least for 24 hours a week. Then, we step into the week’s work-whirlwind relaxed, ready to focus and secure in the belief that Someone-Up-There is looking after our interests.

You don’t enjoy only Shabbat with its prohibitions; you enjoy the whole week. (Rabbi Ari Shishler at AskMoses.com)


Glass artist extraordinaire Tamara Baskin created this Hamsa with the symbol for the twelve tribes. Tamara was born and raised in Israel but began her art career in the United States. She is educated in multiple media but has recently focused her work on fused glass.

Korach

Numbers 16:1 - 18:32
This weeks parsha is among the more disturbing and least believable Torah portions that we read- how do 250 men just vanish into smoke? And why would G'd feel such a thing was necessary. There are many d'var torahs offering insight including here, here and here.
How does a pair of pomegranate relate to Korach you may be asking yourself. The answer is it does not... but I love pomegranates- as fruit, as symbols and art objects and I want to do a week of pomegranates! I will say however that pomegranates are mentioned in this book of the Torah including
Numbers (Bamidbar) 13:23
They reached the wadi Eshcol, and there they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes--it had to be borne on a carrying frame by two of them--and some pomegranates and figs.

Numbers (Bamidbar) 20:5
Why did you make us leave Egypt to bring us to this wretched place, a place with no grain or figs or vines or pomegranates? There is not even water to drink!

These lovely pomegranates are the work of the Stone-Cohn gallery. COHN-STONE STUDIOS, located in the San Francisco bay area, is the work place of artists Michael Cohn and Molly Stone. They formed their partnership in 1980 and since that time have collaboratively developed their Studio lines, as well as their individual artistic careers. The Studio work is a perfect example of the sum of two distinctly individual insights --their work rings true to their ability to combine uniquely individual design directives, complementing one another and creating a compelling and unique body of work that would not be otherwise possible.

Bamidbar down Under

Numbers 1:1 - 4:20. From Australia is today's brief D'var Torah about the first readings from the book of Numbers.

In the Sinai Desert, G-d says to conduct a census of the twelve tribes of Israel. Moses counts 603,550 men of draftable age (20 to 60 years); the tribe of Levi, numbering 22,300 males age one month and older, is counted separately. The Levites are to serve in the Sanctuary, replacing the firstborn, whose number they approximated, who were disqualified when they participated in the worshipping of the Golden Calf. The 273 firstborn who lacked a Levite to replace them had to pay a five-shekel "ransom" to redeem themselves.

When the people broke camp, the three Levite clans dismantled and transported the Sanctuary, and reassembled it at the center of the next encampment. They then erected their own tents around it: the Kehatites, who carried the Sanctuary's vessels (the ark, menorah, etc.) in their specially designed coverings on their shoulders, camped to its south; the Gershonites, in charge of its tapestries and roof coverings, to its west; and the families of Merrari, who transported its wall panels and pillars, to its north. Before the Sanctuary's entranceway to its east were the tents of Moses, Aaron and Aaron's sons. More on the website

Tova Carmon is an Israeli Glass artist. I don't know much about her because her website is in Hebrew. But given that a picture is worth a thousand words you should look at the pictures on her webiste. They are more impressive than anything I could say about her work- including this 12 tribes plate.

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!

Wood you?

I find it amazing that yet another week has passed. Shabbat again. I hope you all enjoyed last week's tzedakah boxes. This week was a good one... not nearly as stressful as last week (long story) but a little wine would be nice. So let's talk kiddush cups. Many religions believe wine to be sacred. Jews thank G'd for creating the fruit which gives us wine, and we thank G'd for the reasons to celebrate with wine. The wood carver Gabriel Bass uses exotic and lucious woods to create his kiddush cups, adding silver or glass as a receptacle for the wine.



I found this on Thursday... a group of Iowa artists who make Judaica as well as furniture, mirrors, boxes and other art for the home. They use birch an poplar as a base for their work... and then add very original painting. Here is a lazy susan they made for the Shabbat table... what a great way to pass the Challah.
Have a peaceful Shabbat.