Prayers, Candles, and Presents

A couple of nights ago we started Hanukkah a little early. Over the last month we had bought a few too many toys for our son so we figured we would begin part of the evening routine a couple of days prior. He didn’t really know what to make of it but he was happy with what we got him and seeing that smile made the few extra dollars seem like the bargain of the century. After all, this is his first Hanukkah and we want to make it a little more special so we have tried to make it as fun as possible while setting the ground work for a new holiday tradition.

We are starting this tradition as a family… just the three of us this year. Throughout the weekend, my wife and I made enough brisket to last for the eight nights and we made sure, beginning tonight, to light the candles with the proper blessings. It is only after the candles are lit, which our son seems to enjoy in and of itself, when we go back into the office closet and pull out the next toy for our son to play with. Reading the transliteration in front of our son know that, at one point I could read the Hebrew, reignited my desire to learn this beautiful language.

There is something calming about slowing down for a few moments, reading the prayers, and carefully lighting each candle. It really allows all three of us to just be in the moment while we enjoy our faith as a family. This followed by the happiness in our son’s face as he played with the toys (and the boxes that they came in) are really what makes this a special time of year and I look forward to sharing with him more and more about the holiday and the significance that it holds.

Of course, there is also another fun part of the evening as I was able to hide the small gifts that I have been accumulating over the past several weeks from my wife. Well, most of them are small. While the vast majority were clearance finds or daily deals, I was also able to find something that I had been meaning to get for her for some time now. Thankfully the camera that I was looking at went on sale and I was able to stay within budget. So now, each night, we will have images to accompany our memories and, most importantly, I might have made up, at least a little bit, for my mistakes during her birthday.

And now, with the candles having long since faded, and my wife and son sleeping, I am sitting here writing this and looking forward to the rest of the Hanukkah holiday. I am so glad that we are able to have this experience throughout the week and I can’t wait to see the smiles every evening. And, just think, it only gets better from here.

Fulfilling The Mitzvah

Last night the snow and ice descended upon us covering everything in a frigid tapestry devoid of color. This was the landscape to which we woke today, the perfect clean slate by which our son to start his life as a member of the tribe. However, just like the faith that he has been born into, sometimes there are unseen trials that are cause for caution. Just outside our front door was a pristine shell of crystal clear ice. We took our time and made it out the door later than we had expected but we were safe and that is what really mattered.

After a quick stop at my parent’s house to pick up some backup, we made our way into center city Philadelphia and arrived at my father-in-law’s apartment about 20 minutes behind schedule. Family and friends were already packed into the place and overflowing into the hallway when we arrive and before we could make our way to the middle of the crowd the mohel (who was the mohel for my conversion) whisked us away to the back bedroom to make sure that we (including our son) were prepared for the experience that was about to follow.

For those of you who are not familiar, the mohel is the person in the Jewish faith who performs the mitzvah of brit milah, the covenant of circumcision, which was commanded by G-d to Abraham over 3,700 years ago. While rushed to begin, the mohel took his time during the ritual and made sure that our son was brought into the covenant the way that it should be done. After all, you don’t want a mohel to cut any corners.

While the act itself is something that is difficult to see, especially when it is your own son, it is also an incredibly moving moment for both the parents and the grandfathers. This is the moment that our son became a child of Israel. It was a moment that I will never forget and one that I am glad I was able to share with my family. Following the performance of this sacred mitzvah, our son was given his Hebrew name, Yonatan Yitzhak. This is a name that was easy for us to decide but one that also carries great meaning which I will write about in a future post.

The morning continued with our son a little sleepy and tipsy from the Manischewitz he was given before, during, and after the brit. The rest of us reveled in the glory and holiness of the mitzvah that had just taken place. Of all the moments and experiences that I have had within my chosen faith this, by far, is the one that carried with it the most meaning and made me feel closer to G-d. Our son was now a Jew just like his mommy and daddy.  

You Might Want To Consider Thinking Before You Act…

I know NOTHING!

It has been interesting, to say the least, watching and listening to all the commentary surrounding the recent prisoner exchange that President Obama sprung on everyone a couple of weeks ago. As soon as his father spoke and made the claim that his son had forgotten how to speak English I knew there was something a little off about this situation. After all, did Senator McCain forget how to speak English? Did Galid Shalit forget how to speak Hebrew? Anyway, that is another topic altogether, so let me steer this post back on track.

Given the nature of the questionable action and subsequent announcement it seems as though this was done solely to ease the pressure that had been mounting from the VA scandal. However, this just proves that it is best to think before you act as support is nowhere to be found even from some of his own party diehards like Senator Diane Frankenfeintein who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee (I know, hard to believe isn’t it). The following excerpt from Town Hall sums up this little cluster:

Two top lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Tuesday that the Obama administration broke the law by not informing Congress before the prisoner exchange that resulted in Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s release.

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss said the administration violated the law by failing to address serious concerns they had about the deal to swap Bergdahl for five Taliban detainees. Chambliss said he had not had a conversation with the White House about a possible exchange for at least 18 months.

"It comes to us with some surprise and dismay that the transfers went ahead with no consultation, totally not following law," Feinstein told reporters following a closed door meeting. "And in an issue with this kind of concern to a committee that bears the oversight responsibility, I think you can see that we're very dismayed about it."  

Of course that only really speaks to the process not what actually took place. That is an entirely different story. Those who served with the supposed POW had particularly strong feelings regarding his release (watch the interviews here) and others from the military have commented on the circumstances around his “capture” and the impact that it had both on operations and moral. The Washington Post had an interesting article which included interviews with those involved in the search and rescue operations after his disappearance:

One Afghan special operations commander in eastern Afghanistan remembers being dispatched.

“Along with the American Special Forces, we set up checkpoints everywhere. For 14 days we were outside of our base trying to find him,” he told The Washington Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he is a member of a secretive military unit.

But U.S. troops said they were aware of the circumstances of Bergdahl’s disappearance — that he left the base of his own volition — and with that awareness, many grew angry.

“The unit completely changed its operational posture because of something that was selfish, not because a soldier was captured in combat,” said one U.S. soldier formerly based in eastern Afghanistan who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the search. “There were military assets required . . . but the problem came of his own accord.”

In the end, the elation didn’t really spread beyond the soldier’s small town in Idaho as many of us, civilians and veteran’s alike, questioned the circumstances surrounding both his ‘capture’ and his release. Even my great uncle, a 27 year Air Force veteran who has been retired since 1974, made his voice heard via Facebook posting the following:

“FROM MY EXPERENCE OF 27 YEARS IN THE AIR FORCE, WHEN PERSON WAS BROUGH BACK UNDER MILITARY CONTROL AFTER BEING AWOL OR DESERTION HE OR SHE WAS PLACED UNDER ARM GUARD. I DON'T KNOW WERE GENERAL DEMPSEY OF THE JOINT CHIEFS GET THE NOTION THAT ARMY MUST TAKECARE OF HIM AND HIS FAMILY. HIM "YES" HIS FAMILY "NO". THE ARMY IS HIS "FAMILY" UNTIL HE DISCHARGE EITHER HONORABLE OR DISHONORABLE.”

And while we could all see that this political move was a huge error by the President, somehow he still seemed surprised that we rely on the facts at hand to determine what is right and what is wrong. Oblivious to the mind of the people and the opinions of those who are and have served in the military, the President’s act before you think cluster leaves us with one final question, as originally asked by Ralph Peters in the National Review, “As for President Obama, how about just one word of thanks to the families of those fallen soldiers you sent out to find Bowe Bergdahl?”

Sometimes The Dollar Store Is Too Expensive

I am a person who is always looking for the best deal. Many times that requires comparing products, price shopping, and adding coupons into the mix. Sometimes I can only employ one or two of these factors and sometimes it requires all three. However, sometimes it just takes a little luck and a smidge of effort in order to get the best price possible… FREE!

As of late, I have been picking up a few items here and there at job fairs which have demonstrated varying degrees of quality and usefulness. This is a great way to collect a mismatched set of plastic cups, travel mugs, and random memory foam stress relievers (best used when you hear the words “we’re not looking for someone with your background at the moment”). All in all, nothing is really worth bragging about (both the item and where you got it).

My wife has also been picking up a few free items lately. She came home yesterday with a grab bag of literature from an all day conference she attended at the Loews Hotel in Philadelphia (the conference was also free which is a find in itself). I was going to attend the event with her but Mr. Sandman was being a particularly persistent bastard yesterday. Anyway, while the information may not be helpful to many it was useful to her and, therefore, a great free find.

My latest two acquisitions are of a completely different free breed. High quality useful items are something I am always looking for and getting them for free is just a bonus. The two items pictured will be used and used a lot… one right away and one in the future.

I came across the free Siddur while browsing through my Facebook feed. A few friends had shared the link for the giveaway and when I saw it I had to claim my copy. This was not a contest; it was on a first come first serve basis. Simply click on the link and fill in the shipping information.

I knew the company, Koren Publishers Jerusalem, and have other Siddurim from them so I had no qualms about sharing my information. A few weeks later and the book was waiting for me at the front desk. Now I just have the simple task of learning Hebrew and this will be a heavily used addition to our library. Like I said earlier, this is the item that will be used in the future.

An item doesn’t have to be fancy to be a great freebie. Sometimes it’s the simple items that prove to be the most useful. A perfect example of this is the map I received from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The arrival of this envelop was met with some trepidation because usually when you have an envelope in your mailbox with that return address and your registration isn’t due it means bad news. So, when this parcel arrived, I was ready to break out the check book and survey the bank account. I find it both impressive and disturbing the pucker power an envelope can have when the return address it related to a government agency. It was a pleasant surprise to find something useful enclosed in the PennDOT stationary.

With all of the traveling that we have been doing lately and all the trips that are planned over the next several months, this map is something that will be used over and over again. For me, old school maps are a much better way to find those out of the way places that the Maps App on my iPhone can’t pronounce. We often forget that technology has its limits and sometimes the best way to find something or someplace that you didn’t know you were looking for is by flipping through the pages of a book or unfolding a map on the table.

It just goes to show that free stuff (and clichés) can be found all over the place. All you need to do is pay attention and be willing to commit about 30 seconds in filling out your mailing information. Note that some of you may have to take off the tin foil from your noggin to accomplish this. Some of the items are going to be more useful than others but, who cares, it's free. If you really don’t want it I’m sure someone you know will or you can donate to charity (which would, in turn, make it free for them).  

What are some of the items you have gotten for free? What are some of the items you wish you didn’t get for free?

Brother to Brother - אח לאח

Since becoming a mason I have tried to stay organized and get all my applications and petitions submitted in a timely manner. For the most part I am keeping on top of all the items on my Masonic to do list. One of the most interesting things on that list was completing my affiliate membership.

A little over a week ago I got an interesting envelope in the mail. It was a package that I was not expecting to arrive for another several weeks as it had to come from a significant distance. Once I opened the envelope and examined the contents I was able to officially say that I am an Affiliate Member of the Holy Land Lodge #50 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Affiliate memberships are not something done by all Masons but, for me, this was very important if not necessary. It is another tie between my home and my home land and it brings the connection between Masonry and my faith together in a meaningful way. As many of you already know, faith is essential in Freemasonry and now Freemasonry is enhancing my connection with my faith.

It is connections such as this one that increase my awareness of the bond I have with G-d in all my actions. Discovering such links in my life has been essential in the transition that my own personal faith has taken. While I may no longer be observant in the traditional sense, my awareness and appreciation of G-d has been heightened to a level of faith and awe that I have never experienced before.

My observance lies in attentive perception of and gratitude for all that Hashem has given me. No matter what your specific beliefs may be, faith deepens when we pay attention and admire G-d’s work. It is in His creation that the opportunity exists for us to honor our creator in both heartfelt prayer and actions.

Each of us must find the best way to connect with G-d and explore the different means by which we can bring G-d into our daily lives. For me it is a matter of keeping it simple and bringing little pieces of my Judaism into every aspect of my life such as my affiliate membership. Sometimes, it is the little things that can have a biggest and most lasting impact on your life. 

I am just a simple man trying to simplify the world around me and what works for me may not work for you. Maybe you need those big decisions or stringent rules to bring about a deep connection. There is nothing wrong with practicing your faith in that way… it may be the best way for you to understand G-d. 

Regardless of belief or practice, we need to keep in mind that we are all brothers of the same Father and like children we all have different ways we connect with our father and we all have a bond that is both common and dissimilar at the same time. Remember this simple truth and support your fellow brother. Let them find that connection and support them as they discover their own personal link between their faith and the fraternity.