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Important notices
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 "Look deep into Nature, and then you will understand everything better." Albert Einstein

"We have not inherited the earth from our ancestors --- we have borrowed it from our children." - ancient proverb


Torah nutshell from kolel.org
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Interesting quotes from famous Jews

My father never lived to see his dream come true of an all-Yiddish-speaking Canada.
-David Steinberg

I once wanted to become an atheist but I gave up. They have no holidays.
-Henny Youngman

Look at Jewish history. Unrelieved lamenting would be intolerable. So, for every ten Jews beating their breasts, God designated one to be crazy and amuse the breast beaters. By the time I was five I knew I was that one.
-Mel Brooks

The time is at hand when the wearing of a prayer shawl and skullcap will not bar a man from the White House, unless, of course, the man is Jewish.
-Jules Farber

Even if you are Catholic, if you live in New York, you're Jewish. If you live in Butte, Montana, you are going to be a goy even if you are Jewish.
-Lenny Bruce

The remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served us nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.
-Calvin Trillin

Let me tell you the one thing I have against Moses. He took us forty years into the desert in order to bring us to the one place in the Middle East that has no oil!
-Golda Meir

Even a secret agent can't lie to a Jewish mother.
-Peter Malkin

My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with me.
-Benjamin Disraeli

It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it.
-Sam Levenson

Don't be humble; you are not that great.
-Golda Meir

I went on a diet, swore off drinking and heavy eating, and in fourteen days I had lost exactly two weeks.
-Joe E. Lewis

A spoken contract isn't worth the paper it's written on.
-Sam Goldwyn

I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality through not dying.
-Woody Allen

Whoever called it necking was a poor judge of anatomy.
-Groucho Marx

A politician is a man who will double cross that bridge when he comes to it.
-Oscar Levant

Too bad that all the people who know how to run this country are busy driving taxis and cutting hair.
-George Burns

A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours.
-Milton Berle

I don't want any yes-men around me. I want everybody to tell me the truth, even if it costs them their jobs.
-Sam Goldwyn

Television is a medium because it is neither rare nor well done.
-Ernie Kovacs

When I bore people at a party, they think it is their fault.
-Henry Kissinger

"DAILY JEWISH WISDOM" is found @ Beliefnet.com

JEWISH WISDOM:

Fear builds walls to bar the light.  - Baal Shem Tov

 

Engage in Torah and charity even with an ulterior motive, for that habit of right doing will lead also to right motivation.  - Talmud: Pesahim, 50b

The sword comes into the world because of justice delayed and because of justice perverted.- Ethics of the Fathers 5:8

Ever since Rabbi Akiba used the Passover seder to plan a revolutionary struggle against the Roman occupiers, the Jews have used the seder to begin concrete work on tikkun (healing and transformation).

- Rabbi Michael Lerner, the Tikkun Magazine Passover supplement 2006

To work out ends of righteousness and love are you called; not merely to enjoy or suffer.

- S.R. Hirsch, "Nineteen Letters," 1836

“Pessimism is a luxury that a Jew can never allow himself.”  Golda Meir

The worship of God, though desirable as an end itself, can somehow never be in the right spirit, unless it impels one to the service of man.  - Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan

Concentrate on three things and you will not fall into the grip of sin. Know from where you came, where you are going, and before Whom you will have to give account and reckoning.- Pirkei Avot 3:1

We cannot learn from general principles: there may be exceptions.  - Johanan, Talmud: Kiddushin

A truly generous man is he that always gives, whether it be much or little, before he is asked.- Orchot Tsadiqim

The best security for old age: respect your children.- Sholem Asch

 A Jew can be Jewish with God, against God, but not without God.- Elie Wiesel

He who promotes his own honor at the expense of his neighbor's has no portion in the world to come.- Judah b. Hanina, Genesis Rabbah

Even if all the world tells you, "You are righteous," consider yourself a sinner.  - Rabbi Simlai

Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive, unless it seeks to overthrow and to ruin the pyramids of callousness, hatred, opportunism and falsehood. The liturgical movement must become a revolutionary movement, seeking to overthrow the forces that continue to destroy the promise, the hope, the vision.- Abraham Joshua Heschel, "On Prayer"

Lose with truth and right rather than gain with falsehood and wrong.- Maimonides, "Tzavaah"

Seek the good in everyone, and reveal it, bring it forth.- Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1811), "Likutey Moharan"

Just as we love ourselves despite the faults we know we have, so should we love our neighbors despite the faults we see in them.- Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov

A man should never impose an overpowering fear upon his household.  - Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 6b

If you add to the truth, you subtract from it.- The Talmud

Love unaccompanied by criticism is not love....Peace unaccompanied by reproof is not peace.- Genesis Rabbah 54:3

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day
The least outlay is not always the greatest gain.
Aesop
(620 BC-560 BC)
Quote of the Day provided by The Free Library

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Recent Events 5774

Spring to July 4th

From Memorial days to giving thanks 
For Harvests, for Good Deeds, for Freedoms –
This season has been one of reflections
On Loved Ones, on ethics, on seed farms. 
With births and rebirths in the wake of deaths
Our Mortality seems ever nearing.
Yet we mix our griefs with more joyous times,
Bright fireworks after Remembrance chimes…
Good food and sweet drink hide us from fearing
The widespread terrors that will steal our breaths.

Dear Family and Friends;
I so did want to be I touch before now.  Yet the opportunities kept being delayed:   Israeli Memorial and Holocaust Days, Shavuot, US Memorial Day, etc. all went on their ways.  So I am most grateful for the slowdown that lets me now put together an update for all you out there whom I care for, yea love.  The upcoming Fourth of July has mixed feelings for me as it is the Yahrzeit of my Grandmother Sonja [anniversary of her death] and the birthday for my son.
The season also has had a lot of Bikur Cholim both with visits for the ill and for the grieving as well as both in person or by distance communications.  I guess we all are getting older with older relatives and older friends.  So the toll of natural aging seems to be well upon us.
On a more cheerful note:  I am looking forward to our annual Civil Air Patrol Wing Conference this weekend.  For a change it will be in Flagstaff where there will be far better weather and air than in Scottsdale!  We continue to be quite active.  Only last week our squadron had a ‘find’ – we located a downed aircraft.
This season also saw Daniel Moses graduating in computer Science and Avi-Esther opening up her own business in London.  The older folk continue aging with the typical symptoms of that generation.  So far they are hanging in there however.
One of the highlights of the season was a Shabbat at the Grand Canyon.  Definitely worthwhile and a reminder of why we do celebrate July 4th.  By the by, I saw a truly majestic golden eagle fly over me while there.  SO of course I look forward to checking out the canyon area again in the future.  Who wants to come and give me an excuse to take them there to do exactly that?
Here’s wishing a wonderful holiday to all-
Blessings, Joys, and Peace,
Rabbi Judi-Adele

LAG B'OMER 5774

Actually, now that I am online, ought to share something awesome with you all:  For Lag B'Omer we decided to have a fireless [high fire risk restrictions area], meatless, bar-b-q [the American foods of choice for Lag].  So we had boca burgers with all the fixings and then games.  We decided to play uno until quite late.  Finally we stopped as two of us had to be up early on Sunday.  Counting up our points we discovered that we all had the same number of points which was...: 18, Chai!  To LIFE!

Canyon Shabbat in May

A spiritually uplifting camping trip over Shabbat at the Grand Canyon perhaps can best be expressed by pictures...



Kabbalat Shabbat is coming as another group holds a sunset wedding.  We watched from a distance until they started to pack it all up.  Then we wandered out to catch the last rays of golden glow...

Shabbat morning we went on out to Shoshone Point.  What a wonderful ambiance for services, for hiking, for lunch, and for Torah study!


The vista was exquisite as you can see...


Would that we could experience this kind of beauty every Shabbat!




Pesach 5774 and Holocaust Remembrance Events 

     Two seders totalling over 30 people with fantastic food and many interesting questions.  However 2 hours seemed a bit long for some of the elderly and/or uninitiated.

     We are very grateful for the hospitality of the local Methodists who allowed us to use their meeting hall and even helped us set up!


     No sooner was Pesach over than we started with the Holocaust Remembrance events. In Prescott it was very educational about the trials and tribulations of the Danish Jews and their eventual saving save for about 400 - according to those who gave feedback [Candy, Matt, Patrick, Betty, Adele, Barbara, Ellie, Jerry, etc.]  However the Flagstaff/ Sedona event was much more moving despite some sound system difficulties.  Singing the Partisan Song and Hatikva plus other musical presentations really hit home...  May all their memories be for blessings and NEVER forgotten! 

 

Purim 5774

To fight Amalek

It seems so long since Chanukah's colored candles brightly burning

With Thanksgivnukah a distant thought, solstice sun fall's ending,

Credit card fraud a churning, joyous trees with sap a flow,

Ground hog day just yearning for early spring and fewer snows

Before Purim's call returning us to reach out once more

To the needy, to the hungry, to re-forest trees and maintain shores-

To build rational schools despite the mounting terror and destructions,

causeless hatreds, honor murders, and revenge killings among the peoples of this world.

Hope

We still have hope we will overcome our murderous inclinations?

Our lust for power, our greed for wealth, our discarding of the dignity of others.

Faith

We must have faith we can overcome our so selfish protestations?

And like Esther in her royal glory,

with the wisdom of Mordechai by her side,

We will resolve as we hear their story

That from doing Mitzvot we surely won't hide!  HAMAN2.GIF        

 

 

 

 

SUKKOT 5774, A Dear Blessing

Oh what a dear blessing it is to see

Such lovely people coming to help me,

Building a Sukkah when I can not

With stitches in my right hand finger.

Now I know the Ushpizim will have a spot

To visit with each congregant and singer!

==============================================

Earlybirds waiting for Sukkot and dinner...

Impromptu Kabbalat Shabbat start to November

It was late Fri. afternoon when Rabbi was visitting with Rachel at Susan and Alan's home.  What with Susan being home bound, it was lovely to sit on the porch enjoying the lovely weather and chatting.  As the hour got later, it just seemed right to do an impromptu Kabbalat Shabbat and start the Sabbath off with a joyous rhythm.  We were very lucky that Rabbi had a Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service booklet in the car!  Everyone was home in time for candle lighting and a mellow start to Shabbat.

Chol HaMoed at the Grand Canyon

On the train:

A couple of us even had a chance to be recorded singing the Mi Shebeirach Healing prayer against the canyon backdrop!

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B66f-BTWuevkbm9zY2g2dVluNFU/edit?usp=drive_web

The above link is to the original posting as an AVI and can be downloaded from the google site for those interested.

 Some comments about the trip:

very nice and it made the paper too!  John L.

I really enjoyed the singing of the healing prayer.  Lena

Looks like you visited the Canyon just in the nick of time!  Mona

Thank you.  It was special to listen to the healing prayers blessing.  I also enjoy the website sidebar, especially the jokes.  - and the Courier article on Sukkot explaining helpful stuff I had never heard before!  Allie

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