Just a Little Justice

June 20, 2020 / IlanaB / 2 Comments

Justice, Justice shall you pursue . . .
. . .צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף
Deuteronomy 16:20

This verse from the Bible is translated many different ways, but I think this one is the most literal. Some translate it as “Righteousness, righteousness, shall you follow . . .” and some go with “Equity, equity, you are to pursue . . .” (I’m not a fan of this one).

Following my last post about Hebrew roots and given everything that is going on the world right now, I’m moved to write about the root צדק – tzedek.

Tzedek is generally understood as justice. From this root, we also have tzedakah meaning charity. A righteous person is called a tzadik.

You might notice that none of these three is strictly tied to the law. But they all relate to doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.

How do we know what is right?

Most religions and philosophies have some version of the most basic principle.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Or the opposite: “What is hateful to you, do not do to others.”

Another version is: “What you wish upon others, you wish upon yourself.”

Whether it’s about wearing a mask to protect others from coronavirus or acknowledging that we have inequality in society or acting against police brutality, we can all take a moment to consider the effect of our actions on others.

An interesting addition to the discussion of the root tzedek is that when you make it reflexive (the action of the verb is done to the speaker), it means “to apologize.” Merriam-Webster notes that to apologize more often means to excuse or defend, not acknowledge a fault. And here we clearly see a link to justifying one’s actions through the root tzedek.

I guess the real question we need to ask ourselves is: when we look inward, can we justify our actions to ourselves and others by showing that we are doing the right thing? Are we pursuing justice and righteousness?

Ears of Philosophy

June 6, 2020 / IlanaB / Leave a comment

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Hebrew as a language is organized around roots. Many words can be built on a single root and often the words seem to be philosophically connected.

There is a Torah Portion called Ha’azinu. It’s usually translated as “Give ear” or “Listen.” Listening is more involved than simply hearing. You may hear* something, but are you really listening?

The Hebrew word for ear is: אוזן (ozen).

The verb from that root is להאזין (l’ha’azin). It’s more common today to use להקשיב (l’hakshiv) to say to listen, but l’hakshiv includes a nuance of pay attention and obey.

The Hebrew word for scales is מאזניים (moznayim). Specifically scales like in the sign for Libra, balancing scales.

The Hebrew word for balance (like on the above-mentioned scales) is מאוזן (me’uzan).

Long before science told us that the intricate inner ear contains the mechanism to regulate balance in human beings, ears were somehow connected to balancing.

The world is totally unbalanced right now, and it has a lot to do with an inability to listen. Everyone is stuck in their algorithm-curated social media echo chambers.

If we want to move our world to a better place and find balance, we need to give ear; we need to listen.

Listen: to hear something with thoughtful attention: give consideration.
“Listen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary.

It’s hard to listen to something or someone you don’t agree with. It’s hard to listen to stories and incidents that make you uncomfortable. The bigger the divisions, the harder it’s going to be.

And we’ll conclude with the Greeks.

We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.
Epictetus

*I don’t know if hear in English is in any way related to ear. But if it is, does it mean that in English ears are only for hearing, but not truly listening?

Third time, ice cream!

February 29, 2020 / IlanaB / 1 Comment

“Pa’am shlisheet, glida!” (!פעם שלישית, גלידה) – (old-fashioned) Israeli slang; used upon meeting someone you rarely see twice in one day. You say, “pa’am shlishit, glida,” which means if you run into each other again, you’ll sit down for an ice cream. (Although, even if you meet the third time, no one actually buys ice cream.)

Israel’s multiparty system – Is there a flavor for you? (Image by Annalise Batista from Pixabay)

In honor of Israel’s third elections in one year, the Jerusalem municipality announced that people who spend at least 20 NIS at certain retailers on election day can bring the receipt to a range of ice cream parlors and get free ice cream.

Ben & Jerry‘s got in on the game and is launching a new ice cream flavor in honor of the elections. In English, it’s called “One Sweet Vote” and in Hebrew, it’s a pun, “Yesh Ta’am Lehatzbiah” (יש טעם להצביה) or “There’s a reason/flavor to vote.”

You may ask yourself, “what on earth does ice cream have to do with anything?” And maybe even, “if I’m lactose intolerant, will they substitute some of that nice passionfruit sorbet?”

Israelis have some hilarious theories about where “third time, ice cream” came from. One pervasive theory is it’s from the British Mandate period when English speakers would say something like “if I see you again, I’ll scream.” I’ll scream = ice cream. Get it? No English speakers buy that theory at all.

Another common one is that it comes from the German. “Next time we meet, we’ll have a beer.” Possible. But there’s no three and there’s no ice cream.

In my personal experience, I found it used by men who think they are being suave. I’ll see them more than once in a short span of time, and they say, “Pa’am shlishit, glida?” like they’re asking for a date. Uh. No. Stalker. *giant eyeroll*

The explanation I found in a deep crevice in the internet was biblical. When the Israelites left Egypt, they need help from God to survive. At their first stop, God provided water. At the second stop, God provided water and dates. At the third stop, God gave them manna. Manna is described as “thin as frost.” When the Bible was translated into Aramaic, frost was translated as – wait for it – glida!

It remains to be seen if the third time is a charm for the Israeli elections. Based on this, we could look forward to ice cream or screaming or beer or rescue by God. Maybe all of the above.

Or – more likely – it may play out like two friends meeting for the third time: nice words, but nobody buys the ice cream.

Ah-Choo!

February 22, 2020 / IlanaB / Leave a comment

In Hebrew, the word for the sound of a sneeze is “ap-chee” (אפצ’י).

This week the almond tree in my back yard bloomed, practically overnight. It’s a sight to behold! And even though I just passed my 18th aliyah-versary, I was reminded that in some ways I’m always going to be American. Those beautiful white blossoms make me “ah-choo” not “ap-chee.”

A Cultural Interlude – Happy New Year!

September 8, 2018September 8, 2018 / IlanaB / 1 Comment

It’s the New Year and I need a new day planner!

Sounds weird in September, but the Jewish New Year comes in autumn. It’s early this year, which is why it snuck up on me and I suddenly had to get a new day planner.

The shelves were pretty empty so I feel quite lucky that I managed to find this snazzy one.

Notice anything odd?

How about now?

No filters. No flipping. Everything indeed goes from right to left.

Hebrew is written from right to left, so office supplies cater to the right to left flow of language.

NOTE TO LEFT-HANDED PEOPLE: Come to Israel for your office supply needs! I have known left-handed Americans who stock up on notebooks when visiting Israel because it’s just so comfortable for them.

One feature of an Israeli calendar is that candle-lighting times are noted every week (20 minutes before sunset usually) and the Torah portion of the week is noted.

The first line in bold is the Torah portion: Nitzavim. (The Torah – or the Five Books – is divided into weekly portions that are named after the first word of the reading.)

You can see on the second line Friday night candle lighting times for Jerusalem (18:21, yes that’s a 24-hour clock), then Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beersheva.

The second line is when Shabbat ends. That’s about a half an hour after sunset. Then you can get back to your regularly scheduled activities.

A LITTLE HEBREW LESSON: The days of the week are not named, they’re numbered.

Sunday = Yom Rishon (First Day) | Monday = Yom Sheni (Second Day) | etc.

But Saturday is Shabbat or the Sabbath.

A LITTLE CULTURAL LESSON: A “day” starts in the evening because when God created the world, it was evening and then it was morning, the first day …

You might also note that holidays are colored blue in this calendar. Notice anything in this picture?

January 1. Not a holiday. That’s what it means to have Jewish rhythms of life.

This week we are starting a month of holidays to start the new Jewish year 5779. More on this in future posts.

Let me take this opportunity to say Thank You to everyone who reads this blog!

Wishing you all a Shana Tova u’Metuka!

A year of much happiness, good health,

and great success!

(Did you think we’d get away from the Chinese theme? Not likely! A short video for the New Year about not giving up. May you all be inspired this year!)

Stop the Violins, Visualize Whirled Peas

March 24, 2017 / IlanaB / 1 Comment

I always liked that bumper sticker. It sounds right, but the definitions don’t fit – and sometimes that is exactly what the problem is.

So let’s talk about peace.

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary has a lot of definitions for peace including: a state of tranquility or quiet, harmony in personal relations, a state or period of mutual concord between governments, an agreement to end a war. I think when English-speakers contemplate peace, they tend to think that all is well with the world and it is good.

Semitic languages work on a 3-or-4-letter root system. When new immigrants learn Hebrew in Israel, we’re taught that words with the same roots may not exactly have the same meaning, but once we know the root we can figure out the meaning based on context.

Pages from the Hebrew book of roots.

In Hebrew, peace is shalom based on the root Shin-Lamed-Mem (שלם). Other words with שלם include: l’shalem to pay a bill, mushlam complete or perfect, hishtalmut advanced training, shalem whole.

So here’s a philosophical question: Does the English definition of peace match any of the definitions in the family of meanings for Shin-Lamed-Mem?

Let me add another quote. Israel has often been criticized for the “cold peace” with Egypt. The common wisdom in Israel is “better a cold peace than a hot war.”

Harmony, tranquility, and agreement don’t pay bills, complete anything, or provide advanced training. However, if you see peace as a state of balance, then it all fits together. Balance doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone is happily floating around on clouds playing harps, but it does mean that what you put in, you will get in return. Everyone is at the same level.

And what about that advanced training? When you learn more, you become more whole as a person.

To continue the philosophical conversation, let’s turn to Arabic, another Semitic language. I should say at the outset that in several places I read that words with the same Arabic root are not meant to be understood as being part of the same family of meanings. Also, being a Semitic language doesn’t mean that all words with similar roots have similar meanings. However, I’m not a linguist; I’m just positing a few ideas about language in a philosophical way.

Peace in Arabic is salaam, with an S-L-M root. Other words with a similar root include:

Source: https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Islam

The article is careful to note that Islam – while appearing with the same root – is not to be equated with peace, but rather submission (to Allah). But as I said above, this is a philosophical musing.

In the family of words with the S-L-M root, many of them relate to submission and surrender. Merriam-Webster tells us that submission can be an act of humility and surrender can be to giving yourself over to the power of another. Tanning leather could fit because the animal skin needs to be shaped into the form chosen by the tanner. The other meaning is to be saved from danger. And if you look from the point of view of the snake, it is saving itself from danger by attacking.

Now let’s bring our English speakers, Hebrew speakers, and Arabic speakers into the same room and talk about peace, shalom, and salaam. Or perhaps we should try to be more accurate: the English speakers are talking about harmony and agreement, the Hebrew speakers are talking about balance and equality, and the Arabic speakers are talking about submission and safety.

It’s really no wonder that all the talking and not understanding results in more violins and less whirled peas.

Aharei ha’chagim / After the holidays

September 2, 2016September 3, 2016 / IlanaB / 2 Comments

Parents all over Israel breathed a collective sigh of relief as they sent their kids to school on Thursday, September 1.

Another phenomenon that began on approximately the same day was the throwing around of the phrase “aharei ha’chagim” (after the holidays). The “holidays,” starting this year on October 2, are: Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year; Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement; and Sukkot, an 8-day festival that includes building temporary shelters outside. Jewish holidays are national holidays so in this 3-week period there are a lot of days off, children are home from school, and it’s hard to get anything done.

One of the rhythms of life in Israel is for people to put off new projects until after the holidays, but this national procrastination often starts about a month before the holidays actually begin. This can sometimes delay projects for up to two months! The holidays are usually in September, so after the slow-down of August, people are busy trying to catch up at work. They don’t want to start anything new. So it’s a pretty common conversation among workers to discuss some new project in September and the agreed-upon start date is “aharei ha’chagim.”

The only comparable scenario that I can think of in the US is if you have an idea for something new on December 20, it’s pretty easy to say that you’ll discuss it after the first of the year because you have to get through Christmas and New Year’s. It’s a slight exaggeration, but imagine the slow-down if any project you pitched in November was delayed until after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.

Aharei ha’chagim can also be used sarcastically at other times of the year. If someone is constantly delaying a project, it would be perfectly appropriate to ask, “Oh, and when will you be getting started on that? Aharei ha’chagim?” I imagine that it could be used by a parent to their teenager, “When did you plan to clean your room? Aharei ha’chagim?”

Aharei ha’chagim is most often used around the holidays in September, but it is also used before the Passover holiday in the spring. Passover is 8 days long and about 2 weeks before people might start delaying projects to aharei ha’chagim.

Stepping back to look at the big picture, I see aharei ha’chagim as part of the intensity of life in Israel, not a lazy delaying tactic. In Israel, you work hard during the week and during the year and then rest completely and unplug from the world during Shabbat and holidays. You finish everything you have on your list before the holidays, rest and rejuvenate during the holidays, and then give 100% effort to something new aharei ha’chagim.

Springtime Stroll in Jerusalem

April 1, 2016 / IlanaB / Leave a comment

While a lot of really depressing things have happened this week, this Friday post comes to you on April Fools’ Day. So rather than try to make sense of that paradox, here’s a photo essay of a springtime walk in Jerusalem.

This week as I walked to various appointments I noticed that there was a wonderful aroma in the air and so many flowers were blooming everywhere I looked. I didn’t take pictures at the time, so this afternoon I retraced my steps and captured some of the beauty of Jerusalem.

Community garden on Zamenhof Street, tended by volunteers from the neighborhood.

Zamenhof Street and Lincoln Street. Funny fact: The pronunciation of Lincoln in Hebrew doesn’t resemble the English very much. All the letters are pronounced with an extra vowel between the last l and n – Lin-co-lin.

Outside the Orthodox Union building. They take care to bring lots of glorious color to the street.

Near Jabotinksy Street. As I took the photos of the window box and the orange blossoms, a group of monks in brown robes tied with rope belts walked by speaking Italian. Just a typical day in Jerusalem.

Gan HaShoshanim. I was nearby, so I decided to take a detour and I’m glad I did. Another interesting fact: Gan HaShoshanim means rose garden, but there are no roses growing in this park.

Arlozorov Street. Wisteria, lilacs, and many other beautiful things.

And finishing my walk with a passion fruit ice cream. I can happily confirm that it was GOOD!

I hope you enjoyed this little springtime stroll. There’s so much more to Jerusalem than the typical Old City views and while there may not have been actual roses to stop and smell, there is plenty of beauty to stop and admire.

Happy Spring!

Purim in Israel

March 25, 2016 / IlanaB / 1 Comment

Today and yesterday were Purim in Israel. The story of the holiday can be found in the Book of Esther. A young Jewess wins a beauty contest to become queen and is uniquely poised to save the Jews of Persia from the very powerful Haman whose mission is to exterminate the Jews.

The story of Esther might not be your first thought if you are here in Israel on Purim. Purim is celebrated as a cross between Halloween and April Fools’ Day. Top items on the to-do list: Drink A LOT and party like it’s 1999. Give baskets of sweets to neighbors and friends (the opposite of trick-or-treat). Pull pranks and laugh a lot.

You could liken this version of Purim with secular Easter celebrations. Why does a bunny bring eggs in a basket? Why does he hide them? Why is the Easter Bunny a he? What does a bunny have to do with Jesus rising from the dead? Moreover, why is it that in France, Easter bells deliver eggs from Rome? Well, I digress.

There are 4 things that you are actually supposed to do on Purim.

Listen to the Book of Esther (in Hebrew, it’s Megillat Esther – you have to listen to the whole megillah)
Have a festive meal where you drink a lot
- This is where the sages suggested that you drink until you don’t know the difference between Mordechai and Haman
Send gifts of food (in Hebrew, Mishloach Manot) to friends
Give to the poor

You’ll note that dressing up is not mentioned and neither are pranks and jokes.

Purim is not one of those holidays where offices are closed, but workers are given the option of taking one of the two days off. One of two days, you ask? Purim in non-walled cities is on the 14^th of Adar and Purim in walled cities is on the 15^th of Adar (don’t ask, it’s complicated). Jerusalem is considered a walled city, so we celebrate on the 15^th, but since people have families outside of Jerusalem, some of them celebrate on the 14^th. Nowadays, the celebrating goes on for 2 days because it’s less confusing and a lot more fun.

This guy’s video went viral in Israel for his awesome flight through Tel Aviv.

Back in the day, people used to dress up as characters from the Book of Esther. No longer. You’ll see superheroes; characters from literature, movies and TV; fantastical characters; clever visual puns; or at a minimum, people wearing funny hats or wigs. If ever I dress up, I just plop on a tiara and call it done. I read one article that traced the dressing up to Italian Jews following the traditions of Mardi Gras. But the retroactively spiritual version, which I like, is that everything is hidden in the Book of Esther. She wears the mask of a non-Jew to win the beauty contest. God is not mentioned in the story, but the story is propelled forward by several coincidences that might be considered the invisible hand of God.

If you try to ask for hamantaschen in Israel, people will look at you funny. The triangular, filled sugar cookie traditionally eaten for Purim is called oznei haman in Israel. You might notice that Haman is mentioned in both cookie names, but strangely enough taschen and oznei are not the same. Hamantaschen is the German for Haman’s pockets. Oznei haman are Haman’s ears. And then there is the common story that the cookie represents Haman’s hat. But still, why are we eating anything related to Haman at all? He’s a villain! There’s no good answer for that, but the cookies are yummy nonetheless.

There’s a joke about Jewish holidays that goes like this: Jewish holidays can be summarized as “They tried to kill us. They failed. Let’s eat.” Purim is a great example. But it is also a reflection of day to day life in Israel and we don’t need any holidays to remember that. So Happy Purim! Let’s eat!

Death is a door

March 2, 2016March 11, 2016 / IlanaB / 2 Comments

Nobody likes to talk about death. There are so many euphemisms for death just so that we don’t have to say it. Transitional: passed away, passed on, crossed over, went to the great beyond, no longer with us. Scientific: expired (like milk?), deceased. Fated: taken, number came up. Weird: kicked the bucket, bought the farm. Yesterday, my dad cashed in his chips.

It might be a little scary to think of Death coming as a Grim Reaper to gather your soul. So scary that maybe immortality is better (and so say many, many TV shows and movies, especially vampire ones).

In the Tarot deck, Death seems like it would be the scariest card. It’s Death! But it is actually the one with the most potential. Death means change. One thing passes on to make room for another. The loss is sad, but there needs to be room for something new to come into your life.

The truth is that while I like all the euphemisms – mostly because I like to play with language – I don’t think that death has to be feared. It will happen to all of us.

Here in Israel, there are also many euphemisms for death. Niftar comes from the root meaning “to be released.” Halach l’olamo means “went to his world,” which, all things considered, sounds very pleasant. There is talk of an olam ha’bah, “the next world.”

When my grandmother “went to her world” I was 8 years old and didn’t quite understand why she left her cane. Hysterical, I shrieked, “How is she going to walk around without it?!?!” Dad told me that where she was she didn’t need it anymore. She was young and healthy and having a picnic in the shade of a tree with Grampa Brown, who was also healthy and young. The tree was by a small stream. It was a sunny, warm, pleasant day and they were happy.

In order to get to this other world, you have to go through a door. That door is death. We don’t really know what is on the other side of the door. We are asked to have faith that when our souls leave the body they’ve inhabited on this earth, our pure souls, the sparks of light that we are, will go on to something else, something better, something our material minds cannot even begin to comprehend.

Of the things you say to a mourner, my favorite is yehi zichro baruch, sometimes said as zichrono livracha, which means “may his memory be a blessing.” To me it means that every time you remember the dearly departed, there is a blessing that comes with it. I like less baruch dayan ha’emet, which means “blessed is the true judge.” That more or less suggests that God works in mysterious ways and we praise God even in sorrow.

Dad wasn’t an Eric Clapton fan, but “Tears in Heaven” seems appropriate.

Beyond the door
There’s peace I’m sure
And I know there’ll be no more
Tears in Heaven.

Dad, your memory is a blessing to me and all who knew you. Holding on to those memories keeps you close to my heart. You’ve gone through the door and I hope whatever is over there is exactly as you described it. You have been released from this world and the pain of illness, and I’d like to imagine you are with your mom and dad having a great picnic. When the time comes (far in the future), please be there to greet me and show me around.

Me and my dad, zichrono livracha

The Write Place (for me)

All the writings, all right here

Hebrew lesson