Letters from Shilo

We're Moving!

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 05:27:23 PDT

To all my faithful followers (all 17 of you :-); For a number of reasons I'm combining all my various personal blogs into one online corner I've named "The View from my Window". I can promise you that you will only benefit from the ability to see the various different aspects of my personality/life style. In about a month...

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Your Next Career

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:11:25 PDT

It was during the cold hard winter of 1992/3, the winter Canada experienced it's worse recession since before the Second World War, that I realized sometimes we have to look beyond ourselves – our own personal needs, and reach out to help others. As an IT Professional, specializing in the introduction of the relatively new Personal Computer...

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The Perspective of Time

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:42:52 PST

A quote for today's world: The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise — with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.Abraham Lincoln, Annual Message to Congress,...

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Another Annual Writing Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:02:48 PDT

Okay, I admit it! I can't resist! Does that mean I'm a closet S&M? Again I've signed up to participate in the National Novel Writing Month "event" (from lack of a better designation). I'm busy thinking of possible plots and ideas they could contain, not that it matters, once I sit down my characters will invariably hijack the entire...

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Israel's Real Heroes

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:02:04 PDT

No matter how long the quiet calmness lasts, it takes one simple phone call to turn your world inside out, to cause your already over worked heart to work double time. "Where are the kids?" my wife of thirty-four years asks with a calm intensity over my cell phone. One-by-one we confirm the location of each of our kids, then agree to call the two...

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Sweeping the Streets

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:32:00 PDT

I have this 'thing' about the collection of wind-blown garbage that collects in the streets of the otherwise beautiful community I live in. What especially bothers me is the filth and apparent lack of care around the community's principle bus stop - the 'trampiada' where most of the inhabitants wait for their buses or a free ride from other...

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My KTB List

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:32:41 PDT

I haven’t seen the movie yet; my kids told me they recently saw a movie with this name; but I’ve been thinking about it for some time. I may or may not live a long time, and I’m not too certain how I feel about the idea, but as my body ages it has become apparent that my capacity to climb mountains or trek across desserts is gradually (or...

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The Fourth Chute at Sunset

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:47:05 PST

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } The Fourth Chute at Sunset, originally uploaded by ssphillips. The past few weeks I've been taking a long (virtual) trip to the land of nostalgia, visiting places I where I...

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Where Have I Disappeared?

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:33:20 PDT

It seems like forever since I last posted to “Letters from Shilo”. Life is full! Life is busy! Juggling everything is a real day-to-day challenge. It doesn’t help that I work from 9:00 AM till 4:00 PM EST … but I live in Israel! No complaints, just realities. There must be something wrong with the calendar. It seems like we no sooner finish...

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NaNoWriMo Winner

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:34:06 PDT

I've got to admit, it was one of the craziest ideas I've been involved with in a long time. My one comfort is that I was not insane alone. At least 70,000 other people signed up to participate, of them, like myself, approximately 2,400 reached the finish line. The Jerusalem Marathon? The Cross-the-Kinneret Swimathon? Nope. What I did was make...

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Chapter 11 of The Legacy

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:34:27 PDT

The men trooped down the crushed gravel lane, lazily returning from the Friday evening prayers, the service Sally enjoyed best, the 'Receiving of the Shabbat'. She was sorry she hadn't gone with them to the synagogue, but felt the pull of the womanly companionship and so had remain with Shifra and Deboarh, and the many kids that seemingly came...

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"Here I go Again" or "If At First You Don't Succeed ..."

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:34:50 PDT

The Legacy You''ll never believe what I''m about to try and do yet again! "Here We Go Again" or "If At First You Don''t Succeed ..." Enjoy! -- Yoel Ben-avraham

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Cosmic Experiences

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:22:04 PDT

This past Shabbat, the first day of Sukkot, was a milestone in the annals of the Ben-Avraham family. For the first time ever in the history of the cosmos, all current members of the Ben-Avraham family, including my son’s bride and daughter’s husband all sat together around one table. My emotions while saying the “Shechiyanu*” blessing over the...

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2996 : James Donald Munhall

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 18:50:00 PDT

What is in a name? In Latrun, half way between Tel Aviv & Jerusalem is the Armour Corp's memorial for all those who died while serving in its ranks. As someone who served in the Armour Corp, and survived to tell the tale, each time I visit I am drawn toward a block long wall of names of the fallen. I can't avoid being overcome with sorrow at all...

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Reasons People Convert to Judaism

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:04:33 PDT

He [convert interviewed by author] does, however, concede this: “I believe that whoever is willing to take this step [conversion] must have a very deep identity crisis preceding the conversion itself. He’s not able to return to the identity that he was born into. I understood that I was not happy in the place where I was born, and I made a...

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We Won't Forgive Nor Forget

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:43:54 PDT

If you want to understand why the future of the Jewish People who live in the Land of Israel is not dependent upon the weakness nor the moral bankruptcy of the leadership of the State of Israel, watch this! My daughter Rina was one of thousands of young women who participated in this experience. These were the young women who after participating...

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The Veiling

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 19:18:52 PDT

In traditional Jewish weddings the groom covers his brides face before they meet under the Chuppah. At the first Jewish wedding in the history of the village of Kasol, Matan Sharon covers the face of his bride Shira Ben-Avraham as they prepare to enter into the convenant of marriage according to the laws and customs of the Jewish People.

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Preparations for the Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 15:57:04 PDT

Preparations for the first Jewish wedding in the history of the village of Kasol, Impachel Pradesh, India in the courtyard of the Chabad House.

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Wedding in the Himalayas

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 17:48:23 PDT

An updated collection of photographs of Matan & Shira's wedding located at Flickr.com Just click on any of the photographs to open an individual photograph, refresh the browser screen to see a random selection of other photographs or open the Set from this link! #flickr_badge_source_txt {padding:0; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif;...

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Life Between Calls

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 16:19:53 PDT

First of all, thank you all of you for your kind words and sincere desire to be supportive etc. Your prayers for my son, all his fellow soldiers and every IDF soldier placing their lives on the line to defend our right to life is always appreciated. Several of you have asked how "we" are managing. How does a parent deal with the constant...

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They Are All My Sons ...

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 08:58:13 PDT

The guerrilla movement said it killed three Israeli soldiers and inflicted some 20 casualties there, Arabic al Arabiya television reported. Israel has not commented on the reports. BBC News August 1st, 2006 As I sit once again at my kitchen table, looking out over my beloved Shilo Valley, my wife is wandering around India trying to find the least...

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The Unreal Reality of Israel

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 07:33:38 PDT

Eruv Shabbat, Parshat Chazon What a strange strange reality. Here I sit on my front patio under the shadding leaves of our grape vines looking out over the ancient Shilo Valley. Those of my family who are here at home are busy inside preparing Shabbat, cleaning, cooking and (hopefully) preparing some Torah insight to share at the...

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An Indian Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 22:00:31 PDT

The Ben-Avraham and Sharon families are pleased to announce the engagement of Matan and Shira. The couple will be wed at the guest house they manage in Kasol, Himachal Pradesh, India on T'u B'Av 5766. Friends & family are coordially invited. Affordable accomodations are available at the Resham Guest House.

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Mikudeshet, Mikudeshet!

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 11:56:04 PDT

In traditional Jewish marriage ceremonies, as the bride & groom stand under the Chupah (symbolic of the bride leaving her parent's home and entering her groom's domain), there are essentially two stages. The first stage is the "Kidushim" - the sanctification in which the groom sets the bride "aside" from all other women in the world (with her...

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Sephardic Hina Ceremony

noreply@blogger.com (Yoel Ben-Avraham) — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 06:37:12 PDT

When asked to comment on the occassion last night, I felt it only proper to explain that I was a little confused. I thought I was going to attend a celebration in Netanya but I must have erred on the way. By all looks and appearances I had ended up in Tripoli (Lybia). The bride's family originates from Tripoli and are fiercely proud of their...

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