Our Shiputzim: A Work In Progress

Minchah PSA

2012-01-25T15:47:00.001+02:00

Reason #7112 for making aliyah:

Starting today (Rosh Chodesh Shvat 5772), there will be a daily minyan for Minchah – 15 minutes before sh’kiyah (sunset) - at every gas station along Kvish 6 (the Trans-Israel Highway).

For more information about this great initiative, do a search for “תפילה בשש” on Facebook.

!חודש טוב ומבורך

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P.S. Speaking of Facebook, don’t forget to “Like” the Our Shiputzim FB page, in order to receive Our Shiputzim updates.

Heblish: The Accent

2012-01-23T22:48:00.001+02:00

It’s one of the biggest controversies to rock the close-knit Heblish academic community.

Namely: Is there such a thing as a Heblish accent?

Indeed, every Heblish journal of record has published countless articles on this topic, and at every Heblish scholarly conference, numerous lecturers have weighed in on the subject.

(What? Try and name ONE Heblish journal that has NOT delved into the topic… :-))

Why is this even an issue?

Well, to paraphrase Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally, it’s just that all Anglo parents are sure their Israeli offspring have flawless American accents, and most American grandparents, at one time or another, have complained that their Israeli grandchildren frequently lapse into unintelligible Heblish.

So you do the math…

Please note that I’m not talking about kids who speak English with thick Israeli accents. You know, the type who can’t help but roll their R’s and say “dis” or “zis” instead of “this”.

Rather, I’m referring to a certain subtle inflection which indicates that although a person speaks English fluently, s/he has Anglo parents and was raised in Israel.

My personal feeling is that not only does this telltale inflection exist, but – despite their Anglo parents’ protestations to the contrary – no Heblish speaker is immune.

Except for the Shiputzim kids, of course. Because did I mention that they all boast flawless American accents?

What’s your take on this extremely pressing and important issue?

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P.S. The latest Haveil Havalim is available here. Special thanks to Risa for including my Top 10 Signs That Your Klitah Is Complete post.

How to tell if you’ve finally become an Israeli

2012-01-17T17:30:00.001+02:00

The Our Shiputzim Editorial Board proudly presents:

The Top 10 Ways You Know Your Klitah* Is Complete

(10) Your American relatives mention that their kids’ school has a strictly-enforced “no-nit policy,” and you assume they must be joking.

(9) Your husband has been to at least one wedding without a jacket or tie, and you had no problem with his attire.

(8) You know what everything on the school supplies list means.

(7) You casually call your children’s teachers at home, and you don’t feel guilty about it.

(6) When one of the aforementioned teachers announces to the class, on the first day of school, that she prefers “10-shurot notebooks” - even though the list said “14-shurot notebooks” (see item #8) - you don’t panic or immediately run out to the store. Instead, you politely ask (see item #7) if you can keep the 14-shurot “because of the expense of replacing them.” And when the teacher answers your question with a question and inquires if you think your child can handle the 14-shurot, you blithely reply in the affirmative – even if you haven’t the slightest idea if this is actually true…

(5) You can barely remember the days when you used to talk about things like “shalosheudes” and “yontif”.

(4) Not only do your kids speak fluent Heblish, but so do you…

(3) You see stunning photos of gorgeous autumn foliage and pristine snow-covered lawns, and all you can think about is how grateful you are that you no longer have to worry about raking leaves or shoveling your driveway.

(2) During winter trips abroad (i.e. to chutz laAretz or chu”l, for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you), you wonder why all the homes you visit are ridiculously and uncomfortably overheated.

(1) You have discovered that when all else fails in sticky social situations – you know, the kind your Israeli offspring refer to as MAH zeh fadichah! – there is absolutely no statute of limitations on skillfully playing the powerful New Oleh Card…

What would you add to this list?

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*Klitah (קליטה) – Literally, “absorption.” Refers to the process of adjusting, adapting and acclimating to Israeli society.

Moshe: Take 2

2012-01-16T18:25:00.001+02:00

Last year, in honor of Parshat Shmot, I posted Shimi Tavori’s classic song “Moshe” - winner of the Mizrachi Song Festival and an old family favorite.

But apparently, since then, YouTube removed the song, and so by special request from TSG, here’s another version of the same song from the same song festival:

Although the picture is definitely grainier than last year’s version, the advantage of this one is that it has the Hebrew lyrics.

And I still stand by what I wrote last year:

“…[T]his video cracks me up.

“After all, the sight of girls shimmying [Ed. note: No pun intended… :-)] incongruously to a song about the Burning Bush, Matan Torah, and other highlights of Moshe Rabbeinu’s life is very, very funny…”

Fauna Friday: Frog Edition

2012-01-12T20:12:00.001+02:00

In general, I try to hold on to the few remaining shreds of my semi-anonymous status.

But nevertheless, every so often, I’ve willingly divulged a number of personal details.

For instance, I readily admit that back in high school, I was NOT voted, “Most likely to blog about various reptiles and amphibians…”

Which is very ironic, of course, considering the fact that there are few (if any) J-bloggers who’ve written more posts about said creatures than I have.

After all, four – yes, four!!! – lizards (namely, a chameleon, an agama, a skink, and a gecko), a tortoise, and even a toad have all slunk/crawled/crept their way on to this blog.

And as if that’s not enough, they’re about to be joined by yet another amphibian friend.

Which one, you ask? Here’s a hint… :-)

In honor of Sefer Shmot (which we’ll IY”H begin reading this coming Shabbat), here are some shots of the frog (i.e. צפרדע – tzfarde’a, for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you) which decided to, er, hop over for a brief visit during our recent Chanukah weekend in Avnei Eitan.

Note that when I say “decided,” I obviously mean that it was gently encouraged to come in out of the rain by several members of the extended Shiputzim family. (No, not me…).

As always, feel free to click on the pictures for a closer view. (Although I can’t imagine why you’d want to…)

I assume I don’t need to tell you that it isn’t my hand in the second picture?

!שבת שלום ומבורך

Around the J-Blogosphere

2012-01-09T15:23:00.001+02:00

Several items of note from around the J-Blogosphere:

1) Both Ruti and Treppenwitz have fair, balanced, and levelheaded takes on the issue of religious soldiers being forced to listen to women singing in the IDF.

2) Jameel shares a fascinating historical find. Scholars believe that once it’s authenticated, the find will likely rival the Cairo Geniza in terms of its significance.

3) The latest Haveil Havalim is available here. Special thanks to Batya for including my bar mitzvah menu post.

4) Leora reports that her town (or, rather, her borough) has a new mayor.

5) Mimi cooks up the perfect winter soup.

6) Laura presents three mouthwatering pastry dough recipes: one, two, and three.

And finally – achronah achronah chavivah:

7) Ilana-Davita lists a number of excellent tips for learning a new language.

In theory, these suggestions apply to any language. But, IMHO, there’s one exception, which is bad news for Anglos.

Because if you want to learn Heblish, you have only two options: Either consult your Israeli offspring or keep reading the Our Shiputzim blog…

As the fast ebbs away

2012-01-05T16:54:00.001+02:00

It’s a fast day today (there’s about twenty minutes left to go, but who’s counting…), and you know what that means.

That’s right! It means that it’s time for a food-related post – especially since I just realized that I never got around to posting the menu from the bar mitzvah.

Here, then, is the Friday night menu:

Appetizer: Sweet and sour meatballs; couscous.
Main course: Brisket; schnitzel; potato kugel; mushroom rice; lettuce salad; health salad; corn salad.
Dessert: Assorted cookies, bars, and squares; taiglach*; tea and coffee.

Not really coincidentally, many of the aforementioned baked goods have appeared on the blog, such as:

Black and white cookies and cinnamon swirl cookies

Chocolate swirl blondies (and also Torah-shaped cookies and more black and white cookies)

But there were plenty of new recipes as well. For instance:

Two tone brownies (and also chocolate chip cookies)

Two Tone Brownies

Adapted from a recipe my mother copied from a magazine (?) many years ago

Ingredients

2/3 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
6 TBSP cocoa
4 tsp canola oil (for the chocolate layer)

Directions

Beat 2/3 cup of oil and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla and flour. Mix batter, and pour half in a baking-paper-lined 9x13 pan.

Add cocoa and 4 teaspoons of oil to the remaining batter, and mix through. Pour chocolate batter over the white batter in the pan. If you like, you can use a knife to create a marble pattern.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until done.

!בתאבון

Have an easy and meaningful fast!

_________

*B”N, I plan on writing a post about taiglach – as soon as I get the recipe… </not so subtle hint :-) >

Mazal tov: States edition

2012-01-02T23:20:00.001+02:00

The entire editorial board and writing staff extend a very special mazal tov to our military advisor and wind turbine expert, Be All You Can Be, who recently visited his 47th US state and thus now holds the official Our Shiputzim record for Greatest Number of States Visited!

We also extend our deepest sympathies to ASCAR (=a so-called anonymous reader), whose longtime record of 46 states has just been ignobly shattered…

<brief explanation for the newer readers> The extended Shiputzim family is – to put it mildly – highly competitive. Other examples include how many Facebook friends we have; how many people we bump into ; and our out-of-town credentials…</explanation>

In any event, I should note that sadly, here in TRLEOOB (=the real life equivalent of our blog), none of us are even in the running for the States Competition.

For instance, I have a mere 30 states under my belt. A score which is, at most, respectable.

However, the good news is that at least I’m way ahead of YZG, who clocks in at a measly 21…

How many US states have you visited?

Heading to the Great Indoors

2011-12-29T17:11:00.001+02:00

“Let me guess. When you blog about this place, the post will begin: ‘Admittedly, it wasn’t a national park, but we had a very nice time anyway.’ Yes?” YCT (who’s always been like a brother to me) asked rhetorically.

And, as you can see, he was right…

But I’m getting ahead of myself…

After a beautiful Shabbat Chanukah in Avnei Eitan, the original plan was to spend this past Sunday at Gamla (seeing as how it’s a national park and all…).

But the weekend’s wonderfully wet and windy winter weather (try saying that five times fast…) meant that we had to scramble to find an indoor attraction instead. (Actually, this was the third year in a row that we tried – unsuccessfully – to get to Gamla. Indeed, as far as the extended Shiputzim family is concerned, Gamla has become the Holy Grail of Chanukah trips… :-))

Ice skating in Maalot was one option, but we had all been there two years ago (in lieu of Gamla…), and the family members who were doing the driving were reluctant to brave the dense fogs.

And so, in keeping with the whole Chanukah theme, a visit to a boutique olive oil plant in Katzrin was the answer:

The sign reads: “Beit HaBad Shel HaGolan – Katzrin” (“The Golan Olive Press – Katzrin”)

ACSC (=a certain Shiputzim child) – who, just before Chanukah, went on a school trip to Neot Kedumim and got to see how olive oil was produced during the time of the Second Beit HaMikdash – especially enjoyed learning how the process works today:

The large tanks where the olive oil is stored

After watching the requisite movie (I believe that by law, all tourist attractions must include some sort of audio/visual presentation…) and seeing the machinery, visitors get to taste the different types of olive oil and also sample the various cosmetic products produced from the olives.

Tasting the different types of olive oil

Supposedly, the factory’s basalt structure was modeled after an ancient synagogue.

What are some of your favorite indoor attractions in the North?

Avnei Eitan Redux

2011-12-28T00:50:00.001+02:00

We interrupt your completely unscheduled blog hiatus to bring you the following post.

=====

Seeing as tonight is Zot Chanukah – i.e. the last night of Chanukah – I figured I should first share some Chanukah pictures before posting more about the bar mitzvah.

And so, without further ado, here are some shots from our amazing weekend in Avnei Eitan, a beautiful moshav in the southern Golan Heights.

In case you’re wondering why the name “Avnei Eitan” sounds familiar, it’s because two years ago, we also spent Shabbat Chanukah in Avnei Eitan.

In fact, this year, we even stayed in the exact. same. tzimmer as last time*:

The tzimmer’s exterior

The living room

Lighting the Chanukah candles, as seen from outside

Please feel free to click on the pictures for a closer look, and for more pictures from Avnei Eitan, be sure to check out my original Avnei Eitan post.

=====

And with that, we will [hopefully] NOT be returning you to your completely unscheduled blog hiatus…

_____________

* Actually, it wasn’t really such a coincidence that we returned to the same tzimmer. As it so happens, the owner and I went to elementary school together… </further proof that Israel is a tiny country>

Happy Chanukah!

2011-12-21T00:15:00.001+02:00

I’m not really back to blogging yet, but I wanted to quickly touch base in order to thank you for all the wonderful comments and emails about the bar mitzvah and to wish you a happy Chanukah!

B”H, the bar mitzvah weekend was beautiful; we all had a great time; and <maternal boasting> the bar mitzvah boy did an amazing job BA”H. </boasting>

As soon as things calm down a bit, I’ll B”N try and post a few details about the menu etc. and maybe even a recipe or two.

But in the meantime – and in order to combine this post’s two themes (i.e. the bar mitzvah and Chanukah) – here are a few pictures to show you what we used to decorate the tables on Motza”Sh (=Saturday night):

!חג אורים שמח

Bar mitzvah

2011-12-15T18:31:00.001+02:00

I first posted the following song back in August, in honor of our family’s aliyah bar mitzvah.

As you may recall, it features one of the Shiputzim kids (but not the current bar mitzvah boy), who recorded the song for his/her grandparents in the States about a year or so after we made aliyah.

For obvious reasons, I decided to repost it today:

!שבת שלום ומבורך

In lieu of original content

2011-12-13T00:08:00.001+02:00

Seeing as the entire Our Shiputzim writing staff is off preparing for the upcoming bar mitzvah IY”H, I figured I’d share a handful of posts which you may have missed the first time around:

Misplaced optimism – Which answers the age-old question: What does Einstein have to do with incessantly-ringing phones?
Fun and games Friday: Presidential edition - Because nothing says blog fodder like a good game of, er, “Prrrreh-zeedent”…
Our Shiputzim: Certified international expert? – Apparently so…
Stuck on you – Many a teenager’s favorite Heblishism is in desperate need of a definition. Can you can help?
Fashion Friday: The shirt off his back edition – A mother and son discuss fashion.
Aliyah memories: Walter Mitty edition – Battle of the titans: YZG vs. A Hapless Bureaucrat…

!בשמחות אצל כולנו

_______________

P.S. Our Shiputzim updates are now available on Facebook. Simply head on over to the Our Shiputzim FB page and click “Like”.

The Mizbei’ach

2011-12-08T15:18:00.001+02:00

{cue: TV announcer voice}

The challenge: Help your daughter build a model of the Mizbei’ach (the Altar in the Mishkan/Beit HaMikdash) for school, when:

The teacher only gave the class three days to complete the assignment.
You are IY”H making a bar mitzvah in less than two weeks.
Your family’s Klei Beit HaMikdash bar was previously set extremely high by ESG’s gorgeous model of the Mizbach HaKtoret.

Can it be done?

</announcer voice>

I admit that I had serious doubts. As I told ACSD (=a certain Shiputzim daughter), I didn’t even know where to begin.

“But,” I added brightly, albeit rather skeptically. “Maybe Abba will have some ideas.”

And B”H, Abba (aka “YZG” aka “Mr. S.”) did.

In fact, as soon as he heard about ACSD’s assignment, YZG started thinking, and within a few minutes, TRLEOOB (=the real life equivalent of our blog) had been transformed into a scene straight out of MacGyver.

First, YZG and ACSD headed upstairs to scrounge around the attic.

They reappeared shortly thereafter, armed with an odd assortment of empty shoeboxes, old doorstops, aluminum foil, paper, crayons, scissors, glue, scotch tape, rubber bands, cardboard, toothpicks, recycled plastic containers, and more, and immediately got to work…

I’m sure you’ll agree that the result is pretty amazing:

If you click on the pictures for a closer view, you’ll be able to see some of ACSD’s handwritten labels, which identify each part of the Mizbei’ach.

Beautiful job, ACSD (and YZG)!

May we all be privileged to witness the fulfillment of the words of the daily Amidah prayer, speedily and in our days:

“…וְהָשֵׁב אֶת הָעֲבוֹדָה לִדְבִיר בֵּיתֶךָ, וְאִשֵּׁי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּתְפִלָּתָם בְּאַהֲבָה תְקַבֵּל בְּרָצוֹן, וּתְהִי לְרָצוֹן תָּמִיד עֲבוֹדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל עַמֶּךָ.”

“…And restore the service to the Inner Sanctuary of Your House. And accept the fire-offerings of Israel and their prayer, with love and favor. And may the service of Israel, Your nation, always be favorable to You.”

J-Blogosphere notes

2011-12-05T14:31:00.001+02:00

Several items of interest from around the J-Blogosphere:

1) Rabbi Stewart Weiss shares his thoughts after his recent visit to Prague.

2) A Mother in Israel has an amusing list of Hebrew bloopers made by new (and not so new!) olim. [As I noted in a comment, back when I was studying here in Israel after high school, I told an interviewer that I was going to be working with mechashaifim (wizards/sorcerers) instead of machshaivim (computers)… :-)]

3) Leora discusses a frightening incident which took place in her community last week.

4) Rafi G. reports that the government raised the threshold for applying customs on goods ordered via the Internet.

5) Toby presents another great collection of misspelled and mistranslated signs.

Two weeks to go

2011-12-01T18:01:00.001+02:00

Here’s what’s been going on in TRLEOOB (=the real life equivalent of our blog) lately:

1) On Sunday, Rosh Chodesh Kislev, I happened to be doing some shopping. (Did I mention that we’re IY”H making a bar mitzvah in a few weeks?)

At the first store, I was trying to figure out if a certain item was machine-washable or not, and so I asked the seemingly-secular saleswoman about the fabric content.

But before I had a chance to explain why I was asking, she immediately responded, “Don’t worry. It’s not shatnez. There’s no wool in it…”

And as I was leaving, she wished me a “chodesh tov” – as did the dreadlocked cashier in the next store.

Five words: Reason #3721 for making aliyah…

2) Have you ever dreamed of writing a guest post for one of the J-Blogosphere’s biggest, most important, most influential, and most widely-read blogs?

Well, I can’t help you there, but as per reader Faith/Emuna’s excellent suggestion, I am offering you the chance to write a guest post for this blog.

If you’re interested, please email me at OurShiputzim at gmail dot com.

3) The other day, YCT (who’s always been like a brother to me) asked me over the phone why I hadn’t written a post about the “extremely cool and sophisticated” – okay, maybe those weren’t his EXACT words… :-) - Access database I designed and used for each of the Shiputzim kids’ bar/bat mitzvahs.

BTW, if you’re making a simchah and would like a copy of the database’s schema, I’d be more than happy to send it to you. It works for bar and bat mitzvahs and, with a bit of minor tweaking, could be easily adapted for weddings as well. </offer you can’t refuse>

In response, I explained to YCT that the reason I haven’t blogged about my database is that I don’t like to show off.

“I can see that,” he replied, clearly much struck by what I had said. “Because, after all, referring to one of your own posts as ‘history in the making’ is the absolute height of modesty and humility…”

!שבת שלום ומבורך

Out of this world

2011-11-28T23:07:00.001+02:00

Have you ever heard people say that their memories are so bad that they’re likely to forget their own names next?

Well, apparently, that’s what happened to the producers of this Havdalah candle:

Someone should tell them that the missing letter in their company’s name makes a word, er, that is, a world of difference…

__________

P.S. The latest Kosher Cooking Carnival is available here. Special thanks to Batya for including my chocolate chocolate chip bars.

Member of the tribe

2011-11-23T23:06:00.001+02:00

{Cue: TV announcer voice}

I’m standing here with Mrs. S., author of the, uh-- {checks notes} Ah, yes, the “Our Shiputzim blog.”

Unfortunately, due to her semi-anonymous status, we’re unable to point our cameras directly at her. In fact, I can’t even tell you her real name.

But I can tell you that I’ll be providing a live, play-by-play description as she attempts to perform what can only be described as a truly HISTORICAL feat.

You see, as I stand here and watch, Mrs. S. hopes to become one of the only bloggers in the WORLD to discuss Chodesh Irgun* for the fourth year IN. A. ROW!

[Ed. note – See the bottom of this post for a brief explanation of Chodesh Irgun.]

Can she do it? After all, not only has she already written about the ooltra, the sleepless nights, the paint-splattered clothing, and the generation gap, she’s even shared many of Chodesh Irgun’s secret underpinnings. (See here, here, and here for details.) Is there really anything left to talk about?

Let’s watch closely and find out:

Five words: Standing according to the shvatim.

Maybe this only happens in our community, but more often than not, during Chodesh Irgun’s dramatic climax – i.e. the big ceremony where the new shevet receives its name* - the parents are asked to arrange themselves according to their own shvatim (age groups).

After the requisite joking (“I’m don’t belong here with the middle aged people. I belong over there with the twenty-somethings!” :-)), the Israeli parents good-naturedly line up behind the appropriate sign with their shevet’s name on it.

Which, naturally, means that the oleh parents – especially those, like YZG and me, who didn’t grow up in Bnei Akiva – are at a complete loss and end up awkwardly on the side, feeling foolish.

And, for the record, looking the names up on the Internet in advance doesn’t help.

Because inevitably, as the hapless Anglo parent tries to nonchalantly head on over to what Google insisted was the correct shevet, the following exchange ensues:

Well-meaning Israeli: {kindly} “Are you sure you’re in Shevet X?”

Hapless Anglo: {hesitantly} “I think so…”

Well-meaning Israeli: {taking charge} “How old are you?”

Hapless Anglo: {actually answers question, much to his/her own surprise}

Well-meaning Israeli: “Well, then, you should be in Shevet Y, over THERE.” {points}

Second well-meaning Israeli: {overhearing the conversation} “Shevet Y?! Mah pitom! S/he is in Shevet Z!”

Third well-meaning Israeli: {joining the fray} “Nonsense! S/he’s right. S/he’s in Shevet X!”

Hapless Anglo: {thinks to self} “Hmm. This will make an excellent blog post…”

{breathlessly} And there you have it, folks! Four consecutive years’ worth of blog posts about Chodesh Irgun! Is that amazing or what?! History in the making!! {surreptitiously wipes away a tear}

I now return you back to the main studio…

!בהצלחה לכל החניכים והמדריכים

__________

*Chodesh Irgun in a nutshell: Chodesh means "month”, and irgun literally means "organization". But in this case, irgun refers to a youth movement. Most youth movements (or at least the religious-Zionist ones) dedicate one month a year - usually around MarCheshvan - to what is essentially a month-long color war or competition between the different shvatim (age groups). Chodesh Irgun culminates with Shabbat Irgun, and on Motzai Shabbat Irgun, the oldest shevet (i.e. the ninth graders) receives a permanent name.

J-Blogosphere notes

2011-11-19T22:59:00.001+02:00

Several items of note:

1) Rav Natan Slifkin lists the seven wonders of the Jewish world.

2) Maya has some great tips for getting what you want in Israel. (Mazal tov to Maya and her husband on the birth of their baby daughter!)

3) Rafi G. shares a very funny pretzel commercial.

4) Laura baked a well cake and ring cookies in honor of Parshat Chayei Sarah.

5) Batya discusses the future of the Jerusalem Light Rail.

!שבוע טוב

Top 10: On the Road to the Bar Mitzvah

2011-11-16T16:24:00.001+02:00

The Our Shiputzim Editorial Board proudly presents:

The Top Ten Signs That You May Be Making a Bar Mitzvah in the Next Couple of Weeks IY”H

10) The entire family is able to lain a certain parsha by heart.

9) Whenever anyone opens their mouth to say anything, you immediately caution, “slow, loud, and clear.”

8) The baking team (aka the tza’ir bakers, in the vernacular) is hard at work.

7) Supper is now a thing of the past, because the dining room table has long since disappeared under an avalanche of invitations and envelopes.

6) You’ve been contacting obscure relatives, in order to ascertain: (a) that they still exist, and if so, (b) their current mailing address.

5) There’s no more room in your freezer.

4) You’ve compiled so many lists that you’ve been working off a list of lists. In fact, you’re seriously considering migrating to a database of lists.

3) If nonstop shopping was an Olympic sport, you’d be well on your way to a gold medal. (Reason #3221 for making aliyah: You don’t have to buy your son a suit or even a tie for his bar mitzvah…)

2) You find yourself trapped deep inside the dreaded Cycle of Invitations. {cue: wild, maniacal laughter}

1) Four words: Less time for blogging…

Assorted blogbits

2011-11-14T19:36:00.001+02:00

Several items of note:

1. A great interview with Rav Aharon Lichtenstein shlit”a, Rosh Yeshivat Har Etzion (aka “Gush”).

2. I highly recommend Rabbi Dr. Aharon Rakeffet’s fascinating autobiography (he calls it a “scholarly memoir”), From Washington Avenue to Washington Street.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that a close family member is currently one of Rav Rakeffet’s talmidim at the Gruss Kollel in Yerushalayim and that YZG is a huge fan of Rav Rakeffet’s recorded shiurim.)

A talmid of both Rav Soloveitchik and Rav Aharon Kotler, Rav Rakeffet talks about his childhood in the Bronx, his time in YU and Lakewood, his work as a pulpit rabbi and a magid shiur in YU, and his various activities here in Israel – including his considerable efforts on behalf of Soviet Jewry.

On a related note, I had the privilege of attending an event at Gruss - held in honor of Natan Sharansky, soon after he was finally released from the USSR and arrived in Israel:

Sharansky is up on the dais, on the left

3. The latest Haveil Havalim is available here. Special thanks to Susan B. for including my most recent Heblish post.

4. You can now receive Our Shiputzim updates on Facebook. Simply head on over to the Our Shiputzim FB page and click “Like”.

Fun and Games Friday: Twenty Questions Edition

2011-11-10T23:17:00.001+02:00

Most people consider Twenty Questions to be a rather prosaic parlor game, but in our family, it has a long and colorful history.

You see, my father is notorious for coming home on Friday night and beginning the Shabbat meal by daring everyone at the table:

“You’ll never guess who was in shul tonight. Twenty questions…”

And so the game begins.

Inevitably, the subject proves to be an obscure, random person – that nobody, often not even my mother, has ever heard of or has even the remotest chance of ever guessing…

When the Shiputzim kids were born, YZG and I knew that Twenty Questions was a tradition we wanted to incorporate into our own household.

And so we have. With a vengeance.

For Twenty Questions features prominently in TRLEOOB (=the real life equivalent of our blog).

Of course, the older kids have a definite advantage. Not only do they have better analytical and deductive skills than their younger siblings, but they know more people.

Still, even the younger members of the family hold their own.

For instance, a few years ago, the kids were trying to guess who it was that YZG and I had bumped into at a wedding we had attended.

Everyone was asking a series of well-reasoned questions, in order to gradually tease out clues as to the subject’s identity.

Suddenly, ACYSC (=a certain younger Shiputzim child) - who was feeling somewhat left out and wanted to get in on the action - memorably blurted out:

“Did the person die yet?”

In short, there’s much to like about Twenty Questions.

After all, it promotes cognitive development and encourages logical thinking.

And more importantly, Twenty Questions is the perfect game to play when checking for nits in one’s offspring’s hair…

!שבת שלום ומבורך

Heblish: The Everywhere You Look Edition

2011-11-07T17:08:00.001+02:00

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:

Nobody – no, not even the J-Blogosphere’s [self-proclaimed] Expert On All Things Heblish (yes, that WOULD be me…) – is immune from allowing Heblish to creep into one’s speech… or even into one’s blog.

Take, for instance, the previous post.

It was only several hours after I hit “publish” that I realized that ACSD’s paragraph about her favorite place contains a glaring Heblishism:

A lot of times: Hebrew source – הרבה פעמים. English definition – Often; frequently. Sample usage - “I like it, because a lot of times all my cousins are there.”

As you can see, Heblish is everywhere you look.

For example, here are two more mainstays of the Heblish dialect used by the Shiputzim family:

Year on top: Hebrew source – שנה מעל. English definition – A grade above; a year older. Sample usage - “She’s not in my class; she’s older than me. She’s a year on top of me.”

Help in: Hebrew source – …עזרה ב. English definition – Help with. Sample usage - “I don’t understand what I’m supposed to do here. Could you please help me in the second problem?”

And finally, Toby recently shared a picture of a Heblish-infused traffic sign:

Before you: Hebrew source – לפניך. English definition – Ahead. Sample usage - “New traffic arrangements before you.”

Do you have a favorite Heblishism? Please submit it either via the comment section below or by email to OurShiputzim at gmail dot com, and I’ll be glad to include it in a future Heblish post.

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Previous Heblish editions are available here: Heblish I, Heblish II, Heblish III, Heblish IV, Heblish V, Heblish VI, Heblish VII, Heblish VIII, Heblish IX, Heblish X, Heblish XI, Heblish XII, Heblish XIII, Heblish XIV, Heblish XV, Heblish XVI, Heblish XVII, and Heblish XVIII.

Nachat

2011-11-06T15:31:00.001+02:00

We briefly interrupt this blog to bring a bit of nachat to one of our readers:

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ACSD (=a certain Shiputzim daughter) recently had to write a short paragraph about “My Favorite Place” for her dovrei Anglit class.

On the assumption that ACSD’s grandmother, who also happens to be a longtime Our Shiputzim reader, would enjoy it, I asked ACSD if she would let me post it, and she graciously agreed.

My Favorite Place

by ACSD

My favorite place is my grandparents’ house in [CENSORED]. I like it because a lot of times all my cousins are there. Another reason is I like playing with my grandmother.

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We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog…

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P.S. The latest JPiX is available here. Special thanks to Leora for including my Palmachim Beach post and my Beit Guvrin post.

Freshly Baked Friday: Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bars Edition

2011-11-03T22:38:00.001+02:00

"בג' במרחשוון שואלין את הגשמים. רבן גמליאל אומר - בשבעה בו, ט"ו יום אחר החג, כדי שיגיע אחרון שבישראל לנהר פרת." (משנה – תענית א:ג)

"אמר ר' אלעזר - הלכה כרבן גמליאל." (גמרא - תענית י.)

“On 3 MarCheshvan, we [begin] requesting rain. Rabban Gamliel says: On the seventh [of the month], 15 days after the festival [i.e. Succot], in order that the last one in Israel can reach the Euphrates River.” (Mishnah – Taanit 1:3)

“R’ Elazar said: The halachah is like Rabban Gamliel.” (BT Taanit 10a)

B”H, much of Israel is enjoying rain tonight, the 7th of MarCheshvan, which is when Israelis begin reciting “V’Tain Tal U’Matar L’Vrachah” in the Amidah.

And as the Our Shiputzim Baking Staff (aka the tza’ir bakers, in the vernacular) can tell you, a rainy Friday is the perfect time to prepare a quick, easy, and yummy dessert for Shabbat:

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bars

(Adapted from the recipe on the back of a bag of “Gold Medal” flour)

Ingredients

2/3 cup canola oil
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2¼ cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 package chocolate chips

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 TBSP water

Directions

Beat oil, sugars, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Add flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Mix in chocolate chips.

Spread dough in a baking-paper-lined rimmed cookie sheet (AKA a jelly roll pan). Bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until set. Cut into bars immediately, and let cool in pan.

Prepare glaze, and drizzle over the bars in the pan.

Enjoy!

!שבת שלום ומבורך

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P.S. Our Shiputzim is now on Facebook. Check out www.facebook.com/OurShiputzim, and be sure to like the page.