Blogger Meeting

Well, that was nice! Yesterday, Bad4Shidduchim gave me a ring, since she happens to be on this side of the Atlantic after being NBN's official reporter for the blogger convention, sponsored by WebAds. She thought she and I might meet up, with mutual blogger and friend, Mindy.

She mentioned she was going to visit the Kotel today, and so I said, how convenient. Commune and meet with G-d and then come meet me in the Old City.

So they did.

A fun time was had by all, bagels and iced coffee, Israeli style, were enjoyed, and shmoozing and reminiscing took place. NBD charmed the two of them, as she is wont to do.

The conversation turned to aliya, as Bad4 was reporting on NBN's system. I agreed with the statement made that making aliya is tough. Parnasa is hard to find, fitting into the system is hard to do. In this week's Mishpacha for example, an article devoted to kids at risk lists being the children of immigrants or an immigrant themselves as a possible reason for heading towards the edge.

I know that I really would love to make aliya (I haven't yet, for other reasons) but even I am worried about having a steady income here, making sure my children fit in here, and even that I fit in here. There are unspoken rules in every country, that are hard to learn for someone just off the boat.

All those who have done it and taken that major step- Kudos! Mazal Tov! Yasher Kochachem!
For all those who haven't- don't worry, we understand. It's a hard thing to leave the country you are from and start afresh.

At least friends can still come and visit when they want, leaving me not so lonely on this side of the world.

Thanks for lunch, Bad4. Let's do it again soon, iy"H, here in Yerushalyayim HaBenuyah yet again.

Brief Interlude- Still on Hiatus

Arrgh. Bezeq- the wonderful nice people that they are, have now come 3 times to my humble apartment, and none of them has produced results. We shall see on Sunday. Until then, I'm borrowing Internet from whoever I can find, but that doesn't mean I have time for blogging. So, still on Hiatus.

Mazel Tov to Bad4 who is coming to Israel, courtesy of WebAds and all the bloggers who nominated her! Can't wait to see you on this side of the Atlantic!

Blogger Convention sounds awesome, and I hope I can come. But, in any case, Gut Shabbos to all, and just letting you know I'm still around. More stories to come- starting with the one about Yum Bum Bum.

Real Hiatus and Lost Items

Alright- here's the actual hiatus post. Until we get Internet hooked up in our new apartment, I'm offline. I should get it soon, but as the phone company won't actually install our phone line until Wednesday, Internet access doesn't seem likely for at least 2 weeks.
So, I'll miss the J-blogosphere- and I hope to be back really soon.

I'll leave you with a parting anecdote.

In the scurry and hurry of moving, moving again, really moving this time, and actually moving, our belongings have been transferred through so many boxes and suitcases we barely know what is what.

So, it wasn't surprising that today, we couldn't find our passports. Now that's really scary, since we are not Olim yet (new immigrants), and our passport is the only means of identification accepted in this country. We wouldn't be able to use the bank, or deal with any of our new apartment issues, or sign anything, or drive anything. So, we looked. And looked. And looked again. Nothing.

I started to panic, thinking we might have taken them with us somewhere and lost them, and they weren't even in the suitcases at all. Mr. NMF was searching our new apartment, while I was searching our old one, and both of us were worrying.

So what did I do? I donated money to the Kupa of R' Meir Baal Haness.

For those who don't know, R' Meir Baal Haness was a figure in the Gemara who is famous nowadays for saying that whoever calls out to Hashem in his name and gives charity in his merit will get what they are asking for. He's buried in Teveria (Tiberias) and I've visited his grave several times. His wife was the famous Bruria, a brilliant and wise woman in the Gemara.

Some people, including me, whenever they lose an object that is precious to them, donate money in R' Meir Baal Haness's name, and say this:

"Amar Rabi Binyomin, Hakol Bcheskas Sumin Ad sheHakadosh Boruch Hu Meir es Aynayhem." "Min Hacha? 'Vatifkach HaShem es Ayneha, Vataylech Vatimaleh es Hachaymes."

This means:

"So says Rabbi Binyomin: All is hidden from the eye until Hashem opens our eyes. How do we know? [because it says] 'And Hashem opened her [Hagar's] eyes, and she went and she filled her pitcher.'"

Then, the loshon continues:

"Eloka D'meir Anayni" - "May the God of Rabbi Meir [Baal Haness] answer me"- said three times.

"B'zchus Hatzedoka she'ani Nodayv L'ilui Nishmas Rabi Meir Baal HaNes, Zechuso Yogen Olaynu, L'mtzo es haAvayda sheAvaditi "

"In the zechus of the tzedaka that I will give in the merit of the soul of R' Meir Baal Haness, may his merit last forever, to find the item that I have lost."

So. I gave tzedaka, recited the formula, and the phone rang. Literally just then. I picked up, and Mr. NMF's first words to me were "I found it." Turns out that the passports were hiding in another suitcase, underneath some sefarim.

Anyone else believe in miracles?!

I've had this happen to me many times. I've lost earrings, car keys, cell phones- you name it, I've lost it- and I've found it, usually after giving tzedaka.
Hocus pocus? I highly doubt it. In the zechus of doing a mitzva in R' Meir's name, Hashem opens your eyes to find the object.

So, if you're stuck, try this. I believe it has to be done with a full heart- not just to find your lost object- but I know of many stories like this one. G-d controls everything in this world, down to what we see and what we don't see.

I once asked a teacher of mine that if the world has been explored, every last inch of it, how come we don't know where the Sambatyon river is (the famous river that throws stones except on Shabbos- the one that the 10 lost tribes are hidden behind.)

She answered that G-d doesn't want us to find it, and as such, our eyes are not opened to find it. Only G-d can let us see or not see, even if it is right under our noses.

Has anyone else out there tried this method?

Anyway. Take care, have a good week, and a good rest of the summer. May Hashem open all our eyes to always see and recognize the truth of all things.

OII #16- Moving In

So, we moved in. Which was wonderful. But, here comes a series of unfortunate events.

Firstly, unfortunately, that means we also had to move out again, as our new apartment desperately needs a coat of paint. But, we did move in for a couple of days and started to set up.

The second unfortunate event was that we did not have any appliances. Yep. Besides for a microwave and a hot pot, all our appliances were ordered before Tisha B'Av, but weren't allowed to be delivered until after such day. So, we were stuck.

I decided to go shopping, and pick up some items that we could eat even without an oven or a stove top. Examples might be peanut butter, tuna, crackers, drinks, and those ever present 'Mana Rishona', the little Tradition Soup like instant soups that are so popular here. Except, they also have instant pasta, potatoes, and ravioli. Yum.

So, we prepared to heat up our instant supper, when the third unfortunate event occurred. Our hot pot didn't work. So, we had no hot water for anything.

I went up to my upstairs neighbor, who I had briefly met. (She is also a ganenet, and she also has 7 kids. Remember my old neighbor with the same situation!) I asked if I could have some hot water. She looked me up and down, and proceeded to serve me a delicious supper to bring down to Mr. NMF. As I protested the generosity, she had her daughters carry it down for me, complete with plates and silverware. And, I had only met this woman that day!

When I arrived home, another sight greeted me! Mr. NMF was holding another tray of food, also complete with silverware. Another generous neighbor had dropped off a plate, thinking we would be starving.

And so it continued. A welcoming committee brought us more meals, a neighbor invited us over to eat before the fast, and my wonderful upstairs neighbor brought us delicious waffles after the fast.

Moving into a new neighborhood may bring a series of unfortunate events. But, thank G-d we have wonderful neighbors to help us weather it! \

Kudos to all those who do the same in communities everywhere!

Slight Hiatus

I'll be away for a bit- we're in the process of finally moving in, and as such, my internet access will be sporadic. But, I'm not gone for good, so keep checking!

Have an easy rest of the 9 days, and a meaningful fast! Hopefully, Mashiach will come, and then all the world can join me in Yerushlayim!

Feel free to check out my archives- I do think that my earlier posts were some of my best, even though I barely had anyone ever reading my blog at that point!

A Time to Move

I said that there would be exciting news coming- here it is! I'm moving at the end of the summer!

Yup, you heard that one right. No, I'm not leaving Israel. I'm not even leaving Yerushalayim. I'm just moving to a new neighborhood in this Holy City for a more permanent stay. I've been quite transient for the last 4-5 years, so I'm hoping that this will be my final move.

I will miss my neighborhood that I've lived in for the past year (well, almost), very much. The people, the neighbors, the atmosphere- all were perfectly conducive to any and everything I could have ever wanted. Unfortunately, the price of living in this neighborhood was just too high for us- so we have to move somewhere where we can afford to stay. In addition, we want to permanently live in Israel- so this next move is the final stroke of the hammer.

Mr. NMF, NBD, and I took a trip to Ashdod- to check out the giant boat (well, not really, they wouldn't let us see it) that was carrying our stuff from the States to Israel. We had to deal with taxes, shipping costs, and delivery. We sent a lift from the US, so we haven't seen our stuff in about a year.

Now comes all the stuff that I missed doing as a serious newlywed: (My neighbor here says Shana Rishona lasts the first 5 years, and you're still a newlywed for 15. So, I guess I'm NMF for a long time!) Appliance shopping, furniture shopping, unpacking, repacking, and settling down. (Any advice from native Israelis would come in handy- feel free to comment/email me!)

I really can't wait to settle down in Yerushalayim. It'll make me feel like I have a real place in this world, in this land. Something tangible, that I can actually feel. Plus, the neighborhood we're moving to is a great place, with a community I can't wait to join.

Ashdod was rather fun- although we didn't get to see much of it besides the port area. Gila Penina gave us great directions. We did have a bit of trouble with customs- so we headed to the customs office to sort that one out. NBD helped there- any Israeli that saw my sweet daughter said, "Aize Chamuda! (Such a cutie!)", which effectively helped us get through there rather quickly.

On our way back, we stopped at the beach in Ashkelon- such blue water and salty breezes. There, Mr. NMF said a wonderful Dvar Torah- which I will remember for a long time.

He mentioned that our stuff is just that: stuff. Gashmiyus. Items. Things that won't travel with us- like the 'chicken fat' in that famous mashal. But when we use it to build a Jewish home- it becomes far more than just stuff. A plain old bookcase becomes something to hold Sefarim. Plates and dishes are used for Shabbos, Yom Tov, and Hachnosas Orchim (inviting guests). We elevate all we use into a Mitzva. And that's truly phenomenal!

There is a time to move. But at least we're lucky enough to stay in Israel, the most wonderful land of all.