OII #11- A Day of Fun

I haven't posted another OII for a while, but my recent activities lead to a burst of posts on this phenomenal country and the people in it.

*I went to pick out flowers with my neighbor for her apartment. When I went there- there were hardly any flowers outside, leading me to believe, in typical Israeli fashion, that this job was not one that would get done today, but rather, the ubiquitous 'tomorrow/Machar'. And, I was proven right, as since the flowers come from all over Israel, including the Golan, Tzfas, and Netanya, they didn't have them ready so close after Shavuos.

But, the flower owner apologized, and made a wonderful remark. He said that since they come from all over Israel, we should be proud and grateful we can get flowers from the Golan! And, so we agreed, that it is wonderful to be able to enjoy the fruits from all over Israel! What a great perspective!

*As we were heading out of the flower market, I heard another lady remark on the fact that the owner had pushed us all off till the morrow. I repeated his comment, on how we get flowers from the whole of Israel, and how lucky we are. She smiled and agreed. Then she introduced herself. Lo and behold- her name was Tzivia Ehrlich-Klein! Author of the Only in Israel book series!! What a wonderful event!

When I remarked on how much I love her books- she blushed and said- I'm glad that there are those out there who recognize the beauty of Israel. So, in the street lurks authors as well....hiding behind every possible face.

*I went to Har Nof recently, and I ended up in JII Pizza. I asked the owners of the store if they had a bathroom in which I could feed NBD. They said no...but they would give me another place. And before I could say boo, they cleared themselves out of their entire kitchen, handed me a chair, and offered me the key to lock the door so I could have some privacy.

How many restaurants in the US would give over their entire kitchen to help out one person?

What a wonderful people in what a wonderful land!

Books Abound

Reading has been part of my life since I was a little child- unfortunately, that often means that I get sidetracked from basically everything when a good book is in my hands. The most often complaint I heard during childhood was asking me to pick up the books lying in various stages of pages around the house.

Here in Israel, I don't have access to public libraries- so I've started a new book regimen- the Jewish books out there. Now, before you start bashing them, stating how there are no good Jewish books out there these days, I will state that is exactly what I said at first. But, having no other alternative, and reading is as necessary to me as breathing, I started to take the plunge.

Truthfully, the Jewish book market is different than it once was. There are talented authors out there, new and interesting material (that doesn't constantly contain one of the three themes: marriage, kiruv, or children.), and there are more and more popping up each day. I've actually found some worthwhile reading, along with some lemons, but I would find that reading secular books as well.

Unfortunately, there are those lemons. And some of them, as Mr. NMF said recently, are just secular (and trashy) novels with Jewish names stuck in. I don't mind reading a good book, but if it is just badly written, a poor plot, and a trashy idea, then I'm not interested. And, there are those books out there. Yet, they are classified as 'Jewish' reading material.

That's sad. If the names were not Jewish ones, the book itself would probably not be read by religious Jews. Now, just because they added in a Jewishly themed plot and some Yankels and Goldas, the book is okay. Frankly, I'd rather read a good old classic novel, like Jane Austen or Alexandre Dumas over some of these so called Jewish books.

At least, with the secular books out there, I knew what I was reading- I knew which ones to pick, which ones to stay clear of, and which I would find the most interesting. Here, I'm a bit lost- because they are all categorized as 'Jewish' and therefore 'appropriate'- when in reality, there is no such correlation.

So, from now on, just as I choose which secular books to read, and which ones to avoid, I also have to do the same with the 'Jewish' books out there. And frankly, I'm saddened I have to do that.

Book Meme and Facts

Babysitter tagged me for a meme- and even though I'm not one to really do these type of things, I figured it was something for me to do tonight while Mr. NMF is out at a Chanukah Mesiba.

Thanks for the tag! (Oh, and I'm not tagging anyone- because all those who I might have tagged were tagged by others already. Sorry!)

I really actually liked the idea of this meme, because I love to read. (I read so quickly though, that it doesn't even pay for me to buy books anymore- I finish them before I get home.) (I think that and blogging go hand in hand- if you like to read, you usually also like to write, and so the saga continues.)

Book Meme

Here are the rules:
Grab the nearest book. Open the book to page 56. Find the fifth sentence. Post the text of the next two to five sentences in your journal/blog along with these instructions. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST. Tag five other people to do the same.

"She sank slowly into the sofa. Nathan loomed in her inner vision: a stone figure, cemented in complacency. Well, he could afford to be complacent; he'd accomplished something in his life. He was owner of a flourishing surgical practice that had already won him considerable renown both home and in the States. In addition he'd lately begun playing a prominent role in Jewish community affairs. Dr. Nathan Perl was a man to be reckoned with.
While she, Eva saw with sudden and sad clarity, was nothing more than a pretty appendage, a bauble to hang from a dashboard, as her husband sped ever faster along his particular road to fame and achievement.
Good-bye, Nosson..."

This is from Between the Thorns, by Libby Lazewnik. I was looking for some Jewish reading material over Shabbos, and randomly selected this book, which is why it is on my reading table closest to me. It is written in a good style- not so intellectual- but the main plot of the book is that the characters are so stereotypical- they exhibit such perfect examples of certain character traits. In fact, my neighbor's husband banned her from reading it during Shana Rishona (the first year of marriage) due to the fact that almost every couple in it seems to have major Shalom Bayis (marriage) problems.

Eva believes that Nathan is too caught up in his professional world to truly care about her, even when she starts achieving professional renown herself. However, she comes to realize that he was the impetus behind her success- and they both embark together on the struggle to raise their children as Torah Jews.

This is an interesting conundrum. People oftentimes believe that if one spouse has a large profession- the other spouse either has to be demure and meek, or another over-achiever as well. Never does it seem to happen that one spouse supports the other, and vice versa, as both achieve something large- but not over-achieve.

In the Torah- we have a bit of a different viewpoint. Women are catagorized as being an "Aizer K'negdo"- a helpmate against him. Men are taught to respect their wives- give them more honor than themselves. And Rabbi Akiva's famous wife, Rachel- who encouraged her husband to learn Torah when he was a 40 year old ignoramus- and eventually became Rabbi Akiva- is a classic example of how a Torah relationship could work. Rabbi Akiva, after 24 years away studying Torah, comes home, and Rachel throws herself at his feet. His students try to push the 'crazy woman' away, but Rabbi Akiva stops them. He says, "If not for her- I would still be an ignoramus. All my Torah, and all the Torah that you [the students] have learned- all belongs to Rachel, my wife."

Through the Torah point of view- there is no competition- no trying to outdo one another- and none of the other as well- that one spouse should be demure and meek, while the other an over-achiever. There is a balance. R' Avigdor Miller says in his book, Career of Happiness, that a man does end up being the captain of his household, but the wife is still the first mate. And, should be taken seriously as such.

I'm still a newlywed- so I don't know so much. But, I hope to learn and to grow.

Oh, and the second part:
7 random facts about me:
1. I love to read- anything and everything. I used to read law journals, for example, or the encyclopedia. I used to love to sit in Barnes and Noble-and just read, for about 4-6 hrs. at a time.
2. I have a craving for art and beauty. I love collecting items like beautiful embroidery, art (which I also paint myself), small chatchkas- anything that is truly lovely.
3. It's all B4S's fault I started blogging. Go ask her about it.
4. Favorite food? Coffee. Especially iced coffee. Yum.
5. I haven't traveled all over the world- but I would love to. Especially Paris, London, and Venice. Maybe one day....
6. I used to make balloon animals for fun, for neighbor kids and babysitting jobs. Who knew?
7. I could spend all day just looking out at the view of Yerushalyim from my apartment. No matter the weather.