Once Upon a Busy Place in Baka

Bagel Bite is a restaurant in Baka, a neighborhood that used to be home to a few thousand Arabs. Today, it's a blossoming district of Jerusalem neighboring Talpiot and the German Colony, about 40-minutes walk from the center of town, and another 15 to the Wailing Wall. It's a busy place. You'll hear excited voices at any time of the day--or night. There's always something to do here.

Even though I live in a highly contested area, you won’t hear a word of politics at Bagel Bite because it’s a mixed staff of Jewish and Palestinian workers who try to have as much fun as possible while making a living selling bagels, and an assortment of foods ranging from muffins to sushi (sushi was recently added to their already-packed menu).

I've been coming here ever since I moved from Efrat to Jerusalem a year ago. It's a nice place with friendly waiters who do their best to make you happy, leaving you wanting to hand them a big tip. I’ve made some really good friends amongst both the staff and the usual customers. Somehow, I feel this is my “home away from home.” I come to Bagel Bite whenever I have a writing assignment, or need to finish a translation project. In fact, I’m sitting here now writing this.

One of my closest friends at Bagel Bite is a young Palestinian called “Baha.” I recently helped him put together an application to a German university. Yesterday he approached me and thanked me for having performed this act of kindness towards him. And the result: he was accepted to study there! Now, it’s on to bigger and better things for my friend, Baha.

Bagel Bite allows people of different backgrounds to come together for a hearty meal. It’s a place to read a good piece of literature, sip a cup of Latte, or do some work. I’m grateful to the Bagel Bite staff for treating me like I’m one of theirs. Even though I recently started working full-time, I continue frequenting this busy place in Baka in search of the company of good people, and a refuge from all the hustle and tussle of our beautiful capital.

From Darkness to Light

Very often in life, we face situations that make us question ourselves: Are we doing the right things? Are we behaving correctly? Are we treating others as we, ourselves, would want to be treated? What can we do better?

R' Nachman of Breslov equates the yetzer ha'ra or evil inclination, that inner devil within you who wants you to make all the wrong decisions even though the real "you" knows he's wrong, to one's imagination. Our imagination is capable of taking us to places we don't want to be. It can persuade us to make the wrong decisions, and focus our attention on the wrong things. It can be a very dangerous factor.

Some extreme cases of this phenomenon can be found in individuals suffering from paranoia and hallucinations. There are people who imagine that they're constantly being "watched" or "followed," or that there's a conspiracy against them. But these are the extreme cases. Everyone suffers from one sort of paranoia or another, however.

What helps?

For one, constantly being busy, working helps a lot. When one is focused on the imortant aspects of life, they forget about "finding the next date," or the latest sports or social media news.

Being focused on your goals goes hand in hand with working. When you're focused on what you want to accomplish either short--or long term, you forget about the meaningless chatter in your head.

And how do you go from being "down in the dumps," from constantly being depressed and laying around the house all day to being a productive member of society? It takes a lot of effort, a lot of perserverance, and a steady commitment. I've done it, you can too!

Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem: A Tale of Two Cities

I got up early Friday morning, attended the local Chabad morning prayers, and took bus 75 to the central bus station in Jerusalem.

I hurried to find my way. I’d been here many times before, and the Friday morning hustle was nothing new to me. I encountered a few beggars on the way. Jerusalem is host to an array of both needy people and those pretending to be poor and spending their time benefiting from the locals’ generosity.

There’s a wide range of stores, pharmacies, cafes, restaurants, and even a place to donate blood at the central bus station. At this particular time of the year, it’s teaming with tourists from all over the world. Many are Christian pilgrims who’ve come to Israel for Christmas. Some continue on a tour of the Middle East, while others prefer to stay in Israel and remain shielded from the perils of our neighbors to the East.

End of Days

By Eliyahu:

ד"סב

 

 

 

ָהיֶכTheָרְדּTorah'stakeon life - and all it throws our way.

END OF DAYS

 

 

December 20th, 2012 has come and gone. Those who wasted valuable time and money buying lifetime supplies in fear of the baseless prediction of the world's end are now exempt from grocery shopping forever more as life carries on. While the Mayan myth has been debunked (until they come up with another date for disaster), we must take this opportunity to explore the Jewish view on the apocalypse. Do we believe in such an event? And if we do, what's in store if and when it happens?

Reprinted via The Algemeiner: Not the Typical IDF Soldier’s Mom: Muslim Arab Mother Whose Son Serves in the IDF Speaks Out

 

H/T: The Algemeiner

 

Anet Haskia is not the typical mom of a soldier serving in the Israel Defense Forces. A Muslim Arab, who grew up in a mixed Arab-Jewish city in the north, Haskia is breathing a little easier this week.
For Haskia, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision not to enter the Gaza Strip last week was “brave and right.”

The mother of three children, with a 20-year-old IDF combat soldier, Haskia told Tazpit News Agency, that “many Israeli soldiers’ lives were saved thanks to that decision.”

“Going into Gaza would have yielded success for the Hamas terrorists. Israel did what it had to do for the time being to stop the rocket attacks and played it smart.”

Haskia who was born and raised in Acre (Akko), a mixed Arab-Jewish city in the Western Galilee in northern Israel, is openly vocal about her support for the Jewish state of Israel.

The Miracle of Hannukah

MIRACLES

By Eliyahu

           R' Moshe Haim Luzzato (Ramhal), in his classic work Derech Hashem, writes that the events on which our holidays are based upon are revisited every year. The theme of redemption is most pretentious on Pesah, when we celebrate the salvation of the Jewish people from the hands of the Egyptians. On Shavuot, the potency for success in Torah reaches its highest - a reflection of Matan Torah, which took place on the 6th of Sivan hundreds of years ago. It thus follows that on Hanuka, a holiday which serves as a remembrance for the impossible victory of the minute Jewish army over the mighty Greeks and of the beloved wonder involving the oil which lasted for 8 days, there is a higher level of potential for miraculous occurrences. We shall try today to aim for a deeper understanding of the mechanics behind miracles, and the way to view them through the lenses of our Torah.

Nothing is Certain in this World and a Little Commentary on Parshat Miketz

We learn from the travails of our forefathers that almost nothing--perhaps with the exception of the Torah and its teachings--is for certain, and that we should always be happy with our lot in life.

We learn several important lessons from the story of Joseph the Tzaddik. There's a good reason he's the only person in the Five Books of Moses to carry the title of "Tzaddik" or "Righteous one." Joseph endures several monumental tests in his life, not the least of which is his being tempted by Potiphar's wife. Joseph is described as being "good of stature and good of look," in other words, a very handsome guy.

At the beginning of parshat Miketz, he's said to put a lot of effort into "making his hair." We can also make a reasonable case that growing up as Jacob's favorite son, he's very much "full" of himself to a point where he not only dreams of instances that clearly portray his superiority over the other members of his family, but even goes on to describe these dreams to his brothers and Jacob himself.

Joseph is able to overcome his main weakness and withhold himself from acting on his impulses. He goes beyond his calling, one may argue, by refusing to be taken in by Potiphar wife's incessant sexual appeals.

Duality in Israeli Society

You'll find just about anything and anyone you're looking for in Israel from criminals and drug-dealers to Rabbis immersed in a life of giving and good deeds and scientists trying to come up with cures for the world's deadliest diseases. After a lengthy exile from the Holy Land, Jews from around the globe have gathered in Israel. Representatives of six continents make Israel their home. This is literally the ingathering of exiles; the land of immigrants. Not America--but Israel.

The result of this blend of Jews from around the world is a society saturated with inherent dualities in all its aspects. Because Jews tend to be so opinionated (it's been said that for every two Jews, there are three different sets of opinions), conflict is the modus operandi in Israel. This is the way of life here. You'll see people arguing on just about any subject. Arguments range from the petty to the extremely serious, and as is the case in any society, they can die down quietly, but sometimes get out of hand as well.

I decided to write this article having attended a party where I witnessed a young couple (I didn't know they were married till the husband told me his "companion" was indeed his wife) arguing about the rights of Israelis to smoke in public. There's no way I could have known they were married judging by the way they were going at it. Mind you, this wasn't a matter of life and death; not even politics. This was a question whose outcome isn't likely to affect the life of the young couple in any particular fashion: it won't make it better or worse in the conceivable future.

For All We Do

For all we do, for all we say,

A price is surely to be paid.

A humble servant of man’s fate,

That is not me,

I’ve come too late.

 

Look here,

I’m not special, different, better than anybody else,

I’m simply me,

At any rate,

I’d like you, if it’s possible, to relate,

To my life’s journey,

A work of passion, loss, adjustment, disarray,

A cycle with an end,

A trendy way of living-with no real trend.

 

Brought here on a mission,

Clear that height!

I see my elders take to flight,

They do not know, do not see,

The person buried deep in me.

 

Felt hardships, done what’s wrong,

I know this,

The notes to a different song,

Will express my thanks,

To those who’ve believed and never shouted,

To those who’ve helped and never doubted.

 

I will escape,

Tear down the iron gates,

I will be free one day,

I will enjoy my life,

Is what you too should say.

 

Listen, fellow sufferers,

Hearken to my words,

Believe me, I have been hurt as well.

Two things that you must never lose, lest you lose yourselves:

Your hope, your resolve to make it no matter what the odds,

And your sense of humor, your smile,

What you do from here isn’t up to me,

Keep working always,

You too will go free.

Dedicated to all those trying so hard to get out of whatever predicament they've found themselves in for their own good and the good of the world.

Desperate Soul: In Memory of Jovan Belcher and his Girlfriend

Deperate Soul: In Memory of NFL Player Jovan Belcher and his Girlfriend

 
The football world was devastated—yet again—yesterday by Chief’s Jovan Belcher’s murder of his girlfriend, and mother of their infant baby girl, followed by his taking his own life. For both these individuals, it’s over. Yesterday, they were here. Today, they are no more. Their world is gone.

It’s written that every human being is a “world unto himself,” that every individual, whether Jew or Gentile, has an immense amount of potential. We either live up to our potential or needlessly lose it—as I’m afraid was the case with Jovan.

Suicide is the antithesis to life. Even Arab suicide bombers have difficulty accepting the fact that they’re going to die. I know this because there have been cases in which soon-to-be suicide bombers have repented and handed themselves in.

 
I spent many years of my life being depressed for no apparent reason. I know what it feels like to hurt inside. To hurt all over. To have no one to turn to...

...And I know what it feels like to be connected. To be connected to one’s Father in Heaven. To come to an understanding that there’s a Source for the world, for both the good and the bad; for both the horrible things that happen in our non-stop thrill-seeking reality, and the wonderful introspectiveness that we may bring to our lives as a result of holy living.

May Jovan's story be a lesson to us all. May we merit to see the day there's no more sadness, and no more murder.