Part of my making Shabbat a special day is to read the OU newsletter, Shabbat Shalom, at least in part, after I have printed a few articles prior to candle lighting.
Less than two months ago, one of these articles was The Last Kindness by Ruchama King. It dealt with the beautiful mitzvah of chevra [...]
Entries from February 2008
February 28, 2008
Seven Blessings – Sheva Brachot
February 27, 2008
The Big Blunder
This afternoon I had planned to attend the civil wedding ceremony of a close friend where I was meant to be one of the witnesses. I was teaching this morning but there was ample time for me to get back home, change into more appropriate clothes, jump back into my car, drive to the station [...]
February 26, 2008
Is this Lashon Hara?
This post is about a new website and a dilemma concerning its content. As a teacher this is something I feel quite strongly about.
At the end of January, a private company set up the website note2be. The idea is for pupils and high school students to rate their teachers. On this site, the students [...]
February 25, 2008
Languages
The start of the International Year of Languages was launched last week by UNO and UNESCO. Here are a few interesting facts about language:
- Over 3000 languages are in danger of disappearing.
- 96% of the world’s languages are spoken by 4% of the world’s population.
- One language disappears on average every two weeks.
- 80% of [...]
February 24, 2008
End of the Holiday
Tomorrow our fortnight’s break will be over. I have spent two relaxing weeks reading, walking and trying to forget the school daily routine. For once I have managed to avoid having tons of marking, which for me is a feat. I must confess that being away helped a great deal. It is so much easier [...]
February 14, 2008
Juno & New “Friends”
Everybody has heard about Juno, Jason Reitman’s latest movie, a well-deserved fame. It is a great movie with a fantastic soundtrack. However, this post is not really about the film, but rather about the reason why I selected it among the fifteen movies or so our movie theater has to offer this week.
Before the Internet [...]
February 12, 2008
Weary of Antisemitism
About 18 months ago, on the eve of Tisha B’Av, our small synagogue was defaced after it was robbed of most of the few valuable objects it contained.
Last week in the town of Amiens, only an hour’s drive from home, three policemen entered an Irish pub and ordered drinks at the counter. They then started [...]
February 10, 2008
Hasidic Judaism, Antwerp & Pictures
Hasidic Judaism is a mystery to me. We share the same religion and pray the same G-d every day but I have very mixed feelings when I come across Hasidic Jews. I’ve met them mostly in Paris and Antwerp and they often make me feel uncomfortable. On the one hand I admire their seemingly unwavering [...]
February 5, 2008
Newly Discovered Blogs & a New Post
Discovering new blogs is sometimes as exciting as discovering new books or places. Here are a few blogs I have come across recently:
- Frumteacher, a blog managed by a young History teacher. It deals mainly with teaching but not only.
- JoyousJudaism. Ian Pear, a Rabbi, Lawyer and aspiring author who lives in Jerusalem with his [...]
February 3, 2008
Astérix, Four Minutes and the Power of Music
After Shabbat last night, we decided to go to the cinema. The movie theater moved a few months ago; it is now a vast complex near a canal. There is a big car park nearby. It is convenient and quite a nice site. When we got there the car park was full. This was a [...]
