Yearly Archives: 2008

File Under: Overthinking music that I grew up with

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A close friend of my sent me a message last week about a new album by Bob Mould, easily my favorite non-Jewish recording artist since 1984, along with a link to the album and track samples. I admit the last album I bought of this musician was back in 1996 and I’ll also admit that just last week I listened to his orignal band’s seminal work “Zen Arcade” while driving in the snow (hardcord punk seems to really go well with bad weather). I don’t often listen to his music these days, as it turns out, mostly by choice. Echos of Piamenta, Karduner, YBC, Carlebach, YHB (Yitzhak HaLevi Band) and some Diaspora tracks have a home in my iTunes (with a sprinkling of Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, and one Bad Religion song).

Well, as I looked at the names of the tracks on the album the last song’s title was familiar. I listened to the sample, and yep, I knew the song (rather well, it has been a favorite of mine for over 16 years via an accoustic concert bootleg). Those in the ‘know’ knew that it was originally slated to be on this artist’s first solo album but didn’t make the final cut.

I find it interesting that he chose now to put a song easily 20 years old on a new album…and from what I heard it’s exactly the same song . But then again, I have journal entries that are meaningful to me that I would not post on this blog. Call it ‘artistic license’, I suppose. There are things we reveal to many and many things we keep tightly in our ‘inner circle’. I guess, in this case, a musician’s choice to put a track ‘for the fans’ on an album is an added bonus for some. It’s sort of like telling that same family joke to your kids or wife, knowing that a smile will erupt.

It does give me food for thought about what things I keep to myself and what things should be revealed and the timing involved in both.

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Looking for something else to read? I suggest these:
A Simple Jew: Another 40 Days – Reopening The Notebook – Part 1
Dixie Yid: A Special One Day Trip Down South (West)
Rechovot: The Mussar in messing with the Rabbi’s parking spot

"Headlong into harm"

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A Simple Jew commented here and asked me how I interpret the following said in the name of R Yisrael Lipkin of Salant: When running to complete a Mitzvah, one can destroy an entire world on the way.
I think the following two vignettes about R Yisrael should be told in order before I continue:
A) When asked to tell something over about Pesach, R Yisrael would tell his talmidim prior to Pesach that they should be careful to be nice to the widows that bake the shum’ra matza they purchase before Pesach.

B) R Yisrael was once asked to tell over a thought prior to starting davening on Yom Kippur. He told those around him that they should be careful before davening that night when they put on their tallisism and not hit the person behind them with the tzitzis of their own tallis.

Clearly being, what was viewed at the time, as highly sensitive to others was a major part of R Yisrael’s Avodas Hashem. He put a re-emphasis on mitzvos Bein Adam L’Chavero that seemed to be lacking in the mid-to-late 1800’s. For him, in fact, Bein Adam L’Chavero was an aspect of Bein Adam L’Makom.

Shabbos night two weeks ago (just after R Yisrael’s Yartzeit) I actually read the above quote to my 8yr old. I gave him the above examples and also asked him if it would be fair if he was running a race and decided to trip someone he was running against so that he could win. Of course, he thought that it would be unfair and not a “real win”. Then I used a senario that was more close to home. When we are late to shul Shabbos morning (this is a real life example) and we rush into the beis medresh so that we can get two seats together, how would Hashem look at us if we bumped into several people on the way and distrubed their kavana as they were davening to Hashem?

This is probably what R Yisrael was speaking about…frumkeit. Let me use my zerizus to do whatever I need to do to, and another’s expense, to fullfill my mitzvah. That’s what the founder of the Mussar movement was up against. I see the same thing when people go shopping and grab the last package of sushi pushing aside someone’s shopping cart or a parent cuttting off cars so that they can get a prime spot in the ‘car line’ at school. To some, it might not seem like a chiddush to be thoughtful. Others, just might not think. If each mitzvah that we do creates a malach and each person is considered a ‘world’, then how careful must we be that the path we make towards fullfilling even the ‘smallest’ mitzvah doesn’t totally destroy the proverbial flower garden that belongs to our neighbor?

A timely coffee stain

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While pouring coffee this afternoon, I got some on my shirt. As Hashgacha would have it, I was wearing this shirt. I instantly dabbed some water on the spot in question and recalled the previously referenced post.
Interestingly, on the way home from work last night, my hisbodedus included the following:

Hashem, may you help me in not allowing the middah of Shalom to waver in my dealings with others or with myself. May your assistance help me not compromise on those things that are important to me and may negative influences not affect me, or be absorbed like a stain on me. May I use every opportunity to grow in the proper direction.


I often find lately that certain things like patience and tranquility seem to get hijacked from my control. Understanding that these are simply tests may help.

HaTinok ben Aviva update

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I just received the following email (as part of a group list):

B’H Tinok ben Aviva is getting much stronger. It is surely due to all of your tefillos that he has come as far as he has in the last two weeks, and as he has a ways to go, please, please, please keep up the davening!

Meanwhile, he is kicking away, doing some good stretching with his arms, and breathing on his own. While he is still intubated, the tube is not hooked up to any machinery–the little tzaddikel is holding his own. He is putting on weight and his color is great.

He’s a very special addition to Klal Yisroel who have all joined together in our tefillos for a refuah shlaimah for tinok ben Aviva, aka the little tzaddikel.

New Day Rising

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There are times when blogging non-anonymous has its’ advantages. One can wear their heart on their sleeve and those that truly know you are non-the-wiser. You can celebrate your victories and your setbacks (not defeats, mind you, simply setbacks), post them, and them get on with your day. There have been plenty-o-posts of mine that are, in fact, very personal and what I have written on this blog is exactly what I would have written in a journal that only I would have seen. Of course, there is a name attached to it and because of that I don’t always post every little thing that happens to me or what I think about certain topics.

Then there are time times, like this one, when a post is simply esoteric. Without knowing exactly what I’m writing about, the reader simply either spends another minute finishing up the post or simply moves on to something more interesting. I find recently that Hashem has been very good to me. By this, I mean, that I have been zoche to see how certain things have worked out to my benefit. When this happens, I take a minute or two and engage in some hisbodedus, attempting to show my Hakoras HaTov to Hashem.

When these things transpire it feels like a New Day Rising and I am pretty uplifted. The knowledge that Hashem is working things out for me, is both comforting and humbling. Such an incident occurred during a casual conversation I had over the weekend. I was speaking with someone and found out some good news about a few people I was close with during a chapter of my life that has been closed for some time now. I will end with this:

If you are involved on a communal level in the Jewish community, if you are in chinuch, if you find yourself being used as a klei to bring others close to Hashem (my fancy term for those in kiruv), if you daven for your kids to be Yirei Shamayim, if you say Tehillim for someone who is ill, just know that every effort you make, every minute spent putting someone’s needs above yours, counts. Sometime we never see it and other times Hashem shines the proverbial MagLite.

jChicago.net

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One nifty thing about using sitemeter is that I see the city where those looking at my blog are in. I know that I have over 30 readers in the Chicagoland area (I personally only know of about 5 that have come out and said, “I read your blog”), but I know you are out there. If you’re going online already why not check out jChicago.net ?


From their press release:
jChicago.net has officially launched this Chanukah as the first email listserv connecting the entire Chicago Jewish community. The site features an interactive Chicago Jewish community email listserv, as well as user-updated event calendar, business directory, and real estate listing sections. Additionally, jChicago.net created partnerships to provide Illinois specific RSS feeds from OnlySimchas.com, JewishJobs.com, and MyZmanim.com, and Kosher dining discount cards through Restaurant.com.
jChicago.net, which was built by community members for community members, offers its users access to the email announcement listserv in three different ways: receiving each individual message that is posted, receiving a daily digest of all messages posted, or by viewing the messages directly on the site’s homepage. On the jChicago.net homepage, emails are archived in various categories such as advice, events, for sale, job opportunities, general information, business services, and mitzva (charitable) opportunities. Users may subscribe to a daily digest of the listserv by sending a blank email to subscribe@jchicago.net.

Those who read this blog know that I’m all for achdus. I feel that this new website and listserv is another way for those of us in the Great Chicago area, and even those who don’t live here, to connect. It’s another way to post an important message. Imagine how many people you could reach by posting that, for example, Tehillim need to be said for someone that is sick?

Just like Likutei Peshatim and the Achdus Bulletin provide important communication services in our community, I feel that jChicago.net will do the same. Yashar Koach to their creative team and keep up the good work.