Love

There is a Russian saying: “Love is a toothache of the heart.” (Articles pending.)

I propose a new saying: “Love is New York traffic of the heart.”

Having experienced both today (the toothache and the traffic), I definitely think my version is much more fitting. (The saying assumes that love always leads to a broken heart. It’s a Russian saying, after all.)

A thought from the road

Coming back from an emergency trip to NY (during which I had to respond to a family tragedy, but as a result lit all the candles of the menoira in a household, where not a single candle had been lit during the whole Chanukah), I had an interesting occurrence. Actually, it was rather commonplace, but it made me think of a conversation I recently had with my rabbi.

Rabbi Dovid Hollander

Boruch Dayan Hoemes. Thanks to JEMnation blog for the notification and videos (read the post there for more information on Rabbi Hollander; see also a more detailed post by Circus Tent).



When I used to stay with my uncle in Brooklyn over Shabbos, I would sometimes go to that shull.

I also remember him talking about this encounter:

Bloomberg on “disproportional” response

NYC mayor gives it to a sniveling CNN journalist:

(CNN bastards took off the video from their resource — thankfully, there is one on YouTube)

Thanks to Dixie Yid for posting.

An even better analogy than the one Bloomberg used is: imagine that 15 bandits come to your house and say, “Get out! This house belongs to us now!” When you don’t get out, they start shooting in your windows, killing, G-d forbid, your daughter.

You take a gun, get out of the building and start shooting at the sons of bitches. Ten of them are killed; the rest flee. Your neighbors condemn you: “Well, they killed only one of your children. First of all, you still have other three children left. Second, you killed ten people for one person — that’s a disproportionate response!”

The only answer that a normal human being can give to that is: “[Expletives deleted]! Hell, I am sorry I didn’t finish the rest of [expletive deleted].”

By the way, I like how they show explosion scenes in the background. Thinking, of course, a liberast seeing this will be horrified. At the same time, a normal person’s response is: “Alright! Way to go!”

A good legislator — leftist model

(“Your Daddy didn’t do a good enough job of screwing this country. I will make sure to go further than any socialist has gone before. One small step for man, one giant leap for world proletariat.”)

Arbat reports about Caroline Kennedy, new NY senator (in place of Hillary whose claim to fame at the start of her political career was her hard work as a President’s wife — and a failed attempt to nationalize medicine). In case you are not already satisfied by Caroline’s credentials (her being a daughter of the ask-not-what-your-country-should-do-for-you dude and a niece of the guy who held the exact same position — what else does one need?), Albert Hunt puts an end to all cynical skepticism:

She hasn’t held office or paid her political dues but has been the guiding force behind the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. […] She has all the qualities — intellectual curiosity; a friendly, at times pointed, sense of humor, and a deferential manner (she hails her own cabs) — that are the stuff of a good legislator.

Wow. How dare those conservative bastards even say anything against such impressive résumé? Forget the NY senator — make her the Empress of Galaxy! Have you ever heard of a politician with a sense of humor (at times pointed) who hails her own cabs? I mean, it’s like asking whether Einstein is a good scientist. Duh…

Chanukah ma’amor: Mem-gimmel — Tannu Rabbanan — Ner Chanukah; driving through snow

(the proper shape of Menorah — with straight branches)

I am happy to say I drove safely through beginning of snow storm to spend Shabbos by my rabbi; then was able to dig out my car, as well as his and his son’s (with whom I had some interesting conversations). Apparently, I left one of the windows in the car a little open over Shabbos (during the snow storm). No permanent damage. Then, today I drove to NYC (in the morning) and (tonight) back. Yes, I am crazy. But maybe one of my relatives lit a menorah tonight as a result of my trip (no, that wasn’t the whole point of the trip — I wish…).

Meanwhile: a good ma’amor to learn during the Chanukah. The topic is one of my favorites: “Ani Hashem Loi Shanisi” (I, G-d, have not changed) — what does it mean, on multiple levels, from G-d being the Master of the Universe, causing every minute change every single second (then how does He not change?) to G-d as He is in His Essence. As usual, Rabbi Paltiel’s shiurim are full with chassidishe stories, great mosholim and nice ellucidation of deepest topics in Chassidus. The ma’amor doesn’t mention the explanations provided by Tzemach Tzedek or Mittler Rebbe (in Chapter 9 of Sha’ar HaYichud), but provides new and (in the style of Rebbe Rashab) well-structured explanations that touch more of seider hishtalshelus.

I was listening to this ma’amor tonight while driving from NYC. I-95 was fine; I-91 was OK (averaging 65 mph); I-84, however, was frozen for the most part. I could not drive above 35 mph, because my ten-year-old Nissan with its all-season tires immediately turned into a boat (something I discovered on Friday while driving through the beginning of the snow storm to my rabbi), but I could not drive slower than 30 mph, because I needed momentum to go through the snow. All the while big eighteen-wheelers were driving by (or I was driving by them, when I wanted to go faster). The separation between lanes completely deteriorated — cars and trucks were going where there was some break from ice (which would sometimes end abruptly, forcing cars to drive/float to a different “lane”).

I-90 was a little better; it started raining and got quite foggy. Unfortunately, on that portion of the highway, there seems to be some white dust in the air, which makes my windows dirty and difficult to see through. At this point, however, I ran out of window washing liquid, so I had to rely on moisture from passing cars to clean my front window.

My town was a total amechaya: completely frozen and white (in comparison to boring-grey Brooklyn); being able to drive below 30 mph without danger of being run over was nice (in fact, there were so few cars on the street late at night that it reminded me of Dickensian times with cabs plowing through the snow).

While driving on the icy interstate, a few thoughts ran through my mind:

1. Wow, this is really dangerous. Hey, look at another car by the side of the road!
2. It would suck to be an atheist right now.
3. At the same time, I feel nothing. I almost just slid into that truck while changing lanes, but I feel no emotions. This, I guess, is what adrenaline does to you.
4. [A bunch of neuroendocrinological pathways allowing for point 3.]
5. Were these roads privately owned, they would be in a much better condition.
6. Something I read in a sicho of the Rebbe. The lights of Chanukah menorah are actually a lot like Chassidus (and, lehavdil, String Theory). Here’s how:

Greeks introduced the idea of “secular Judaism”; Hellenist Jews tried to create what pretty much modern-day Israel and many “Jewish” communities throughout US are; fanatical “Orthodox” Jews battled against them (and the forces of assimilation) and created a new reality in Torah; as a result, Chanukah Menorah was lit. Today, we have nothing remaining from the Temple. Sure, certain things are done instead of services and rituals of the Temple (e.g., davening, washing for bread, etc.), but the services themselves do not exist. With the exception of lighting of Menorah. That, at least in its appearance, exists — as instituted by the Rabbonim.

Here we have the classical Chassidic idea of descent for the sake of ascent. We have Greeks defiling Jewish land, Jewish culture, religion and finally, Beis HaMikdosh, which lead, however, to creation of a new level of yiddishkeit and an aspect of Beis HaMikdosh which proved resistant to destruction of the Temple, exile, and even assimilation (Chanukah and menora remain the most popular Jewish symbols even, ironically, amongst assimilated Jews — even though these symbols celebrate the defeat of the ideas that govern these Jews’ lives).

The descent lead to revelation of something eternal existing beyond limitations of time and boundaries between darkness and light. Light within darkness itself was revealed — and this light was stronger than the light “imposed” on darkness. When you open windows and a dark room becomes illuminated, nothing about the room’s essence has changed — once the windows are closed, the room will revert to darkness. But if you reveal the light hidden within the room itself, within its darkness, then it will remain glowing always, unconditionally. This is what the coming of Mashiach, geulah and dira b’tachtoinim are all about: revelation of light within darkness. Revelation of G-d within physicality of this world.

So, tapping into its spiritual source of eternality and revelation of light within darkness, the act of lighting of Chanukah menora draws closer the light of the Menora that will be lit in the actual Beis HaMikdosh, which will be rebuilt speedily in our days, with the coming of Mashiach.

* * *

I was told today by a complete stranger to “stop torturing mice and go back to yeshiva”. I wish it were this easy. Well, maybe it is…