tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80429676873457481022024-03-05T04:27:56.633-05:00The LEIBOWITZ BlogShamai Leibowitz writes about science, music, Hebrew, Judaism, and current events.Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641823713622996006noreply@blogger.comBlogger185125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-26314561984121492022024-03-04T00:32:00.011-05:002024-03-04T12:02:25.473-05:00Repair the World - But Not from Scratch<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: arial;">by <b>Yakov M. Rabkin </b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(</span><span face="facit, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fffbf8; color: #232323;">Professor Emeritus of History at the Université of Montréal)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: arial;">The weekly reading - <i>Ki Tissa</i> (Exodus 30:11 - 34:35) poses the difficult question: how a human is to act in the
presence of G. One episode relates to the sublime moment of Moses receiving the
tablets carved by G. on Mount Sinai and then shattering them when he realizes
that his people have manufactured a golden calf and joyfully worship it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: arial;">G. is
angry and tells Moses:</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="background: white; font-family: arial;"> “Now leave Me alone,
and My anger will be kindled against them so that I will annihilate them, and I
will make you into a great nation." (32:10) Moses pleads for mercy rather
than accept the honour of begetting a perfect humankind. </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: arial;">According to the Zohar, Moses
replies : “If for my benefit the people have to be killed, better I die.” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: arial;">In
search of perfection and in obedience to G., Moses could have accepted the
divine offer. By rejecting it, he affirms the absolute value of human life. No
higher purpose, no perspective of mystical communion with G., would justify the
genocide that is to pave the way to a purer, more complete realization of the
divine plan. Tabula rasa, terra nullius as a precondition for building a
perfect society, apparently in full sync with the divine promise, is a blood-soaked
illusion that has been pursued all too often. Moses is ready to destroy the
tablets hewed by G., but he refuses to accept mass destruction of humans. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: arial;">... man was created single in the
world to teach that for anybody who destroys a single life it is counted as if
he destroyed an entire world, and for anybody who preserves a single life it is
counted as if he preserved an entire world. And because of peace among men,
that nobody could say to another, my father was greater than your father. (</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: arial;">The Jerusalem Talmud, 4:9). </span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: arial;">A
later version of this statement in the Babylonian Talmud reduces the
applicability of this dictum only to the life of a Jew. However, Maimonides in
his code retains the original statement of the Talmudic sages thereby affirming
the universalist approach to the absolute value of human life. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">How
did Moses appease the divine wrath? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Zohar brings out a compelling image of
Moses holding the king’s right hand, symbolizing mercy, and the left hand,
which stands for judgement, while at the same time clinging tight to the king’s
body. This image can be seen as an attempt, in this case a successful one, to
help G. find the golden path of the middle, help G. temper his judgement with
mercy. In its usual manner of conflating the upper and the lower worlds, the
Zohar makes Moses show G. how to be human, how to exist in peace and harmony with
others, and no less importantly, with oneself. Radical final solutions never
lead to a better future, even though the illusion of attaining one may last for
a while.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: arial;">This
commentary also shows how human agency, freedom of choice, remains crucial,
particularly in interaction with the divine, when the temptation to carry out
G’s will however cruel, is so hard to resist. Abraham is ready to sacrifice his
son to carry out a divine commandment and must be stopped by an angel (Genesis
22). Moses on his own initiative stops G. from committing mass slaughter. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">This view of the story encourages one to acquire
autonomy, to experience creativity, to seek a personal, unique relationship
with the divine. This is how one can discern or intuit the special, personal
purpose one was created to accomplish. There is no need to worship the past,
however glorious, but rather integrate it with what transpires and is needed
today. Tradition becomes fertile when it enlightens our path rather than squashes
our freedom. By harmonizing commitment to tradition with the full awareness of
the present one can assume responsibility for repairing the world as it is
today rather than destroy the present so as to return to a world that is no
longer. Repair is a gentle action of accepting the past with empathy all the
while building something better on its foundation. This is what we do every
day, don’t we?</span></p>Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-51172762791955306972022-02-14T02:57:00.033-05:002024-03-04T12:04:37.654-05:00The Invisible Man: Moses<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiWOLibfddyxGbDK6Huq10E98f3Kl1-rXWe6kzvnTIzRrJVd4yLHsH1XqsVt18LOTUXyS3Hzjk9Yxw75YNAjBKJaT72ndeCea0UOLOhUJ05ZzPVYtLIMe6RKYVUPcKZ693ScRfCpMHJEPoLO1FZcJ6pJDfsXtcq7q2bd7uWylEth4ess8S0pcDLPAg=s300" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiWOLibfddyxGbDK6Huq10E98f3Kl1-rXWe6kzvnTIzRrJVd4yLHsH1XqsVt18LOTUXyS3Hzjk9Yxw75YNAjBKJaT72ndeCea0UOLOhUJ05ZzPVYtLIMe6RKYVUPcKZ693ScRfCpMHJEPoLO1FZcJ6pJDfsXtcq7q2bd7uWylEth4ess8S0pcDLPAg=w320-h179" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13pt;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, "Sbl hebrew", serif; font-size: 20px;">Moses issues an ultimatum to God: “If you don’t forgive Israel, erase me from Your book” (Exodus 32:32). God forgives Israel but erases Moses from the Torah portion of </span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, "Sbl hebrew", serif; font-size: 20px;">Tetzaveh</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, "Sbl hebrew", serif; font-size: 20px;"> anyway because the curse of a Torah scholar always comes true. In the link below, I show how this medieval midrash came about, and how it developed into the modern myth that </span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, "Sbl hebrew", serif; font-size: 20px;">Tetzaveh</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, "Sbl hebrew", serif; font-size: 20px;"> is the only portion after Moses’ birth that is missing his name: </span></span><div><a href="https://www.thetorah.com/article/moses-name-is-erased-from-tetzaveh">https://www.thetorah.com/article/moses-name-is-erased-from-tetzaveh</a><p></p></div>Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-79614537359778162782022-01-04T04:38:00.012-05:002022-01-04T16:52:47.983-05:00A Tribute to Martin Finkelstein: "Your Story is an Inspiration to our Generation" <p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">"<b>Your story is an inspiration to our generation, to always be proud Jews and to fight for human rights for all.</b>" </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">That's the main message my son Niv delivered in a video tribute to our friend, 104-year-old Holocaust survivor <a href="https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/martin-finkelstein-stays-in-the-moment/" target="_blank">Martin Finkelstein</a>. Niv filmed the video while visiting Poland with his friends from Yeshivat Orayta, as they were gathering for dinner at a hotel in Warsaw, approximately 3 hours from the Sosnowiec</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> (</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">SOS-NO-VITCH) ghetto where Martin was imprisoned during the Holocaust.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">A long-time member of our shul Har Tzeon-Agudath Achim, Martin grew up in a Gerrer Hassidic family in Stopnica, Poland, a small town that's about a 1.5-hour drive from Krakow. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">At a young age, Martin realized Jews cannot wait for the Messiah and became involved in a Zionist youth movement. His group planned to emigrate to then-British Mandate of Palestine and form a kibbutz, but 3 days before his certificate arrived, he was drafted into the Polish Army. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Martin served in the Polish Army for two years. His unit was captured by German forces during its 1939 invasion of Poland. He was put on a train with other POWs headed to Germany, but he and another Jewish soldier jumped from the speeding train and escaped. He walked dozens of miles to Sosnowiec, where he was forced to live in the ghetto under sub-human conditions. Between 1942 and 1945, he was transferred to five slave labor camps, but he managed to survive all of them, until he was liberated on May 8, 1945 by the Red Army. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Niv emphasized what we can learn from Martin, and then led the group in one of Martin's favorite songs: </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ynWoNx_0u3g" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-79242235123098462402021-06-17T15:21:00.006-04:002021-06-24T09:52:54.628-04:00Abigail Leibowitz: Inspiring speech at tassel ceremony (with Talmudic quotes)<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AThuWMj3jT0?start=6184" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-28858159302496086542021-06-17T15:02:00.000-04:002021-06-17T15:02:59.281-04:00Niv's inspiring valedictorian speech (with musical examples) <p> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">My son Niv was selected by peers and teachers as valedictorian and gave an inspiring speech: </span></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RyvRX2WTDHk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-67720543696879896832020-06-19T20:25:00.002-04:002020-06-19T20:27:38.702-04:00Does the story of the wood gatherer violate the rule of law? <br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Today we celebrate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth" target="_blank">Juneteenth</a>, and I’m going to talk about a major principle of criminal law: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">nullum crimen sine lege<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">which is Latin for “no crime without law”<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">This principle is a foundation of the rule of law: It states that a person should not face criminal punishment except for an act that was publicly declared to be a criminal act <u>before</u> they performed the act. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">In our parsha this week, <i>Shelach</i>, we find a story that seems—at first blush—to violate this basic principle. It’s the story of the <i>mekoshesh</i>, the wood gatherer. In a nutshell, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath. He was brought before the court of Moses and Aaron, but they didn’t know what’s the law. God then explained to Moses that the man should be executed, and the entire community stoned him to death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Here is the full story, as recounted in Numbers 15:32-36: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="HE" style="color: black; font-family: "sbl hebrew"; font-size: 16.0pt;">וַיִּהְי֥וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר וַֽיִּמְצְא֗וּ אִ֛ישׁ מְקֹשֵׁ֥שׁ עֵצִ֖ים בְּי֥וֹם הַשַּׁבָּֽת: וַיַּקְרִ֣יבוּ אֹת֔וֹ הַמֹּצְאִ֥ים אֹת֖וֹ מְקֹשֵׁ֣שׁ עֵצִ֑ים אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֙ וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֔ן וְאֶ֖ל כָּל־הָעֵדָֽה: וַיַּנִּ֥יחוּ אֹת֖וֹ בַּמִּשְׁמָ֑ר כִּ֚י לֹ֣א פֹרַ֔שׁ מַה־יֵּעָשֶׂ֖ה לֽוֹ: </span><span dir="LTR" style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="HE" style="color: black; font-family: "sbl hebrew"; font-size: 16.0pt;">וַיֹּ֤אמֶר י-הוה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מ֥וֹת יוּמַ֖ת הָאִ֑ישׁ רָג֨וֹם אֹת֤וֹ בָֽאֲבָנִים֙ כָּל־הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה מִח֖וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה: וַיֹּצִ֨יאוּ אֹת֜וֹ כָּל־הָעֵדָ֗ה אֶל־מִחוּץ֙ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וַיִּרְגְּמ֥וּ אֹת֛וֹ בָּאֲבָנִ֖ים וַיָּמֹ֑ת כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה י-הוה אֶת־ מֹשֶֽׁה:</span><span dir="LTR" style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span dir="LTR"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Once, when the Israelites were in the wilderness, they came upon a man gathering wood on the sabbath day. Those who found him as he was gathering the wood brought him before Moses, Aaron, and the whole community. He was placed in custody, for it had not been specified what should be done to him. Then Yhwh said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death: the whole community shall pelt him with stones outside the camp.” So the whole community took him outside the camp and stoned him to death—as Yhwh had commanded Moses (Num. 15:32-36; NJPS translation)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Which prohibition exactly did the wood gatherer violate? And where was that prohibition made public so he could know—prior to committing the act—that it’s a capital crime?! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">In this video, I’m going to show that our Talmudic sages objected to the immorality of this story precisely because it violates the legality principle, and expressed their criticism in a subtle but fascinating way: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Born on June 1, 1804, Russian composer Mikhail Glinka is considered the father of Russian nationalism in music. This is primarily because of his two operas: <i>A Life for the Tsar</i> and <i>Ruslan and Lyudmila</i> – whose overture is probably Glinka’s most famous work. In these operas, one can detect a distinct Russian style, based on Russian folk music and differentiating itself from the Italian or Viennese styles. You can taste that Russian nationalism in the razzle-dazzle opening of the <i>Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture</i>: </span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Yet, despite his love of Russian nationalism, he cherished the melodies and influences of other cultures, having lived for several years in Italy, France and Spain. Just listen to his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1kcw5b58-U" target="_blank">Jota Aragonesa</a> – an orchestral tour-de-force based on the traditional Spanish dance, and you'll hear the rhythms and sounds of Spanish music from which he drew in his compositions. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Or listen to his Grand<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Sextet </span>for Piano and Strings, written while he lived in Italy. In this brilliant and cheerful piece, the sunshine and radiance of Italy are palpably felt. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px;">If I hadn't told you this is by Glinka, you'd think it's a Mozart, Beethoven or Mendelssohn piece: </span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jYtQdbs53_I" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">In music appreciation we talk about the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/feb/18/classicalmusicandopera" target="_blank">Mighty Five</a> (a.k.a. the Mighty Handful): The five prominent 19th-century Russian composers -- </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mily_Balakirev" target="_blank">Mily Balakirev</a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9sar_Cui" target="_blank">César Cui</a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modest_Mussorgsky" target="_blank">Modest Mussorgsky</a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Rimsky-Korsakov" target="_blank">Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Borodin" target="_blank">Alexander Borodin</a> -- </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px;">who worked together to create a distinct Russian classical music. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">And while they recognized Glinka as their spiritual father and credited him with starting the movement, he was really a multiculturalist who championed an important principle, which is as relevant today as ever: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">You can be proud of your heritage and showcase it, while -- at the same time -- appreciating and learning from other cultures. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></div>
Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-21201975405051910112020-05-20T22:17:00.001-04:002020-05-20T22:24:14.715-04:00Unity Can Be A Curse, Too<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Parshat Bechukotai opens with a series of blessings that will happen if the people of Israel will be loyal to God. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of those blessings is that they will be victorious over their enemies. Giving a concrete example, the Torah uses numbers to describe this amazing victory: </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-left: -4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">“<span style="color: #0070c0;">Five</span></span></b><span style="color: #0070c0; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">of you will pursue a </span><b><span style="color: #0070c0; line-height: 115%;">hundred</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">, </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">and a </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red;">hundred</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red;"> </span>of
you</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-left: -4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">will pursue </span><b><span style="color: red; line-height: 115%;">ten
thousand</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">”</span></b></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But did they get their math wrong? And what does this signify? </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-left: -4.5pt;">
</blockquote>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/84N-j0JLOVk" width="560"></iframe>Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-42180859086734745342020-03-27T15:57:00.000-04:002020-03-27T15:58:38.978-04:00The Miniature Aleph - Uniqueness or Universality? <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qzyI4o1WYu0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-29794815122056527562019-06-14T00:53:00.002-04:002019-06-14T00:57:14.704-04:00Textbook Definition of Discrimination<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">by Abigail Leibowitz</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(published June 12 in the <i>Washington Jewish Week</i>)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFQ73LBR39IUa3gBXQjTGt6OnGKWbtGeJjQkFF02phaECg8zkB1ObqOYYGvrujJKvluiUcbC34iNLQFVP6Q6D28CNvriyi4W65UsQ6Yo7JmT80IZHxgvH9zqcRh5_6AS8n_oJ1Xc8r4M/s1600/eid+al+fitr+2019.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFQ73LBR39IUa3gBXQjTGt6OnGKWbtGeJjQkFF02phaECg8zkB1ObqOYYGvrujJKvluiUcbC34iNLQFVP6Q6D28CNvriyi4W65UsQ6Yo7JmT80IZHxgvH9zqcRh5_6AS8n_oJ1Xc8r4M/s320/eid+al+fitr+2019.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #545454; font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On June 4, the Muslim community in the United States celebrated Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim festival marking the end of the fast of Ramadan.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #545454; font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If your children go to a public school or a Jewish day school, you might not have been aware of this important Muslim holiday. That’s because public schools were open and students came to school, just like any other regular school day. But for Muslim students, it wasn’t business as usual. They were forced to make a choice: Stay home and celebrate with their families or attend school and miss the Eid celebration.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #545454; font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I believe that’s an unfair choice. Rather, I propose that all Montgomery County schools be closed for this holiday.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #545454; font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You may wonder: why would a proud Jewish girl request to have a Muslim holiday as a day off?</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #545454; font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://washingtonjewishweek.com/54796/textbook-definition-of-discrimination/editorial-opinion/" target="_blank">Read more...</a></span></div>
Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-75193917033194904002019-04-29T10:43:00.000-04:002019-04-29T11:06:19.719-04:00The Magic Formula for the Correct Count of the Omer (2019)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQL2jRchBsbfnFz4PtBV_kBHebQ8Zy8UAFgt8GfipO5KAkIWSVzI9cJLe811bC3kXI93ZxVcpFLjpjpfuLOfZgmkMG4h9qjuj7ivYBIOmL5_46kwAC7TelV-Aqn5cmkB4U5KO1hV_02A/s1600/sefirat+haomer+%2528hebrew-english%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQL2jRchBsbfnFz4PtBV_kBHebQ8Zy8UAFgt8GfipO5KAkIWSVzI9cJLe811bC3kXI93ZxVcpFLjpjpfuLOfZgmkMG4h9qjuj7ivYBIOmL5_46kwAC7TelV-Aqn5cmkB4U5KO1hV_02A/s1600/sefirat+haomer+%2528hebrew-english%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">If you
were stranded on an island without a Jewish calendar and no internet
connection (oy gevalt!), how would you know what number to count in
the Omer?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Every
year, on the second night of Passover, we begin a special 49-day period in the
Jewish calendar, known as <i><a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/how-to-count-the-omer/" target="_blank">Sefirat Ha’omer</a></i>, in which every evening, after sundown, we stand, recite a blessing, and then count the appropriate number of days that have passed since starting the count. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">The
problem, however, is how to remember the correct count for any particular
night, especially now that we’re past the first week. For example, this Tuesday
(April 30)— is it 10, 11, or 12? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Sure,
you can look up a Jewish calendar or find <a href="http://www.chabad.org/holidays/sefirah/omer-count.htm">websites</a>, but
what if you don’t have access to calendars or the web? Imagine you are in the
Navy, or hiking on the Appalachian Trail, or simply enjoying time on the beach
without the distraction of smartphones?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Magic
Formula: <b>MaDaM–7</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">There is
a magic formula, which my father Elhanan Leibowitz A”H taught us, to
figure out the correct Omer count on any given night. All you need to know is
the magic number – which changes every year. This year’s magic number is <b>1</b>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">The
formula is easily remembered with the mnemonic <b>MaDaM-7</b>, and here’s how it
works: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Ma</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">ke an
educated guess. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Subtract the <b>Day</b>
of the week (Sunday=1, Monday=2, etc).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Subtract the <b>Magic</b>
number (this year – subtract 1)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">If your result is divisible
by<b> 7</b>, your guess is <b>right</b>. If not – make another guess and <b>repeat
the process</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Let’s
see how this formula works. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">On this
Tuesday night, you make an educated guess of 10 (after all, you remember we
started counting about a week and a half ago, so this makes sense.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Applying
the formula, from your guess of 10 you subtract the day of the week, so<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you subtract 3 for Tuesday:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">10 – 3
= 7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><br />
You then subtract magic number 1:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">7 – 1 =
6<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Is your
result divisible by 7? No! So your original guess of 10 is wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Well,
it makes sense to add 1 to your original guess, so let’s try 11: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Subtract
the day of the week: </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">11 – 3 =
8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Subtract
the magic number: </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">8 – 1
=7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Eureka!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Since
your final result, 7, is divisible by 7, you know that the refined guess of
Omer count 11 is correct! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">You did
it! Without any connection to the outside world, you have figured out that this
Tuesday night, April 30, the correct Omer count is 11. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">This
formula will work for any night of the Omer this year, with a small caveat that
your guess has to be within a range of 7 of the correct count. That should not
be a problem because most people know the approximate range we’re in so their
guess is not completely wild.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Remembering
this formula will ensure that even if you find yourself on the amazing <a href="https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/google_map_Pago_Pago.htm" target="_blank">PagoPago Islands</a> (where there's no wifi) or simply got stuck without your iPhone, you’ll never forget
the correct Omer count.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-76702690874802754502019-04-03T01:11:00.000-04:002019-04-03T11:20:04.722-04:00Helpful Halacha wins the national NCSY JUMP competition <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmBOR9GzrVEzWTIQjS3uNgOZcN00m5m0nUuAfgQ8ZSx1g0M7d7NmklCCT5YB-yplfnywbmHAlILJQ4gPwaAGYIbzHY5mUy-KCGgUA6HhXA5N1WHhHFyo8Gw81EoiJwzi21GDr9ZFa_Ic/s1600/JUMP+with+5000+check.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmBOR9GzrVEzWTIQjS3uNgOZcN00m5m0nUuAfgQ8ZSx1g0M7d7NmklCCT5YB-yplfnywbmHAlILJQ4gPwaAGYIbzHY5mUy-KCGgUA6HhXA5N1WHhHFyo8Gw81EoiJwzi21GDr9ZFa_Ic/s320/JUMP+with+5000+check.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;">Mazel Tov to my son Niv and the Berman Hebrew Academy NCSY JUMP Team for winning the national Boardroom competition in New York City yesterday with their creative initiative - <a href="https://www.shamaileibowitz.org/2019/02/ancient-halacha-meets-modern-technology.html" target="_blank">Helpful Halacha</a>! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;">With their hard work, commitment and vision, they earned a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;">$5,000 grant from the OU, ultimately beating out the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;">other 4 finalist schools which also presented incredible initiatives. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;">You can watch their live presentation and the colloquy with the 5 judges here (Niv starts talking at 3:40): </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid%3D625188481262982%26id%3D100013155061223&source=gmail&ust=1554351474652000&usg=AFQjCNHIWCct0vHBwBPCnP8TovA56RKCmA" href="https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=625188481262982&id=100013155061223" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;" target="_blank">https://m.facebook.com/story.<wbr></wbr>php?story_fbid=<wbr></wbr>625188481262982&id=<wbr></wbr>100013155061223</a></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;">Haven't signed up yet for the daily halacha text message? It's fast and simple: </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;">Text the word "dailyhalacha" to 94253. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;"> </span>Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-39413395213921890612019-02-17T14:59:00.002-05:002019-02-17T15:32:50.535-05:00Ancient halacha meets modern technology<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">How can
we make <i>halacha</i> (Jewish law) more accessible and easy-to-understand?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">My son
Niv and his teammates at Berman Hebrew Academy have initiated an innovative
tech project: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #222222;">Text the word “</span><span style="border-bottom: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>dailyhalacha</b></span>” to
<b>94253</b> and you'll be automatically signed up to receive a FREE daily text
message containing a short, interesting <i>halacha</i>. </span></blockquote>
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From nature laws to Lashon Hara, it's the easiest way to learn Jewish law! </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This project is part of NCSY JUMP (Jewish Unity Mentoring Program) competition, in which teams from Jewish schools are competing by creating projects that will make positive change in their schools and communities. </span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">The top 5 teams will present their projects to a panel of judges in the <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/what-we-do/investing-and-lending/impact-investing/new-york/" target="_blank">Goldman Sachs</a> boardroom in New York City, and receive grant money to implement and expand their projects. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Example of a previously-sent halacha: </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Judaism appreciates nature. Upon seeing a beautiful sunrise in nature you say the blessing "Baruch... oseh ma'aseh breishit" (Blessed are You...Author of creation)(S.A. Orach Hayim, 228)</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">So please sign up (it’s free, and only 1 text message, Monday-Friday), and </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">help Niv and his teammates achieve</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> their goal of (at least) <b>500 subscribers</b>, and win the competition!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Questions and comments? Email them at jump@mjbha.org<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-28772152819100451282019-01-07T00:07:00.005-05:002020-08-03T15:22:44.043-04:00Not Your Typical Birthday Celebration<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaAkyFFaYCvKtwH5Wz5bT_b0-Al8gxMq2TfDAMyB-DSWU466NWfuK7bx-OHLXq_2nFnRVQ2r2zC4LT_z-ub1OQKCcY-H9eqHF6v6Bl-_hX2AIsLyXq3YEvixboEBMcMIIcVDzLqtrrnw/s1600/leon+fleisher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="1020" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaAkyFFaYCvKtwH5Wz5bT_b0-Al8gxMq2TfDAMyB-DSWU466NWfuK7bx-OHLXq_2nFnRVQ2r2zC4LT_z-ub1OQKCcY-H9eqHF6v6Bl-_hX2AIsLyXq3YEvixboEBMcMIIcVDzLqtrrnw/s320/leon+fleisher.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Concert pianist Leon Fleisher marked his 90th birthday by performing a series of live concerts with the <a href="https://www.bsomusic.org/" target="_blank">Baltimore Symphony Orchestra</a>. I attended his January 5 performance at the Strathmore Music Center, and in between the notes, played with grace and elegance, you could hear his message of finding hope and optimism in the face of adversity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Born to immigrant parents who were straight off the boat from Odessa and Chelm and eventually settled in the San Francisco area, Fleisher was a child prodigy. He began studying piano at the age of four. By the age of nine, legendary pianist and teacher </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artur_Schnabel" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;" target="_blank">Artur Schnabel</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> invited him to be his student.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">In his wonderful autobiography <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/My-Nine-Lives-Musical-Memoir/dp/0767931378" target="_blank">My Nine Lives</a></i>, Fleisher points out that this made a direct teacher-student connection all the way back to Beethoven, much like the “begat” sections in Genesis: Beethoven taught <a href="https://www.shamaileibowitz.org/2015/02/happy-224th-birthday-carl-czerny.html" target="_blank">Carl Czern</a>y. Czerny taught Franz Liszt and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_Leschetizky" target="_blank">Theodor Leschetizky</a>. Leschetizky taught <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignacy_Jan_Paderewski" target="_blank">Paderewski</a>, the popular Polish virtuoso-cum-statesman of the early 20<sup>th </sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>century, and Paderewski taught Schnabel. And Schnabel taught the young Fleisher. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Fleisher went on to international renown, becoming the first American to win the prestigious Queen Elizabeth of Belgium competition, and he enjoyed a prolific recording career, and some of his recordings, particularly with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Szell" target="_blank">George Szell</a> and the Cleveland Orchestra are considered classics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">I've <a href="https://www.shamaileibowitz.org/2014/07/happy-86th-birthday-leon-fleisher.html" target="_blank">written previously</a> about the malady that halted his performing career, but just to recap: In 1965, he started to suffer symptoms of a debilitating condition of his right hand, later diagnosed as <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focal_dystonia" target="_blank">focal dystonia</a></i>, a neurological condition caused by repetitive tasks that causes the fingers to curl into the palm of the hand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Devastated by this medical disability, he withdrew from public performances, and went into depression. He writes, “I shut down. I acted out in all kinds of ways, of which I am not particularly proud.” But eventually he learned to channel his creativity in new directions, mastering the piano repertoire for left hand, and initiating a career in conducting and teaching. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">At age 66, with the combined therapies of Botox injections and Rolfing, he regained sufficient use of his right hand, leading to an amazing comeback. In 2004, he released the album <i>Two Hands</i>, which went on to hold a Top 5 Billboard Chart position. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">He renewed his dedication to <a href="https://peabody.jhu.edu/faculty/leon-fleisher/" target="_blank">teaching at the Peabody Institute</a>, where he has been an inspiration to thousands of students since 1959. So . . . if I can get one of Fleisher's students to teach my son Niv who is making good progress in his piano studies, Niv will then be able to say that he’s in a line going all the way back to Beethoven </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">In the concert at Strathmore, Fleisher played Piano Concerto No. 12 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Considered one of Mozart's early piano concertos, the piece is not as technically demanding as the later works, but it is bright, sweet and filled with sunshine. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Here’s a funny and instructive video -- Yo-Yo Ma putting Fleisher on the spot by asking him to play a section of the Brahms No. 1 after years that he didn't touch this piece: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-29275106828684467732018-11-11T21:16:00.000-05:002018-11-20T11:04:45.999-05:00Sacrificing Beethoven<br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">(In memory of my father Elhanan Leibowitz z"l upon his yahrtzeit. My son Niv delivered this drash this past Shabbat - Veterans Day weekend.)</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">We are honoring this weekend people who made a sacrifice, a very meaningful sacrifice. Our veterans have given some of the best years of their lives to serve our country and protect our freedoms. So I would like to focus on the idea of . . . sacrifice! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Let me pose a question: Who was the first person in the Bible to sacrifice? I don’t mean bring a sacrifice, but rather, someone who gave up something dear to them for a noble idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">The first person that comes to mind is Avraham. First he sacrificed the comfort of his life in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur_of_the_Chaldees" target="_blank">Ur Kasdim</a> when God asked him to leave everything he had and immigrate to the Land of Canaan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">But he made an even <b>greater sacrifice</b> in the opening of Parashat Vayera, when God revealed Himself to Avraham following his circumcision. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">The Torah describes the scene: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“God appeared to him [Avraham] in the plains of Mamre, and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent when the day was hot.” (Genesis 18:1)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Imagine the most awesome Being, Almighty God, starts talking to you. You would immediately cease everything you’re doing, and focus all your energy on this conversation, ensuring nothing else distracts you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">But what happens? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">“Looking up, he saw three men standing near him, as soon as he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them, and bowed to the ground.” (<i>ibid, </i>18:2)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">He then proceeded to give them bread and water, make a good juicy steak, and asked Sarah to bake delicious rugelach and babka for them.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Let’s think about Abraham’s actions. Abraham does the exact opposite of what we would expect him to do. He abandons God, and turns his attention to the incoming visitors. How can Abraham put God on hold, without even asking permission? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Really, Abraham’s actions teach us a profound lesson. Faced with the choice between spending time with God and welcoming guests, Abraham chose to help strangers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Abraham <b>sacrifices </b>the enjoyment of talking to God in order to help people he doesn’t even know. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">From this episode, the Talmud learns an important principle:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">גדולה הכנסת אורחים מקבלת פני השכינה</span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">“Hospitality to the strangers is greater than receiving the Divine presence.” (Talmud, Tractate Shabbat 127a) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">This story emphasizes that practical good deeds take precedence over any abstract spiritual enjoyment. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Today, we don’t talk to God, we don’t have prophets, and we can’t sacrifice like Abraham did. So how can we understand Abraham’s sacrifice? What would be the equivalent today? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><b>Beethoven vs. Helping Your Neighbor<o:p></o:p></b></span></u></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">My great-great aunt Nechama Leibowitz - when she taught this lesson in her weekly class in Jerusalem - answered this question by telling a fascinating story: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Let me take you back to the 1950s -- to the newly established State of Israel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">There was no TV and only a few people had radios. Many Israelis loved to go to live classical music concerts<b>,</b> but the concerts were in the big cities – Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Zemira Musicante, an Israeli lady who lived on a kibbutz, loved classical music. But she lived in a kibbutz which was far from any city so she could never do what she loved most - <b>attend classical music concerts</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">The only way for her to hear classical music was on the rare occasion they broadcast concerts on the radio. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Zemira kept looking in the newspaper to see when they would broadcast the Israeli Philharmonic. Zemira found that on the weekend of Israel’s Independence Day, the <a href="https://www.ipo.co.il/en/" target="_blank">Israel Philharmonic</a> would play <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2013/sep/16/symphony-guide-beethoven-fifth-tom-service" target="_blank">Beethoven’s 5th symphony</a>, the famous one that symbolizes victory, and it would be broadcast live on the radio. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Zemira marked her calendar weeks in advance to make sure nothing would interfere with her listening to this inspiring piece. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px;">She even rescheduled her shift for milking the cows so she’ll be free that evening. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">The day of the concert arrived. Zemira showered and dressed </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">as if</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> she were going to the concert, laid out cheeses and wine on a white table cloth, and checked her old radio 100 times to make sure it's working. She sits in her recliner, next to the radio, awaiting the start of the broadcast.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">At 8:00 pm, the radio crackles:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<i>Kol Yisrael mi-yerushalayim, Erev tov, ve’shalom rav</i>”</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">“This is the Voice of Israel from Jerusalem, Good evening, Tonight we are bringing to you a live performance of the Israel Philharmonic who will play Ludwig Van Beethoven’s 5th symphony. Special guest conductor Leonard Bernstein -- all the way from New York City -- is on the stage. </span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Please enjoy the concert!” </span></blockquote>
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<u><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">First movement</span></u><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">The orchestra begins- and she is transported to a world of bliss:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">But suddenly, she hears a knock on her door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">She thinks in her head, “who has the gall to interrupt Beethoven's 5th!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">But, she gets up, hoping it will be something quick. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">She opens the door, and lo-and-behold, it’s her neighbor Sarah. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Sarah looks troubled. “My American relatives are visiting, and I ran out of coffee! May I borrow some from you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">With all the excitement of the concert, Zemira forgets where the coffee is, and by the time she finds the coffee and gives Sarah the coffee, the first movement has ended. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">She thinks to herself, “At least I will hear the next 3 movements…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Second movement</span></u><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">The familiar melody of second slow movement, <i>andante con moto, </i>begins...but then s</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">he hears another knock on her door!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Zemira is reluctant, but she decides to answer the door, and alas, its Sarah again. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">“Zemira, I am so sorry to trouble you again, but I am in need of an extra bed for my cousins, do you happen to have one?” Zemira knows she has one in the basement, but her stairs are so steep and narrow that by the time she gives it to Sarah, the second and third movements are over.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Zemira thinks - <i>nisht geferlach</i>, at least I’ll hear the <i>allegro </i>- the final rousing movement of the symphony. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Fourth movement</span></u><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">As the Fourth Movement starts . . . she hears another knock. It’s Sarah again! </span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">“I’m really really sorry, but my nephew has cold, and I’ve run out of paracetamol [the Israeli version of Advil], do you have any I could give him?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">For a fleeting moment, she wants to say she has run out of paracetamol. But Sarah realizes it’s a mitzvah to take care of guests, and she is an honest person, and she won’t lie, even for Beethoven. So she says “I have extra, let me find where I put it.” </span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">But in her excitement and anticipation she doesn't remember where the paracetamol is. She looks in the kitchen, in the bedroom, all over the house, until she finds it in her bathroom cabinet under the sink. She rushes back with the paracetamol and gives it to Sarah, and dashes back to the radio, only to hear these final notes: <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Can you imagine Zemira's anguish? After months preparing for this concert, she missed the entire concert because she helped her neighbor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Nechama told this story to give us a concrete example of what sacrifice can look like. In her sacrifice, Zemira was like Avraham and our veterans, giving up a special and joyous experience to serve a noble goal. Her noble goal was treating guests with kindness and care, and our veterans noble goal was protecting our country and the values we stand for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">This week was the <i>yahrtzeit</i> of my grandfather Saba Elhanan z”l. I did not have the privilege to know him, because he passed away in 1991 at an early age. However, I am constantly learning from him through the example he set, and the stories I hear from my relatives. He also made a sacrifice. Even though he had Gaucher disease, and often it was very difficult for him to walk, no one among his friends and neighbors knew it because he continued to lead a productive life, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">was a researcher in the field of mathematical physics and together with my Savta Shira raised 6 children. Even though he was exempt from army service, he volunteered to serve as a scientist in the Armored Corps.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">To summarize -- <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Abraham taught us that more important than prayer and prophecy is being moral and kind to our fellow human beings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">We can’t be like Abraham and put God on hold to welcome the stranger. However, we can sacrifice other things. We can emulate his actions and give up on our pleasure activities, such as missing a sports game, or missing a social event, in order to visit the sick, help people with disabilities, welcome refugees, and make our society more just and equitable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">As we honor the sacrifices of our veterans, let’s learn from them, and be willing to do our own sacrifices for the purpose of doing <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">more <span dir="RTL" lang="HE">גמילות חסדים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">more <span dir="RTL" lang="HE">הכנסת אורחים</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">and bringing more kindness and equality to our society. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Thank you again to all our veterans, and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Shabbat Shalom!</span></div>
Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-62066483514908906422018-11-06T08:57:00.001-05:002018-11-27T23:07:09.083-05:00Is there a mitzvah to vote? <br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">In the
recently-concluded midterm elections, in which Democrats took control of the
House, we had </span><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/record-voter-turnout-in-2018-midterm-elections/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">record turnout</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">. From a Jewish perspective, this raises an interesting question: Is
there a religious obligation to vote?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">In a <i>teshuva</i> (rabbinic
responsa) from 1984, Rav Moshe Feinstein, one of the great rabbis of the 20<sup>th</sup> century,
wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">On reaching the shores
of the United States, Jews found a safe haven. The rights guaranteed by the
United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights have allowed us the freedom
to practice our religion without interference and to live in this republic in
safety. A fundamental principle of Judaism is <i>hakaras ha’tov</i> —
recognizing benefits afforded us and giving expression to our appreciation.
Therefore, it is incumbent on each Jewish citizen to participate in the
democratic system which guards the freedoms we enjoy. The most fundamental responsibility
incumbent on each individual is to register and to vote. Therefore, I urge
all members of the Jewish community to fulfill their obligations by registering
as soon as possible, and by voting.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">That's a valid rationale,
though it's somewhat flawed. What if your candidate supports policies that are
racist, or cruel and inhumane? What if your vote is promoting policies that undermine
Jewish values? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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So it's not the participation <i>per se</i>, but the content of what we
are voting for that should be the basis for the mitzvah to vote. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">I would say it’s a mitzvah to vote only if you are voting for a party or candidate
which promote <i><a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/gemilut-hasadim-101/" target="_blank">gemilut chasadim</a></i>, i.e. performing acts of
loving-kindness to your fellow human beings. For example, voting for candidates
who will expand health coverage and Medicaid, candidates who will
provide safe haven to people fleeing persecution, or candidates who will help
the underprivileged and needy get jobs – that’s a mitzvah!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Therefore, my conclusion is that voting is a mitzvah <u>only</u> if you’re voting for a Democratic or Green Party candidate.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Caption: With <a href="https://jenniferwexton.com/" target="_blank">Jennifer Wexton</a>, Democratic candidate for Congress in Virginia’s 10<sup>th</sup>
District for whom I canvassed - and she won!!!</span><br />
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Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-13842554720646931742018-10-11T00:01:00.002-04:002018-10-11T18:18:13.964-04:00Happy Birthday to the amazing Evgeny Kissin <br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Happy birthday to concert-pianist Evgeny Kissin! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Born October 10, 1971, this Russian-Jewish <i>wunderkind</i> has wowed audiences since he debuted with two Chopin piano concertos in Moscow at age 12. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Now living in England and traveling worldwide on the concert tour, he attributes his success to the special relationship with his first piano teacher, Anna Pavlovna Kantor, who continues to mentor him to this very day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xMTxcE40_iMPonZfVPNeZV14kgbWUOESdHTswjBHKFN7zyWKbIZNUCaaJ9EjxDwzwojIi5p-_q68jrTC5xAUZcLvbDbQ6AKFf1DCdMKzj_LTawsEnEHgZZXNvfy_Kbf5LMgSR8my4WE/s1600/evgeny+kissin+caption.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xMTxcE40_iMPonZfVPNeZV14kgbWUOESdHTswjBHKFN7zyWKbIZNUCaaJ9EjxDwzwojIi5p-_q68jrTC5xAUZcLvbDbQ6AKFf1DCdMKzj_LTawsEnEHgZZXNvfy_Kbf5LMgSR8my4WE/s320/evgeny+kissin+caption.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">It’s not just his phenomenal technique; it's not only the lyrical beauty of his playing. When he plays, his music moves and inspires us in ways that are indescribable. His ability to convey such emotions through his piano playing speaks to the power of music to communicate and connect with people with very diverse backgrounds. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">He is also proud of his Jewish heritage. In his autobiography, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Memoirs-Reflections-Evgeny-Kissin/dp/1512602604/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539288535&sr=8-1&keywords=memoirs+and+reflections" target="_blank">Memoirs and Reflections</a>, he writes that already as a young boy he predicted what he wanted written on his tombstone: "Let the stone read, 'Here lies Evgeny Kissin, son of the Jewish people, servant of music.'" What a gift this musician is to all of us! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Here is Evgeny playing one of my favorites – Sergei Rachmaninoff's piano concerto no. 2 (can't watch the entire piece? Just watch the last 5 minutes and your heart will melt): <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FNyQz7SiPQY" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-57457850651331624192018-09-17T22:26:00.000-04:002018-09-23T10:42:00.856-04:00Sometimes it's necessary to just chill<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In their song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YfQIJo295M" target="_blank">Nowhere Man</a>, the Beatles sing about a man who "knows not where he's going to." That seems to be a description of Moses in this week's parashah - <i>Vayelech </i>(Deuteronomy 31:1-30) - which prompted my son Niv to ask this question in his <i>Dvar Torah</i>. Here's a video of Niv delivering his <i>vort </i>to the entire Berman Hebrew Academy high school in their kickoff event. Enjoy: </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QTPZha7BcwM?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-31060491999003128212018-07-04T16:42:00.002-04:002018-07-05T01:44:35.055-04:00I Hear America Singing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While America certainly had, and still has, its share of failures and blunders, today, Independence Day, is an opportunity to reflect on America's achievements and accomplishments. And as my friend Dan Spiro commented, perhaps its greatest achievement is the <a href="https://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment1.html" target="_blank">First Amendment</a>, both the separation of government from religion and the constitutional protections of the freedoms of religion, speech, and press.<br />
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But there's another aspect to its greatness - the hard-working Americans who, with grit and determination - have made the United States into a superpower. The great Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892) captures that American spirit better than anyone else (is he our "national poet?" the equivalent of Pushkin to the Russians?)<br />
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Enjoy one of his more memorable poems, perhaps an idealized version of America, but a celebration of the 19th-century working class and a recognition of the contributions of both American men and women:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fcf9f9; font-family: "poets electra web" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,</span><br />
<pre style="background-color: #fcf9f9; font-family: "poets electra web", "times new roman", times, serif; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">Those of mechur tanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,</pre>
<pre style="background-color: #fcf9f9; font-family: "poets electra web", "times new roman", times, serif; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,</pre>
<pre style="background-color: #fcf9f9; font-family: "poets electra web", "times new roman", times, serif; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,</pre>
<pre style="background-color: #fcf9f9; font-family: "poets electra web", "times new roman", times, serif; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,</pre>
<pre style="background-color: #fcf9f9; font-family: "poets electra web", "times new roman", times, serif; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,</pre>
<pre style="background-color: #fcf9f9; font-family: "poets electra web", "times new roman", times, serif; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">The wood-cutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,</pre>
<pre style="background-color: #fcf9f9; font-family: "poets electra web", "times new roman", times, serif; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at your 6. NJwork, or of the girl sewing or washing,</pre>
<pre style="background-color: #fcf9f9; font-family: "poets electra web", "times new roman", times, serif; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,</pre>
<pre style="background-color: #fcf9f9; font-family: "poets electra web", "times new roman", times, serif; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young
fellows, robust, friendly,</pre>
<pre style="background-color: #fcf9f9; font-family: "poets electra web", "times new roman", times, serif; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.</pre>
Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-90141257046579998542018-06-15T19:36:00.002-04:002018-07-17T11:59:23.518-04:00A melody that survived the Holocaust inspires a Silver Spring congregation<br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">(Published in the <a href="http://washingtonjewishweek.com/46784/a-melody-that-survived-the-holocaust-inspires-a-silver-spring-congregation/editorial-opinion/forum/" target="_blank">Washington Jewish Week</a> on June 20, 2018)</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The National Library of Israel maintains the <a href="http://web.nli.org.il/sites/nlis/he/song" target="_blank">Piyut and Tfila Website</a> </span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">- a musical repository documenting and preserving authentic
liturgical melodies from Jewish communities around the world. You will find
melodies originating from such diverse countries as Turkey, Poland, Yemen,
Romania, Iran, Belarus, etc. </span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This week they have <a href="http://web.nli.org.il/sites/nlis/he/Song/Pages/song.aspx?songid=4202#26,79,16341,4811" target="_blank">uploaded a recording</a> that I sent them a while ago of a special liturgical melody of the <i><b>Shir Shel Yom</b></i> that is sung every Sunday morning at Congregation
Har Tzeon- Agudath Achim (HTAA) led by Holocaust survivor <b>Harvey Goldfarb. </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br /><u>What is <i>Shir Shel Yom</i>?</u></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The concluding
section of the morning prayer <i>shacharit</i> is known as the <i>Shir
Shel Yom</i>, literally meaning "song of the day." It consists of a
distinct psalm chosen for each day of the week, and is based on the Levites'
song that was chanted at the Temple in Jerusalem (Masechet Tamid, Chapter 7,
Mishnah 4).</span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Despite being referred to as "song
of the day," in virtually all synagogues this psalm is never sung to a
melody, but rather recited quietly. The chazzan will say out loud only the last
verse, perhaps because it's the end of <i>shacharit</i>, and congregants
are in a hurry to leave. After all, Sunday is for brunches, not to mention it's game day</span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">😄</span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">. </span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In any
case, in the overwhelming majority of synagogues – and there’s no difference
between Orthodox, Chassidic, Conservative and Reform – there is no song in the "Song of the Day. . ."</span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In our shul, however, we sing, and we sing it to a very special melody. Harvey Goldfarb, a Holocaust survivor who grew up in <b>Radom,
Poland</b>, taught us the melody for Sunday's "Song of the Day" that they used to sing in his community!</span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And every Sunday morning, when it’s time to recite <b>Psalm
24</b> – which is Sunday’s “Song of the Day” – he leads the congregation in this prayer (beginning with "<i>Ledavid mizmor, La'adonai ha'aretz u'meloah…</i>")
to a beautiful, rousing melody that is more than a 100-years-old<b>. </b>I've been to hundreds of synagogues throughout my life, and I am willing to bet $100 - to a charity of your choice - that today we’re
the only synagogue in the world that chants the entire Sunday <i>Shir Shel Yom</i> to a
melody! </span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></span></div>
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When I hear 93-year-old Harvey leading Psalm 24 in his mellifluous voice, I feel
chills running down my spine. Singing this melody connects us with a thriving
Jewish community that was decimated by the Nazis. Not much is left from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radom_Ghetto" target="_blank">Radom ghetto</a> – most of its Jews were killed, and all its Jewish institutions
destroyed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Yet this melody has not only survived, it is now sung regularly by members of a thriving
Jewish synagogue in 21<sup>st</sup>-century America. Chanting this melody honors the memory of all who perished, and serves as a testament to a Jewish spirit that cannot be broken. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />Thanks to editor-in-chief Uri Kroizer, and his staff at the National Library of Israel, Harvey's melody can now be shared and appreciated by Jews (and non-Jews) worldwide! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you live in the greater Washington DC area - come join the <a href="https://www.htaa.org/" target="_blank">HTAA minyannaires</a> on
a Sunday morning and feel this historical, uplifting vibe. And if you can't - <a href="http://web.nli.org.il/sites/nlis/he/Song/Pages/song.aspx?songid=4202#26,79,16341,4811" target="_blank">click here</a> to hear Harvey's melody, and if you're so inclined - teach it to your own congregation.</span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: center;">⃟ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: center;">⃟ </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;"> </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: center;">⃟</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It should be noted that Psalm 24 is recited in additional liturgical settings, such as when the Torah is returned to the ark on weekdays and holidays, and the Piyut website has other fascinating melodies for this psalm as well: <a href="http://web.nli.org.il/sites/nlis/he/Song/Pages/song.aspx?songid=4202#1,13,7799,11" target="_blank">Sfarad-Jerusalem</a>, <a href="http://web.nli.org.il/sites/nlis/he/Song/Pages/song.aspx?songid=4202#3,138,7795,74" target="_blank">Ashkenaz</a>, </span><a href="http://web.nli.org.il/sites/nlis/he/Song/Pages/song.aspx?songid=4202#6,53,7796,123" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Yemen</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">, </span><a href="http://web.nli.org.il/sites/nlis/he/Song/Pages/song.aspx?songid=4202#2,20,7800,69" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Morocco</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">, and </span><a href="http://web.nli.org.il/sites/nlis/he/Song/Pages/song.aspx?songid=4202#16,63,7801,22" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Turkey</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">. Listen to those melodies and you'll realize how much Jewish liturgy was influenced by the surrounding Arab culture and music. </span></div>
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Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-88080717132643462812018-06-10T11:09:00.002-04:002018-06-18T21:58:51.199-04:00The Aspen Hill Address<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">In Niv's grade they studied this year </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">what is arguably the most famous speech in American history -- Abraham Lincoln's </span><a href="http://www.learntheaddress.org/static/media/uploads/docs/gettysburg-address.pdf" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;" target="_blank">Gettysburg Address</a>. <span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">So when Niv ran for </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">student council at the Berman Hebrew Academy - located in Aspen Hill, Maryland - his election speech was a brilliant riff on that famous speech: </span></div>
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<br />Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-50218768160566569012018-05-08T17:33:00.002-04:002018-05-09T00:39:30.196-04:00Louis Moreau Gottschalk - the GRAND American composer<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGz89QT4e9NNI7-7cuItl_RhB8-0r_up31hxSSKFCTV0DK_m6SBw6sJVTEjbzLAGJ8L9Lb9Y6Lqq5wnUnFeRAieEj5FFAQXEvPjn1aqEOsmzlgCPDZvV2TH7SXVwbY-JRPVtNXkOtp4A/s1600/louis-moreau-gottschalk-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="900" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGz89QT4e9NNI7-7cuItl_RhB8-0r_up31hxSSKFCTV0DK_m6SBw6sJVTEjbzLAGJ8L9Lb9Y6Lqq5wnUnFeRAieEj5FFAQXEvPjn1aqEOsmzlgCPDZvV2TH7SXVwbY-JRPVtNXkOtp4A/s320/louis-moreau-gottschalk-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">Happy 189<sup>th</sup> birthday to American composer and pianist Louis Moreau Gottschalk! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">I admit I had never heard of him until I started listening intensively to <a href="https://weta.org/fm" target="_blank">WETA</a> and <a href="http://www.wbjc.com/" target="_blank">WBJC</a> – but he is a brilliant composer who displays colorful vitality and an irrepressible rhythmic drive, as you’ll hear in the <i>Grand Tarantelle</i> featured below!</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">Born on this day in 1829 to a German Jewish father and a French Creole mother, he became the first American musician to achieve international celebrity. After studying in Europe, he returned to the United States, and composed pieces tailored to American tastes. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">He loved touring exotic areas such as Cuba and South America, and his music is infused with the melodies and rhythms of those regions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">Another reason to like him is that he strongly supported the Union during the Civil War. Impelled by strong pro-Union sympathies, he returned from the West Indies to the U.S. after the outbreak of the Civil War, and between 1862 and 1865 gave more than 1,000 concerts, anywhere there was a piano, living what he called “la vie de carpetbag.” By the end of the Civil War, he had racked up 95,000 miles on the rails, and had done more to promote the Union cause than any other American musician.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I call him the "grand" composer because . . . just look at some of the names of his pieces: <i>Grand Caprice de Concert</i>, <i>Grande Marche Solonnelle</i>, <i>Forest Glade – Polka Brillante</i>, <i>Radieuse–Grande Valse de Concert</i>, <i>Grande Fantasie Triomphale Jerusalem for 2 Pianos</i>, and his popular First Symphony subtitled <i>A Night in the Tropics</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">To get a flavor of his music, listen to <a href="http://www.antonnel.com/Official_Site_of_Pianist_Anton_Nel/Welcome.html" target="_blank">Anton Nel</a> and the Austin Civic Orchestra play his charming </span><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Grand Tarantelle for piano and orchestra </i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">- a tour de force with a rousing finish</span><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">:</i><br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KRnqIMvl2jE" width="560"></iframe>Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-43457267957668666292018-04-30T23:58:00.004-04:002018-06-15T23:29:59.380-04:00How Carl Friedrich Gauss Helped Solve the "Omer Money Challenge" <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcu6eVMzuScQGXea7z7KgHM3vM-YED1qzd5V7Owy4yQ5BIJXAjvs68_VEsjcLGfZKxETntnP8SoTpg9Opj57cwvC5vqe-le2bw9wPJXzNPTWEOGyjmCQI8BPJ4mNBHytGLpXuh8PKOVAs/s1600/gauss+formula.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="377" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcu6eVMzuScQGXea7z7KgHM3vM-YED1qzd5V7Owy4yQ5BIJXAjvs68_VEsjcLGfZKxETntnP8SoTpg9Opj57cwvC5vqe-le2bw9wPJXzNPTWEOGyjmCQI8BPJ4mNBHytGLpXuh8PKOVAs/s400/gauss+formula.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Happy<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>birthday to
the great German mathematician <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Friedrich_Gauss" target="_blank">Carl Friedrich Gauss</a>, born on this date in 1777. </span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The only child of poor peasants, he grew up to become the "Prince of Mathematicians," and made important contributions to number theory, geometry, probability and astronomy. But perhaps the most famous story about Gauss is the way he figured out how to instantly add all the numbers between 1 and 100. </span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As you'll see below, this formula comes in handy in everyday situations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When Gauss was ten, he and his classmates were instructed to
add up all the numbers from 1 to 100. Their teacher, Herr Buttner, was tired,
and thought that this task would keep the class quietly occupied for the rest
of the afternoon. After about a minute, Gauss raised his hand and said, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“The answer is 5,050, sir.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Shocked, the teacher
came over and asked little Gauss how is it possible that he added all the numbers so quickly. Gauss replied that he didn’t. Instead of adding the numbers consecutively,
Gauss paired them in the following way: <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1 + 100 = 101<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2 + 99 = 101<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">3 + 98 = 101, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All the numbers from 1 to 100 are essentially 50 pairs of
numbers whose sum is 101. So the answer is: <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">50 * 101 = 5,050<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And more generally: <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>The sum (S) of all the whole numbers between 1 and N will always be: </b></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>S = (N/2) * (N+1)</b></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How does this formula come in handy?</span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><b><u>The Omer Money Challenge</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">We are now in the midst of "<i>sefirat ha'omer</i>" - the period in the Jewish calendar when we count the Omer. Starting on the second night of Passover and continuing until Shavuot, every night we have the opportunity to recite a blessing and perform the mitzvah of <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/how-to-count-the-omer/" target="_blank">counting the Omer</a>. </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">This mitzvah requires no artifacts, but only persistence. The countdown - or more accurately, the "count up" - goes until 49 (<a href="https://www.shamaileibowitz.org/2014/05/control-of-time-is-mark-of-freedom.html?q=omer" target="_blank">click here</a> for my article about the spiritual significance of counting the Omer). </span><br />
<br />Remembering to count the Omer for 49 nights in a row, without
forgetting even once, is quite a challenge. And there's a penalty for forgetting -- if you forget for an entire 24-hour period, you
can no longer continue counting with a blessing.<br />
<br />
So I proposed a "money challenge" to
my kids. For every day they remember to count the Omer, they will get an
additional 10 cents. On the first night, they'll get 10 cents, on the second
night - 20 cents, on the third - 30 cents, etc. If they forget - they
will receive the amount they accumulated until that day.<br />
<br />
Now that they have an incentive, how much money do you think they'll earn if they complete the full 49 days? </span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Since we're talking an increase of only 10 cents per
day - that doesn't seem like a lot of money, does it? After all, it sounds like I'm promising them <i>bubkes</i>!<br />
<br />Enter Gauss to the rescue.<br />
<br />
Let's use his formula: <b>Sum = (N/2) * (N+1)</b><br />
<br />
with <b>N=49</b>.<br />
<br />
To make it simple and avoid
fractions, we'll imagine that the increase is a dollar every day, and
then we'll divide the result by 10 (since the real increase is only 10 cents
per day).<br />
<br />
Plugging in the numbers we
get:<br />
<br />
49/2 * (50) = 1,225<br />
<br />
Divide by 10:<br />
<br />
Sum = $122.5<br />
<br />Isn't that amazing? Even though the increase
is only 10 cents per day - the total amount after 49 days is a whopping <b>$122.50</b>!<br />
<br />
It's a
counter-intuitive result -- I bet you didn't guess that amount -- but thanks to Gauss, we figured it out within
seconds. And if you're wondering, as of today, they're still going strong, and counting every
night . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;">⃟ </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px;">⃟ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px;">⃟ </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><u>Addendum</u></b>: For those interested in higher-level math, this is essentially a simplified case of finding the sum of a sequence of numbers in an arithmetic series, for which the formula is: </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><b>S = n[2a+(n-1)d]/2</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">where <b>a</b> is the first term, <b>d</b> is the difference between the terms, and <b>n</b> is the number of terms. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">In our case, if we work with cents, then a =10, d = 10, and n = 49. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Plugging in these values, we get: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">S = 49[20+(48*10)]/2 = 49 * 500 / 2 = 12,250 cents = <b>$122.50</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17.3333px;">Same result, but a much more complicated way, and I always prefer to KISS (Keep It Short and Simple...) </span></span></div>
Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-75876017397473428292018-03-22T03:19:00.001-04:002018-03-22T03:27:04.995-04:00Gronich arranges and sings Bach<br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yesterday was Johann Sebastian Bach’s 333<sup>rd</sup> birthday, and in honor of the occasion, I’d like to share a wonderful arrangement of his prelude no. 1 from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Well-Tempered_Clavier" target="_blank">Well-Tempered Clavier</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bach’s prelude is for keyboard only, but Israeli singer and songwriter <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shlomo_Gronich" target="_blank">Shlomo Gronich</a> felt that it can serve as a basis for a beautiful melody line. So he composed a melody, added lyrics -- consisting of a Hebrew translation of a poem by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabindranath_Tagore" target="_blank">Rabindranath Tagore</a> -- and added all of this to Bach’s prelude. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So without further ado, here is "<i>Al Na Telech</i>" (Please Do Not Leave)—first you’ll hear Bach's prelude on its own, and then Gronich will play it again with the superimposed melody: </span><br />
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<br />Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042967687345748102.post-42294051939102321422017-12-19T21:36:00.001-05:002018-12-05T11:34:53.252-05:00Maoz Tzur in the hands of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, et. al.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Did you know that Maoz Tzur's most popular melody - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTqseveYMK8" target="_blank">the one you're familiar with</a> - is derived from a 16th-century Protestant Choral? We can wonder, then, how this beautiful melody would sound in the hands of the great classical composers. Tzvi Vigel composed such a piece, called Maoz Tzur Variations, in which the basic melody is interwoven with each composer's most famous pieces. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Corrections to the Youtube video</b>: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The variations start at </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1:40, b</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">ut the Youtube editor who added captions made several mistakes: </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">* At 4:32 instead of "Brahms" - it should say Schubert (melody from the famous <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3k81__bwrM" target="_blank">Trout Quintet</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">* At 5:52 instead of "Mahler" - it should be Brahms (melody from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRu7CMg6wSs" target="_blank">Variations on a Theme by Haydn</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">* At 6:50 instead of "Mussorgsky" - it should be Gustav Mahler (watch the original melody from Symphony No. 1 the "Titan" with the great Gustavo Dudamel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIykYnoKKt8" target="_blank">here</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">* And at 8:25 - it should say "Mussorgsky" (melody from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OIFfa1KD_c" target="_blank">Pictures at an Exhibition</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">* The final variation at 9:46 is by Israeli composer <a href="http://www.marclavry.org/biography/" target="_blank">Marc Lavry</a> (1903-1967)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But the editor got the first 3 correct ☺ (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Enjoy: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Hanukkah!</span></div>
Shamai Leibowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04884523866215064016noreply@blogger.com0