Flying Down Memory Lane

Yesterday was 29 Adar. It was my Grandmother Leah Heimann's yartzheit--Savta Yuli (her Hungarian name) as we called her. So today we went to the cemetery to her kever. It was the first time I have ever been there. it's on Har HaMenuchos, which is huge, only Saba remebered where it was. I think I know how to get there, Baruch HaShem. I am difinitely going before I leave Eretz Yisrael.
We got there, I said my tehillim for my people that I say it for, then called Ima (at 4 am her time), I then recited Eishes Chayyil, and then Tehillim 130. Davening for, among other things, B'nei Yisrael. While I was saying Tehillim, I had my hand on the kever the entire time. I wanted to feel Savta Yuli there. I just wanted to touch her, hug her, say I love her. I did, but I couldn't touch her, just the stone. I didn't hug it, but I kissed it, kissed her. Took two pictures.
Then we dropped off Amit at the tachana, then went to Saba's house. I walked in, and BAM! that the smell hit me. Y'all know the smell, it's that familiar old-people smell that as kids think is weird, but when we grow up, we love it. It brings back so many memories from when we were there, the good and bad. Me though, I walked in, I loved it. I haven't been there since I was 3. I was walking around, looking at everything. Trying to remember something, anything. I just walked around, looking and touching everything. There were a lot of porcelain (sp?) things: 2 dolphins, Rosh HaShana honey thing. There were quite a few dolls. So Savta Yuli like. Very Hungarian. A thing that says "Toronto is for lovers". Walked into the kitchen, opened the cabinets, just to look at the pots and pans. Just to remember something. But alas, I have! I remember very, very vaguely, the sink on the left side of the kitchen, I remember that. There were pictures of Tali everywhere. So cute. There was a painting of a man learning, and in the bottom corners there were two pictures: One of Ra'anan speaking at his bar mitzvah wearing his talis and tefillin, and the other of me at Ra'anan's bar mitzvah. Wow was I cute. And young. Wow. (Stu: You were so cute, what happened? Tonny: I got cuter) I walked around, remembered some pictures and crocheings (sp?).

Good times, good times...

Schimmelism Of The Week XLV

Roth: I don't know what I would do without baseball. I think I would crawl up in a ball and die.
Tonny: I think I would cry all day.

Sweetness

I am definately down with this (the last line of the post)...

Thanks Sam. You should hear what Jahaniv has to say about America...

Mazal Tov Yehonatan!!

Mazal tov! I'm so happy for you!!

Not Just The Gadol's Door This Time...

Sheirut to Yerushalayim: 240 shekels.
Massov (shwarma place) dinner in Yerushalayim: 525 shekels
Taxis to 13/8 Rechov Admor MiRadzin in Har Nof: 125 shekels.
Sheirut back to yeshiva in Zanoach: 260 shekels.
45 minutes with the Bostoner Rebbe: priceless.

Yup, that's right, after being denied the chance to see R' Ovadyah Yosef a few weeks ago, and R's Chayyim Kanievsky and Shteinman (that was this day), Joey set up a meeting for the yeshiva to meet R' Levi Horowitz, the Bostoner Rebbe. He davens there, so he knows the Rebbes sons, especially R' Naftali, so he called him, got some numbers, set it up, and BAM! an appointment with the Rebbe, tonight at 830.
We get there, R' Wolicki knocks on the door, and says and asks, "Are you Nesanel (the gabbai)?" And the reply "no." We all held our breaths then, and for around 5 seconds, we all thought we weren't going to go in. But then we hear R' Wolicki say, "Oh ok," and I felt much better. We walked in, sat down around the table, and a few minutes later, the Rebbe walks in. He sits down, starts speaking to us. He spoke to us for about 30 minutes. About Pesach, and getting the chameitz out of our bodies, and doing mitzvos. You know, the usual. And then after that we all spoke with him one-on-one, for a minute or two. Beforehand we had written little notes, so the Rebbe can daven on our behalf, hopefully maybe he'd be able to get HaShem to say yes, you know? Rebbe's have this special thing. I gave him mine and Max's (he wasn't able to come, he had to leave for the airport), and asked him something else, and he gave me a bracha for that. Hopefully the Lord will help me.
Overall, a great night.

Oh, and I fixed up my sapphire d'var torah which is always good...

Why Didn't We Think Of This Before?!

Israeli Psychologists: Chocolate Therapy for Brain Trauma
By Hana Levi Julian

Chocolate. The very word itself conjures up images that evoke happy thoughts, relief, pleasure and pain relief.
It has also become a tool for rehabilitation in Ra’anana, where two psychologists at the Beit Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital have created a chocolate sculpture therapy program.

Why are we Jews so smart?! It's not fair!

But I love it so much.

"Only the best chocolate is used in the sessions, the psychologists assured."

Baruch HaShem Yom Yom.

"Titein Emes L'Yaakov..."

"He gave Truth to Yaakov..."

-Michah 7:20

Last night, R' Yitzchak Sherin (sp?) came to Yeshiva last night to speak about his grandfather, R' Yaakov Kaminetsky, who's yartzheit is sometime next week, we don't really know when (R' Yaakov died on 30 Adar II, 1986, and in most years, there is no 30 Adar). He decided to speak about R' Yaakov's view on mitzvos between man and man. There are 2 categories for mitzvos: bein adam laMakom (between man and God), and bein adam lachaveiro (between man and man). He said that R' Yaakov viewed #2 not as between man and man, but between man and the Image of God, and the passuk says in Breishis, "And He created man in the image of God." And R' Yaakov treated everyone as if they were the Image of God. When he said that, it blew me away. And Rabbis Wolicki and Lipman. And other people. It was ridiculous. And in his talk, R' Yitzchak told us these stories about R' Yaakov and like, wow. R' Yaakov was ridiculous. For example, when he had guests, he would only talk to them about things they were experts in. If someone was an economist, he'd talk to them about economy; if they were a historian, he'd talk to them about history, etc. He knew psychology about people so well, and he didn't even learn it formerly. Every Friday in the spring, his doctor would come to give him allergy shots, so they'd talk medicine. He had a psychiatrist he'd talk to. That's how he knew psychology of people so well. A lot of his explanation on Chumash (Emes L'Yaakov, I recommend it to EVERYBODY), he starts off by saying, Ok, imagine you're in this situation...etc. R' Yaakov was just unbelievable.

Oh, did He ever give Emes to [R'} Yaakov...

Purim, B'nei B'rak, Arabs

Yeah, I haven't posted in a while except for Schimmelisms, but it's been crazy recently, with Purim, Shabbos in Tzfas (yes, I said Tzfas), today. All I'll say is that Purim was awesome, and that there was major self impressivage going on on Purim, learning the Megillah in about a day. I TOTALLY impressed myself there. Just like, hey, not bad. I mean, the reading wasn't the best, there were some parts where i forgot the trop and whatever, but it wasn't so bad if I do say so myself. Thank you Lord.
Today was crazy. We went to B'nei B'rak to see R' Chayyim Kanievsky (the Steipler's son), and R' Steinman. We got on the highway, and we got in mad traffic because these stupid Arabs decided, "Hey, let's go kill some Jews." And then they got caught (See what happens when you mess with us Jews?!?! Jeez, will they ever learn...?) (Oh, and yes this was the one on Highway 1 from Yerushalayim - Tel Aviv). On the highway, we saw a cop with a radar gun, but then we passed it, and saw it was fake. So in traffic, we were in a stand still, and then the cops told us to turn around, so we did, and we were driving on the left side of the road (I never thought I'd drive on the wrong side not in England). Then we saw a truck's cargo falling off the back. After that we were driving behidn a truck with cows on the back. Then we get to B'nei B'rak and R' Chayyim is napping. We get to R' Steinman, wait for him for 45 minutes, and we find out that the dude who said he set up the appointment, never really did. And then we came back. Crazy dude, just crazy. And Mordy is still sick here.
And Tzfas was awesome.

Schimmelism Of The Week XLIV

Moshe: Oh stop complaining and cry me a river!
Tonny: I hope you drown in it.

Schimmelism Of The Week XLIII

Yoni: Is there a party tonight [for Rosh Chodesh Adar]?
Tonny: No, it's still Shevat.
Yoni: Says who?
Tonny: The calendar. Duh.

Kahana: It's so cold, I don't understand.
Tonny: It's called February dude.
Yaniv: But it's March.

Yeah 11 G's Hits!

Thanks y'all!

Floatage Dropping A Bucket

Ok in English that translates to I scored tonight in our basketball game. First all season. I don't play that much, so I don't have that many oppurtunities. The first game I was in I just missed 2 or 3 shots. Next games I didn't have shots, until tonight. We were winning by enough with like, a minute to go, and Sam and I were breaking, I got the pass, took the lay up and scored. It was cool. Everyone was excited for me, don't know why...

The Floatage does it. I gave the Mir the bid'ness!

New Favorites

In Jewish Philosophy, we're now doing a Ramban, Sha'ar HeGemul, about Hell (he says it's a real place), and all that. He quotes a medrash in which R' Yehoshu'a ben Levi (an amora) says one time he went into Gehenom (Hell) and he measured the first room in it, and it was 100 miles by 50 miles. And he goes on to say that in the next rooms, that the 70 nations are there, 10 in each room, and in addition to these nations, there is 1 Jew who deserves to be there (for example, Korach is in one of the rooms with them, Do'eig is in one, Michah is, Yerov'am, etc). And in the rooms, there is an angel who is whipping them with whips of fire, and it names the names of each angel: Kushi'el, Lahati'el, Shfati'el, Kati'el, Chutri'el, Pusi'el, Dalki'el.

These just became my new favorite names (Lazar and Zechariya just got pushed down), and these are going to be the names of my sons. Will my future wife please note this.

Schimmelism Of The Week XLII

Yoni: 80% of Chassidim don't pay taxes.
Daniel K: 90% of waht you just siad is BS.
Yoni: At least I take a shower 3 times a week.
Daniel: Ooooh, you got me there.

I was talking to Kfare on Friday, and I realized that I haven't had a true Schimmelism in a while, so here it is:

Gelbtuch, if you wish to have a conversation, go next door, address one of the toilets, & converse with it on your level.

Whew!

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Could'>http://blogthings.com/couldyoupasstheuscitizenshiptestquiz/">Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

High Incompetence

I can't seem to take my temperature. I've tried 4 times this morning, and every time I've got either 96 ot 97, and my temperature is DEFINATELY NOT that. I feel better though. BH.

I hope I feel better to open up that can of floatage on the Mir tomorrow night. 830 in Talpiyot at the Mercaz HaPayyis (no Ed, NOT the other one...)

I need some Shabbos Store action. (or Shabbos Storeness; Shabbos Storage.) Oh right, I don't have much money. Right. Almost forgot...That whole my-wallet-got-stolen-thing...right...

Random Schimmelism

R' Kahn: Think of the table as a flotaing thing in the air.
David: Hey Tonny you could do that.

Oh Yes...

My stomach's been hurting since yesterday around 3. It still hurts, but now my head hurts too. And I have a fever--100.

Great.

I Want My Wallet

It's over. Nothing to say, it's just over.

And my wallet got stolen last Thursday.

And we got basketball Motz"sh. If we win, we'rei n the playoffs, if not, then not.

Need to open a can of MAJOR floatage on TJ.