8 Dead, 10 Wounded...

As I'm sure we all heard, there was that terrorist attack at Yeshivas Merkaz HaRav Kook last night, to start off Adar II. A gunman [y'mach sh'mo v'zichro, may his name and memory be erased] came in with a cardboard box with the gun inside, and started shooting. Four minutes straight, just shooting. 500 - 600 bullets. Finally someone heard and shot him twice in the head.

So what do we do now? We can't change what happened, but we can effect the future. What do we do know? You know, when we're kids, I heard a lot that you know, when you're learning, you can't get hurt. The Midrash says that when the Mal'ach Hamaves wanted to take Dovid HaMelech, he distracted him, and in the exact second where he wasn't saying the words of Torah, he fell and died. So they say, oh, say Torah, and you won't get hurt. I think there's a source for that maybe? Whatever it is, that's not what happened last night. These high school kids were killed al kiddush HaShem, sitting in the beis medrash, shteiging away. All of a sudden... "R' Ashi says it's mutar..." and that's it. On one hand that's very holy, the last words, dying with words of Torah on your lips. On the other hand, shouldn't they be protected? They were learning...?

I don't know. but I do know that we should all try to work on ourselves to be better people. Maybe if we are better, HaShem won't decree such a thing. Maybe He will, but even so, at least we're better people. "Useshuva usefilah utzedakah ma'avirin es ro'ah hagizeirah."

By the way, my wife just told me a few minutes ago that she had heard that the gunman [yshv"z] used to work at the yeshiva. As a cleaning person I guess maybe, something of the sort? Maybe we should think twice, nay, 100 times before hiring Arabs for jobs.

The Really Annoying Tzitzis Curls: Problem & Solution

You know how sometimes if you untie then retie tzitzis (for whatever reason), the strings get curled at the end? Right? Familiar? We all know why it happens. It's because the string was tied for so long, it just stays in that position, more or less, curled. So I did that yesterday. It has been annoying me that I'm walking around with a shittah of techeiles that no one holds anymore, so I decided to do something about it -- I changed the tying to Gr"a. But then I realized that I would haver the dreaded Really Annoying Tzitzis Curls, and was saddedened to realize that that was going to be my fate, but, I had to change my tzitzis anyway. But then HaShem put an idea into my head: why don't I iron the tzitzis strings? That would for sure work. So I spoke to the shvigger (mother-in-law), we got the iron, we did it and low and behold, the Really Annoying Tzitzis Curls are gone.

Thank you Lord for this epiphany.

More Vacation! Wooo!

Yup, more. Except this one is my regular (Ha! Regilah...!) week-vacation that every chayyal gets every 4 months. It's cool, just chilling, resting. I tried to go to the shooting range (no, we do NOT shoot enough in the army. Besides, that's only m16s and m4s, I want to shoot a pistol) today...no, I didn't try to go, I went, but it wasn't so successful. They lady said that I have to get a "te'udat yosher" from the police (I assume a te'udah saying that I'm yashar, straight (no, not that type of straight)), and something from the doctor. I walked out, but then I went back in. Slichah, I'm a chayyal, does that matter? No, still need those stuff. Too bad...Good thing that when I get back to base I have to m'apeis (straighten the sights I guess?) my new gun. Yeah shooting! Wooo!

Last week we had tekes So Maslul. It marks the end of a year (about) that we trained and fought together, the guys I was drafted with. Now we're all splitting up to the 3 other companies of Duchifat: Palchod, Mivtza'it or M'saya'at. The arsim almost always go to the M'saya'at. BH I'm going to the Palchod, following my Lieutenant Matan. It is possible that I won't be in his machlakah (platoon), but I am davening that that is not that case. He is absolutely amazing. Sunday we'll find out.

Either way, my new base will be in Ofrah, not in P'sagot like I had thought. You see, on May 18 the whole unit is leaving Ramallah and going up to the Jordan Valley for training for 10 weeks. They figured there's no point to switch bases for 2 months (every 4 months the companies switch bases), so we're staying in Ofrah.

Being married is still cool. Haven't got tired of Her. Yet...Hehe just kidding. Chalilah v'chas if should get tired of her...

That's it for now. Have a great Shabbos.