The "New" Post-Army Hesder

What is hesder? It's a four year program (people think it's five because most guys are in yeshvia until shana heih (or more), not starting the actual four years until shana bet) where guys do a year and four months of the army, and the rest of the time learning in yeshiva, all the while technically soldiers in Tzahal. Post-army hesder guys are there if there's an emergency, before milu'imnikim (reservists) are called up.

Funny thing though. Until now, the post-army hesder guys were barely ever called up, if at all. They weren't even called up for the Second Lebanon War -- they weren't in any type of unit to be called up. You can't just go in war and battle, it has to be all set up with commanders and officers and equipement and all that stuff. You can't just go if you want to.

So the army finally started doing what it should've been doing a long time ago -- putting us in actual units, that if chalilah v'chas they need us, they can call us.

Because my army ID was stolen with my wallet last week....(don't ask)....I had to wait outside of the base for around 2 hours until I got permission, and even then I had to wait until the radio room actually called it in to the guards. On Sunday I have to go to get a new one. That means that until then, I can't get my regular 9.60 shekels on inter-city busses. Including the bus on the way to the base to get my new ID...whatever.

Anyway, back to where we were....this week they started the new post-army hesder, putting us in actual milu'im units. The question I have is is it just hesder guys, and when we get out of hesder, we're put in actual milu'im units? Or these are milu'im units, and we get put in now? Either way, we'll find out...

It's actually kind of cool though: if there's an emergency, we report to a certain base that just happens to be right outside of where I live; maybe two minutes by car?

When we got there, we had to fill out a form (the usual name, address, t.z. number, etc. etc.), and had a short interview with our new colonel. He seems nice. I think he was surprised by the number married guys we had...hehe. He asked me what I did in the army, and I told him, sharpshooter. I don't see why I won't continue that in my new unit. Fun paka"l...

He even asked if I wanted specifically to be with any of my friends, or just to put me wherever he wanted, which was nice, because I did want to be with some specific people. A few of the guys I mentioned were spread out, but at least I'm with one of them I said.

Rabbi W has told me a few times how his brother and this guy have been together in the army the whole way, starting from basic training, all the way to going together to the same vatika (like where I was at in Ofrah), and even in milu'im together. And you wouldn't guess...they live in the same neighborhood, and go to the same shul.

Yehi Ratzon it will be a peacefull time...

Look At These Guns

As I mentioned once, because I'm in yeshiva in the Old City, and that I live in Givat Zev, I can get a pistol license. Well, b'ezrat Hashem that will happen soon, as a month will be up in around a week or 2 and I will get my license. Because one only has 2 months to buy a gun after he gets the licnese, (or else he has to go through the whole process again -- it happened to my chavrusa) I have started to look around. I'm looking at getting the Smith & Wesson 6906 (similar to the 659 you see), which a friend at Aish got in black -- I'd be getting it in silver (besides for looking cooler, I've read that stainless steel is much better quality than black) -- for 2250 shekel.

I went yesterday to the other shooting range in Yerushalayim in Talpiyot to look at what they got. The guy showed me a new gun that just came out, the Bul Cherokee (3rd picture down), really suggested I get it. I said I didn't want a new gun -- they're usually expensive, but he said that this one is only 2990. It's 40% plastic, so it's really light, and really comfortable. It's big, but light, and holds 16 bullets. The SW I want, is smaller, but heavier (not too heavy though), and holds only 12 bullets. I don't know, we'll see, maybe I'll look for another store, see what they have.

Til next time.

New Suit

I got a suit for my wedding, and that's the only suit I've been wearing since then (the pre-wedding I've had since 12th grade and was getting small/old), meaning that if I don't take it to the cleaners for awhile, I'm stuck with wearing a not-so-clean suit. Before Rosh Hashana I decided to take it in, but figured, I'm going to need to take it in after also, so I might as well wait. Tzivia, though, had a different idea. "You only have one suit?? Buy another one, gosh!"

So I went yesterday to buy another one. Shopping for the wedding suit took maybe 2 seconds -- how hard is it to find a straight, black suit? It didn't take me long to find it. This time, however, I didn't just want to buy a black suit, I wanted pinstripes, like mafiosos....or Sfareidis (sfardi chareidis, nickname made up by....don't remember who), whichever, take your pick. So I went looking. I went to the wedding suit store in Geulah on Malchei Yisrael, but didn't have anything I wanted -- after I had gone to the other stores, I realized that are really expensive -- so I went down the street.

They had much better prices, and something I liked, but still I wanted to check out one more store. I walked in, and went to the size I was looking for, 48. I saw about 6 suits, 4 of them really similar to each other and to the one at the other store, that I liked. I then decided to look at size 50, why not? I looked, and saw The Suit. Prefect pinstripes, perfect in thickness and distance. But alas, 50 is too big. And it wasn't really similar to the suits I had liked. I then looked at 46, why not? And again, The Suit was there, in size 46. A thought then came to me: my wedding suit is 46 (I had, yes, gained a little weight since then, so I figured to buy a 48), so if this one is too tight I could just take it out a little bit, and the owner of the store agreed. I tried on the jacket -- not only did it fit (it's a bit too tight when I close it, but I only close it for Shmoneh Esrei, and it's also nothing a little running can't fix), but it also had 4 buttons, something I had always wanted. When I had gone shopping for my wedding suit, the guy said, "4 buttons has been out for two years." I then tried on the pants...a perfect fit. All he had to do to the suit was to make the cuffs, and that's it. It felt a little weird getting a suit, and the guy not making any markings on it with the dry soap at all.

I'm so excited for Shabbos with a new suit.

D-Wright Is A god

David Wright finished the season with 33 homers, 115 runs scored, and 124 RBI (runs batted in). For those Who don't know 100 RBIs in a season is great. If one consistently gets 100 RBIs every season (like Wright), he's known as a star. Anyway, Wright batted .243 for the season with runners in scoring position. .243...a figure which isnt really good....and yet he STILL had 124 rbis....imagine if he would've batted .300 with RISP....

New Time For Mincha

Because we turned the clock back already, so BH I can daven Ma'ariv before I go back home. So I went to the Kotel and was davening at about 6pm. At 605 I noticed that there was a minyan right in front of us, and I only heard them say Kaddish and Shmoneh Esrei, so I thought that I just must have missed their Barchu and rest of Ma'ariv. When I finished my Ma'ariv Shmoneh Esrei, I heard them all of a sudden say in unison, "Baruch Hu uvaruch Shmo." And I was wodnering, "What...?" and then I heard another one, and then an "Amein." And then another BHU"SH, and then another "Amein," and then something entered my ears that I wasn't expecting to hear: Kedusha. "Nekadeish es Shimcha...." And then I realized, Dude, they're davening Mincha.

Just so you understand, if today would've been Shabbos, it would've ended 13 minutes before they started Mincha. Not like, oh, sunset was only 10 minutes ago, but Shabbos would've been over already! *sigh* What were they thinking...?

Nu nu...

Annoying Israeli Government Offices

Two weeks ago I gave in forms for a gun license, but I didn't have a passport picture, so she told me just to bring it whenever. I asked how long it would take and she said about a month.

Today I went in to give in that picture and she said, what, you came in just to bring in the picture? You didn't have to bring it in today, we call you in the end, and then you bring it in. What, Revital (the girl who dealt with me) didn't tell you? Uh, no I said.

So then I asked her how much longer it would be, and she said another month. I asked, "that's what the girl said 2 weeks ago." She then stares at me over her glasses and says, mamash no. Right now we sent out those licenses for people who came to us in August.

More waiting...