Tzeit ha- kokhavim in Somerset

Hello all,

We're current on 'manvers' in the wilds of the West Country, England ! We've had a great Shabbat stay with my sister, Esther,in Somerset and tomorrow, we are going to see my sister in Cornwall. Now there are very few Jews in Somerset, a beautiful part of Great Britain, btw, (see picture below), so aside from seeing my sister, this was also a 'pastoral' visit to encourage and support a fellow child of Israel. 

I noted in my post below family is a key clue of the Jewish tradition. And boy was I NOT disappointed! We had a wonderful Friday Shabbat meal, the effects of the floods notwithstanding, thanks to my sister's culinary skill, with many moving songs and erudite Torah discussion. To me this reminds me of the story of Daniel, a  young Jew who was part of the exile in Babylon. He had no Shul, he had no prayer group, no Jewish society and heaven forbid no Aish.com! But through G-d and Torah he grew and grew and grew! Such is how I have found my sister's family. 

 I usually  have the time to check up the dates of the end of Shabbat beforehand. As I have had busy week, I have not been able to check this out and according to Talmudic tradition, we had to rely on Tzeit Ha-Kokhavim; that is the when the Sages said Shabbat ends (roughly 1 hour after sunset or when you can see 3 stars shining in the night). As my sister lives in a rural area, we all ventured out in the late evening to look at the sunset and to see if we could spot the stars in the night's sky. What a wonderful experience! To rely on the traditions, rather than a website, to see for ourselves the wonder of G-d's creation in the stars! In addition, this family experience has helped me become closer to my wayward teenage Gentile stepdaughter (although my wife is a convert, children of converts do not 'automatically' become Jews and therefore it is their choice of what to be), who for the first time called me 'dad', (:  After a long and heartfelt conversations over the Friday night Shabbat table. We are both better off for these conversations and perhaps, just perhaps, she is going to explore G-d, Judaism and religion in general. I  feel that I wish to end with the prayers of the evening, as is per our faith : 

'Help us lie down O L-rd our G-d , in peace, and rise up, O our King, to life. Spread over us your Shalom. Shelter us in the shadow of your wings , for you, G-d, are a gracious and compassionate King. Guard our going out and our coming in, for life and peace, for now and forever. Blessed are you  L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, who makes the bonds of sleep fall on my eyes and slumber on my eyelids. May it be Your will, L-rd my G-d and G-d of my fathers, that you make me lie down in peace and arise in peace. Let not my imagination, bad dreams or troubling thoughts disturb me. May my bed be flawless before You. Enlighten  my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death, for it is You who illuminate the pupil of the eye. Blessed are You, L-rd , who gives light to the whole world in his glory'.

Ahmen and  halleluyah

Family Influences

I was reflecting the other day about the influences on my life, after reflection I thought of the following :

• My late  mother, for teaching me Torah and a love of Sephardic culture and the world of Jewry all told 

• My late father, for teaching and encouraging me in my secular studies, alongside religious ones .For instilling in me a sense of understanding about my host country Great Britain

• My late paternal uncle, for teaching me that one can respect and appreciate different faiths, without being untrue to your own

• My late first wife, who as she was  from a Chabad-Lubavitch background, helped me realise that not all mysticism is wrong or not worth studying, who gave me a joy & companionship, that I'd never  thought would ever be possible and a love of humanity that endured until she died.

• My twin brother Sholmo, who has always stood by me in a fight

• My sister Esther, whose knowledge of the Torah is complimented by her compassion toward others

• My sister Ruth,whose patience and ability to listen without judgement has keep me going 

• My brother Samuel, who provides much needed levity and brings me to earth with a crash

• My sister Rachel, whose sharp tonge and fierece loyality will be appreciated by a future husband

• My sister Hannah, who for her kindness during my darkest hours of depression and loneliness, I might not be here today.

• My children, who remind me of the miracle of life, the miracle of love, that family can be an exhausting proposition, but a deeply rewarding one.

• My second wife, who filled a void in my heart that I never thought would ever be filled again. Who provides nothing other than, love, attention and beauty in my life. Who helped me understand that rationalism and mystical belief can be reconciled and that even as she was an atheist before her conversion to Judaism. she was not far oft from The Almighty.

And last, but never least, Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh,- The One Who Was, The One Who Is-without whom I would not be here and the above be possible. As a Jew I have wrestled with Hashem, as did Jacob, all of my life. But he has been with me, even if I not with him, bring this lost sheep of Israel back to his fold, as he has done with my brother Samuel and sister Hannah.

Halleluyah, Ha-Kadosh Barukh Hu, Halleluyah

Children of Israel are NEVER alone!

Sam the dude, here (AGAIN!) , 

I wanted to put this vid up as it chimes with my own thoughts after my experiences with atheism, liberalism and wacko fundie 'Xian cults and my own returning to the Jewish fold. Thanks be to God, who worked through my dear and lovely brothers and sisters. Even when I'd lost them, they didn't loose me. Neither did God.The big irony is that, to summarize how I feel, I've got a song sung by a Mormon (non of the usual jokes about how I look like Donny Osmond please!) and written by an atheist. Still it is relevant to my own personal journey: 

And then the encouragement from my family, which is how in my own weird way, is who I can explain  this  stuff :