A blessing on your house!

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City Daily Photo bloggers have to choose one of their own photos at the end of each year as their Photo of the Year.
You can see who chose what at the CDP website.

My picture has a message for the new year!

PAX HUIC DOMUI  --  Peace be to this house

It is the wish and the blessing of all who enter this wonderful Swiss house built in the 1700s or maybe even earlier in the tiny hamlet of Grandchamp in western Switzerland.
Now the house, named l'Amandier,  is part of a monastic community of nuns from the Reformed churches of Europe.
I lived there these past two months as a volunteer.
See my room and the whole building in an earlier post.

On December 31, on Facebook,  poet Jan Richardson shared her poem-blessing  that seems to be speaking about my beloved l'Amandier as well as about the new year.
Here is what she wrote:

"A blessing for you, from me, in this turning of the year. May this new year hold solace and hope; may it—through us—hold welcome and grace. Deep peace to you."

THE YEAR AS A HOUSE
A Blessing

Think of the year
as a house:
door flung wide
in welcome,
threshold swept
and waiting,
a graced spaciousness
opening and offering itself
to you.

Let it be blessed
in every room.
Let it be hallowed
in every corner.
Let every nook
be a refuge
and every object
set to holy use.

Let it be here
that safety will rest.
Let it be here
that health will make its home.
Let it be here
that peace will show its face.
Let it be here
that love will find its way.

Here
let the weary come
let the aching come
let the lost come
let the sorrowing come.

Here
let them find their rest
and let them find their soothing
and let them find their place
and let them find their delight.

And may it be
in this house of a year
that the seasons will spin in beauty,
and may it be
in these turning days
that time will spiral with joy.
And may it be
that its rooms will fill
with ordinary grace
and light spill from every window
to welcome the stranger home.

—Jan Richardson

Things that go boom in the night

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More rain today for the third time this week! and the Negev desert is wearing green!
Last night I tried to sleep through a thunderstorm overhead, while Israeli families not so far to the west were trying to sleep in or near their fortified room as Gaza fired rockets (over 70 in the last two days).

In yesterday's post we learned the blessing said when seeing a rainbow.

The blessing upon hearing thunder is:
Baruch Ata Adonai eloheinu melech ha-olam, sheh-kocho ugevurato malei olam.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, whose strength and might fills the world.

The blessing upon seeing lightning is:
Baruch Ata Adonai eloheinu melech ha-olam, oseh maaseh bereishit.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who makes the work of creation.
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(Linking to SkyWatch Friday.)
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Rain and a rainbow!

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We were treated to welcome and needed rain today and even a RAINBOW!

Libby (in her pre-Purim hat)  and I happily chased the rainbow a few blocks but it disappeared when we reached the edge of Meitar.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֶלוֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם זוֹכֵר הַבְּרִית וְנֶאֱמָן בִּבְרִיתוֹ וְקַיָם בְּמַאֲמָרוֹ
Baruch ata Ado-nai Elo-heinu melech ha'olam zocher ha'brit v'ne'eman bivrito v'kayam b'ma'amaro.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who remembers the covenant and is faithful to His covenant and keeps His promise.

This is the blessing we say when seeing a rainbow.
It is a reminder in the sky of the covenant God made with Noah and all of us that he would never again destroy the world by flood.
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H is for High Holy Days and happy new year

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 Happy new year 5774. 

Tonight, Erev Rosh Hashana, we dipped apples in honey in hopes of a sweet and peaceful year ahead.
 And the yellow dates you see on the other plate--the blessing to be said after eating a date tonight is
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱלֹהינוּ וֵאלֵֹהי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁיִּתַּמּוּ אוֹיְבֵינוּ וְשׂוֹנְאֵינוּ וְכָל מְבַקְשֵׁי רָעָתֵנוּ
May it be Your will, Lord our God and the God of our fathers, that there come an end to our enemies, haters and those who wish evil upon us.

Here are more simanim, symbolic foods, that belong to the Rosh Hashana meal.
The fish head gets the blessing
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱלֹהינוּ וֵאלֵֹהי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁנִּהְיֶה לְרֹאשׁ וְלֹא לְזָנָב
May it be Your will, Lord our God and the God of our fathers, that we be a head and not a tail.

To the right are patties made from leek.
The Hebrew word for leek is related to the verb karat, to cut, so the rabbis of old made this blessing: 

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱלֹהינוּ וֵאלֵֹהי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁיִּכָּרְתוּ אוֹיְבֵינוּ וְשׂוֹנְאֵינוּ וְכָל מְבַקְשֵׁי רָעָתֵנוּ
May it be Your will, Lord our God and the God of our fathers, that our enemies, haters, and those who wish evil upon us shall be cut down.
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See more simanim and their blessings at Chabad's "Rosh Hashanah Seder According to Sephardic Custom." 

Chag same-ach / happy holiday  and shana tova / a good year  to you! 
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(Linking to ABC Wednesday.)

A blessing etched in steel

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Next Sunday's psalm will be the last until September.
Our fearless leader in Athens, Robert Geiss, has somehow gotten our little group (which you are welcome to join) to illustrate the first 67 psalms and now we will get summer vacation!
Visit his PsalmChallenge at daily athens photo blog.
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PSALM 67

1. For the leader; with stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

2. May God be gracious to us and bless us; may He cause his face to shine among us. Selah.

3. That Your way be understood throughout the earth, Your salvation among all nationalities.

4. May peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You.

5. Let nations exult and shout for joy, because You rule the peoples with equity, and nations You guide throughout the earth. Selah.

6. May peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You.

7. The earth yields its produce; may God, our God, bless us.

8. May God bless us, that all the ends of the earth fear Him.

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Photo
"Birkat Cohanim" (The Priestly Blessing) by Etchi Werner-Nyiri, at Mamilla Mall, 2011, based on Numbers 6:22-26:

The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
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The translation of today's psalm is by Rabbi Benjamin J. Segal.
His notes about Psalm 67 are worth reading, for example:

The terminology of verse 3 is drawn from the priestly blessing (Num. 6:24–26), cited several times in the Bible. Here the original application to “you” singular is transferred to first-person plural, “us.”

And also this:

Psalm 67 anticipates a new world, an ideal world. The psalm addresses the duality of God’s relationship to mankind as previously encountered in Psalms—He is God of both Israel and the world. Here, in this ideal, the two blend smoothly.

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Benedictus bread wheat

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Benedictus--blessed!

Blessed be the Christians who celebrate Ascension Day today, whether on the Mt. of Olives or around the world.

I never know how to illustrate Jesus' ascension into heaven 40 days after Easter (except for this one post).
But when I saw the wonderful name of this new kind of bread wheat yesterday at the 3-day AgriTech exhibition, I knew it was perfect for the blog!

The improved wheat was one of the many plants the Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, was showing off.
It was developed to be resistant to leaf rust, one of the major diseases of wheat.
The new bread wheat cultivar cv. Benedictus-16 has already been released and is doing very well in the field.

Cv. stands for cultivar which comes from combining the words cultivated variety.

Wishing you a sweet new year 5772

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So many different ways to market honey, even inside an Eiffel Tower!
Enlarge the photo and also find cute little wheeled honey carts [oops, I almost said "honey wagon" but that means something totally different].

Tonight at the festive Rosh Hashana table everyone will dip a slice of apple in honey, say the Hebrew blessing for fruit, and then add the special New Year blessing:

"May it be your will, Eternal our God, that this be a good and sweet year for us."

I wish the same to you, my good friends around the world.
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Beatitudes for Norway

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For ABC Wednesday B-day --


The Church of the Beatitudes is on the Mount of Beatitudes, overlooking the Sea of Galilee.
Here Jesus gave his first sermon, the Sermon on the Mount.

Stepping into the church you meet the text of the Beatitudes with the square notes of Gregorian chant.
If you'd like to read them in side-by-side Latin, Greek, and English, go here.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3-10
At the base of the lectern is a basket, a reminder to be generous.
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As I read the Beatitudes now, again, they seem to speak of the young Norwegians who were taken from us.
May their memory be for a blessing.
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Birthday blessings

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"Isha," meaning "a woman," stands in the Mamilla Mall.
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Artist Ruth Agmon quotes the first blessing we Jews say every morning, even before rising from bed:
מודה אני לפניך מלך חי וקים שהחזרת בי נשמתי בחמלה, רבה אמונתך
Modeh ani lifanekha melekh ḥai v'kayam sheheḥezarta bi nishmahti b'ḥemlah, rabah emunatekha.
I offer thanks before you, living and eternal King, for you have mercifully restored my soul within me; great is your faithfulness.

This statue reminds me of a tall slim friend who lived in and loved Israel for many years.
Sr. Claire-Irene, wise and wonderful, celebrates her 80th birthday today back at the motherhouse in Switzerland.
Happy birthday, ma soeur!
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Shepherd and sheep on Yom Kippur

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Two of the stained glass windows of Renanim synagogue in Hechal Shlomo, Jerusalem.
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In a few hours Israel enters into both the Sabbath and Yom Kippur.
Everything shuts down and it gets very quiet all over the country.
This Day of Atonement is a time of intense prayer, total fasting for 25 hours, soul-searching, and repentence for many Jews.
(For many secular Jews, it is a time to stroll down the empty highways and for the children to bike ride or skate in the car-free streets.)
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As the beautiful Yom Kippur window shows, the Gates of Repentence are open.
Above Jerusalem is the traditional image of God's Book of Life, open, with quill ready.
The long liturgy of the evening and of the following day centers on our plea that he will inscribe us in the Book of Life and seal it for another year.
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The Rosh Hashana window (please do enlarge it) quotes from the moving and powerful piyyut (liturgical poem) Unetaneh Tokef which is sung in every synagogue both on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

כָל בָּאֵי עולָם יַעַבְרוּן לְפָנֶיךָ כִּבְנֵי מָרון. כְּבַקָּרַת רועֶה עֶדְרו. מַעֲבִיר צאנו תַּחַת שִׁבְטו .כֵּן תַּעֲבִיר וְתִסְפּר וְתִמְנֶה וְתִפְקד נֶפֶשׁ כָּל חָי. וְתַחְתּךְ קִצְבָה לְכָל בְּרִיּותֶיךָ. וְתִכְתּב אֶת גְּזַר דִּינָם:
בְּראשׁ הַשָּׁנָה יִכָּתֵבוּן וּבְיום צום כִּפּוּר יֵחָתֵמוּן כַּמָּה יַעַבְרוּן וְכַמָּה יִבָּרֵאוּן מִי יִחְיֶה וּמִי יָמוּת. מִי בְקִצּו וּמִי לא בְקִצּו מִי בַמַּיִם. וּמִי בָאֵשׁ מִי בַחֶרֶב. וּמִי בַחַיָּה מִי בָרָעָב. וּמִי בַצָּמָא מִי בָרַעַשׁ. וּמִי בַמַּגֵּפָה מִי בַחֲנִיקָה וּמִי בַסְּקִילָה מִי יָנוּחַ וּמִי יָנוּעַ מִי יִשָּׁקֵט וּמִי יִטָּרֵף מִי יִשָּׁלֵו. וּמִי יִתְיַסָּר מִי יֵעָנִי. וּמִי יֵעָשֵׁר מִי יִשָּׁפֵל. וּמִי יָרוּם וּתְשׁוּבָה וּתְפִלָּה וּצְדָקָה מַעֲבִירִין אֶת רעַ הַגְּזֵרָה
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"All mankind will pass before You like members of the flock.
Like a shepherd pasturing his flock, making sheep pass under his staff, so shall You cause to pass, count, calculate, and consider the soul of all the living;
and You shall apportion the fixed needs of all Your creatures and inscribe their verdict. "

The piyyut is traditionally attributed to a medieval Rabbi Amnon of Mainz, who spoke the words while he was being martyred. More here.
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You can read its translation in the ArtScroll Machzor.
Here is part of it:
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"On Rosh Hashanah will be inscribed and on Yom Kippur will be sealed
how many will pass from the earth and how many will be created;
who will live and who will die;
who will die at his predestined time and who before his time;
who by water and who by fire,
who by sword, who by beast, who by famine, who by thirst,
who by storm, who by plague,
who by strangulation, and who by stoning.
Who will rest and who will wander,
who will live in harmony and who will be harried,
who will enjoy tranquility and who will suffer,
who will be impoverished and who will be enriched,
who will be degraded and who will be exalted.
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But REPENTANCE, PRAYER and CHARITY
[tshuvah, tfilah, tzedaka]
Remove the evil of the Decree!
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Don't you love that idea that by our re-turning, praying, and doing acts of kindness we can change everything?!
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Before shutting down the computer for its yearly day of rest, I leave you with the traditional blessings--Shabbat shalom (Sabbath peace), tsom kal (easy over the fast), and Gmar chatima tova (May you be have a good inscription)!
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P.S. My little grandson made his own ram's horn for these Days of Awe!
Here is a short and sweet video of Dean blowing the shofar.
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Zest

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With today's Z, ABC Wednesay has completed yet another cycle of the alphabet, thanks to our much-appreciated host Denise (Mrs. Nesbitt).

Zesting a lemon.

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"Zest, also known as citrus peel, is a food ingredient that is prepared by scraping or cutting from the outer, colorful skin of citrus fruits such as lemon, orange, citron, and lime. Zest is used to add flavor ('zest') to foods." (Wikipedia)

Yesterday I was amazed to see two orange trees growing in urban Jerusalem!
Right in the sidewalk in one of the old neighborhoods near Nahlaot.

Seeing a tree full of fruit adds zest to life!
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In fact there is a lovely mitzvah called Birkat Ilanot, the blessing on the trees, which is done once a year, in spring, with awe and gratitude, the first time you see a fruit tree blossoming.
Its source is a gemara in the Talmud, Masechet Berachot 43b:

“A person who goes out during the days of Nisan and sees trees in bloom, says,
Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the Universe, who did not leave anything lacking in His universe, and created in it goodly creatures and goodly trees, to give pleasure to mankind with them."

In Hebrew:
Baruch ata Adonai , Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, shelo chisar ba-olamo davar, u-vara vo beriyot tovot ve-ilanot tovim, le-hanot bahem bnai adam.
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Amen to that! Just a few more months to spring, when we can say it.
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Happy Thanksgiving, America!

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Happy Thanksgiving! I wish my family and friends in America and American expats around the world a joyous and bountiful holiday meal, and may it be a day of blessings given for the many blessings received.

This big turkey lived at Heifer Ranch (www.heifer.org) in Arkansas. I worked and lived there as a volunteer from 1996 to 2002.
My last Thanksgiving dinner was at the Ranch in 2001.
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The Thanksgiving Day in November is not a holiday in Israel, although I've heard that many Anglos living here celebrate it, with all the traditional foods.

Here is one reason we can't bake a whole turkey. Look at the size of my oven!
That is a 12-inch ruler I put inside to show you the smallness of it.
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However, our small ovens do not stop Israelis from being the world's Number One turkey consumers. I mean, consumers of turkey. More per capita eaten than in the U.S.A. even!

I think we eat turkey more in the form of sliced white meat for shnitzels, ground turkey for burgers, cut-up pieces for shwarma, and necks for soup.

But still, I will miss the stuffing and cranberry sauce . . . .
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Blessing the bread

Welcoming the Friday evening Sabbath at a friend's house. She has the custom of making a communal blessing over the challah.


Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha-olam
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe

hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz. (Amein).
who brings forth bread from the earth.
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Shabbat shalom, Sabbath peace, to you and all.

Blessing of the Sun

The Blessing of the Sun (Birkat HaChama) is prayed only once in 28 years. Yesterday morning Jews all over the world gathered together to recite the blessings and Psalms that thank and praise God for his work of creation, both then and now.
Apparently this is a tradition from the Talmud. But who knew? I didn't. This time around, word spread quickly, thanks to the Internet and publicity from Chabad.
Over 50,000 people (!) did the ritual Wednesday at Jerusalem's Western Wall.
New Zealand saw the sunrise first and some of her 7,500 Jews said the prayers before any of us.
I myself stood alone in my back yard and prayed after I saw the sun come up over Jerusalem on the horizon.
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According to ancient rabbinical calculations, every 28 years the sun returns to its original alignment with other heavenly bodies, the same place it was on the fourth day of creation as told in the Book of Genesis.

If you'd like to read the short service, click on the special Chabad website. Other how-to information at BlessTheSun.org.
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My photo is of the sun rising over the Golan Heights above the Sea of Galilee.
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Now let's go over to SkyWatch Friday and see what skies other bloggers have shared.

Ladder of the Lord

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Almost a hundred bloggers contribute surprising posts to ABC Wednesday every week.
Our letter today is L.

The L word that came to my mind is LADDER.
This fantastically long ladder is in the Jenolan Caves of Australia.

But the ladder I love most is Jacob's ladder.

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Genesis 28 tells the story, so full of promise:

Jacob left Beersheva and went toward Haran. He came to the place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep.

And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!

And behold, the Lord stood above it [or "beside him"] and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants; and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves.

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you."

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I did not know it." טז וַיִּיקַץ יַעֲקֹב, מִשְּׁנָתוֹ, וַיֹּאמֶר, אָכֵן יֵשׁ יְהוָה בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה; וְאָנֹכִי, לֹא יָדָעְתִּי.

And he was afraid, and said, "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." וַיִּירָא, וַיֹּאמַר, מַה-נּוֹרָא, הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה: אֵין זֶה, כִּי אִם-בֵּית אֱלֹהִים, וְזֶה, שַׁעַר הַשָּׁמָיִם

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Break time at the dig

We archaeology fieldworkers start at 6:30 and finish work at 2:30.
Meal time is half an hour, at 10:30. A little break comes at 1:00.

Especially for the men who have been curled up excavating a small burial cave or for those of us who have been kneeling or bent over all day, the 15-minute break is a chance to stretch out our own old bones.

About a dozen of the forty Muslim workers go down to wash up and then have public prayer while the rest of us stay up on the site and rest.


At meal time we set up civilized tables and chairs.

A few weeks ago (before Ramadan!) I brought little pastries and the friends clapped hands and sang Happy Birthday to me in Arabic.

One spokesman stood up and addressed me, articulating one blessing after another for my new year of life.
We looked eye to eye, I listened attentively, then we shook hands. I was very moved.

This year's birthday celebration was unusual and very happy.
I mean, how often do you have forty nice men at your party?

A bevy of Bs

Bagels in the Holy City.
Bright balconies of an old guesthouse in Tiberias.

Basalt church and basalt rocks on the seashore of the receding Sea of Galilee.

Blogger behind bars? Bwahaha, no, it is just the cloister of the . . .

Benedictine Monastery in Tabgha.

Balancing bear in the Biblical Zoo, Jerusalem.

Boy (my beloved) on a burnished bear at the Biblical Zoo.

Braille. Click to make this bigger and see that the third sign in this forest picnic place is in braille!

Bucks, aka billy goats, at a goat cheese dairy farm in the Jerusalem Hills.

Big bales (in Hebrew balot) are the way to transport material in construction and archaeology.

Just-baked bread for the HaMotsi bread blessing on our Jewish Shabbat evening.

And for the Christians, the Blessed Sacrament for the Feast of the Multiplication of Fishes and Loaves. On the ancient mosaic floor of the church at Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee.

To see what other bloggers are offering up for the letter B this ABC Wednesday please visit http://wednesdayabc.blogspot.com/ or http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/.

Serpents

Baruch dayan emet.* A man was bitten in the face by a snake yesterday in the yard of his Moshav Shavei Tsion home, in Israel's north. He died shortly after an ambulance brought him to the hospital in Nahariya. Jerusalem Post carries the story here. The radio news today added that after waking up from their winter sleep, snakes are especially active and that the venomous ones now have a full load of venom.
Several months ago I was exploring what a bulldozer had done on the edge of the woods several terraces down the mountainside. I was so busy moving into the right spot for some photos and fiddling with the camera that I walked right next to this snake shown above. Only when turning back did I see the viper. I was in a spot where there was no going up or down or around, so I just stood still and prayed hard. After several very long minutes of neither of us moving, I concluded--hoped-- that he was dead and walked on by. Since I'm here typing now, you know he was.

*Baruch dayan emet is the Hebrew blessing we must say first thing when hearing bad news. It means blessed is the righteous Judge.

To see other bloggers' (hopefully happier) animal photos today, visit Camera Critters.

Sunday update: The radio news today announced that the offending snake was a nachash tsefa, like the one in the photo. I think in English it is called "Palestinian viper."

New moon, new month

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The last Sabbath of each Hebrew month, like today, is called Shabbat Mevarchim HaChodesh, or the Sabbath which blesses the month.
So today liturgically-observant Jews said the special prayer which asks God to "renew it [the coming new month] . . . for life and for peace, for gladness and for joy, for deliverance and for consolation."
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And tonight already is Rosh Chodesh, the first of the month of Nissan.
In fact, it began at exactly 9:34:23 p.m.
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How do we know? Well, the Hebrew calendar revolves around the moon, so to speak.
Each month represents one lunar cycle, the time it takes the moon to make one orbit around the earth.
There is a point when the moon is exactly between the earth and the sun, and so, hidden to anyone here on earth.
The molad is the time of the moon’s "birth," when it emerges just enough that a thin crescent of its illuminated surface can first be observed from Jerusalem.
This exact moment signals the beginning of a new Jewish month.

(This photo is just for illustration of a "banana moon."
It actually shows a rare phenomenon called the occultation of Venus which occurred last June 18. But that’s a different story!)
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Wishing you chodesh tov and shavua tov, a good month and a good week.
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