100924 FIRST DAY OF CHOL HAMOED SUCCOT

The first day of Chol Hamoed Succot 5771 was a tremendous success as hundreds made their way up through the Hevron hills to Adurayim for a simcha even though it was a hot day and got hotter.
Families came in buses, loaded vans and private cars as young kids and old kids unloaded the vehicles and hurried to the activities which awaited them. The last remaining building of the abandoned IDF Army base Adurayim may be in need of a lot of cleanup & repair but all this did not deter the crowd of adults who crammed into the meeting room to hear VIP speakers: Rabbi Dov Lior of Kiryat Arba, MK Professor Aryeh Eldad, Yehuda Glick.

Young children gathered to paint a banner of the Temple Mount provided by their dedicated art teacher, Yehudit Eisenberg. Each of them really take serious their part of the painting! I drooled over the banner trying to come up with a plan to get it into my Succah, but in the end I surrendered and let it go to a much larger cause.

The older kids – well, they just went wild over the SUMA wrestling as they battled it out for the place of #1 Suma Victor. Believe me! Suma wrestling can get ‘purty ruff’! Especially, when the battle to be in first place is between brothers.
Everyone in between got plenty of exercise on the inflatable slides, climbing walls and just bouncing in mid-air. But in the end, not only the children who participated were drained of energy, but also those of us looking on. Okay, you go figure.

Balloonists, Elazar Brandt and his wife Krine, worked hard to satisfy the demand for creative & colorful balloon-wear. They kept up with the demand with a little extra help from Rene Morgulis and her daughter Chaya. By the end of the event, they had designed some 300-350 balloons. Satisfied customers proudly donned colorful hats, or waving swords!

Plenty of IDF troops kept close guard over the place full of activities. When Women in Green provide these special events, there is never had a dull moment for the soldiers who keep watch in the hills. They are never bored as the children surround them asking so many questions. The attention of bright smiling little faces or the boldness of adolescents keep them entertained

The Mussa Berlin family struck up the band and put the men into action as they mounted the children on their shoulders and began to dance to the music, ending the event in the true tradition of Simchat Succot.

By the time came to say “l’hitraot” and part company, kids were exhausted, parents were wilted having used up their energy, yet all separated with joy that renews our strength to enter Shabbat with rejoicing. A small reminder of what Am Israel will eventually be at all times! (Women for Israel’s Tomorrow website can be found at http://www.womeningreen.org)

HORESHA, DAY 5 OF CHOL HAMOED

SABA TEACHING THE WAY OF THE LORD
Saba Efraim with his grandchildren, Yosef & Yaakov Tzvi
It’s a big mitzvah to invite guests into your succah during Chol Hamoed Succot. My host at Horesha was Ephraim who warmly invited me into his family succah. A happy, proud Saba, he was met with smiles and joy from a number of grandchildren including Yosef and Yaakov. Along with Saba’s instructions, the kids explained a little about the happiness of being in their succah. He is a great example of a Jewish grandfather taking his religious responsibilities serious and passing the knowledge of Torah from one generation to another.As I watched Ephraim light up with joy as he held each one of the boys, I thought of the rewards Hashem must extend to a Jewish man who trains his children and grandchildren to walk in the ways of the Lord! Yet, the greatest of these blessings must be the peace of knowing that no matter what happens, in the end that child will know he is a Jew, living in a Jewish land, among the Jewish People, serving the God of Israel!Such a Jewish father or mother never looks back with regret! The Jewish People always look forward with hope for a better tomorrow!
May the Guardian of Israel extend His peace upon the mountains of the Shomron and upon the homes wherein His righteous ones live! They are the watchmen, the shomrim, for the rest of Israel. Is it any wonder our enemies want them removed.

CELEBRATING SUCCOT 2009

TEL SHILO, DAY 4 OF CHOL HAMOED

Train a child according to his way; even when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
The most popular story in the Tenach about Shiloh is in Book of I Shmuel, chapter 1. It is about a woman who so desired a child, she prayed to Hashem and He gave her the gift of a son that we come to know as the Prophet Shmuel. Amazingly, Hannah handed over her son, Shmuel, into the care of the Priest Eli who could not control his own sons! How could she trust Eli to bring up her child in the ways of the Lord?
Hanna represents a mother’s faith in Hashem for the ultimate care of her child. Looking beyond the circumstances, even though a mother often sees the worst, a mother will rise above the negative and believe the best for her children. She will stand with her face to the wall, weeping in persistent prayer, hounding the gates of heaven until she is consoled by no one but Hashem. Her faith only allows her to see the best in a son or daughter. Many times I have witnessed this innate love and faith of a righteous Jewish mother win out in the end and even the most rebellious sons become the mighty or the most humble leaders among men.
Walking amidst the sons and daughters of Israel who are taught the ways of the Lord is such a pleasure!

THOSE HILARIOUS GUYS

ON THE SCENE AT TEL SHILO
Asaf P’ney-El and Company
Performers and musicians mingled among the crowd dressed in appropriate attire for the place and the occasion. Suddenly, you were stopped in your tracks when someone started shouting! Drawing a crowd, the actors started acting out Biblical drama depicting characters of an ancient episode in history

'WHO AM I? מי אני

AND WHERE AM I? ואפה אניOn Succot 2009, children and youth made 'aliyah to Shdema' to rejoice in the G-d of Israel and celebrate their freedom to live in the Land of Israel. Many climbed the hill to Shdema for the first time, while others returned after going up a number of times.
Hundreds enjoyed the main events: the donkey ride;

Elazar the balloon-man & a knife-swinging juggler.


Brothers slugged it out to see who would be the rightful 'boss' of the hill in a bitter duel to the end!
While a brother & sister drew swords and cried out: "On guard!"

Kids surrounded the baby donkey to comfort her while mom was out & about with other kids.



ב'עזרת השם יהיה אלייה לשדמה בשנה הבאה, משבוע ל'שבוע