Hosting the Havel Havelim Blog Carnival for the 1st time While Vacationing in Chicago aka the Galut
It certainly looks like while I’ve been away visiting my parents, grandparents, and friends in Chicago, your typical, run-o-the-yard Mil’ East tyrant unleashed a chemical attack on those pesky rebels that just keep on coming back no matter how many virgins up above Hezbollah has amassed under its TNT-packed belt. What I’m actually trying to say is that it’s time, oh yes, it’s time…for yet another Havel Havelim Blog Carnival and this one isn’t to be missed!
An Interview with former Soviet Space Program Physicist/Jewish Hero, Igal Gurvich
This past April 15th, when my parents were visiting in Israel, my father and I had a unique opportunity to attend a Yom Ha’atzmaut picnic organized by a group of former refusniks (Jews who spent many years trying to leave the Soviet Union). We were invited because my father had studied Hebrew under the tutelage of Arye Volvovsky (of Efrat) who ended up spending three years in a Soviet prison for his “anti-government” activities.
Definition of “Hypocrite:” “Religious Jew living in America”
Every time Israel makes concessions to the Arabs, I hear American Jews voicing their disapproval. But they voice their disapproval with us not only when things don’t go their way–they’ve realized they have to come up with reason to hate the State of Israel and everything that represents Zionist values because if they don’t, it looks like they’re hypocrites.
On Parshat Korach (Based on a Drash by R’ Yitzchok Snyder of Aliyos Yerushalayim)
I felt that this week’s drash was especially relevant to the events taking place in the Jewish community today. In Korach, we witness the biggest threat to Moshe’s position of leadership–and to the future of the Jewish people. Korach leads a popular rebellion against the Moshe, the single most significant representative of the Jewish people we’ve even known.
6th of Sivan-9th of Sivan: Yahrtzeits of Famous Jewish Scholars this Week
Rav Avraham Mordechai Alter, the Imrei Emes of Ger, (1866-1948). The son of the Sefas Emes and a great-grandson of the Chidushei HaRim, he was the third Rebbe in the Gur dynasty, the leader of over 250,000 chassidim in pre-WW II Poland. The Imrei Emes was instrumental in establishing and expanding Agudas Yisroel, and was at the forefront of strengthening the Jewish community of Eastern European.
Squeezing Out Lemon Juice into a Salad
It is permitted to squeeze out lemon juice into a salad in order to improve the taste of the vegetables*. One must squeeze the lemon directly on the vegetables (i.e., it is not permitted to squeeze out the lemon juice into a cup and then add it to the salad).
Squeezing out lemon juice into a salad is permitted even if the lemon juice will not be absorbed into the vegetables of the salad.