Do you like to sing?

Do you like to sing at your Shabbat table? My boys have recently got more into it, and if you pass by our house on a Shabbat evening or lunchtime you can hear them singing with such joy and such energy.

There is an awesome new CD out that can help you experience the joy of twelve different niggunim (tunes) and raise money for Leket Israel (The Israel National Food Bank) at the same time. The CD is called “songs at a table” and since I received it on Sunday evening it has been on continuous play on my iPod. Just listening to this group of guys sing with such deep joy and simcha is truly inspirational. I would so love to have this kind of singing at my table. In time, I will, I am sure.

From the CD jacket:

Our group of experienced singers of niggunim gathered together around a table with a pot of cholent (a Sabbath stew) and sang, much like what happens on the Jewish Sabbath in homes throughout the world. We sought to capture the energy, spontaneity and informality with which they are commonly sung, and to create an authentic and inspiring experience for the listener. From a moving wedding niggun to a rousing Moditzer Chassidic march, these niggunim evoke the emotions and senses of the settings in which they are most often used.

If you click here you can order your own copy and donate to Leket Israel at the same time. Your donation is tax deductible. This will also make a great Chanukah gift – it isn’t that far away…

 

[Editor’s note: in the interests of full disclosure I should let you know that this CD was arranged by my nephew Josh Milner. Honestly, though, even if he wasn’t family I would still recommend it because it makes my soul happy.]

Happiness

It hit me last night. This is what true contentment feels like. Of course, it’s not like I have no stress – we all do, but it seems that it is all manageable stress.

The kids are all settled in school and they love it. They are truly happy in school, and working hard and fulfilling their potentials. They have all made friends, and the house is hopping on the weekends with kids of all ages coming in and out and just chilling with my boys. Now that school is back on track after the holidays, we have settled into a routine which works well. I am able to give each child some one on one time, which even if it is only 5 minutes, counts for a lot.

I have made some great friends too, people who would totally go the distance for us, as we would for them. The love-blanket that the KoD’s community has thrown over us has warmed us deep into our souls, enveloping us in love and light. We belong, and it feels awesome!

And my marriage! What can I say – what a treat it is to wake up every morning next to the love of my life, and know that I do not have to say goodbye ever again and head back to Canada. To know that this feeling of loving and being loved is forever. What a privilege to be able to spend time with the KoD – even doing simple mundane things like cleaning the house together erev Shabbat or doing a grocery shop. Bringing him coffee while he works, together with a couple of home baked cookies, fills my heart.

When we are seated around our Shabbat table, and we are surrounded by our children – the joy that my heart feels is immeasurable. It is truly a deep joy that I never knew existed.

Thank you God (and Frumster) for bringing the KoD into our lives almost 2 years ago. We are all so much better for it.

WWYD – Interview: the Redux

So yesterday we talked about a situation where a person is called for an interview and advised by someone she knows to dress sexy to get the job. Everyone agreed that this was not something she should do, that she should be herself, have her eyes well open and hope she gets the job on her own merits and achievements. (For the record, I would never have followed this person’s advice. Either you hire me because I am right for the job, or forget it. I have already worked in the kind of environment where I had a boss that was a lecher – won’t ever do it again).

What if it were a different situation? Let’s say she was in divorce court against her ex-husband and the judge was known to be favourable to attractive women? Or it was a female judge partial to good looking men? Nothing that could be proven, obviously, otherwise s/he would no longer be on the bench. Would the idea of dressing normally still stand, or would you tell her to do whatever is in her power to win against her ex husband? If your opinion changes, please, explain why?

(Disclaimer: I am not in court against any one, however neither of these situations are hypothetical, they are all based on actual events that happened to me or to readers who have written in).

Wednesday’s Wacky Signs