The yehupitzer rebbetzin's devoting a full day to laundering 10 days worth of clothes has got me thinking.
I find it interesting that we observe sad events and happy events in the same way.
Compare:
On both Chol Hamoed and during personal/national aveilus, we are told not to launder clothing or cut hair.
I understand that the root causes of the similar halachos are different. But still, the common conclusions make me think.
The fact that chazal devoted a single masechta to the topics of Aveilus and Chol Hamoed strengthens the argument that there just might be a thematic connection. I can't see that connection though. It sounds like something about which the author of Frameworks might have an approach. I haven't seen anything in his writings about it.
Anyone? (Presence?)
More on Tisha B'Av later.
I realized today that the Democratic Convention is going on. So sometime after the fast ended and the breakfast ended, I looked up the Dem Convention's website. I then saw that Bill Clinton spoke last night. On the website's archives, I found a video of his speech. That man is so amazing. My readers know that generally speaking I am not sympathetic to the Democratic Party of the USA. But Gosh Darn It the man is good. He was so positive, udnerstanding, generous to the GOP even as he slammed them. I found myself cheering him on. Despite all my differences with him, I found myself melting, and understanding why the American masses love him so.
Wonderful psychological insight into Maureen Dowd and friends.
Link provided by instapundit.
PS I think that the blog-community deserves a lot of credit for exposing the true quality of Dowd's op-ed pieces.
Here is my summer reading list of goyish books:
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell This book has some excellent ideas that can be applied to teshuva. It was recommended to me by Rabbi J.J. Schacter of rav.org
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey I noticed some interesting parallels to Kaballah's seven steps.
The Tempting of America by Robert Bork This also offered some insights into theories about the development of Torah She'Baal Peh. He doesn't speak about Judaism. But his phrasing gave me some insights into the topic.
How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. This also gave insights into Limud Hatorah.
The Prince has been mentionned already.
From Chapter Three of "The Prince":
"[I]t must be noted, that men must either be caressed or else annihilated; they will revenge themselves for small injuries, but cannot do so for great ones; the injury therefore that we do to a man must be such that we need not fear his vengeance."
PS: The context is the conquest of another nation.
This whole Joe Wilson fiasco proves my friend the happy hungarian correct yet again. He has constantly warned the right, 'Never apologize." The right has been apologizing for months, and now it turns out they've been right!
Important teshuva (responsum) regarding the "nine days", actually ten days, from Rosh Chodesh Av, this Sunday night, till midday on the Tenth of Av, Wednesday the 28th.
Please follow its guidance.
It's a quarter past nine in the evening. My kid should have been in bed over two hours ago. I'm trying to get some downtime on the computer. I'm reading Seraphic Secret, starting to bawl my eyes out over Robert Avrech's latest blog about his son. My kid is jumping around, having a great time. Turning something into a parachute and making a tower out of something else. "Daddy! Come look at my parachute!" I get impatient. Why can't she understand that I'm reading a blog about a man...who loves his eldest child so much and wishes he could spend but one more moment with him, but he can't any longer....
I go look at her parachute.
The producer of Jewsweek.com needs to lighten up.
His playmate-of-the-week banal approach to Jewish news and opinion never appealed to me. The "look at me. There's a half-naked woman on my cover" magazine approach is so passe. So, dare I say, goyish. For an Orthodox Jew to buy into that is tacky at best.
Everybody has a hissyfit once in a while. Me too. Just don't publicize it to the entire Jewish editorial community.
I took Machiavelli's "The Prince" out of the library last week. When I have the time, I will keep you up to date as to the timely pearls of wisdom included therein. It might be a while, since I am on vacation.