Reason 184 Show some love for the Chalav!!

 
You have heard of boil in the bag rice, or even the golf idiom "in the bag". Only in Israel do they have Milk in a bag! Just think of all that saved refrigerator space and its Eco friendly too!!

this one is in the bag!

Chalav Tenuva

Reason 185 Are you a smartphone user? Making Aliyah does not mean escaping the smartphone obsession!

 



Just in case you are thinking that you are the only one obsessed with your smart phone, you are very mistaken. A 2013 survey proved that 57% of Israelis have a smart phone, follow link to read article.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israelis-love-their-touch-screens/

Reason 186: Gorgeous Sandy Beaches

We are all craving the beach.  The best we can do without traveling 3 hours is a dirty sand box-by that I mean little pond or polluted river bank that people call a beach.  Yuck! 

VS

I remember the first time I went to the separate beach in Ashdod, how the sand was so white and the water was a sparkling turquoise.  I can't wait till we can take them to a real beach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reason 188: If Waze Can Pass Up A BILLION Dollars ......

Our favorite 'made in Israel' app stops billion dollar deal with Facebook b/c they refuse to relocate to USA.  That flies in the face of the regular capitalistic/corporate greed mentality. http://www.timesofisrael.com/location-services-apparently-kibosh-waze-facebook-talks/. 

Well, what are we still doing here?

Reason 189: Israeli music is best!

Reason 189: Incredible music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npKilwHfl-s&list=RD023qGGlqOra6M

Incredibly moving music and singer from Israel, Ben Snof. Oh how we long to be in Yerushalayim.

Reason 190: There really is no choice.

Had a really though day/week.  Struggling with how we are going to find our place.  Emailed S. Leibtag who writes for BJL about her aliyah experience and paraphrasing her:  It is the place Hashem gave us to live in, and we are going there to find our place and feel at home.

Reason 191: Yerushalayim Shel Zahav

Went to a wedding on Sunday and under the chuppa, uncle of kallah, played a guitar and sang Yerushalayim Shel Zahav.  I can't hear that song w/o crying, so I was bawling. 
Such a beautiful song written when the Old City was occupied and Jews could not enter.  How lucky we are that we can now!

Reason 196: Sea of Streimels or is it Streimelech?

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2013/may/22/ultra-orthodox-jewish-wedding-israel-in-pictures#/?picture=409298498&index=0

Follow the link above to see pictures of the Belz wedding on Wednesday in Yerushalayim!

What an incredible event 25,000 people join in and participate in the marriage of the Belzer Rebbe's son, Rabbi Shalom Rokach. Just look at the enormous Chupah canopy and the sea of Streimels, something we probably will never see here in Baltimore MD. Although, there are a Streimel wearers here in Baltimore but they are few and far between.

Oh how we long to be part of such incredible scenes of Kiddush Hashem.

Reason 197: Much Shorter School Day!

One of our daughters barely eats at school.  She likes the foods that should be cold cold and hot hot, nothing room temp.  She leaves the house at 8 and comes home at 4.  All she eats at school are some crackers and potato chips.  She eats at home, so I am happy that once we are in Israel she will be coming home at 1:30 to have aruchat tza'riayim. 

Reason 198: Shaare Zedek Hospital

Just had a very inspiring conversation with a friend about all the amazing things about living in Israel.  One of them was how she had her best birth experiences in Israel.  That aside, she also told me how wonderful it was that while recovering the staff brought her water to wash her hands Netilat Yadayim in the morning and how the doctors talked about things being b'yad Hashem, etc.  Amazing!

Reason 200: Cool things that grow there!

As a family who appreciates nature and all things growing, seeing all the lush vegetation that Israel has brings us much joy. Just a few of the pictures taken from past trips.

Reason 201: No Preakness (Blimp)

Here in Baltimore, once a year we are plagued with the Preakness.  It is held around 1.5 miles from our house. When I was a kid our neighbor on the corner would charter buses to shuttle partygoers who would park on our street. Along with that he would sell beer, from kegs.  It was nuts and not something we looked forward too.  Streets were super busy and folks were super drunk (had beer bottles thrown at me walking home from friends, etc).  The only cool part was seeing the cool planes that flew over, like a Stealth Fighter, WWII planes and the good old Goodyear Blimp.

But, in more recent years I have come to dread Preakness because of the Goodyear blimp. We have a very sensitive daughter who does not like loud noises or things out of the ordinary.  The several years ago on Preakness day she heard and saw the blimp and refused to leave the house on Shabbos for several weeks.  Subsequent Preaknesses have found us stuck at home while the blimp is out (several hours since it hangs out doing who knows what).  When I mentioned that tomorrow will be "Blimp" day, my daughter asked "only in America?" YES, BH. (I won't tell her about occasionally supersonic booms from fighter jets, LOL).

Reasons 205, 204, 203: One day Yom Tov!

50% less food to buy
50% less meals to cook
50% less dishes to clean

It is gonna take getting used to that is for sure.  L'shana Haba B'Yerushalayim!

Reason 206: Quicker and cheaper flights from England

So this is more of a silly reason.  We have lots of family in the UK and are looking forward to them visiting us more often once we are living in Israel.  That is why we are scratching our heads over this ridiculous report about the PM's flight to England. Guessing Bibi doesn't fly well, b/c when we did the TLV to UK flight it seemed like we were barely in the air. 

Low cost flight from UK to TLV is £259 and it takes under 5 hours.
Low cost flight from UK to BWI is £650 and it takes under 7 hours.

Much cheaper and a little quicker. 

Reason 209: Kivrei Tzadikim

Yesterday, before saying the tefilah of the Shlah Hakodesh, I was thinking that had I been in E'Y, I could be saying it at his kever. When we lived in Sanhedria we lived overlooking the cemetery and had a birds eye view of the kevarim of Rav Areyh Levin and Rav Ben Tzion Aba Shaul.  Talk about great neighbors :)

Reason 210: Israeli Ingenuity

I loved finding out that one of our favorite apps Waze was 'made in Israel'.  Avi'ra D'Eretz Yisrael Machkim!  I can't wait till we have our own Israeli inventions. :)

Reason 208: Shabbos

So many things about Shabbos in the Holyland that are drastically different than Shabbos in diaspora.  Each Shabbos I will highlight one (posted before or after actual Shabbos).

This week:  Everything closes and stops, you can feel the 'rest' in the air.

Reader ideas are welcome.  What are your favorite thing about Shabbos in Israel?

Reason 202: Siren at Licht benching

Siren to mark start of Shabbos!  How cool is it that?!  Don't forget kvetchy Chassidish Shabbos music that made Moishe nostalgic for his days in cheder (Ye-SOY-daiy Ha-TOOY-rAH) for at least 20 mins before candle lighting.  Hey at least that is what they played in Sanhedriyah.  Gotta love it!

Reason 207: Awesome mass transit

Okay, so I am sad to hear that good old bus route #2 to Kosel is no more, but Egged is still super awesome (and Dan--I am a little Jerusalemcentric).  Mass transit in B-more is a joke.

Versus

NO CONTEST!

Reason 211: Bamba

'nuf said. 

But, for all of those who say that it can be bought in the USA, well, yeah, but it is expensive and just a treat, not for daily consumption.  I once read an article that peanut allergies are lower in Israel since babies are given Bamba to eat at a much younger age (6 mos.)  That flies in the face of conventional medical wisdom that says not to give peanuts to babies.  So looking forward to lots o' Bamba and seeing the Bamba baby in bus stop ads :)

Reason 212: Mitzvah each step taken!

I don't want anyone to think that we are making aliyah for purely gashmiut reasons.  The ruchninut reasons far outweigh the gashmiut ones.  Truthfully, the gashmiut ones are really more for entertainment value.

The Talmud says: "One who walks a distance of four cubits (approximately 6 - 8 feet) in the Land of Israel is assured of being a ben olam haba - heir to the World to Come." Because of the intrinsic Holiness of the Land of Israel, a person gains spiritual merit by merely walking here.

So, each step is a step towards "walking four cubits" in the Land of Israel, but since I don't have really big stride, I can't do it all in one step.

Take from Ohr Somayach's website.  Sources:

Ketuvot 111a
Maharal Chidushei Aggadot 1:168

Reason 213: Israel is home to the yummiest pizza

As much as I try, my pizza just can't match Uri's pizza or any of the fine Geula pizza establishements.  And forget about any of the pizza stores here!  Oh well, just gotta wait a few hundred days!

Reason 199: "Real" Falafel

Falafel for supper today and we can't help but pine for real Israeli falafel.  We especially like getting it in a lafa.  Hope the little kiosk near the Mir is still around.  Looking forward.

Reason 214: Blue sky!

Israel has the brightest blue skies!  Brighter then anywhere else in the world! At least they sure seem that way