The Jewish Museum New York | Light My Fire: A Hanukkah App

The Jewish Museum New York | Light My Fire: A Hanukkah App    The Jewish Museum in New York has created the cutest app for iPhone and android. Its a Hanukkah app. You can choose a menorah which is a replica of a menorah from the museum. You can read about where this menorah is from. You can choose a location for the menorah to be lit and then you can virtually light the menorah on your phone. They even have the brachot listed on the app. Its  just adorable.

Happy First Night of Hanukkah

Happy first light and night of Hanukkah. Though I don't mind Thanksgiving sharing the spotlight with Hanukkah, I'm glad that Hanukkah gets to have the first night on its own. 

Uncertainty

      To live is to live in uncertainty. Everything that seems certain one minute can turn uncertain the next minute. All we know for certain is the present and that is only if we are truly self aware. To live with confidence is to live knowing that only Hashem knows what is going to happen  and to have faith that everything in life will be for the best.
      Easier said than done....

Chagall

      Living in the age of the internet is amazing. When you go to a  museum you can download a free app for the audio tour . You almost don't  have to go to the museum because there are thumbnails of the exhibit in the audio. Then again  nothing compares to experiencing  actual paintings.
      Yesterday I went to the Jewish Museum in New York city to see the Chagall exhibit. His more Jewish oriented works were there. Marc Chagall nee Moshe Segal was born in Belarus in 1887 . He later lived in France and due to World War II ended up in the United States. This exhibit has paintings he made in the 1920's to 1940's . Through his paintings he expressed his fear of impending doom on Europe's Jews in that time period. When one looks at a Chagall painting one really has to stand back and take it all in because there is so much imagery on every inch.
       There is one dark spot in the exhibit. Chagall had a strange interest in Jesus and liked to use Jesus imagery in his paintings to use him as a symbol of Jews. I realize that when one studies art there is a lot of Christian art involved, but it disturbs me that a Jewish artist who  escaped Europe during the holocaust would be so intrigued by  it and used it in his artwork. I am not sure if I can recommend this exhibit with a full heart because of this imagery. Its just a little much for my taste. Perhaps just download the Jewish Museum Chagall exhibit app and see for yourself  if it is worthwhile. 

More on Apologies

     Sometimes when someone continually does something disrespectful of others there is no place for a verbal apology. One just has to change their behavior and be a better person and MAYBE then they can be forgiven. Sometimes a person can just go too far in the bad direction and there is no turning back. 

Three decades later, the effects of synagogue shooting are still being felt

Three decades later, the effects of synagogue shooting are still being felt  Thirty five years after a white supremacist opened fire, killing one , and wounding two others outside of a conservative synagogue after a bar mitzvah  the man who did this was executed by lethal injection. This man did this purposely to kill Jews. He also was a racist serial killer who went out of his way to kill black people. He shot and paralysed Larry Flynt. This happened so long ago many may have forgotten about these crimes. Unfortunately John Paul Franklin got to live almost forty years longer than his victims had. I linked to an article from a few years ago to retell the story of hate that happened so long ago. Its important not to forget.... 

Thanksgiving and Hanukkah

     I love the fact that Thanksgiving and Hanukkah come out together this year. Its too bad that it doesn't happen more often.I think Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are a better mix than the usual Hanukkah / Christmas mix. Thanksgiving is a big holiday but its not religious so I like its pairing with Hanukkah.
     Sometimes Hanukkah is close to Thanksgiving- like the first week of December, but its not usually together like this year will be. Its kind of nice because there won't be work the first day of Hanukkah which will  be fun.
      I actually prefer when Hanukkah does not overlap with Christmas, but if it has to share the limelight with another holiday this year its best that it be with Thanksgiving. Every Jewish holiday is about thankfulness as in our survival as a people etc, so I think that its good that a holiday of hakaras hatov like Thanksgiving will be sharing a day with Hanukkah this year.