Noises Swirl

Assuming that my dad - HSLABW - was born before sunset, I just confirmed (via http://www.hebcal.com/converter/ ) that his Hebrew birthday is the 27th of Ellul. Mine is the 13th of Ellul. This week is my father's Bar Mitzvah parshah. Mine is the reading of the first day of Sukkos.

I was intrigued by a footnote (Artscroll pg. 708) on one of today's selichot (Ben Keseh Le'Asor - Between The Hidden Day of Rosh HaShana and The Tenth Day/Yom Kippur). Rather than simply forming the letters of his name, the author of the poem embedded in the beginnings of the lines the words "Eliezer BeRav Shlomo Hashem Yigmeleihu Chesed - Eliezer the son of Solomon, May G-d Bestow Kindness Upon Him."

I love when Jonathan Mark waxes poetic and nostalgic, as he did in a recent article which included these words, “'Y’know, Babylon once had two million people in it,” says the Stage Manager in 'Our Town' 'and all we know about ’em is the names of the kings and some copies of wheat contracts ... Yet every night all those families sat down to supper, and the father came home from work, and the smoke went up the chimney, same as here ... Some things are eternal,' and those eternal truths are the essence of who we are, and where we’ve been." He goes on to cite Becket who said that the last day of your life will be like any other, only shorter.

The article is about the birth and ostensible death of the Jewish community of The Grand Concourse. Mostly, it seems, people moved to Co-Op City. It's a great article.

For some of my thoughts, and a story, on He'ezinu, click here.
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Noises swirl

from a disappearing world

Shabbos approaches