*


Part 1

Chani
Thank you Hashem. Thank you for everything. I beg you please help my children be matzliach this year. Yanki's starting in a new yeshiva, Esti's going up a grade, please give them siyatta dishmaya and direct them in your goodness. Hashem, one more thing. Give me a good night's sleep and patience for the twins' antics.

Esti
Hi everyone [sounds better than "Dear Diary", no?], I'm totally excited about life and painting, and doodling in Morah Nechama's Navi class. I have an older brother named Yanki who's 20, I'm 14. Two years ago my mom had twin girls [who are, needless to say, totally the cutest!], so that's the family.
We live on rechov Even Ha'Azel in Yerushalayim [from where (or is it "whence"?) Devorah Leah and I do the 20 minute walk to "Beis Yaakov HaYashan" every day]. We moved here from New York when I was six. I don't remember much about life before the move. Just that when we got here my Totty was in the hospital for the longest time. Baruch Hashem he hasn't been sick since then, which is good 'cuz he's really the nicest Totty ever. For some reason [totally beyond my comprehension - ooh that's a good word! Like Devorah Leah would say "It behooves us to be proficient in language" (Don't worry she's not such a nerd, she imitates Miss Aurbach, our English teacher - we're the only two that don't need an English teacher, though she might need an "American" teacher- she's from London) so what was I saying?] oh that for some reason totally beyond my limited powers of comprehension, Yanki doesn't get along with Totty so well, I don't know, there's like constant friction between them. Wow this is my first journal entry, can't wait to fill the pages!
Kisses, Esti

Yanki
Reb Yisroel Charita tells me that there's this American bachur coming tomorrow that would make a perfect chavrusa for me. I hate when "hanhala members" do that, c'mon, admit it, you don't know me, you don't know him, we're two names on the list and you decided to seat us together. Sheesh, I just hope the guy knows how to teitch a tosafos at least.
Today I went to yeshiva for the first time, the building is so close, yet so far, we need to walk up like a million steps "ah milyuhn treplach" [that's how Esti refers to it, it's funny that she speaks Yiddish with that accent, she claims she doesn't even remember America, well, good for her] from our street. Anyway, walking into the building is like so… different. The Tchebiner Rov, Rav Boruch Shimon Schneerson, Rav Avrohom Genechovsky, this is it. It's getting real. Tchebiner Yeshiva, ready yourself! Yanki Friedstein coming up!

Boruch
Idiot Nesher, idiot sheroot, idiots all of you that told me to take a sheroot. I'm tired like a bear before his winter snizoon [also known as hibernation] I was on this stupid flight full of heimishe yidden so I couldn't watch movies. Instead I was forced to crane my neck trying to see the screen of the guy in front of me. The stewardesses weren't bad, there were two really hot ones, and I made sure to touch her hand when I took my drink. Any reason they wear those skirts that let you see everything? I mean, like why don't they wear pants? Who cares, that part was good but I couldn't fall asleep during the entire flight, which led to problems by birchos hashachar. I was sitting next to this stupid fat lady (any reason I never ever sit next to a hot girl on flights?! They're always like one or two rows over) who was bombarding me with questions about myself, my family, my community my future and god knows what else, also she was sharing her thoughts on the beauty of her grandchildren, the view from the window and Judaic spirituality vs. Israeli culture whatever that means. There was a fat gerrer chossid in the aisle seat that kept give me these sharp looks for sitting next to her and talking to her (yah as if I wanted to sit smunched in the middle between the two of yous). Finally I get out of the airport after waiting on this interminable passport line (duh the luggage was there already by the time I got out), I stumble out of the terminal avoiding all those shady characters offering me illegal taxi rides, to find a nesher, nasty driver is yelling at me im ani baah oh lo, hallo. Idiots idiots. He drops me off at tchebiner yeshiva, HELLO? Idiot? Why didn't you take me to rechov Chana?! I'm left staring at this MOUNTAIN of steps leading all the way up to yeshiva. After schlepping all the way up with my suitcases….
I'm informed that… there's a way into the dormitory halfway up the steps, and now I need to shlep back down.
I'll say it one last time.
IDIOTS
Yeah, I'm supposed to start learning with this Yanki Friedstein guy tomorrow, he's a year older than me, and hopefully he knows how to learn. I'm planning on doing Shev Shmaatsah during lunch break, a guy like me needs to know Shev Shmaatsah, I mean come on, when the Ketzos was my age, he had WRITTEN IT already! Also we're gonna teach this Yanki guy how to learn Kovetz Shiurim. We're learning Bava Kamma, and we're gonna do every shtikkel Kovetz Shiurim there is, or my name isn't Boruch Schwartz. Tchebin will yet hear of the brilliance and erudition of Hagaon Reb Boruch'el Shvartz!

LOVE IT!! Is Bardichev back??

Awaiting the next episode... :-)

the.guard wrote:

Well, if Bardichev is back, then Guard must come back too!!!
Anyway, i want to see the Coca Cola (new coke/coke classic) post on this thread...

cute what's next?

great stuff!!!

and for Baruch, here's one kovetz shiurim on bava kamma, and perhaps it is even a bit relevant....

The problem for both begins with a statement of the Talmud
(Bava Kamma 83a) which notes that the rabbis allowed Avtolmos Bar
Reuven to receive a non-Jewish haircut merely because he was a
regular at the secular royal court. Tosafos asks how this was possible
and explains that the original Gezaira did not apply to those who were
involved in political careers and might need the haircut in order to find
favor in the eyes of the king. Rabbeinu Yeshiah (cited in BAD WORD REMOVEDtah
Mikubetezes) notes that from this example in the Talmud (where a
dispensation was offered) we see that the decree on clothes is not
Biblical but rather Rabbinic in origin. Others (Minchas Chinuch 262,
Kovetz Shiurim, Bava Kamma 98, Prisha Y.D. 278:2) try to explain the
Gemara differently in accord with the opinions of the Smag and the
Rambam who both agree that for political reasons the rules of dress
can be relaxed.

that's it!

So perhaps, the [.....] (trigger word) need to dress that way for political reasons

I personally found the flight triggering.

yes i also found the flight very triggering,

I personally did not find it triggering but thought others might and I ran it by Zemmy to see if as a moderator he would moderate it. He said it's ok. I think out of the whole story this is the worst it gets [well maybe except for... :woohoo: ] so sorry.

tehillimzugger wrote:

he did have reservations about it

You had reservations on that flight? Good thing you didn't go!

Thanks, Gevura. I think we need to change the subject. Tchebin: Got anything else up your sleeve?