(This is obviously not a real contest or prize!)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
December 26, 2021
Most Popular Grocery Item
December 25, 2021
Finding Our Religion
Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Finding Our Religion."
The contrast between me being Jewish and the environment that was as broad as the United Nations (actually only a few blocks away), helped me to find myself and to build my personal Jewish identity. So, I think that for those Jews that are afraid for their children to leave the confines of the home, their “shtetl” neighborhood, and the local yeshiva, because they are afraid of the “foreign” (goyish) influences, I think that while that may be right for some Jews possibly, it is definitely not right for all of us.In a sense, the redemption of the Jewish people and exodus was so much greater a miracle by Moshe becoming this great Jewish leader from within the fires of the Egyptian paganism at the time. Moshe’s rejectionism of Egyptian power and culture used for evil to enslave and hurt others was a powerful choice of good over evil and a message to Pharaoh and his household that despite all his wealth, strength, and influence, that Pharaoh and Egypt would fall before the hand of the true, Almighty G-d of Israel. Similarly, I think the message for us is that the final redemption for us and the world will come initially from “galut” (outside of Israel) from the cauldron of “Edom” (the Roman Empire and Western civilization) and all the materialist and pleasurable freedoms and allures thereof.
(Credit Painting: Dossy Blumenthal)
December 24, 2021
Kosher Chinese Food on Christmas
December 23, 2021
Tinker at the Mall
This guy, Tinker, did a little dance and gave the elf thumbs up.
I wonder if all this was to communicate to us that we need to spend more money and buy more things (we don't need) for the holidays? ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
December 22, 2021
Dog Riding On Luggage
This little service dog was hilarious.
He stood, the whole time, on this lady's carry-on luggage as she rolled through the airport.
Dog was happy with its tongue out and ears perched up as he was riding along to his/her flight.
I wonder if people could stand on their luggage too and get through the airport quicker that way! ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
December 21, 2021
December 20, 2021
A ‘Riblicious’ Meal at Izzy’s
Izzy’s Brooklyn Smokehouse Kosher BBQ now has a location in Miami, Florida. My wife, Dossy, loves ribs, so she “made sure” that we got to try this restaurant while on vacation here in Florida. Of course, she ordered her favorite BBQ Back Ribs as their menu says: “finished over our woodshow grill and covered in our BBQ sauce.”We ordered the ribs for my wife and she was in seventh heaven just waiting for them to come. There was no bread or appetizer put on the table and when the ribs came they were just that, ribs covered in thick brown BBQ sauce with a sprinkling of pickles and purple cabbage on the side and a cup of ketchup. There was no doubt that this meal was all about the ribs and that virtually nothing else mattered. Looking at my wife’s happy face, I can almost forgive them for the various service snafus.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
December 18, 2021
The Surprising Secret To Becoming Your Best
Even while we are each different and should become our best selves, we still all need to make sure we are driving towards good healthy goals.There is no one-size-fits-all mold for us. Hashem has a destiny in mind for each of us, and we need to find out what that is and work to become it. As parents, we need to see our children for who they are and not who we may want them to be. Truly, it’s a blessing to be able to be ourselves! As long as we and they are doing good in the world and by our Creator, we are each and everyone on solid Jewish ground.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
$$$Yachting Mean Some Big Dough$$$
Big yachts usually mean big mansions too, and that is certainly true here in Florida.
Often it means multiple mansions across states or even in different countries.
In one case, we saw two mansions demolished to build an even bigger single mansion in their place.
All the while others are going homeless and are having difficulty making ends meet.
The last boat isn't a yacht per se, but I like the ocean blue color!
December 17, 2021
December 16, 2021
Shake It Up
December 15, 2021
When Branding is the Bomb
Does that make you the bomb?
I guess it could mean that you're exploding with energy, creativity, quality, coolness, market share, revenue, profits, or more.
Maybe it's a warning to your competitors to stay clear or they will suffer the explosive consequences.
Another reading is that your company is in trouble and is about explode, fragment, and leave a trail of dead bodies in its wake.
If you love your brand, instead of a T-shirt with their logo next time, maybe you'll consider splurging for their very own branded grenade.
You can display it, throw it, or sit on it and hope for the best the brand has to offer. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
December 14, 2021
Beautiful Fresh Fruit Cups
December 13, 2021
Short of Closet Space
December 11, 2021
Dancing on the Head of a Pin
We’re all different, and we all have something to say and contribute to solve life’s challenges. While some of us may think that they are better than others, the reality is that we are all human, fallible, and subject to life’s circumstance and G-d’s mighty hand. However, too often, we let ego get in the way, and instead of taking on the huge, almost insurmountable challenges that we face, we end up fighting about who’s in charge and who gets the credit.As we face the daunting challenges confronting America, Israel, and the world, we need effective “servant-leaders,” who are guided by a genuine moral compass and faith in G-d to take well-reasoned actions and not to punt the problems down the political road. Real leadership means leaving your ego at the door; it means self-sacrifice, compassion, creative thinking, and bold problem-solving. Big challenges can be dealt with, but we’ve got to have the right measure of ourselves, strength of character, and unity of purpose to finally overcome them.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
December 10, 2021
December 8, 2021
December 7, 2021
Panther Cat Car
December 6, 2021
Dreaming An Angel
In the dream, I saw a celestial being come to me.
And it was clearly my mom.
She didn't exactly have a physical body, but more like an angel and the manifestation of the spirit I recognized immediately as my mother.
I experienced an unbelievable and overwhelming feeling of missing my mom.
Like the feeling of the last years that I had been holding back suddenly burst forth.
I started crying hysterically how I had missed her and that I was sorry for any way that I may have failed her (and my dad).
She stood completely straight and beautiful like an angel, truly.
And I could feel her love for me and she told me in a soft and genuine voice that "It is okay."
This was not like a regular dream, but completely real in a metaphysical sense, and I not only saw, but also remembered every detail vividly.
Afterwards, I felt immobilized for about 20 minutes; just feeling all the feeling and still seeing it all in my mind's eye.
I was shaken from such a life-changing "dream" and still can't really get over it.
It was wonderful to see my mom and know that she is okay and at peace, and everything is okay.
Thank you G-d for letting me experience this and to connect with my mom once again.
May it be for a blessing for us. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Janbaby at Pixabay)
December 5, 2021
Israel: A Uniquely Jewish Miracle
What a difference 73 years of the State of Israel makes! While the anti-Semites and anti-Zionists out there like to call us occupiers, colonizers, and an Apartheid state, it couldn’t be any further from the truth. The Jews are indigenous to Israel for four thousand years, and it is the Promised Land by G-d to our forefathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moreover, Israel is a free and democratic nation driven to equality and progress, and with outstanding opportunity for all that are able to live peacefully together.From a historical perspective, it is absolutely clear that after the Jewish people had been forcibly expelled by the Romans in the year 134, Israel fell into a state of wasteland and utter desolation...Contrast what Mark Twain and the others saw for hundreds of years in terms of the ruin, decline, and depopulation of the so-called “Palestine” (as named by the Romans “Syria Palaestina” to delegitimize the Jews from their promised homeland) with what Israel is today, and it is nothing short of a truly miraculous transformation back to its essence as the Garden of Eden.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
December 4, 2021
Appetizing Falafel Platter
December 3, 2021
Absolutely Mind Blowing Humanoid Robot
December 1, 2021
Sleeping or Dead?
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